Solan,18 may,(PressPublic)- The total sanitation campaign, initiated in 2007, has led to a marked improvement in the sanitation level in the district with 90 per cent of the households having a toilet.Deputy Commissioner Meera Mohanty addresses mediapersons at Solan on Friday.This figure stood at 60 per cent in urban areas and 50 per cent in rural areas prior to the launch of this campaign. Not only has the number of toilets in the government schools increased but more anganwaris have been provided this facility.To create awareness among the urban dwellers the district administration has initiated a three-day campaign to undertake cleanliness activities.Addressing mediapersons here today, the Deputy Commissioner, Meera Mohanty, said Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment DR Shandil inaugurated this campaign today with stress on undertaking a cleanliness drive in all the 13 wards of the town.Apart from a rally supported by the NGOs, schoolchildren and anganwari workers, various public places like religious places, schools, hospitals the railway station would be included in the drive.She said with a view to roping in the support of the maximum people it would be a month-long exercise where ward committees would be constituted to oversee cleanliness work in various wards of the town.Contractors employing labourers would be urged to provide hygienic toilet facility to the workforce and exemplary work would be awarded in the Shoolini Fair.With the industrial belt of Baddi-Bar    Read More

Fatehabad, 18 may,(PressPublic)- For the fourth consecutive day today, schoolchildren were rushed to hospitals with complaints of nausea and vomiting after they were given iron and folic acid (IFA) tablets supplied by the Health Department.As many as 15 students from Government Middle School at Hamzapur village in Fatehabad were rushed to the local General Hospital with symptoms of nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea.While 13 of them were discharged after treatment, two of them, Gurjeet and Dilraj, were admitted to the hospital due to their bad condition.Six more students were admitted to the community health centre (CHC) at Ratia in Fatehabad today.Earlier, nearly 100 schoolchildren had come to the CHC, Ratia, in the past three days with similar problems.A spokesperson of the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) today said the complications witnessed after consuming IFA tablets was a normal phenomenon and there was nothing to worry about.Some local doctors have questioned the very logic behind giving a weekly dose of IFA to children for management of anemia. “I have been in practice for over 40 years and I have never heard of any long acting iron tablets, which could remain active in the body for a week,” said a doctor.Meanwhile, Dr Mukta Kumar, Medical Superintendent of the General Hospital, Fatehabad, has written to the Civil Surgeon suggesting him to ban the distribution of four different batches of IFA tablets being distributed in government schools.    Read More

15 May (Press Public News):-  What if somebody covers your eye with dough made of maida (refined wheat), covers it with a handkerchief and then asks you to read something? Sounds insane? Possibly, but only until you hear of a magician who plays this trick on his awestruck audience as part of his highly awaited show.  Meet PC Sorcar Jr, the son of the great and legendary PC Sorcar who is in the City, celebrating 100 years of the great magic show, ‘Indrajal’ that has ruled hearts of people down the decades decades. To showcase this particular magic trick which is called ‘X-Ray eyes’, Sorcar Jr invites volunteers from the audience. When 10-12 gather on stage, they are asked to double-check the handkerchief and the dough. Soon, Sorcar asks them to write digits, the toughest formula or a chemical reaction on a blackboard. To everyone’s amazement, Sorcar easily reads what is written by different people. Not only that, he draws a painting around the symbols drawn by volunteers. A simple drawing of a flower is converted into the profile of a young woman, whose hairs adorns it!  The trick as most of us understand as adults, is a glimpse of PC Sorcar Jr’s illusionary work. Yet, his audience is impressed. Sorcar Jr, then along with his daughter Maneka went on to present more magic and had the audience eating out of his hands. For magic, however familiar the tricks, never fails to astonish! If Sorcar Jr  makes a girl lie d    Read More

New Delhi, 15 May (Press Public News):- A Haryana-born school dropout who launched several business ventures, including departmental stores and newspapers, was arrested by the Delhi Police for allegedly cheating investors out of Rs 1,000 crore by floating companies across the country.    Read More

As a pilot project to boost surveillance, Gujarat Police have purchased two unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) that will be used for the first time in the upcoming Jagannath Rath Yatra in the state.Chief Minister Narendra Modi had appreciated the project when these UVAs, named "netras", were displayed before him during the recent Gujarat Day function.According to DIG (modernisation) Rajiv Ranjan Bhagat, these UAVs will give the state police a bird's eye view in terms of surveillance."It's a GPS-based automated device fitted with infrared cameras. It uses one of the most advanced technologies available in the market today for aerial surveillance," he said.The UAVs have been purchased for Rs 55 lakh a piece from a company run by ex-IITians.Once it takes off, the battery-powered device flies on auto pilot, charting its flight path with the help of anti-collision sensors.The device, weighing two kgs, is capable of recording every minute detail from a distance of several kilometres, Bhagat said, adding that the footages could be watched in real time at a control room.The UAV has a speed of 30 kilometres per hour, he said.Officials involved in police modernisation said these devices would be of great help for threat assessment, police deployment, traffic movement, VIP movement and important festivals and events in the state.    Read More

14 May (Press Public News):- Nearly 50 families under the banner of the Bawana Sangharsh Samiti have begun occupying vacant Delhi Development Authority plots in Bawana to protest against the failure of the Authority to allot plots promised to them when their slums in Yamuna Pushta and other areas were demolished in the run up to the Commonwealth Games.The protesters, who are sitting on dharna at Bawana, claimed that more families would join in and occupy more plots in the days to come if the DDA did not process their applications for allotment of plots. The protesters said they had been issued demand letters for the plots and paid the DDA Rs.7,000 six years ago but were yet to be allotted any plot.Various investigating agencies have been probing irregularities in the allotment and the protesters allege that in the name of investigations they have been denied plots all these years.The resettlement policy of DDA provides that all those possessing the requisite papers proving residence before 1998 are ‘eligible’ for allotment of plots. These papers include the ration card and voter card and any other reliable evidence acceptable to ‘competent authority’.Bawana Sangharsh Samiti’s Umesh Singh said the protest would continue indefinitely and would be intensified unless the DDA starts the allotment of plots immediately. He also castigated local police for harassing the residents.“Many of us who came here from Yamuna Pushta lost all our belong    Read More

14 May (Press Public News):- Ahead of the monsoon season, the Commissioner of the North Delhi Municipal Corporation P. K. Gupta had to face flak over “slow” pace of desilting of drains as the preparedness of the corporation to deal with the rainy season was debated in the House on Monday.Councillors from both the Opposition and the ruling parties argued that given the “enormous amount of work still left to be done” finishing the desilting work on time remained a big challenge for the civic body.The Commissioner, however, expressed confidence that the work would be completed on the due date of May 31. “We have managed to remove 5,000 MT silt till now out of total 13,000 MT. I am confident that in the coming 15-20 days, we will reach our target,” Mr. Gupta said.During a detailed discussion on the issue, the leader of the House and BJP councillor Mahendra Nagpal said the pace of work was extremely slow. “Around 13,000 MT of silt is yet to be removed. Given the slow speed of work and with very few days left the corporation won’t be able to meet the deadline.”He also highlighted the absence of machines to do the job. “We have just one super-sucker machine being shared for 15 days each by the North and South Corporations. There are only five suction machines. There is simply not enough time to complete the work before the rain,” he added.He also highlighted that the proposal to buy more machines,    Read More

14 May (Press Public News):- Showering praise on Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi for being "the finest administrator," Infosys chairman emeritus N R Narayana Murthy said Monday the state had done extremely well under his leadership as reflected by its growth indices, but added he did not have much idea on how the state was doing in terms of human development indices.Speaking to the media during his visit to Vadodara to receive the first Sayaji Ratna Award of the Baroda Management Association, Murthy said quality of roads, power situation and other infrastructure in Gujarat were enough to establish its reputation as an effectively administered state. "Narendra Modi has been acknowledge as the finest administrator in the country, there is no doubt about it," he said."It is clear just from the data on the ground that this state has done extremely well. I do not know how it is in certain human development indices like nutrition, healthcare, etc. So I am not in a position to comment on that. But having looked at cities like Ahmedabad and Vadodara, I must say he (Modi) has done well," he said.Expressing concern over India's current growth rate at 5%, Murthy said the rate was insufficient to create "inclusive prosperity." "Common sense tells that if we continue to grow at this rate, it won't be sufficient to bring about inclusive prosperity. For that, we will have to grow at 9-10% rate," he said.Murthy said Mahatma Gandhi w    Read More

14 May (Press Public News):- Axit Shah, a student of Shree Vidyanagar High School and son of a newspaper and magazine vendor, made his father proud once again on Monday when he scored 99 percentile in Class XII non-medical examinations."He made me proud two years back when he scored 92 per cent in Class X, and once again today," Axit's father Jayesh said, while hugging his son and fighting tears. Jayesh runs a newspaper and magazine shop at Sola. Axit, who wants to become a civil engineer, draws his inspiration from his father. "My family is very supportive, especially my father who had always pushed me to do my best," he said.Another family that was elated was of Tanha Shah, a student of Nirman High School who secured 99.99 percentile in non-medical examinations.Tanha's parents, brother and sister-in-law are chartered accountants, but she chose science."I want to become an aeronautical engineer," she said. "She had an interest in mathematics from the beginning and we never forced her to choose any profession. She is the only one in the family with science subjects. It is entirely her decision," Ankit, her brother, said.    Read More

13 May ( Press Public News) :-  For Gujarati-medium students of government primary schools in the state, error-free textbooks remain a distant dream even as they gear up to begin the new academic session from June 1. The students of Class VI-VIII will yet again have to manage with textbooks replete with factual and printing errors in subjects like English, mathematics and science.The Gujarat State Board of School Textbooks (GSSTB), despite assurances of error-free textbooks it made in the last session, has failed to correct these errors.The Gujarat Council of Educational Research and Training (GCERT) claimed that "corrections" were passed on to the textbook board last year only. GSSTB, however, claimed that the GCERT updated textbooks from Class VI-VIII. "The Gujarati-medium curriculum have been updated by the GCERT. The textbook CDs were handed over to the printers. It is the old stock of textbooks with the stockists that have errors," said GSSTB director H K Patel.The director said that these books were supplied free of cost to government schools by the board. The supply and distribution to government schools had already started, he said. He added that the same books were sold to private schools and will be supplied to the dealers in the next 15 days.The GCERT curriculum coordinator Haresh Chaudhary, however, claimed that the curriculum was revised last year and no changes have been made this year. "After receiving alerts from schools last    Read More

13 May ( Press Public News) :-  A minor girl was allegedly raped by a man living in Fanwara locality near the victim's house in Deesa, around 28 km from here, the police said.The incident happened Sunday when the 14-year-old girl was alone at her home and the suspect Kishore Panchal (25) lured her, the police said. According to the complaint filed by the mother of the victim, the suspect took her to the bushes near a riverbed and raped her."He also threatened the girl not to tell anybody, or else he would kill her," the police said. The police has arrested Panchal after registering offences under Section 363 (kidnapping) and 376 (rape) of the IPC against him.    Read More

13 May ( Press Public News) :-  Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut, who is the executive editor of party's mouthpiece Saamana, on Sunday wrote that the BJP's decision to shun hardcore Hindutva ideology was responsible for its defeat in Karnataka elections. In a hard hitting column, he said, "Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi, who sweeps the elections in his home state, tried to adopt pseudo secular image outside, which proved fatal for the BJP. What is the difference between Modi and AICC general secretary Digvijaya Singh if both are speaking the same language of secularism, which in current context means avoid concerns for the majority Hindus and indulge in appeasement of minority Muslims?"Raut added that it is time the BJP learnt its lessons or else people will continue to vote for the Congress."All those BJP leaders who are out to project Modi as the next prime minister and believe he can swing sizeable votes to their fold should do some introspection. Modi was the star campaigner of the BJP in Karnataka Assembly elections. He held rallies at Mangalore, Bangalore and Belgaum, and received a mammoth crowd. But wherever Modi campaigned the BJP lost."Exhorting the BJP to revert to its hardcore Hindutva agenda, Raut said, "The question that needs to be addressed is who is the leader of 80 per cent Hindus in India? The Congress has already established its secular credentials which amounts to appeasement of the minorities. In the recently concluded el    Read More

Sirsa, 11 May (Press Public News) :-The authorities in Sirsa will spend Rs 40 crore on development activities this year under the multi-sectoral development plan for minority concentration districts.Additional Deputy Commissioner Shiv Prasad Sharma presided over a meeting to prepare a plan for development activities under the scheme.The Sub-Divisional Magistrates of Ellenabad, Dabwali and Sirsa, Prabhjot Singh, Subhash Sheoran and Sant Lal Pachar, respectively, attended the meeting.Sharma said Rs 10 crore each would be spent on four blocks that comes under the plan. These blocks include Ellenabad, Bada Gudha, Odhan and Dabwali.He said under the plan, two ITIs are proposed to be set up at a cost of over Rs 5 crore each at Jeevan Nagar and Bada Gudha in the district. A plan had been sent to the state government for setting up of these ITIs.He said it was proposed to spend Rs 3.91 crore in the Ellenabad block under the Priyadarshini Aawas Yojna to build 434 houses.Similarly, housing facility would be provided at health centres of Mamerkalan, Dharampura, Kariwala and other villages of the district at a cost of Rs 68 lakh.     Read More

Faridabad, 11 May (Press Public News) :-Protesting against alleged indifference of the government towards their demands, a large number of teachers staged a protest and burnt an effigy of the authorities of the Education Department here today.Backed by the Haryana Vidhyalya Adhyapak Sangh and the Sarva Karamcahaari Sangh, Haryana, the teachers raised slogans outside the office of the Faridabad education officer for about two hours.They submitted a memorandum to Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda vide the office of the education officer urging an immediate solution to their grievances.The agitation was led by sate leaders of the sanghs.State general secretary of the sangh CN Bharti said the teachers were against the skewed teacher-student ratio, 1:60, fixed by the Education Department a few months ago. It is impractical that one teacher could teach 60 students at a time, the general secretary said.A majority of classrooms in schools in the state do not have the capacity to seat 60 students at a time, he said.The teachers’ demands included filling of about 25,000 posts.The posts are sanctioned by the government.“They are also annoyed at the government policy of appointing teachers on a daily-wage basis,” the state general secretary of the sangh added.    Read More

Bengaluru 11 May (Press Public News) :- The fight for the city police commissioner has already started with former commissioner Jyothiprakash Mirji getting a respite from the Central Administrative Tribunal, which on Friday ordered his reinstatement as the commissioner by May 11.Mirji had challenged his removal from the top cop’s post by the government on the direction of the Election Commission, stating that he had not completed his two year tenure.He was replaced by former home secretary and IPS officer of 1987 batch Raghavendra Auradkar. The Tribunal also directed the government to post Mirji after the completion of his tenure in consultation with the Police Establishment Board.But senior police officers on condition of anonymity said that Mirji, who had taken charge as the City top cop on May 4, 2011 has already completed his two-year tenure.“They may bring Mirji back for some time, but the new CM will have the officer of his choice to head the city. The newly installed government will soon direct the PEB to empanel senior officers for the post and recommend their names to the government. The CM will select the officer of his choice from the panel,” said the officer.    Read More

11 May (Press Public News) :- A municipal councillor belonging to the Congress party was slapped a penalty of Rs 1.39 lakh by the Dakshin Gujarat Vij Company Ltd (DGVCL) officials for power theft. A case has also been registered against the councillor, Mustaq Soni, in this regard after officials found him allegedly stealing power at his residence, official sources said on Friday.Acting on specific information, officials from the vigilance department of DGVCL conducted a surprise check at a bungalow in Tirupati Nagar in Unn. Officials found that the house, owned by the councillor, was illegally tapping power directly from a low-tension line passing near the house. The councillor, however, has a legal connection also.Soni was not present at his house when the raids were carried out on Thursday. On Friday afternoon, Soni paid Rs 35,000 as a part payment of the penalty at the DGVCL office. D N Chauhan, Deputy Engineer of Udhna Rural sub division of the DGVCL, said, "Soni used all his tactics to pressurise us, but was unsuccessful."Talking to The Indian Expresss on phone, Soni said, "We paid some amount of the penalty charges and assured the DGVCL that the remaining amount would be paid soon."    Read More

11 May (Press Public News) :- With its Regulations for Rehabilitation and Redevelopment of Slums 2010 failing to take off three years after its formulation, the Gujarat government is in the process of preparing a new policy aimed at making the state slum-free."Process to formulate a new slum policy has begun," said a top official from the urban development department.Under the 2010 policy, the state government was to redevelop slum clusters on Public Private Partnership model and offer slum-dwellers flats of 36 sqm each for free. The policy was similar to the one followed by the Maharashtra government in developing the famous Dharavi slum cluster.While housing schemes like Indira Awas Yojana, Valmiki Awas Yojana and Ambedkar Awas Yojana offer houses to BPL families at affordable rates, the 2010 policy is the one of its kind where housing units are to be given free to beneficiaries.However, no work has begun on any of the eight sites that were given to two developers for redevelopment in Ahmedabad city."We had submitted the plan soon after the policy was announced. It took more than a year for urban department to get the project clearance from the local body, which is nodal agency for the sites under municipal corporation area," said a developer. Sources in urban development department said floor space index (FSI) was the bone of contention. Builders were demanding more FSI, to which the government finally agreed, they said.According to officials in th    Read More

Ahmedabad 11 May (Press Public News) :- Nine policemen from a city police station have been booked for the alleged custodial torture and death of a man lodged in lockup for robbery. The man's body was found from the banks of Sabarmati river on Thursday night.The victim, Raju alias Kanti Thakkar, was brought to the Sardarnagar police station for his alleged role in a housebreaking case. He was picked up from a gambling den in Sarangpur on Wednesday and handed over to Sector II surveillance squad. He was lodged in Ajit Mills police chowky, which comes under Rakhila police station, for a day. He was brought to the Sardarnagar police station for questioning on Thursday.A local saw the dead body lying on the banks of Sabarmati near Hansol in the city and informed the police. The Sardarnagar police later identified the body as that of Kanti Thakkar who was in their custody.Sardarnagar Inspector V S Sarvaiyya said, "We have booked a case of custodial death against nine policemen, including a Sub-Inspector named D K Patel. I have submitted a report to the Commissioner of Police about the incident. I have also filed a separate report to the Metropolitan court asking for judicial investigation into the case."Others booked in the case include policemen from Sector II, JCP S G Bhati's squad and 'D' staff policemen from the Sardarnagar police station. As soon as Kanti's family heard about his death, his wife Asha reached the police station, along with her family members and    Read More

 10 May (Press Public News) :-  Over 500 resident doctors at Safdarjung Hospital, who had gone on a flash strike on Wednesday, returned to work on Thursday evening after being assured by the hospital authorities that all their demands would be looked into immediately.However, patient-care suffered at the hospital earlier in the day with resident doctors staying away from work. The doctors on strike had gone on mass causal leave demanding better hospital infrastructure, adequate security, accommodation and better salaries.Previous talks between the hospital authorities and resident doctors had failed and the medicos claimed that they were forced to go on strike due to the inaction by the authorities.Senior resident at the hospital, Dr. Sameer Prabhakar, said: “Though in the morning we ensured that emergency services at the hospital are not hit, it is now high time that the Government understands that we are working here without proper accommodation, hospital infrastructure and security.’’“We don’t have basic facilities like clean drinking water, adequate security for female doctors and severe shortage of nursing orderlies which puts enormous work load on the existing medical staff,’’ he added.The strike hampered work at the hospital’s Out Patient Department (OPD) and other elective surgeries but emergency and the intensive care unit (ICU) services remained functional.Patients coming to the hospital were caught unaw    Read More

10 May (Press Public News) :-  The job of coaching one of football's most iconic teams has been granted to David Moyes, a former professional player who will have to step into the shoes of fellow Glaswegian Alex Ferguson.Manchester United chose an unglamorous coach to take over from the 71-year-old Ferguson, seeking long-term success by awarding Moyes a six-year contract on Thursday.Moyes and Ferguson come from identical backgrounds and were raised on the tough streets of Scotland. Both have reputations for enjoying confrontation and strong discipline.Moyes will arrive from Everton, never having won a trophy there, to take over the reins on July 1 of a United side fresh from its 13th Premier League title under Ferguson.And as with everything else at United, the retiring Ferguson played a key role in the decision, recommending his fellow Scot to build on the foundations for success he has laid at Old Trafford since 1986."I am delighted that Sir Alex saw fit to recommend me for the job," Moyes said in a statement. "I have great respect for everything he has done and for the football club."After 11 years at Everton operating on a modest budget, the 50-year-old Moyes has been given a chance to prove he can cut it at the highest level by filling the shoes of a manager who has produced nearly 50 trophies for United."I know how hard it will be to follow the best manager ever," Moyes said. "But the opportunity to manage Manchester United i    Read More

10 May (Press Public News) :-  The Organised Crimes Wing of the Crime Branch on Thursday arrested Lissy Sojan, the alleged kingpin of a sex racket in West Asia.A native of Wadakanchery, 40-year-old Lissy, alias Leena Basheer alias Aswathy, was running  the racket which trafficked women from Kerala and other states to the Gulf for sex work.According to Crime Branch officials, she was arrested from Aluva before she could surrender in court. During the interrogation, Lissy admitted that she returned from Dubai a year ago and was staying in different parts of the country.However, SP Alex K John said the statement could be confirmed only after a detailed interrogation.Lissy is accused in three cases. These cases were registered after a Keralite woman  was arrested with a fake passport at the Mumbai airport in June,2012.The woman, a native of Kazhakkoottam in Thiruvananthapuram, was taken to Sharjah for domestic work last year. However, Lissy allegedly forced her into flesh trade. But she managed to escape and reached Mumbai with the help of NRIs.Lissy took the victim to Sharjah using the passport of another woman hailing from Kattapana in Idukki, who also was a victim of the sex racket.    Read More

Bengaluru: 10 May (Press Public News) :-  The city is in sorry shape as the infighting in the BJP put its needs on the back burner for years. With its infrastructure crumbling and the garbage menace stalking it, Bengaluru is badly in need of a facelift.Having expanded to cover 840 sq kms, its requirements too have multiplied over the years. What it clearly needs now is a vibrant minister with a vision to put it back on track and curb its haphazard growth by strictly abiding by the Karnataka Municipal Corporation, BDA Act and town planning regulations.While veterans like R.V. Deshpande, Ramalinga Reddy and D.K. Shivakumar have experience as urban development ministers in previous Congress regimes, the party can also count upon a couple of more youthful MLAs like Krishna Byregowda and Dinesh Gundurao to make Bengaluru a better place to live in. All it needs is the political will to bring in much needed change.    Read More

10 May (Press Public News) :-  Almost 40,000 students across the state took the Gujarat Common Entrance Test (GUJCET) on Thursday, amid state-union differences regarding admission tests for undergraduate medical courses. Across Gujarat, 39,567 of the 39,831 students who had registered for the test took it. In Ahmedabad, 4,549 of the 4,589 registered students appeared for it. Thanks to confusion over which test will be counted, state students have had to take both the GUJCET and the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) this year. Students say GUJCET was a piece of cake, especially after the “nightmarish” NEET, which was held last Sunday. While both tests lasted three hours, GUJCET only had 120 questions, as opposed to NEET’s 180. Also, GUJCET was based completely on textbooks of the Gujarat State Secondary and Higher Secondary Education Board — a fact that did not go down well with CBSE students. Many students had trouble with Physics, while Biology appeared to be easier than expected. “Physics was tough butChemistry and Biology were easy” said Deep Yadav, a student from Amrit School. With the Supreme Court yet to decide which exam will be valid for admissions, students are an anxious lot. It is unclear if GUJCET results will be counted if the court rules for NEET. Students haven’t been told when to expect GUJCET results, either. Aangi Shah, a student at Bhavan’s in Vadodara, said, “I    Read More

10 May (Press Public News) :-  A 42-year-old principal of a municipal school committed suicide near Edhan village in Palsana taluka of Surat district on Thursday. Family members of the deceased, Kailash Sejwad, have alleged that police harassment drove him to suicide.Sejwad, who worked in Surat Municipal School number 239 at Varachha area, had visited Dindoli police station in the morning after being summoned by police to sort out an old land dispute, family members said.After visiting the police station, Sejwad returned home and later left for some work. When he failed to return home, his family members tried to contact him on his mobile, which was switched off. They then informed the Dindoli police.Meanwhile, the police got information about a dead body lying on the roadside at Edhan village, about 20 kilometres from the city. Upon frisking it, they found Sejwad's identity card.The body was later sent for postmortem. Dindoli police inspector K M Rawal said, "We had called him to our police station for questioning in a case relating to a property dispute. We have not harassed him. We also do not know why he took the drastic step."    Read More

09 May (Press Public News) :-  The death toll in a an accident in which a bus skidded off the road and plunged into the Beas river rose to 38, officials said Thursday. Seven people were still critical.Police officials said negligent driving was the cause of the accident Wednesday, as the driver, who jumped off the bus just before the bus plunged into the river, was on cellphone.The 42-seater private bus carrying over 70 passengers was going to Ani town from Kullu when it fell into the river near Jhari, some 20 km from here.The accident spot, known for white water rafting, is 250 km from the state capital Shimla.Rescue workers said rafters rescued 17 passengers trapped in the wreckage of the bus.Eyewitnesses said the administration had a tough time in extricating the victims from the bus, although villagers and private rafters started the rescue operations before the authorities could reach the spot.Meanwhile, the government has ordered a magisterial probe into the accident.Kullu Deputy Commissioner Sharab Negi told IANS that search operation is on along the banks of the river as some of the passengers might have swept away.Scarcity and low frequency of passenger buses in Himachal Pradesh often leads to overcrowding of transport vehicles.    Read More

09 May (Press Public News) :-  A 30-year-old woman was arrested for allegedly killing her toddler son by setting him ablaze at her residence Wednesday, apparently following a dispute with her husband, police said."Vandana, wife of one Kishore Vadgama who is a carpenter by profession, today burnt her two-year-old son Raunak alive, after dousing him with kerosene," they said.The incident took place this morning at Vambay Awaas Yojana, where the couple is staying, when Vadgama was out on work and Vandana was alone in the house, they said.During investigations, Vadgama told the police that his wife was mentally unstable and therefore had taken the extreme step.However, later Vandana said she was fed up with the mental torture by her husband, police added. The accused was booked under section 302 (murder) of the IPC.    Read More

Vadodara: 09 May (Press Public News) :-  A two-day-old baby girl was stolen by an unidentified woman from a Primary Health Centre at Padra town near here. According to the mother, Manjulaben, the woman befriended her two days ago, and today offered to take her baby out for a while. After half-an-hour, Manjulaben realised that the woman had disappeared with the girl. A police case has been lodged.    Read More

09 May (Press Public News) :-  A man was allegedly run over by a speeding AMTS bus near old monument Siddi Saiyed Jali in the city Wednesday which led to a major outburst of anger among the locals in walled city area. The bus driver fled from the spot, police said.The victim, identified as Mohd Imran Moinuddin Sheikh (31), was a resident of Dariapur. He was on his way to his work as a security guard at a private building in the same area. The locals allegedly tried to torch the bus but the police reached on the spot and controlled the situation.Sub-Inspector S P Chavda, who is investigating the case, said, "We have spoken to the AMTS authorities and the driver would be arrested soon. The locals resorted to violence but none were injured in the incident. The situation was completely brought under control."The Karanj police registered a case of fatal accident under various sections of the Indian Penal Code and begun investigations.    Read More

09 May (Press Public News) :-  Notification for the bypolls to two Lok Sabha and four Assembly constituencies in the state, to be held on June 2, was issued Wednesday by the state's Chief Election Officer.As per the notification, the last date for filing of nominations is May 15 and that for withdrawal May 18. Polling would be held on June 2 and counting on June 5.Filing of nominations started today. However, no candidate filed papers today, Chief Election Officer Anita Karwal said in a press release this evening.Elections will be held for Banaskantha and Porbandar Lok Sabha seats and assembly constituencies Limbadi, Jetpur, Dhoraji and Morva Hadaf.Banaskantha Lok Sabha seat fell vacant following the death of Congress MP Mukesh Gadhvi on March 1, while Congress MP from Porbandar Vitthal Radadia resigned following his win from Dhoraji Assembly seat in December. Radadia and his son Jayesh later resigned as Congress MLAs to join BJP. His son was MLA from Jetpur constituency in Rajkot district.Congress MP from Surendranagar Soma G Patel also contested assembly election from Limbadi constituency, won, but chose to remain an MP.By-election was necessitated for Morva Hadaf Assembly seat as Congress candidate Savita Khant, who won, died on the day results were declared. The elections would be a test for Congress which had held all the six seats.In the Assembly of 178, ruling BJP has 115 MLAs while Congress 57, Gujarat Parivartan Party and NCP two each and JD(U) and independ    Read More

Three youths from Manipur sustained minor injuries after they were allegedly beaten up by their neighbour and his son for “spitting” in front of their house, police said.The incident was reported from south Delhi’s Munirka on Tuesday afternoon where Ronny, 25, Seijan Guite, 23, and Samson, 25, were thrashed by their neighbour Adarsh Kumar, his son Ashish and some others.Ronny told police that he had accidentally swallowed a mosquito and immediately spat it out. “When Adarsh saw it, he assumed that Rony had deliberately spat and started thrashing him and his friends along with 7-10 other locals,” police said, citing Ronny. According to the victims, the accused thrashed them with wooden sticks and iron rods. The three youth were taken to Safdarjung Hospital for a medical test. Doctors said that they all have received minor injuries.However, Seijan said a doctor told him that his eardrum was busted and he needs to undergo minor operation after some days . A case has been against Adarsh and others at the Vasant Vihar police station.    Read More

08 May (Press Public News) :-  The Congress Wednesday prepared to take power in Karnataka with an absolute majority, leaving the ruling BJP far behind with less than 40 seats in the 225-member assembly.As votes were counted for the elections held Sunday, the Bharatiya Janata Party appeared set for a humiliating rout in the state where it took power five years ago -- relegated to the third spot.In contrast, the Congress headed for triumph. Congress workers celebrated wildly in Bangalore, bursting firecrackers.Congress strongman in Karnataka Siddharamiah was sanguine in victory. "It was only expected," said the man who could be the next chief minister.Added BJP leader and former chief minister Sadanand Gowda soberly: "We have not been able to rise to the occasion. We could not reach out to the voter with whatever development work we did in Karnataka."According to the latest trends available, the Congress could win 118 seats, comfortably over the halfway mark of 112.    Read More

08 May (Press Public News) :-  The state government is yet to deliver the promise it made to the property owners who were affected by the bomb blast in Malleswaram. The state government had announced that it will compensate the owners of apartments in the vicinity for the damage of their properties, amounting to lakhs of rupees, due to the bomb blast. During  their visit to the area in question, the chief minister Jagadish Shettar and deputy chief minister R Ashok assured the property owners that the state government will compensate the property loss. However, it has been more than 20 days ever since, and there is no sign of respite for the affected families.Damodara Reddy, who lives in an apartment overlooking the spot where the bomb exploded, said: “The state government had assured that within seven days they will compensate us. At the apartments, properties worth Rs22 lakh were damaged and we had given our estimation to the officers of the BBMP and others who had done the spot verification. Officials had estimated that the property damage was between Rs17 lakh to Rs18 lakh. Nevertheless, we have not been compensated by the government so far.”  However, on Monday, the jurisdictional police officers cleared all the barricades placed around the blast site. A police officers said: “The city crime branch police and other agencies have collected all possible evidence from the bomb blast area. We had deployed police personnel to gua    Read More

08 May (Press Public News) :-  A 12-year-old boy and two women died after drowning in Mahisagar river near Kothamba town in Lunawada taluka of the Panchmahals on Tuesday. The incident took place at Karolbordi village from where they hailed. When the boy, who went into the river to take a bath, started drowning, two women jumped to save him. Later, villagers fished out their bodies and informed police. Fifty-six passengers had a miraculous escape when the luxury bus they were travelling in caught fire at Vadodara-Ahmedabad expressway near Anand Tuesday afternoon following sparks in a battery.The bus was bound for Mount Abu in Rajasthan from Navsari. When the driver saw smoke emanating from the engine, he swiftly pulled the bus over to the wayside and asked the passengers to get down.As soon as all the passengers got down, the fire engulfed the bus, burning it down with the luggage left behind by passengers.The incident took place at Chikhodra village near Anand, some 30 kilometres from Vadodara.Locals rushed to the spot and helped rescue passengers.Only skeletal remains of the bus was left after the fire was doused, fire officials said, adding nobody was hurt in the accident.Anand chief fire officer Kamlesh Brahmbhatt said, "The spark was caused due to battery short-circuit. We received a call at noon and rushed a fire fighting vehicle to the spot."The bus belonged to Jai Mata Di Travels from Navsari. The passengers,who were travelling together to atte    Read More

07 May (Press Public News) :-  Alia, who is actor-turned-director’s Pooja Bhatt’s sister and Emraan Hashmi’s cousin says she doesn’t take any acting tips from them. “I don’t take advice on acting but I do ask them about a film or what I should do or how I should behave. But I don’t take acting tips from them,” she said. And even though her father has a production company, Alia decided not to start her acting career with the Bhatt camp. Not only her debut film but even her upcoming projects Highway and 2 States are not from Vishesh Films.“For my first film I had decided not to start off with our family banner. I was more than excited to do Student of the Year. But now if something comes up, then I will definitely look into it,” she says. In the interim, Alia will be seen in Imtiaz Ali’s Highway opposite Randeep Hooda. The film about two people and their road trip. “I am more than happy to work with Imtiaz in Highway as he has been on my wish list of directors and I have already finished one long schedule. It has been emotionally and physically draining but all in a positive sense. It is amazing to work on the film and I feel like I want to work on and on and on it. Frankly,  I don’t want to stop shooting for it,” she laughs. Karan Johar-Sajid Nadiadwala’s joint production venture 2 States and is based on a Chetan Bhagat novel 2 States-The Story Of My Mar    Read More

07 May (Press Public News) :-  A week after Congress leader Sajjan Kumar was acquitted by a Delhi court in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots case, the protests against the decision continue and on Monday a large number of Sikhs held a demonstration near Parliament House and blocked traffic for over an hour demanding justice for the victims. The agitating protesters held placards and shouted slogans against the ruling Congress Government and squatted at Vijay Chowk near Rashtrapati Bhavan.Led by Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC) and Shiromani Akali Dal leaders, the protesters, including several women, sat on dharna for a couple of hours. They were later taken into custody by the police and escorted to a nearby police station. Last week, the group had disrupted Delhi Metro operations by jumping on the tracks at Subash Nagar metro station in protest and had marched to the residences of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress chief Sonia Gandhi demanding justice for the riots victims. Kumar.National Democratic Alliance convener Sharad Yadav also reached Rajpath to express solidarity with the protesters. He said it was unfortunate and a failure of the Central Government that even after 29 years of the carnage, Sikhs have to come out on the streets and protest to seek justice in cases pertaining to the riots.As a precaution on Monday, the police blocked the stretch of Rajpath from South Block to Rashtrapati Bhavan as also a portion of Raisina Road and Vijay Chowk    Read More

NEW DELHi: 07 May (Press Public News) :-  A 15-year-old girl from northeast Delhi finally mustered up the courage on Sunday to register a case against her father who tried to sell her off to traffickers twice. Her mother, who came along with her, explained in detail the chain of exploitation which began in January earlier this year.However, even after extensive raids by cops, neither the father nor the traffickers have been nabbed so far.According to the victim, a resident of Khajuri, the girl's father, a rickshawpuller, had recently begun selling alcohol. On January 20, he coaxed his daughter to come with him to the Dwarka Mor area where he allegedly sold her to one Satpal for Rs 2.5 lakh.Before she could realize anything, she was taken to Noida by Satpal, confined and assaulted. Medical tests are yet to ascertain if she was raped. About two days later, she fled and returned home.After she returned, the locals abused her and community elders warned her against reporting the matter to the police claiming it "would tarnish her image." She initially kept quite but a week ago her father once again began to make plans to sell her off - this time at a higher price."The girl and her mother finally came to us and we have registered a case. We will arrest all the accused and slap the most stringent acts against them," claimed an officer from northeast district.In another incident, an electrician identified as Mehboob (20) has been arrested for tryin    Read More

07 May (Press Public News) :-  When its five-storey building at Sarai Khalil in Sadar Bazar was torn down during the Emergency, the Qaumi Senior Secondary School moved to the Shahi Eidgah premises where students and teachers sat in tents and, later, in tin sheds.But now, 37 years later, 700 students and 28 teachers of this Urdu-medium school stare at an uncertain future. The new Eidgah Committee, appointed by the Waqf Board, wants its land back and the school out.The school, run by the Qaumi Education Society since 1948 and is an aided institution under the Directorate of Education, is housed in two rows of tin sheds which, school officials say, occupy less than 10 per cent of the Eidgah premises that can accommodate several thousand faithful during prayers.The original school building in Sarai Khalil was demolished on June 30, 1976. School manager Abdul Malik Qureshi, who was then a Class V student, said he watched his school building come down. "The management was told that the school will be provided a piece of land close by and a new building will be constructed," Qureshi said.But when no land was allotted to the trust, the Eidgah committee allowed the school to function from its premises. Subsequent Eidgah committees continued to let the school be. A decade ago, residents pooled money to provide for tin roofs. "The tents would get too hot during summer, too cold in winter. During the rains, we would have to shut the school in any case," Qure    Read More

07 May (Press Public News) :-  Vinita, who hailed from Dhadha village in Greater Noida, lived with her husband Vikrant and in-laws at Kalyanpuri. Sources said Vinita was nine-month pregnant with twins.Police said they learnt about the incident after a call was made to them around 9 pm. When a police team reached the spot, Vinita was found lying in a pool of blood.“Vinita sustained multiple stab wounds in her abdomen which caused excessive bleeding. She was declared brought dead at Lal Bahadur Shastri Hospital,” a police officer said.QuarrelsVinita married Vikrant in 2012, but they used to pick up quarrels due to Vikrant’s unemployment. Vikrant is pursuing BA through correspondence, and the family sustained themselves through earning of Vikrant’s father Ajit, who works as a cable operator.“As a result of this, Vinita used to ill-treat Vikrant. He also claimed that Vinita used to taunt him saying he must leave his studies and start earning,” the officer added.They had another heated argument while having dinner around 9 pm on Sunday after which Vikrant picked up a knife and stabbed Vinita.Hearing the commotion, Vikrant’s parents and two brothers rushed to their room, but Vinita succumbed to her injuries.A case of murder under section 302 of the Indian Penal Code has been lodged against Vikrant.“The weapon used in commission of crime has been seized,” the officer added.Since the woman died within seven years of her    Read More

New Delhi, 07 May (Press Public News) :- Eight people, including a priest and two women, were arrested for allegedly selling a 15-year-old girl to the family of a 25-year-old man whom she also married on May 1, police said today.The matter came to light after the girl's family learnt that she was allegedly sold for Rs 80,000.A case in regard to the incident was registered at the Ashok Vihar police station in northwest Delhi on the basis of the complaint of the victim's mother.The accused are identified as the girl's husband, Dharamvir, the local priest, Bharat Kishor Pandey, Chandrakala, Chandrawati, Vishnu Nath, Ajay Yadav, Satbir and Tejpal. They have been arrested. The police are trying to ascertain if the accused sold more girls for similar purposes.The girl lives with her parents in Wazirpur, located near Ashok Vihar, according to the police. A few days ago, one of the victim's neighbours informed her mother about a suitor for her, according to the complaint to the police.The victim's parents agreed to the marriage which took place in a local temple and was solemnized by Pandey.Three days after the marriage, the girl's mother learnt that it was a deal executed by the eight accused. She also learnt that Rs 80,000 was paid for the marriage.    Read More

New Delhi, 07 May (Press Public News) :- Ahead of the Delhi University's Academic Council meeting on the new syllabi of the Four-Year Undergraduate Programme, scheduled for tomorrow, department heads and faculty concerned today remained tied up in modifying the courses with the last-minute changes suggested during the two-day meeting of the Standing Committee.    Read More

New Delhi, 07 May (Press Public News) :- The long-awaited three-level underground parking facility at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) became operational today here nine months after it was constructed.The multi-level parking facility, whose foundation stone was laid down in October 2011 and constructed with the stipulated project cost of Rs 53.57 crore in August 2012, has a capacity to park over 434 four-wheelers.Inaugurating the facility, the Union Health Minister, Ghulam Nabi Azad, said that the construction for the underground facility covering an area of 21,742 sq m was completed around three months ahead of its schedule time in August 2012.However, the facility could not be functional due to pending clearance from various government agencies, he added. "We have immediately made it operational after getting required clearances and the final statutory approval came from the New Delhi Municipal Corporation (NDMC) on May 5. The clearance for such projects should be put on fast rack," the minister said.The new parking lot will help decongest the AIIMS premises where around 5,400 vehicles are parked on working days and 3,200 on holidays. "As of now, AIIMS has parking capacity of less than 1,000 cars, nearly two-third of which is used to park vehicles of AIIMS faculty and staff members. The new parking lot would help decongestion of the campus," he stated.To meet the huge parking needs, in addition to this, AIIMS authorities are    Read More

AHMEDABAD: 07 May (Press Public News) :-  Gujarat had the maximum share - about 41% - of new investments in the real estate sector across India during the last fiscal, a survey by Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (Assocham) said on Monday.Overall, realty in India attracted new investments worth over Rs 42,000 crore as on March 2013, which slipped from over Rs 92,600 crore a year ago, according to a real estate-specific analysis carried out the industry body."While most states have seen a decline in new investments in realty, Gujarat has seen a surge of over 700%, as the state attracted investments worth over Rs 17,000 crore as of March 2013, from just over Rs 2,000 crore a year ago," said D S Rawat, national secretary general of Assocham.Kerala is another state which has seen massive growth of over 550% in attracting new investments in real estate, followed by Uttarakhand at 400% and Rajasthan at 175%. Most other states have seen a 50% dip in investments, according to the survey.Apart from Gujarat, states like Maharashtra (over 17%), Karnataka (10%), Tamil Nadu (8%) and Uttar Pradesh (over 6%) are among the top five states with the maximum share of new investments in real estate across India.With a share of about 15%, Gujarat is second only to Maharashtra which has the maximum share of about 20% of the total outstanding investments worth over Rs 14 lakh crore attracted by the real estate sector across India as of March 2013."The r    Read More

AHMEDABAD: 07 May (Press Public News) :-  India's grassroots innovations may just a new avatar. And the person who will give them this fillip is Oscar winning-director James Cameron. Known for spurring innovative experiences for movie-goers, Cameron is interested in tapping technology innovations by rural Indians. These innovations have already been celebrated on celluloid, albeit in a quiet way. Aamir Khan-starrer '3 Idiots' showcased three grassroots inventions - a scooter-powered flour mill, a cycle-powered horse shaver and an exercycle-cum-washing machine. But Cameron's interest is special. The maker of 'The Terminator', 'Titanic', and 'Avatar' is already in talks with Anil Gupta, an IIM-A professor who founded Honey Bee Network (HBN) and is also executive vice chair of the National Innovation Foundation (NIF). Though Cameron has not identified the innovation he wants to use for his next film, his office has been in touch with Gupta ever since the two met in Delhi at an exhibition organised by NIF in 2010. Cameron evinced keen interest in some of the innovations, says Gupta, and interacted heartily with the innovators. Gupta now plans to invite Cameron to NIF and HBN. Gupta, who was approached by the film maker through a common friend, says that initially, Cameron's plan was to spend 30 minutes with the innovators. "But he got so involved that he spent close to four hours there. He also gave some valuable suggestions," said Gupta.&n    Read More

07 May (Press Public News) :-  The city is set to host a first-of-its-kind trade show that seeks to help local and national brands tap into the potential of 18-lakh-strong Muslim consumers through the relatively new concept of "Islamic branding"."Islamic branding refers to branding and marketing of products and services to Muslim consumers, regardless of whether the business is owned by a Muslim or not. The purpose of this trade fair is to lure potential Muslim buyers to one place where we have a congregation of brands that are keen to address the needs of the largely untapped Muslim markets," says Ali Hussain Mohammed, director of Ummat, a city-based socio-economic organisation that is organising the five-day fair from May 22 at Sanskar Kendra.Ummat also operates the country's first dedicated "Islamic branding agency" that offers advice on building a brand that appeals to Muslim consumers. It also has a dedicated portal that helps over 12,000 Muslim businessmen network with each other in the city.The trade fair is also expected to give thrust to indigenous businesses, products and services that are Shariah-complaint. "Muslims are a large and growing segment of the population that is defined by common values and practices. Most branded products are not complaint with Islamic Shariah law and therefore they are not considered to be 'Halal' (permitted). While this does not affect some categories like automobiles and fashion accessorie    Read More

Chandigarh, 06 May (Press Public News) :- A high-voltage drama was witnessed near Railway Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal’s house in Sector 28 when agitating members of the ABVP were lathicharged by the Chandigarh Police.The activists were protesting against the recent incident of Bansal’s nephew Vijay Singla being arrested by the CBI for allegedly fixing top-level appointments in the Railway Board.The protesting ABVP members were stopped by the police at the barricades installed near the minister’s house. The Congress activists also arrived on the other side of the barricades and started raising slogans. The activists from both the parties also manhandled each other.The situation worsened when the ABVP members were suddenly lathicharged by the police while they were burning an effigy.Anokh Singh, station house officer, Sector 26 police station, and Narinder Patial, SHO, Industrial Area, were reportedly seen beating up the protesters. Two protesters were also arrested by the police under preventive measures.When asked what was the need to use force on the protesters, UT SSP Naunihal Singh said the officers on duty might be in a better position to answer the question.“No inquiry has been marked into the incident. I may seek an explanation from the officers concerned, if required,” the SSP said.When contacted, the SHO, Industrial Area, said the SHO of the Sector 26 police station, Anokh Singh, could tell about the incident. However, Anokh Singh co    Read More

CHANDIGARH: 06 May (Press Public News) :-  Drunken driving continues to remain a major problem on city roads. During a late night anti-drunken driving campaign on Saturday, the UT police challaned 44 motorists between 11 pm and 1am. Cops put up surprise checkpoints at various places and also impounded 44 vehicles."We specifically chose the weekend as most errant motorists go home late from clubs after having drinks. Nakas were held late at night and 70 offenders were challaned. Out of the total challans, 44 were for drunken driving and an equal number of vehicles were impounded by the police. A total of 26 persons were challaned for not wearing seat-belts, talking over mobile phone while driving and not possessing a driving licence. We have observed that drunken driving is one of the major reasons behind road accidents and this drive will be continued in the coming days," said a police official.In 2013, till date, nearly 1,800 slips have been issued for the offence. More than 300 persons have been convicted by the court and were told to stand till the rising of court.Initially, the violators were allowed to take their vehicles after they called their acquaintance at the challan spot, but later the police made it mandatory to impound the vehicles to add to the fear in the minds of errant motorists.In 2012, 4,701 challans were issued for drunken driving and 4,679 persons were challaned for the same offence in 2011.Chandigarh police said they are compiling da    Read More

06 May (Press Public News) :-  As many as 95 meritorious and successful students of classical music (vocal and instrumental), classical dances and fine arts (painting) of the northern region of the country, comprising of the states of Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and UT Chandigarh were conferred upon diplomas of Bhaskar and Visharad final at the Pracheen Kala Kendra convocation held here on Sunday at the Dr M S Randhawa Auditorium of Punjab Kala Bhawan.Chief Guest Bhawana Garg, Additional Excise and Taxation Commissioner, Punjab, gave away diplomas to the students and educationist Prof Pankajmala Sharma, Head, Department of Music, Panjab University delivered the keynote address.The convocation began with a brief introduction of Pracheen Kala Kendra followed by traditional lighting of the lamp and a welcome address by the secretary of the organisation, Sajal Koser.Garg lauded the efforts of the Kendra in upholding the tradition of classical arts and imparting quality education and training to over 2.81 lakh students spread all over the country and abroad.- See more at: http://www.indianexpress.com/news/95-students-of-classical-dance-music-fine-arts-from-region-presented-diplomas/1112006/#sthash.4BbZkmAV.dpuf    Read More

06 May (Press Public News) :-  With Union Minister for Railways Pawan Bansal in the dock owing to the recent controversy involving his nephew, the stakes for becoming the contender for the ticket from the BJP have gone higher. The party leaders believe that the chances of the BJP garnering a victory in the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections have become higher than before. The race for the ticket in the run-up to the elections is heating up.The two BJP leaders, Satya Pal Jain and Harmohan Dhawan, held separate conferences on Sunday to make 'revelations' about Bansal. Dhawan, Jain and Bansal have been traditional rivals, with the three having faced each other in several elections. This time, however, Dhawan has joined the BJP.Jain and Bansal have faced each other in four elections. Jain won the election in 1996 and 1998. From 1999 onwards, Bansal has been the local MP, having defeated Jain in the 2004 and 2009 elections. After becoming the Minister for Railways and bringing sops for the city, Bansal had been riding a popularity wave in the city. With Bansal now facing a political crisis, the BJP is making efforts to encash on this.Dhawan on Sunday stated that he was a contender for the ticket in the BJP. "It is our Parliamentary Board that decides who would be given the ticket. I am a contender for the election ticket based on my past performance in the city. It was with my support that Bansal won the elections in 1999 and it would be because of me that he will lose    Read More

Ludhiana, 04 may ( Press Public News)A2Z Waste Management Ludhiana Limited, a private company, that has the contract of managing the solid waste management of the city, has been accused of lifting sand and debris with garbage. The company is paid according to the weight of the garbage collected from the city and residents allege that the practice is adopted to increase the weight of the waste material.However, the officials of A2Z Waste Management Ludhiana Limited have rubbished these allegations as baseless and claimed that they were lifting the garbage from the collection points only.As per the contract between the Ludhiana Municipal Corporation and A2Z Waste Management Ludhiana Ltd, the civic body pays Rs 395 per tonne to the company. At present, the A2Z company is lifting around 1,000 tonne of garbage daily from within the municipal limits.Residents accuse the company of lifting debris as well as sand along with the garbage from near the collection points. Even Akali Dal MLA Balwinder Singh Bains has pointed fingers on the working of A2Z firm and has demanded that the company should carry out a probe in this regard.“Big potholes have appeared at the collection point near the Dugri Road traffic signal along the Sidhwan Canal, as the company is lifting sand along with the garbage. Since the company is being paid according to the weight, we suspect that they have adopted this practice just to increase the weight,” Bains alleged.Rajnish Singh, vice-president,    Read More

Over the last two weeks this column has focused on Waqeyat-e-Dar-ul-Hukoomat Dehli (Events at the Capital City Delhi) by Bashir-ud-Din Ahmad. We had planned to carry excerpts from the book over the next two weeks as well, but something rather damaging and disturbing needs to be brought-up and therefore the excerpts have had to take a back-seat for this week.And now for the issue that has caused this rescheduling. The Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan Marg – the road connecting Andheria More to Mahipalpur in south west Delhi is being broadened. The broadening exercise has been in the news and it has been in the news for all the wrong reasons. The agency responsible for the exercise is the Public Works Department and it has cut down more than a hundred trees without permission of the department of forests.The procedure for cutting down of trees, as laid down after persistent pressure from environmentalists and judicial intervention, states that for each tree that is cut at least ten saplings have to be planted on land identified and approved for this purpose. Identification of land and approval of forest department, for cutting and replanting at the designated site, has to be sought before tree cutting begins. In case any land designated as forest is to be used for any other purpose, then the government has to transfer an equal amount of revenue land after it has been re-designated as forest land.In the case of this road every single rule has been flouted. The forest depa    Read More

The Indian Air Force (IAF) troupe had to wind up their air defence exercise at a test facility here as three trials of the five attempts made to engage aerial targets by a Russian surface-to-air missile (SAM) failed recently. The exercise was conducted at the Integrated Test Range (ITR) in Chandipur with logistical support from the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).The trials were carried out between April 22 and 29 to engage pilotless target aircraft (PTA), Lakshya, by Russian OSA-AK missile. Sources said in the first attempt, the vehicle-mounted and mobile missile could not be launched as Lakshya developed snags mid-air and broke down.During the second attempt on April 24, the exercise was successful. Though during the third attempt on April 25 Lakshya had a smooth flight as coordinated, the missile did not take off due to a technical snag forcing the armed force officials to postpone the exercise for three days.There were two trials on April 29 aimed at low and medium altitude interceptions. While in the first trial, the missile successfully intercepted the tow body at the low altitude, during second attempt for the medium level altitude, the weapon failed to take off.An official associated with the mission said not only the missile, the aerial target (Lakshya) also failed to deliver desired results during the exercise.Defence sources said OSA-AK missile is a Russian made highly mobile, short-range tactical surface-to-air missile system in use by IAF for    Read More

Chandigarh, 04 may ( Press Public News)Toilets in the new OPD block at Government Multi-Speciality Hospital, Sector 16, have turned into public toilets. Constructed for patients, the toilets are being used by labourers working in nearby construction sites.The officials are finding it difficult to get the toilets cleaned as the labourers pose as patients.Nearly 250 labourers working in the nearby construction sites, including the nursing college building, prefer using the hospital toilets to public toilets.The officials have been facing a tough time in maintaining cleanliness in the hospital."We get the toilets cleaned twice a day but now we are thinking of getting these cleaned more often," said Medical Superintendent Dr Rajiv Vadhera.More than 2,500 patients visit the OPDs at the hospital everyday. The new OPD block was opened in October last year. There are eight departments in the building and there are eight toilets on different floors of the building.The hospital witnesses a heavy inflow of patients, adding to the challenge of maintaining hygiene and cleanliness in elevators and wards too. "Cleaning toilets is a big challenge for the staff. As each toilet is being used by as many as 200 persons, the staff is burdened," said an official.    Read More

Karnal, 3 may, (Press Public)The Karnal administration today freed 22 labourers, including seven women and a child, from a brick-kiln in Bal Pawana and Jhimri Khera villages in the district.Following a tipoff that some migrant labourers from Rajasthan and UP were in captivity of brick-kiln owners, the administration swung into action and freed the labourers.They were sent to their native villages in Rajasthan and UP. However, the brick-kiln owners dubbed the allegations as baseless, claiming that no labourer was detained as "bonded labourer".SDM Vikram Singh said the released labourers had not said that they were kept as bonded labourers.However, local advocate Rajesh Verma said that these labourers were forced to work as bonded labourers and a complaint was sent to the Deputy Commissioner in this regard and labourers were freed today.     Read More

Sonepat, 3 may, (Press Public)-A senior secondary class student of Garhi Bala village was allegedly raped by her classmate Vijay, a resident of Narwana, in the village school. Her another classmate and resident of her village Rahul allegedly helped them to run away.The police arrested the alleged rapist from Rohtak today and restored the girl to her parents. The police got the victim medically examined in the Community Health Centre at Badhkhalsa and her statement was recorded before the magistrate in Sonepat. A case under was registered against the accused.According to information, the girl's father lodged a complaint in Kundli police station stating that her daughter was missing from the house on April 29 morning. He suspected the involvement of the accused. Before eloping, Vijay had reportedly promised to marry her. —     Read More

NEW DELHI  3 may, (Press Public)-Proceedings in Parliament were disrupted today with the Lok Sabha adjourning for the day at noon, as members of several parties raised slogans on a variety of demands, including Prime Minister's resignation over alleged scam in coal block allocation.Rajya Sabha adjourned till 2.30 PM soon after it reassembled at noon after one adjournment following uproar over BJP demand for the resignation of the Prime Minister.Earlier when the two Houses met for the day, BJP members stormed the Well, forcing their adjournment till noon as soon as the Question Hour was taken up.When Lok Sabha reassembled, slogan-shouting BJP members were joined in the Well by those from Akali Dal who sought a Supreme Court-monitored Special Investigation Team probe into the '1984 genocide'. Some TDP and BJP members were also seen carrying placards in support of the Akali demand.Samajwadi Party members also trooped into the Well raising slogans against Chinese incursions in Ladakh. They shouted 'Cheen hatao, desh bachao (remove Chinese incursions, save the country).''Ab toh yeh spasht hai, poori sarkar bhrasht hai (It is now clear, the entire government is corrupt)', 'koyle ki dalali main, poori Congress kaali hai (entire Congress in tainted in coal scam', the BJP members shouted.Earlier, Speaker Meira Kumar tried to carry on with the Question Hour but adjourned the House till noon as the protesting members were unrelenting. At noon, she adjourned the House for the day af    Read More

02 may ( Press Public News) IOB and Southern Railway bagged the men’s and women’s crowns respectively in the Rising Star BC annual State-level basketball tournament, which concluded here on Wednesday.While IOB overcame a minor challenge from Chennai Customs to prevail 72-56 in the men’s summit clash, a seasoned Railways team asserted its dominance with a 55-37 victory over Rising Star in the women’s final.The women’s summit clash turned out to be disappointing as a better performance was expected from Rising Star.Aishwarya Natraj, Soumya and Ramya made the contest exciting with their quick-wittedness, but once Railways took charge with Adhirai, Neena, Alagu Tamilmozhi and Apoorva finding the target, Rising Star couldn’t force the pace and wilted under pressure.    Read More

Mohali, 02 may ( Press Public News)Inaction of the local police came to the fore when a scooter-borne youth snatched an earring of a woman, leaving her ear badly injured at Phase 3A here today.The traffic police had laid a naka hardly at a distance of 75 metres from the spot, which occurred near Hanuman Temple at Phase 3A at 12.15 pm today.An eyewitness, Karam Singh, who is a senior vice-president of the Shiromani Akali Dal (city), said the victim, Maya, was on her way back to her home after picking her five-year-old child from a nearby school, when a scooter-borne youth snatched her earring.“Her ear was bleeding profusely. When I approached the policemen at the naka, which was laid just a stone’s throw away, and asked them why they didn’t chase the miscreant, the policemen told me to dial 100, if I have a cellphone,” alleged Karam Singh.“I was shocked to see the attitude of the policemen. Then I called up one head constable, who is known to me, following which two women commandos and a beat policeman reached the spot,” said Karam Singh.No case has been registered in this regard at the area police station.Atul Soni, station house officer of the area, said: We have not received any complaint in this regard. So, we have not registered any case”.    Read More

Chandigarh, 02 may ( Press Public News)Seeking a status report from the police in the Jyoti murder case, allegedly involving Himachal Pradesh MLA Ram Kumar Chaudhary, the Punjab and Haryana High Court today ordered a stay on the framing of charges by the trial court.The directions came on a petition filed by the victim’s father, Buti Ram, of Hoshiarpur. He has alleged that the Panchkula police is not conducting the investigation in a fair manner and has colluded with the MLA, the prime accused in the case.Jyoti (24), a resident of Bhunga village in Hoshiarpur district, was found dead on a road in Sector 21, Panchkula, on November 22. According to the post-mortem report, she had died of a head injury and had undergone an abortion.In his petition, Buti Ram has sought directions to the state and other respondents to transfer the investigation into the Jyoti murder case from the Sector 5 Panchkula police to some other senior police official or an independent agency.The petitioner stated that soon after his daughter’s murder, sufficient incriminating evidence was found against Chaudhary and the other accused. However, from the very first day, the Panchkula police had been favouring the accused.He also alleged that Congress leaders from Punjab had pressured and threatened him to maintain silence over the issue and not to pursue the murder case.In an attempt to substantiate the allegations of the police dragging its feet on the matter, counsel for the petitioner Naresh S    Read More

Sirsa, 01 may ( Press Public News)The woman whose body was recovered from Sakta Khera village near Dabwali in Sirsa on Sunday has been identified as Rajni (22), wife of Shyamu, a resident of Baghapurana in Moga district of Punjab. Suresh Kumar, a resident of Bathinda and his wife Asha Rani came to Dabwali and identified the victim as their daughter, Rajni.“We had married Rajni to Shyamu seven month ago. She had been missing from her husband’s home since April 12, ” said the victim’s parents. The victim’s parents have expressed doubts that two youths from Bathinda could be behind the murder.Meanwhile, the woman’s postmortem revealed that her killers had strangled her. The report is silent on whether she was raped before the murder.    Read More

Bhiwani, 01 may ( Press Public News)In the Nand Lal Chawla murder case that rocked Bhiwani in 2008, Additional District and Sessions Judge AS Narang today sentenced five persons to life imprisonment and acquitted four others. Those convicted include shooters Rakesh and Sunil from Panipat and Sonepat, respectively and local residents Rajiv, Pushpinder and Suresh, who allegedly hired their services to gun down Chawla, who was president of the Bhiwani Municipal Council at that time.Badri, another shooter, who was involved in murder, was killed in an encounter with the police at Bharatpur some time ago.The court acquitted Ravinder Soni, a municipal councillor, Ajay, Rajesh and Sunder in the case.The incident took place on June 23, 2008, when three motorcycle-borne assailants killed then municipal chief Nand Lal Chawla when he was about to sit in his car.After almost a week of demonstrations against the failure of the police to nab the culprits, the Bhiwani police had arrested three persons for the murder - Rajiv Mittal, a resident of Old Grain Market, Pushpinder, a resident of Sector 13 and Ravinder Soni, a councillor.The police had informed mediapersons after solving the case that Rajiv had revealed during investigation that he had a piece of land at Hansi Gate in the name of his wife and he had applied for approval of a map of this land to the municipal council.According to Rajiv, council chairman Chawla refused to pass the map owing to some legal issues involved with the    Read More

01 may ( Press Public News)  Goa government has decided to complete the Colvale jail by year end since it is needed for 'certain people', said chief minister Manohar Parrikar. He did not name anybody, but in a lighter vein also said that he would even prepare air conditioned suits for some VIPs.“See, I said this and somebody sitting there (treasury benches) asking me whether it is for Churchill (Alemao),” said Parrikar, with a smiling face.The chief minister in fact said he wants to apologise to all Goans that he had not fulfilled his election promise of having a jail in Colvale as soon as he comes to power.He also thanked the opposition Congressman, especially opposition leader Pratapsing Rane, for reminding him about the Colvale jail.Though it was to be completed it by next year, he said he would now get it completed this year itself.“I will not only complete the construction, but I will also see that it is full”, he quipped.    Read More

30 april ( Press Public News)  BOTH the Left Front and Congress on Monday hit out at the Trinamool Congress government for trying to bring in a new legislation to curb dubious activities of chit fund companies which is no different than the one passed by the Assembly during the previous Left Front rule.The new bill — West Bengal Protection of Interest of Depositors in Financial Establishments Bill, 2013 — which will be tabled in the Assembly on Tuesday will replace West Bengal Protection of Depositors Interest Bill, 2009, which was passed during the Left Front rule and was awaiting Presidential nod."There is 90 per cent similarity between the two bills. Then what is the need for this new Bill needs to clarified. Why is the old Bill being called back?" asked senior CPM leader Surya Kanta Mishra, who is also the Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly."Under which clause of the Constitution have they (Trinamool Congress government) called back the Bill needs to be answered. They can't just bulldoze the demand of the opposition," he said.Following the chit fund scam by Saradha Group, Mamata Banerjee government, which was facing the heat from the opposition as many Trinamool leaders and ministers were allegedly close to the chairman of the group, pressed for the return of the old Bill from the President saying it would be replaced by a new law with "more teeth".Congress leader Manas Bhuniya also claimed great similarity between    Read More

30 april ( Press Public News)  Cornering the Chief Minister regarding his USA visit along with an entourage of ministers and bureaucrats, the state BJP has demanded that the people must be apprised about the entire tour through the issuance of a white paper on the matter.State BJP spokesman Vijay Bahadur Pathak said on Monday querried as to why was the government silent about the presentation on Mahakubh at Harvard University by the Chief Secretary. "The people of UP have the right to know as to what was told by the government at Harvard University about the so called successful holding of Mahakumbh though the truth remains that more than 70 people were killed during the religious gathering," he said. Pathak alleged that the egoistic Azam Khan and submissive Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav had lowered the dignity and prestige of India during their US visit. He also rejected Khan's allegation that External Affairs minister Salman Khursheed was behind his humiliation. "This is nothing but an illogical comment of a minister who holds External Affairs minister responsible for his alleged humiliation thus tranforming India into a laughing stock," Pathak said.    Read More

30 april ( Press Public News)  Even as it acknowledges India as the world's most populous democracy, the Economist magazine's Index of Democracy 2012 ranks India 38th among 165 nations with an overall score of 7.52.India also gets high scores for electoral process and pluralism (9.58) and Civil liberties (9.41).The top three positions go to Norway (9.93) Sweden (9.73) and Iceland 9.65, while the United States is ranked 21st with an overall score of 8.11 in the fifth edition of the Index prepapred by the London weekly focusing on international politics and business.Noting the wide disparities in democratic development across Asia, the report says "although parts of the region - from North Korea and Laos, to Vietnam and China - are still entrenched authoritarian regimes, the past couple of decades have seen the spread of democracy in the region overall."Over the past decade, some 20 Asian countries have held elections, and many have undergone peaceful transitions in government."Despite its problems, India remains the world's most populous democracy," the report said noting. "Yet even in the democratic countries, there are often significant problems in the functioning of political systems.""The US and the UK remain at the bottom end of the full democracy category," the report said. "The US democracy has been adversely affected by a deepening of the polarisation of the political scene and political brinkmanship and paralysis.    Read More

30 april ( Press Public News)  The VHP on Monday sent a legal notice to Ahmedabad Police Commissioner, accusing some policemen of trespassing at its old office on April 19. The notice also alleged that the state government reportedly terrorised the VHP, threatening to implicate it in crime for sending a letter to the Chief Minister requesting him not to demand death penalty for the Hindus who were imprisoned in the riots cases.Recently, the state government had sanctioned Special Investigation Team's request to seek death penalty for former minister Maya Kodnani and others in the Naroda Patiya rioting case. Following this, the VHP was quick to write a letter to the CM not to sanction SIT's request.The legal notice has been sent to the police commissioner through a lawyer, D G Shukla. The letter states that on April 20, five men entered the VHP's old office located on the second floor at Madhav Sadan, behind Jagannath Temple in Jamalpur. The policemen informed the person present in the office that there had been a security alert. The letter stated that if there was any alert, why the police did not inform VHP office-bearers .    Read More

22 April (Press Public News):-   Reliance Industries chairman Mukesh Ambani will now get 'Z' category protection, with the Union home ministry approving an armed squad of CRPF commandos for his proximate security less than two months after a threat letter, purportedly from the Indian Mujahideen, was hand-delivered at his office in Mumbai.The letter is said to have threatened a terror attack at his Antilia residence at Altamount Road in south Mumbai.Under 'Z' category security, Ambani will have pilot and escort vehicles with commandos armed with sophisticated weapons. Around two dozen personnel may be required to guard Ambani on a rotational basis.The home ministry's decision to bring Ambani into the club of state-protected VIPs followed an inquiry by the Mumbai Police into the alleged letter. Sources said a threat analysis was also carried out by the Intelligence Bureau, which recommended round-the-clock security cover for the industrialist.Home minister Sushilkumar Shinde, whose tenure has seen the approval of many new requests for VIP protection, approved Ambani's security a fortnight ago.According to CRPF sources, the home ministry wrote to the paramilitary force soon after, asking it to take the responsibility of Ambani's protection with immediate effect. The CRPF, which is preoccupied with its primary task of manning the counter-Naxal grid, is in the midst of identifying and relocating its elite commandos to guard Ambani in Mumbai and during his travel to other part    Read More

22 April (Press Public News):-  One more person allegedly involved in the rape of a five-year-old girl here a week ago has been arrested, police said today.Pradeep, the second accused, was apprehended from Bihar in a joint operation by Delhi and Bihar Police, Delhi Police Commissioner Neeraj Kumar said."He will be brought to Delhi today after getting a transit remand from Darbhanga court," Kumar said.Manoj, the first accused who was arrested on Saturday from Muzaffarpur in Bihar, had told police during interrogation that one of his friends was also involved in the crime.The girl was raped on April 15 in a building in east Delhi's Gandhinagar locality where the victim and accused Manoj lived and she was rescued 40 hours later on April 17.Manoj had fled from the house thinking that the girl was dead.Pradeep's arrest came after investigators yesterday launched a hunt following protests here demanding the removal of the Police Commissioner.    Read More

22 April (Press Public News):- Some images stay branded on your mind. The brutality visited on three young girls, before their bodies were found in a well; the pain of a five-year-old whose rapist used candles and an oil bottle to violate her further; the anger of the Dalit rape survivor in Uttar Pradesh who was told by a policeman, “Who will rape you at your age?”Since the brutal gang rape and death of a young woman in December 2012, the Indian middle class has made its collective discovery of the fact of rape. For many, the instinctive compassion, sadness and empathy they feel at the atrocity of the day are matched only by a growing despair.Television anchors asked, with touching naïveté, why the protests, demonstrations and new laws of the last few months have not “stopped rape.” No laws anywhere in the world have “stopped” rape, any more than laws have stopped murder. But better laws, changes in policing, and societal change have sometimes combined to bring both sexual violence and homicide rates down in several countries.DANGER OF FATIGUEBehind the outrage, there is the very real danger of compassion fatigue. There is only so much in the way of traumatic news that anyone can stand to hear or see. We’re cutting through decades of mainstream denial about the extreme violence that women in India often experience. But there’s a risk that we’re setting up a weighing scale of horror, deciding which rape deserves    Read More

22 April (Press Public News):- As the whole country views on television and reads in every newspaper the battle between Mr. Narendra Modi and Mr. Rahul Gandhi, I am only worried that we have actually come to this. We don’t care anymore about thought, kindness, honesty, action, responsibility, courage, leadership. We have one person who refuses to answer any question on the blood on his hands as Chief Minister and another who is being projected as a mature philosopher when we actually need a dynamic leader.Recently at one of his many public appearances, Mr. Modi was asked whether he would take moral responsibility for the 2002 riots, to which he replied that he had already answered questions about the riots numerous times. But the same man has over the last few months been willing to answer time and again the same questions about his developed Gujarat.GROWTH AND HUMANITYEvery time Mr. Modi’s name is discussed, the riots are a part of the narrative and the criticism is that we are trapping him within that event. But why not? Any person with some human essence must ask those questions time and again. Whether or not he was party to the violence is up to the courts to decide, but he was the Chief Minister of the State and has refused to say that he should have acted differently. How can we ever ignore that? In fact we should not. In my travels I have always met so many middle class Indians who think Mr. Modi is the Bill Gates of Indian politics. “Go to Gujarat an    Read More

22 April (Press Public News):-The second accused in the five-year-old girl's rape case in Delhi has been arrested from Bihar, police said Monday.Pradeep is a native of Darbhanga district. He was arrested from Badhaiya area of the state's Lakhi Sarai district, confirmed Bihar DGP Abhyanand Monday morning.While Manoj Kumar, the prime accused was held from the state's Mujaffarpur district Saturday, as he was hiding in his in-laws' house, Pradeep was hiding at his maternal uncle's house from where the police arrested him.The police will produce him in the local court for transit-remand, the official added.Manoj Kumar was sent to judicial custody Sunday till May 4 following his two-day interrogation by Delhi police. He had revealed about Pradeep's presence in the brutality with the girl child at their house in Delhi.    Read More

22 April (Press Public News):-Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today called for strengthening the rural economy and asked the states to pay more attention to agriculture, terming it a “vital sector” of the economy. “The agriculture sector deserves the best and the brightest of our civil servants,” he said addressing bureaucrats on the occasion of Civil Services Day.Emphasising for the need to build the momentum achieved during the 11th Plan when the country achieved a record agricultural growth, he asked states to pay greater attention to “this vital sector of our economy, especially in the areas of agricultural research and extension services and selection of officers in their agriculture departments”.Speaking on benefits of the direct cash transfer scheme, he said it would not only help in better targeting of subsidies and reducing delay in delivery of benefits, but also curb wastage and leakages. “Programmes like the direct benefits scheme also give a sense of empowerment to our people, increase their faith in the processes of governance and, therefore, have a far larger positive effect than can be measured by the direct advantages they confer,” he said.The PM also stressed on the need to make concerted efforts for developing skills among youths in both rural and urban areas thereby enabling them to gain productive employment. However, with economic growth, there will be a large movement of people from rural to urban areas. Mana    Read More

22 April (Press Public News):- Entrepreneur Robert Vadra, son-in-law of Congress chief Sonia Gandhi, can breathe easy, months after the din over his “shady land deal” with DLF in Haryana’s Shikohpur village. A three-member committee formed in October last to go into the land deal has virtually “demolished” the then Director-General, Holdings and Consolidation, Ashok Khemka’s orders of cancellation of the mutation, brick-by-brick.The committee, which was formed by the Haryana Government under Additional Chief Secretary (ACS) Krishna Mohan, stopped short of spelling out a “clean chit” to the deal, while leaving Khemka to stew in his own soup. A copy of the committee’s report is with The Tribune.The mutation of the sale deed of a 3.531 acre plot in Gurgaon’s Shikohpur village in June 2008 became a national “controversy” in October last when Khemka cancelled it. Vadra-owned Sky Light Hospitality had entered into a sale agreement with real estate giant DLF for the sale of the land for Rs 58 crore.The then DGCH entered the scene in the backdrop of allegations of heavy bargains on land from DLF in exchange for political favours, made by India Against Corruption. Khemka questioned the sale of this property without sanction of the Consolidation Officer even as consolidation proceedings were still in progress, alleged undervaluation of other properties and questioned the renewal of licence to Sky Light Hospitality    Read More

22 April (Press Public News):- Protests raged for a second day in the Capital today over the brutal rape of a five-year-old as scores of BJP women activists marched towards Congress president Sonia Gandhi's house and broke barricades on the way denouncing the barbaric incident. BJP leader Sushma Swaraj's demand for death penalty to child rapists has got the backing of the CPM which said it was open to the idea.Shouting slogans like "Enough is enough!" and "Save the girl!", BJP women workers moved towards 10 Janpath in the heart of the city. After Saturday's protest at the same site, the police had erected barricades at some distance from the highly secured house. But the women broke them in a bid to enter it. Most women were immediately whisked away in a bus by the police but many others kept raising slogans against the barbaric rape that has shocked the country. Protests were held at AIIMS and the Delhi Police headquarters with demonstrators demanding dismissal of police chief Neeraj Kumar.Protesters blocked traffic on roads opposite the police headquarters. When a water cannon was brought to disperse them, they fled but assembled again. They finally sat down at the entrance of the police headquarters. Addressing protesters, Sandeep Sharma, an Armyman from Delhi Cantonment, said: “I want my fellow soldiers to join the protest against police and government callousness in dealing with heinous crimes such as rape. Our duty is not just to guard the bord    Read More

20 April (Press Public News):-   Nearly 11 years ago, DMK president M Karunanidhi reportedly made a controversial statement that the term 'Hindu' meant 'thief'. A criminal case filed against him for hurting the sentiments of Hindus by making the statement has now returned to haunt him. On Friday, Justice N Kirubakaran of the Madras high court issued a notice on a petition seeking registration of a case and fair investigation into the matter.It all started on October 24, 2002 when newspapers carried Karunanidhi's statement that the term 'Hindu' meant 'thief'. When criticism poured in, Karunanidhi reiterated his interpretation a few days later and quoted Hindi Vishwa Kosh to justify his statement.Describing it as Hindu-bashing which hurt the sentiments of people, a criminal complaint was lodged by B R Gouthaman with the city police, stating that these statements had created unrest in society.When the Mambalam police did not register a first information report, he filed a petition in the high court. On November 17, 2005, the high court asked police to register a case if a prima facie case is made out. Accordingly, police registered an FIR on January 6, 2006.As there was no progress in the probe till 2011, when the DMK was in power, Gouthaman's counsel G Karthikeyan approached the HC again. "Mr Karunanidhi has made it a habit to pass irreverent comments on Hinduism, its practices and beliefs," he said. "He being a reputed political leader, many of his follower    Read More

20 April (Press Public News):-  Ringing in a freebie culture similar to that practised in Uttar Pradesh and Tamil Nadu, the Karnataka BJP on Friday promised 16 lakh students free laptops and the poor 25kg of rice at Re 1 a kg. The annual bill for the largesse is expected to be in excess of Rs 5,500 crore.While free laptops alone are expected to cost upwards of Rs 4,200 crore (at Rs 25,000 per laptop), the rice bill will work out to over Rs 1,300 crore. The huge rice subsidy is targeted at 98 lakh families.The party's manifesto promises a project to teach correct English in Kannada-medium schools. Free Wi-Fi will accompany free laptops in government-run schools and colleges. Bangalore, which voted massively for the BJP in 2008 but seems to be veering away, has been wooed with a helicopter ambulance service for emergency health care."We are 100% sure the party will come back to power and we will implement the assurances made in the manifesto as soon as possible," chief minister Jagadish Shettar and BJP leader Arun Jaitley said after releasing the manifesto.The 19-point manifesto assures Bangaloreans of a new master plan for the city's development.A Bangalore Region Metropolitan Governance Bill will be enacted. The government had spoken about this but failed to even start the process. It talks of metropolitan planning committees/boards to plan and coordinate the activities of various agencies, and of directly electing a mayor with a five-year term.Apartments and h    Read More

20 April (Press Public News):- NEW DELHI: In yet another deep incursion into Indian territory, Chinese troops apparently made inroads into the Daulat Beg Oldi (DBO) sector of eastern Ladakh and erected a tented post there this week.Indian Army officials were, however, not too perturbed about the incursion, holding that it was a common occurrence. "In that area, patrols do have a face-off every now and then due to differing perceptions of where the Line of Actual Control lies. We resolve it through existing consultative border mechanisms," said a senior officer.As per reports, a platoon-strength contingent of about 50 troops of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) came 10 km inside Indian territory in Burthe in the DBO sector, which is at an altitude of about 17,000 feet, on the night of April 15.Troops from Indo-Tibetan Border Police(ITBP), which mans that stretch of the border, have also established a camp approximately 300 metres opposite the location, the sources said.ITBP has asked for a flag meeting with the Chinese side but there has been no response till now.The Ladakh Scouts, an infantry regiment of the Indian Army that specializes in mountain warfare, has also moved towards the area where the situation was described as tense.DBO, located in northernmost Ladakh, is an historic camp site and located on an ancient trade route connecting Ladakh to Yarkand in Xinjiang, China. IAF has in recent years activated advanced landing grounds at DBO and two other places in    Read More

20 April (Press Public News):- NEW DELHI: Luxury cars are set to get dramatically cheaper. Not just the ones from Europe, but also from Japan and South Korea. Over the next few years the government is expected to slash customs duty on vehicles shipped from EU countries, which includes Germany, as well as Japan and South Korea, countries with whom India has free trade agreements (FTAs).European car makers will get a head start as the government, beginning 2017, has offered to lower the customs duty to 30% on cars under the proposed trade & investment agreement with the EU. Japanese and Korean car makers are also expected to get the same benefit with a lag of a year or two, although a final decision on the issue is still awaited, sources in the government said.Currently, cars with a landed cost of over $40,000 (around Rs 22 lakh) face 100% customs levy, and those below that pay 60% import duty. In case of EU, there is also a move to allow the import of at least 2.5 lakh cars at 10% duty between 2017 and 2021. (So the Mini Cooper's price could be halved.) Anything above the quota will come at 30% levy    Read More

20 April (Press Public News):- Perhaps for the first time, the retail gold market in Kerala is experiencing a sudden and severe shortage of the yellow metal.The slump in the price, which has triggered an interest among customers in purchasing gold in the retail market, is frustrating to many clients as traders face short supply from wholesalers.As gold shops across the State witness frantic buying, many of the popular retail showrooms down the shutters at intervals to control the rush.Retailers said the Thrissur-based wholesale manufacturers have virtually stopped taking orders, so they were unable to meet the retail demand. Gold coins are in high demand.S. Abdul Nazar, State secretariat member of the Kerala Gold and Silver Merchants Association, said that while the price of 22-carat gold dipped to Rs. 2,435 per gram on Wednesday, the lowest during the period when the prices fell, 24-carat gold ruled at Rs. 2,624 per gram.But none of the retailers could get the metal from wholesalers, who did not take orders citing holiday in Thrissur on account of Pooram.While customers are disappointed because there has already been a shortage of coins, many are forced to buy from the ornament stocks. But there is no dip in the buying spree as buyers see whatever they purchase as an investment.At the same time, given the demand, retail traders fear that their markets might run out of gold if the wholesale manufacturers fail to rise to the occasion.There are also allegations that the wholesa    Read More

20 April (Press Public News):-   It has taken the West Bengal government more than two months and the intervention of the Calcutta High Court to concede the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha’s (GJM) demand that the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) be consulted in the appointment of its principal secretary.This is significant at a time when relations between the State government and the GJM leadership are under stress, though it left the latter somewhat confounded.“The Court directed the State’s Advocate General to ensure that a list with three names recommended for the post of GTA principal secretary be submitted by next Wednesday. But, about five minutes after we emerged from the courtroom, did we learn that the list had already reached Lalkuthi (the GTA headquarters) in Darjeeling earlier today [Friday]. It contained names of not three, but four senior IAS officers,” GJM assistant secretary Benoy Tamang told The Hindu on Friday.“What is most surprising is that it bore yesterday’s [Thursday’s] date,” he added.Mr. Tamang had filed a writ petition in the Court on March 25 against the Mamata Banerjee government, accusing it of violating the GTA agreement by unilaterally appointing the Darjeeling district magistrate as the GTA’s principal secretary — an official whose removal was sought by the GTA Sabha in a resolution on February 6.“We may have won the legal battle but what was revealed today is the utter la    Read More

20 April (Press Public News):-  To further bolster its blue water capabilities, the Indian Navy plans to acquire five self-propelled Fleet Support Ships (FSS) that should be capable of transferring all types of stores, ammunition, fuel and personnel to naval units while underway at sea.According to the Request for Proposal (RFP) issued recently, the Navy wants the FSS to be able to perform a 60-day mission with the capability to operate for an extended mission on requirement and be able to endure a trip of 12,000 nautical miles at a speed of 16 knots. The FSS should have a service life of 30 years, be capable of operating helicopters in extremely rough and cyclonic sea conditions and should possess ballast capability. Sources said the RFP, issued under the “Buy Global” category, is expected to elicit responses from some of the large shipyards around the world. Indian shipyards like Mazagon Dockyard, Garden Reach and the Cochin Shipyard have their hands full and need expertise to undertake such ventures. Sources said the process to acquire five FSS could take another three years to reach a final stage after negotiations, and extensive field trials.Larger blue water navies tend to have large auxiliary fleets comprising longer-range fleet support vessels designed to provide support far beyond territorial waters. Smaller navies tend to have smaller auxiliary vessels, focussing primarily on littoral and training support roles.    Read More

20 April (Press Public News):-  As corrective measures, the valve components are being replaced by NPCIL [Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited] and their performance is further being subjected to regulatory review. Subsequent clearance will be granted by AERB only after a satisfactory review.The Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB) on Friday acknowledged that four valves were found defective during tests at the Kudankulam nuclear power plant in Tamil Nadu and said they were being replaced.In a press release, the Board also indicated that the long overdue commissioning of the plant could be further delayed as the new valves were again being put to the test. “The test results at the current stage of commissioning for various systems are seen to be within the acceptable limits. However, during testing of thousands of valves installed in the plant, the performance of four valves of a particular type was found deficient. As corrective measures, the valve components are being replaced by NPCIL [Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited] and their performance is further being subjected to regulatory review. Subsequent clearance will be granted by AERB only after a satisfactory review.”Reacting to media reports, which raised the issue of quality of components originating from a particular Russian supplier, the AERB stressed that the system of quality checks, testing and reviews specified and enforced by it had the necessary depth to detect and correct deviati    Read More

20 April (Press Public News):-  Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav has suspended 22 officials, including an IAS officer, in the aftermath of a slew of incidents involving the police and corruption charges levelled against senior officials.Besides IAS officer Shraddha Mishra, those suspended late Thursday night include Aligarh city’s Circle Officer Arun Kumar Singh, head constable Soren Singh and constable Anil Kumar, who faced the music for the brutal assault on women who protested against the alleged rape and murder of a six-year-old girl at Bannadevi earlier in the day.Others suspended are seven policemen of the Hasanganj station in Lucknow, including Station Officer Mohammad Javed Khan, on the charge of dereliction of duty, after the death in custody of a youth on April 17.CASE FILEDA case of murder has been filed against them.A government release said that among the officials suspended were four sub-divisional magistrates, four forest officials, a circle officer and 12 sub-inspectors, head constables and constables.Around midnight came another statement, announcing the suspension of Ms. Mishra. Now posted as Special Secretary (Small Industries), the IAS officer was attached to the Board of Revenue.She has been charged with dereliction of duty when she served as Special Secretary, Health, and Director, Ayurveda. The sub-divisional magistrates are Mahendra Mishra of Tehsil Bhiti, Manoj of Tehsil Tanda in Ambedkar Nagar district, Balram Singh of Tehsil Bi    Read More

20 April (Press Public News):- A five-year-old girl who was abducted and brutally raped, allegedly by her neighbour in east Delhi’s Gandhi Nagar locality, is battling grave injuries, after doctors operated on her to remove a plastic bottle and a candle from her genitals. The gruesome incident once again reminded people of the brutal rape and murder of a 23-year-old girl in a moving bus last December.Protests by people outside the Swami Dayanand Hospital in east Delhi, where the victim was admitted for initial treatment, turned violent with a police officer seen slapping a girl for which the Commissioner of Police suspended him and ordered an inquiry.The victim was later shifted to the All-India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), where Medical Superintendent Dr DK Sharma said a team of doctors from the gynaecology and paediatrics departments evaluated the condition of the girl and later shifted her to the paediatrics surgery ward.“The future course of treatment will be decided after another detailed examination of the girl. She is stable and has been shifted to the general ward,” he said.Earlier, Medical Superintendent of the Dyanand Hospital RK Bansal said, “She is serious, though stable. She is better now and was speaking also. We conducted an operation to remove a candle and a 200ml bottle of hair oil from inside her. There were injuries on her face, lips and cheeks. It seemed there had also been attempts to strangulate her.”Investigat    Read More

19 April (Press Public News):- NEW DELHI: A 19-year-old woman was abducted from south Delhi after being offered a lift and taken to Gurgaon where she was allegedly sedated and gang-raped on Wednesday night. Passersby found her in a semi-naked, delirious state at Nanakpura near Dhaula Kuan on Thursday morning. The woman works as a maid in a Defence Colony home and was returning from her brother's place in Chirag Dilli. A case of rape has been registered although police said the medical report was inconclusive on whether the victim was raped. No arrest has been made. "She was delirious and hardly understood anything we were saying. She finally managed to take a broken piece of brick and scribbled three words - 'Kotla Mubarakpur', 'Nepal' and 'rape'. She was covered in dirt. We called the PCR at 7.25am," said Surinder, an eyewitness who saw the victim lying semi-conscious near the gurdwara at Nanakpura. The woman, whose recollection of the events was hazy, possibly because she had been drugged, said there were four men in the car when she was taken to Gurgaon. Three of them had boarded after she had got into the vehicle. Safdarjung Hospital, where the victim is now admitted, said she was suffering from trauma. There were, however, no external injuries. "We have admitted her to the gynecology department where both her examination and treatment is on as per protocols. Her condition is stable and we are offering her counselling. As for her allegat    Read More

19 April (Press Public News):-Even as Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam (DMDK) founder Vijayakant on Thursday appeared before a court in Tirunelveli in a case filed by the State government for making defamatory remarks against Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa, his party deputy leader in the State Assembly, S Ramachandran, heaped praise on the Chief Minister for her magnanimity in recommending restoration of the privilege for initiating discussions on  demands for grants for various departments to the DMDK.Referring to Speaker P Dhanapal announcement on Wednesday that members of the DMDK would again be allowed to initiate debates in the Assembly, Ramachandran, during Zero Hour, said Jayalalithaa’s magnanimity in the issue was really appreciable. “Jesus Christ said if anyone slaps you on your cheek, show your other cheek too to that person. Saint Tiruvalluvar went one step ahead and said the worthiness of a person is judged by his magnanimity in doing good to those who have injured him earlier”, he added.“I thank the Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa for her noble gesture.  I promise all our cooperation to the Speaker in conducting the proceedings of the House in a smooth manner. I also thank the leaders of opposition parties who have spoken for the DMDK members,” Ramachandran said.Intervening, Electricity Minister R Viswanathan said Tiruvalluvar had also said “Punish an evil doer by shaming him with a good deed, and forget.&rdquo    Read More

The Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) on the 2G spectrum scam in its draft report on Thursday sought to give a clean chit to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Finance Minister P Chidambaram, saying then telecom minister A Raja had failed to keep them in the loop about changes made in the policy.According to sources, the draft report, which is yet to be approved by members, said the norms for allocation of spectrum under the "first-come-first-served" policy were tweaked at the last minute to enable a few companies to jump the queue, and neither Singh or Chidambaram played any role in this. Raja reportedly changed the rules without informing the PM.PTI quoted the report as saying that "the committee is inclined to conclude that the PM was misled about the procedure decided to be followed by the Department of Telecommunications in respect of issuance of UAS licences."It added that the "assurance" given by Raja "in all his correspondence with the PM to maintain full transparency in following established rules and procedures of the department stood belied".Sources said the draft report also rubbished the loss figure of Rs 1.76 lakh crore estimated by CAG, saying it was "ill-conceived".JPC chairman P C Chacko has to get the backing of a majority of the 30 members of the committee to carry through the draft report. The UPA has 12 members on the panel.Meanwhile, DMK spokesperson T K S Elangovan said: "If the JPC makes any charg    Read More

19 April (Press Public News):- Madras High Court today ordered the sale of M T Pratibha Cauvery whose six crew members were killed after the vessel ran aground near here on October 31 last.The ship was detained in Chennai port, after family members of one of the crew members filed a case in the court seeking compensation from the ship owners.After bringing about a settlement acceptable to the kin of the six drowned marine engineers, 21 other crew members, who survived the mishap, and the ship owners, Justice R Sudhakar ordered that advertisements be placed in newspapers for bidding and the last date for receipt of offers is April 25.On that day the bids would be opened in the court.The judge rejected the request for private sale and said open tender would ensure more transparency and best price for the vessel.He said an advertisement should be given on April 19/20 and bids received till 1 pm on April 25 and the tenders would be opened at 3.15pm the same day.Prospective buyers should submit a demand draft of Rs 30 lakh as earnest money deposit, he said.    Read More

19 April (Press Public News):- A chopper carrying Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah today made an emergency landing in Kishtwar district shortly after take off due to a technical problem, but no one was injured."The chopper carrying Omar Abdullah landed shortly after taking off from Kishtwar for Srinagar today. It had developed some technical problem," a senior police officer told PTI.However, no one suffered any injury, he said, adding the chief minister later left by road for Srinagar, which is nearly 200 km from Kishtwar.Omar had flown to Kishtwar town this afternoon to address a public rally and lay the foundation stone of a tourist building.He was accompanied by Minister of State for Home Sajjad Kitchloo and NC's provincial chief and MLA Devender Rana.    Read More

19 April (Press Public News):- BANGALORE: Police officers investigating Wednesday's explosion in Malleswaram have prepared a sketch of the suspected bike bomber.The sketch is based on the description provided by a KSRP constable, who saw the man, aged between 25 and 30 years, park a TVS Suzuki Max 100 in which the bomb was allegedly kept.The bomber parked the bike around 10am and walked away. "He was wearing a blue T-shirt and black trousers. Twenty minutes later, the bike exploded," sources quoted the cop as saying.Though the bike sported a fake Tamil Nadu registration plate, the engine and chassis numbers helped police trace its owners.The Bangalore Police has announced a cash reward of Rs 5 lakh for anyone providing credible information leading to the arrest of the perpetrators.Both Director General of Police Lalrokhuma Pachau said various agencies are carrying out a coordinated probe. "Security has been beefed up at all vital installations, important buildings like Raj Bhavan, high court, Vidhana Soudha, stadia, bus terminals, international airport, railway stations, Metro stations, technology parks, central government offices, foreign consulate offices and all crowded areas and places of worship," he said."The first owner, a retired BSNL employee, had sold the bike to a dealer in used two-wheelers. The blast executioners bought the bike from him," sources said.Investigators have found that the attackers had used the documents of gullible per    Read More

19 April (Press Public News):-NEW DELHI: Amid reports that JD(U) is on the verge of breaking its alliance with BJP, the Centre on Thursday appeared to reach out to Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar by approving a special package of Rs 12,000 crore for his state for the remaining period of the 12th Five Year Plan.The Cabinet committee on economic affairs, which met here today, gave its approval to continue the special plan for Bihar in the remaining four years (2013-14 to 2016-17) of the Twelfth Five Year Plan with a total allocation of Rs 12,000 crore for the entire Plan period.The decision came at a time when JD(U), which is the senior partner in Bihar government, has strained relations with BJP and has indicated that it will break ties if its NDA partner names Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi as the Prime Ministerial candidate for next Lok Sabha polls.Congress is said to be watching the political developments closely and is reportedly eyeing JD(U) as a prospective ally.Information and broadcasting minister Manish Tewari, however, denied there is anything political in the cabinet decision."UPA has been running a government for the past nine years. It has been our endeavour not to mix politics and governance. But we live in a democratic country and everybody is free to draw his or her own conclusions," Tewari told reporters when asked if the package has come in the wake of strained relations between JD(U) and BJP.Bihar had demanded Rs 20,000 crore from the Centr    Read More

19 April (Press Public News):-There might be some discordant voices in the party, but the stage is virtually set for Modi to lead the BJP charge in the coming Lok Sabha polls. TOI analyses if the Modi gamble will pay off. Will his appeal extend beyond the urban middle class to the rural voter?NEW DELHI: Three days of rough political weather did not just wreck a 17-year-old BJP-JD(U) alliance, it also all but sealed the debate over Modi's ascendancy in the BJP. Barely had Nitish Kumar finished a speech replete with derisive references to Modi on Sunday that the BJP brass was bombarded with messages and phone calls from the party rank and file. The message from below was unambiguous: The insult to the Gujarat CM shouldn't be tolerated.A few senior leaders who demurred over the need to respond immediately felt the cadre's pressure. The mismatch in moods was glaringly evident when at least two of the leaders, who are part of the grandly sounding "high command", tried to reach out to Kumar just when the party rank and file was clamouring for a strong retaliation. The tide was tough to hold off. Eventually, a statement vehemently debunking the charges leveled against Modi was considered by leaders gathered at Advani's residence and BJP chief Rajnath Singh quickly ordered its release.Apart from consolidating the support for Modi in the sangh parivar, the Nitish Kumar episode also brought out the cracks in the BJP leadership over Modi. For, what happened over the weekend ha    Read More

19 April (Press Public News):-This will benefit about 50 lakh employees and 30 lakh pensionersIn a much-awaited relief to the Central government employees, the Union Cabinet on Thursday cleared a proposal to increase dearness allowance from 72 to 80 per cent.The increase, effective from January 1, 2013, will benefit about 50 lakh employees and 30 lakh pensioners, who will also be entitled to arrears.According to an official statement here, the combined impact on the exchequer on account of an additional instalment of DA to Central government employees and Dearness Relief (DR) to pensioners with effect from January 1 this year would be Rs.8,629.20 crore per annum and Rs. 10,067.36 crore in the financial year 2013-14 (that is for a period of 14 months from January 2013 to February 2014).The last increase in DA to 72 per cent was announced in September last year and it came into effect from July 1, 2012.The Cabinet deferred a decision on the DA issue earlier this month as Finance Minister P. Chidambaram was then on an official visit to Japan. “The proposal on DA has been deferred as the Finance Minister was not present,” Information and Broadcasting Minister Manish Tewari told reporters after the Cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh here on April 2.    Read More

19 April (Press Public News):-Out of thirty four convicts in the 1993 Bombay bomb blast case, 25 convicts surrendered on Thursday, last day of the time limit prescribed by the Supreme Court.While seven convicts have been given extension of four weeks by the apex court, two did not surrender.Ranjit Kumar Singh, who was given nine years of imprisonment and Manojkumar Gupta, who was given life imprisonment by the Supreme Court last month did not surrender before the TADA court here on the last day of the stipulated time limit.Gupta was given 14 years of imprisonment by the TADA court, which was changed to life term by the Supreme Court.TADA court judge G.A. Sanap said that as per the procedure     Read More

19 April (Press Public News):-A consensus on the Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Bill 2011 was achieved on Thursday after the government accepted key demands of the BJP regarding leasing of land and compensation reaching the original farmer-owners, and that of the left regarding rights of tenants.Several concerns were addressed by the government in order to clinch this consensus including accepting BJP’s suggestion that land should be leased and not acquired — as that will not change the ownership. The Government has agreed that individual States can pass legislation regarding leasing of land and limits of acquisition.The BJP wanted 50 per cent compensation to the original farmers whose land has been purchased after the introduction of the Bill in Lok Sabha in September of 2011. Raising the issue in the meeting of parties, Ms. Swaraj said the “land mafia” was on a land-purchase spree in many parts of the country after the introduction of the Bill, anticipating that the measure will be passed soon and they can reap the benefits.If that happens, the farmers who have sold land at a lesser price will not benefit from the Land Acquisition Act, she said and asked the government to have a provision specifying that there will be sharing of half the benefits with the original farmers. The meeting also agreed to CPI(M)’s demand that a provision of the Bill that gives powers to the government to amend the schedule should not be misused to    Read More

19 April (Press Public News):-The committee, headed by veteran MLA Ganpatrao Deshmukh, submitted its report to Speaker Dilip Walse-PatilThe Maharashtra Assembly committee, appointed to probe the cop-legislators fracas that repeatedly disrupted the proceedings of the Legislature last month, has found two legislators guilty of assaulting Assistant Police Inspector Sachin Suryawanshi.However, the panel report, submitted to Speaker Dilip Walse-Patil on Thursday, exonerated three other members charged with assaulting the cop and recommended revoking their suspension, while charging Mr. Suryawanshi with “rude behaviour” towards elected representatives.The committee, headed by veteran MLA Ganpatrao Deshmukh, recommended a departmental enquiry against Mr. Suryawanshi.While Mr. Walse-Patil read out the major recommendations of the committee, he did not allow any discussion on them and said the government would study the report and take call on the matter in the Monsoon session starting July 15.Last month, MLAs led by Kshitij Thakur (Bahujan Vikas Aghadi) and Ram Kadam (Maharashtra Navnirman Sena) viciously assaulted Mr. Suryawanshi within the Assembly complex on the grounds that he ‘provoked’ Mr. Thakur while he was seated in the visitor’s gallery of the Assembly.The committee found Mr. Kadam and Mr. Thakur guilty of the assault, while demanding that the suspensions slapped on three other legislators, Jaykumar Rawal (BJP), Rajan Salvi (Shiv Sena) and Prad    Read More

18 April (Press Public News) :- Centre alerted of serious ramifications the project will have due to its proximity to BARC, Mumbai Port Trust and Mazagon DocksMumbai’s most ambitious infrastructure project — the Mumbai Trans-Harbour Link (MTHL) — could be in trouble as central security agencies have alerted the Centre about “serious security ramifications” that the project will have due to its proximity to several key installations, including the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC), the Mumbai Port Trust (MBPT) and the Mazagon Docks.In a “secret” note to the Maharashtra government, the Ministry of Home Affairs has pointed out that the Mumbai Metropolitan Regional Development Authority (MMRDA), which will be constructing the 22-km long sea link, has failed to take necessary clearances from security agencies either at the local or Central level, except for the Navy.Pointing out that construction of the sea link had “serious security ramifications,” the note said the bridge on the sea would pass through the area where many sensitive installations were located. These included facilities such as the BARC, MBPT, Mazagaon Docks, oil marketing companies HPCL and BPCL, Rashtriya Chemical and Fertilizers (RCF), and Tata Power.Terror threat“The sea link would expose these facilities to be targeted by Pan-Islamic terror outfits, including LeT [Lashkar-e-Taiba], as these installations, particularly the BARC, continue to be    Read More

18 April (Press Public News) :- The former Governor of Karnataka and Himachal Pradesh, V.S. Ramadevi, died here on Wednesday following a massive cardiac arrest. She was 79.“She had lunch and spoke to some relatives over the phone before she suffered the cardiac arrest,” family sources said. She also served as Chief Election Commissioner. She was Governor of Himachal between July 26, 1997 to December 1, 1999, and thereon, of Karnataka till May 20, 2002.Mourning Ms. Ramadevi’s death, Vice-President Hamid Ansari said he was deeply saddened on the passing away of… a legal luminary.”“A lawyer by training, Ramadevi had an outstanding career as a public servant whose expertise in law was universally acknowledged. In a sterling career spanning several decades, she went on to serve, with distinction, as Member-Secretary of the National Law Commission, Department of Legislative Affairs and CEC for a short period,” said Mr. Ansari. “I convey my heartfelt condolences to the bereaved family. I pray to the Almighty to grant them strength and fortitude to bear this loss.”The Karnataka government has declared a three-day mourning.    Read More

18 April (Press Public News) :- A Rama temple replete with history in this coastal village, covered by sand dunes, will vanish from public view forever unless urgent steps are taken to protect it.Located some 100 to 150 metres from the sea tide level, only the temple tower is visible now.The sleepy village is full of artefacts of both pre-historic and historic periods throwing light on the rich culture of the Andhra Pradesh people down the ages.“The temple seems to belong to the period of Chalukyas or Telugu Cholas and calls for a detailed study,” said State Archaeology and Museums in-charge Director G.V. Ramakrishna Rao told The Hindu.'Worthy of protection'“The site is worthy of protection,” said Mr. Rao, who recently visited the village to take stock of the condition of the State Archaeological Museum, named after Andhra Pradesh’s first Chief Minister T. Prakasam Pantulu in the village.“I have instructed the Assistant Director [Museums] to send proposals and necessary information,” he added.“The museum’s caretaker has been asked to liaise with local revenue officials and get boundary and other particulars after perusing the revenue records for us to go ahead with preparation of a historical note,” explained Assistant Director [Museums] S. Bangaraiah.“Once they are ready we will go ahead with preparation of a detailed project report for consideration by a State-level committee,” he added.Collection    Read More

18 April (Press Public News) :- ‘We have nothing against Fathima, but cannot make a special case for her’The mother of a four-year-old Muslim girl has moved the Gauhati High Court after the authorities of a Catholic Mission-run school, Kristo Jyoti School, near Bokakhat in upper Assam’s Golaghat district refused to allow her daughter Fathima Beevi to wear a ‘hijab’ (headscarf) along with the school uniform.The school’s authorities have given the girl’s parents 15 days’ time to either conform to the rules on attire or stop sending her to the school, where she is attending nursery class. The English-medium high school is run by the Parish of Bokakhat under the Diocese of Dibrugarh.According to advocate Jayanta Kumar Goswami, counsel of petitioner Alee Ahmed, on March 21 Fathima’s class teacher objected to her wearing the headscarf and wrote a remark in the student’s diary asking the parents to refer to the rules on school uniform, which they had agreed to abide by in writing at the time of admission.On March 25, Ms. Ahmed wrote to Principal Father Jose Varghese requesting a relaxation in the uniform rules to allow her daughter to wear the ‘hijab’, part of a family tradition, in the school. Ms. Ahmed stressed that Fathima, being a follower of Islam, had a religious right to wear the ‘hijab.’Father Varghese told The Hindu that the school’s managing committee had discussed the petition f    Read More

18April (Press Public News) :- Court agrees to hear plea for moving accused out of TiharThe Supreme Court on Wednesday turned down the plea of a December 16 gang-rape accused to shift the trial outside Delhi but it agreed to hear his plea for moving him out of Tihar Jail for allegedly being tortured there.“We are issuing notice on the limited prayer of shifting him to another jail,” a Bench headed by Chief Justice Altamas Kabir said.The Court passed the order on a plea filed by Mukesh submitting that he is being tortured in jail and a fair trial is not possible in the Capital.Mukesh, who has been charged with murder, gang-rape and unnatural offences, submitted in his petition that he has been falsely implicated in the case.He filed the petition through his advocate M. L. Sharma.There are five accused in the case including a juvenile accused. Besides Mukesh, the other accused Pawan Gupta, Vinay Sharma and Akshay Thakur have been charged with the offences of murder, gang-rape, attempt to murder, kidnapping, unnatural offences, dacoity, hurting in committing robbery, destruction of evidence, criminal conspiracy and common intention under the IPC.One of the accused Ram Singh committed suicide in jail.A 23-year-old medical student was gang-raped by six persons who then threw her and her male friend out of the moving bus.She died in a Singapore hospital on December 29.    Read More

Mumbai, April 18The Shiv Sena today once again warned the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) that the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) would split if the latter declared its prime ministerial candidate without consulting its allies.In an editorial in party mouthpiece Saamna, the Sena leadership noted that the BJP could itself be a big loser if the NDA split. “Declaring someone as a candidate could bring in five or 10 seats, but if some old allies leave there could be a loss of 25 seats,” the editorial said.Echoing Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, the Shiv Sena demanded that the BJP must choose its Prime Minister in consultation with its allies. “The BJP cannot choose the prime ministerial candidate on its own.... The NDA is like Arjun’s chariot drawn by many horses. Every horse is important. If the chariot gets stuck, this Mahabharat story will be different,” Saamna said.While Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi might be one of the prime ministerial candidates, the final candidate should be decided by all the parties, Saamna said.The editorial also noted that the NDA is a divided house right now. “Everyone in the NDA is beating his own drum and bursting the ear drums of the people. There are squabbles every day over the PM candidate and the situation is getting ugly,” Saamna said.Asking party leaders like LK Advani, Rajnath Singh and Sushma Swaraj to step in, the Shiv Sena mouthpiece demanded that a solution be worked out.Comparing the    Read More

Ludhiana, April 18A day after video footage of a woman being brutally thrashed by a group of men was shown on various news channels, the city police today arrested three persons and suspended three policemen.Jatinderjit Singh, Station House Officer (SHO), Daba police station, Assistant Sub-Inspector Jaswant Singh (ASI) and Head Constable (HC) Avinash were suspended and sent to the Police Lines on the orders of Commissioner of Police Ishwar Singh."The three have been suspended for dereliction of duty. Further, we have formed a Special Investigation Team (SIT) led by Additional DCP Nilamberi Jagdale and Assistant CP Gurpreet Kaur Purewal to investigate the matter. Prima facie, there was a delay in registering a case.The safety of women is of paramount importance and strict action will be taken against policemen not acting on a woman’s complaint," said Ishwar Singh. He denied that the erring policemen were under political pressure.He said the SIT would probe the monetary dispute that had led to the brutal assault."The three have been suspended for dereliction of duty. Further, we have formed a Special Investigation Team (SIT) led by Additional DCP Nilamberi Jagdale and Assistant CP Gurpreet Kaur Purewal to investigate the matter. Prima facie, there was a delay in registering a case.The safety of women is of paramount importance and strict action will be taken against policemen not acting on a woman’s complaint," said Ishwar Singh. He denied that t    Read More

Bhiwani, April 18Some unidentified persons are alleged to have murdered a Dalit youth in the most brutal manner following which they then attempted to give it the shape of an accident. The incident occurred at Devsar village of Bhiwani on Tuesday night, but it came to light today morning.Though the exact cause of the murder is not yet known and will be revealed only after investigations, family of the victim is linking the murder to an incident of November last year, when members of the upper caste stopped a Dalit youth of their family from riding a mare on his wedding, leading to tension in the village.Jai Mal, a 20-year-old Dalit youth of Devsar village, was murdered last night.The victim’s family, which learnt of the murder in the morning, alleged that the perpetrators of the crime first offered him alcohol and then killed him brutally by tying him to a tree and hitting him with a moving jeep several times.The victim’s body bore rope marks on its neck as well, alleged the family members.Raj Pal, the victim’s father, alleged that his son had been killed due to the old grudge the members of the upper caste had been nursing against their family, because they had highlighted the injustice done to them when a Dalit bridegroom from his family was stopped from riding a mare.Bhiwani SP Simardeep Singh, has, however, denied that the incident has any caste connotations.     Read More

Chandigarh, April 17After a wait of 12 years, the Chandigarh-Ludhiana rail link will finally be made operational from April 19. The first train from Chandigarh to Amritsar via Ludhiana using the new track will shorten the journey from Chandigarh to Ludhiana by half an hour. Earlier, the journey between the two cities via Sirhind used to take two hours.The train from Chandigarh will now pass through Mohali, Kharar, Junction Morinda, New Morinda, Khamano, Samrala, Lallkalan, Sahnewal and Dhandar before reaching Ludhiana. Divisional railway manager PK Sangi said the department had received a communication to advance the departure from Chandigarh to 5.30 pm from 6.50 pm.He said the department was yet to receive the copy of the safety certificate from the Chief Commissioner of Rail Safety (CCRS) but was expected to be received by tomorrow.As the timing of the train has been revised, the passengers who have already booked their tickets will be informed through telephone, text messages and notices, which will be put up at the railway station and reservation counters.The Chandigarh-Ludhiana link was announced in the Union Railway Budget of 2000. The work on the project was started by Northern Railway in 2001 but due to fund delays and operational hurdles, the work remained held up. Railway Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal had announced that the link would be made operational by March 31.The project had been divided into three phases. The 45-km first phase from Chandigarh to New Morinda vi    Read More

New Delhi, April 18The Supreme Court today granted four more weeks to film actor Sanjay Dutt for his surrender to serve 3.5 years in jail, holding that the CBI had no business to oppose his plea as it did not even bother to challenge his acquittal under the prevention of terrorism law.A Bench comprising Justices P Sathasivam and BS Chauhan said Dutt could take four more weeks from tomorrow, the deadline set in its March 21 judgment, before his surrender.Dutt had approached the SC seeking six months for his surrender to complete his acting commitments involving seven movies and an investment of over Rs 278 crore. “We are not inclined to extend the time by six months. However, we extend the time by four weeks from tomorrow. It is made clear that no further extension will be granted,” it said in the order.A trial court set up under the Terrorist and Disruptive Activities (Prevention) Act (TADA) had cleared him of the charges of his role in the 1993 serial blasts at 13 locations in Mumbai in which over 250 people were killed and more than 700 injured. However, the TADA court convicted and sentenced him to six years for illegal possession of fire arms and ammunition.While the CBI did not challenge his acquittal under TADA charges, Dutt appealed against his conviction which resulted in the SC reducing his sentence by one year.Since he has already served 1.5 years of his sentence during the trial period, he has to serve out the remaining 3.5 years.“You did not seek    Read More

18 April (Press Public News) :- With most of the security and intelligence agencies of the country pitching in with the investigation of the blast outside the BJP office in Bangaluru, the probe is moving apace.By the end of Wednesday, the officials established that the motorbike on which the improvised explosive device was suspected to have been planted, a Suzuki Max 100, had been stolen from Hyderabad.Though the vehicle had been completely destroyed, the officials found its number plate — TN22R3769 — which indicted it was registered in Tamil Nadu.But this proved a false trail. The registration number was found to be fake. The chassis number indicated the vehicle was from Hyderabad.An officer of the Internal Security Division said the bike must have been stolen from that city.“It shows the involvement of a Hyderabad-based terror module in the case. We are collecting information from Andhra Pradesh,” he said.The police are also inspecting CCTV footage from cameras installed in the BJP office and a residential complex outside it. They are expected to yield some clues about the man who planted the bike. Besides, the officials are questioning the lone eyewitness who has seen a man park the bike at the spot.Forensic teams have scanned the area. The material used in the bomb is expected to throw light on the terror outfit involved in the blast.Police commissioner Raghavendra Auradkar said, “The investigation is on and we have not come to any concl    Read More

18 April (Press Public News) :- By setting out on an irreversible collision course with the BJP, Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar is betting heavily on three social constituencies for his political survival — the lower sections of the backwards and Dalits, whom he has been trying to mobilise under the banner of Extremely Backward Castes (EBCs) and Maha Dalits; and the Muslims. If they combine their voting strengths, it will be an invincible alliance.But this calculation is fraught with serious risks. The following are the three questions that must worry Nitish Kumar.1. It is true that the bulk of the votes that Nitish got in the 2010 election came from the EBCs and Maha Dalits, but the nucleus of that coalition has always been upper castes, in all the elections that he won — in 2005, 2010 and the 2009 Lok Sabha.The formation of the social confederation that Nitish heads today took shape against the Yadav-Muslim alliance that kept Lalu Prasad Yadav in power between 1990 and 2005.Individually non-Yadav backward castes are very small, not any single group counting more than 4%.Nitish's own Kurmis count for little alone. Collectively they make a winning combination.But if the upper castes go with the BJP — as they are most likely to do — who will be the nucleus that would hold together these tiny groups?It is true that the EBCs and Maha Dalits have acquired an amount of political identity due to Nitish Kumar's policies, but would they act as cla    Read More

 Madhya Pradesh: Jaipur police on Tuesday arrested the driver of the truck which hit a motorcycle in a tunnel killing a 26-year-old woman and her infant daughter while her injured husband and son kept crying for help for 40 minutes but were ignored by other motorists.The truck driver identified as Heeralal was arrested from the town under the Industrial area station, Additional Superintendent of Police (ASP) Rajesh Vyas told PTI, adding the truck was traced on the basis of toll-barrier records that the speeding truck had crossed after the mishap.The police arrested the driver and has taken him along with it after necessary legal formalities to Jaipur for further probe, the ASP said.Most RecentReliance posts 32% jump in net profit: milestones of an oil giantIntel forecasts Q2 sales decline as PC market shrinksAlso See  3:02'They threw her into a van like garbage': Jaipur man whose wife, child died in accidentThe 26-year-old woman and the eight-month-old infant who were run over by the truck died in the first accident inside the newly opened Ghat Ki Guni tunnel in Jaipur on Sunday while the man and his son escaped with minor injuries.CCTV footages showed that the woman's husband and his four-year-old son beseeched passers-by for help for almost 10 minutes. However, no one stopped to help them, police said.Kanhaiya Lal along with his 26-year old wife Guddi, four-year-old son Tanish and eight-month-old Arushi was on his way to his in-laws' house in Luniawas village from    Read More

When Unit-II of the Madras Atomic Power Station (MAPS) at Kalpakkam tripped on Monday morning, there was far more drama than the bland “fault-in-the-generator-transformer-high-voltage-bushing” statement put out by the authorities.For, the transformer linked to Unit-II and housed outside the reactor building but within the nuclear plant premises, actually caught fire. This was confirmed by MAPS Station Director T J Kotteeswaran.“The bushing (an insulated device) had some oil, which perhaps caused the fire. It was put out in 15 minutes,” Kotteeswaran said.MAPS used its water sprinkler system besides calling for a fire tender to douse the blaze. The reactor was also brought to cold shutdown stage (jargon for reducing the reactor coolant system temperature to the safe range — below 93 degree Celsius). “There is nothing to worry about the safety of the reactors as there are adequate mechanisms in place,” Kotteeswaran said.Unit-II was producing 110 MW when the incident occurred. The tripping and the fire knocked it out of action and it will stay that way for quite a few weeks. MAPS scientists are yet to conclusively determine the reason for the fault. “If it occurred because of something outside the transformer, then it can be rectified within a month. But if it is inside, it will take lot of time — may be around two to three months — to fix it,” Kotteeswaran said.That is bad news for Tamil Nadu, since it is already    Read More

Mumbai: In more trouble for the BJP, the Shiv Sena on Wednesday demanded that the decision on NDA’s prime ministerial candidate must be taken soon. The editorial in party mouthpiece Saamna asked the BJP top brass to clear its stand on the issue. Noting that a group within the BJP has been advancing the name of Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi, the Sena stressed that Modi may emerge as BJP’s PM candidate but the final call will be taken by the NDA. The Uddhav Thackeray led party also warned the BJP against taking its support for granted. In an apparent reference to Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi, the editorial further says that while naming the PM candidate may get the BJP five to 10 extra seats, some old allies will leave costing the NDA as many as 25 seats. Putting pressure on the BJP, the Sena said that an NDA meeting should be called soon to decide on the matter.  Clearly, the Shiv Sena is not too enthusiastic about the Gujarat CM being projected as the NDA's PM face. Earlier, party chief Uddhav Thackeray was quoted as saying: "We aren't sure whether we will back Modi. When Balasaheb (Thackeray) had voiced his support for Sushma Swaraj, Modi was not in the race. The NDA should decide on someone." Shiv Sena came out in the open over the issue days after a veiled threat by Janata Dal (United) leader and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar against projecting Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi as BJP's Prime Ministe    Read More

NEW DELHI: On a day Sanjay Dutt pleaded for ''mercy of Supreme Court" and a six-month extension of the April 18 surrender deadline to allow him to complete shooting of seven films worth Rs 278 crore, the apex court rejected a similar plea of three other Mumbai blasts convicts.Appearing for Dutt, senior advocate Harish Salve on Tuesday argued before a bench headed by Justice P Sathasivam that the actor was not invoking any fundamental right or advancing any other legal proposition. "This petition by Dutt is for mercy, not Article 21 (which guarantees right to life and liberty)," he said.Justice Sathasivam said it would be proper to post the application for hearing on Wednesday before the bench comprising Justice B S Chauhan and him, which had delivered the judgment on appeals against the TADA court verdict on March 21 and sentenced Dutt to five years imprisonment finding him guilty under Arms Act for possessing illegal weapons including an AK-56 assault rifle.If Dutt was seeking the court's mercy, the three others -- Zaibunnisa Anwar Kazi, Issaq Mohd Hajwane and Shariff Abdul Gafoor Parker - wanted a two-week extension of the April 18 surrender deadline to give sufficient time to the President and the ministry of home affairs to deliberate on their plea for remission/respite from jail term.A bench of Chief Justice Altamas Kabir and Justices A R Dave and Vikramjit Sen dismissed writ petitions by Zaibunnisa, Hajwane and Parker, saying if such a plea was allowed, t    Read More

PABNAWA (HARYANA): It has been over 48 hours since the attack took place. But fear still stalks the dalits of Pabnawa village in Haryana's Kaithal district. The young women from the community have been moved out en masse by their families fearing sexual assault by upper-caste goons. Some were picked up by relatives from nearby villages after desperate SOS calls; others were escorted to safety by their husbands and fathers. A handful of very old women are the only ones who have stayed back. A team from the National Commission for Schedule Caste (NCSC), including chairperson PL Punia, visited the village on Tuesday. But dalits in the area still complain of verbal threats and abuses. And they say, they still don't know if and when their wives and daughters can come back.Pabnawa is still coming to terms with its first-ever inter-caste marriage that took place in the village on April 10 and sparked off the caste-based violence. On Saturday, upper caste mobs from the Rod community struck the dalit settlement in the village. Meena, the 20-year-old girl, belonged to the Rod community while Surya, the groom was a 22-year-old Dalit. Most villagers say that had it been the other way round, nothing would have happened. One dalit youth from the village said that it is only the "Bodla" community among the Rods that they are under threat from. Husan Singh, the sarpanch of the village, also a Rod, belongs to the "Tamak" community.After interacting with the families, Punia    Read More

The makers of Punjabi movie 'Sadda Haq' have finally chosen the path of law to get the ban imposed on the movie removed. Kuljinder Singhwho is the actor in the movie and husband of a co-producer (Nidhi Sidhu) filed a plea in the Supreme Court in this regard. The hearing will take place on Tuesday(April 16, 2013). The official facebook page of the movie on a aggressive note had a word of caution for the deputy CM of Punjab and SGPC Chief. The post read that truth will prevail and if the government wants to save their face they must lift the ban before the Tuesday hearing.It is worth noting that the movie was supposed to release on April 5 in Punjab but the government banned the movie in the late hours of April 4, 2013. The movie however is running overseas.    Read More

In response to the 9/11 terror attacks the United States had put in place the requisite mechanisms to ensure that they would not take place ever again. The success it achieved on this score was the envy of countries confronting terrorism. Here indeed was a model worthy of emulation. That was the refrain of security experts.The twin blasts in Boston on Tuesday shattered this image of invincibility. Visceral anti-Americans will doubtless be tempted to gloat: some with peals of derisory laughter, some others with a mocking sneer. Both can be trusted to rub in the point that the much-admired US intelligence agencies had no clue about the attacks. And they will hold the security forces up to ridicule for their failure to carry out thorough checks of the massive crowds that had gathered to witness the Boston Marathon that is held on Patriots Day holiday.None of this however must take attention away from the way Bostonians - and America at large - responded to the outrage. No one rushed to condemn the intelligence agencies or the security forces. This is in sharp contrast to what happens in our part of the world where reporters, anchors, commentators and sundry politicians instantly engage in an elaborate blame-game.The first priority for the Americans was to attend to the victims. Television footage on the scene of the blasts and from the hospitals was revealing: every one was seen to be attending to the task at hand with an elevated sense of professionalism. People cooperated with    Read More

MUMBAI: Iconix Lifestyle India, a joint venture between Iconix Brand Group and Reliance Brands, has enlisted North India-based retailer Kapsons to roll out the 80-year old American fashion brand London Fog in India. Reliance Brands, a unit of billionaire Mukesh Ambani's Reliance Industries (RIL), controls the India rights for more than 20 international fashion brands of Iconix as part of an equal JV struck last year. The JV had struck a similar deal with Sanjay Lalbhaispearheaded Arvind in February this year for opening Ed Hardy stores. On Tuesday, RIL said in a statement that the turnover of its retail business had crossed the Rs 10,000-crore mark during 2012-13 — a growth of 42% — on account of continued store expansion across all format sectors.     Read More

PATNA/NEW DELHI: The crisis in NDAcontinued to escalate on Tuesday, with JD(U)brushing aside indications of BJP's plan to disengage itself from the Nitish Kumar-led coalition in Bihar."We are ready for any eventuality. They can pull out their ministers this moment if they so wish," said a close colleague of the Bihar chief minister whose blistering attack on his Gujarat counterpart on Sunday brought the festering tension between the allies over Narendra Modito the surface.JD(U) spokesperson Shivanand Tiwari challenged BJP to withdraw its support in Bihar. "We have neither tied the legs of BJP nor bent before them to continue support to us... BJP is independent to take its decision. We won't function on the wishes of BJP," Tiwari said.The assertion came as more evidence of BJP's intent to withdraw from the Nitish Kumar government poured in. Even as sources close to the party leadership said spokesperson Meenakshi Lekhi stepped outside her brief when she launched a hard-hitting tit-for-tat attack on Kumar, Bihar deputy CM Sushil Modi joined the chorus of protests against Kumar for his outburst against the Gujarat CM.The deputy CM, who with his excellent equation with Kumar ensured that the coalition ran smoothly despite strong resistance from an influential section within the state unit of BJP, termed the CM's remarks as "unfortunate and unwarranted", adding that they had hurt BJP's rank and file.Sushil Modi, talking to reporters in Patna, parried    Read More

AHMEDABAD: The Gujarat government has sanctioned the SIT's demand for death sentence for its former minister Maya Kodnani and nine others, including BabuBajrangi, in connection with the NarodaPatia massacre case of the post-Godhra riots in 2002.Sources in the SIT said the state legal department ultimately granted the SIT's request to challenge the SIT court's order in the Naroda Patia case, before the Gujarat high court.The SIT wanted the 10 convicts, who played major roles in the massacre, to be punished by hanging. The SIT court awarded severe punishments to these 10 persons - Kodnani, Bajrangi, Naresh Chhara, Morli Sindhi, Haresh Rathod, Suresh Langado, Premchand Tiwari, Manoj Sindhi and Bipin Panchal and Suresh, alias Shehzad - for their criminal conspiracy and active involvement throughout the fateful day, in the killing of 97 persons in the industrial locality in eastern Ahmedabad on February 28, 2002.Normally, the time limit to move the HC against a lower court's order is three months, but the state government took over seven months to sanction the demand for death for its former minister. The SIT had sought the state government's permission immediately after the verdict was delivered by special judge Jyotsna Yagnik on August 31, 2012.Besides seeking death for the 10 convicts, the SIT also got the government's nod to challenge the acquittals of seven persons of the 29 accused.These include Umesh Bharwad, Rajkumar Chaumal, Padmendrasinh Rajput, Haresh Rohra, Navin Chhar    Read More

This demographic potential offers India and its economy an unprecedented edgeEvery third person in an Indian city today is a youth. In about seven years, the median individual in India will be 29 years, very likely a city-dweller, making it the youngest country in the world. India is set to experience a dynamic transformation as the population burden of the past turns into a demographic dividend, but the benefits will be tempered with social and spatial inequalities.These are some of the findings of the ‘State of the Urban Youth, India 2012: Employment, Livelihoods, Skills,’ a report published by IRIS Knowledge Foundation in collaboration with UN-HABITAT.A closer analysis of the urban youth suggests that greater political participation, engagement at a policy level and urgent attention to improving their quality of life can ensure that India enjoys the benefits of this dividend.The report traces the incredible rise — and the eventual decline — of this cohort in India. The population in the age-group of 15-34 increased from 353 million in 2001 to 430 million in 2011. Current predictions suggest a steady increase in the youth population to 464 million by 2021 and finally a decline to 458 million by 2026.By 2020, India is set to become the world’s youngest country with 64 per cent of its population in the working age group. With the West, Japan and even China aging, this demographic potential offers India and its growing economy an unprecedented edg    Read More

The paid news case is no longer just about Ashok Chavan. It concerns every individual and institution opposed to the sway of money power in electionsPoliticians everywhere are known to indulge in doublespeak and our politicians are no exception. But some recent pronouncements of our Law Minister only show that our politicians may have very few serious rivals in this sport. Not long ago, the Minister was all praise for the Election Commission of India’s real time and effective monitoring of election expenses.Now the same Minister has told the Supreme Court that the Election Commission is not concerned with the correctness or otherwise of the account of election expenses submitted by a candidate. In other words, the government wants the Commission to do an outstanding non-job!Sound ‘investment’That the candidates in our Assembly and Parliament elections spend huge amounts, many times over the prescribed ceiling, on election expenditure is no secret. They seem to have come to realise that this is an investment capable of giving phenomenal returns which no other enterprise could rival and, so, the best way of getting rich quicker. No wonder, therefore, that even panchayat elections boast of huge expenditures incurred by the contestants. That some unscrupulous sections of the media found innovative ways to help themselves to some part of this huge expenditure during election time is too well documented by now. It is also common knowledge that the effort has been    Read More

The ruling Shiromani Akali Dal’s noises against the death sentence to the Khalistani have evoked derision as the party did everything to defend and promote a police officer against whom he had moved the Supreme CourtNothing exemplifies the politics being played out in Punjab over Devinderpal Singh Bhullar better than the spectacle of the ruling Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) batting for two opposite sides.Bhullar, the former Khalistan Liberation Force terrorist, whose death sentence was upheld by the Supreme Court last week, is to be hanged for his role in the 1993 bomb attack on Maninderjit Singh Bitta. The then Youth Congress president survived the attack in which nine people were killed.But among the many other crimes that Bhullar has been accused of is the August 1991 bomb attack on Sumedh Singh Saini, now Punjab’s Director General of Police. He was acquitted in the 1991 blast case, but the story of these two arch enemies is part of the annals of terrorism in Punjab. Many believe that it is one reason why Bhullar turned hard-core and planned subsequent attacks.In the aftermath of the attack on him, when Mr. Saini was Chandigarh’s superintendent of police, Bhullar’s father, maternal uncle and two cousins were picked up by the police. The first two never returned home and are believed to have been killed; two cousins returned after severe torture, and one’s leg had to be amputated. Bhullar was later acquitted in that case, but a Central Bureau of In    Read More

 An 11-year-old child carrying a school bag weighing 10 kg! Students are literally carrying the "burden of education" on their backs at a tender age. A parent claimed that she weighed the school bag of her 11-year-old child studying in Class VI and found that it weighed 10 kg."I found it difficult to carry my son’s bag and decided to walk up to a weighing scale in a store and was shocked to see that it weighed 10 kg. I wonder how children manage to carry such heavy load on their backs,” said Ronita Soni, (name changed), a parent.A random survey by Chandigarh Tribune revealed that students daily carried eight to 10 books, an equal number of notebooks, an art kit, lunch (two tiffins in several schools), a water bottle, lab manuals, the school diary and a host of other things, including a pencil box, a geometry box and dictionaries, which made the school bag heavy.The problem, parents said, was more serious in case of children of elementary classes since their school bags often weighed more than their body weight.Parents said overloaded school bags weighed heavy on students’ backs and mind, leading to daily anxiety, besides giving rise to health issues such as back and spinal pain.While some schools have a provision for keeping textbooks and copies in the school, most others are without this facility. Dr Rakesh Sachdeva, Principal of DAV, Sector 15, said, “Schools have failed to provide in-house locker facilities and take other measure    Read More

 Rude behaviour by paramedical staff, especially staff nurses, has emerged as a major problem for patients at city hospitals. Nasty remarks by nurses often leave patients embarrassed in wards. The staff blame it on high patient inflow at the three government hospitals in the city, saying that work overload leaves nurses stressed. There is no effective mechanism for sensitisation of nurses, resulting in many of them adopting a high-handed attitude. Last month, a patient wrote to Chandigarh Tribune, sharing his harassment at the hands of the paramedical staff at the PGI. The patient was admitted to the gynaecology ward of the hospital and wrote that nurses were reluctant in answering basic queries of attendants and refused to even pass on a message to the patient. The nurses often misbehaved with the attendants. The problem is similar at other hospitals, including the Government Medical College and Hospital (GMCH), Sector 32, where the attendant is the only hope for the patient right from cleaning the floor around the bed to carrying test samples to labs. Officials at Government Multi-Specialty Hospital (GMSH), Sector 16, said staff nurses were generally found to be more "ruthless" than those hired on contract. "The staff nurses have no fear of losing their job and tend to be harsh with patients," said an official. Visits to these hospitals revealed that nurses do not respond in one go if an attendant calls them. Himmat Singh (n    Read More

The Shiv Sena has joined Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar in demanding that the National Democratic Alliance’s candidate for the post of Prime Minister be decided by all the constituent parties.“All the alliance partners of the NDA must be consulted. The candidate is not just from any particular party but of the NDA as a whole,” Shiv Sena spokesman Rahul Narvekar said here on Sunday night.Narvekar’s remarks came hours after Nitish Kumar demanded that the BJP nominate a secular leader acceptable to everyone, seen as a thinly veiled opposition to the candidature of Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi.Three days ago Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray said here that the BJP had to announce its choice for the post of Prime Minister in advance before expecting the support of its allies.Just weeks before his demise, Shiv Sena supremo and Uddhav’s father Bal Thackeray had expressed his support for BJP leader Sushma Swaraj for the top job. “She is the only deserving person in the party who is suited for the post of Prime Minister,” Bal Thackeray had said.    Read More

Twelve persons were killed when the Bolero vehicle (HP-73-2533) in which they were travelling veered off the road and plunged into a 700-m-deep gorge on the Bharmour-Harchhu road, about 16 km from Bharmour tribal township of Chamba district, last night. The vehicle landed in Kuthar nullah that runs across the gorge.Chamba SSP BM Sharma said the deceased included 11 boys and the driver of the ill-fated vehicle. The boys were on their way back home after playing a cricket match at Badgran.Local people helped the police in extricating bodies from the nullah. Those killed were: Driver Raj Kumar (29), Yog Raj (23), Amit (15), Laky (16), Ramesh (26), Sarwan (24), Ravinder (15), Santosh (18), Rakesh (24), Anoop (11), Kahan (24) - all residents of Palan village - and Pritam (26) of Dhurainka village.The deceased were cremated at their villages.An immediate relief of Rs 10,000 was given to the next of kin of each deceased and a magisterial inquiry has been ordered into the incident.Governor Urmila Singh, Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh and Forest Minister Thakur Singh Bharmouri, who represents the Bharmour tribal Assembly constituency, have expressed grief over the accident and conveyed condolences to the bereaved families.Vidhan Sabha Speaker Brij Bihari Lal Butail and former Chief Minister PK Dhumal have also mourned the death of the youths.    Read More

MUMBAI: ShilpaShetty, the slim and tall Bollywood actor and owner of IPLRajasthan team, is once again entering a field dominated by men - real estate development. The actor has launched a company, Groupco Developers, in partnership with her friend and first generation entrepreneur Hem Tejuja, to develop housing projects in collaboration with land owners across the country. "Whether it is an ad or a business it must be something I believe in. I cannot do something simply for the money. It must connect with me because I want to be a catalyst to make people's lives happier," says Shetty who already counts health and wellness, sports and entertainment in her business portfolio. What connects her to the new business is her emotional connect with the middle-class and people's aspiration to own a home.     Read More

NEW DELHI: The Aam Aadmi Party on Monday declared that party president Arvind Kejriwal will contest the Delhi Assembly polls. The party, however, refrained from declaring the constituency from which he will fight the poll."Kejriwal will fight the elections but we cannot say at the moment which constituency is planning to run from. There is a huge demand for him to fight the Delhi elections," AAP chief spokesperson Manish Sisodia said.Sisodia declared the party's procedure for candidate selection at a Press meet on Monday noon. Starting April 15, interested candidates can download application forms from the AAP website or pick them from AAP's office. The candidate filing the form needs to have at least 100 supporters from the constituency. A list seeking their names and contact numbers must be attached to the form. The party's screening committee-comprising Sisodia, Sanjay Singh, Rajan Prakash, Dilip Pandey and Vinod Kumar Binni-will check credentials of the members and will come out with a shortlist of five candidates by May 5."From May 5 till May 20, we will put the list for opinion of general public and AAP volunteers. Once we reach a conclusion the candidate will be announced," said Sisodia. The party is aiming at coming out with the final list of candidates by June. "This will give candidates more time to work in their areas," said a party worker.However, while the party is looking forward to have more young and women candidates, it has barre    Read More

AHMEDABAD: The Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad has, for the first time, offered its lush green campus for a Bollywood film shoot. A 300-member unit from Karan Johar's Dharma Productions is shooting for '2 States', a film based on IIM-A alumnus Chetan Bhagat's book by the same name.The book is a personal account of the challenges that Bhagat and his wife Anusha — belonging to Punjab and Tamil Nadu — faced in convincing their parents to agree to their love marriage.The roles are being played by Arjun Kapoor and Alia Bhatt, who were seen shooting for the first scene at the IIM-A canteen on Monday when TOI sneaked into the guarded campus.On Tuesday, the unit will shoot in a classroom at IIM-A's new campus. A source handling the project on IIM-A's behalf told TOI, "The entire unit is in Ahmedabad till April 23 to shoot for the parts that are set against IIM-A. As Chetan Bhagat is an alumnus and the book talks a lot about IIM-A, it was not difficult for the production house to secure permission for shooting here."Except the canteen area, the campus wore a deserted look as most students are on vacation and pursuing internship projects. In 2009, the cast and crew of 3 Idiots filmed at IIM Bangalore. The actors, including Aamir Khan, stayed at the hostel of the IIM campus. The actors of 2 States, however, have put up at a hotel in Satellite.An excited Chetan Bhagat, who was also on the campus to watch the shoot, tweeted, "At the IIMA student mess.    Read More

BANGALORE: The planned overhaul of America's immigration system is giving the jitters to Indian software services companies, and raising concerns that it could have severe repercussions for Indo-US economic ties.If the US ends up using H1-B visas to inflict pain on companies such as Tata Consultancy Services, Infosys and Wipro, it could attract retaliatory measures from the Indian government, which will not want to be seen as timid in defending the interests of a vital sector, analysts said.Indian companies fear that the draft immigration bill, which will be unveiled on Tuesday, will contain provisions making it onerous for Indian companies dependent on H-1B visas to send professionals on assignments to the US. Although there is no guarantee that something like this will happen, Indian firms are extremely nervous because of media reports on the issue in the US as well as the track record of the Barack Obama administration."Free movement of skilled professionals for temporary work is a trade-related matter and should not be linked to immigration. It is important that trade relations between India and the US align to the long-term strategic agenda that supports growth in both markets," JS Satyanarayana, secretary, department of electronics and information technology, said.The bill being drafted by a group of eight senior senators could make it much harder for Indian companies to obtain H-1B visas. It could also make it costlier by mandating higher wage levels for empl    Read More

NEW DELHI: Smarting under Nitish Kumar's frontal assault on Narendra Modi, BJP on Monday fired back at the Bihar chief minister amid mounting indications that it was preparing to pull out of the Bihar coalition.Sources said the BJP was readying itself to disengage from the Kumar-led government after next month's Karnataka polls in retaliation against what the party called the humiliation theJD(U) leader had inflicted on the party on Sunday when he viciously attacked the Gujarat CM."This is unacceptable, and reminds us of the way the JD(U) leader's socialist seniors raised the bogey of communalism to topple the Janata government in 1979. He has pushed us to a point of no return," said a BJP office-bearer, reflecting the anger that has built up in the party since Kumar lit into Modi.BJP's withdrawal will not threaten the Kumar government's survival. The CM enjoys the support of 120 MLAs in the 243-strong House and, with the formation of no alternative government possible, can attract the indirect support of many others who will not like to face an early election.In 1979, socialist members of the Janata Party had broken away by protesting against the RSS affiliation of leaders of the Jana Sangh, the BJP's earlier incarnation.A preview of a formal divorce came through BJP spokesperson Meenakshi Lekhi's aggressive reminder to the Bihar CM that he had remained with NDA all these years after the 2002 communal violence, cited by JD(U) and other detractors as the chief evide    Read More

The Supreme Court today cancelled the anticipatory bail granted to Ambala Cantonment Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Baljinder Singh by the Punjab and Haryana High Court in a case under the prevention of atrocities against SC and ST Act.A Bench comprising Justices AK Patnaik and SJ Mukhopadhaya set aside the January 31, 2012 order of the HC after advocate Jasbir Singh Malik contended that the ACP had on May 16, 2011 stripped his client and thrashed her at Panipat in full public view.The police official had thrashed her in a bid to force her to withdraw a criminal case. The apex court noted that the SC/ST Act 1989 had a specific bar on grant of anticipatory bail and as such the accused could not be given any relief under Section 438 CrPC.The victim contended that the HC had failed to appreciate the seriousness of the case and the allegations against the police official. The HC had granted the relief on the ground that the advocate for the victim failed to appear before it and that the accused was appearing before the trial court and was facing trial.She contended that even after getting anticipatory bail, the accused had threatened her with dire consequences in a bid to force her to withdraw the case.According to her, the accused had dragged her out of her house by holding her hair and taken her to the street. He slapped and kicked her and when she shouted for help about 20 persons tried to rescue her. However, the accused and another person tore her clothes and made he    Read More

Mumbai, April 15A Sessions Court today convicted Mirza Himayat Inayat Baig (30), the lone man arrested in connection with the German Bakery blast in Pune on February 13, 2010, of murder and criminal conspiracy. At least 17 persons were killed and 64 others injured in the blast.“Taking into consideration the evidence before me, I am holding Baig guilty,” Additional Sessions Judge NP Dhote said pronouncing his judgement. He will pronounce the quantum of sentence on April 18.The prosecution had claimed that Baig had sourced explosives used in the blast and helped assemble the bomb planted at the bakery. The bakery is located near the Osho Rajneesh Ashram in Pune’s posh Koregaon Park neighbourhood.A resident of Beed in Maharashtra, Baig was arrested in September 2010. Baig was present in the court, which held him guilty under Sections 302 (murder), 307 (attempted murder), 435 (mischief by fire or explosive substances), 474 (forgery), 153(A) (promoting enmity between different groups on ground of religion, race, place of birth, language and doing acts prejudicial to maintenance of harmony and 120 (B) (criminal conspiracy) of the IPC.Baig was also convicted under various sections of the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act and Explosive Substances Act.The court accepted the prosecution’s contention that it was a “carefully planned and executed attack calculated to terrorise the public in general by causing extensive damage to life and property.”    Read More

Official sources have confirmed Chinese Premier Li Keqiang’s plans to visit India in May on his first overseas tour after assuming office.The meeting could see both leaders adding to the confidence building measures that have seen a gradual step up since both sides signed a protocol in 2005 to define rules of behaviour along the line of actual control (LAC).A POSITIVE SIGNALAs The Hindu had reported, Chinese officials are particularly keen to use Mr. Li’s visit to send a positive signal to India that the new leadership wants to take the ties to “a higher level.”Dr. Singh was one of the first leaders Mr. Li spoke to after he was appointed Premier on March 15 following the session of the National People’s Congress, or Parliament.Sources said this would send a strong message on how the new leadership in Beijing viewed relations with India as a priority.Mr. Li ranks second in the Communist Party’s Politburo Standing Committee, which is headed by Chinese President Xi Jinpeng.To send that message, Chinese officials said they were prepared to overlook the usual factor of reciprocity that determines diplomatic visits — the Indian Prime Minister is actually due first in China according to protocol, following the former Premier Wen Jiabao’s visit to New Delhi in 2010.INTEREST AMID TENSIONSChina has shown keenness to improve ties with India at a time when it has had continuing tensions over sovereignty issues with Japan, Vietnam    Read More

In a brutal road accident that brought to light civilian apathy, no one came to help a man and his young son for a long time after his wife and daughter were crushed to death by a speeding truck in the Ghat Ki Guni tunnel here on Sunday. They were all riding a motorbike.On Monday morning, residents of Pink City and elsewhere woke to heart-rending images of the young man crying out for help, with his weeping son at his side and wife and daughter lying in a pool of blood next to him, as vehicles passed on by.Kanhaiyalal, his wife Guddi (26), five-year-old Tanish and 6-month-old Arushi were on their way to Luniyawas village, the woman’s maternal home, for a religious function when the tragedy occurred.As the four of them, Arushi in her mother’s lap on pillion and Tanish on the fuel tank, entered the tunnel from Jawahar Nagar side, they had no idea it was to be their last family outing together.Three hundred metres into the tunnel, Kanhaiylal’s bike was hit by the truck from behind as he tried to overtake another truck ahead of him. While he and the boy fell on the footpath, Guddi and Arushi fell to the other side, and came under the wheels of the overtaking truck.Passersby came to his aid only when, after having struggled in vain to seek help, Kanhaiyalal fainted. Since the tunnel has no mobile signal reception, the distraught man could not call anyone for help.Bike violated rulesTwo-wheelers are not allowed inside the tunnel. When asked about regulation, Deput    Read More

Petrol price has been cut by Rs 1 per litre, effective midnight tonight - the third reduction in rates in one month due to the drop in international prices of crude.The price cut excludes local sales tax or VAT. After including VAT, the reduction in price of petrol in Delhi comes to Rs 1.20 per litre and the fuel will cost Rs 66.09 per litre from midnight tonight against Rs 67.29.    Read More

New Delhi, April 15The Supreme Court today directed Gujarat to share some of its 400 Asiatic lions with Madhya Pradesh as part of the efforts to protect the endangered specie by providing them a “second home.”A Bench comprising Justices KS Radhakrishnan and CK Prasad asked the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests to constitute an expert committee for taking “urgent steps” to relocate some of the lions from the Gir National Park and Gir Sanctuary of Gujarat to the Kuno Wildlife Sanctuary in Madhya Pradesh.The committee would decide the number of lions to be re-introduced in Kuno, the Bench clarified in its judgment in a PIL case.“Our top priority is to protect Asiatic lions, an endangered species, and to provide them a second home. Various steps have been taken for the last few decades, but nothing has transpired so far. Crores of rupees have been spent by the Centre and the MP Government so far,” the apex court noted.So far, Gir forest has been the single habitat of the Asiatic lion in the world.“Article 21 (right to life) of the Constitution of India protects not only the human rights but also casts an obligation on human beings” to protect and prevent any specie from becoming extinct and conservation and protection of environment was an inseparable part of right to life, the SC held.Rejecting Gujarat’s objection to sharing the lions with MP, the Bench said “no state, organisation or person can claim ownership    Read More

New Delhi, 13 April (Press Public News):-Anti-Terrorist Front chairman MS Bitta, who had sustained injuries in the bomb attack in Delhi in 1993, said he would try to expose those who were responsible for security lapse on the day of attack.Bitta said: “Bhullar is hanged or not. I do not bother. I bother for those who were responsible for security lapse that had caused bomb attack killing nine ITBP personnel and 25 injured. I was one of the injured.”“Immediately after I was appointed as president of the youth Congress in 1993, my security was withdrawn”, he said.Reacting against the death punishment to Bhullar, the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC) president Manjit Singh said all hopes of the Sikh community had shattered after the Supreme Court today rejected the plea of wife of Bhullar to commute his death sentence to life term.He said: “Bhullar’s case is a “split judgment” case. The judgment of death sentence was delivered by a three-member bench. Of the three, one asked to acquit him while two were in favour of giving him death sentence. Second important thing is Bhullar is not mentally fit. Authorities concerned should think of it”, Manjit pleaded.Thousands of Sikhs were killed during 1984 riots in Delhi but so far not a single accused had been punishment. Even 29 years after the riots, Sikhs have not been given justice, he said.    Read More

Rohtak, 13 April (Press Public News):-A controversy appears to have sprung on the Maharshi Dayanand University campus following the harvesting of wheat crop in tghe official residence of the Vice-Chancellor, Dr R.P. Hooda, on Friday.Though the VC denied that the activity resulted in any inconvenience to anyone on the campus, some girl hostellers and staff residing in the nieghbourhood claimed that it resulted in acute air pollution by the husk in the air.“The VC seems to have turned a farmer with wheat being harvested in the backyard of his official residence," said a teacher residing on the campus. He said it was amazing that an official had grown and harvested wheat in his house without caring for the problems and disturbance caused to others."We were caught in a maze of husk pollution for over two hours as the dust flew towards the hostel for girls nearby," said a student on the condition of anonymity.Another PG student said this was a kind of severe air pollution which could result in breathing problems to many suffering from asthmatic disorders.Some local residents gathered at the spot to see what was going on and it was found that a harvester machine with a tractor had been hired to procure the wheat from the crop.Ashish Pannu, a lawyer, said this activity was illegal in a residential area as it could cause severe air pollution and invite certain Sections of the IPC if a complaint was lodged.The VC, Dr R.P Hooda, however, said wheat and vegetables w    Read More

New Delhi, 13 April (Press Public News):-The rejection of death row convict Devinder Pal Singh Bhullar’s mercy plea by the Supreme Court will impact 15 cases of death row convicts, including three assassins of Rajiv Gandhi and four aides of sandalwood smuggler Veerappan, who had also sought relief on grounds of “inordinate delay in decision on mercy petition”.The President had rejected the mercy petitions of the 15 convicts after which they appealed in the courts citing delay. Separately, as of today, nine mercy petitions are pending with the President. “Carrying out the death sentence of several death row convicts in quick succession would be a political gamble with general elections one year away. It remains to be seen how this is done,” said a Home Ministry functionary.In her petition, Bhullar’s wife Navneet Kaur cited a delay of 11 years in adjudicating his mercy plea by the President as a ground for seeking commutation of death penalty to life imprisonment.On April 6, the Supreme Court had stayed the execution of eight persons whose mercy petitions had been rejected by the President. A Bench of Justices P Sathasivam and MY Eqbal stayed the execution of Sonia and her husband Sanjeev, Gurmeet Singh, Praveen Kumar, Sunder Singh, Jafar Ali, Suresh and Ramji on a petition filed by the People's Union for Democratic Rights, a civil rights group. He cited the delay in carrying out the death sentence after the Supreme Court had confirmed it as    Read More

New Delhi, 13 April (Press Public News):-Addressing the 26th Convocation of Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU), the President, Pranab Mukherjee said the establishment of the university was a huge moment in the history of Indian education.Beyond doubt, IGNOU in a span of 27 years has become a pioneer for open and distance learning in the country opening avenues for those who may not be lucky enough to have access to formal schools."It has provided opportunities to a large number of people who were unable to access formal education or who wanted to diversify their academic portfolio or those who wanted to study for self-enrichment and up-gradation. It has taken higher education to the masses and has learners from a wide range of age groups, including school-dropouts and working adults," he added.Mukherjee said that life-long learning is imperative in today's demanding world. "The higher education sector must respond to this new opportunity. As learning has no terminal point, 'career learners' would be a new demand entity. Our universities should design programmes that assist such life-long learners," he said, while congratulating around 1.5 lakh learners of the university who received their degrees, diplomas and certificates today.Among them were nearly 11 students who were awarded doctoral degrees including a gold medal for an international student and three students were given the PhD outside headquarters. This is for the first time that all go    Read More

New Delhi 30 March (Press Public News):-  Art of Living founder Sri Sri Ravi Shankar Friday urged activist Arvind Kejriwal to end his six-day old hunger strike here against alleged inflated power and water bills."Reforms are a long political journey, and at this stage his health is of paramount importance," Ravi Shankar said in a statement. Kejriwal, who heads the Aam Aadmi Party, started his fast in a slum area in Sundar Nagri over the weekend, asking people not to pay power and water bills    Read More

New Delhi 30 March (Press Public News):- The All India Motor Transport Congress (AIMTC) has called off the proposed strike after its representatives met the Secretary, Road Transport and Highways here on Friday.AIMTC had given call to suspend operations of goods transport and transportation services with effect from the midnight of April 1 demanding that various issues affecting transport community are resolved by March 30.Road Transport and Highways Secretary Vijay Chhibber during the meeting assured that ministry appreciates the requests of AIMTC and will take steps to facilitate resolution of issues. AIMTC, an apex body of transporters (both cargo and passenger) represents approximately 75 lakh truckers and transporters and about 40 lakh buses and tour operators.AIMTC claims that whole transport industry is hit by high input costs and deep recession resulting in huge economic viability gap.    Read More

New Delhi 30 March (Press Public News):-  The Supreme Court will on April 2 pronounce its verdict on the fate of the Sterlite Industries' copper smelting plant in Tamil Nadu's Tuticorin, which was ordered to halt its operations in 2010 by Madras High Court for violating environment norms. The verdict will be pronounced by a bench of Justice A.K. Patnaik and Justice H.L. Gokhale.Sterlite, which had described the high court order as "draconian", had told the apex court that it was a public limited company with 2.3 lakh shareholders, 1,100 employees, 2,500 people employed indirectly and an annual turnover of Rs 13,000 crore.It said the company was meeting 50 percent of the domestic requirements of copper and was contributing Rs 1,600 crore by way of taxes. Sterlite Industries was the largest manufacturer of copper in the country and even exported it, it added.In the course of the hearing that was spread over several weeks, the apex court had asked the National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI), Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) and Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) to carry out detailed inspection of the plant and its site.    Read More

Ujjain 30 March (Press Public News):-  Asserting that the ruling Congress Party has very successfully run a coalition for the last nine years, Information and Broadcasting Minister Manish Tewari on Saturday said the UPA Government is completely stable and will complete its full term. "The Central Government is completely stable. It will complete its full term and will continue on the path of economic reforms. When we run coalition governments, then sometimes the alliance partners have their own political perspectives. But the religion of coalition is that whenever there are contradictions, it should be sorted out through a dialogue," Tewari told mediapersons here.   "The Congress Party has very successfully run a coalition government for the last nine years. Whenever there is a challenge in which we do not have a reflective approach, we have succeeded in solving it," he added. Samajwadi Party (SP) supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav had earlier lashed out at the ruling Congress Party, thereby hinting that his outfit could possibly withdraw its support to the government in the coming days.   Yadav, however, yesterday made it clear that he has no plans now to withdraw support to the Congress-led UPA II Government at the Centre. "Relations have not soured. Right now withdrawing support has not been discussed in the party. Now there is no question of SP withdrawing support to the UPA Government," Yadav told a news channel in    Read More

Salugara  30 March (Press Public News):-  Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, today hoped for a new era of reconciliation and peace with Chinese President Xi Jinping. The Dalai Lama said that the newly-elected Chinese President Xi Jinping represents a positive change. The Dalai Lama, who was in Salugara to give a three-day long sermon to the locals, said that he was optimistic of the new leadership and his dealings with the international community."The last 10 years, there has been much change. And also, you see, Chinese conduct with outside world also has increased because of economic power. So, therefore the new reality, year by year, some new reality (is) coming," he said."So, the leadership has to act according (to) new reality. So, therefore I think overall I am optimistic. Things are changing," he added.The Dalai Lama further said that China can take a significant constructive role in dealing with the global affairs.    Read More

New Delhi 29 March (Press Public News):- Pakistan's High Commissioner to India, Salman Bashir has said an investigation has been ordered into the death of Indian prisoner Chamel Singh, and added that there should be 'no anxiety' over the issue."The Punjab Government has taken notice of it and an investigation is in process, that is all that I know that I'm in a position to convey to you and there should be no anxiety on this issue," he told mediapersons on the sidelines of an event here. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) expressing concern over this issue asked the government to act because Pakistan had been doing this very often."Now, this is a matter of concern and this is a crime on individual. We would ask the government to act because Pakistan has been doing this very often," said BJP spokesperson Rajiv Pratap Rudy in New Delhi. The Jammu and Kashmir Government has set up a committee to ascertain the facts of the case."We have set up a committee, which will sort it out. The honourable CM (chief minister) will take up the issue with our external affairs ministry, if the injuries are grave or if there are fractures. Today, the Speaker also strongly condemned it," Jammu and Kashmir Minister of State for Home Sajjad Kichloo in Jammu city.The Indian prisoner was allegedly thrashed to death by the wardens of Lahore's Kot Lakhpat Jail, where he was serving a 5-year jail term for illegally crossing the border. He was declared dead    Read More

Ahmedabad 29 March (Press Public News):-  NGOs and human rights groups have criticised Gujarat BJP government over newly-introduced Bills, especially the one related to Lokayukta.Four organisations have collectively voiced opposition against some recently introduced Bills in the Assembly and said the proposed laws show the Narendra Modi government as "autocratic" and "anti-people".The four - Lok Andolan Gujarat, Gujarat Lok Samiti, People's Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL) and All India Save Education Committee - singled out Lokayukta Aayog Bill, Gujarat Universities Law (Amendments) Bill and the Irrigation and Drainage Act for criticism."Instead of implementing the existing Gujarat Lokayukta Act, the State Government has introduced Lokayukta Aayog Bill which aims to curtail Governor's powers (in appointment of anti-corruption ombudsman)," PUCL working president Prakash Shah told reporters here. "The Lokayukta Aayog Bill is a gimmick and bestows arbitrary powers with the State Government," Shah added.The Gujarat Universities Laws (Amendments) Bill infringes on autonomy of the universities and allows the State Government to appoint vice-chancellors in all varsities, said the activists associated with these groups.    Read More

Imphal 29 March (Press Public News):-  The Central Government-run National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) scheme is helping to provide better healthcare for people living in far flung areas of Manipur.   Wakha village, which is located in Imphal East District of Manipur, is reaping the benefits of the Centre's National Rural Health Mission. Twice a year, representatives of the state health mission and the NHRM visit the village to ensure that all basic health facilities are being provided to villagers through a day-long free medical camp. The poor and destitute are happy to get health facilities at their doorstep.   "This scheme is very helpful. They give us free treatment and medicines and also make us aware about health and nutrition. It is very good," said Anita Devi, a villager." It's a very good initiative. Such schemes benefit us a lot as we get to learn so many things about medicines, nutrition and child care," added Usharani Sarangthem.The NRHM was launched in the country in 2005 with a special focus to 18 high focus states, including Manipur. It has a vision to provide accessible, affordable and quality healthcare to the rural population, especially the vulnerable sections. It has an objective to have universal access to food and nutrition, sanitation and hygiene and universal access to public health care services. In Manipur, state health authorities do provide regular training to medical staff  to ensure the su    Read More

Lucknow 29 March (Press Public News):-  Finance Minister P Chidambaram reached out to the Akhilesh Yadav-led Samajwadi Party (SP) Government in Uttar Pradesh, and assured full central assistance in the state's development.Amid speculation that the Samajwadi Party might pull out of the Congress-led UPA Government at the Centre, Chidambaram assured the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister as well as Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav that the Centre stands committed to the state's development. "You have a young chief minister. He started his tenure well. I think he has now understood the size of the problems of UP and I am sure he and his team will do their best to bring UP up in every single way," said Chidambaram."And I want to take this opportunity to assure the chief minister and his team as well as the President of their party ''Netaji'' (Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav) that the Government of India is committed to stand by Uttar Pradesh in the development of Uttar Pradesh," he added. Chidambaram, who was speaking at the inauguration of 300 bank branches here, also hinted that the Centre would lay emphasis on the development projects in Uttar Pradesh."I know that UP has large financial needs. This morning the Chief Minister and the officials sat with me and went over a number of proposals. Many of the proposals concerned other ministries and departments. But I have promised them that when I get back to Delhi, I wil    Read More

Bangalore 29 March (Press Public News):- Karnataka's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is at its wit's end as it prepares for the May 5 assembly polls. The party does not seem to have a clue on how to shake off the KJP (Karnataka Janata Party) syndrome that threatens to shatter its hope of retaining power in the polls.The BJP rightly diagnoses that the Congress is its main opponent across Karnataka with the Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S) posing a challenge to both the parties in some parts of the state. The BJP's actions however show that its main worry is the KJP, headed by the party's former leader B.S. Yeddyurappa.The KJP is unlikely to win a significant number of seats but has the potential to severely damage the BJP's prospects in the polls to the 225-member assembly that is made up of 224 elected members and one nominated member.The need for damage control has meant the BJP playing the waiting game to select its candidates as the party is not sure how many of its leaders would desert it to join the KJP. So far Yeddyurappa, who quit the BJP in November last year, has managed to wean away three ministers and around 10 BJP legislators to his KJP.    Read More

New Delhi 28 March (Press Public News):- Against the backdrop of SP supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav raising the issue of a Third Front, BJD chief and Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik said he is watching the situation as it develops before taking a call on it.Asked about his views on the formation of a Third Front, Patnaik said, "We will have to wait and watch and see how these matters progress." Patnaik was here to meet Water Resources Minister Harish Rawat to discuss the hurdles in the Polavaram project and other water-related issues. Yadav has floated again the idea of a Third Front apparently with an eye on the general elections slated for 2014. BJD had moved away from NDA before the Assembly polls in Odisha in 2009.Rawat dismissed the idea of a Third Front, saying several attempts have been made to form such a coalition in the past but these have had "premature abortions". He said Mulayam Singh Yadav may be making such statements but he is still supporting the UPA government from outside and will continue to do so to protect secularism and provide stability.Rawat said Yadav's praise for senior BJP leader L K Advani may have come due to their old ties when both were associated with the V P Singh government in 1989. He expressed confidence that Yadav will be with UPA after the 2014 polls as well.    Read More

Tuticorin 28 March (Press Public News):- MDMK general secretary Vaiko and a group of people were arrested on Thursday after they attempted to lay siege to Sterlite Copper Plant in Tuticorin demanding its closure following alleged noxious gas leak, police said. Vaiko said he had been fighting for the past 18 years for closure of the plant to protect the residents. Farm lands had turned non-cultivable and fishery resources badly affected owing to pollution, Vaiko told reporters, adding that there is no alternative, but to close the plant immediately.He alleged that the leakage of sulphur dioxide from the plant had caused detrimental effects to public health and many people living in Tuticorin complained of suffocation, sneezing and burning sensation in their eyes. Residents in Tuticorin were complaining of breathlessness and eye irritation for the last few days and they suspected leakage of noxious gas from the plant.However, the company officials had on Wednesday said that its plant operations were "absolutely safe" and they adhered to highest safety standards.    Read More

Mumbai 28 March (Press Public News):- Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar is in good health and there is no need for concern, a party leader said Thursday and asked his colleagues to guard against rumours. In a statement, the party's Maharashtra unit president madhukar Pichad said Pawar, also union agriculture minister, is in fine health."Since the past few days, there have been rumours and misleading information about his health, creating concerns among the party activists. I appeal to all to guard against such baseless rumours," Pichad said. He added that last week, Pawar, 72, suffered exhaustion following low blood sugar while attending a function in Kolhapur.Later, the union agriculture minister was rushed to his Modi Baug residence in Pune where he took rest for a day and recovered. Pawar was on a scheduled tour of some southern regions, including Bangalore, Ooty and Mysore, party spokesperson Nawab Malik said.    Read More

 28 March (Press Public News):- With a population of barely 20 million, people in Sri Lanka have, in recent years, shed earlier prejudices and fears about India. Roughly one-third of its Tamil population of 3 million are descendants of Indian workers.Facing discrimination in the years following independence, Tamils who have inhabited the island’s north-east for centuries, resorted to an armed struggle, in which India rather unwisely associated with armed Tamil groups in the 1980s. Nevertheless, the 1987 India-Sri Lanka Accord provided substantive autonomy to the Tamil-dominated north.This Agreement’s provisions were enacted as the 13th Amendment to the Sri Lanka Constitution. India, thus, has a historical role and responsibility in facilitating the devolution of powers to the Tamil-majority northern province. After the ethnic conflict became an armed insurrection in the 1980s, sentiments in Tamil Nadu were inflamed. While the AIADMK under M.G. Ramachandran initially backed the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), the DMK-led by M. Karunanidhi, chose to back the rival Tamil Eelam Liberation Organisation (TELO). Karunanidhi strongly condemned Prabhakaran for assassinating TELO leader Sri Sabarathinam in 1985.    Read More

New Delhi 27 March (Press Public News):-   Congress Party general secretary Digvijay Singh has said that the impression that Rahul Gandhi is reluctant to become prime minister is misplaced.In an interview given to the Economic Times, Singh said: "Rahul Gandhi said his priority is welfare of the people. The media assumed he said becoming prime minister is not his priority." Singh's statement coincides with the clamour in Congress to name Gandhi as its prime ministerial face in the run-up to the 2014 general elections.According to the paper, Congress leaders have been maintaining that the person who controls the organisation should be in charge of the government as well. Asked if there was an electoral contest brewing between Gandhi and Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi, who is likely to be the BJP's prime ministerial nominee, Singh dismissed this as a media creation."We are fighting the Sangh ideology. It doesn't matter who represents this ideology - L K Advani, Rajnath Singh or Modi," he said, alluding to the wrangling over the leadership issue in rival BJP. He also ruled out mid-term polls. "I would say any government in its last six to eight months is a lame-duck government as the bureaucracy stops reacting to the decisions of the government because these are usually overturned by the next government," he said    Read More

New Delhi 27 March (Press Public News):-  BJP has made light of the praise heaped on its senior leader L K Advani by Mulayam Singh Yadav, saying the Samajwadi Party chief has "lost all credibility" and keeps changing his views on support to UPA government.Asked about Yadav's words of praise for Advani, BJP spokesperson Rajiv Pratap Rudy said "the praise by a person whose personal credibility is lost is of no relevance. His credibility on support to UPA is over. One day he pledges support to the government, the next day he withdraws it, on the third day he praises a leader and then backs out."BJP wondered about the reason behind this frequent change of opinion by Yadav and asked if this is because CBI is troubling him or he has struck a deal with Congress. "Yadav's statement is full of frustration. Nobody is ready to believe that he wants to abandon UPA. BJP does not take any of Yadav's statements seriously," Rudy said. BJP also hit out at Congress, alleging it has two power centres and claiming this has now been owned up by a senior party leader as well."We had all along said UPA is governed by two power centres but Congress kept denying this. There is a power Centre at 10, Janpath (Sonia Gandhi's residence) and 7, RCR (Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's house). This contradiction has now been revealed by none other than a General Secretary of Congress," Rudy said. He charged UPA has given the "worst administr    Read More

New Delhi/Mumbai 27 March (Press Public News):-   After actor Sanjay Dutt, Press Council of India chairman Markandey Katju today sought a pardon for Zaibunissa Kazi, another convict in the 1993 Mumbai blasts case.The former apex court judge said that he would write to President Pranab Mukherjee and Maharashtra Governor K Sankaranarayanan to pardon Zaibunissa Kazi, 70, on humanitarian grounds."Zaibunissa Kazi also deserves a pardon. I was earlier considering her case and after going through her judgement file, I am of the firm opinion that she also deserves a pardon," Katju said in his blog."I have decided to appeal to the president of India as well as the governor of Maharashtra to pardon Zaibunnisa and Sanjay Dutt," he said. The Supreme Court verdict Thursday upheld Dutt's conviction for illegal possession of prohibited weapons like an AK-56 assault rifle and a revolver and sentenced him to five years in jail.Two days ago Katju had said that he received an e-mail from Shagufta, Zaibunnisa's daughter, appealing to him to seek pardon for her mother.    Read More

New Delhi 26 March (Press Public News):-The ceremonial "Changing of Guards" at Rashtrapati Bhavan will not be held on March 30.A Rashtrapati Bhavan communiqué said: "The ''Ceremonial Changing of the Guards'' Ceremony at Rashtrapati Bhavan will not be held on March 30 (Saturday) in view of the fact that the ceremony relating to the presentation of Silver Trumpet and Trumpet Banner by the President to the President's Bodyguard will be held on that day." Guard Mounting, or Changing the Guard, refers to a formal ceremony in which sentries providing ceremonial guard duties at important institutions are relieved by a new batch of sentries. The ceremonies are often elaborate and precisely choreographed.The Changing the Guard is generally held every Saturday at 8 a.m. in the summer and at 10 a.m. in the winter. The old and new guard consists of a troop from the President's Body Guard (PBG) and another platoon from one of the numerous regiments of the Indian Army. A military band also would be present as an accompaniment.When the New Guard is formed up between the Dominion columns of North Block, sentries are nominated and their officers inspect the respective guards, as the band plays ''Sammaan Guard'' (The Honour Guard).    Read More

Chennai 26 March (Press Public News):- Voicing concern over increased attacks on Indian fishermen by Sri Lankan Navy, Tamil Nadu government asked the Centre to initiate diplomatic steps to check it and urged for withdrawal of the 1974 agreement ceding Katchatheevu islet to the island nation.Replying to a special call attention on the issue in the assembly, Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa said her government will seek legal course if the UPA government failed to accede to the demand. The Centre seemed to be of the opinion that fishermen from the state were beyond India, she said while decrying the continued attacks.In her detailed reply, she said ceding of Katchatheevu had resulted in attacks on Indian fishermen by the Sri Lankan navy as Colombo was not respecting various provisions of the agreement relating to traditional rights. Citing the Berubari judgement in the Supreme Court in the 1960, she said then West Bengal government had moved the court against ceding it to then East Pakistan and the court had ruled that such ceding could be done only after getting the approval of the two Houses of the Parliament besides constitutional amendments."Had (DMK president) M Karunanidhi followed this in 1974 as Chief Minister, Katchatheevu would not have been ceded to Sri Lanka. He failed to do it," she alleged.    Read More

New Delhi 26 March (Press Public News):-BJP has conveyed to the US that it is still firm in its opposition to FDI in multi-brand retail, a proposal which the government has decided to go ahead with after getting an approval from Parliament.BJP sources said the issue was flagged by US Ambassador Nancy J Powell when she called on party president Rajnath Singh. Singh made it clear that his party is opposed to the proposal due to a host of reasons. The main Opposition is opposed to FDI in multi-brand retail primarily as it fears the small and medium traders, who form a bulk of its vote bank, would be affected if MNCs like Walmart, Tesco and Carrefour set up shop in India.The Opposition was defeated in Parliament on the issue and the government has announced it will go ahead with the policy of allowing FDI in retail. During the 70-minute meeting, Singh expressed concern over the evolving security scenario in South Asia after the proposed withdrawal of NATO forces from Afghanistan in 2014."Keeping in mind the proposed withdrawal of NATO forces from Afghanistan beginning in 2014, Singh also expressed his concerns over the evolving security scenario in the South Asian region," BJP said in a statement.    Read More

Kolkata 25 March (Press Public News):-A relative of West Bengal Transport Minister and Trinamool Congress leader Madan Mitra was Sunday arrested and remanded in police custody till March 30 for allegedly molesting a woman and destroying public property, police said."Soumyajit Banerjee, along with six of his friends, was arrested early Sunday morning and booked under several offences including molestation, causing hurt and destroying public property," said an officer of the city's Kalighat police station. The son of Mitra's brother-in-law, Banerjee, along with some of his friends, allegedly molested a woman during an altercation late Saturday night. They also destroyed some police barricades put up in the road and ransacked an eatery."Banerjee, against whom a complaint of molestation was filed, has been remanded in police custody till March 30," added the officer. The CBI had registered a case under various sections of Indian Penal Code (IPC) including criminal conspiracy, forgery, cheating and abuse of official position against businessman Joseph and DRI official Muruganandan besides other unknown persons    Read More

Pune 25 March (Press Public News):-Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar on Thursday cut short his visit to Sangli after taking ill and arrived in the city for rest, party sources said. Pawar started feeling uneasy in Kolhapur on way to Sangli and was examined by local doctors who advised him complete rest.He flew to Pune in a helicopter and went to his residence at Shivajinagar area. A low sugar level could have caused his uneasiness, sources said. The NCP president walked to his car after landing in the city and there was no cause of worry, they added.Pawar was scheduled to address a function at Sangli along with SP president Mulayam Singh Yadav. Party spokesman Nawab Malik said Pawar's health is fine and he is resting at his residence in Pune.    Read More

New Delhi 25 March (Press Public News):-Under attack over recent CBI raid at DMK leader M K Stalin's house in Chennai, the government on Sunday said the agency's action was not "targeted" at any individual though its timing was "wrong". Union Minister V Narayanasamy said the case related to illegal import of cars by a businessman was being investigated by Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) and it was found that one of its officers was in collusion with him."He (DRI officer) was not doing anything for two years. The case was transferred to CBI two months back. CBI after finding a prima facie case filed an FIR. They started investigation and raided 19 places. They recovered 17 cars. It is not a single individual. They raided 19 places in the whole of Chennai. How do you say that it is targeted against that gentleman (Stalin)?," Narayanasamy told reporters during National Editors' Conference being held at Vigyan Bhawan here.He said that along with him, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Finance Minister P Chidambaram have said that the timing of the raid was wrong. "It will be taken (in a different way) by the people," the Minister said. Narayanasamy denied reports that he was summoned by Congress chairperson Sonia Gandhi on the matter.    Read More

New Delhi 25 March (Press Public News):-Minister of State for Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions at the Prime Minister’s Office V. Narayanasamy has said that the Government will amend the Prevention of Corruption Act to ensure punishment to bribe givers too.Addressing the National Editors’ Conference, organised by the Press Information Bureau here on Sunday, the Minister said the Act is not clear about punishing the bribe givers, including private companies who are involved in corruption.“There is grey area in the Act on bribe givers,” he said and added that the Act is being amended to punish the bribe giver also. “Till now, only bribe taker was being punished,” he said. He, however, did not give any timeframe for the passage of the amendment in Parliament.    Read More

Jammu 25 March (Press Public News):-The army Sunday handed over two Pakistani boys, who had crossed the Line of Control into India, to the Pakistan army as a goodwill gesture. Rehmatullah, 15, and Inayatullah, 12, of Kotli area of Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (PoK) had crossed over to this side of the LoC in Nowshera sector on Friday in "search of employment", said Col. R.K. Palta, Jammu-based spokesperson of the army.The LoC divides Jammu and Kashmir between India and Pakistan. "Indian soldiers in Poonch Sector handed over the two boys to the Pakistan army. The boys had crossed over to the Indian side of the LoC in Nowshera Sector in Rajouri district of Jammu and Kashmir March 22. The handing over took place at the Chakan-da-Bagh Zero line at 1230 hours today (Sunday)," Palta said."During their stay with the Indian army, Rehmatullah and Inayatullah said they had left their country and crossed over to the Indian side in search of employment," he added. "The Indian army acted on humanitarian considerations. A message was conveyed to the Pakistan army over the hotline Saturday, conveying the intent to hand over the two boys back to Pakistan. A battalion commander-level flag meeting was held at Chakan-da-Bagh in the afternoon Sunday and the boys were handed over to Pakistani army officials," Palta said.    Read More

New Delhi 23 March (Press Public News):-  The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has recovered 16 more luxury vehicles imported by a Hyderabad-based businessman in alleged violation of customs laws which have been sold to various influential persons even as the SUV registered in the name of DMK leader M K Stalin’s son remained untraceable.The search by the CBI team at the residence of Stalin to look for a Hummer, just couple of days after DMK withdrew support from ruling UPA, had sparked a political storm with the agency launching an internal inquiry to see if there were any procedural lapses in the searches.Claiming it to be a major car import scam, the CBI sources said they had recovered 17 vehicles yesterday through searches at 18 places which included a visit to Stalin’s home in Chennai “to locate” the SUV Hummer which was allegedly imported in 2007.They said today 16 more vehicles were recovered but the CBI has seized documents from the accused DRI officer Muruganandan which indicate that more cars were imported by businessman Alex C Joseph in alleged violation of the laws.    Read More

New Delhi 23 March (Press Public News):-China on Friday proposed a border defence cooperation agreement to avoid any misunderstanding or flare up along the boundary but India is not rushing into it as wants to study the proposal thoroughly.During a Secretary-level meeting here, the two sides decided to hold Army-to-Army counter-terrorism exercise in China this year. The dates would be finalised during the visit of an Indian Army delegation to China next month.The Indian delegation was led by Defence Secretary Shashikant Sharma.At the meeting, the Chinese delegation led by its Deputy Chief of General Staff Lt Gen Qi Jianguo proposed an agreement under which troops of the two countries will not tail each other if noticed during patrolling along the disputed Line of Actual Control, sources said.    Read More

New Delhi 23 March (Press Public News):- Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Arvind Kejriwal began his indefinite hunger strike at the Rajghat here on Saturday against increased power and water bills in the national capital.Kejriwal said the lives of the common man have become miserable due to the rampant corruption."The price of electricity and water has been increased in Delhi only because of the corruption. The government was repeatedly told to do something in this regard, but it is grossed deep in corruption," he added.Recalling Father of the Nation Mahatma Gandhi, Kejriwal said that his fast is aimed at uniting the citizens of the national capital so that they stand together and oppose the anti-people policies of the Delhi Government.Taking on the Sheila Dikshit-led Congress Government in Delhi, Kejriwal yesterday alleged that "this government is even worse than the British Government".    Read More

New Delhi 23 March (Press Public News):-Union Tourism Minister K. Chiranjeevi called on Finance Minister P. Chidambaram and urged him for higher budgetary allocation for the Tourism Ministry.   Chiranjeevi told the Finance Minister that the tourism sector directly and indirectly contributes to more than 6 percent of the GDP of the country, more than 10 percent of organised employment in the country and roughly US$18 million in foreign exchange. Thus, one percentage increase in tourism earnings results in a 0.1 percentage increase in the GDP of the country.   Chiranjeevi requested Chidambaram for additional allocation for Tourism Ministry to set up 10 convention-cum-exhibition centres across the country for the promotion of MICE tourism.   Chidambaram sought more details from the Tourism Ministry about these convention centers and promised to look into the request.    Read More

Hyderabad 23 March (Press Public News):- Congress MP K.V.P. Ramachandra Rao Saturday appeared before the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) here in the disproportionate assets case against YSR Congress party leader Y.S. Jaganmohan Reddy.KVP, as the Rajya Sabha member is popularly known, was being questioned by the CBI officials with regard to certain decisions taken by then government of Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy, benefiting his son Jaganmohan Reddy.The MP reached state-owned Dilkusha Guest House at 10.30 a.m. for questioning. The CBI officials are reportedly focusing on the role played by KVP as the government advisor in 2004 and 2009.KVP, a close friend of YSR, allegedly played a key role in government decisions, granting land and other concessions to some companies and individuals who invested in Jaganmohan Reddy's businesses.    Read More

New Delhi 22 March (Press Public News):-Veteran social activist Anna Hazare revealed that he will undertake a nationwide tour from March 31, aimed at creating awareness on issues such as unemployment, corruption and price rise.Hazare and former chief of army staff General (Retired) VK Singh said the "Jantantra Yatra" would begin from Jallianwala Bagh in Amritsar and cover the states of Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh in 18 days.“This is a set-up that will not join any political party or fight elections or come to power,” Hazare said at a media briefing. “The disruption being caused in Parliament is because of the selfish interest of political parties... change of government will not help, entire system has to change,” he added.Hazare did not reveal whether he would attend activist-turned-politician Arvind Kejriwal’s planned protest fast on March 23. “We will see if we get time,” he said. Kejriwal takes on Delhi govt on the issue of hike in power and water tariff ahead of state assembly polls to be held later this year.    Read More

New Delhi 22 March (Press Public News):-BJP leader Arun Jaitley accused Prime Minister Manmohan Singh of "blatantly interfering" in CBI's functioning and "crippling" it from carrying on its routine investigations for "stopping" CBI searches at the residence of DMK leader MK Stalin's residence in Chennai."Merely because it has a political fallout, it is improper for any Prime Minister or a finance minister to so blatantly interfere in the functioning of CBI and cripple it from carrying on its routine investigations," Jaitley said. The Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha said if CBI was carrying out its search in the normal course of investigation, then it should have been allowed to carry out the exercise at Stalin's residence."If this was a search in the normal course of CBI investigation, CBI is entitled to carry out that search. What business does the government have or the political regime have to interfere in CBI and start stopping that search?" he said. Jaitley said the Prime Minister or the finance minister "cannot interfere" in the functioning of CBI and have a "search stopped".He said CBI carries out searches on many people but the Prime Minister has never condemned them.    Read More

New Delhi 22 March (Press Public News):-Press Council of India chief Justice Markandey Katju has appealed to Maharashtra Governor K Sankarnarayanan to pardon actor Sanjay Dutt, who was sentenced by the Supreme Court to five years in jail in an arms case related to the 1993 Bombay blasts.Katju sought pardon for Dutt under Article 161 of the Constitution, saying the actor had not been found guilty of playing a role in the 1993 blasts and had suffered a lot. He said the Supreme Court found that Sanjay Dutt had in his possession a prohibited weapon without a licence and awarded him the minimum imprisonment prescribed under law.Katju said the power of pardon under Article 161 of the Constitution is different from judicial power as the Governor or the President can grant pardon or reduce the sentence of the court even if a minimum punishment is prescribed. "There is no doubt that the Governor can grant pardon or reduce the sentence. In the case of Commander Nanavati, who was held guilty of murder, the Governor gave him pardon although the minimum sentence for murder is life term," he said in a statement."Surely, this is a lesser offence than murder. When the Governor of Maharashtra granted pardon to Nanavati, surely he can grant pardon to Sanjay Dutt," Justice Katju said.    Read More

New Delhi 22 March (Press Public News):- External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid on Friday said that the return of Italian marines shows that diplomacy works."Diplomacy has worked when many experts had it written off," he said, and added that he would make a detailed statement in Parliament. However, Khurshid said that the return of the Italian marines would not change the Supreme Court ruling. "The law will not change, they will have to respect the Supreme Court order," he added.External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Syed Akbaruddin has confirmed that after intensive diplomatic contacts the Italian government took the decision to send back the marines. "There have been very intensive diplomatic contacts between Italy and India during the last 24 hours. And in the context of those contacts, Italy has informed at a very senior level to us that they will be sending back the marines to India in accordance with the timeline that has been laid down by the honourable Supreme Court," he said."We will have a more detailed statement during the course of the day as you know it is still early. And I would like to assure you that we will provide all the details of the return and on this subject, once we progress further during the course of the day," he added.    Read More

New Delhi 22 March (Press Public News):- Kingfisher Airlines will settle the pending wages of its employees and plans to restart operations soon, airline promoter Vijay Mallya has said.The airline, which ceased operations on October 1 last year, has not paid employees’ wages for the last 10 months. Its operating licence lapsed on December 31 last year. At a late night meeting here yesterday, Mallya said he was committed to paying back the wages as soon as funds start flowing in from the Diageo-deal. Earlier this year, Diaego had agreed to purchase a 53.4 per cent stake in Mallya-led UB Group at an estimated cost of over Rs 11,000 crore.Employees protestThe meeting was held a day after a section of employees held a protest at Delhi airport demanding payment of pending wages and sought the intervention of the Government to settle their outstanding dues. Kingfisher employees also threatened to hold protests at venues where IPL cricket matches are to be played in case their dues were not settled. Mallya is the owner of a team which will be playing the IPL matches.In April and October last year, the airline had promised to settle the pending wages of employees. However, only some of them were paid.    Read More

New Delhi 21 March (Press Public News):-  Finance Minister P Chidambaram said that he strongly disapproved the CBI searching the residence of MK Stalin, son of DMK chief MK Karunanidhi, and added that it would send strong signals."Normally I do not comment on the working of another department (home ministry), but in this case I have to say that I strongly disapprove of the CBI's action. It is bound to be misunderstood," Chidambaram said. "I have conveyed my views to the minister in charge and I suggest you put further questions to the minister in charge," he added.Officials of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) today carried out a search at Stalin's residence in Chennai. The search comes two days after the DMK announced its decision to pull out of the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) over the central government's stand on the Sri Lankan Tamils issue.The raid at Stalin's house began around 6 a.m.    Read More

New Delhi 21 March (Press Public News):-  BJP today said CBI searches at DMK leader M K Stalin's residence is an example of the "blatant" misuse of power by the UPA government for its survival and proves that it uses the probe agency to muffle allies who are walking out of the ruling coalition."The CBI raids on Stalin in the imported cars case vindicates BJP's charges that Congress has been blatantly misusing CBI to survive in government. Today CBI is indeed the Congress Bureau of Investigation," party spokesperson Rajiv Pratap Rudy said.He alleged that while there are "endless charges" of corruption against Congress, it is attempting to "muffle" voices of its alliance partners who plan to abandon it."This raid on Stalin, heir apparent to the DMK, is a message to BSP and SP that if they desert the UPA government they are going to meet the same fate," Rudy said.SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav and BSP supremo Mayawati are facing cases of disproportionate assets which are investigated by CBI.    Read More

Srinagar 21 March (Press Public News):-  Three Border Security Force (BSF) troopers were injured here when militants fired at their vehicle.The vehicle was coming from north Kashmir’s Baramulla town to Panthachowk camp of the BSF when it was fired upon near Gulshan Nagar on the bypass road, a police official said. “Three BSF troopers were injured in the firing incident. All the injured have been shifted to the army’s base hospital in Badami Bagh cantonment area in Srinagar. Doctors have described the condition of one of the injured troopers as critical,” the official said.This is the second militant attack in a month in this Jammu and Kashmir summer capital. On March 13, a suicide squad attacked Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) troopers in Bemina area of the city. Five CRPF troopers and two attacking fidayeen were killed in the incident, while nine others, including three civilians, were killed.The March 13 attack was the first in Srinagar in three years.    Read More

Bhubaneswar 21 March (Press Public News):-  The Odisha High Court has dismissed the petition of former Odisha law minister Raghunath Mohanty seeking quashing of the first information report (FIR) registered against him and his family, alleging torture of his daughter-in-law for dowry.Justice Raghubir Das, single-bench judge of the high court at Cuttack, about 26 km from here, completed hearing the petition Tuesday, but had reserved the order.The judge pronounced his verdict Wednesday, a defence lawyer told IANS.Mohanty had also applied for interim protection for his family and himself against possible police action. The court refused to grant any interim protection, the lawyer added.    Read More

New Delhi 20 March (Press Public News):- A Delhi Police Sub Inspector, who had arrested one of the five adult accused in the December 16 gangrape of a 23-year-old girl in a moving bus here, deposed in a fast-track court.Inspector Upender, who had arrested the sixth absconding accused Akshay Singh from Aurangabad in Bihar on December 21, last year has recorded his statement as a prosecution witness in the court of Additional Sessions Judge Yogesh Khanna trying the case behind closed doors. The Delhi police on December 18, 2012 had arrested the bus driver Ram Singh, in which the assault took place, his brother Mukesh, Vinay Sharma and Pawan Gupta. The fifth one, who was a juvenile was also arrested later on.Dr Raj Kumar Chejara, a surgeon from Safdarjung hospital, who had operated upon the victim and had already recorded his statement as a prosecution witness, will be cross-examined by the defence counsel. With the proceedings against the main accused Ram Singh having abated after his death on March 11, the remaining four adult accused Mukesh, Vinay, Akshay and Pawan are facing trial in the case for rape and murder of the girl. The sixth is a juvenile, so he is facing proceedings before the Juvenile Justice Board.The girl had died on December 29, 2012 in a Singapore hospital due to the grievous injuries she suffered when she was brutally assaulted by the six accused.    Read More

New Delhi 20 March (Press Public News):- A 25-year-old married woman involved in a matrimonial discord case complained that her husband and three others, including an advocate, gang-raped her in a lawyer's chamber in a court complex here, police have said.The incident was reported around 6 p.m on Monday after the victim telephoned the Police Control Room. "The victim made the allegation against her husband, husband's lawyer, a clerk, and her husband's brother-in-law. A case regarding the incident has been registered after victim's medical report and probe is on into the incident," said SBS Tyagi, deputy commissioner of police.Police were checking the CCTV footage of both the courts and the call details of the woman and others to investigate the case. The victim told police that she was raped inside a lawyer's chamber at the Patiala House Court complex. The woman, a resident of Pandav Nagar in east Delhi, said that after marital discord with her husband she had filed a divorce case which was being going on at Karkardooma court in east Delhi.She alleged that her husband's lawyer called her at Karkardooma court to settle the issue Monday afternoon, where her husband's sister and brother-in-law were already present. "After talking at Karkardooma court for hours, the lawyer asked them to come to Patiala House court. She reached Patiala House court and went to lawyer's chamber number six where her husband offered her beer which she refused. After    Read More

Mumbai 20 March (Press Public News):- The Bombay High Court has ruled that women convicts serving life sentence in Maharashtra jails are required to spend only 14 years unlike the male convicts, who have to be behind bars for a period ranging from 14 to 28 years depending on the nature of offence committed by them.The ruling was delivered on March 15 by Justices Abhay Thipsay and P V Hardas, who were hearing a petition filed by Usha Upadhyay challenging the decision of the state government in respect of benefit of premature release to be given to her on the basis of guidelines framed by the Government. "In our opinion, category 1 of 2010 guidelines, which is exclusively for women offenders, must cover all cases of women offenders and that they can be fitted only in that category. Because of creation of a special category of women offenders the other categories which are of a general nature, classified on the basis of nature of offences, would not apply to women," the Judges held while interpreting the guidelines."Consequently, we hold that the order dated September 4, 2012, passed by the Government of Maharashtra placing the petitioner in Category 5(b) of 1992 guidelines and Category 6(a) of 2010 guidelines, is not proper and that the petitioner may be placed in Category 1(b) of 2010 guidelines for considering her premature release", noted the judges."We, therefore, allow the petition by setting aside the (impugned) order dated 4 S    Read More

Ahmedabad 20 March (Press Public News):- Narendra Modi is the only Chief Minister from India to be invited to address the Google Big Tent Activate Summit 2013 on March 21 through Google+ hangout on the theme ‘Technology in Politics’.Before delivering the address, Modi will interact with Eric Schmidt, Chairman of Google Inc, through Google+ Hangout, a state government release said. Besides Schmidt, Alan Rusbridger, the Editor-in-Chief of British newspaper The Guardian and Stephanie Cutter, who served as the Deputy Director in US President Barack Obama’s 2008 and 2012 campaigns, will also be participating in the summit.“Modi is the only CM from India to be invited to speak at the summit which focuses on the influence of web in shaping India’s future, in areas of business and economics, politics and governance, culture and media, and education”, according to the release. Big Tent summits are hosted by Google and they bring together the finest minds, political leaders, thinkers to talk about a variety of issues, the release said.Such summits have been held across the world including in New York City, London, Berlin, Madrid, Nairobi, Moscow and Seoul. Tech-savvy Modi, who has been active on social media, has around 13 lakh followers on the Twitter. Earlier, for the first time in August 2012, the Gujarat Chief Minister had interacted with the people via Google Hangout.    Read More

New Delhi 20 March (Press Public News):- Union Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde expressed his delight with the Criminal Law Amendment Bill 2013 being passed in the Lok Sabha, saying this is a progressive law which will be of great assistance to the underprivileged society, women in particular.Taking to the media outside the parliament here, Shinde said the entire country was eyeing upon this bill. "And I am extremely delighted that Sonia Gandhi and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh were very active with regard to this bill and they also wanted this bill to be passed. There was a consensus in the all-party meeting yesterday and the bill got passed today," said Shinde."Despite consensus, many members attempted to move in certain amendments. Since there was a majority in the house, those amendments were not passed. This is a progressive law in our country, which will take care of the underprivileged society and the women in particular. This (law) will create a fear in the society," he added. The Lok Sabha earlier in the day passed the Criminal Law Amendment Bill 2013 ensuring stringent punishment for crimes against women.   This bill was unanimously adopted by a voice vote after negating the opposition-sponsored amendments.    Read More

Datia (MP) 19 March (Press Public News):-The six accused arrested in connection with gangrape of a Swiss woman were today remanded in police custody for a day by a local court.  The accused were produced before Chief Judicial Magistrate R P Yadav, Deputy Inspector General D K Arya told PTI.The police are now waiting for the woman and her husband to return from New Delhi so that they can identify the accused and their own looted belongings. Police have recovered a 12-bore gun from the accused; apart from the things they had looted from the couple: laptop, laptop-charger, mobile phone and Rs 5,500 cash.All the accused are in the age group of 19-25 years, police said. They were identified as Baba, Bhutha, Rampro, Gaza alias Brajesh, Vishnu Kanjar and Nitin Kanjar.The 39-year-old Swiss woman, on a cycling trip with her husband, was allegedly gang-raped by the accused at a forested area at Jhadia village, 8 km from Datia town, on the night of March 15. The couple were touring the region on bicycle as a part of their India tour.    Read More

Jammu 19 March (Press Public News):-Jammu and Kashmir's "media-friendly" Chief Minister Omar Abdullah Monday refused to talk to the media here, saying "you should talk to those who speak to you outside" the assembly, after the opposition PDP boycotted the budget session.The Peoples Democratic Party has been boycotting the ongoing budget session to press its demand for the return of parliament attack convict Afzal Guru's body. Union Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde had rejected the demand to hand over Guru's body to his family.The PDP leaders have been giving statements on this and other issues to the media outside the house. The state assembly's budget session began Feb 28. The PDP has been boycotting the house since March 13. The session concludes April 5.Omar Abdullah, famous for giving sound bytes and often hard hitting responses to the media, has of late distanced himself from the media here.    Read More

New Delhi 19 March (Press Public News):- Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) chairman P C Chacko on Monday dismissed media reports that the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) was aware of the 2G scam, and alleged that there was an ulterior motive behind it. Chacko claimed that it was not private and confidential information and the document was with the committee.   "It appears that there is some ulterior motive behind that so we are not bothered about that at all. What is reported to be private, confidential information is not private not confidential, it is with the committee," he said. Meanwhile, BJP leader Yashwant Sinha reiterated the demand that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Finance Minister P. Chidambaram should depose before the JPC, and said the report had exposed that PMO was in league with Raja.   "Clearly, the PMO was involved and was in league with Raja in this matter and the truth has finally come out. We have been demanding that Prime Minister and Finance Minister should depose before the JPC," he said.   The Hindu newspaper, citing documentary evidences, reported that Prime Minister directed senior PMO officials to examine the then Telecom Minister A. Raja's decision to allocate controversial telecom licences and they supported it.   "New evidence shows that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, far from being 'at arm's length' from ex-Telecom Minister A. Raja's controversial 2G decisions, had directed off    Read More

New Delhi 19 March (Press Public News):-The UK-based TCI, minority shareholder in Coal India, has written to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh seeking an audit by CAG for the Fuel Supply Pacts (FSAs) signed by the public sector miner.“Corruption in the allocation of coal FSAs necessitates an immediate CAG investigation,” Oscar Veldhuijzen, Partner of TCI, wrote in his communication to the Prime Minister. TCI has shared the letter with media. This is not the first time the investor has raised such issues. It has already filed petitions in New Delhi and Kolkata Courts against Coal India and its board of directors. According to TCI, the miner has taken steps that have negative impact for investors.In one of its previous demands, it has also sought removed of Coal India Chairman Narsingh Rao. TCI wrote, “We are writing to urgently remind you of massive systematic corruption in the Indian coal industry due to the fuel supply agreement (FSA) method of selling coal used by CIL. We believe that you will be well aware of this matter, given your own past role as Minister of Coal”.The FSA system creates large scale corruption as companies are incentivised to pay bribes in order to obtain coal at up to a 70 per cent discount to international market prices, the investor has alleged.“We request formally that the CAG launches an immediate investigation into the corruption of the FSA system. The CAG previously investigated and proved substantial    Read More

New Delhi 19 March (Press Public News):- The government said it was looking forward to strengthening economic ties with Egypt as President Mohamed Morsi headed to New Delhi for talks.The Egyptian president is due to meet Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and business groups to bolster a blossoming trade relationship after paying a one-day visit to Pakistan on Monday. "Our trade with Egypt has increased so rapidly in the last three years that India is now Egypt's seventh-largest trading partner," India's ambassador to Egypt Navdeep Suri told reporters ahead of the visit.Morsi's trip comes as Egypt is struggling to restore investor confidence after suffering a sharp economic decline since the uprising that overthrew president Hosni Mubarak in February 2011. His administration has been plagued by unrest and deadly clashes between protesters and police, blocking efforts to build broad-based support for a much-needed programme of economic reform.During Morsi's stop in Pakistan, Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari urged him to help efforts to end the "bloodshed" in Syria and find a solution to the crisis.    Read More

New Delhi 18 March (Press Public News):- Rejecting Nitish Kumar's charge that Bihar was being discriminated against and ignored by UPA government, Congress on Sunday said nobody should play politics on the issue of special status to the state.Congress leader Shakeel Ahmed reminded the Bihar Chief Minister as to how "shabbily" the state was treated when the NDA was in power at the Centre and alleged that the BJP-led alliance did not allow the government to give any special status or assistance to Bihar. "Every Bihari wants more for Bihar, but nobody should play politics in the name of special status," he said hours after Kumar at a well attended rally at the Ramlila Maidan complained of the state being "ignored" by the Centre.Ahmed, who is a prominent Congress leader from Bihar and AICC in charge of West Bengal and Jharkhand, said that people still remember the attitude of Kumar and the NDA government and how they treated Bihar and Biharis at the time of division of Bihar.    Read More

New Delhi 18 March (Press Public News):- A day before an all-party meet to debate the controversial anti-rape bill, the UPA government Sunday said it would evolve a consensus on the issue. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Samajwadi Party (SP) have expressed reservations over the legislation."We hope there will be a consensus (on the issue) at the all-party meet," a Congress minister said. The SP is opposed to the bill, particularly the clause on lowering the age for consensual sex from 18 to 16 years. "We will oppose the bill at the all-party meeting. If it is brought for voting in parliament, the SP will vote against it," party leader Ram Gopal Yadav had said Friday.The BJP is also concerned over the clause. BJP leader Najma Heptulla had said: "If a person below 18 is a juvenile and is given relaxed punishments because he is not mature enough to know the consequences of what he is doing, how is a child of 16 mature enough to consent to sexual activity?"However, the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) supported the government and said the controversial provisions of the bill could be discussed in parliament. "Our party will support the anti-rape bill being brought by the central government in any form and shape," BSP chief Mayawati had told reporters on Friday.    Read More

New Delhi 18 March (Press Public News):-Harish Salve, who quit as Italian government's counsel after it refused to send back two naval guards accused of killing fishermen, feels the Italian ambassador breached a solemn undertaking given to Supreme Court which can take action against the envoy including sending him to jail."It is said in the law that even an injunction or undertaking to a court which has no jurisdiction, if breached, you are in contempt," the senior Supreme Court lawyer said. Asked whether Italian ambassador Daniel Mancini breached the solemn undertaking on ensuring return of the two naval guards to face trial in India and if he is in contempt of the court, Salve said, "Absolutely".On if he felt that the court will take action against him, Salve said, "... The question is what ... we have to wait and see." To a question whether the Italian ambassador could end up in jail, Salve told Karan Thapar in Devil's Advocate programme on CNN-IBN, "Theoretically, yes". About its practical likelihood, he said, "Depends on how they want to deal with him. But they can if they want to send him to jail."    Read More

Kanpur/New Delhi 18 March (Press Public News):- Leaders of various political parties have backed Chief Minister Nitish Kumar''s demand for Special Status being granted to Bihar.Kumar led regional Janata Dal United conducted Adhikar Rally in New Delhi on Sunday to demand Special Status for Bihar. Kumar claimed that Bihar deserves Special Status as it is one of the most economically backward states of the country. Union Coal Minister, Sriprakash Jaiswal said the government should not ignore Kumar's demands."In democratic system, this is the only way to express voice your demands. If he is conducting a rally, there is nothing wrong in it. The government should think about addressing the demands raised in the Adhikar rally. Why shouldn't the government address this issue? If a state chief is demanding something, we should look into those demands under the limitations of the constitution of the country," said Jaiswal.Kumar said that no political alliance should think of ruling Delhi after the 2014 elections if it ignored Bihar's rights. Kumar further said Bihar has been treated unfairly by successive federal governments and said that the time has come to make amends. Lawmaker and General Secretary of Communist Party of India (CPI), D Raja, said that it is the magnanimity of Kumar to be demanding special status for other states as well."What is the need of today, that central government should consider its own assurance given to Bihar as far as s    Read More

Kolkata 18 March (Press Public News):-A youth was quizzed by police after he asked a minister why Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee did not visit a slum in West Bengal where 700 shanties were gutted a day earlier.The youth was hauled up during Urban Development Minister Firhad Hakim's visit to Sholo Bigha slum in the Maheshtala Santoshpur area of South 24-Parganas where a blaze had rendered 1,500 people homeless on Saturday morning. Pratap Naskar, who later claimed to be a Trinamool Congress worker, was led by police to an outpost where they said they only verified his address and let him go."I asked him (Hakim) why the chief minister has not come after such a big incident?" the youth told a TV channel. "The minister got me removed. I was later taken to a police outpost where I was kept for 10 minutes and then released," he said. While the minister was speaking to the affected people, Naskar asked him why the chief minister has not yet visited the slum even after such a major fire.    Read More

New Delhi 16 March (Press Public News):- The union cabinet will take up the revised National Food Security Bill on Monday, Food Minister K.V. Thmoas said Friday. "We have circulated the note. The bill will be taken up by the cabinet Monday," Thomas told IANS. According to officials, the bill will give entitlement to around 67 percent of citizens for five kg rations per person per month at Rs.3 per kg for rice, Rs.2 per kg for wheat and Re.1 per kg for coarse grains.In the bill that was introduced in the Lok Sabha in December 2011, the government had proposed 7 kg of grains per month per person to "priority households" and at least 3 kg of foodgrain at half the MSP for "general households". However, the current entitlement of 35 kg grains per month for 2.4 crore poorest of the poor families under the Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY) will be protected in the bill, said officials.Though there are 71 amendments proposed in the bill after taking into account the recommendations of the parliamentary standing committee on food, only five to six are major ones, said officials. According to officials, women with more than two children will also be entitled to nutritional support under the bill.Also, the government would be able to revise the prices of grains after three years, they said. The criteria to exclude citizens to identify the real beneficiaries would be discussed with states, they said. Once the cabinet clears the bill, it is like    Read More

Lucknow 15 March (Press Public News):-   The recommendation of Lokayukta Jutsice N.K. Mehrotra seeking a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into allegations of corruption against state president of the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) Ram Achal Rajbhar, is set to foment more trouble for the party.Rajbhar has been a close aide of former chief minister Mayawati, and many senior BSP leaders already face legal trouble. Mehrotra made his recommendations that is likely to reach the chief minister's office for approval Friday. Rajbhar, who was transport minister in the Mayawati government, has been charged with amassing ill gotten money, misusing his official position, money laundering and a host of other economic offences.The Lokayukta has also sought that a first information report (FIR) be lodged against the senior BSP leader. Rajbhar is the eighth minister of the Maywati government to face the heat from the Lokayukta. In a report sent to the chief minister, the state Lokayukta has held that the charges filed by complainants Anand Kumar Dwivedi and Ram Araj Verma have been found to be correct; the Lokayukta adds that as a minister, Rajbhar managed to get as many as 49 properties in either his own name or that of members of his family and a trust.The minister, during the course of investigations, claimed that the properties were worth Rs.1.5 crore; investigation revealed that the market price of the properties was more than Rs.9 crore, the Lokayukta sai    Read More

New Delhi 15 March (Press Public News):-  Question Hour was washed out in the Lok Sabha as the House witnessed two adjournments after an uproar over “neglect” of Hindi and other regional languages in the Union Public Service Commission examinations.As soon as the House met for the day, Samajwadi Party and Rashtriya Janata Dal members trooped into the Well to register their protest over the alleged “insult” to Hindi in the UPSC examinations. SP members, led by Dharmendra Yadav, walked into the Well, followed by RJD members Lalu Prasad and Raghuvansh Prasad Singh among others.Amid the din, Speaker Meira Kumar adjourned the House till 11:30 am. When the House re-convened, the number of protesters swelled with the DMK, Shiv Sena and JD(U) members joining the SP and RJD in the Well. “Angrezi me kaam na hoga. Phir se desh ghulaam na hoga (There will be no work in English. The country will not be a slave again),” they shouted.PC Chacko, who was in the Chair, called for Question Hour but nothing could be heard amid the din. His repeated requests to members to return to their seats found no takers. Chacko then adjourned the House till noon. The SP and RJD had given an adjournment notice for discussion on the new changes in the UPSC examination pattern making English compulsory in the civil service exams.    Read More

New Delhi 15 March (Press Public News):-  The Rajya Sabha condemned the Pakistan national assembly's resolution denouncing the execution of Indian parliament attack convict Afzal Guru.Raising the issue when the house met at 11, opposition leader Arun Jaitley said the resolution amounted to approving the 2001 terror attack on Indian parliament. "Parliament in Pakistan passed a resolution condemning the (death) sentence of a person who attacked Indian parliament. This is an official statement of the combined polity of that country," he said."Not only is this an interference in the internal affairs of India but this is an approval of the worst terror attack on India," he said. He said the resolution was an "official stamp of approval" on the attack that almost triggered a war between India and Pakistan. He said no friendly ties or dialogue with Pakistan was possible now. "As long as this resolution stands, we should forget discussions with Pakistan. Normalisation of relations is not possible," he said.Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Rajeev Shukla said the whole house agreed with Jaitley's sentiment. "I don't think there is anyone who differs on this. We all agree such a resolution should not have been passed and we condemn it," Shukla said. He said the government was ready for a debate on foreign policy. Afzal Guru, hanged February 9 after remaining on death row for about eight years, was foun    Read More

New Delhi 15 March (Press Public News):-   Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) supremo Mayawati made it clear that her party will support the new anti-rape bill and not oppose it."I would like to make it very clear about this that our party will support the anti-rape bill being brought by the Central Government, be it any form and shape. Our party will support it and not oppose it," Mayawati told media here. "If we have to give any suggestions, we will give in the all-party meeting, but we will not oppose this bill," she added.A bill providing for stringent punishment for crimes against women, including rape, and also defining acid attack, stalking and voyeurism as criminal offences, was cleared by the Union Cabinet yesterday. The bill, brought against the backdrop of the 16th December Delhi gang-rape, provides for minimum jail term of 20 years for rape which may be extended to ''natural life'' of the convict in jail.There is also provision for death sentence if the victim dies or is left in a ''persistent vegetative state''.    Read More

New Delhi 14 March (Press Public News):-  BJP spokesperson Rajiv Pratap Rudy made it clear that his party will not agree on the withdrawal of the armed forces special powers act (AFSPA) from Jammu and Kashmir.He further said, "BJP is concerned with the persistent demand of the removal of AFSPA, in no situation will the Bharatiya Janata Party will agree to the UPA government's demand." Taking a dig at the UPA Government for hosting Pakistan Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf, who came to Ajmer of a personal visit, Rudy said: "Our leaders were busy partying with the Pakistani dignitaries, hosting them for lunch. Pakistan responded by planning an attack on India.This needs an answer, and the BJP will stand with the government in the battle against terror, but we would like to know what was the outcome of the lunch?" Meanwhile, an official spokesman after a high-level meeting chaired by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah late last night said, "The DGP, who is camping in Srinagar, will be making a detailed inquiry into the happenings."On Wednesday, five jawans of 73 battalion CRPF were killed and 10 other persons including four civilians were injured in a suicide attack by two militants on their camp in Bemina area of the city yesterday. The two assailants were shot dead in retaliatory action by the security forces. A man was shot dead allegedly by a unit of the 73 battalion of CRPF at Zoonimar when they were attacked with stones by    Read More

Kanpur 14 March (Press Public News):-  Communist Party of India (Marxist) general secretary Prakash Karat on Thursday dismissed that BJP is an alternative to Congress and said that the country needs a new option, which will be formed when like-minded parties come together."BJP was never an alternate to Congress. The political parties which believe in similar policies as ours should come together and struggle. Our country needs a new option," Karat said here. Karat ruled out the formation of a Third Front before elections and said that alliance with like-minded parties wouldn't form a front but it will give option to the people other than Congress and BJP.Karat was here to take part in Sangharsh Sandesh Yatra. "Fertiliser security, food security, land acquisition, employment, education and health rights, women's rights and fight against corruption are the goals of this yatra," Karat told PTI.Slamming the current policies in the country, which he alleged benefits capitalists, industrialists and landlords, Karat called for a change that will come when like minded parties join hands and support their policies. "Parties which are with us on our alternate policies, we will take them along and support them," said Karat.    Read More

Brussels 14 March (Press Public News):-  European Union (EU) leaders are scheduled to meet in Brussels Thursday and Friday to iron out measures to promote growth and create jobs in Europe which is still mired in the debt crisis.Despite "consistent and courageous" efforts taken at European and national levels, "we have yet to tackle the most immediate fears and concerns of many of our citizens", European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso said Wednesday, referring to weak growth and high jobless rate.Speaking at the European Parliament, Barroso said "there is justified disappointment about the slow recovery of the real economy" and "unemployment figures are unprecedented and simply unacceptable", reported Xinhua.The eurozone economy registered the sharpest decline over four years in the last quarter last year, while the single currency area recorded a jobless rate of 11.9 percent this January, the highest level since the EU statistics office started to release such figures in 1995.    Read More

New Delhi 14 March (Press Public News):-  Asserting that India and Pakistan have a shared lineage with much in common in terms of culture, cuisines and languages, Railway Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal on Thursday said a lasting peace between both nations backed by improved trade and commerce links between them is essential to ensure a stable and prosperous South Asia.   Delivering a key-note address at the two-day annual conference on "Normalising India-Pakistan Trade" here, Bansal said: "Improved relations between India and Pakistan will also set a new paradigm for the integration of South Asia as a whole. Emerging trends now point towards a shift in traditional engines of growth from industrial countries to emerging economies."   "In such a scenario, strengthening the process of South Asian Integration presents tremendous opportunities. However, in terms of intraregional trade and investment in goods and services, South Asia continues to lag far behind other regions. Clearly, a lasting peace between India and Pakistan backed by improved trade and commerce links between them is essential to ensure a stable and prosperous South Asia," he added.   With a view to address the need and aspirations of people of both the countries, Bansal said: "Railways of the two countries have taken a lead with introduction of Samjhauta Express running via Attari-Wagah border in Punjab and Thar Express running via Munabao-Kho    Read More

New Delhi 14 March (Press Public News):-  Investing in human capital is seen as a key to their success by organisations. But, a significant percentage of organisations have expressed lack of confidence in the capability of educational institutions in generating the talent needed for business today.This has been revealed in Mercer’s new Talent Barometer Survey. Almost 57 per cent of the organisations surveyed are not confident that educational institutions will generate the talent they need. The sentiment among respondents does not improve even when they are looking out as far as five years from today, the survey revealed."This lack of qualified talent is a real concern for employers and one that requires a multi-stakeholder approach to solving. We have found companies that are most optimistic about the future are actively involved in shaping it," said Pat Milligan, Region President at Mercer and member of The World Economic Forum’s Global Agenda Council on Education and Skills.  As a result of this educational gap, the survey shows organisations are employing internships, apprenticeships, and teaching high-demand skills in secondary and tertiary institutions."The Asia results show that education acceleration seems to be lagging the rest of the world and that is an area in which to make great strides. Health management also seems to fall behind the rest of the world and weak access to acceptable healthcare is compounding    Read More

Srinagar 13 March (Press Public News):-  Seven people, including five paramilitary Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) troopers, were killed, and seven others injured when terrorists attacked a CRPF camp here. Two guerrillas were also killed in the attack, police said.A senior police officer told IANS: "Militants attacked a CRPF camp in Bemina area of Srinagar city this morning. There was fierce exchange of gunfire, and two militants were killed. Five CRPF troopers were martyred.""Seven others - three civilians and four CRPF personnel were also injured in the gunfight," the police official said, adding that the injured were undergoing treatment. "The area has been cordoned off and searches are going on to sanitise the area," the police official said.This is the first guerrilla attack in the city this year. So far, no group has claimed responsibility for the attack.    Read More

Srinagar 13 March (Press Public News):-  People's Democratic Party (PDP) president Mehbooba Mufti today condemned the terror attack in Srinagar's Bemina area, saying that violence would not solve anything."We condemn this terror attack in Srinagar in the strongest terms. Unfortunate that five CRPF jawans were killed," Mufti said. "Violence is not going to solve anything. We condemn this attack," she added. Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah in a brief statement told the State Assembly that two gunmen were killed and five CRPF personnel were killed in the militant attack."Today, five CRPF jawans were killed and four to five were injured in the fidayeen attack at a CRPF camp in Srinagar at 10:45 a.m," he said. Three civilians were injured in the attack and have been taken to a nearby hospital for treatment but weren't critically injured, he added.Militants stormed a Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) camp in Bemina area of Srinagar, killing five jawans and injuring seven others.  The two militants, who carried out the attack, were also killed. According to reports, the militants attacked the camp near a school in the Bemina area and started firing at the police personnel.   The CRPF camp at Bemina is surrounded by the Police Public School and many government buildings    Read More

Ahmedabad 13 March (Press Public News):-  Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi said that the government should accept nothing less than the return of Italian marines, facing trial for killing two Indian fishermen to the country."On the issue of Italian marines, nothing short of their return to India must be the acceptable outcome," Modi wrote on his twitter account. "UPA should explain to the nation what action it plans to take to ensure the return of the marines to India to face trial," he twitted, demanding an explanation on the issue from the Congress-led UPA government.The two marines - Massimiliano Lattore and Salvatore Girone- charged with homicide for killing two fishermen off the Kerala coast in February last year, were permitted by the apex court recently to go to Italy for four weeks to vote in election. The duo were sent back to Italy on the assurance of the Italian government that they would return back to India for the trial.But, in a sudden U-turn the Italian government has now refused to send them back to India. BJP has demanded that the government should exert pressure on Italy to send back the two marines who are facing trial in India.    Read More

Imphal 13 March (Press Public News):-  A local court has ordered release of social activist Irom Sharmila Chanu, who has been on fast for more than 12 years demanding repeal of the controversial Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) from Manipur.First Class Judicial Magistrate (Imphal East) yesterday ordered the release of Irom Sharmila, who was arrested on charges of attempt to commit suicide. After the court’s order, the police released Sharmila from the J N I Medical Science and Hospital (JNIMSH) where she was kept and fed through nose.Sharmila after her release went straight to the office of the Sharmila Kanba Lup (Save Sharmila Office) near JNIMSH and continued with her fast, police sources said. Talking to mediapersons here today, Sharmila expressed her disappointment over the recent charge of attempt to commit suicide at a recent hearing at a New Delhi’s Patiala court.“I am only protesting to repeal AFSPA and following Gandhi’s principle. My fight is against the atrocities committed by the army personnel (security personnel) acting under the power of the AFSPA,” she said.    Read More

New Delhi 12 March (Press Public News):-India made it clear that they will respond only after going through Italy’s response, after Italian Foreign Ministry made it clear that the marines accused of killing two Indian fishermen would not return to India when their court-allowed leave ends this month.External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid said: “We will take a decision after reading what they have written. Reading the letter, no point in commenting without reading what they have to say.” The two Italian marines, Salvatore Latorre and Massimiliano Girone, expressed their happiness over their Foreign Ministry’s decision.The two marines were allowed to go back to Italy to vote in February’s General Elections. The marines, who had allegedly shot dead two Indian fishermen in the Arabian Sea, said they were happy to stay back in Italy and join work. “Now we are finally happy. We are happy to go back to work,” Latorre told Italy’s ANSA news agency.However, the Minister of State for Agriculture and Food Processing, Tariq Anwar is hopeful of resolution of the Italian marines’ crisis.    Read More

Thiruvananthapuram 12 March (Press Public News):- Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy termed as unacceptable Italy's decision not to send its two marines to India, who were being tried for killing two fishermen. He said he will take up the issue with the external affairs ministry.The Supreme Court in February allowed Massimiliano Latorre and Salvatore Girone, accused of killing two Indian fishermen to return to Italy to vote in the February 24-25 national elections. It had earlier allowed them to go home for Christmas. "I am reaching Delhi (Tuesday) night and I will take this issue up with the external affairs ministry. We are also looking to take up this issue legally," Chandy told IANS after Italy announced that the marines will not be returning to India.The Italian government claimed that New Delhi "does not have jurisdiction over the case". Chandy said: "You should see the earnestness in how Kerala pursued this case in the... courts and also in the apex court in the country. Our stand remains the same that they should stand trial here according to the Indian law."In no way would this would be acceptable to Kerala, he said.    Read More

Chennai 12 March (Press Public News):- Stepping up pressure on the Cauvery water issue, the Tamil Nadu Government said it was “absolutely” essential on the part of the Centre to put in place a monitoring mechanism to ensure that the State gets its rightful share of water during the year.“The Government of Karnataka is in the habit of depleting the storages from its four reservoirs—Krishnarajasagar, Kabini, Hemavathy and Harangi during the summer months besides utilising the inflows into the reservoirs during the period,” Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa said in her second letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh after the Centre notified the final award on February 20.Noting summer showers in the catchment areas of the Cauvery basin in Karnataka would start in the third week of April, she said Karnataka, as in the past, would continue to utilise the flows for summer irrigation without conserving it for the releases as prescribed in the final order of the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal.    Read More

Shillong 12 March (Press Public News):-Meghalaya Chief Minister Mukul M Sangma formed his new council of ministers by inducting 11 members from the Congress.Mukul Sangma also scripted new political history in the state by inducting three women legislators as ministers. Of the 25 women who contested the recently concluded assembly elections, only four - Ampareen Lyngdoh, Roshan Warjri, Deborah C Marak and Dikkanchi D Shira - won the assembly polls. Shira is Sangma's wife."One-fourth of the strength of the council of ministers being given to women is a history in itself," the chief minister told IANS. Governor RS Mooshahary administered the oath to the 11 ministers, including two deputy chief ministers, at a ceremony at Raj Bhavan. Six of them were ministers in the previous Meghalaya United Alliance (MUA) government.Rowell Lyngdoh, who was deputy chief minister in-charge of health and family welfare in the previous coalition government, retained his cabinet rank while former education minister R.C. Laloo has been elevated to deputy chief minister.    Read More

New Delhi 12 March (Press Public News):-The issue of land deals allegedly involving Congress President Sonia Gandhi's son-in-law Robert Vadra paralysed proceedings in Parliament.The Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha witnessed two adjournments till 2pm as BJP members stormed the Well seeking a probe into the issue. The plight of ethnic Tamils in Sri Lanka and the Italian marines, held for killing of Indian fishermen, not returning, and other issues were also raised but the issue that dominated was one relating to Vadra.Gandhi was present in the Lok Sabha when the BJP members trooped into the Well carrying a placard which said 'Finance Minister, adopt the formula of son-in-law; earn sitting at home and reduce losses'. The BJP had earlier given notices in both Houses for suspension of Question Hour to discuss the alleged anomalies in land deal by Vadra in Rajasthan.The notices came in the backdrop of reports alleging that Vadra had broken the law in buying land in Rajasthan, much above the prescribed ceiling, and that he was set to reap a windfall from the land in arid Bikaner area.    Read More

Hyderabad 11 March (Press Public News):-The Andhra Pradesh police has released sketches of a bicycle used in the twin bomb blasts in Dilsukhnagar here last month which killed 17 and had injured more than 100 people.Cyberabad Police Commissioner Dwaraka Tirumala Rao released the sketches of a damaged bicycle here. Since the rear portion of the bicycle is totally damaged and only its front portion is available, it can be concluded that the explosive charge had been fixed on the bicycle’s carriage, Rao said.The bicycle’s damaged parts found in front of the Anand Tiffin Centre at Konark Theatre revealed that it was assembled with parts of bicycles manufactured by different companies, he said. The bicycle’s main frame, handle bar, bumpers and fork belong to Atlas company, while the front rim was manufactured by Usha, he said.Giving further details of the bicycle, he said that the front tyre was manufactured by a company called Ganga in April last year, while its front tube is Gamra (Ganga) which was manufactured in October last year.    Read More

New Delhi 11 March (Press Public News):-Delhi gang-rape main accused Ram Singh committed suicide on Monday around 5 a.m by hanging himself inside jail number 3 of Tihar Jail.A magisterial inquiry has been ordered in the case, as Union Home Ministry has sought report from the jail authorities on Ram Singh’s suicide. The Union Home Ministry sought a detailed report from the Tihar Jail administration hours after Singh committed suicide in his cell.Minister of State for Home RPN Singh said: “The Home Ministry has demanded a detailed report from the Delhi Police and the Tihar jail administration into the suicide of Ram Singh.” The incident came to light around in the morning, as Ram Singh was rushed to the jail hospital, but was declared dead on arrival.The body was then sent for postmortem at Deen Dayal Upadhyay (DDU) hospital. A forensic team has reached the jail to get evidence in this case.    Read More

New Delhi 11 March (Press Public News):- India with its robust legal structure, banking system and skilled manpower is the new economic icon of emerging powers and is sure to be on track again for 7 per cent growth, External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid said."India with its good legal structure, corporate governance, banking system, financial system and skilled man power has become the new economic icon of emerging powers. Our development model has managed to deliver long term economic pay offs at much lower levels of investment," Khurshid said.He said that although India too slowed down like other emerging economies in the global downturn but fundamentals of Indian economy remain strong. "We were aiming at 9 per cent, we had reached 8 per cent GDP growth. Then began the slip, we came to 7 then 6 then 5.8 per cent. But as our Finance Minister and Prime Minster have said, with confidence based on the work that has been done, that over the next two years we will inch back to 7 per cent," he said at a function organised by ASPEN Institute India here.The minister said that India and China have their respective strengths and both the countries try to replicate them at some moments.    Read More

New Delhi 11 March (Press Public News):-Former Tihar Director General Kiran Bedi said that only an inquiry will tell under what special watch was Delhi gang rape accused Ram Singh was kept and how he evaded it to commit suicide.Ram Singh committed suicide on Monday around 5 a.m. by hanging himself inside jail number 3 of Tihar Jail. The incident came to light around in the morning, as Singh was rushed to the jail hospital, but was declared dead on arrival. The body was then sent for postmortem at Deen Dayal Upadhyay (DDU) hospital. A forensic team has reached the jail to get evidence in this case.“Inquiry will reveal whether this prisoner had suicidal tendencies. Did prison authorities provide a Psychiatrist,” Bedi asked after Singh committed suicide. She added: “Inquiry has been ordered. Inquiry will tell how this prisoner was assessed. Every prisoner has a suicidal tendency and this tendency can come in anybody.So the guards have to be alert all the time. In Ram Singh’s case, was there any assessment done by the councilor. What happened to the electronic watch and human watch on Ram Singh? How did this man give this watch a slip? I think we need to wait for the inquiry and lessons could be drawn from the report itself.”    Read More

Bangalore 11 March (Press Public News):- The Congress headed for a big win in Karnataka urban local bodies, leaving ruling BJP way behind as counting of votes polled got underway in the state.The Congress has so far bagged more than 1,200 seats of the 3,000 for which results were declared by 10.30 a.m, while the BJP was way behind, with just around 580 seats. Janata Dal-Secular was slightly ahead of the BJP, bagging about 600 seats. Balloting took place for over 4,800 seats to run 207 urban local bodies.Former chief minister BS Yeddyurappa's Karnataka Janata Party was struggling, with around 200 seats. The rest were taken by smaller parties and independents.Around 70 percent of 8.5 millon voters of the state's total electorate of more than 40 million had voted in the elections to urban local bodies.    Read More

New Delhi 08 March (Press Public News):- President Pranab Mukherjee presented the first annual Tagore award for cultural harmony to late Pandit Ravi Shankar at a function at Rashtrapati Bhavan.Sukanya Shankar, Pandit Ravi Shankar's widow, received the award from the President. Remembering Pandit Ravi Shankar, Mukherjee said: "His passing away from our midst has been a great loss to India and the world. His legacy, however, lives on and would continue to illuminate the world of music. With the conferment of the first Tagore Award for Cultural Harmony, we pay a tribute to Late Pandit Ravi Shankar for his enormous contribution to cultural harmony.Among the dignitaries present on the occasion were Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Union Minister of Culture Chandresh Kumari Katoch    Read More

New Delhi 08 March (Press Public News):-The Delhi High Court issued notice to the CBI on former Haryana chief minister Om Prakash Chautala's aide Vidya Dhar's plea for bail and suspending the 10-year jail sentence handed down to him for irregular appointment of teachers in 2000.Seeking a response from the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), Justice Mukta Gupta also called for the IAS official's medical records from Tihar Jail authority on his bail plea on medical grounds. The court posted the matter for April 4. Dhar, Chautala's former officer on special duty, had moved the court seeking bail and suspension of the 10-year jail term awarded to him along with the former Haryana chief minister, his son Ajay Chautala and others.The trial court had sentenced Dhar, the Chautalas and eight others to 10 years in jail; one person was sentenced to five years and 45 others were handed out four-year jail terms.Chautala and the other accused were found guilty of illegally recruiting 3,206 junior basic trained teachers in Haryana in 2000.    Read More

Panaji 08 March (Press Public News):- The Manohar Parrikar-led Goa government will complete its one-year in the office amid speculations of recession being faced by the state fuelled by the impending crisis in the mining industry.The BJP-led government was sworn in on March 9 last year after the party-led alliance swept the polls, reducing the then ruling Congress party into a single digit number. One year down the line, the state government has managed to implement various schemes including ‘Ladli Lakshmi’, which assures Rs 1 lakh to a girl for her marriage.The government also slashed petrol prices by Rs 11 after exempting Value Added Tax on it. However, the high flying developmental dreams of Parrikar-led government were shattered after the mining industry faced a major disaster by being completely halted in September last year.The Chief Minister had admitted earlier to have been witnessing recession in the iron ore rich mining belt, where the markets were down.    Read More

Kolkata 07 March (Press Public News):-  Trinamool Congress MP Saugata Roy has resigned as adviser to the West Bengal Government’s Commerce, Industries and IT Ministry over alleged differences with Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. “Yes, Saugata Roy has resigned from the post of adviser to the state government’s commerce, industries and IT department,” a senior TMC leader said on condition of anonymity.Roy who was in Delhi could not be contacted. His resignation came days after he questioned the possibility of setting up large industries in the State. Roy had said that the possibility of setting up large industries in the State was very bleak and the future of the State depended on small and medium-scale industries.Roy’s comment was interpreted in political circles as criticism of Mamata Banerjee’s land policy, which advocated that the state government would have no role to play in land acquisition for industries in the State. His comments had previously drawn sharp reaction from industries minister Partha Chatterjee, who said that the problem was not land, but lack of infrastructure.Earlier, Roy had openly slammed the TMC’s student wing for allegedly attacking teachers and principals of schools and colleges.    Read More

New Delhi 07 March (Press Public News):-  Press Council Chairperson Markandey Katju has demanded that the government reinstate DRDO scientist Aijaz Ahmed Mirza who was arrested on terror charges but released on bail as the National Investigation Agency did not file a charge sheet against him.In a letter written to Defence Minister AK Antony and Karnataka Chief Minister Jagdish Shettar, Katju said that if there is no evidence against Mirza, he should be reinstated and given adequate compensation, besides an open apology by central and state governments."I would request you to look into this matter immediately, and if it is true that there is no evidence against Aijaz Ahmed Mirza, he should be reinstated forthwith on the post he was holding before he was sacked, otherwise a wrong message will be sent throughout the country that Muslims are terrorists and are fair game for being persecuted and victimised by the communal forces," the PCI Chief said in his letter.    Read More

New Delhi 07 March (Press Public News):-  The Delhi High Court Thursday allowed the plea of a December 16 gang-rape accused to use as evidence the TV interview of the victim's friend, the sole witness to the ghastly incident.Justice G.P. Mittal, setting aside the order of a fast track court, directed it to permit the accused, Ram Singh, to use the CD of the interview of the witness as evidence.  Advocate V.K. Anand, appearing for Ram Singh, had moved the high court after the fast-track court trying the case dismissed his plea seeking the use of a CD with the interview of the victim's friend, which a news channel had captured, as crucial evidence that could be brought on record."The trial judge passed the impugned order and did not allow the applicant (Ram Singh) to exhibit, place on record and to play the impugned interview on the ground of illegal evidence," Anand said. In the trial court the counsels of the accused could not cross-examine the witness because they wanted the CD of the interview to be put on record, he added.    Read More

Ghaziabad 07 March (Press Public News):-  The 19-year-old class 12 student, who was raped by three men on the night of March 2, had fought hard to save herself from her assailants, police here said Thursday.  Two of the three men involved in the incident have been arrested. "All three are in their twenties," Superintendent of Police Ghaziabad rural Jagdish Sharma said.The girl, a resident of Trilokpuri in east Delhi, had motioned for the tempo traveller to stop and take her on board from near Shipra Mall on National Highway 24 at about 8.30 p.m, police officials said. The men had stopped and told her that they were headed her way, and would drop her at Trilokpuri. However, they attacked the girl, gagged her and raped her inside the tempo. She resisted the men so hard that one iron railing on the window of the vehicle broke.In her statement to the police, the girl mentioned that the rod on the window had broken; she also informed them that the vehicle had a black tarpaulin sheet that covered the windows and served as a curtain of sorts. The girl had earlier resisted a diversion in the route of the vehicle - while the men had initially told her they were headed towards Delhi, they later took a U-turn and drove in the opposite direction.When the girl questioned the change of direction in the vehicle, two of the men sat beside her and gagged her. After raping her in the vehicle, the men dragged the 19-year-old out into the fields near Bankey    Read More

New Delhi 07 March (Press Public News):-  Indian women might have broken through the glass ceiling on the political, professional and corporate fronts, and urban women especially have made remarkable progress and asserted their independence in many areas involving their career and personal choices, but the fact remains that insecurity haunts them on the streets, in offices, in their own homes or even in the mother's womb, activists say.Women activists say that measured against the vastness of the country's billion-plus population, nearly half of them women, ground realities are really harsh and paint a grim picture of women and their status in society. Despite the huge strides they have made in their careers, women make up just 25.6 percent of the workforce in the organised sector, according to figures of the National Commission for Women (NCW).As the Dec 16, 2012, gang-rape of a young woman in Delhi shows, women not only face harassment on the streets on a daily basis but are also victims of violent sexual assault at homes where brides are still set on fire and in offices where work harassments is a reality too.According to women activist Sonali Khan status of women has changed over a period of time, but much more is needed. "The Indian woman today has achieved and advanced a lot be it professionally or socially owing to their strong will power. Be it any sector women are right up there and education has played a big role in that," Khan, who    Read More

New Delhi 05 March (Press Public News):-  Amid reports that the Wharton School has invited Arvind Kejriwal as a replacement to Gujarat Chief Minister for a lecture, the AAP leader Tuesday said his address at the US management college has "absolutely nothing to do" with the BJP leader.The abrupt cancellation Sunday of the invitation to Modi to speak via videoconference at annual Wharton India Economic Forum in Philadelphia came after a war of words between Modi supporters and detractors. "I have not replaced anyone. They were in touch with me for 10-15 days. The decision to not invite Modi was taken one or two days back," he said.Kejriwal will deliver his lecture via videoconference March 23, the day he is set to sit on an indefinite hunger strike against rising power and water bills in Delhi.    Read More

New Delhi 05 March (Press Public News):- Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Najma Heptullah on Tuesday said that she would be extremely delighted if the United State of America gives an award to India for being the safest country in the world for women.Heptullah, who was commenting on the US selecting the 23-year-old medical student, who was brutally gang-raped in a moving bus on the night of December 16 last year, for the International Women of Courage Award, said her courage is even mentioned in the General Budget for 2013-14 and an all-women bank is going to be set up."It's fine, but I would one day be very happy when America and the world recognises and awards us for a safe place where women can stay without fear of being raped or any kind of violence; that day I would really be very happy and I congratulate.  It was a sad incident, she went through a trauma and finally she lost her life," said Heptullah.    Read More

New Delhi 05 March (Press Public News):-  Deepika Gupta, 35, a lawyer in a Delhi court, has been in a few relationships but has not been able to narrow down to Mr Right. With her biological clock ticking fast and her wish to have her own children in the near future, she has now chosen to have her eggs frozen and have babies when she finds her companion.Though a new concept in India, there is an increasing trend of working women - both single and married - who want to delay pregnancy to focus on their careers, going in for freezing eggs. It's scientifically called "oocyte freezing".According to experts, with women getting more career-oriented and opting for late marriages, fertility could decline and their chances of having babies later too become difficult. But egg freezing offers them an option to have their biological children whenever they want."Many women are coming forward to preserve their fertility as either they don't want to have a child now or haven't found the right person. Every month we get four-five queries about egg freezing and one or two of them come in for the procedure," Shivani Sachdev Gour, director, Surrogacy Centre India (SCI) Healthcare, in Kailash Colony in south Delhi    Read More

New Delhi 05 March (Press Public News):-  Shiv Sena today strongly opposed the upcoming visit of Pakistan Prime Minister Pervez Ashraf to India, saying he should be allowed here only if he gets the severed head of the Indian soldier killed on the Line of Control (LoC) in January. The government "should not roll out the red carpet for the Pakistani Prime Minister till he gets back the severed head of the Indian soldier killed on the LoC" senior Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut said here.He said all political parties should oppose the visit of Ashraf to India. Ashraf is scheduled to visit India on Saturday to offer prayers at the Sufi shrine of Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti at Ajmer. Pakistani troops had carried out a cross-LoC attack on January 8, killing two Indian soldiers, one whom was beheaded. India has since been pressing for return of the severed head.    Read More

New Delhi 04 March (Press Public News):- A number of non-legislative decisions covering customs, excise, service tax, insurance and banking to promote growth will be announced in Parliament before the passage of the Finance Bill.Disclosing this here Sunday, Finance Minister P Chidambaram said that the budget presented by him on February 28 focussed on the legislative areas and the broad agenda. The government was now working on non-legislative decisions. These decisions would involve customs, excise, service tax, insurance and banking, he said, adding "more announcements will be made and more decisions will be taken" during the reply to the debate in Parliament on the Finance Bill.During a comprehensive post-budget interview, Chidambaram told PTI that he was satisfied with what he had done in the budget with a view to restart the growth engine. "My party appears to be happy. The opposition, of course, would have to be critical. That is the role of the opposition to expose, oppose and depose as it is said."I am not perturbed by the criticism. The media, as usual, magnifies certain things and ignores certain other things. So that is part education, part entertainment. It has been a mixed bag of emotions to see the reactions," he said.Laughing off a question about the absence of any 'big bang' announcements in the budget, the Finance Minister said, "big bang interests only the media. What the people want is small, critical steps    Read More

Thiruvananthapuram 04 March (Press Public News):- India ranks No 6 in the Hurun Global Rich List 2013 pecking order with 53 billionaires.Mukesh Ambani ($20.5 billion and ranked 27), the richest Indian, held on to the position as owner of the world’s most expensive home. The $1.8-billion structure rises to 27 floors, and has nine elevators, six floors for parking and three helipads, the Hurun report said.Subhash Chandra ($3.1 billion, ranked 450) once a one-time rice trader in Haryana is now credited with launching India's satellite television revolution. Health care is the preferred sector followed by technology, media and telecom and real estate. Mumbai is headquarters to most billionaires, followed by Delhi and Bangalore.India also has a high number of billionaires residing overseas, including LN Mittal (London), SP Hinduja and Family (London), Micky Jagtiani (Dubai), Anil Agarwal (London), Aloke Lohia (Bangkok), Kavitha Ram Shriram (California), Romesh T Wadhwani (California), Manoj Bhargava (Michigan), Sri Prakash Lohia (London), and Vinod Khosla (California).Dubai-based MA Yusuffali of Emke Group of Companies is a new entrant to the list.    Read More

New Delhi 04 March (Press Public News):- In a boost to party leader Sushma Swaraj, senior party leader LK Advani compared her oratorical skills with that of former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.In his concluding remarks at the BJP national council meeting, Advani lauded the speeches of Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh Chief Ministers Narendra Modi and Shivraj Singh Chouhan but lavishly praised the speech delivered by Sushma Swaraj, the leader of opposition in Lok Sabha.Modi, who is seen by many in the party as a possible prime ministerial candidate, had spoken in the morning session after Chouhan. Sushma Swaraj spoke towards the afternoon. Quipping that he got a complex about his ability to speak after listening to Vajpayee, Advani said Sushma Swaraj created the "same complex" in him."I tell her that you create this complex in me," he said.    Read More

Bangalore 04 March (Press Public News):- Ahead of the Karnataka assembly elections due in May, political parties are set to get an indication of people's mood next week when results of the urban local bodies polls will be declared. Voting will take place for 208 local bodies March 7 and results will be known four days later.Around 8.5 million voters, about 30 percent of the state's total electorate, are eligible to cast their ballots in the polls being held for seven city corporations (excluding Bangalore), 43 city municipal corporations, 65 town municipal councils and 93 town panchayats where issues of water, power, sanitation, health and others touch their everyday lives.Elections to the Bangalore civic body - the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike or Greater Bangalore City Corporation - were held in 2010 and are due in 2015. A total of 4,967 representatives will be elected to run these local bodies for five years. Voting will be held to elect 4,867 representatives as 85 have been elected unopposed and there were no nominations for 24 seats, according to the state election commission.    Read More

New Delhi 02 March (Press Public News):-  A Congress MP has suggested that the projection of Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi as the PM candidate would be a godsend for the ruling party at the Centre."If BJP declares Modi as its PM candidate, it will bring Muslims, Dalits and the weaker sections to Congress in large numbers and so also those who have been fed up with Hindutva politics," Hussain Dalwai, a Rajya Sabha member from Maharashtra, said on Friday.Dalwai claimed that Modi's projection would polarise the political scenario and the worst sufferers would be the regional parties which would lose relevance as their support base like Muslims and Dalits, would shift base. He claimed this was because Modi's "communal" image would bring these sections towards Congress owing to the realisation that the party alone would be able to uphold secularism at the national level due to its pan-India character.Seeking to puncture the development plank of Modi, Hussein alleged farmers have suffered in Gujarat while industrialists have prospered.  Dalwai's remarks came on a day when the BJP began a three-day conclave here and Modi's rising stock was visible when party president Rajnath Singh gave him a special welcome at the national executive and noted that even the European Union is recognising his achievements.    Read More

New Delhi 02 March (Press Public News):-  Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit has described as "inhuman" and "shameful" the rape of a seven-year-old girl inside a municipal school in the city. "The incident is inhuman and shameful. It is a shocking incident. The municipal corporation must strengthen their existing security infrastructure in the schools," she said on Friday.The Class-II student was sexually assaulted inside the North Delhi Municipal Corporation-run primary school in Mongolpuri L Block allegedly by an unidentified man. The incident came to light around 9 am today when her parents informed police about it. Expressing her deep anguish over the incident, Dikshit said the city government has directed the civic body to "urgently" take stock of security situation in its primary schools in order to ensure a sense of confidence among the parents.Education Minister Kiran Walia has also taken up the matter with mayor of the corporation Meera Agarwal. Dikshit has directed Chief Secretary D M Spolia to contact the authorities concerned in the NDMC.  "Prima facie it appears that lack of security and supervision by NDMC might be the cause of the incident," said an official at Chief Minister's office.The girl was taken to Sanjay Gandhi Hospital where a medical examination confirmed rape. The girl was later discharged from hospital. "The victim was raped by a man inside the school campus. Her parents have approached us    Read More

Shimla 02 March (Press Public News):-  Another report into illegal phone tapping, allegedly by the previous BJP government in Himachal Pradesh, Friday said 350 telephone calls, mostly of politicians and bureaucrats, were recorded.  The total number of phones tapped, mainly of Congress leaders, in violation of the Indian Telegraph Act has now risen to over 1,000, said officials.The report, the second and the last, prepared by the state forensic science laboratory was submitted to the Chief Minister's Office here. Confirming the development, Chief Secretary Sudipto Roy told reporters that the report comprised of 350 conversations recorded by the vigilance and anti-corruption bureau during different periods.Last month, the lab revealed that officials of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) had put 789 telephones under surveillance. Official sources said out of 789 phones, permission was granted by the home department only in 34 cases.The laboratory analysed the data retrieved from hard discs of computers seized from the CID and vigilance bureau headquarters. Sources said that in the first report, most of the conversations were of Congress leaders while they were in the opposition. "The latest report has tapped most of the phones of top government officials," an official said. The conversations of some BJP dissidents and journalists also figured.    Read More

Srinagar 02 March (Press Public News):- Two local policemen were killed by separatist guerrillas in a hit-and-run attack in Kupwara district of north Kashmir Saturday.  A senior police officer told IANS that militants fired from close range at two constables of an armed battalion near the bus stand in Handwara town, 75 kilometres from here this morning."The two constables belonging to the Indian Reserve Police (IRP) were removed to the hospital in a critical condition, where they succumbed to injuries," the officer said. The area has been cordoned off and searches have started in the town. So far, no arrest has been made in this connection.Senior police and paramilitary officers have rushed to the town to take stock of the situation. This is the first hit-and-run attack on local policemen in the Valley this year. No militant outfit has yet owned responsibility for the attack.Last month some unidentified gunmen had killed a village sarpanch (elected representative) in Kalantara village of Baramulla district, north Kashmir.    Read More

Chennai 02 March (Press Public News):- The Centre was "closely monitoring" the situation in Sri Lanka and was taking all steps for the safety of Tamils living there, Union Minister V Narayanasamy said on Saturday. "India was closely monitoring the situation over the Sri Lankan Tamils issue in the Island Nation and was taking all steps for their safety", the Minister of State in PMO he told reporters here.Responding to a query, Narayanasamy said the Centre would not take any hasty decisions on the Sri Lankan issue, adding, "steps based on the resolution passed at the Human Rights Council Meet (in Geneva) will be taken". "India will take steps based on what kind of resolutions comes in the UNHRC meet and what kind of resolutions passed in it. It will not be fair for India to support the resolution taken in Geneva before it gets passed..," Narayanaswamy told reporters here.On increasing the petrol price for the second time within two weeks, he said since it has been deregulated the decision was taken by the oil marketing companies.    Read More

New Delhi 02 March (Press Public News):-  Union Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde on Saturday said the government is taking incidents of rape very seriously, and added that he has given instructions to the police to act firmly on the deplorable incident that took place in Mangolpuri."I have given instructions to the police. I spoke yesterday in Parliament on the Maharashtra case (Bhandara rape incident). We have taken these matters very seriously. The government is taking firm steps," he told reporters here. National Commission for Women (NCW) chairperson Mamata Sharma has condemned the incident and demanded stringent laws for the crimes committed against women."Until stringent punishment is announced such incidents will not stop, neither will there be a change in the mentality of society. With this latest rape of a minor, I feel strict action should be taken against teachers," Sharma said. "Though this case comes under the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) but in the next two to three days I will have an inquiry team appointed," she added.    Read More

New Delhi 01 March (Press Public News):- Finance Minister P. Chidambaram Thursday announced measures to encourage people to make productive investments in financial markets and housing, instead of just putting their money in gold. "The household sector must be incentivised to save in financial instruments rather than buy gold," Chidambaram said while presenting the national budget for 2013-14.The finance minister announced liberalisation of the Rajiv Gandhi Equity Savings Scheme (RGESS), with a view to make it more attractive to the common people. First time investors will now be allowed to invest in mutual funds as well as listed shares. This investment can be done not in one year alone, but in three successive years. The income limit is raised from Rs 10 lakh to Rs 12 lakh.To protect savings and investments form inflation, Chidambaram announced the issue of inflation-indexed funds. "In consultation with RBI, I propose to introduce instruments that will protect savings from inflation, especially the savings of the poor and middle classes," the finance minister said.    Read More

New Delhi 01 March (Press Public News):-The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Thursday said the general budget was "verbose" and lacking in substance. "The budget is verbose but on substance, extremely low," said leader of opposition in the Rajya Sabha Arun Jaitley."First put the economy in distress; then a helpless finance minister comes out with a budget in which he had very little elbow space," Jaitley said.According to him, Finance Minister P. Chidambaram had "made cosmetic changes in different heads of taxation or different expenditure". He added that the minister had indulged in a "little bit of jugglery, by marginally increasing taxes in certain ministries and substantially reduces expenditure".Jaitley said the budget contained little to offer a boost to agriculture or manufacturing sectors, which are vital for sustainable growth.    Read More

New Delhi 01 March (Press Public News):-The increase in the excise duty on cigarettes, cigars, sports utility vehicles (SUVs) and mobile phones announced in the union budget 2013-14 Thursday received mixed reactions from people. Excise duty on cigarettes was raised to 18 percent, on SUVs from 27 to 30 percent and six percent on mobile phones with a price tag of more than Rs.2,000. However, SUVs registered as taxis were exempted from the duty."As the cigarettes get expensive, people will not only be forced to curb the number of cigarettes they smoke every day but it will also act as a deterrent for a potential smoker," said investment banker Mahesh Chauhan, 35.Agreed home maker Sonia Rawat, 40: "There is no other way to discourage a smoker than to increase the price of cigarettes. If you ask me I would recommend a further hike." However, advertising professional Shikha Singh disagreed. "People will simply switch to cheaper brands of cigarettes which would be even more harmful. A price hike won't force a smoker to quit," she said.Similar was the reactions when it came to SUVs. While some argued that the raise was biased, others justified it. "An SUV is big in size so raise the duty, that's a frivolous logic. There are a number of sedans as well which require equal road space as an SUV," said Chand Khan, 45 a shop owner in central Delhi's Ghaffar Market who would be buying a new SUV soon.    Read More

New Delhi 01 March (Press Public News):- The juvenile justice board on Thursday ordered framing of gangrape and murder charges against the minor accused of brutally raping along with five adults a 23-year-old girl in a moving bus here on December 16. The assaulted victim, who was shifted to a Singapore hospital for treatment, had succumbed to her injuries on December 29.Finding prima facie evidence against the 17-year-old juvenile, Principal Magistrate Geetanjali Goel ordered framing of charges under various provisions of the IPC dealing with gangrape, murder, kidnapping, unnatural offences, attempt to murder, dacoity, destruction of evidence and conspiracy. The Board has now fixed the case on March 6 for recording of evidence.The charges of robbery, wrongful confinement and destruction of evidence have also been framed against the juvenile in another case of robbing a vegetable seller prior to boarding the bus on the fateful night before the gangrape victim and her friend allegedly became the prey of the minor and his five adult co-accused.The panel will commence recording of evidence in the robbery case from March 12 against the juvenile. In both the cases, the minor claimed innocence and opted to contest the charges framed by the juvenile justice board.    Read More

New Delhi 01 March (Press Public News):- A confident Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh on Thursday said India could return to eight percent growth within three years provided all the ministers work together to convert the challenges identified by Finance Minister P. Chidambaram into opportunities. "The Finance Minister has mentioned, and yesterday's Economic Survey also hints, that it is realistic to assume a growth rate of about 6.2 to 6.7 percent, and that in three years time, if we work hard, if the world economy also improves, we should get back to the 8 percent growth path - in two to three years time," said Dr. Singh in an exclusive interview to Doordarshan soon after the presentation of Union Budget 2013-14 in Parliament.Lauding the Finance Minister for presenting a budget that is able to cope up with the challenges of the nation''s economy, Dr. Singh said India needs to create jobs for our growing labour force to the extent of about 10 million persons every year. "Given the challenges facing our economy, the Finance Minister has done a commendable job. India needs to create jobs for our growing labour force to the extent of about 10 million persons every year. To do that, we need to accelerate the tempo of our growth. We need, as the 12th Five Year Plan has mentioned eloquently, a growth rate of about 8 percent. This is a growth rate, which is consistent with our underlying potential," said Dr. Singh."We have to get there.    Read More

New Delhi 26 February (Press Public News):- Indian Railways will soon introduce a 24X7 helpline for women that will be tracked "on real-time basis", Railway Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal said while stressing that the safety of passengers, particularly women, was top priority. "The safety and security of passengers, especially the women, is the top priority of the Indian Railways," Bansal told IANS in an interview ahead of the rail budget he will present Tuesday."It's not possible to deploy women constables in each of the 51,000 coaches. But soon there would be round-the-clock toll-free helpline for women and this will be tracked on real-time basis," he said. To ensure the security of women in trains, especially to end chain and purse snatching incidents, the railways would ensure that no male passenger travels in all-women coaches, he said.In an exclusive conversation with IANS on board the Shatabdi to his hometown Chandigarh, Bansal said most suggestions for women's safety have come from the public. His comments come at a time when the safety of women commuting on public transport has come under a spotlight after a young woman in the national capital was gang-raped on a bus Dec 16.Amongst the railways' priorities will be launching over 100 new trains, especially on some religious tourism sections, speeding up derailed projects, cleanliness of stations, improving catering and, of course, setting finances in order, ministry sourc    Read More

New Delhi 26 February (Press Public News):- Tihar authorities have ordered an inquiry against jailed Indian National Lok Dal leader Ajay Chautala for allegedly addressing a public rally in Haryana through a telephone call made from the prison, an official said Monday. “All the inmates are allowed to talk to their family every day for five minutes through phone. Ajay Chautala telephoned his son on Feb 19-20 who called his supporters. Mr. Chautala then addressed them through speaker phone,” Director General of Prisons Vimla Mehra told IANS.“An inquiry was set up on Saturday. We are looking at every angle. The report might be submitted by today (Monday) or tomorrow (Tuesday),” said Mr. Mehra. “Suitable action will be taken if the allegation against Chautala is found true,” added Mr. Mehra. Another jail official said Mr. Chautala addressed a rally in Sonipat district on February 20 for five minutes when his son Dushyant patched him up through the speaker phone.Mr. Chautala used the occasion to update the crowd about the health of his jailed father and former chief minister of Haryana Om Prakash Chautala and inquired about the well-being of the villagers, the official said.The father and son are in jail after being indicted by a Delhi court for their involvement in irregular appointment of teachers in 2000. The trial court last month sentenced both the convicts and eight others to 10 years in jail while one convict was senten    Read More

New Delhi: 26 February (Press Public News):- Accusing the Congress party and the Central Government of playing politics over the issues concerning national security, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Monday said that the bringing the NCTC (National Counter Terrorism Centre) issue soon after the Hyderabad Blasts, is highly condemnable.“We are not against fighting terrorism effectively, and this is not an issue of differences between the states and the Centre, we are just raising our concern about the policy. The government is doing politics by bringing this issue after Hyderabad attack. We condemn this approach,” said BJP spokesperson Prakash Javadekar.“Blaming the opposition parties is absolutely unacceptable. We will not let the Centre to take away the states’ right. Why the Centre has no trust on the state police? The NCTC is not the final solution as it is being projected,” he added.The NCTC, which has regained importance following the Hyderabad serial blasts last week, has been opposed by several states on the ground that law and order was a state subject.    Read More

New Delhi 26 February (Press Public News):- The doctor from Singapore’s Mount Elizabeth hospital, who performed a post-mortem examination of the Delhi gangrape victim deposed before the fast-track court here on Monday. A.P. Singh, a defence lawyer for two of the accused in gang rape case, highlighted that 31 of the 90 witnesses mentioned in the chargesheet had now been deposed before the court.“Dr. Paul Chui of Mount Elizabeth hospital who conducted the post mortem of the victim had to depose on his report. He went through the cross examination on behalf of the defence counsel through video conferencing,” said Singh while interacting with mediapersons outside the Saket District Court complex.Singh also shared some details of the cross examination with the doctor, wherein the defence counsel raised doubts on whether the victim was brought to the hospital dead or alive. "While commenting on the usage of rod in assaulting the victim the doctor said that it could be accidental and was unable to give a clear cause of death," said Singh.A 23-year-old paramedical student was raped, beaten and tortured by six men on a moving bus in South Delhi area on December 16 last year. Prosecutors alleged that the six accused, five men and one youth, attacked a trainee physiotherapist and her friend on a bus as they returned home from watching a movie at around 9 p.m. The victim later died of internal injuries in a Singapore hospital two weeks late    Read More

New Delhi 26 February (Press Public News):- Pointing out various the problems being faced by railway commuters, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Rajnath Singh on Monday urged the government to come with a ‘passenger-friendly’ Railway Budget, so that these problems can be solved in a given time period. “People are facing a lot of problems while travelling by rail. Passengers are not getting tickets easily, berths are not available, railway tracks and stations are needed renovation. So, the government must take care of these things this year,” said Rajnath Singh, while talking to reporters here a day before the Railway Budget to be presented.Railway Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal will present his first Rail Budget on Tuesday. The proposed Railway Budget may see a possible hike in passenger fares, announcement of new trains, besides other measures aimed at mobilising resources to neutralise the burden of the recent diesel price hike. Bansal is reported to have had several discussions with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Finance Minister P Chidambaram, the Planning Commission and Congress president Sonia Gandhi in connection with the draft Railway Budget for fiscal 2013-14.    Read More

Kottayam 25 February (Press Public News):-A former judge who headed a bench that awarded death sentence to four for the killing of former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi said Sunday that the convicts should not be hanged. K.T. Thomas said that since Murugan, Santhan and Perarivalan had spent 22 years in prison, hanging them now would amount to punishing them twice for the same crime.The three men are lodged at the Vellore jail in Tamil Nadu. Thomas told reporters here: "If they are going to be awarded (death sentence) after spending 22 years in jail, it would be like giving them two punishment for the same crime, which is against the constitution." He urged President Pranab Mukherjee to review his decision to reject their mercy petition. "The president should reconsider this because as of now the three have undergone a punishment more than the term of life imprisonment," he said.In 1999, a three-member Supreme Court bench comprising Thomas, Justice D.P. Wadwah and Justice S.S.M. Quadri awarded death punishment to Murugan, Santhan, Perarivalan and Murugan's wife Nalini. Thomas dissented on death punishment to Nalini, whose sentence was commuted to life imprisonment after then president Pratibha Patil accepted her mercy petition.While Perarivalan and Murugan are Indian citizens, Santhan and Murugan are from Sri Lanka. A Tamil Tiger woman suicide bomber assassinated Rajiv Gandhi at an election rally near Chennai May 21, 1991. All four listed    Read More

Hyderabad 25 February (Press Public News):-Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Sunday visited the Thursday's blast sites and hospitals where the injured are being treated to express "solidarity" with the people of the city and appealed for peace and calm. He lauded the people of the city for refusing to be provoked by the "nefarious" act. Singh visited the twin blast sites and Omni and Yashoda hospitals where he met some of the injured and their families, assuring them of all help."I have come to share the grief of people of Hyderabad. I express condolence for the families of the bereaved and wish speedy recovery for the injured," Singh said after meeting the blast victims at the hospitals.He also said the state government has assured all medical help for them. "The state government has assured all help will be given for treatment," Singh, who flew in here from Delhi by a special IAF plane, said. Making an appeal for peace, he said, "I call upon the people to maintain calm in this hour of grief. I am happy that people of Hyderabad have refused to be provoked by this nefarious incident." Singh had on Saturday strongly condemned the blasts, saying those responsible for the "dastardly" act would not go unpunished.    Read More

Kolkata 25 February (Press Public News):-Terming India's rate of price rise the highest in the world, the CPI-M Sunday blamed the Congress-led UPA government's policies for creating a tendency of suicide among farmers. "The rate at which prices of all commodities have been rising is phenomenal and it is highest among all the countries of the world. Due to the ever increasing cost of farming, there is a growing tendency among farmers to commit suicide," Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) leader Biman Bose told media persons here.He claimed that more than 2,90,000 farmers have committed suicide in the country since 1995. "Not only do the farmers have to cope with constant price rise of fertilizers, seeds, irrigation, they are being compelled to make distress sale of the produce as they are not getting even the minimum support prices," said Bose.The CPI-M is conducting 'Sangharsh Sandesh Jatha' which will traverse the length and breadth of the country highlighting problems and issues faced by the people and to set out alternative policies advocated by the party.There will be four main 'jathas' - marches - starting from Kanyakumari, Kolkata, Mumbai and Amritsar converging at Delhi March 19 where there will a massive rally. "The policies of the UPA government have resulted in continuous price rise, agrarian distress, growing unemployment and massive corruption. There is no difference between the Congress and the BJP (Bharatiya Jan    Read More

Motihari (Bihar) 25 February (Press Public News):-A Somalian and a Hyderabad youth arrested here while trying to sneak into Nepal were questioned on Sunday by security forces and central agencies, even as a senior district police officer said no link of the duo with the twin blasts in Hyderabad has come to light so far. 30-year-old Somalian national Abdullah Umran Makran and his associate Mohammad Adam of Hyderabad were nabbed by immigration officials with the help of Bihar Police in Haraiya village on Saturday while trying to sneak into Nepal without valid documents. They have been remanded in judicial custody on Sunday.Preliminary information said that the two had landed in Raxual by train from New Delhi on Saturday after travelling from Hyderabad to the national capital. An FIR has been lodged under Foreigners Act with the Raxual police station against the two on the statement of immigration officials, superintendent of police Ganesh Kumar told PTI.The Somalian and the Hyderabad youth were produced in the court of sub-divisional judicial magistrate (SDJM), Raxual, Mahesh Prasad who sent them to judicial custody for a fortnight. A laptop, a mobile, a camera and driving licence made in Hyderabad have been seized from the two, the sources said adding there was a photograph of Secunderabad Railway station in the camera.Central intelligence agencies and Military Intelligence officials along with the state police have questioned the two, police sources said.    Read More

Imphal 25 February (Press Public News):-An Army Colonel and five others were on Sunday arrested by Manipur police in Chandel district after they were allegedly caught carrying illicit drugs valued at Rs. 15 crore meant to be smuggled out to Myanmar, in one of the biggest such seizures in the State.The contraband was found inside three vehicles at Pallel, police said, adding they had taken into custody Defence PRO Colonel Ajay Chaudhary, his assistant R.K. Babalu, IndiGo assistant manager Brojendro Singh, besides three others.“Colonel Ajay Chaudhary has been arrested on Sunday morning by the Manipur police along with five other persons. We have been made to believe that certain contrabands have been recovered,” Army Spokesperson Colonel Jagdeep Dahiya said in Delhi.The Army promised strict disciplinary action if any personnel were found involved in the case. “We would like to state this much that if he is found guilty as per the law of the land; strict disciplinary action will be taken against him,” Mr. Dahiya said, adding “We will get involved in the process when we are formally approached.”    Read More

New Delhi 25 February (Press Public News):- Security was stepped up in and around India Gate, the war memorial which attracts thousands on Sundays, with police restricting entry into the area. The move comes three days after twin blasts rocked Hyderabad killing 16 people and leaving 117 dead. Indian Mujahideen terrorists are suspected to be behind the blasts and those arrested in connection with Pune blasts have claimed to have told police that they had recceed Hyderabad and other cities.Police stepped security in the national capital, especially at India Gate as it is one of the most crowded locations in the city during weekends. A senior Delhi Police official said its personnel have been alerted and they were keeping a tight vigil on the city. "There is nothing to panic. We have taken all precautions," the official said.    Read More

Chennai 23 February (Press Public News):-The 59-hour countdown for the February 25 launch of Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle to put into orbit seven satellites, including Indo-French spacecraft SARAL, commenced at 6.56 am at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in the spaceport of Sriharikota today.The Launch Authorisation Board had earlier cleared the launch schedule for February 25 at 5.56 pm from the first launch pad in Sriharikota, about 90 km from here, Indian Space Research Organisation sources said. PSLV-C20, the 23rd PSLV Mission of ISRO, would put the 400-kg Indo-French satellite and six others into orbit.SARAL refers to Satellite with ARgos and ALtika. The French space agency CNES has developed ARgos and ALtikameter for analysing the ocean. The rehearsal launch of PSLV-C20 with the primary satellite SARAL and six other foreign satellites has been completed satisfactorily, the sources said.The other six auxiliary payloads are — two each from Canada, Austria and one each from Denmark and the United Kingdom. President Pranab Mukherjee is likely to witness the launch along with Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Kiran Kumar Reddy.    Read More

Hyderabad 23 February (Press Public News):-Senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader M Venkaiah Naidu visited the bomb blast sites here.Naidu earlier took on Union Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde over the Hyderabad blasts in Parliament. Naidu wanted a discussion on the issue in Parliament, a demand that was supported by the opposition benches. Naidu said that the attacks by the militants could not have been possible without some internal help and logistical support."What happened in Hyderabad is not an isolated incident, its part of series of incidents that's happening in various parts of the country particularly in Hyderabad," Naidu told media outside the Parliament. "Hyderabad has become the heart bed of terrorists and there are people who are encouraging terrorism and we are giving shelter to them and we are also providing local, logistical support to terrorists, otherwise, this sort of incident would not have happened," he added.Naidu's visit comes a day after BJP President Rajnath Singh visited the blast sites and met those injured.    Read More

Bhubaneshwar 23 February (Press Public News):-The Odisha government has alerted all its district authorities after a swab sample collected from a migratory bird tested positive for bird flu, an official said here.The samples of some migratory birds in Chilika Lake were sent to the High Security Animal Disease Laboratory in Bhopal January 20 after they were found having flu-like symptoms, said Satyabrata Sahu, state secretary of the fishery and animal resources department. The veterinary staffs of all the districts have been ordered to monitor health of all the birds after swab from one bird tested positive. The test report reached Friday, Sahu said.The 1,000 sq km Chilika Lake, about 100 km from here, is spread over the districts of Puri, Khordha and Ganjam along the eastern coast and is home to some of the largest congregations of migratory birds in the country. Every year, about a million birds from places as far as Siberia, Iran, Iraq and Afghanistan come to the lake in October and return in March.This year over eight lakh migratory birds had visited the lake. "There is no need to panic as 90 percent of the migratory birds have already returned back from the lake," Sahu told IANS.    Read More

New Delhi 23 February (Press Public News):-  Leading industrialist and President of JK Organisation Hari Shankar Singhania passed away at his residence here late last night.The 81-year-old ‘Padma Bhushan’ awardee had been actively involved with the diversified JK Organisation since 1951. “Hari Shankar Singhania passed away on late Friday night (February 22, 2013)... The cremation will take place today at 3.30 pm at Nigambodh Ghat, New Delhi,” a group spokesperson said.Born in Kanpur on June 20, 1933, Singhania had joined the group in 1951 after completing his Bachelor of Science. He was known for his entrepreneurial capabilities and setting up various pioneering ventures in India. He was conferred with the ‘Padma Bhushan’ award in 2003 by the President of India for his contribution in the field of commerce and industry.Awards & recognitionsIn 2005, Singhania was awarded one of the highest Swedish awards — Royal Order of the Polar Star — by the King of Sweden for his contribution to the development of Indo-Swedish business relations.    Read More

Lucknow 23 February (Press Public News):-The Uttar Pradesh Government plans to develop Agra as a solar city in order to save the Taj Mahal from pollution, said a Minister today. The proposal for making Agra a solar city was approved by the Union Ministry of New and Renewable Energy in 2009 following which the Agra Nagar Nigam made a master plan which was approved by the Centre in 2012, Minister for Alternative Energy Sources Vijay Kumar Misra told the Vidhan Sabha.Misra was replying to a question by Dharampal Singh of BSP. The Minister said a detailed project report (DPR) in this regard was almost ready and would soon be sent to the Union Government. To another question by Mukesh Kumar Srivastava (Congress) the Minister said the solar energy policy 2013 is being implemented in the State.The Minister said a target of generating 500 MW solar energy by 2016-2017 has been fixed. Meanwhile, the BJP staged a walkout during Question Hour expressing dissatisfaction over the reply of Food and Civil Supplies Minister Raghuraj Pratap Singh for providing foodgrains to the poor not covered under the BPL cards scheme.The Congress also staged a walkout when they failed to get a satisfactory reply from Singh to their supplementaries on another question.    Read More

Hyderabad 23 February (Press Public News):- The death toll in the twin bomb blasts that rocked Hyderabad rose to 16 with two more of the injured succumbing to their injuries Friday while the Crime Investigation Department (CID) began the probe. The deaths took place in two private hospitals, officials said. The toll could mount further as the condition of some of the injured is critical.Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde had earlier told reporters after a visit to the site of the terror attack that 14 people were killed and 119 injured in the Thursday evening explosions that took place at Dilsukhanagar, a crowded commercial hub.Two first information reports (FIRs) were registered at Saroornagar police station under the limits of Cyberabad police commissionerate. The case was later handed over to the CID. National Investigation Agency (NIA) with the help of Central Forensic Science Laboratory (CFSL) and Andhra Pradesh Forensic Science Laboratory (APFSL) gathered clues from the sites of both the explosions. NIA officials said they were trying to ascertain the nature of explosives used.Hundreds of people, majority of them activists of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), gathered at the blast sites, raising slogans against terrorists and Pakistan. Holding flags of their respective organisations, they were reaching Dilsukhnagar in groups. Police had a tough time in controlling the crowds. A tense situation prevailed on Dil    Read More

Kottayam 23 February (Press Public News):- Invoking the provisions of the new ordinance promulgated in wake of the Delhi gangrape incident, the victim in the Suriyanelli case filed a police complaint on Friday insisting that Rajya Sabha deputy chairman PJ Kurien be made an accused. The victim and her parents went to the police station but the assistant sub-inspector refused to register the complaint, saying the sub-inspector was not present but only accepted it, her counsel Anila George told PTI.Kottayam SP C Rajagopal said, "As per the provisions of the Kerala Police act, when a petition is received, it is entered in the registry and a receipt given." He said as per his information, a receipt has been given to the victim's counsel. The officer said since the Suriyanelli gangrape case is pending before the high court, "we need more legal opinion". The petition was addressed to the sub-inspector, he said.When pointedly asked if the petition was registered, he said when a receipt is given, it means that the petition has been registered. George said the victim's plea was to make Kurien an accused as so far there is no police case or FIR against him. "When his name came up, police gave alibis and they have come to the conclusion that it was not possible for Kurien to be at the Kumily rest house because of the alibis. So he was never made an accused," she said.The counsel said in the light of new amendment to CrPC 166A, when a girl    Read More

Kolkata 23 February (Press Public News):- A brick kiln worker was seriously injured and his eye severely damaged after he was attacked allegedly by Trinamool Congress supporters for participating in the trade union strike of Wednesday and Thursday. The incident occurred in West Bengal's South 24 Parganas district Thursday night. "I did not report to work during the strike and later participated in a CPI-M rally. While returning, around 20-30 people attacked me, asking me why I participated in the strike," Gopal Majhi, the victim, said.Majhi's family Friday filed a complaint at the Kulpi police station. "We have registered a complaint against some unknown persons for attacking Majhi. We are probing the incident and hope to apprehend the culprits soon," a police officer said. "My father's eye has been completely damaged and he has been severely beaten by Trinamool supporters. We hope the attackers are arrested soon," Majhi's daughter said. The incident comes a day after a panchayat worker's ear was chopped off in Jalangi in Murshidabad district, allegedly by supporters of the ruling Trinamool Congress for not attending office for a day during the two-day nationwide strike.That incident was condemned by the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party. "The incident is deplorable to say the least. Day by day the law and order situation in state is deteriorating and the ruling party is responsible," state Congress president P    Read More

New Delhi 22 February (Press Public News):- Elite teams of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) and the National Security Guard (NSG) will be flying to Hyderabad, which has been rocked by twin blasts that killed 10 people and injured 50, an official said."We have a news of two blasts. We have spoken to state chief secretary, DGP (director general of police) and governor (E.S.L. Narasimhan)," Home secretary R.K. Singh told reporters here. "Ten people have died and 50 have been injured in the blasts," he said.He said the state police chief is reaching the blast site, which has been cordoned off. "Our NIA team is also reaching as it has a hub there. The NIA officials are there at the site. Our IG NIA is also going from here. The post blast investigating team of NSG is also going," he told reporters,The two teams will fly at 9.30 p.m. in a Border Security Force plane, he added. The near-simultaneous blasts occurred near two theatres in Dilsukhnagar, a busy commercial area in the southern part of city, about 15 km from downtown.Police have not yet confirmed either the cause of the explosions or the number of casualties. The first blast occurred around 7 p.m. near a tiffin centre opposite Venkatadri Theatre and the second near Konark Theatre. Both the theatres are about 500 metres from each other    Read More

New Delhi 22 February (Press Public News):- Rahul Gandhi, who has been meeting Congress' national and state leaders ever since he took over as its vice-president, on Thursday said there was "tremendous talent" in the organisation and he was "very excited" about the exercise."I am meeting all the people. Checking from them what they are feeling. I am talking to them. I am trying to understand what they would like. I am quite excited about it," he said. "As I am speaking to all the people in the Congress party, I am finding a tremendous talent there. And it is just a question of aligning it and getting on with it," Gandhi told reporters outside Parliament House.He was reacting to a question on whether there are any changes on the cards in the AICC and about his ongoing meeting with the party members and leaders. The Congress leader said he was "checking from them what they are feeling" and also "just familiarising" himself. "I am just familiarising myself a little bit," Gandhi said.Gandhi was appointed as Congress vice-president during its 'chintan shivir' in Jaipur on January 19. He formally took over his position in the AICC on January 23. Soon after he had interactions with party general secretaries and secretaries, spread over three days, followed by meeting with chief ministers, state unit chiefs and legislative party leaders where they had "free and frank" discussions on the    Read More

 22 February (Press Public News):-Police sounded high alert in Hyderabad and other cities in Andhra Pradesh after two blasts killed over 10 people in Hyderabad and injured scores of others.Police with dog squads began search operations in several busy market areas in Hyderabad and its twin city Secunderabad to foil any explosives.Security was beefed up at Rajiv Gandhi International Airport at Shamshabad, state secretariat, Charminar and other vital installations, a police official said.An alert was also sounded in coastal city of Visakhapatnam, temple town of Tirupati and other major towns across the state    Read More

 22 February (Press Public News):-Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Thursday decsribed the twin blasts in Hyderabad as an "dastardly attack" and said the guilty should not "go unpunished.""This is a dastardly attack, the guilty will not go unpunished," a tweet from the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) quoted Manmohan Singh as saying of of the two blasts that killed at least 10 people and injured 50.The PMO also said that the prime minister "strongly condemned" the bomb blasts."I appeal to the public to remain calm and maintain peace.""PM also directed the central agencies to extend all possible help to Andhra Pradesh state authorities in relief operations," the tweet said.    Read More

Hyderabad 22 February (Press Public News):- The serial blasts that rocked Hyderabad Thursday killing 12 people and injuring 80 others is one of the worst terror attacks in the city in recent years. Dilsukhnagar area, where the bomb blasts occurred during the rush hour, had witnessed an explosion in 2002. Two people were killed in that explosion near Saibaba Temple on Nov 21, 2002.Police had killed two local Muslim youths allegedly involved in the 2002 blast in two separate shoot-outs the same year. Police had blamed Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) for the blast. Ten years later, terrorists have targeted the same area, a commercial hub located to the south of Musi River and about 15 km from the core city area.Nine people were killed in the blast during Friday prayers at the historic Mecca Masjid in the old city of Hyderabad on May 18, 2007. Five more died when police opened fire to quell the mobs that erupted in anger near the mosque. On Aug 25 the same year, twin blasts rocked the city killing 42 and injuring 50 others. Gokul Chat, a small eatery in Koti, a crowded commercial hub and Lumbini Park opposite state secretariat in the heart of the city were targeted.For the Mecca Masjid blast, police had initially blamed and Harkatul Jihad-e-Islami (HUJI). It had picked up dozens of local Muslim youth, who were later acquitted by the courts. The National Investigation Agency (NIA) last year arrested six activists of right-wing Hindu groups for the Mecca Masjid blast.For    Read More

New Delhi 20 February (Press Public News):-In the wake of BJP's protests over his Hindu terror remark, home minister Sushilkumar Shinde is likely to talk to senior party leader Sushma Swaraj to find a way out to ensure smooth functioning of Parliament during the Budget Session beginning on Thursday.Sources said Shinde has conveyed to Swaraj, the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, that he will talk to her to find a way out on the saffron terror issue to ensure smooth functioning of Parliament. "Both sides will make efforts to find a way out for the house to function," BJP veteran L K Advani said after the all-party meeting convened by Speaker Meira Kumar ahead of the Budget Session.BJP on Wednesday staged a strong protest over Shinde's "saffron terror" remarks and said the comments were part of a conspiracy to divide the nation for votebank politics and demanded an apology.  BJP President Rajnath Singh questioned the home minister's intentions in making such a provocative statement. "This comment of the home minister is part of a conspiracy to divide the nation for votebank politics," Singh said while addressing a large number of protesting party workers at Parliament Street here on Wednesday.    Read More

Kolkata 20 February (Press Public News):-Claiming that the two-day countrywide strike called by trade unions was a damp squib, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee Wednesday asked the Election Commission (EC) to ban parties calling shutdowns. Banerjee said at the state secretariat: "It is my humble request to the Election Commission... whichever party calls a bandh (shutdown) should be banned."She said strikes were not the right way to protest against government policies in a democracy. She alleged that parties that supported the 48-hour strike called by the central trade unions against inflation and several policies of the union government did not have the "courage" to move a no-confidence motion in parliament against the Congress-led UPA government. Banerjee claimed buses were plying and over 50 percent of shops were open."I salute my working class for rejecting the strike. It is an emergency situation for the state as it has been facing a huge debt burden. So we cannot afford any shutdowns," she said. She added that most departments of the state secretariat, Writers' Building, witnessed full attendance. "Some departments have up to 97 percent attendance. This government will favour employees who do not participate in this strike and are working well," Banerjee said.Taking a dig at the Left parties for supporting the strike, she said: "Nowadays strikes are being organised like a quota system. This is not    Read More

Allahabad 20 February (Press Public News):-Pilgrims at the ongoing Maha Kumbh mela here faced a tough time on Wednesday due to the nationwide strike called by central trade unions which has brought movement of Uttar Pradesh roadways buses to a standstill. Despite charging exorbitant rates, private buses were seen overcrowded with pilgrims while taxis ferried stranded passengers.There were also longer-than-usual queues at the railway stations' ticket counters as people looked for alternative modes of transport on account of the non-availability of state roadways buses. Half-a-dozen bus terminuses, which have been witnessing movement of thousands of vehicles every day during the Kumbh, wore a deserted look with security personnel deployed in strength to tackle any flare-up between desperate passengers and resolute roadways employees who have extended their "full support" to the nation-wide strike.Pilgrims could be seen standing for hours or trudging several miles, with their belongings in search of a private bus or taxi which charged exorbitant rates, seizing the opportunity offered by the strike. Work remained paralysed at banks, post offices and the Nagar Nigam as well where employees gathered to hold demonstrations.Though, power supply was not affected due to the strike but it caused anxiety among residents of several localities where there have been break-downs as power corporation employees were reluctant to fix any technical snag until the st    Read More

Mumbai 20 February (Press Public News):- The two-day strike called by 11 central trade unions failed to impact normal life in Mumbai though it left the financial sector paralysed. Suburban railway, the city's life line, functioned normally and road traffic was unaffected though there were fewer passengers using public transport.Flight operations at the Mumbai airport were also normal despite a section of airport unions declaring their support to the strike, an airport spokesperson said. "Suburban train operations are normal and we have not received any reports of disruption so far," spokesmen for Central and Western Railway told PTI.However, banking and insurance operations were completely shut due to 100 per cent participation by the employees. "We have received massive response to our strike call and operations in banks and insurance companies are completely shut," All India Banks Employees Association Vice President Vishwas Utagi said. Though the Shiv Sena has supported the strike, it has decided not to enforce it.    Read More

Hyderabad 15 February (Press Public News):-Rejecting a CBI probe into the Rs 3600-crore VVIP chopper deal, senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader M Venkaiah Naidu said that the investigation should be held either under the supervision of the Supreme Court or the Parliamentary Committee, and added that the Congress Party is notoriously known for misusing the CBI.   "BJP demands setting up of a SIT to investigate into serious charges about payments made in AugustaWestland VVIP chopper purchase. The probe should be either under the supervision of the Supreme Court or the Parliamentary Committee, because the Congress party is notoriously known for misusing CBI," Naidu told media here.   "That's why the BJP is not expectable to this suggestion of CBI inquiry. Because the CBI has no credibility and the government intention is also doubtful, because this issue was raised in 2011 in the Parliament and also a letter was written to the Defence Minister, in spite of that the government did not act so far," he added.   He further said that the opposition party would corner the governmnet on this issue in Parliament.    Read More

New Delhi 15 February (Press Public News):-The Supreme Court held that telecom companies which were unsuccessful in availing fresh 2G spectrum and those which did not participate in the auction process will cease to operate "forthwith".However, telecom companies which were successful in the fresh auction held on November 12 and 14, 2012 will be asked to start their services in the respective circles immediately, the court ruled. "The telecom companies which have been unsuccessful in the bidding and those after the cancellation of the licences did not participate in the fresh auction are directed to cease from continuing from operation forthwith and the successful bidders will immediately start in their respective circles," the court said.A bench comprising justices G S Singhvi and K S Radhakrishnan directed that those telecom companies which were allowed to continue operation after scrapping of their licences by February 2, 2012 judgement will have to pay the reserved price fixed for the licences in the first round of the auction held in November 2012.The apex court by its interim orders had extended the deadline for them to continue with the operation.    Read More

New Delhi 15 February (Press Public News):- Demands like doubling of existing income tax slab, interest-free loan to small farmers and plugging leakages in the expenditure of funds for Left wing extremism areas were made at a pre-budget consultation held by Finance Minister P Chidambaram today with AICC leaders.In his opening address, Chidambaram talked at length about the financial constraints before the government but expressed the hope that the growth rate will further improve from the existing 5 per cent rate of GDP, sources said. The overall refrain in the consultations was that the budget has to be people-oriented with equal focus on farmers as well as the middle classes as elections are approaching.Amid indications that the budget will be a "please all" exercise, the finance minister told the AICC leaders that this budget, being the last one before the next Lok Sabha elections, will be a major financial exercise. Touching upon the issues of global meltdown and recession particularly in the Eurozone, Chidambaram underlined the importance of fiscal consolidation and how improvements can be made in the current account scenario."The finance minister told us what are the difficulties and how the Indian economy was kept at a balance despite the tough global economic scenario. 32 of the 46 office bearers present spoke on various issues like those related to farmers, weavers, education, health and income tax," party general secretary Jan    Read More

Allahabad 15 February (Press Public News):-A fire broke out at the Maha Kumbh Mela today, leaving one person dead and two others injured.The fire accident took place on a day when lakhs of devotees have gathered for the ‘Shahi Snan’ on the occasion of Basant Panchami. “An unidentified person was killed in the fire that broke out in Sector 4 of the Kumbh Mela area early this morning.“Two persons sustained minor injuries while the fire was brought under control quickly, though about 10 tents were gutted by the time,” SSP (Kumbh) RKS Rathore said.Short-circuitHe said prima-facie the fire was caused by a short-circuit and the person, who got killed, “probably was fast asleep and could not run out of his tent before getting engulfed in flames’’.    Read More

New Delhi 15 February (Press Public News):-Overseas Indian Affairs Minister Vayalar Ravi apologised after his comment with sexist innuendo against a woman journalist from Kerala landed him in trouble with women activists and the BJP demanding his resignation.“I’m sorry for the comment. I have already conveyed my regret for the remark to the TV channel in which the journalist works,” Ravi said. But National Commission for Woman chairperson Mamta Sharma said the commission would probe the matter. “Coming from the position of power and maturity, it is really highly deplorable that he has made such a sexist comment,” said rights activist Ranjana Kumari.She said the issue should be raised in parliament as “this has become almost a habit of the political class”. “If he lost control, definitely apology is justified,” said BJP spokesperson Nirmala Sitharaman. Information and Broadcasting Minister Manish Tewari said Ravi has apologised for his comments and the matter should rest there.The woman journalist had sought Ravi’s reaction on demand to make Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairperson P J Kurien stand trial in the Suryanelli sex scam. Ravi responded with a swipe at the reporter, asking if she had a personal grudge against Kurien.“Do you have anything personal against Kurien? I’m sure you do. Has something happened between you and him in the past?” Ravi said as his comments were caught on camer    Read More

Thiruvananthapuram14 February (Press Public News):-  After netting a handsome revenue of Rs 6.75 crore in nine months through food-making venture, prisons in Kerala are planning to diversify into more products like cakes, 'pappad' and footwear with an aim of fruitfully engaging prisoners and selling these items to the common man at affordable prices.Starting with a modest investment for buying kitchen tools and harnessing the labour of prisoners, it was initially chapati-chicken curry that clicked in the Kerala market. According to a top Prison Department official, the prison food business posted an impressive turnover of Rs 6.75 crore in the first nine months of this year and is expected to touch about Rs 10 crore by the end of March."More than the profits, we draw greater satisfaction from the service we are rendering to the poor and needy by supplying them food at cheaper rates and gainfully engaging the prisoners," Alexander Jacob, ADGP (Prison), told PTI. Six jails in the state-- three of them central prisons in Thrissur, Kannur and Thiruvananthapuram and three district jails in Kollam, Ernakulam and Kozhikode¿have together netted the amount by selling chapatis and chicken curry, idli and sambar and adding cakes as the festival season fare.When Kerala Prison Department ventured into the food business, the sole model before it was the food-making unit of Tihar Jail in Delhi, which sold about of 1.5 crore chapatis and 20 lakh pack    Read More

New Delhi 14 February (Press Public News):-  Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Jaswant Singh on Thursday said blaming former Air Chief SP Tyagi for the AgustaWestland copter scam is not correct, and demanded a probe in the matter.   "I am sad that the accused in this is an Italian company. It seems that we have forgotten them. What we are focusing on is only what did the chief do," Singh told media here. "The Air Chief Marshal is a distinguished retired officer. We should not casually denigrate these higher officers of the armed forces," he added.   Emphasizing that the extent of scam in Italy is bigger than in India, Singh said a thorough probe must be conducted into the entire matter so that all hidden facts are cleared and the truth comes out. The former air chief has rubbished allegations that he was paid a bribe to swing the approximately Rs.3600 crore AgustaWestland VVIP chopper deal, which involved procuring twelve choppers from the Italian firm Finmeccanica.   Expressing his shock and disbelief over his name being involved in the scam, Air Chief Marshal (Retired) Tyagi said: "These allegations are totally baseless and I am denying them categorically."    Read More

New Delhi 14 February (Press Public News):- With the scam unfolding in the deal, the delivery of three helicopters from AgustaWestland scheduled for next month has been put on hold along with the remaining six which were to arrive later. India has already received three of the 12 helicopters for which the deal was struck in 2010 for Rs 3,600 crore.India has already paid around 30% of the amount, but the payment of about Rs2,400 crore for the remaining choppers is expected to be put on hold till the outcome of the CBI probe, Defence Ministry sources said in New Delhi. The first batch of three AW-101 choppers arrived last month at the Palam air base and the next batch of three more choppers was scheduled to arrive by March.India was to pay the rest of the amount at the time of deliveries of the respective batches. Defence Minister AK Antony on Wednesday said India can "get its money back even at this stage." When asked whether the money paid to the Italian firm so far can be claimed back by the Indian government, Antony said, "If the Indian government paid any amount of the money, as per the provisions of the integrity pact, we can get back the entire money we paid to the vendor."Meanwhile, Italian investigation reports suggested that Guido Haschke and Christian Michael were the main middlemen in the deal and around 15 million Euros have been paid to Indian individuals as bribes of the total kickbacks of Euro 51 million. They are alleged    Read More

New Delhi 14 February (Press Public News):-  French President Francois Hollande arrived in New Delhi on a two-day visit which is expected to include talks to finalise the purchase of Rafale fighter jets from Dassault Aviation.India’s Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Preneet Kaur and other officials received him. During his visit, Hollande is expected to hold talks with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and other leaders on ways of enhancing the strategic partnership between the two countries.India chose Dassault Aviation's Rafale for exclusive negotiations over a year ago to supply 126 aircraft in a deal potentially worth 10 billion US dollars. However, both sides have played down prospects that the deal would be finalised when President Francois Hollande visits India on February 14-15.The French Foreign Minister said that he was very positive that Hollande would hold talks with India to finalise the purchase.    Read More

New Delhi 14 February (Press Public News):-  Italy's Finmeccanica promoted company insider Alessandro Pansa to run the defence group as CEO after the arrest of its head for alleged bribery led India to suspend a $750-million deal to buy helicopters.After a hastily convened board meeting in Rome, Finmeccanica said Pansa, the chief operating officer, would step up to ensure management continuity following the arrest in northern Italy of chairman and chief executive Giuseppe Orsi. Orsi, who is being held in jail but has not been charged, faces allegations he paid bribes to win a 560-million euro contract for the company's AgustaWestland unit to supply 12 helicopters for use by senior Indian officials.Orsi denies any wrongdoing; but the company in its statement said Pansa, 50, would take on "the powers and duties previously held by" him. Pansa will have the titles of COO and CEO and ensure "comprehensive management of the company and the group". The case is having a political impact in both Rome and New Delhi. It is the latest in a series of scandals to shake the Italian business community ahead of an election in 10 days.In India, national elections are not due until next year but the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has attacked the Congress-led government for not acting sooner over allegations of bribery.    Read More

Panaji 08 February (Press Public News):-  Anti-corruption crusader Arvind Kejriwal Friday launched a scathing attack on Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar calling his controversial amendments to the Lokayukta law "stupid". Addressing a press conference, Kejriwal, founder of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), also wondered why Parrikar, whose image was that of an honest person, was looking to protect corrupt people."Manohar Parrikar is said to be an honest person. Why is he doing this? Why is he trying to protect corrupt people? What are the pressures on him? Is he giving a message that development is linked to corruption," said Kejriwal, asking people to outright reject the amended law."The BJP and the Parrikar government has cheated the people of Goa. His government's amendments are weakening the Goa Lokayukta act," he said, adding that the pre-poll promise made by the BJP to bring in a strict and strong Lokayukta had been betrayed after coming to power in March last year.The bureaucrat-turned-crusader-turned-politician also said that post-amendments, the public ombudsman would serve as a "puppet" of the incumbent government and not punish, but protect the corrupt.    Read More

New Delhi 08 February (Press Public News):-  An 18-year-old girl was kept confined at an unidentified place in New Delhi by her former landlord's son who raped her repeatedly for 12 days, said police on Thursday. Her attacker has been arrested and hunt is now on for a woman who played a key role in the crime, police said. On the complaint of the victim's family, her alleged attacker Naushaad was arrested on Wednesday from east Delhi's Shakarpur area."On January 23, the girl, who resides in Shakarpur, had gone to purchase medicines from a nearby area where the accused met her and took her in his car at a secluded place," said a police officer. "The victim met an unknown woman at the place. The woman offered her a cold drink laced with sedatives.   When the victim regained consciousness, she found herself raped. Since then, she was confined to the room and raped repeatedly for 12 days," said the officer citing the victim's complaint. The accused left the girl in Shakarpur on Sunday and threatened her with dire consequences if she told her family members or police about the incident.After reaching home, the victim told her family members who approached the police. After arresting Naushad, police are trying to find out the hideout of the woman who had helped the man in the crime.    Read More

Mumbai 08 February (Press Public News):- Residents of a Mumbai suburb found a new-born baby abandoned in a dustbin. The baby girl was initially thought to be 10 days old but on medical examination it was found that the tiny soul was just 4 days old when she was left to the mercy of the world by those who were her own.                                    The baby was found in a dustbin near Milan subway in Santacruz on Thursday evening when passersby heard the cries of a baby from the garbage dump. They peeped inside to find a baby with wide beautiful eyes lying wrapped in a cloth. The police were informed who duly took the baby to the Sion Hospital. As per hospital authorities, the baby is in good health. The police looking for eyewitnesses, even as an FIR has been filed against unknown persons under section 317 (exposure and abandonment of child under 12 years by parent or person having care of it) of the Indian Penal Code. Last month a newborn boy was found abandoned in a Thane-bound local train.    Read More

Fatehabad   07 February (Press Public News):- A major tragedy was averted in Tohana town of this district today when the building of Maharaja Agarsen Senior Secondary School collapsed like a pack of cards on Tuesday night when no one was there in the school. Had the building fallen in the morning today, the lives of over 1,000 children studying in the school could have been in danger. The lone watchman present at the time of the accident was sleeping in a room near the gate and he informed the school principal and other officials about the accident.The entire three-storey building of the school, a part of which was constructed recently, came down crumbling, with a loud sound at about 10.30 last night.Hundreds of residents gathered at the site in the night and again in the morning today.Residents alleged that the accident occurred due to poor quality of construction.Efforts to contact members of the management committee of the school proved futile. President Raj Kumar Garg did not respond to repeated calls made on his mobile, while the phones of some others were found switched off.Sirsa Member of Parliament Ashok Tanwar, Deputy Commissioner ML Kaushik and Superintendent of Police Vikas Dhankhar visited the accident site today where tonnes of debris is lying scatted in place of the school building.“I have directed the executive engineer of the Public Works Department (Buildings and Roads) to look into the cause of the accident.    Read More

Bangalore 07 February (Press Public News):-Pakistan’s decision to hand over the strategic Gwadar port to China is a matter of “serious concern” for India, Defence Minister AK Antony said today.“Chinese are now constructing that port on Pakistan’s request. In one sentence, I can say that it is a matter of concern to us. My answer is simple and straightforward,” he said at the Aero India press conference here. The minister was responding to a media query if the handing over of Gwadar port in Pakistan to China would make India’s western frontiers more vulnerable.Gwadar port is located at the apex of the Arabian Sea and the mouth of the Persian Gulf.It is also only about 400 km away from the Strait of Hormuz, a key global oil supply route. The minister’s remarks in the backdrop of reports in Chinese official media that the port development was not an attempt by the Chinese side to “encircle” India.Pakistan had recently approved a deal that transferred operational control of Gwadar port from Singapore’s PSA International to Chinese Overseas Port Holdings Limited.    Read More

Srinagar,07 February (Press Public News):-An online petition has been launched demanding that the Grand Mufti should step down as Kashmiri singers voiced support to the three teenage girls who were forced to disband their rock band amidst a controversy which pitched conservatives and the clergy against supporters of music. The petition has been launched by a UK-based Kashmiri student, Omar Bashir, who has asked Mohammad Bashiruddin to step down from the chair of Grand Mufti.“This is in the context of your recent fatwa against the all-girl band Pragaash. This is less a fatwa and more a direct, misogynistic threat to silence young girls who have chosen for themselves a career path untrodden by women of Kashmir,” the petition reads.A fatwa was issued by Jammu and Kashmir’s Grand Mufti on Sunday against the rock band. The petition has been launched on change.org website and has been signed by 250 persons so far.“We appeal you to step down from the Chair of Grand Mufti of Kashmir,” the petition said. Meanwhile, Kashmiri singers have voiced their support for the three teenage girls. Waheed Jeelani, a successful Kashmiri singer for last 24 years who has lived through the turbulent militancy days and was even briefly abducted in the early 1990s, said he supported the girls. “It is God who created the artist and it is also God who created the Mufti… we are performing our duty and they are performing their d    Read More

Kolkata,07 February (Press Public News):- A complaint was filed on Thursday by the Association of Protection of Democratic Rights (APDR) against West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in the State Human Rights Commission to protest against her abusing security guards at the Kolkata book fair. Banerjee screamed at the guards publicly saying they should be whipped for making her wait amid the crowd for her car. The APDPR described the behaviour and language used by the chief minister as "gross violation of human rights". Confirming filing of the complaint, an APDPR official said Banerjee had violated basic human rights and they condemned such behaviour from the highest authority of the state. This is not the first time that the West Bengal CM has courted controversy. She drew flak from various quarters in the last one year for attacking individuals over several issues. She was found to be humiliating a raped woman, student, professor, farmer and members of the civil society. Recently, she was criticised for saying "Will I go and beat up the Prime Minister?" during a public rally in the state.    Read More

BANGALORE:07 February (Press Public News):- Karnataka is unlikely to release Cauvery water to immediately though the on Thursday directed it to do so "forthwith", chief minister indicated. "It (directive to release water forthwith) is a matter of serious concern," Shettar told the state assembly soon after the  (thousand million cubic feet) of Cauvery river water to Tamil Nadu for irrigating standing crops in that state. "Myself and water resources minister Basavaraj Bommai will fly to Delhi in a special plane later today (Thursday) to consult our legal experts on what needs to be done (to protect Karnataka's interests)," he said, replying to a brief discussion on the apex court order. Shettar and earlier Bommai had told the House that in the past the Supreme Court directives were accompanied by a schedule to release the water over a period of time. "This time the order is for forthwith release and this is of grave concern," Bommai said as opposition Congress and Janata Dal-Secular members demanded that the state government take all steps to get the directive rescinded. Both Shettar and Bommai refuted the opposition attack that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government had failed to provide to the Supreme Court full details of the grave shortage of water Karnataka was facing following failure of monsoon. On Thursday, the apex court bench headed by Justice RM Lodha said Karnataka would release the water fort    Read More

 05 February (Press Public News):-In a sensational incident, badly mutilated body of an eightyearold girl was found in the open space near home minister Uma Shankar Gupta’s official residence on Monday afternoon. The head was badly crushed and the victim's feet had been taken away by stray dogs. Police said it was  definitely a case of murder but whether the girl was raped before being killed would only be known after the post mortem. The girl had gone missing on Sunday evening and when she did not return home at night, her father approached the TT Nagar police station. He had informed the police that his daughter who had gone to Dussehra Maidan was missing for several hours. According to police, they had been searching for the girl ever since but did not find her until people informed them about the dead body of a girl lying on the barren land near 45 Bungalows. The victim’s mother Sapna Dhuria said, "I recognised the body, I know she is my daughter because the body had the same clothes that my daughter was wearing yesterday evening. I was not able to recognise her face as it had been badly crushed. I don't suspect anyone. I don't know how it happened. Her father is still out looking for her." Talking to HT, superintendent of police Anshuman Singh said, "We have found the body. It's highly mutilated. Besides, stray dogs have also eaten parts of the body." On the possibility of rape, he said, "We    Read More

  05 February (Press Public News):-Here for consultations on the Telangana statehood demand, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy on Tuesday held discussions with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde on the sensitive issue. Reddy, who was called to the capital by the Congress High Command yesterday, is understood to have briefed Singh about the prevailing political and law and order situation in the state. The Telangana issue, a decision on which was deferred last week by the Centre, is believed to have come up for discussion at length during the meeting between Reddy and Singh. Reddy also met Shinde separately and discussed the issue, which has divided the state on regional lines. The chief minister had yesterday held consultations with Congress president Sonia Gandhi, her political secretary Ahmed Patel and party general secretary Ghulam Nabi Azad on the Telangana issue. The meetings come in the wake of Congress' announcement that it was not opposed to creation of a separate Telangana state. Party spokesman P C Chacko had last week said discussions were on at various levels on this issue.    Read More

Ahmedabad 05 February (Press Public News):-Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi will attend the Kumbh Mela being held in Allahabad on February 12. "Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi will travel to Allahabad on February 12 to take a holy dip in the river Ganga during the Kumbh Mela," sources in the Chief Minister's office said. There were reports that VHP and some Hindu religious groups close to the Sangh Parivar might discuss Modi's candidature at a conclave during the Kumbh Mela in Allahabad. Modi's visit comes at a time when the chorus within the BJP for declaring him party's prime ministerial candidate has grown loud, making NDA members like JD(U) nervous and resulting in a gag order on the issue by BJP president Rajnath Singh. Even VHP leader Ashok Singhal had aired his opinion that Modi should be declared as the prime ministerial candidate. BJP spokesperson Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, reacting to the opposition on sadhus discussing the name of prime ministerial candidate, had said, "If saints will not discuss the name of prime ministerial candidates, will Hafeez Saeed (Pakistan based terrorist heading Laskhar-i-Toiba) decide about it."    Read More

New Delhi: 05 February (Press Public News):- All those behind the Dec 16 gang-rape here should be hanged, said the father of the 23-year-old victim stressing that he would pursue the case till the end. As the case against the five accused in the gang-rape of the young woman, who succumbed to her grievous injuries on Dec 29, began in a Delhi court, her father addressed a press conference Tuesday to assert that he would approach the courts to ensure justice was done. "I want all six of them to be hanged. We will go to the court and pursue the case till the end," he said, with his son by his side. The sixth accused is a juvenile. He said he didn't have "much knowledge" about the ordinance, promulgated last week, that awards stricter punishment for sexual crimes against women, including death sentence in rare cases. His daughter was raped on the night of Dec 16 last year when she got on to a bus with her friend. Six people, including a juvenile, have been accused of the horrific crime. She died in a Singapore hospital, where she was taken for treatment of her injuries.    Read More

New Delhi 04 February (Press Public News):-The brutal gangrape and murder incident of last December in Delhi has without doubt stirred the conscience of the people and both the Government and police are now proactive in seeking to make the country more secure. While the Central Government preferred to bring in an ordinance amending laws to deal firmly with sexual assault, the Delhi police has bolstered its presence on the streets of the Capital with increased patrolling and adding more checkpoints during odd hours, but it will require prolonged measures to overturn the tag of Delhi being the most unsafe place for women.This label was underscored by a new survey "Women's Safety: Reality Check and Recommendations," by the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (ASSOCHAM) Ladies League--released in the backdrop of recent public outcry over the concerns of women safety, lapses in policing system and long trials of rape cases.The survey, which sampled nearly 2,500 women-working, housewives and college-going girls based in Delhi-NCR- revealed that while 80 per cent of women face sexual abuse either at workplace or at home, those who migrate to the city, comprising 53 per cent of the whole lot, are most vulnerable.What's worse, women are largely unaware of the laws that guarantee them equality and employability even as there are constitutional provisions to safeguard their rights.The proportion is glaringly high to be ignored wi    Read More

Chennai 04 February (Press Public News):- Clearing the way for screening of Kamal Haasan's Tamil movie "Vishwaroopam", the ban on it was lifted today, a day after the actor-director struck a compromise with Muslim groups to end the week long standoff.             In one fell swoop, District Collectors across the state revoked prohibitory orders under which the release was banned after Muslim outfits came out strongly against the mega budget movie, holding that some scenes in it hurt their sentiments. The prohibitory orders imposed under Section 144 have been lifted. The multi-lingual film, made in Tamil, Telugu and Hindi, was originally slated for release on January 11.    Read More

New Delhi 04 February (Press Public News):- A Delhi court is likely to frame charges against sacked CWG Organising Committee chairman Suresh Kalmadi and others tomorrow for allegedly cheating, conspiring and causing a loss of over Rs 90 crore to the exchequer in a Games-related corruption case. Special CBI Judge Ravinder Kaur had on January 10 posted for tomorrow the framing of charges in the case also involving former OC Secretary General Lalit Bhanot as an accused.The court had on December 21, 2012 passed the order on framing of charges under various provisions of the IPC and the Prevention of Corruption (PC) Act against Kalmadi and nine other accused in the case.Besides cheating and conspiracy, the accused will also be charged with the offences of forgery under the IPC and criminal misconduct by public servants under the PC Act."Charges under Section 120B (criminal conspiracy), read with 201 (destruction of evidence), 420 (cheating), 467, 468, 471 (relating to forgery), 506 (criminal intimidation) of the IPC and section 13(1)(d) read with section 13(2) (criminal misconduct by public servants) of the PC Act is ordered to be framed against all the accused," the court had said.The accused have been chargesheeted by the CBI for "illegally" awarding a contract to install Timing, Scoring and Results (TSR) system for the 2010 CWG to Swiss Timing at an inflated rate causing a loss of over Rs 90 crore to the public exchequer. Besides Kalm    Read More

 04 February (Press Public News):-The brother of the Delhi gangrape victim has said that Congress president Sonia Gandhi has assured his family that she will initiate steps to allot a flat to the family at Dwarka, as well as secure a job for him. Speaking to the media, he said that Sonia Gandhi had made the assurances when she visited the family along with Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi on Saturday.    Read More

New Delhi,2 February (Press Public News):- Giving relief to sociologist Ashis Nandy, the Supreme Court today stayed his arrest over alleged anti-Dalit remarks at the Jaipur Literature Festival (JLF) but made it clear that he has no license to make such comments. "He can't continue making statements like this. Tell your client he has no licence to make such comments," a Bench headed by Chief Justice Altamas told senior advocate Aman Lekhi who was appearing for 76-year-old Nandy.The apex court issued notices and sought response of the Centre and the Rajasthan Government on a petition filed by Nandy seeking quashing of the FIR lodged against him for making the alleged statements at the literary festival."In the meantime, the petitioner (Nandy) will not be arrested in FIRs filed in connection with the statement made by him at the JLF, on January 26,” the Bench said.The Bench also issued notices to the Governments of Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra and Bihar and sought their response within four weeks as FIRs, in connection with his statement, have been lodged against him in Raipur, Nasik and Patna, respectively.The order was passed after brief opposition from an advocate claiming to be member of Dalit community, who said the scholar's petition seeking protection from arrest should not be entertained.    Read More

New Delhi,2 February (Press Public News):- Social activist Anna Hazare today rejected the Lokpal Bill cleared by the Cabinet yesterday, terming it a betrayal on the issue of making Lokpal a strong tool to curb corruption. Alluding to newly-elected Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi’s remarks linking “power” to “poison”, Hazare said: “If power is poison, then why do people run after it? Power is also an addiction.” Hazare said he would travel across the country to make people aware about “government’s betrayal” and urge them to elect those with clean image in the 2014 general election.Hazare sought to make the Central Bureau of Investigation and the Central Vigilance Commission independent bodies on a par with the Election Commission. He said he may return to the Ramlila Maidan to press for an effective Lokpal.Hazare also criticised Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for failing to keep his promise on specific demands based on which he had ended his 12-day-long fast in August 2011.    Read More

New Delhi, 2 February (Press Public News):- The Bharatiya Janata Party tonight decided to exert pressure on the Manmohan Singh Government by boycotting meetings called by the Union Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde, in protest against his remarks on “saffron forces” behind terror activities in the country. At the party’s core group meeting, members felt it was time to execute the promise of new party chief Rajnath Singh to carry protest to Parliament. As part of the exercise, members of the principal party in the Opposition will not be attending meetings that Shinde, who is also the leader of the Lok Sabha, will call.The BJP standoff is bound to complicate issues for the Congress-led UPA during the crucial Budget session of Parliament scheduled to begin on February 21.The BJP is upset that last month, at the Congress Chintan Shivir, the Home Minister chose to name the party and its ideological mentor, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) as being behind Mecca Masjid and Samjhauta Express bomb blasts.The party is yet to determine its approach inside Parliament including whether it would like to replay the Congress strategy of boycotting the then Defence Minister George Fernandes for his alleged role in the coffin scam in the Vajpayee-led National Democratic Alliance government.    Read More

Kolkata,2 February (Press Public News):- Controversial writer Salman Rushdie today alleged that he was forced by the police to cancel his Kolkata trip at Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s behest. Rushdie claimed he was invited to a literary conference on January 30 where he was slated to promote the movie adaptation of his novel “Midnight’s Children” along with director Deepa Mehta and actor Rahul Bose.He said the Kolkata Literary Meet organisers had given an air ticket to fly from Mumbai.He also planned to go around stalls at the Kolkata Book Fair but had to cancel his visit after the police barred him from doing so, the writer said in a statement on Twitter.The Chief Minister said it was an administrative decision on part of the police, but added that the government would not allow communal harmony in the city to be disturbed. Writers, poets and intellectuals have criticised the decision to disallow Rushdie from entering the city.Organisers of the Kolkata Literary Meet and Kolkata Book Fair have denied Rushdie’s claim that he was invited to the literary carnival, saying he was “lying”.“Rushdie is lying. He was never invited to the festival,” Tridib Chatterjee, general secretary, Publishers and Book Sellers Guild, which organises the Kolkata Book Fair, said.“Ask him (Rushdie) to show his invitation. He may be a renowned writer but he is lying,” Chatterjee said.    Read More

New Delhi  1 February (Press Public News):-  President Pranab Mukherjee today said food deprivation should not be allowed to continue in India and was hopeful of early passage of the proposed Food Bill. Mukherjee expressed concern over declining growth in the farm sector but felt confident that agriculture will soon return to higher growth path. He also emphasised on doubling food production to meet rising demand and called for ushering of second Green Revolution, which should be more widespread. "Food deprivation cannot be allowed to continue. Steps are required to secure for the poor and the needy greater access to food," Mukherjee said, addressing a conference on 'Doubling foodgrains production in 12th Plan period' organised by industry body Crop Care Federation of India (CCFI). "We have relied on a rights-based method and empowered our citizens with legal entitlements. The landmark Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act of 2005 is one such example. I am hopeful of the proposed legislation for provision of food security to our people becoming a reality soon," he said. UPA government's ambitious Food bill, introduced in Parliament in December 2011, aims to provide legal right on subsidised foodgrains to 67 per cent of the population. A Parliamentary panel has recommended drastic changes in it and the same is being studied by the Food Ministry for policy formulation.    Read More

New Delhi 1 February (Press Public News):-  Dismissing the Lokpal Bill draft prepared by the government, Anna Hazare accused the Centre of betraying the country on the issue and threatened to renew his agitation from Ramlila Maidan. Addressing the press, Anna said that he doubts the intention of the government on the Lokpal issue as despite repeated assurances from the Prime Minister, key issues like bringing all government employees under the ambit of Lokpal and giving autonomy to CBI and CVC have not been addressed in the draft report. “If the government brings a strong Lokpal then I will congratulate the government or we will go the people saying that government is going back on assurances,” he said. “I appeal to the people of the country that the country will get justice till good people will go to Parliament till then Jan Lokpal will never come. Yesterday I started the tour from Bihar and now I will go across the country and expose the government,” he said. “If nothing happens then I may even go back to Ramlila Maidan and start an agitation from the day the elections are announced (next Lok Sabha polls) and ask people to send only good people to Parliament,” he said. “Until the poor get justice I will continue my agitation, I have given up everything for the nation,” he said. Anna also referred to a letter written to him by Sonia Gandhi recently. “I got a letter from Sonia that Lokpal Bill wil    Read More

Chennai  1 February (Press Public News):- Facing all-round criticism for the ban on Kamal Haasan's "Vishwaroopam", Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa today strongly defended the action, citing threats of violence. She, however, said her government would facilitate an amicable settlement if both the actor and Muslim groups came together. Her intervention was immediately welcomed by the Tamil film fraternity, amid reports of back channel efforts to pave the way for the release of the Rs 100-crore movie.Breaking her silence a week after the ban exploded into a national controversy, she said it was based on Intelligence inputs of likely violence and to maintain law and order. Jayalalithaa said she has no "personal grudge" against Hassan or "personal interest" in the ban, a day after the actor threatened to take self-imposed exile in a secular place in the country, excluding Tamil Nadu, or overseas. She said the threat to law and order was "very real" and many Muslim groups had announced a series of agitations and the primary objective of the government was to maintain peace and tranquillity."We relied on Intelligence inputs... As the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, my first and foremost priority is maintenance of law and order and to ensure public peace in which people can carry on with their daily lives and work," she said, citing inadequate manpower to provide security at 524 theatr    Read More

New Delhi, 1 February (Press Public News):- When an event enters its fifth edition, the first obvious query is whether it has become better and bigger. As the VIP purview of the fifth edition of the India Art Fair opened here on Thursday in a tasteful setting by designer Sumnat Jayakrishanan, there is little doubting the astounding variety on offer. Like always, the fair includes significant art signatures from Akbar Padamsee to Jamini Roy to Somnath Hore to bright lights of the contemporary art world such as Jitish Kallat, Dayanita Singh, Sheeba Chachi and many others. If on one hand the experimental use of mediums such as nails and industrial material impress, on the other, the amazing dexterity of artists such as KG Subamanyam, Ganesh Pyne and Seema Kohli made one stop in the tracks.If the fair’s success lies in the repeat participation of galleries, well, a whole lot of them from India and overseas returned for the event that will open formally on Friday. At the same time, in an event that has nearly 103 exhibitors from 23 countries, several new entrants such as the Shun Art Gallery from China hold the key, too. Like always, many international galleries are representing Indian artists such as Subodh Gupta and Sudarshan Shetty. Chandigarh’s Government College of Art alumnus Vibha Galhotra’s works are being shown by Jack Shainman Gallery of New York. The young artist who expresses her concern for the environment and works with an unusu    Read More

New Delhi,  1 February (Press Public News):- Urged by new Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi to air their views freely, AICC functionaries today shed their inhibitions and told him that growing role of money power and delay in taking decisions was having an adverse impact on the morale of party cadres. Participating in a meeting convened by Rahul Gandhi at the Congress headquarters today, office-bearers pointed to the deficiencies in the organisation and listed their suggestions on strengthening the party so that it was battle-ready for the 2014 Lok Sabha poll.Speakers did not hesitate to point to the increasing role of money power in the party and how tickets were literally "sold" during elections.It is learnt AICC general secretary Digvijaya Singh pointed out that the party was in a state of limbo at present and this needed to be corrected at the earliest. Shakeel Ahmad, in charge of Jharkhand and West Bengal, said there was no clarity on how decisions were taken in the party.General Secretary BK Hari Prasad minced no words in saying those with money were wielding greater clout in the party and that the Congress was becoming a party of the "moneyed". Loyalty of workers should not be ignored, he added.Health Minister and AICC general secretary Ghulam Nabi Azad rooted for "one man, one post", while his colleague Birender Singh sought greater democratisation in the party so that power was not confined to a chosen few.S    Read More

Chennai,  1 February (Press Public News):- Facing all-round criticism for the ban on Kamal Haasan's "Vishwaroopam", Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa today strongly defended the action, citing threats of violence. She, however, said her government would facilitate an amicable settlement if both the actor and Muslim groups came together. Her intervention was immediately welcomed by the Tamil film fraternity, amid reports of back channel efforts to pave the way for the release of the Rs 100-crore movie.Breaking her silence a week after the ban exploded into a national controversy, she said it was based on Intelligence inputs of likely violence and to maintain law and order. Jayalalithaa said she has no "personal grudge" against Hassan or "personal interest" in the ban, a day after the actor threatened to take self-imposed exile in a secular place in the country, excluding Tamil Nadu, or overseas. She said the threat to law and order was "very real" and many Muslim groups had announced a series of agitations and the primary objective of the government was to maintain peace and tranquillity."We relied on Intelligence inputs... As the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, my first and foremost priority is maintenance of law and order and to ensure public peace in which people can carry on with their daily lives and work," she said, citing inadequate manpower to provide security at 524 theatres wher    Read More

Srinagar ,31 Jan (Press Public News):- Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Wednesday termed health as an important sector of the state's development policy as he chaired a meeting of the governing body of the Sher-e-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS), which is the Valley’s only tertiary healthcare facility. While chairing the meet, Omar said growth of various disciplines of a super-specialty nature to provide modern medical facilities to people of the state should go “side by side” along with development of infrastructure.The Chief Minister said growth and development of the health sector in rural areas was one of the “priority concerns” of his government. “Improvement on this front will relieve the pressure on hospitals in the cities and towns (and) as such the government has underlined this aspect as a thrust area,’” Omar told the meeting.The meeting was attended by state Minister for Medical Education Taj Mohiuddin; Minister of State for Health Shabir Ahmad Khan; Commissioner, Finance, Mohammad Iqbal Khandey; Principal Secretary, Planning, B R Sharma; Commissioner Secretary, Health and Medical Education, M K Dwivedi; Director, SKIMS, Showkat Ahmad Zargar; and other senior officers.Omar said his government had flagged health as “one of the most important sectors” of the state’s development policy. “Attention has been focused on universalising modern healthcare facilities acr    Read More

Srinagar 31 Jan (Press Public News):- Chairman of the moderate faction of the All Party Hurriyat Conference (APHC) Mirwaiz Umar Farooq has been invited to attend a meeting of Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC), which is being held in Egypt next month. In the meeting to be held in February in the Egyptian capital Cairo, the heads of 57 Muslim nations, which are members of the OIC, are scheduled to participate.The invitation for attending the meeting has been sent to the Hurriyat leader by OIC secretary general Kemal Ekmaluddin Ihsanoglu, a Hurriyat spokesman said here.“The 12the conference of the heads of OIC member countries is being held in Cairo on February 6 and 7, in which Hurriyat chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq has been specially invited by the OIC,” the spokesman said. “The Hurriyat hopes that this time round the heads of Islamic nations will focus their attention on the issues like Afghanistan, Palestine, Kashmir and Syria,” the Hurriyat spokesman said. Meanwhile, sources in the Hurriyat said Mirwaiz was yet to take a decision whether to attend the meet or not as he was still waiting for his passport.“The term of the passport issued to Mirwaiz has expired. So, he has applied for a fresh one,” a source said. The Hurriyat Conference has a special observer status in the 57-member grouping of Muslim nations and it has been a regular feature with the OIC to invite Kashmiri separatist leaders. Though Mirwaiz ha    Read More

Jammu,31 Jan (Press Public News):- Six months after the detection of a 540-metre-long trans-border tunnel running from Pakistan to the Samba sector, the Border Security Force (BSF) has constituted a high-level board to scan the entire western border for tunnels. The trans-border tunnel in in the Samba sector (detected on July 27 last year) was a very serious concern. Looking at that concern, a high-level board, headed by the IG, Punjab Frontier, has been constituted by the BSF,” said BSF’s Jammu Frontier IG Rajeev Krishna on the sidelines of a function here today.Scientists are also involved in the exercise, which is carried out on the entire western border with Pakistan. The process is on and till the time the whole exercise is conducted, we have taken some interim measures in the Jammu region, he added.The IG disclosed that in the wake of trans-border tunnel in Samba sector, the BSF has identified a few vulnerable stretches on the Indo-Pak border on the basis of soil, geographical and topographical location and intelligence inputs.“Accordingly, adequate deployment has been done to keep a check on the infiltration,” he said.The trans-border tunnel detected in Chalyari village of the Samba sector had originated from the Shakkergarh area of Pakistan. Following the January 8 killings of the two Indian soldiers on the Line of Control in the Balnoi sector of Poonch district, there had been a suspicious movement of a    Read More

New Delhi, 31 Jan (Press Public News):-Amid the ongoing debate on whether Pakistan would accord the most favoured nation (MFN) status to India, Pakistan’s exports to India between April-December last year recorded a massive increase of 66 per cent. But India’s exports to Pakistan grew merely by 16 per cent during the same period, dispelling the propaganda by hardliners and ‘jehadi’ groups that granting the MFN status to India would badly hit several Pakistani industries.According to trade figures released by the Directorate General of Commercial Intelligence and Statistics, Pakistan’s exports to India in the nine months of 2012 stood to $ 460 million, which was much more than $ 277 million during April-December 2011 and was also more than the value of Pakistan’s exports to India ($ 401 million) in the entire previous year (April 2011-March 2012). The growth of $ 183 million in Pakistan’s exports to India during April-December 2012 was more than the increase of about $ 170 million in its imports from India in the same period. The figures also indicated that the share of Pakistan’s exports in bilateral trade with India has almost doubled since 2009-10.Significantly, the statistics were released by the Indian High Commission in Islamabad in what is seen as an attempt by New Delhi to play down criticism against the trade normalisation process that has delayed granting of the MFN status to India.    Read More

New Delhi 31 Jan (Press Public News):-There has been a strange effect of the gory gang rape of a 21-year-old student in the moving bus on December 16 last year. The demand and import of Chinese closed circuit televisions (CCTV) and surveillance cameras in the metro cities has gone through the roof. While the incident itself sent shock waves across the country, it also stressed on the need for installation of CCTVs and surveillance cameras in colonies and at other parts of the cities across India, leading to a major surge in demand.A recent survey carried out by the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (Assocham) brought out that the sales of CCTV cameras, especially the cheaper Chinese brands, had increased 60 to 70 per cent in one month.In a survey between December 20, 2012-January 20, 2013, and following interaction with about 200 stakeholders in the domain of security products including the traders, manufacturers and others operating in CCTV cameras’ market, it came to light that the gory incident of December 16 had made surveillance imperative.The Assocham carried out the survey in metro cities of Bangalore, Chennai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Kanpur, Lucknow, Mumbai, National Capital Region (NCR-Ghaziabad, Gurgaon, Faridabad and Noida) and Pune as these state capitals and cities are flocked by men and women from various tier II, III cities, districts and rural areas in search of job opportunities which also makes these centres    Read More

New Delhi,31 Jan (Press Public News):- The Navy and the Indian Air Force (IAF) have been jointly declared the best marching contingents among the services and the CISF among the paramilitary forces in this year's Republic Day parade. For the first time since India became a Republic, the Indian Navy marching contingent has won the award for the 'best marching contingent" at the parade.Kerala won the prize for the best Republic Day tableau while Rajasthan was chosen second and Chhattisgarh third in the category of "best three tableaux", the official said.The tableau presented by the Central Public Works Department has been selected for a special prize.Children of the Eastern Zone Cultural Centre, Kolkata, won the prize for "best schoolchildren item" for Purulia's Chhau Dance. The consolation prize was won by Sarvodaya Kanya Vidyalaya, Amalwas, New Delhi.The official said three panels of judges were appointed for assessing the performance of marching contingents from the three services and paramilitary forces, the various tableaux and items presented by schoolchildren.    Read More

New Delhi 31 Jan (Press Public News):-The focus of the 13th edition of the Delhi Sustainable Development Summit (DSDS) this year will be “The Global Challenge of Resource Efficient Growth and Development”. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will inaugurate the summit tomorrow. Guyana President Donald Ramotar, Seychelles President James Alix Michel, Republic of Kiribati President Anote Tong along with dignitaries, Nobel laureates and ministers from several countries will participate in the summit.    Read More

Patna,31 Jan (Press Public News):-Anti-corruption crusader Anna Hazare today announced the formation of an apolitical outfit "Janatantra Morcha" to work for "change of system". He warned the UPA government that it "must fear" being ousted from power if it did not bring a strong Lokpal Bill. Announcing the formation of "Janatantra Morcha" at the historic Gandhi Maidan during a rally, the first since he parted ways with his former aide Arvind Kejriwal, Hazare said it would not contest any poll but serve the people "without any allurement of power or related benefits".He called upon the gathering to join the new outfit for "Azadi ki dusri ladai" (second freedom struggle) and realise the dream of a political system that would cater to the aspirations of all."The public sentiments should be taken into account in drafting legislations, but the government is not doing so out of fear ...." he said. The government "must fear" being ousted by the people if it did not bring a strong Lokpal Bill, he said.Congress president Sonia Gandhi had written a letter to Hazare recently and sent it to his Rale Sidhi village home assuring him that the Lokpal Bill, which he is campaigning for, would be passed in the coming budget session of Parliament.He flayed the political class for their disconnect with the masses and their sentiments. He said various legislations enacted by Parliament did    Read More

Chennai 31 Jan (Press Public News):- In twists and turns marked by high drama, actor Kamal Haasan suffered a setback as the Madras High Court today stayed the screening of his Tamil film “Vishwaroopam” even as he agreed to remove certain scenes while threatening to exile himself from Tamil Nadu. The relief given to the actor by Justice K Venkataraman late last night was short lived as a division bench comprising acting Chief Justice Elipe Dharma Rao and Aruna Jagadeesan overturned a single-judge order, effectively stalling its release today.The two-member bench posted the case for hearing next Wednesday. While the 58-year-old actor's lawyer earlier indicated that they may challenge the decision, his brother Chandra Haasan said they would wait till next Wednesday to decide the next course of action.As judicial proceedings were on before a two-judge division bench of the high court, Haasan agreed to delete some scenes at a meeting with leaders of Muslim outfits that was preceded by an emotional outburst.He said Tamil Nadu does not want him to stay in the state and he might seek a ‘secular’ place in the country or overseas, citing M F Husain's exile.In stray incidents of violence, petrol bombs were thrown at two theatres screening the movie in Ramanathapuram town, damaging glass panes while elsewhere in the state, screenings were stopped midway by theatre owners.The issue also took a political turn when DMK President M Karu    Read More

New Delhi, 26 Jan (Press Public News):- The focus of SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal's attack is PS Sarna. On the campaign trail with Sukhbir in his bullet-proof Montero with a vehicle with jammers in tow, it is all about discrediting Sarna.Sukhbir talks of "defiance" of the Akal Takht by Sarna and the need to punish the "gaddar (traitor)" . He also accuses him of attempting to divide the Sikhs on caste lines. At his first halt in Shalimar Bagh, the SAD president is mobbed by youngsters. "I have been meeting local Sikhs every week-end for the past more than five years and the results of our endeavour are for all to see," he says. Accompanied by SAD Delhi wing president Avtar Singh Hit, Sukhbir addresses six public meetings well into the night, his last meeting being in Sarna's constituency of Punjabi Bagh.Sukhbir confidant Parambans Romana says the large turnout against SAD Delhi Pitampura candidate Bhajan Singh Walia, a DSGMC member for 18 years, signals the winds of change sweeping Delhi. Young Sikh voters claim it is the first time that Walia's supremacy is being challenged.Sukhbir tells voters that Sarna had colluded with those "behind anti-Sikh riots", Sajjan Kumar and Jagdish Tytler. Back in his Montero, Sukhbir proceeds towards Rohinibut decides to visit supporters in the Dharam Kunj apartment building in Sector 9. He is welcomed with rose petals. Sukhbir meets heads of seven gurdwaras at the apartment building. All p    Read More

Mumbai, 26 Jan (Press Public News):- A sudden fire, which broke out at a slum cluster called Nayanagar at Mahim in Mumbai, claimed six lives and injured eight more, police and fire brigade officials said.The blaze was noticed around 5 am when most of the people living in the slum were asleep. The fire which spread rapidly since there was little space between the shanties has rendered several hundred people homeless.After receiving the first call, seven fire engines and eight water tankers were rushed to control the blaze. It took firemen nearly four hours before the flames were put out. While residents alleged that the fire engines took time to arrive, local fire officials blamed narrow passage ways preventing the entry of fire trucks.Police and residents were seen pulling down structures to enable the fire trucks enter the slum cluster.However, local member of Parliament Eknath Gaekwad from the Congress felt that the fire brigade did a good job. “The number of casualties could have been far higher if the firemen did not go beyond the call of duty to lessen the impact of the blaze,” Gaekwad told reporters.Though Gaekwad felt the casualties could be far higher, there were no reports of any further increase in the death toll till early evening today.    Read More

Karnal, 26 Jan (Press Public News):-  In a major breakthrough, a cloned buffalo for the first time ever gave birth to a calf at the National Dairy Research Institute (NDRI) here. The birth of a female calf to a cloned buffalo, Garima-II, is being seen as a revolution in the dairy sector.Garima-II, the world’s first surviving cloned buffalo produced through hand-guided cloning technique, gave birth to another female, christened Mahima, at 1.51 pm by normal parturition.“Mahima, weighing 32 kg, started suckling milk within 30 minutes of birth and is healthy,” said NDRI director Dr AK Srivastav.The National Dairy Research Institute had earned worldwide acclaim for producing the world’s first buffalo cloned calf on August 22, 2010. Garima-II attained early sexual maturity at 19 months — normal age of puberty is 28 months — and was inseminated with frozen-thawed semen of a progeny tested bull (NDRI No. 1875) on March 27, 2012, which resulted in conception.During her gestation, Garima-II showed impending calving symptoms and showed signs of second stage of parturition after medical aid. She calved normally upon slight veterinary medical assistance.The jubilant team of scientists said the mother and calf were in good health.     Read More

Jaipur 26 Jan (Press Public News):- On the second day, DSC Jaipur Literature Festival-2013 witnessed some engaging discussions on serious issues that influence the written word beyond their literary significance. Concerns were raised about the rise of intolerant voices of our times against the brave, the liberal and the innocent.Some daring voices who have exposed the inside stories of state repression shared their experiences on what made them write despite being on the run against their respective states, that often "reward" them by tapping their phones and scanning email accounts.For all these authors, who write about their side of the story against their own state repression or violence, it is imperative that the writing does not become a moral tool for their personal cause.Selma Dabbagh, a British, Palestinian author who has addressed the Palestinian cause in her writings, said, "When I write about the Palestinian cause, I am aware of the emotional connect of the readers to the cause, and the pressure of expectations from me. Despite that, it's very important to treat the issue with utmost responsibility."Ariel Dorfman, the Argentine, Chilean writer who witnessed the bloody transition of Chile to democracy and wrote, among many other books the famous novel "Death and the Maiden" turned into a film by Roman Polansky, observed quoting Orwell, "If you are going to be a political writer, you have to be most critical of your own si    Read More

New Delhi, 26 Jan (Press Public News):-  President Pranab Mukherjee has approved awarding of 359 gallantry and other defence decorations to armed forces personnel on the eve of Republic Day. This includes 1 Kirti Chakra, 11 Shaurya Chakras, 56 Sena Medals (Gallantry), one Bar to Nao Sena Medal (Gallantry), three Nao Sena Medals (Gallantry), three Vayu Sena Medals (Gallantry), 28 Param Vishisht Seva Medals, three Uttam Yudh Seva Medals, six Bar to Ati Vishisht Seva Medals, 44 Ati Vishisht Seva Medals, 12 Yudh Seva Medals, two Bar to Sena Medals (Devotion to Duty), 37 Sena Medals (Devotion to Duty), one Bar to Nao Sena Medals (Devotion to Duty), seven Nao Sena Medals (Devotion to Duty), 14 Vayu Sena Medals (Devotion to Duty), four Bar to Vishisht Seva Medals and 116 Vishisht Seva Medals.Ten Mention-In-Despatches have also been announced. Apart from this, 874 police personnel will be awarded police medals. This includes one President’s Police Medal for gallantry (PPMG), 115 Police Medals for Gallantry (PMG), 88 President’s Police Medals for Distinguished Service and 671 Police Medals for Meritorious Service. Another 37 personnel have got Correctional Service Medals.The winner of the lone Kirti Chakra is Major Anup Joseph Manjali.The Shaurya Chakra winners are Major Sandeep Kumar 13th Sikh, Major Manish Punj Rajput, Capt Dinesh Kumar 9 Madras, Lt Manish Singh 9 Para, Subedar Pradeep Beck Bihar and Havildar Vir Singh 13th Sikh. A Rahul Ramesh Engineers,    Read More

New Delhi, 26 Jan (Press Public News):- Prof Yashpaul, a physics graduate from Panjab University and noted scientist, along with Roddam Narsimha , an aerospace scientist formerly with the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), have been named for the country's highest civilian honour, Padma Vibhushan. Raghunath Mohapatra and Haider Raza are the other two awardees in that category.The list awardees for the Padma Bhushan, the second highest civilian honour, includes chief of the India's Defence Research Development Organisation (DRDO) Dr VK Saraswat, late Jaspal Bhatti, cricketer Rahul Dravid, boxer Mary Kom, actress Sharmila Tagore, actor Rajesh Khanna, chief of the BrahMos missile project S Pillai, industrialist Adi Godrej, scientists Dr Ashoke Sen, Dr BN Suresh and Prof JC Pati of the USA.The list of Padma Shree awardees, the third highest civilian honour, includes, actress Sridevi, actor Nana Patekar, Pablo Bartholomew, Late Manju Bharat Ram of Delhi and Avinash Chander. Sportspersons Yogeshwar Dutt, HN Gowda, Olympic medalist from Himachal Pradesh Subedar Major Vijay Kumar, boxer Dingko Sing, Naib Subedar Bajrang Lal Takhar are also on the list. Fashion designer Ritu Kumar will also get the award.In all, President Pranab Mukerjee has approved 108 Padma Awards. These comprise four Padma Vibhushan, 24 Padma Bhushan and 80 Padma Shri Awards. Twenty-four of the awardees are women and the list also includes 11 persons in the category of foreigners, NRIs, PIOs and    Read More

New Delhi, 25 Jan (Press Public News):- Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal today called on Union Minister of Environment and Forests Jayanti Natarajan to seek Rs 771.52 crore for ‘Punjab Biodiversity and Natural Resources Conservation Project’ through a suitable international funding agency.An official of the Chief Minister’s office said Badal apprised Natarajan that this comprehensive project would ensure protection, conservation and development of forests, wildlife and natural resources in a holistic manner. It would also generate livelihood to alleviate poverty in forest fringe areas.He said this project would be implemented throughout the state in a phased manner in eight years.    Read More

Jammu, 25 Jan (Press Public News):-  Sudhir K Jain, presently professor and former Head of the Department of management studies, Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Delhi, was appointed as the new Vice-Chancellor of Shri Mata Vaishno Devi University (SMVDU), Katra, today.Governor NN Vohra, who is the Chancellor of the SMVDU, has appointed Prof Jain as the Vice-Chancellor for three years.Professor Jain was selected from among a panel of four recommended by a Search Committee headed by Dr Sudhir S Bloeria, Vice-Chancellor of Central University, Jammu.The Committee consisted of Prof M Anandakrishnan, chairman, IIT, Kanpur; Dr Prem Kalra, Director, IIT, Rajasthan; and Prof SC Saxena, acting Vice-Chancellor of the Jaypee Institute of Information Technology, Noida.Professor Jain was born at Dholpur in 1951 and completed his bachelors degree in science from Rajasthan University, Jaipur, in 1970. He did M.A in economics from Rajasthan University in 1972 and Ph.D in applied economics/econometrics from IIT, Kanpur, in 1979.He started teaching at IIT, Delhi, from March 1985. He also served as an assistant professor, ISEC, Bangalore, from February 1980 to February 1985 and as Assistant Director, Indian Council of Social Science Research, from June 1979 to February 1980. He has also held several administrative positions during his career.Professor Jain is a life member of the All India Management Association, Indian Society for Training and Development, Indian Economic Associa    Read More

Srinagar  25 Jan (Press Public News):- While security has been tightened ahead of the Republic Day celebrations in Srinagar, a full dress rehearsal of the parade was held at Bakshi Stadium - where the main R-Day function would be held.The police, paramilitary forces and the Army have been put on a high alert across Kashmir to ensure peaceful R-Day functions.The police and the CRPF personnel have been conducting surprise checking of vehicles in the heart of city. The vehicles entering the city from various district headquarters are also being checked.The security has also been tightened around vital installations in Srinagar. Police sources said sharp shooters have been deployed around the main R-Day function venue to avoid any militant attack. Security personnel have been deployed at the rooftops of several buildings to keep track of any suspicious movement on the roads.“A close liaison is being maintained at every level to foil any untoward incident, besides ensure a peaceful and successful conduct of the national event,” a senior police officer said.CRPF spokesman Sudhir Kumar said the security agencies were on a high alert in view of Republic Day.“We have fool proof arrangements in place for a peaceful R-Day,” he said    Read More

Jammu 25 Jan (Press Public News):- Chief Minister Omar Abdullah’s proposal for an all-party meeting on the recommendations of the Justice J S Verma Commission to ensure a safer society has elicited a mixed response from political circles in Jammu and Kashmir, with most opposition parties terming it as a “political gimmick”.“We don’t take such statements seriously. The National Conference has continuously been making hollow statements on various issues like plebiscite in Jammu and Kashmir and we don’t give much importance to these statements. Let the government come up with a formal invitation. We will decide (on the issue) thereafter,” said PDP chief spokesperson Naeem Akhtar.Yesterday, Omar, while welcoming the recommendations made by the Verma panel to the Union government, had said that he was “very impressed” with the recommendations.“Glad to see he has recommended amending the AFSPA to ensure sexual crimes are punished without special sanction. Hope this is implemented”, Omar had tweeted.“I will propose an all-party meeting to discuss the recommendations so that as many as possible are implemented at the earliest in JK,” he had further written in another tweet.BJP state chief spokesperson Jitendra Singh, while showing willingness to take part in the all-party meeting, cautioned that the issue of sexual offences and the AFSPA should not be intermixed in a manner that it may compro    Read More

Kupwara 25 Jan (Press Public News):-  Chief Minister Omar Abdullah today put his weight behind resumption of the Indio-Pak dialogue while stressing that the gun has never been a solution to problems.Omar was addressing his first major public gatherings in Kupwara district in north Kashmir after the recent Cabinet reshuffle, which saw the induction of three MLAs from Kupwara into the Cabinet.The largely attended rallies in Handwara and Kupwara towns in north Kashmiri were organised to welcome the newly inducted Cabinet ministers from the region.“My government will continue to make efforts for revocation of the AFSPA from the areas where normalcy has been restored. Gun has no role in resolution of any dispute. I would continue to bat for successful dialogue between India and Pakistan for resolution of the Kashmir issue,” Omar said in his address.Stating that the presence of UN observers in Kashmir has been of no consequences so far, Omar said: “We know they (UN) remained mute spectators during the saga of militancy as also during the time when the LoC was roaring with shelling of guns for a long time.”“The ceasefire on the LoC was due to talks and agreement between India and Pakistan. Addressing of political issues and finding out a solution to these would be also through the process of dialogue between the two countries. The presence of these UN observers is not required for achieving this breakthrough,” Omar said.Taking on the opp    Read More

ew Delhi, 25 Jan (Press Public News):-  India had launched a series of missiles, rockets and dropped experimental bombs to divert attention of "snoopers" before conducting the 1998 nuclear tests, APJ Abdul Kalam, considered the father of India's missile programmee, said today.These well-planned measures were taken to "divert the attention of snoopers" two days before the nuclear tests in Pokhran in the summer of 1998, the former President said.Delivering the 7th R N Kao Memorial Lecture organised here by the Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW), Kalam went down the memory lane about the anxious days before the nuclear tests during which the DRDO and his team worked over-time to make the tests successful in utter secrecy."An important event was to take place the next day. Multiple agencies were in action. The next two nights were dark nights with no moon light. The other side, the world was sleeping. At the Chandipur flight test range, a series of 12 Trishuls were launched. Almost every two hours one launch."At the Island range at stealth launch pad, a simulated Agni launch preparations were going on in high intensity. In Pokharan ranges, away from the action point, a number of rockets, PINAKA type, were put into action. At mid-day and evening, Air Force aircraft was bombarding with runway destruction bombs on experimental runways," he said.The next day, Kalam said, India woke up to the news that three nuclear tests had been conduc    Read More

Chicago 25 Jan (Press Public News):-       Pakistani-American LeT terrorist David Headley was today sentenced to 35 years in jail by a US court for the Mumbai terror attacks, with the judge expressing his unhappiness over the prosecution seeking a lighter term.Headley, 52, had entered into a plea bargain with the US investigators under which he escaped death sentence, but many were left surprised when the US prosecutors did not seek a life sentence for Headley.Headley was ordered to serve 35 years, followed by five years of supervised release by US District Judge Harry Leinenweber. There is no federal parole and defendants must serve at least 85 percent of their sentence."Mr Headley is a terrorist," the judge said, while imposing the sentence in a packed court. Leinenweber also said: "He commits crime, cooperates and then gets rewarded for the cooperation. No matter what I do, it is not going to deter terrorists. Unfortunately, terrorists do not care for it. I do not have any faith in Mr Headley when he says that he is a changed person now.""I do believe that it is my duty to protect the public from Mr Headley and ensure that he does not get into any further terrorist activities. Recommending 35 years is not a right sentence. I will accept the government motion 35 years and sentence of 35 years..."Asked if he wanted to make a statement, Headley, said, "No, your honour."In pleading guilty and later testifying for    Read More

Kolkata, 24 Jan (Press Public News):- The nation paid tribute to Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose on his 116th birth anniversary today. To mark the occasion, meetings and functions were held in Kolkata and at other places.At a function at Netaji Bhavan, Elgin Road, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee announced the government’s decision of declaring the house at 38/2 Elgin Road as Heritage Bhavan.This is the house where Netaji spent his early days and from where he took his last journey abroad on January 17, 1941, in his mission of freeing India from the British rule with the help and assistance of friendly countries.She also declared that a new monument similar to Kolkata’s Saheed Minar would be built soon in the name of Netaji.    Read More

New Delhi,  24 Jan (Press Public News):- Defence Minister AK Antony, who had taken a tough stand following the beheading of two Indian soldiers, today said there will be no hasty decisions for normalising relations with Pakistan and it was “too early” to do so.Though tension along the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir had “reduced” after talks between the two DGMOs, Antony sounded skeptical that the relations between the two countries will reach the level which existed before the beheading on January 8 too soon.Talking to reporters on the sidelines of an NCC function, Antony said it was “too early to expect normal relations. We have to wait and watch and assess the ground situation and other factors. Regarding the future course of action and relations in the future, we will not take a hasty decision.”He buttressed his argument saying infiltration attempts are going on even in extreme winters and wondered “if this is the case now, what will be the position (of infiltration) in summers?”.“After the latest round of talks between the two DGMOs, the tension at the LoC has reduced but I cannot say or set a timeline for normalising the atmosphere there. It depends on so many factors”, Antony said.On the situation along the LoC, he said: “Even though Pakistan has assured us certain things, we have to see how this assurance translates into action”.    Read More

Mumbai,  24 Jan (Press Public News):- Uddhav Thackeray formally took charge as the Shiv Sena president on the occasion of his father's 87th birth anniversary today. The elder Thackeray had passed away last November.Though the appointment of Uddhav was a formality, the Shiv Sena officially went through the motions of the party's national executive committee meeting to make the change."I am Balasaheb's son. He brought the party to this level. I assure you that I will take Shiv Sena one step ahead," Uddhav said at function organised in Mumbai.Party spokesperson Neelam Gorhe said the party would continue with the practice of calling late Bal Thackeray the party "pramukh".    Read More

New Delhi,  24 Jan (Press Public News):- Four months after a snag had hit the Russia-built sea-borne aircraft carrier Admiral Gorshkov, the damaged parts have been replaced and the ship now awaits snow-melt in the northern parts of Russia to re-commence final delivery acceptance trials in May-June.The warship, rechristened INS Vikramaditya, was scheduled to be handed over India in December 2012. Now the delivery deadline has been re-scheduled for the last quarter of 2013.Well placed sources in the Navy informed today that the insulation system of all eight boilers on board the 44,550-tonne behemoth have been replaced with new ones. Three of the boilers had malfunctioned due to faulty insulation during sea trials in August-September 2012.Once the ship came ashore, the boilers were inspected. The fire-brick lining located on the inside of the insulation had come off. The “fire-brick” is a special ceramic which helps maintain optimum temperature in the boilers. Gaps can show wrong engine pressures and speeds, besides being hazardous.An official confirmed that the entire insulation was ripped off and new one installed.As off now, the ship is getting a final coat of anti-rust paint on the portion that will remain submerged.The boilers on board the ship power four engine shafts. The 500-member Indian Navy team on board Admiral Gorshkov had reported to the Naval headquarters the problem with the warship’s boilers, especially when it hit top speeds ne    Read More

Bangalore, 24 Jan (Press Public News):- On a day the BJP chose a new national president to lead the party in the 2014 General Election, its government in Karnataka, the first government led by the party in a southern state, plunged into a fresh crisis following revolt by MLAs loyal to former Chief Minister BS Yeddyurappa.After two deadlines set by him to strike at the Shettar-led government fizzled out, Yeddyurappa finally saw success with his third attempt as 13 BJP MLAs, including two ministers, today met Governor HR Bhardwaj and told him how the Assembly Speaker K G Bopaiah was trying to duck their attempt of resigning from the Assembly.Public Works Minister CM Udasi and Energy Minister Shobha Karandlaje quit earlier today. They submitted their resignations to Chief Minister Jagadish Shettar. Later, the two ministers led 11 other MLAs to Bopaiah's office to hand over their resignations from the legislature.However, Bopaiah was not in his office when the rebel MLAs went to meet him. He has reportedly left for Nepal on a personal visit. Assembly secretary Om Prakash was also on leave. The agitated MLAs then asked the joint secretary to accept their resignations who said he was not competent to do so.Enraged over the development, Yeddyurappa landed in the Vidhana Soudha and slammed the Speaker saying his absence was deliberate."The Jagadish Shettar government has been reduced to minority. He has no moral right to continue in the office," Yeddyurappa said.    Read More

 New Delhi, 24 Jan (Press Public News):- Rahul Gandhi’s first visit to the Congress office today after his appointment as party vice-president in Jaipur predictably generated considerable excitement among the AICC functionaries but mediapersons were in for a disappointment as the Nehru-Gandhi scion refused to take any questions even on the Justice Verma panel report.He only made a brief statement promising to practise positive politics, essentially reiterating what he had said at the Jaipur AICC session. “I don’t want to get into negative politics. I want to get into positive politics. Positive politics is what is going to take this country forward,” he said while promising party functionaries that he would implement the promises he made in his speech at Jaipur.There was an air of anticipation at the AICC headquarters throughout the day after it became known that Rahul Gandhi would be officially taking charge as Congress vice-president in the evening and would follow it up with his first meeting with party office-bearers. Consequently, all senior leaders and office-bearers, some of whom are normally never spotted at the party office, lined up well in advance to welcome the Congress ‘yuvraj’ and register their presence while flag-waving NSUI members kept up steady slogan shouting outside.Ahmed Patel, Congress president’s political secretary, discreetly supervised the entire exercise while AICC general secretary Janardan    Read More

New Delhi, 23 Jan (Press Public News):- ith two months to go for the March 31 Right to Education deadline, a new survey of school infrastructure by the government’s own agencies has revealed that much remains to be done to make the schools RTE complaint.Released by the National Council for Educational Research and Training (NCERT), the eighth All India Education Survey covering close to 13 lakh schools across the country has revealed that schools in rural areas are still deprived of basic facilities such as drinking water, usable urinal and playgrounds.As per the flash statistics and provisional data of NCERT, even today, one-fifth of the total primary schools in rural areas do not have drinking water, three out of 10 schools are without usable urinal facilities and about half the schools do not have playgrounds.The Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act 2009 which came into force in 2010 has mandated that every elementary school in the country must have nine stated infrastructure indicators and must provide for adequate teachers. Among the nine infrastructure norms are - usable toilets, fencing, playgrounds, drinking water facilities, library, one classroom per teacher; school building etc.On pupil teacher ratio, the NCERT survey has brought some good news showing that from the last survey conducted five years ago, PTR in primary schools has declined from 42:1 to 32:1 at the national level. “But 40 per cent primary schools still have two    Read More

New Delhi, 23 Jan (Press Public News):- he war of words between the Congress and the BJP over the charge by Union Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde blaming the BJP and RSS for running terror camps continued on a day when the Home Ministry officially backed the statement and said it has evidence in this regard.External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid backed Shinde by saying that the Home Minister’s statement was based “entirely on facts” made available by investigative agencies. He, however, said terror has no religion and colour. “Any form of violence by extremists of any kind, irrespective of religion is not good for India,” Khurshid said, adding that the country should not be distracted by a phrase here and there. “Terror does not have a religion. It should not have a colour. Those are the facts available to the Home Ministry,” he said.oining issue with Khurshid, the BJP sought to know if the External Affairs Minister supports the Pakistan terror groups which have lapped up the Home Minister’s statement. “Does Salman Khurshid support these groups and is he strengthening these groups? The BJP is deeply pained by his statement and it’s deeply regrettable,” BJP spokesperson Ravi Shankar Prasad said.He said remarkable achievement of India's diplomatic efforts is undermined by these comments and said the party takes serious objection to repeated statements of senior ministers, including Khurshid.“    Read More

New Delhi, 23 Jan (Press Public News):- nergised by Rahul Gandhi's first speech at the Jaipur AICC session after his formal appointment as Congress vice-president, party cadres now want him to deliver on his promise to decentralise and democratise the organisation.Expectations are running high as the rank and file wants Rahul to go in for a drastic surgery in the party, adopt a more aggressive style of functioning and, most importantly, show sustained interest in his new job instead of his present "hit-rand-run" approach. "Having raised the expectations of party cadres with his speech, they want Rahul Gandhi to follow it up with action," remarked a Congress minister.As a first step, young Congress leaders underlined, they expect an overhauling of the party organisation from the grassroots to the national level where loyal workers are rewarded and youth gets its due while doing away with the current nomination culture. "No more patch-up job... people want a surgical intervention," said a member of Rahul Gandhi's youth brigade.Congress insiders said like Rajiv Gandhi's famous speech when he spoke out against the power brokers in the party, Rahul's speech was also received well by the party cadres because they touched on issues which they wanted to hear. But this adulation could prove to be short-lived if Rahul, like his father, opts for status quo.The long overdue reshuffle in the party organisation will be Rahul Gandhi's first test. It w    Read More

Mumbai ,23 Jan (Press Public News):- haratiya Janata Party president Nitin Gadkari, who is angling for a second term, sounded defiant today as the Income Tax Department conducted searches on eight companies linked to him.Twenty officials from various offices of the department in Mumbai, Delhi and Nagpur began carrying out search operations to retrieve documents from the premises of eight companies associated with Gadkari’s controversial Purti group. Briefing reporters here, I-T officials said the eight companies whose premises that were searched today were among several which had invested funds in the Purti group which carried out investments in a number of businesses.“The searches were carried out after requests from the Nagpur office of the I-T Department,” said an official.According to reports, these companies which had invested in the power business of the Purti group had security guards and drivers as directors. The authorities are probing the sources of funds of these entities which invested in Gadkari’s companies.The raids coming on the eve of Gadkari’s possible re-election as the BJP president for a second term has come as an embarrassment to the party.“The Income Tax Department’s action smacks of the ruling UPA’s nefarious designs to create confusion in the BJP ranks. The BJP president had himself said he was ready for any probe into the allegations of wrongdoing by him and his family in the related matters and has    Read More

New Delhi, 23 Jan (Press Public News):- ays after it talked about bilateralism in India-Pakistan ties, Islamabad again sought to internationalise the Kashmir issue by highlighting the role of the UN Military Observers’ Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP) along the LoC, provoking New Delhi to question the very relevance and need for the mission in times of austerity.Participating in a debate on ‘UN Peacekeeping’ at the Security Council, India’s Permanent Representative to the UN Hardeep Singh Puri rejected Pakistan’s observation about the role of the UNMOGIP in monitoring peace along the LoC. The group was set up in 1949 to supervise the ceasefire at the LoC.Responding to a reference about UNMOGIP by Pakistan Foreign Secretary Jalil Abbas Jilani while presiding over the meeting, Puri pointed out that UNMOGIP’s role had been overtaken by the Simla Agreement of 1972 between the countries that was subsequently ratified by their Parliaments. “In times of austerity, we need to address the question, whether the resources being spent on UNMOGIP would not be better utilised elsewhere,” he added.In New Delhi, External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid also asserted that the countries settle their issues bilaterally. “We have a history of settling issues bilaterally and we retain that (alternative).”Indian officials said it was quite clear that Pakistan was misusing its rotational month-long presidency of the Security Cou    Read More

New Delhi, 23 Jan (Press Public News):- ndia today impressed upon Sri Lanka the need to do more to rehabilitate the Tamils displaced due to the prolonged conflict in the island nation as the two countries signed accords on combating international terrorism and drug trafficking and avoidance of double taxation.Addressing a joint press conference with his Sri Lankan counterpart GL Peiris, External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid stressed the need for continued dialogue between Colombo and the representatives of the Sri Lankan Tamil community with a view to ensuring a future for the community that was marked by equality, dignity, justice and self-respect.He also hoped that there would be early progress on meaningful devolution of power in the island nation building upon the 13th amendment and leading to national reconciliation. Earlier, the two ministers co-chaired the eighth meeting of the India-Lanka Joint Commission.Asked about his government’s stand on the demand for repealing the 13th amendment, Peiris asserted that it was part of the Sri Lankan Constitution though there were different views on it within the country. There were people in the government who wanted it to be repealed while another powerful section in the government was for strengthening the 13th amendment. Since the government in Colombo was a coalition dispensation, it was seeking to address the different viewpoints. He also stated that the Sri Lankan Navy had been instructed firmly that it should    Read More

Hyderabad,22 Jan (Press Public News):-The long arm of law is catching up with the leaders of Majlis Ittehadul Muslimeen (MIM) nearly three months after it ended the alliance with the ruling Congress in Andhra Pradesh.The MIM president and Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi was sent to jail today after he surrendered before a court in Medak district in connection with an eight-year-old case. He was prime accused in a case booked in March, 2005, for allegedly abusing an officer and obstructing the road widening works in the district, adjoining the state capital.His younger brother Akbaruddin Owaisi, who is the party’s floor leader in the state Assembly, is currently lodged in a jail in Adilabad following his arrest earlier this month for the alleged “hate speech”, targeting the Hindu community.The MIM, a formidable political force in Hyderabad, has seven MLAs, all representing the city constituencies and an MP.The MIM chief drove to Sangareddy town, headquarters of Medak district, about 65 km from here, and surrendered before a local court. The judge remanded him to judicial custody till February 2. Soon after, he was shifted to a jail in the town.The Hyderabad MP's lawyers filed a bail petition on his behalf but the court adjourned the hearing to Tuesday. The surrender came after the court dismissed his petition, seeking cancellation of the non-bailable warrant pending against him. The case relates to 2005 when district officials, led by the then collector Anil Ku    Read More

Lucknow, 22 Jan (Press Public News):-Originally scheduled to announce the merger of former Chief Minister Kalyan Singh’s Jan Kranti Party into the Bhartiya Janata Party, the Atal Shankhanaad Rally today ended up blowing the election bugle for the saffron party’s Lok Sabha election campaign.The BJP rally at the Jhelelal Park saw an impressive turnout, easily one of the biggest shows of the party in recent years, despite the cold weather.Setting an aggressive tone for the forthcoming Lok Sabha election, BJP president Nitin Gadkari raised a slogan, “Hindu bhagwa ka apmaan, nahin sahega Hindustan” (India will not tolerate the insult of Hindu saffron), and announced nationwide protests on January 24 against Union Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde’s statement on saffron terror.Gadkari lashed out at the Congress and the Samajwadi Party for indulging in Muslim appeasement at the cost of national interest.Kalyan’s re-joining the BJP and merger of his one-MP Jan Kranti Party took the backseat at the rally as BJP leaders spoke about the dangers confronting the nation on the eve of general election.Terming Rahul Gandhi’s promotion in the Congress hierarchy as the biggest “achievement” of the party’s “Chintan Shivir” in Jaipur, former BJP national president Rajnath Singh spoke of the grave economic crisis and rising inflation facing the nation.Kalyan Singh broke down during his speech saying: “I always wante    Read More

Bangalore 22 Jan (Press Public News):-The famed Suryakiran aerobatic team of IAF will not participate in the Aero India show this year. “The Suryakiran team has been disbanded,” said Wing Commander Venu Nambisan, Team Commentator and Administrator of the Suryakiran team, which had been an integral part of all the Aero India aero shows in Bangalore ever since the biennial event was first held in the city in 1996.The Suryakiran team, consisting of nine aircraft, was dissolved after the Kiran Mk2 aircraft being used by the IAF for the display, was withdrawn from the team to increase the availability of the aircraft for training IAF cadets. Hawks, an Advanced Jet Trainer (AJT), were supposed to replace the Kirans for the aerobatics display team. However, this has failed to materialise.     Read More

New Delhi, 22 Jan (Press Public News):-At a time when the country is witnessing unprecedented outrage over lack of safety for women in public places, evidence has surfaced to suggest that they are braving horrible forms of violence even at homes. Dowry-related incidents, including attempted killings by pouring kerosene on women, continue to form the bulk of domestic violence cases in India.But more severe forms of physical abuse have emerged — from stabbing the woman with a knife or any other dangerous weapon, beating her up with tube lights and thrusting glass into her vitals, throwing her into a well or trying to run her over with a vehicle and attempting to push her off the roof.Sexual abuse is common but mostly not reported. Women reporting it mostly complain of forced intercourse by husbands, fathers-in-law and brothers-in-law. These trends have emerged from the first-ever analysis of 10,000 court orders passed in cases where women have sought relief under the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act, which completed six years today.The analysis by Lawyers’ Collective under Indira Jaisingh, Additional Solicitor General, shows how an increasing number of women are using the anti-domestic violence law for protection instead of the traditional Dowry Prohibition Act of 1961. Against 6,619 cases filed under the anti-dowry law in 2011, 42,148 applications were filed by women under the PWDV Act. Court orders are pending in 33,965 of these cases. This reve    Read More

New Delhi, 22 Jan (Press Public News):-A Delhi fast-track court which conducted its first hearing on the Delhi gang-rape case today, ordered that the proceedings will be held in-camera. The court also continued the ban on the media from reporting the legal proceedings.Swami Omji, a founder and chairman of the Universal Rape Victim’s Federation, had filed an application on January 17 for lifting the ban on the media.Rejecting the application, Additional Sessions Judge (ASJ) Yogesh Khanna said today, “The trial shall be held in-camera. Persons who are not connected with the case are directed to clear the courtroom to ensure safe passage for the accused. It shall not be lawful for any person to publish or print any matter related to the proceedings of this case, except with prior permission of the court.”Five of the six accused in the case were presented before the ASJ today. The next hearing will be held on January 24 and arguments on the charges to be filed against the accused will be heard.The ASJ ordered that the arguments “shall continue on day-to-day basis on working days, except otherwise ordered”.The trial of the sixth accused, who is a juvenile, is being conducted by the Juvenile Justice Board in Delhi.Advocate AP Singh, who is representing Akshay Kumar Singh and Vinay Sharma, two of the accused, today moved an application demanding that Vinay’s bone ossification test (for determining a person’s age) should be conducted. Si    Read More

Ahmedabad, 21 Jan (Press Public News):-Fresh from its triumph in the Gujarat Assembly elections, the state BJP is set to fight the next round of electoral battles under the leadership of Chief Minister Narendra Modi.The state BJP parliamentary board began a three-day meeting in Gandhinagar yesterday to select the party candidates for the elections to 76 municipalities, 1,427 village panchayats and byelections for 15 seats in 11 municipalities and two seats in the Junagadh municipal corporation scheduled next month.Modi attended the meeting and exhorted the party workers to work towards ensuring party’s win in the elections to the local self-government bodies.In the past, all major political parties have kept away from contesting the local elections, below the level of municipal corporations, on the party symbol, but after Modi’s strong showing in the Assembly elections, the BJP started contesting local elections, including those of village panchayats, forcing the Congress to follow suit.In addition to the two principal rivals, the local elections this time were expected to be a three-cornered contest with the Gujarat Parivartan Party floated by former chief minister and Modi’s arch rival Keshubhai Patel announcing its intent to join the fray.While the GPP could win just two seats in the state Assembly elections, the party believed it could penetrate better at the grass-roots level and improve its prospects in the bigger elections in future.Still licking    Read More

New Delhi, 21 Jan (Press Public News):-The BJP today issued the notification for its presidential election in which Nitin Gadkari, the present incumbent, is set to be re-elected unopposed. Sources said Gadkari was likely to file his nomination papers on January 23, the date of election.There have been reports in recent days that senior party leader LK Advani had floated the names of Leader of the Opposition Sushma Swaraj and Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi for the post. The two leaders have, however, not shown keenness in occupying the top post at this stage.Gadkari is said to also enjoy backing of the RSS despite allegations of corruption against the Purti group of companies with which he has been associated.The RSS feels Gadkari, who took over the reins of the party soon after the BJP’s second consecutive Lok Sabha poll defeat in 2009, should lead the party in the next election.The BJP had in September amended its Constitution at its Surjakund conclave to give a second successive term to the party chief.However, several top BJP leaders had turned against Gadkari after he courted controversy when the corruption charges surfaced against the Purti group. Noted lawyer and BJP Rajya Sabha member Ram Jethmalani was the first to raise the banner of revolt against him. He was subsequently suspended from the party. Other senior leaders like Yashwant Sinha, Jaswant Singh and Shatrughan Sinha were also said to be of the view that Gadkari’s continuance as the part    Read More

Bangalore, 21 Jan (Press Public News):-Former External Affairs Minister SM Krishna’s decision to give a miss to the Congress’s “Chintan Shivir” at Jaipur has raised doubts about the possible extent of his participation in campaigning for the Assembly elections in Karnataka. Elections to the 225-member Assembly, which includes one nominated member, are due in May.Krishna, who recently quit as Foreign Minister ostensibly to play a major role in the state unit, was recently made a permanent invitee to the Congress Working Committee. But he skipped the party’s conclave at Jaipur on the ground that he had a prior commitment to attend a meeting in Vietnam.With octogenarian Krishna still not showing much interest in the state politics, the Congress, the main opposition party in the state, continues to be caught in a wrangle over the leadership issue.Parameshwara, a Dalit, is right now the KPCC chief even as S Shivashankarappa, who belongs to the politically influential Lingayat community, persists with his demand to be made the state unit chief.Earlier this month, Krishna and his wife got their names included in the voters’ list of Somanahalli, a step which was being seen as a sign that Krishna may contest the Assembly poll.    Read More

Jaipur21 Jan (Press Public News):-Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde today kicked up a controversy when he accused the BJP and the RSS of indulging in terror activities, provoking angry reaction from the saffron brigade.Addressing the AICC session in Jaipur, he said, “Reports have come during investigation that the BJP and the RSS conduct terror training camps to spread terrorism...bombs were planted in the Samjhauta Express, Mecca Masjid and also a blast was carried out in Malegaon.” The government would have to take these things seriously and remain alert, he added.The Home Minister’s remarks were slammed by both the BJP and the RSS, which termed them as dangerous and divisive. In New Delhi, BJP spokesman Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said Congress president Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi must apologise to the nation for Shinde’s remarks.Shinde, however, stuck to his stand saying what he said had already appeared in the media and was nothing new. “This is saffron terrorism that I have talked about. It is the same thing and nothing new. It has come in the media several times,” he said. To a question if it was Hindu terrorism or saffron terrorism, he said, “This is saffron terrorism (that) I have stated.”Charging Congress with having a "destructive mindset which was reflected in the Home Minister's statement", the BJP said it was "very objectionable". "It is not only unacceptable but dangerous also," party spoke    Read More

Jaipur, 21 Jan (Press Public News):-Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today said India wants friendship with Pakistan but the neighbouring country must also make efforts in this direction. Referring to the recent beheading of an Indian solider along the Line of Control, Dr Singh said New Delhi was outraged by the incident.“Pakistan committed an inhuman act along the LoC on January 8. The incident has cast a negative impact on our ties. We will take steps with care and due consideration…We want friendship with Pakistan. But they should also make efforts in this regard. It is not possible only with our efforts,” he said.The issue also found reflection in the Jaipur Declaration adopted by the party which noted that while India needs to reposition leadership in South Asia, New Delhi’s neighbours and partners at the same time must recognise the country’s legitimate security interests and concerns.“Any dialogue must be based on accepted principles of civilised behaviour and when these principles are violated India should not hesitate to take credible action,” the document said in an apparent reference to the recent killing.Tension between India and Pakistan peaked over the past two weeks after two Indian soldiers were killed by Pakistan troops along the LoC. One of the bodies was mutilated. India reported repeated ceasefire violations by Pakistan, a fact vehemently denied by Islamabad.Dr Singh had then warned that it “could not be b    Read More

 Jaipur, 21 Jan (Press Public News):-Lamenting the absence of an effective communication strategy in the party to propagate the successful welfare measures of the Congress-led UPA Government, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today suggested that the people are made aware of the work done during its tenure.“A question arises here as to why our success is not being recognised (by the people)? One reason for it is that we ourselves have not advertised it. Perhaps our communication strategies have not been very effective”, he said in his address at the All India Congress Committee session here.Much of the address was devoted to the achievements of the Government on various fronts, including the successful results of polio eradication programme, in which no case has been reported for the second year.However, he was candid in admitting that the Government was unable to control rising prices and inflation rate was much above than what it wanted. The reasons behind it were sharp increase in petroleum prices in international market and the decision to pay higher minimum support prices to farmers, he said. In the next financial year the Government, he emphasised, will have to take some solid steps to control prices.Comparing the performance of the UPA Government during the last eight years since 2004 with the six years of the BJP-led NDA regime, the Prime Minister said if the annual rate of growth stood at 5.8 per cent during the NDA Government, it averaged 8.2 per c    Read More

Lucknow, 19 Jan (Press Public News):-Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav on Friday advised the state’s IAS cadre to stay connected to people and empathise with their problems.Addressing the state’s bureaucrats on the opening day of the IAS Week, Akhilesh reminded the members of their crucial role in implementing the government’s welfare schemes.Speaking to the IAS officers, the Chief Minister asked them to think of innovative methods in order to make a quantum leap in the quality of services being provided to the people.Elaborating his point, he gave the example of a helpline being run by specially trained women police officers. The facility enables beleaguered women to lodge complaints against stalkers and those who harass over phone. Technology should be similarly used to quickly bring benefit to the people so that they were not made to wait endlessly for accessing crucial services.    Read More

New Delhi,19 Jan (Press Public News):-Even while Opposition BJP and key UPA allies - the BSP and the DMK - went ballistic against the government’s decision on diesel price hike, the attempt to gradually bring down the differential between diesel and petrol seems to have earned it a few brownie points from environmentalists.Terming it a step in the right direction, they now want the government to take the process of “un-dieselisation” of economy further by targeting the small and medium car segment (where sale of diesel models is said to be as high as 50 to 75 per cent) in the next Budget.According to CSE’s Anumita Roychowdhury, the 50-paise hike every month is not sufficient to deter “rich people” to stop buying diesel cars. Plus, it is also a long process. Therefore, what the government can do is go for higher taxes on diesel cars, particularly in the small and medium range, to control their numbers on the roads, she says.It is a recommendation that sends alarm bells ringing in the automobile industry every time it is aired. Automobile industry body, the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM), feels such a move will “stigmatise” diesel technology, which is “very unfair” to the industry. It also says utilisation by diesel personal cars is only around 1 per cent of the total consumption across various sectors. Roychowdhury, however, contends otherwise.     Read More

Bangalore, 19 Jan (Press Public News):-Former Chief Minister and KJP leader B S Yeddyurappa today ruled out the possibility of his party forming a government with BJP after the Assembly polls.“There is no question of KJP joining hands with BJP to form the government. Some of them are trying to create confusion in the minds of people. Our aim is to form KJP government on our own,” he told reporters after inaugurating KJP's Election Office here.Assembly elections are due in May. Yeddyurappa also said there is no question of his party tying up with other parties to form the government. "When I was in the BJP, I was determined to bring it to power in South India and did it. I am now determined to bring the KJP to power and I am confident I will succeed    Read More

New Delhi,19 Jan (Press Public News):-The skies opened up over northern India today as rain and snowfall lashed the region, throwing normal life out of gear, especially in the hill states of Jammu and Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh.New Delhi was in for a bout of inclement weather as rain and hailstorm lashed the national capital overnight, picking up the pace this morning. According to the MeT department, the 33.5mm rainfall in the national capital over the past 36 hours brought the maximum temperature down to 16.4° Celsius, four notches below normal.At 8.30 am today, the city had received 21 mm rainfall in 24 hours to better the record of 15.6mm rain measured in January 2003.The downpour and hailstorm left many parts of the city reeling under water-logging and traffic snarls. Vehicular movement was affected in several areas like ITO, Vikas Marg and South Extension while many parts of the city were left without power supply.The weatherman has predicted mainly clear skies for tomorrow with fog in the morning. Further north, heavy snowfall affected normal life in Kashmir which was cut off from the rest of the country with the Srinagar-Jammu national highway closed and air traffic suspended.Snowfall, which began yesterday, has resulted in snapping of electricity and water supply in many areas of the Valley, official sources said.An official of the disaster management cell said that the ski resort of Gulmarg in north Kashmir received the highest snowfall in the state with    Read More

Mumbai,19 Jan (Press Public News):-The two-member commission set up to probe the controversial Adarsh Housing Society has completed its inquiry and will submit its findings to the Maharashtra Government in April. The two-member commission - comprising Judge JA Patil (retd) and former Chief Secretary P Subramanian -which was probing the controversial project since January 2011 concluded its final sitting earlier this week. The commission was originally supposed to complete its hearing in three months but its term was extended nine times.Summing up, Government Counsel AY Sakhare told the commission that the housing society was constructed in violation of the Coastal Regulation Zone rules. The promoters, Sakhare said, did not obtain the required clearances from the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests.The commission was also told that the height of the building exceeded the height limits prescribed by the Development Control Regulations (DCR) which restricted the building's height to just 46.5 metres.However, the building now stands at 100.7 metres. Though originally conceived as a housing project for the Kargil war veterans and their next of kin, senior politicians, bureaucrats and Army officers managed to get flats allotted in the project. Some senior politicians and bureaucrats even managed to get multiple flats allotted in the names of their relatives    Read More

New Delhi,19 Jan (Press Public News):-A study of the voluntary sector in India has revealed that the Central government ministries and state governments together extended grants worth over Rs 6,654 crore to NGOs between 2002 and 2009. Among states, Gujarat was the highest funder of NGOs giving Rs 489 crore out of Rs 1,897 crore by 26 states put together.The report titled “India’s Funds to Squandered” by the Asian Centre for Human Rights (ACHR) released today says Rs 6,654 crore grant is only indicative because many states and UTs -- Jammu and Kashmir, Arunachal Pradesh, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Daman and Diu, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Mizoram, Odisha and Lakshadweep -- did not provide funding details under the Right to Information (RTI) Act.The ACHR has detailed the loopholes in the system of NGO funding by ministries which either select the organisations directly or call for recommendations from states to award projects.“There is no transparency. Projects are not being awarded on merit,” ACHR Director Suhas Chakma says. RTI replies to the ACHR reveal how NGOs blacklisted by the Council for Advancement of People’s Action and Rural Technology (CAPART) under the Ministry of Rural Development continued to receive grants.By 2009, the CAPART had blacklisted 830 NGOs but FIRs were lodged against only 129. Surprisingly, five blacklisted NGOs namely Nirmala Weaker Section (Andhra Pradesh), Sarvodaya Ashram (Bihar), Magadh Social Development Soc    Read More

New Delhi,19 Jan (Press Public News):-Twenty-two children, including four girls, will receive the National Bravery Awards from the Prime Minister ahead of the Republic Day. There names were announced here today.Ramdinthara (15) from Manipur, who sacrificed his life while trying to save his friend from drowning, is the only child to get the National Bravery Award posthumously this year.Rajasthan's Sapna Kumari Meena (14) will get award for standing up against child marriage. She wrote a letter to the District Magistrate of her area as her parents wanted to marry her off. The DM sent the area SDM who got the scheduled wedding stopped in June 2012.Importantly, the Indian Council for Child Welfare (ICCW), which gives the awards annually since 1957, has proposed the Ministry of the Human Resource Development to include tests on the National Bravery Awards in the school curriculum, also confirmed by ICCW president Gita Siddhartha.Manipur's Koroungamba Kumam, 7, happens to be the youngest among the award winners. He himself sustained burns but was successful in saving his younger sister from a fire that broke out in their house.Eighteen-year-old Renu of Delhi would get prestigious Geeta Chopra Award for exposing the alleged sexual abuse of Apna Ghar inmates in Rohtak from where she fled with two other children in May last year.The Bharat Award for exceptionally outstanding, meritorious and gallant deed went to Taran Atulbhai Mistry (17) of Gujarat for saving four persons from drowni    Read More

New Delhi, 19 Jan (Press Public News):-The Supreme Court today issued notice to the Centre seeking its response to two PILs pleading for quashing the Juvenile Justice Act 2000 that lets minors involved in ghastly crimes go scot free and terrorise society, particularly women.A Bench comprising Justices KS Radhakrishnan and Dipak Misra directed the Union Home and Law Ministries to file their response within four weeks to the PILs filed by a Chandigarh-based advocate, Salil Bali, and a Delhi-based writer, Shilpa Arora Sharma.Describing the juvenile involved in the recent rape and murder of a 23-year-old physiotherapy student in Delhi as a “ticking time bomb” that posed a constant threat to women and society, petitioner Sharma also pleaded for a thorough assessment of the age and mental status of the accused.A panel comprising at least three national and international criminal psychologists should conduct a thorough clinical examination of the accused to assess whether he was a psychopath who would endanger the dignity, honour and lives of people if allowed to walk free under the juvenile law, the PIL said.The CBI should be asked to ascertain the correct age of the accused by holding a detailed inquiry in his native and other relevant places, instead of merely going by the school certificate which seldom reflected the real picture particularly in villages where the parents were not aware of their own age let alone the date of birth of their wards.The juvenile law    Read More

Chandigarh, 18 Jan (Press Public News):-The CPI today condemned the Central Government for speaking only to the top leadership of the BJP, ignoring all other political parties, on the issue of developments on the LoC in Jammu and Kashmir.Referring to the deputing of the National Security Adviser by the Prime Minister to brief the BJP leaders Sushma Swaraj and Arun Jaitley on the LoC issue, CPI national spokesman D Raja said the BJP was not the only stakeholder in country’s security and politics.Other political parties were equally important as for as national politics and security were concerned. “It would have been better if the Prime Minister had convened an all-party meeting and briefed leaders of various parties about the developments on border,” he said.He urged both countries to resume dialogue for resolving various issues.    Read More

New Delhi, 18 Jan (Press Public News):-With less than 18 months to go for the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, the Congress ‘Chintan Shivir’ opening in Jaipur tomorrow will chalk out party’s “future course of action” by finalising a year-long mass-contact programme while giving serious thought to the constitution of a dedicated party cadre for handling organisational and election matters.The Chintan Shivir sub-group on organisation strengths, headed by Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad, has dwelt at length on the disarray in party structures and made several recommendations for streamlining their functioning to enable the Congress to overcome this problem.Realising that the Congress is ill-prepared for the 2014 electoral challenge, the sub-group led by Azad has suggested that the country be divided into eight zones and extensive mass-contact programmes be undertaken at the booth, block, district and state levels. It has been proposed that this programme commence at the earliest and end by December 31 so that all the ground work is completed before the party begins preparations for the Lok Sabha elections. The group has underlined the urgency of strengthening the party at the booth level which has been identified as the key for effective election management. “We have often found that the party workers are absent at the booth level. It is absolutely critical to have dedicated cadres at that level to mobilise the electorate,” remarked a sen    Read More

New Delhi,18 Jan (Press Public News):-In a major setback to leading aircraft manufacturer Boeing, the entire 50-strong global fleet of its much-heralded passenger jet, 787 Dreamliner aircraft, including six flown by national carrier Air India, was grounded after US regulator Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) asked all airlines to cease operations of the aircraft till a battery fire incident reported yesterday is properly investigated.The battery fire incident in Japan is the latest of several technical snags to hit the aircraft in recent weeks.The directive saw India’s civil aviation regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) advising Air India to ground its 787 fleet with immediate effect.However, the decision has also put a question mark on the future of the aircraft in Air India, which is slated to receive the remaining 21 Dreamliners over next two years. Civil Aviation Minister Ajit Singh stated that the 787s would be allowed to fly only after clearance by the US regulator and the DGCA.“Certainly, we will not fly the Dreamliner until the FAA and our own DGCA give clearance,” he said.On the seriousness of the problem, Ajit Singh said, “We will know in a couple of days how long it would take. There are about 50 Dreamliners in operation for more than a year, therefore (the aircraft has flown) more than 50,000 miles. So let us hope they can find a solution soon.”Ajit Singh said he had talked to the FAA. The US regulator had replie    Read More

New Delhi, 18 Jan (Press Public News):-The government today decided to recommend to President Pranab Mukherjee to impose Central rule in Jharkhand, where Chief Minister Arjun Munda has resigned after his government was reduced to a minority.The Union Cabinet, at a meeting chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, discussed the report of Jharkhand Governor Syed Ahmed who has favoured imposition of President's rule while keeping the 82-member state Assembly in suspended animation. The Cabinet decided to accept the Governor's recommendation and refer the matter to the President for necessary action, a minister, who attended the meeting, said.The Governor’s recommendation was made in his second report to the Centre on the political situation in the wake of Munda's resignation. The CM had sought dissolution of the Assembly after ally Jharkhand Mukti Morcha withdrew support to his government.Jharkhand, which was created in 2000, has been placed under President's rule twice.The present political instability erupted on January 8 when the BJP's ruling coalition partner JMM, in a letter to the Governor, formally withdrew its support to the 28-month-old government pushing it into a minority.In the Assembly, the BJP and the JMM have 18 members each. The Munda government had the support of six members of the All-Jharkhand Students' Union, two of the JD (U), two independents and one nominated member who has voting right in a trial of strength.The Opposition Congress has a total    Read More

Ahmedabad, 17 Jan (Press Public News):- Ahmedabad, the commercial capital of Gujarat, will soon become a safer city for women. Hit by a wave of protests in the wake of the Delhi gang-rape case, the police has been issued a series of guidelines so that the fairer sex can move safely in the city.Crime against women is less in Ahmedabad and many other parts of Gujarat compared to many other cities in the country. Chief Minister Narendra Modi can take pride that women in his state feel much more safer than when they are in the national capital.Even when the incidents of crime against women are sporadic, Modi, who also holds the Home portfolio, is far from satisfied and has directed the police to spruce up the department to handle the problems facing women in a quick and effective manner.The police has been asked to resolve complaints of eve-teasing, attacks on or threats to women within seven days and, as far as possible, file a charge sheet within 15 days to avoid any delay in justice.Women complainants will not be summoned to the police stations. Instead, the police will go to their residence or office to record statements.To make women feel safe to approach the police, all police stations have been asked to put at least two women police personnel on duty round-the-clock. The government has directed the police department to recruit more women in the force.Police patrolling in areas close to girls’ schools and colleges and working women’s hostels will be fu    Read More

Allahabad, 17 Jan (Press Public News):- Draped in saffron robe, a foreign yogi is busy these days sermonising Mahakumbh pilgrims on treasures of the Upanishads and Ramayana. “This world is one and everything in it is one. When we understand that, what’s there to be jealous about?” he says, citing his favourite passage from the Ishupanishad.Hordes flock his camp out of sheer curiosity over a white man talking the Ramayana. But for Swami Jagrajpuri, the Australian physiotherapist who abandoned his Sydney home in 1990 to follow an Indian spiritual leader all the way to Rajasthan, the colour of skin has nothing to do with the practise of religion.With sheer devotion to Hindu faith and to his NRI Guru Swami Maheshwaranand, who runs 350 yoga centres worldwide, Jagrajpuri has become the sole foreigner to rise to the position of Swami (senior spiritual leader) within an Indian spiritual order.“I was anointed Swami at the last Mahakumbh in Prayag in 2001. It has been a tough but delightful journey for me. I have managed to keep my vows and earn the trust of my guru,” he says, admitting that many foreigners are turning to Indian spirituality and Hinduism for the reason that it is ever evolving.At Swami Maheshwaranand’s camp here in Kumbh, close to 150 foreigners happily offer voluntary service from cooking and mopping to fixing tents and fetching buckets of water.“We feel good doing sewa. It’s our way of giving back to Sanatan d    Read More

Tattapani (Mandi), 17 Jan (Press Public News):- Local hoteliers, pilgrims and residents demand the immediate revival of the legendary hot sulphur springs at a higher side of the 800-MW Kol Dam project to save this tiny hot spring healing baths destination from “imminent manmade disaster”.The National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) has asked the local administration to vacate the bathing sites by February 22 to make way for the filling of the dam for the project. This notification has spelt doom for local small-time vendors and pandas, who make a living from managing the bathing ghats for pilgrims performing rituals of “tula daan” and bathing along the bank of the Sutlej round the year.Managing Director, Hot Springs Therapy and Spa, Prem Raina, who has pioneered India’s first health spa using healing sulphur here, says, “We are losing the century-old religious healing spas in the dam forever. It is a pity the Tourism Department has no crash programme for its revival or relocation so far. Ours is a solitary effort and we expect the department to step in and save and promote this God’s bounty for posterity.”Raina offers a host of facilities for his guests ranging from natural sulphur healing pools, shiropa destressing therapy and meditation and gym, apart from a 15-km-long rafting detour from Chaba to Tattapani. “Tattapani needs public toilets, proper drains and garbage collection. The HPTDC should set up its unit    Read More

Katra 17 Jan (Press Public News):- Pilgrims to the Vaishno Devi shrine were in for a pleasant surprise today as the shrine authorities opened the natural cave to them. Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board officials said the cave, Prachin Guffa, was thrown open at 10 am today. “The cave will remain open to pilgrims between 10 am and 6 pm daily, but it can be closed if the number of pilgrims increase considerably,” they said.There has been a sharp decrease in the number of pilgrims visiting the shrine to pay obeisance since January 15. The number normally decreases around this time and is attributed to year-end holidays. As per the data, 10,000 pilgrims had darshan on January 14 while the number was 13,000 the next day. The number came down to about 5,800 till 5 pm today.The development was no less than a blessing for the pilgrims who visited the shrine today. “We came to know about it on reaching the Bhawan. Though I have been coming here for several years, this is the first time that I and my family members will be able to have darshan of the Mata through the natural cave,” said Raj Kumar from Delhi.The idea behind opening the natural cave when the number of pilgrims drops is that it is a narrow passage leading to the Bhawan. Three more caves were created later. These can facilitate the passage of up to 40,000 pilgrims daily. For another pilgrim, Bishambar Dhyal of Haryana, it was a life-long wish fulfilled. “I visited the shrine in Janu    Read More

Batote, 17 Jan (Press Public News):- Nine persons were killed instantaneously, including a woman and her son, and thirteen were injured when the minibus they were travelling in from Bhaderwah to Doda rolled down into a 100-ft deep gorge at Bhalla in Bhaderwah today.The dead included Kiran Deep, his mother Pushpa Devi, residents of Dugli in Bhaderwah, Rinko Devi, Sajad Ali, a resident of Jharkhand, Asma Begum, a resident of Senai Khilani in Bhaderwah. The driver of the minibus, Shahid Hussain, Nissar Ahmed, Omraj and Jankinath succumbed to their injuries at District Hospital, Doda.The injured included Swarna Devi, Laxmi Devi, Abra Hamid, Aliya Begum, Asiya Hamid, Nissar Ahmed, Sansar Chand, Rohit Sharma, Krishen Lal Kotwal, Irshad Hussain, Mool Raj, Rutba Tabassum and Jigar.Eight injured passengers were referred to Government Medical College and Hospital, Jammu, from District Hospital, Doda.Meanwhile, Governor NN Vohra has expressed grief over the loss of lives in the road accident on the Doda-Bhaderwah road today. The Governor conveyed his sympathy to the bereaved families and prayed for the speedy recovery of the injured    Read More

Mahendergarh,17 Jan (Press Public News):- Residents of Jant and Pali villages in the district, who have been struggling for reservation in jobs and admissions at the Central University of Haryana coming up on their land, feel cheated as they have been denied the quota promised to them by the Union Government.In a communiqué sent to Bhiwani-Mahendergarh MP Shruti Chaudhary, Union Minister for Human Resource Development M.M.Pallam Raju has stated that the Central Universities Act, 2009, under which the Central University of Haryana had been established, specifically prohibits the provision of reservation on the basis of domicile and the university authorities cannot make any provision in violation of the Act.The communiqué maintains that the administration of the Central University would take all possible steps for the welfare and betterment of the area in which its campus was coming up within the framework of the Act.The minister has also stated that the Haryana Chief Minister had also been intimated of the situation.The letter, dated January 11, 2013, was in response to a demi-official letter written by Shruti Chaudhary to him on December 15, 2012, in which the MP had apprised the HRD Minister of the villagers’ demand for 10 per cent reservation in jobs and admissions at Central University and requested him to take appropriate action.Ranbir Singh, the president of the Aarakshan Bachao Sangharsh Samiti, Pali-Jant, which had been spearheading the protes    Read More

Shimla, 17 Jan (Press Public News):- Himachal Pradesh Congress Comittee chief Sukhwinder Singh today suspended newly elected Doon MLA Ram Kumar from the primary membership of the party for his alleged involvement in the Jyoti murder case.The MLA has also been sacked from the post of PCC general secretary. Ram Kumar was elected only recently and had not even taken oath as an MLA. Being on the run, he did not attend the recently held four-day session of the Vidhan Sabha. He surrendered before the Panchkula police last week.It is mandatory for any new MLA to take oath within 60 days of the declaration of result, failing which the election is quashed. The Congress has a razor-thin majority (36) in the 68-member House. With Ram Kumar out, its effective strength in the House has been 35. However, the government is being supported by three Independents and the Himachal Lokhit Party.Sukhwinder Singh said he had to take the unpleasant decision on the very first day in office, but it could not be avoided as he wanted to give a clear signal to the party men and the public that involvement in criminal activities and corruption would not be tolerated. Crime against women was all the more despicable and harsh decisions would have to be taken to ensure discipline and good conduct in the party. The image of the party was more important than individuals, he added.He would pursue the policy of zero tolerance to crime and corruption to make the Congress a party with a difference in th    Read More

New Delhi, 17 Jan (Press Public News):- A CBI court today convicted Haryana former Chief Minister OP Chautala and his son Ajay for corruption, cheating and forgery in the recruitment of 3,032 junior basic trained (JBT) teachers in 1999-2000 during his term as the Chief Minister and sent to Tihar Jail.The 78-year-old senior Chautala, chief of the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD), was held as the “main conspirator” by Special CBI Judge Vinod Kumar in his 308-page verdict. The trial court is expected to pronounce the quantum of sentence on January 22 after hearing arguments on January 17, 19 and 21.CBI special judge Vinod Kumar also convicted Chautala’s then political adviser and Kurukshetra MLA Sher Singh Badshami, and IAS officers Vidya Dhar, then Officer on Special Duty, and Sanjiv Kumar, then Primary Education Director, besides 50 others.“There is a complete chain of circumstances which pinned down accused Om Prakash Chautala as the main conspirator,” the judge said in the verdict that holds the 55 accused guilty of committing offences, including criminal conspiracy and use of fake documents.The CBI had registered a case against 62 officials and politicians on May 24, 2004. They included chairpersons and members of the district-level selection committee constituted for recruiting JBT teachers in Ambala, Bhiwani, Faridabad, Fatehabad, Gurgaon, Jhajjar, Jind, Karnal, Kurukshetra, Kaithal, Mahindergarh, Panchkula, Panipat, Rohtak, Rewari, S    Read More

Dharamsala, 16 Jan (Press Public News):- Dharamsala is once again gearing up for the cricketing season. It is a landmark achievement for the town as the Dharamsala cricket stadium is going to host an international one-day match between India and England on January 27.Earlier, the Dharamsala cricket stadium has been hosting IPL matches. However, it is for the first time that the stadium will host an international cricket match. Successful hosting of the match will bring the cricket stadium on the map of the ICC for hosting test and one-day matches.However, the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association (HPCA) will not have the support it used to get during the previous government. The HPCA is headed by Anurag Thakur, BJP MP from Hamirpur and former Chief Minister PK Dhumal’s son. The organisation had been on the target of the Congress during the elections. In fact, five of the total 50 allegations levelled in the Congress charge sheet against the previous government were against the HPCA.The major allegation against the HPCA was regarding the allotment of common land at Khaniara village near Dharamsala for the construction of a five-star hotel. The Congress had been alleging illegality in the allotment of land. The HPCA, on the other hand, had been claiming that a five-star facility for players was mandatory for hosting international cricket matches at Dharamsala. Since no private party came forward for constructing the hotel, the HPCA had to do it on its own. Though init    Read More

Mandi, 16 Jan (Press Public News):- As many as 27 passengers had a narrow escape when a private bus (HP31-5616) they were travelling in fell into a 50-ft gorge at Darvyash on the Durgapur-Mandi road this morning.The injured were rushed to the Zonal Hospital.Three passengers suffered fracture in their arms while others were reported to be out of danger, said doctors attending on them.The police has booked the driver of the bus under Sections 279 and 337 of the IPC for negligent driving.The police said the bus was on its way from Durgapur to Mandi. The passengers were given immediate relief as per the relief manual.However, further investigations are on.    Read More

Jammu, 16 Jan (Press Public News):- Today’s ministerial reshuffle in Jammu and Kashmir bears a clear stamp of Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, who believes that he will retain the current position after the 2014 Assembly poll as well. As there is a strong feeling in political circles that the poll may be held before schedule, Omar wanted to set his house in order, both in the government and the organisational structure of the party.The Assembly poll may coincide with the parliamentary elections early next year or even earlier. Hence, feel some of the National Conference leaders, the urgency on part of Omar to reshuffle the ministry and put some of his trusted lieutenants in key positions in the party.Political adviser Devender Singh Rana, who, ever since he was made a Member of the Legislative Council in February 2007, has been actively working for the party in Jammu province and also in some parts of the Valley.He also stood by the Chief Minister like a rock whenever any trouble erupted for him or the government. He is now the new provincial president of Jammu province, a responsibility- filled position.Minister of State for Home Nasir Aslam Wani, who was once political secretary to Omar when he was the National Conference president between 2002 and 2008, has been chosen for the critical post of provincial president for Kashmir division. The NC is facing a major challenge from main opposition Peoples Democratic Party there.Assertively exhibiting that he has an i    Read More

Karnal, 16 Jan (Press Public News):- Army Day was today marked by a protest by exservicemen against the brutal killing of two Indian soldiers by Pakistani army.Under the banner of Rashtriya Sainik Sangh, the protesters took out a procession in the city. They shouted slogans and demanded action against Pakistan. A memorandum addressed to the President of India was handed over to Deputy Commissioner Renu S Phuliya.Sangh president Rajbir Singh Chauhan said, “We have written to the President to save the honour and glory of the nation as well as the armed forces.” The ex-servicemen felt disheartened by India’s miserable approach to the issue, he said.“Pakistan always plays double game, at one time they are heading for peace talks and on the other hand they are killing our men. The issue should be resolved at once,” said Chauhan.Kaithal: The Haryana Exservicemen League (HESL) paid homage to lance naik Hem Raj Singh and lance naik Sudhakar Singh who became victims of the brutality of Pakistani soldiers on the Indo-Pak border a few days ago and attained martyrdom.Capt GD Tewari, president of the HESL, Kaithal district, presided over the condolence meeting in which scores of retired ex-servicemen paid tributes to the two soldiers and observed a two-minute silence.Condemning the Pakistani army, they urged the government not to adopt a soft approach towards Pakistan, but act firmly.    Read More

New Delhi, 16 Jan (Press Public News):- A day after Army Chief Gen Bikram Singh warned Pakistan, he told an Army Day parade that the Army was prepared to face all challenges to national security and foil the designs of the enemy.The Army Chief, who had yesterday told Pakistan that India would retaliate at the ‘time and place’ of its choosing to the beheading of Indian soldiers on January 8, today made his opinions even more clear saying: “The Indian Army has kept its operational preparedness at the highest level in view of various challenges.”Possibly not wanting to join the jingoism originating over the public outcry for having a ‘head-for-a-head’, the Army Chief made it clear that “Indian Army’s record is the best in the world as far as human rights is concerned.”.The Indian Army works in tough terrain like Siachen and discharge their duties in those areas while “following the principles of war and human rights”. “I want to assure the nation that the Indian Army is prepared to face all challenges to the national security....Every solider of the Indian Army is ready to face any challenge and we are ready to make any sacrifice for the security of the nation.The Army is always prepared for securing boundaries of the nation and foil the designs of the enemy. It deals with all challenges in a professional manner, he said as he went on to discuss modernisation of forces and their parity with civil admini    Read More

New Delhi, 16 Jan (Press Public News):- Clearly drawing a line for pakistan, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today said there can’t be “business as usual” with the neighbour after a clash last week at the Line of Control (LoC) in which two jawans were killed and their bodies mutilated. New Delhi backed it up by putting on hold the new visa-on-arrival facility for senior citizens of Pakistan and decided to send back all its nine players here to take part in the Hockey India League.In his first public reaction to the gruesome beheading of an Indian soldier along the LoC, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said: “After this barbaric act, there cannot be business as usual with Pakistan. Those responsible for this crime will have to be brought to book.''The PM chose to articulate the government's stance at the Army Day reception hosted by General Bikram Singh. The Prime Minister hoped Pakistan realised the message and insisted New Delhi would keep trying to make its point in the wake of Islamabad being in denial mode.Immediately after the reception, the Prime Minister called on the President and the two met for an hour, Rashtrapati Bhawan spokesman Venu Rajamony said. Though no details were shared, the exchange is understood to be about the situation at the LoC.Intending to demonstrate that its deeds match the tough talk, India put on hold visa-on-arrival for senior citizens fro Pakistan, one of the goodwill measures under the recently agreed liberalised regi    Read More

New Delhi, 15 Jan (Press Public News):- In a bid to attract foreign capital given the high current account deficit as well as allay the fears of overseas investors, the government announced Monday that implementation of the contentious General Anti Avoidance Rules (GAAR) have been postponed by two years to April 1, 2016."Having considered all the circumstances and relevant factors, the government has decided that provisions of Chapter 10A of the Income Tax Act, 1961 (dealing with GAAR) will come into force from April 1, 2016 as against April 1, 2014," Finance Minister P. Chidambaram said. The markets cheered the announcement with the BSE jumping over 242 points.The GAAR provisions, introduced by ex-finance minister Pranab Mukherjee in the 2012-13 budget, were aimed at checking tax avoidance by overseas investors. The proposal, however was opposed by foreign investors and there was a huge fall in portfolio inflows after the budget.The decision to postpone the implementation, Chidambaram said, follows the recommendations of the Shome committee that was set up by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh last July to look into investors’ concerns. He added the government had accepted the major recommendations of the panel with some modifications."The modifications that we have done are fair, non-discriminatory, just and strike a balance between interest of revenue and interest of investors. So, all apprehensions should now be set addressed," he said.GAAR will    Read More

Jammu/Poonch/Islamabad, 15 Jan (Press Public News):- The Indian Army today lodged a strong protest with Pakistan over the “barbaric” killing of two of its soldiers and recurring violations of the ceasefire agreement by the latter’s troops during the Brigade Commander-level flag meeting at Chakan-da-Bagh crossing point on the Line of Control (LoC) in Poonch.In a brazen denial, the Pakistan Army said it was not involved in the killing of the Indian soldiers and mutilation of their bodies on January 8 and did not have Lance Naik Hemraj’s head. It refused to accept that its troops crossed the LoC to target Indian posts. It claimed a Pakistani citizen was injured in firing from the Indian side in Battal sector on Monday.Army sources said the flag meeting began around 1pm and lasted about 35 minutes.“We lodged a strong protest with Pakistan over its soldiers resorting to open aggression in the KG Sector and killing two Indian soldiers besides mutilating their bodies on January 8,” sources said.The Indian side also vehemently raised the issue of recurring ceasefire violations by Pakistan along the LoC. Pakistan has violated the ceasefire at the LoC 10 times already this year. Last year, 117 violations were reported, which was a 100 per cent increase from 61 in 2011.“While voicing serious concern over brutal killing and mutilation of the bodies of two soldiers, the Indian Army demanded the severed head of the beheaded soldier, which was    Read More

New Delhi, 15 Jan (Press Public News):- In a stern warning to Pakistan, Army Chief General Bikram Singh today upped the ante saying India would retaliate militarily to the gruesome beheading of its soldier. It was an unpardonable act and its long-term strategic impact had been conveyed to India’s western neighbour, he said.Addressing the annual Army Day press conference, he said: “I have given clear directions. Retaliate to firing (from across the Line of Control). Uphold ceasefire as long as adversary upholds it. When fired at, we will respond immediately.”Virtually laying down the rules of engagement for his officers, the Army Chief said: “I expect all my commanders along the LoC to be aggressive and offensive in the face of provocation and fire.”On the January 8 beheading of an Indian soldier, he said it was a “gruesome, most unpardonable act which defies logic and is against the ethics of a professional soldier”. He said, “We will respond in the same manner. We reserve the right to retaliate at the time and place of our choosing.” He went on to add in Hindi: “Hum unko jawab dengey, pucca hai (we will respond, for sure).”He also contradicted claims of the Pakistan Army that the Indian Army had carried out an operation on January 6 and that the Pakistan Army had only responded on January 8. “There was no operation undertaken by us on January 6. The Pak army was allegedly looking at justifying and l    Read More

Jammu, 14 Jan (Press Public News):- Chief Minister Omar Abdullah today underscored the importance of financial self-sufficiency in catapulting development and attaining new highs of progress and prosperity. He called for developing a mindset by the civil society and the government to work together for realising this goal.“The hand which contributes and extends financial support is always better than the one which receives it,” he said, adding that God has bestowed upon Jammu and Kashmir his blessings in the shape of water resources in plenty and these could be utilised to transform the economy of the state by generating surplus hydro energy.Addressing a function after inaugurating a toll plaza at Lakhanpur in Kathua district today, the Chief Minister said enhancing the tax orbit was not the answer to strengthen the state’s financial position but generation of electricity in huge quantity was the only way forward to make financial autonomy rule the roost in the state’s development process.“Whatever is our right to receive from the Centre, we should get it with our heads up. But when it is in the shape of concessions and mercies, one does not feel elated,” he said. He added the total dependence on the Central financial support had to be reversed by the joint efforts and determination of the people and the state government.“We have lagged behind in harnessing the hydroelectric potential of 20,000 MW available in the state. Had    Read More

Srinagar, 14 Jan (Press Public News):- The woman panch, who was shot at by suspected militants yesterday evening, continues to remain on ventilator.Zoona Begum (45), wife of Mohammad Ramzan and a mother of three, was seriously injured when she was shot at by unidentified gunmen, suspected to be militants, outside her home at Dar Mohalla in Hardshiva village near north Kashmir’s Sopore town.A senior doctor at the Sher-i-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS) here said Zoona was admitted to the hospital last evening with firearm injury.“She is admitted to the Surgical Intensive Care Unit and she is not that stable. She continues to be on ventilator. She is still in a critical condition,” said the senior doctor at SKIMS.The doctor, who requested not be named, said the bullet had damaged the right temporal area of the woman. “Her right eye has been shattered and the bullet left from the neck area. We had to remove her eye,” the doctor said.A team of doctors which includes surgeons, anaesthetics, orthopaedics and ophthalmologists, are trying to save the woman’s life.The attack on Zoona is the second such attack in the Bomie area of Sopore by suspected militants targeting the panchayat members.On Friday, Habibullah Mir, sarpanch of Gooripora village of the Bomie area, was killed in a similar assault near his home.Sopore, 50 km from Srinagar, is among Kashmir’s last militant bastions where militancy remains resilient and res    Read More

Churanda (LoC), 14 Jan (Press Public News):- In 2003 when India and Pakistan decided on a ceasefire agreement along the Line of Control (LoC) in J&K, it brought a huge relief to border residents. But the pact did not bring any respite to soldiers as the infiltration attempts by Pakistan from across the border continued unabated.“Whether there is peace on the LoC or cross-border shelling, we always have to be on the alert,” said an Army officer based in Uri.With renewed tension between the two countries in the wake of the brutal killing of two jawans in the Poonch sector, soldiers continue to be on a high alert and are keeping a close vigil as they suspect the ceasefire violations by the Pakistan army was mainly aimed at infiltrating more militants into the state.“The militants have never stopped infiltrating. The latest ceasefire violations were aimed at pushing in more militants. So we are on a high alert and are maintaining a vigil all along,” said the officer whose area has been witnessing frequent ceasefire violations since October 15 last year.For an Army jawan posted in a forward post, the job is not easy. Almost every day, the jawan has to do a minimum of six-hour duty and that can extend up to 16 hours, depending on the situation.“These soldiers also have to do patrolling in the area,” said another Army officer in Churanda village. “We are on the job round the clock and one has to always be ready for duty.”    Read More

Karnal, 14 Jan (Press Public News):- More than 1,200 parents of newborn girls joined the "Lohri beti ke naam" celebrations in the town today to fight gender bias and discrimination against the girl child.The initiative was taken by National Integrated Forum for Artists and Activists (NIFAA). The NGO had taken the initiative in 2007 when only 114 parents turned up at the function, but the number swelled to 1,200 this time. Awareness about “treating girls like boys” was growing and soon Haryana, known for female foeticides and honour killings, would script a new chapter, said NIFFA chairman Pritpal Singh Pannu.Parents of girls below the age of one-year were invited to the function, he said, adding some parents with two or three daughters also came forward to participate in the celebrations.    Read More

Sirsa, 14 Jan (Press Public News):- Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Raj Shri Singh has suspended two constables posted at the Traffic Police Station for not performing their duties. The SSP sent the two constables, Subhash and Sandeep, to the police lines.The SSP, who had set out in the town to review traffic arrangements, found Subhash absent from the Surkhab Chowk area, where he was supposed to be on duty at that time. Similarly, Sandeep, who was assigned duty at the Laal Batti Chowk, was also found missing.“The SSP has asked DSP (Headquarters) Sultan Singh to hold a departmental inquiry into the conduct of the two constables,” said a spokesperson for the Sirsa police.Meanwhile, the SSP, who went around the town without any prior intimation, stopped and checked vehicles for traffic violations at the Laal Batti Chowk, Auto Market, Sangwan Chowk and several other points in the town.Speaking to mediapersons, the SSP said more policemen would be deployed on Chowks and other prominent traffic points, where needed.    Read More

Chandigarh, 14 Jan (Press Public News):- Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda announced a hike of Rs 45 per quintal in the rate of all varieties of sugarcane after his meeting with representatives of various organisations in New Delhi today.The Chief Minister announced that the rate of early variety of sugarcane would now be Rs 276 as against the last year’s price of Rs 231 per quintal for the crushing season 2012-13. Similarly, the rate of mid-variety would be Rs 271 instead of Rs 226 per quintal and that of late variety Rs 266 instead of Rs 221 per quintal.Hooda said while UP had increased the rate by Rs 40 per quintal this year, it had been increased by Rs 45 per quintal in Haryana.Hooda said being a farmer’s son, his every decision would be in the interests of the farming community. “I would not take such a decision which is against the farmers interests”, he added. He said the state government had ensured highest-ever prices of sugarcane as compared to other states during the past five years.The Chief Minister said his was a pro-farmer government. The government was supplying electricity to the agricultural sector at 50 per cent rates as compared to those in UP. Canal abyana had already been abolished. The state government was also giving a subsidy of Rs 3,800 crore on electricity for the agriculture sector. Hooda said that some people with vested interests were jealous of success of the government headed by a farmer’s son and trying to    Read More

Allahabad, 14 Jan (Press Public News):- Grand preparations are in place to host the world's largest human gathering, which will converge on the banks of the Ganga, on the occasion of Mahakumbh beginning tomorrow.Estimates suggest around 70 lakh pilgrims representing various faiths and regions of the globe taking a dip in the Ganga during the first ritual bath scheduled from the wee hours of tomorrow on Makar Sankranti. The day marks the start of a New Year under the Hindu calendar.Among the bathers will be top Indian sadhus with global appeal, attracting over 300 foreigners to the fair.These include Swami Awadheshanand, chief of the Juna Akhara, largest among the 13 Hindu religious orders, which will dominate the holy bath tomorrow; yoga guru Ramdev; the controversial Asaram; Murari Bapu and Swami Somnath Giri, aka Pilot Baba.Pilgrims will be the king at the fair's start as the district police has ruled out VIP movement for Mahakumbh tomorrow. Kumbh SSP RK Rathore said there was no information regarding the arrival of any VIP, including UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi tomorrow.The UP Government has sent advisories to the Centre and all states governments to avoid VIP movement for security reasons, it has been learnt.“No wise VIP will arrive here for the ritual bath tomorrow. It will become a huge security concern. VIPs are free to come any day during the 55-day Mahakumbh, which ends on March 10 on Maha Shivaratri,” Rathore said. The start of the festival and the    Read More

Poonch/New Delhi, 14 Jan (Press Public News):- Pakistan has agreed to hold a Brigadier-level flag meeting with India to defuse tension along the Line of Control (LoC) in Poonch where Pakistani troops had on Tuesday intruded into Indian territory and brutally killed two Indian soldiers before retreating to their territory.The meeting, proposed by India, will be held in Chakan da Bagh at 1 pm tomorrow, sources said.The Indian Army had sent a hotline message to the Pakistan Army on Friday and asked for a flag meeting to discuss the issues of the killing of two jawans by the Pakistani troops - reportedly belonging to 29 Baloch Regiment - and increasing incidents of firing and ceasefire violations in the Poonch sector. The Pakistan Army did not reply for two days, fully using the timeframe of 48 hours to respond. This morning, Pakistan sent a message agreeing to the meeting on Monday afternoon.When Brigadier TS Sandhu, Commander of the Indian Army’s 10th Brigade, arrives at Chakan da Bagh at the LoC for the flag meeting, he will be carrying an unyielding and strong message for his Pakistani counterpart.New Delhi will make it clear that the beheading of Indian soldiers, carried out by the Pakistani Army on January 8, was not expected of any professional and civilised army. It will also be conveyed that the Pakistan border action teams (BAT) that attempt any adventure into Indian territory would be dealt with strongly, sources said.Confidence-building measures (    Read More

New Delhi, 12 Jan (Press Public News):-Congress president Sonia Gandhi is likely to take a ceremonial dip at the Sangam in Allahabad during the Kumbh Mela.A senior Congress functionary said that she has received invitations from several religious groups but the plans for her visit are yet to be firmed up.Congress leaders were also quick to point out that there is nothing unusual about her proposed trip as it is in keeping with her family traditions. Jawaharlal Nehru and Indira Gandhi always made it a point to take a dip at the confluence of the Ganga, Yamuna and the mythical Saraswati and perform the necessary rituals during the Kumbh Mela.Sonia Gandhi’s trip to the Kumbh this time will stand out in sharp contrast to her last visit to the Mahakumbh Mela, described as one of the biggest religious gatherings.The Congress president had created a stir when she decided to participate in the mass Hindu pilgrimage in 2001. She was then the Leader of Opposition and under constant attack on account of her foreign origin.Her visit to the Kumbh Mela at that particular juncture — when she performed puja like a devout Hindu — was seen by many as an effort to find greater acceptability among the sceptical people who viewed her as an outsider and a Catholic.The Congress had also hoped to endear itself to upper-caste Hindus in the electorally-crucial state of Uttar Pradesh by this gesture where the party has been supplanted by regional players like the Samajwadi Party    Read More

Allahabad, 12 Jan (Press Public News):- Clarion calls to save Sanatan Dharma and the Ganga filled the air in the ancient city of Prayag which today saw the penultimate procession of Hindu ‘akharas’ marching to the Kumbh area in a striking display of strength and ostentation.Each of the 13 ‘akharas’ (orders) - into which Hindu saints across the country are organised - take turns to hold these processions which feature their supreme religious leaders seated comfortably in their makeshift thrones atop tractors, the modern-day chariots.Guarding the chief’s throne from the sun are gold and crimson parasols that are displayed prominently to ensure that the crowds get an easy glimpse of the supremos’ grandeur.Leading the procession are the mystical Naga sadhus, the half-naked, ash-smeared saints who represent the commando force of each ‘akhara’, walking alongside elephants and horses.Music band players - hired to add much-needed flavour to the occasion - often walk in front of the ‘akhara’ tableau, playing bhajans set to both traditional and Bollywood tunes.A spectacle to behold, the procession involves a huge amount of expenditure on the part of ‘akhara’ managers who leave no stone unturned to put their best foot forward.Conservative estimates suggest that the expenditure on all 13 processions put together could be anywhere between Rs 1 crore and Rs 2 crore.Mahant Yogendra Giri, chief representative o    Read More

New Delhi, 12 Jan (Press Public News):- The Election Commission today announced assembly elections to three north-eastern states to be conducted in two phases. Polls in Tripura will be held on February 14 while Meghalaya and Nagaland will go to polls on February 23. The results will be out on February 28.The EC also announced byelection to nine assembly constituencies in Mizoram, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal and Punjab on February 23 and in Assam, Bihar and Maharashtra on February 24, and their results will also be out on February 28.Chief Election Commissioner VS Sampath said the Model Code of Conduct will be in operation with immediate effect. He said electronic voting machines will be used in elections to the three north-eastern states as well as in byelections in all seven states.The EC will deploy observers in adequate number to ensure smooth conduct of elections and appoint adequate number of expenditure observers and assistant expenditure observers to exclusively monitor election expenditure of contesting candidates.The notification for Tripura elections will be issued on January 21 and for Meghalaya and Nagaland on January 30. All the three state assemblies have 60 seats each. While 10 are reserved for SCs and 20 for STs in Tripura, 55 assembly seats are reserved for STs in Meghalaya and 59 in Nagaland.    Read More

Jammu, 12 Jan (Press Public News):- Accusing the state government of failing to protect the lives of elected panchayat members, the All Jammu and Kashmir Panchayat Conference (AJKPC) today demanded the resignation of Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and Panchayati Raj Minister Ali Mohammad Sagar.The AJKPC expressed shock and resentment over the killing of its senior leader and sarpanch Habibullah Mir by unidentified gunmen in Zanskar in Baramulla district in the Kashmir valley. The deceased sarpanch was one of the office-bearers of the 32-member executive body of the AJKPC.Terming the killing of the sarpanch as “total failure” of the state government, AJKPC chairman Shafiq Mir demanded that the Chief Minister and the Panchayati Raj Minister should step down immediately as they could not protect the elected panchayat members who had openly been threatened by militants.“We have been urging the state government to take precautionary measures but instead of taking immediate steps to provide adequate security to the elected panchayat members, the Chief Minister resorted to political gimmicks and announced the MLC election,” Mir said.He said it was “highly shameful” that four panchayat members had been killed by terrorists so far but the Chief Minister was trying to play down these incidents by resorting to rhetoric that all these killings might not have been done by terrorists.Anil Sharma, general secretary AJKPC, while criticising the sta    Read More

Jammu, 12 Jan (Press Public News):- The city witnessed widespread protests over the killing of two Indian soldiers by the Pakistan army in the Krishna Ghati sector of Poonch district, with protesters demanding ‘strong action’ against Pakistan.The Jammu Mahanagar unit of the BJP staged a demonstration at Kachi Chwani Chowk and said the Congress-led UPA government should reconsider its foreign policy towards Pakistan.Chanting slogans against Pakistan, BJP activists led by district party president Rajesh Gupta said the Central government should not escape from its responsibility by just issuing a statement of condemnation.“The decapitation of the Army soldier is indicative of the barbaric mindset of the perpetrators of the heinous act. Holding talks with the Pakistani government for improving bilateral relations and making the situation peaceful seems to be a pipe dream,” the BJP leader said.He said the BJP would not allow any political setup in the country to fiddle with the nation’s interests and would not allow the sacrifices of brave soldiers to go waste. “Let the enemies of India take notice that these cowardly acts will not deter the brave soldiers of our country from defending every inch of our country,” he said.In Rajouri, people belonging to all communities staged a massive protest against the killing of two soldiers by Pakistani troops.The protesters gathered at the main bus stand in Rajouri and raised slogans against    Read More

Jammu, 12 Jan (Press Public News):- The brutal killing of two Indian soldiers on the Line of Control (LoC) has evoked strong reaction across the nation, but the main political parties of the state --- the National Conference, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the Congress --- have not come out with any official statement on the inhuman act of Pakistani army.Leaders of the National Conference and the PDP were quick to support continuation of the ceasefire pact on the LoC after brutal killing of two Indian soldiers on January 8 at Mendhar in the Poonch sector, but they have not uttered a single word to express sympathy with families of the two slain soldiers.The incident took place on January 8 but to date the coalition regime has not issued an official statement to condemn the brutality of the Pakistan army and express sympathy with the families of the two martyred soldiers, Lance Naik Hemraj and Lance Naik Sudhakar Singh.Today, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and PDP patron Mufti Mohammad Sayeed issued two different statements in which both leaders favoured continuation of the ceasefire pact on the LoC but in their statements they did not mention the martyred soldiers.Omar, while addressing a function at Pune, said the ceasefire pact between the two countries must continue because its violation adversely affected the population of the militancy-hit state.When asked to respond to the killing of two Indian soldiers along the LOC, Omar said: “We have already c    Read More

Jammu/Poonch 12 Jan (Press Public News):- Pakistan on Friday stopped the weekly bus service between Poonch in Jammu and Kashmir and Rawalkote in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), escalating tension between the two countries. The development comes a day after Islamabad suspended the trans-LoC trade and refused to open the gates for Indian trucks at Chakkan-da-Bagh crossing in Poonch.Pakistan, in a hotline message, conveyed to Indian authorities about the suspension of the weekly cross-LoC bus service ‘Rahen Milan’ in the wake of mounting tension along the LoC.“Pakistan officials have conveyed us that there would be no cross-LoC bus service on Monday. They have said there would be no trade and travel between the two sides till the situation normalises along the LoC,” said Trade Facilitation Officer (TFO), Poonch.He said no trade was carried out between two sides for the second consecutive day on Friday and some truckers, who were stranded at Chakkan-da-Bagh crossing point, had returned to Poonch. “As many as 21 trucks were still stranded. We have told traders about the Pakistan Government’s decision,” he said, adding that no time frame had been fixed by Islamabad for resumption of trade and travel between the two sides. The cross-LoC bus service between Chakan-Da-Bagh (J&K) and Rawalakote (PoK) was started in June 2006 as a major CBMs.Pakistani troops, meanwhile, violated the ceasefire agreement again by firing indiscr    Read More

Allahabad, 11 Jan (Press Public News):- Three days ahead of Mahakumbh, the world’s largest gathering, the Allahabad police was found grappling with a rather unusual challenge — the wreckage of godman Asaram’s tent where he and his followers are supposed to congregate, beginning January 13, in a show of strength.But the long shadow of Asaram’s reprehensible statement made in the wake of the Delhi gang rape of December 16, has reached the holy city of Allahabad where the religious leader’s camp area was found vandalised by the police today after last night’s reports of the parts of the camp being set ablaze.While the police is yet to figure out who played truant, the mood across the religious congregations in the city was clearly anti-Asaram, who said a couple of days ago that the victim of the Delhi rape that shook the nation should have pleaded for mercy from her “brothers”.The spiritual leader then went on to call the critics of his statement “barking dogs”.But here in the Mahakumbh city, which is getting ready to host the massive festival of faith after 12 years (the usual cycle of the Mahakumbh), Asaram seemed like a virtual pariah today.The Tribune found every randomly picked visitor - pilgrim or sage - voicing dissent against Asaram’s mindset over the recent rape in the national capital.Sadhvi Savitri Mishra, who runs a religious organisation in Ayodhya, said, “How can Bapu Asaram    Read More

Lucknow, 11 Jan (Press Public News):- The mercury remained at sub-zero levels in at least five districts of Uttar Pradesh claiming 16 more lives over the past 24 hours taking the death toll due to the bitter cold to 249.According to reports from the metrological office, Gorakhpur and Ghazipur clocked -1°C and remained the coldest places in the state followed by Lucknow at -0.7°C.Kanpur, which was the coldest in the state yesterday at -1.1°C today, registered a slight increase in temperature at -0.4°C. Bareilly also experienced sub zero temperatures at -0.1°C.According to reports, five persons died due to the chill in Deoria, four each in Ghazipur, Kushinagar and Maharajganj, three each in Ballia, Rae Bareli and Etah, two each in Bijnore, Mirzapur, Chandauli and one each in Bahraich and Hathras.    Read More

New Delhi, 11 Jan (Press Public News):- India today hosted the first standalone meeting of the National Security Advisers (NSAs) of BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) nations that featured discussions on a range of global issues, including terrorism, cyber security and piracy.The meeting was attended by India’s NSA Shivshankar Menon, Chinese State Councillor Dai Bingguo, Russia’s Security Council Secretary Nikolai P Patrushev, Brazil’s Secretary for Strategic Affairs Ricardo Paes de Barros and South Africa’s Minister of State for Security Siyabonga C Cwele.Briefing reporters after the meeting, Menon said the BRICS NSAs have met on the sidelines of each summit. However, it had been felt that the NSAs should also hold meetings regularly to discuss cooperation among the five countries as well as to take stock of global developments.The five BRICS nations that represent nearly 43 per cent of the world population have maintained stable and fast growth on the whole thus becoming an important force in pushing forward the global economic agenda.The meeting also discussed major international security-related issues that the five nations’ top leadership will talk about during the fifth BRICS summit in Durban, South Africa, in March.Menon said there was an in-depth discussion on the situation in Syria, Libya and Mali. The representatives of the five countries were of the view that the Syrian people should be allowed to decide th    Read More

New Delhi, 11 Jan (Press Public News):- Police today filed a comprehensive status report in the Delhi High Court, giving details about the investigations into the recent gang rape and murder of a 23-year-old physiotherapy student in the city and the security arrangements on the night of the crime on December 16 and thereafter.A Bench comprising Chief Justice D Murugesan and Justice VK Jain took the report on record after Delhi Police counsel Dayan Krishnan tendered an apology for filing an incomplete report earlier.The Bench noted that the fresh report had named all the police personnel deployed on the routes taken by the bus in which the six accused persons had raped and brutally assaulted the victim while keeping the vehicle on the move.According to the status report, all these police personnel are named as witnesses in the chargesheet filed in the trial court. The HC had rejected the previous report filed by the police, observing that it had failed to identify the security personnel despite clear instructions by the Bench.Meanwhile, the HC agreed to hear a plea by an advocate to direct the trial court to hold the proceedings in the open court. The trial court has decided to hold the trial in camera, making it out of bounds for the media and others who have nothing to do with the case. The magistrate took the decision to avoid overcrowding in the courtroom. However, advocate Meenakshi Lekhi contended in the HC that the “whole nation wants to know about the p    Read More

New Delhi,11 Jan (Press Public News):- More and more Indians are saying it with flowers and trade figures suggest that India is now the second largest consumer and fastest growing retail destination of flowers in the world.Among the biggest contributors to the country’s growing flower power are Punjab and Haryana and the Himachal-Shivalik belt, while at its core are the 30-crore middle class and higher income Indians who are ensuring that the consumption grows at a whopping 30 per cent per annum - the fastest perhaps in any sector.Growing in-house demand is also pushing India as a major importer. Flower imports are not encouraged officially following high import duties but traders are still importing to meet the growing demand, a clue perhaps for farmers to diversify to flowers in a major way.While Germany is the largest consumer, Holland is the largest importer and exporter of flowers in the world.“Flowers are for all occasions - celebrations, marriage, New Year’s Eve and Valentine’s Day and even death,” says S Jafar Naqvi, president of the Indian Flowers and Ornamental Plants Welfare Association (iFlora), and one of the organisers of the International Flora Expo beginning in Delhi from January 11.Rising incomes, globalisation and awareness are all contributors to this growth story which started with export oriented units around two decades ago in 1993.The exports peaked in 2006-07 when India shipped flowers worth Rs 750 crore in 2006-07, j    Read More

Katra 10 Jan (Press Public News):-Two Vaishno Devi pilgrims were killed and 21 others were injured, 16 of them critically, when a Katra-bound bus overturned near Nomai on the Katra-Jammu highway today.Reasi District Magistrate Nirmal Sharma said a bus carrying pilgrims, who were on their way to Jammu after paying obeisance at the Vaishno Devi cave shrine, met with the accident near Nomai while the driver of the bus was trying to negotiating a sharp curve.The dead have been identified as Romesh Kumar (25), a resident of Chandi Morh, Pouni, and Divash Ram Dhati (25), a resident of Bhopal.“The vehicle skidded off the road. We are investigating the case. All the injured persons were provided first aid at the accident spot before being shifted to GMCH. All the injured belong to Bhopal and are related to each other,” said Reasi SSP Thakur Raghuvir Singh.Meanwhile, the traffic on the highway was disrupted for more than an hour during the rescue operation at the accident site.     Read More

Jammu 10 Jan (Press Public News):- BJP state president Jugal Kishore Sharma has condemned the killing and decapitating of two Indian soldiers by Pakistani troops in the Krishna Ghati sector of Poonch district yesterday.In a statement issued here, Sharma said the act of beheading one of the Indian soldiers and carrying away his head was inhuman and an extreme act of disrespect to the dead.“It is also against the international laws and the United Nations terms and conditions for treating enemy soldiers during war time. It is astonishing that even in the absence of war, such violation of international military decorum has taken place,” he said.Hitting out at the Congress-led UPA government at the Centre, Sharma said it was because of the inconsistent and soft policy of the Centre that such acts took place repeatedly and the culprits didn’t get punished.“After every such act, the Union Government declares that the matter will be taken up at the highest level with Pakistan but no follow up has ever been seen, which encourages the enemy designs,” Sharma said.Referring to peace talks with Pakistan, Sharma said talks and bullets do not go together and the time had come when the Centre should reconsider its policy on Pakistan.“It is unfortunate that the incident took place when the Interior Minister of Pakistan has concluded his visit to India recently for the so-called peace talks and a cricket series was also played between the two count    Read More

Rohtak 10 Jan (Press Public News):-The strike by sugarcane growers in district entered fifth day today. The agitating farmers said they would not to let the sugarmills operate till their demands were accepted. They demanded Rs 300 per quintal minimum support price (MSP) for the sugarcane. They also threatened to block roads if their demands were not accepted. Kandela Khap has announced its support to the agitating farmers.“There are three sugarmills in Rohtak and Jind districts and their crushing capacity is over 75,000 quintals per day. But, both the crushing and production of sugar have come to standstill since the launch of the agitation on January 5,” said a spokesperson of the Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU), on whose call the strike was started.Regarding the delay on the part of the state government in accepting their demands, he said it appeared that the state government was least bothered about the welfare of the farmers.    Read More

Chandigarh, 10 Jan (Press Public News):While blaming the Hooda government for propping up the Jat agitation, the BJP today rejected the report of the Haryana State Backward Classes Commission recommending 10 per cent quota for Jats and four other castes in Haryana.Newly elected BJP president Ram Bilas Sharma here today said the party disapproved of the quota on caste basis. “The BJP’s stand is very clear, the reservation should be given on economic basis and not on caste,” he asserted.Taking potshots at Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, Sharma alleged that the large-scale violence by the pro-quota Jat agitators, which led to damage to public property, had the blessings of the state government.Asserting that the alliance with the Haryana Janhit Congress (HJC) was intact, he said both the parties would contest 45 seats each in the coming assembly elections, while the BJP would leave two of the 10 Lok Sabha seats for its alliance partner in the next Lok Sabha elections. In fact, a final decision on the seats to be contested by each party would be taken soon, he added.Coming down heavily on the ruling Congress on deteriorating law and order situation, Sharma alleged that 10 ministers of the Hooda Government were involved in various criminal activities.Sharma demanded a price of Rs 354 per quintal for the sugarcane growers.    Read More

New Delhi, 10 Jan (Press Public News):- The United Progressive Alliance government today announced an across-the-board hike in railway fares, putting an extra burden on passengers from the midnight of January 21.Ten months after withdrawing its Budget proposal to raise passenger fares under political pressure from the Trinamool Congress, Railway Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal announced that the decision taken after a decade would generate additional revenue of Rs 6,600 crore every year.Fares of ordinary second class (suburban) trains will go up by 2 paise per km, while passengers will have to pay an extra 3 paise per km for non-suburban travel.Travel by second class mail and express trains will be costlier by 4 paise per km, while it will be expensive by 6 paise in sleeper class.Travellers in AC chair car and AC three tier will pay 10 paise more per km, first class 3 paise, AC two tier 6 paise and AC first class 10 paise more. The fares for first class, AC two tier and AC first/executive class have already been raised by 10, 15 and 30 paise per km, respectively, in the current year’s Budget.On the rationale behind the hike, the minister said it was necessitated by mounting losses, rising input costs and lower than anticipated earnings from freight that cross-subsidised passenger travel.“Basic fares were not revised in the past 10 years, except for the increase in respect of the first class, AC first and AC two-tier travel.“Losses in the passenger segment,    Read More

New Delhi, 10 Jan (Press Public News):- Tension between India and Pakistan flared up on Wednesday with New Delhi lodging a strong protest through diplomatic and military channels a day after the brutal killing of two soldiers by the Pakistan Army.Even as the government directed the Army not to retaliate, the force conveyed to its counterparts that the onus of consequences of the recent round of military belligerence would lie on Pakistan. Yet, Islamabad remained in denial mode. The Pakistan High Commission rejected the charge that Pakistani troops had killed the Indian soldiers.Army sources said the operation from the Pakistani side was carried out by the Special Services Group (SSG), a NSG-type commando unit of the Army.“Even though the underlying message is to hold the 2003 ceasefire agreement and not escalate matters, we will do what we will do at our own time to respond,” a top ranking Army official said. Army authorities refused to be drawn into setting a time-frame for such a response.Defence Minister AK Antony described Pakistan’s action as “highly provocative” and said the way the bodies of the Indian soldiers were treated was inhuman and highly objectionable. External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid termed the incident as “unacceptable” and warned the incident could have an adverse impact on bilateral ties. “We cannot and must not allow escalation of this very unwholesome event that has taken place,” he    Read More

Manali, 9 jan (Press Public News):-Snow continues to elude winter sports lovers in this region. The Solang valley, 13 km from here, which offers one of the most spectacular ski slopes in the western Himalayas, presents a deserted look these days. The main ski slopes of the Valley, which usually have two to four feet snow, are devoid of snow this time.Ski lovers are disappointed because only about two and half feet of snow fell in the month of December.This year, Manali and its surrounding areas experienced the season’s first snowfall on December 11. But the ski slopes of the Valley experienced only about two and half feet of snow on December 14. Due to the rise in temperature the snow melted in a week.The Atal Bihari Vajpayee Institute of Mountaineering and Allied Sports, Manali, used to conduct many skiing courses during winter months at Solang ski slopes and had imparted training to hundreds of participants from all over the country.Mahavir Thakur, Deputy Director of the institute, said the 14-day basic and advanced ski courses were starting from January 11. A seven-day elementary skiing course was also starting from January 15, he added.He further said about 40 participants in basic ski course and 35 participants were undergoing training in elementary ski courses at the ski slopes. If the weather conditions remained dry in the region and the slopes do not experience fresh snowfall, the courses would be postponed till fresh snowfall, he said.According to som    Read More

Hyderabad/New Delhi, 9 jan (Press Public News):- In a fresh crackdown on YSR Congress party chief Jagan Mohan Reddy and his associates, the Enforcement Directorate today attached assets worth Rs 143.74 crore in connection with its probe in the money laundering case against him.The ED attachment order, under criminal provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), comes in less than four months after the agency first issued two separate attachment orders of Rs 51 crore and Rs 71 crore respectively against the Kadapa Member of Parliament and others involved in this disproportionate assets case.Today's order has been issued against the Ramky group which the ED order alleges earned "proceeds of crime" by alleged illegal favours done by the then AP Government. The case pertains to the tenure of Jagan's father and former chief minister YS Rajasekhara Reddy, who died in a helicopter crash in 2009.     Read More

Ahmedabad, 9 jan (Press Public News):- Even as the post of the Leader of the Opposition in the Gujarat Assembly has remained wide open, the senior-most Congress leader to be elected in the just-concluded Assembly elections, Shankarsinh Vaghela, is believed to be reluctant to take the seat.Vaghela was considered to be the automatic choice for the post, if willing, after the defeat in the elections of the two former leaders of the Opposition, Shaktisinh Gohil, who was the leader in the outgoing House, and Arjun Modhvadia, his predecessor. Modhvadia was the president of the state Congress but following his defeat in the elections, he submitted his resignation to the party high command, but a decision on accepting his resignation and to find his successor is still pending.Another senior party leader, Siddhartha Patel, the son of the former chief minister Chimanbhai Patel, too was defeated in the elections, while the former deputy chief minister Narhari Amin was not considered for a ticket and he quit the Congress to cross over to the BJP.Vaghela was learnt to be unwilling to accept the office of the Leader of the Opposition, which enjoyed the status of a minister of state, particularly because he will have to sit opposite, and a lesser dignified chair, to his most bitter enemy, chief minister Narendra Modi. Vaghela, who was one of the founder leaders of the erstwhile Jana Sangh and later the BJP in Gujarat, along with another former chief minister Keshubhai Patel, was a    Read More

New Delhi, 9 jan (Press Public News):-The Supreme Court today issued notice to Amitabh Bachchan on an appeal filed by the Income Tax Department, contending that the actor had earned Rs 26.29 crore in 2000-01 by hosting the television show, Kaun Banega Crorepati (KBC), and not Rs 6.09 crore as declared in his revised tax return.A Bench of Justices DK Jain and Madan B Lokur sought Bachchan’s response to the government appeal challenging the Bombay High Court’s February 29, 2012 verdict that was in the actor’s favour.Bachchan had filed his first return in October 2001, showing his come as Rs 4.62 crore. He filed a revised return in October 2001 declaring his total income at Rs 6.09 crore. He had then stated that only 30 per cent of the Rs 23 crore earned in that financial year belonged to him, while the remaining 70 per cent had gone to his company, AB Corporation Ltd.     Read More

Shimla, 9 jan (Press Public News):-The National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) has decided to carry out four-laning of the Parwanoo-Shimla section of the NH-22 under a single project, instead of two separate projects as planned earlier. As per the decision, the Rs 808 crore project for the Parwanoo-Solan section and Rs 1,800 crore project for the Solan-Shimla section had been combined into a single project which would cost Rs 1,786 crore.The decision was taken after work on the four-laning of Parwanoo-Solan was delayed due to redesigning of the project to change the alignment of some portions to avoid large-scale demolition of commercial and residential structures along the road.The redesigned project covered 39.138 km from Timber Trail to Chambaghat and the revised cost came to Rs 808 crore. It had been merged with the 50-60 km Solan-Shimla section extending from Chambaghat to the Mashobra-Kufri bifurcation near Dhalli, virtually bypassing the entire Shimla city.The combined project would have five tunnels with a total length of 3.78 km, five railway over-bridges, 12 major bridges with an elevated road section at Kandaghat where the four lanes would pass over the rail track. The total length would be 89.70 km and thus it would help reduce the distance by about 16 km. The Solan-Shimla lane would take a new alignment from Kaithlighat and run along the Shoghi and Tara Devi hills to join the Junga road.The tunnels would be constructed between Kumarhatti and Solan on    Read More

Dharamsala, 9 jan (Press Public News):- The diktat of the Congress high command seems to have prevailed as the party opted for Brij Bihari Lal Butail, veteran leader from Palampur, as the nominee for the post of Speaker of the 12th state Assembly.Butail filed his nomination papers today and was the only legislator to do so. He is likely to be elected unanimously tomorrow. He is the choice of the rival camp led by Kaul Singh Thakur and Asha Kumari.The Congress Legislature Party (CLP) met here last night, but had failed to arrive at a consensus over Butail as the choice for Speaker. Sources said the diktat of the high command resulted in Butail being made the party choice.Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh and Minister for Health and Family Welfare Kaul Singh played down the controversy.Virbhadra Singh said the reported differences over the selection of Butail as the Speaker were created by the media.The party made a unanimous choice and there was no difference on the issue, he added. Kaul Singh denied that there were differences over the selection of Butail for the post of Speaker.Butail is the richest politician in the state, owning movable and immovable assets worth more than Rs 150 crore. He is rich on account of the value of his tea gardens in Palampur.Butail is a former Revenue Minister and his family has always been affiliated with the Congress. His elder brother Kunj Bihari Lal Butail has been the state Congress chief.Brij Bihari Lal Butail won his first election from    Read More

Dharamsala, 9 jan (Press Public News):- Newly elected legislators, including 22 first-timers, were administered the oath by Pro-Tem Speaker Mansa Ram on the first day of the winter session of the state Assembly here today.The Assembly has 68 elected members. Doon legislator Ram Kumar Chaudhary, accused in a murder case, could not be administered the oath as he was not present.Police teams from Himachal Pradesh and Haryana were deputed in the Assembly complex today to arrest Chaudhary in case he came for the oath-taking ceremony.Amid speculation that Chaudhary might turn up, the Bharatiya Janata Party decided to raise the issue of law and order. On coming to know that the accused legislator surrendered, Leader of the Opposition PK Dhumal said the law should take its own course.Sources here said Chaudhary would continue to be a legislator unless he was convicted. He would have to attend at least one of the three Assembly sessions.Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh was the first to be administered the oath in the Assembly, followed by Dhumal. A large number of people and delegations of employees gathered outside the Assembly complex to meet the Chief Minister.Carrying their demand charters, most of them had to return dejected as the Chief Minister left without giving them the chance to meet him.The Opposition was jubilant as many legislators cracked jokes on how they failed to form the government. In the ruling camp, legislators were hobnobbing within their respective groups.Th    Read More

Anantnag, 9 jan (Press Public News):-Inspector General (IG) of the CRPF SS Sandhu today maintained that the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) has not been used for more than a year now and said security forces had been enjoying good public support in recent times.Speaking to the media on the sidelines of a function here, the CRPF IG said the AFSPA would be used by security forces when needed.“For the last one year, the AFSPA has not been used and it will be used only when the need arises,” said the IG.He said it might be in use in the border areas, but certainly not in urban areas of Kashmir.Sandhu said security forces had been successful in gaining public trust and were enjoying a good deal of public support in its anti-incumbency operations in the Valley.“The people of Kashmir are fed up of militancy and have been extending full support to security forces in fighting militants,” he said. He said the people of Kashmir and security forces were working in tandem.He said security forces were taking utmost care of collateral damage during anti-militancy operations. He said the firing incident in Pulwama during an encounter was not part of the encounter.“An inquiry is going on in the firing incident and the report will speak for itself. All I can say is that the security forces did not fire,” said Sandhu.Ten people were injured after the Army allegedly opened fire on civilians during an encounter in Pulwama district.While the Army ha    Read More

New Delhi, 8 Jan (Press Public News):- Suresh Kalmadi, facing trial in the Commonwealth Games scam, today withdrew his appeal in the Supreme Court challenging the Delhi High Court verdict virtually unseating him as president of the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) and disqualifying him from contesting for the post again.A Bench headed by Justice HL Dattu allowed him to withdraw the appeal on the ground that the IOA election had already taken place.Pointing out that Kalmadi had remained as IOA president for more than 12 years, the maximum period allowed, the HC had said that if he “still wants to continue,” he should justify it within two weeks.Kalmadi had challenged this in the SC, contending that the HC had no jurisdiction to oust an elected official of an autonomous society    Read More

Kochi, 8 Jan (Press Public News):- India continues to be the top beneficiary of overseas remittances as its foreign exchange reserves are expected to swell by $69.9 billion this financial year. Starting with $430 lakh in 1975, overseas remittances have been swelling at a rapid pace benefiting mainly Kerala, Gujarat and Punjab, the home states of majority of nearly 25 million overseas Indians. These remittances are in addition to the foreign direct investment (FDI). However, Punjab and Gujarat are far behind Kerala in overseas remittances.Kerala, that has 2.28 million overseas Indians of whom 2.3 million are in the Gulf region alone, received Rs 49,695 crore in overseas remittances last year. At the opening session of the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas 2013, a seminar on the NRIs in the Gulf saw political leaders eulogising Gulf-Malayalee symbiotic relationship and highlighted steps being taken by both the Union Government and the state government for the welfare of the NRIs.Overseas remittances on an average benefit each Malyalee household Rs 63,315 per annum. Each household in Kerala that has an emigrant have better quality houses and higher educational qualifications. Kerala has been one of the first states to have an independent department to look after its ever growing population of the NRIs. Besides the grant of voting rights following an amendment to the Citizesnhip Act a couple of years ago, Kerala has also extended the voting facility to NRIs in the local bodies an    Read More

Ranchi, 8 Jan (Press Public News):-In a new twist to the tussle for power between the two allies, Jharkhand's ruling coalition partner JMM today decided to withdraw support to the Arjun Munda-led BJP government in the state, pushing it to a minority.JMM leader and Deputy Chief Minister Hemant Soren said the decision taken at the party's executive committee meeting was "unanimous" and taken after talking to several BJP leaders, including its Jharkhand affairs in-charge Dharmendra Pradhan.Late tonight, a meeting of BJP's state core committee, including Pradhan and senior leader Yashwant Sinha, was on to discuss the development.“After a series of meetings, JMM has decided to withdraw support to the (BJP-led) government,” Hemant Soren told the media here after the party's executive committee meeting.JMM chief Shibu Soren said the party would hand over tomorrow a letter conveying to Governor Syed Ahmed its decision to withdraw support to Munda government.In the 82-member state Assembly, the BJP and the JMM have 18 members each and the Munda government enjoys the support of six members of All Jharkhand Students' Union, two of the JD(U), two independents and one nominated member who has voting right in trial of strength.Opposition Congress has a total 13, Jharkhand Vikas Morcha (P) 11 and theRJD five members in the Assembly.Earlier, Munda met JMM chief Shibu Soren and discussed the political situation in the state.The JMM has put before the BJP ‘over    Read More

Hyderabad, 8 Jan (Press Public News):- The firebrand Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (MIM) legislator Akbaruddin Owaisi, who is in the eye of a storm over his alleged “hate speech”, today sought four days time to appear before the police in Andhra Pradesh, citing ill-health.Owaisi, whose inflammatory public speeches had triggered outrage across the political spectrum, returned to the city in the early hours today from London where he reportedly underwent treatment for intestinal injuries sustained in an attack by his rivals over a land dispute here in April 2011.Following court directions, three separate cases have been registered against Owaisi, who is the MIM floor leader in the State Assembly, under IPC Sections 121 (waging or attempting to wage war against the Government of India) and 153-A (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion) and 295A (deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs).The 42-year-old politician, known for his rabble rousing speeches and aggressive approach, was given a hero’s welcome by a large number of MIM workers and supporters when he arrived at the airport. He was taken in a rally to his Banjara Hills residence in what is being seen as a show of strength. Expecting a huge crowd, the police made elaborate security arrangement at the airport.Owaisi was supposed to appear before the police at Nirmal in Adilabad district    Read More

New Delhi, 8 Jan (Press Public News):- The cold wave condition intensified with the minimum temperature plummeting sharply, throwing normal life out of gear in many places of the North. According to weather office, the lowest minimum temperature of minus 3.0 degree Celsius was recorded at Narnaul (Haryana) in the plains of the country.With cold wave conditions raging, Delhi continued to shiver as mercury remained below normal by five notches to settle at 2.4 degree Celsius. The maximum temperature too dipped to seven degrees below normal to settle at 13.4 degree Celsius.In the neighbourhood, Hisar reeled with a low of minus 0.8 degree Celsius, two degrees below normal, followed by Bhiwani with 0.5. Minimum temperature in Amritsar settled at a low of 1.8 degrees Celsius while Patiala and Ludhiana recorded the minimum temperatures of 2.4 and 2.7 degree Celsius, respectively.The entire Kashmir Valley continued to reel under intense cold with night temperature hovering several degrees below freezing point. The minimum temperature recorded in Srinagar was minus 4.9 degree Celsius, down by 0.3 notches from yesterday’s minus of 4.6 degrees Celsius. The Met office said the Kargil town in frontier region of Ladakh was the coldest place in the state with a low of minus 16.4 degree Celsius, while mercury in Gulmarg plunged further to minus 9.8 degree Celsius. Shimla, the capital of Himachal Pradesh, shivered at a low of minus 0.6 degree Celsius. Rajasthan continued to re    Read More

New Delhi, 8 Jan (Press Public News):- Students entering the IIT system from this academic session will have to pay 80 per cent more annual tuition fee than those currently enrolled in the premier technical institutes.The IIT Council today granted its approval to hiking the annual tuition fee at the 16 institutes from the current Rs 50,000 to Rs 90,000. All undergraduates joining IITs from 2013 will have to pay the enhanced fee. The fee is applicable only prospectively and will not cover the existing batches.Students from disadvantaged sections, Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes will not be charged any fee and their education will continue to be subsidised by others who have the capacity to pay. Also, 25 per cent students in 16 IITs whose annual parental income is less than Rs 4.5 lakh a year will continue to get 100 per cent scholarships. SC and ST students already get free mess, free books and free hostel facility.The decision was taken this evening by the IIT Council, the supreme policy-making body in respect of IITs, at a meeting chaired by HRD Minister MM Pallam Raju.Defending the hike, Raju said it would not affect anyone adversely. The past evidence suggested that no JEE pass out had ever had to quit his course midway on account of inability to pay the fee, he added.“The idea is to ensure that IITs are no longer dependent on non-plan funding and generate their own resources on the lines of IIMs. We do not want to make the IITs profitable, but we cer    Read More

New Delhi, 8 Jan (Press Public News):- The proceedings in the case of gang rape and murder of the 23-year-old girl in a bus in Delhi will be held in camera, a local court today ordered after the five accused were produced before it.Metropolitan Magistrate Namrita Aggarwal also restrained the media from reporting and publishing the proceedings of the case in the court after the Delhi Police filed an application under Section 327 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPc) for in-camera proceedings. The section also prevents the media from reporting the legal procedures.MM Aggarwal ordered, “The proceedings, including the inquiry and the trial, can be held in-camera. I am invoking Section 327 (2)(iii) of the Cr PC. Everyone except the accused and the Special Public Prosecutor is directed to vacate the courtroom.”The five accused, Ram Singh, his brother, Mukesh, Pawan Gupta, Vinay Sharma and Akshay Kumar Singh were given a copy of the chargesheet and will be produced before the court on January 10.Earlier, reporters and curious lawyers thronged court room number 207 of the Saket District Court. Inside the court room, several women lawyers from the local bar association objected to those who volunteered to represent the five accused in the court. The women lawyers argued that the government will instead provide legal aid to the accused.The court proceedings that were to start at 12.30 pm were delayed by an hour as the lawyers continued to argue with each other.    Read More

New Delhi, 8 Jan (Press Public News):- Chief Justice of India Altamas Kabir has directed all High Courts and trial courts in the country to fast-track cases of crime against women as the “time has come” for expeditious disposal of these cases “on a priority basis”.Describing rape as a “physical barbarism” that affected the “very soul” of the victim, the CJI in a letter to all HC Chief Justices said all efforts to check violence against women would go waste unless such cases were fast-tracked.“Delay may be one of the factors contributing to the rise in the number of such cases, inasmuch as, on account of such delay deterrence pales into insignificance. Time has come when these cases have to be dealt with expeditiously, lest we should fail in our endeavour to arrest the sharp increase in crime against women,” the CJI said.He termed the recent gang rape and murder of a 23-year-old physiotherapy student in Delhi “tragic and brutal” and said the “spontaneous outburst of outrage and anger is a measure of how the incident has left an indelible mark and shaken the conscience of the nation”.“I am giving vent to my concern for the helpless victims awaiting justice,” the CJI said pointing out that a large number of such cases were pending in various High Courts and trial courts and that “there is a marked increase” in their numbers in “recent times”.Steps to    Read More

Srinagar, 7 Jan (Press Public News):- Idrees Beigh, an electrical engineer, has given a solar avatar to the kangri. Unlike the regular kangri that uses charcoal or firewood, he has blended tradition with modernity to create a kangri that converts solar energy into thermal energy.Kangri is an earthen pot kept in a willow basket and is filled with hot charcoal which can be used for 5 to 6 hours.Unlike the old willow kangris, Beigh’s solar kangri comes with an inlet battery, inverter circuit and a solar panel as an attachment.“The solar panel, which is readily available in the market, can be fixed anywhere.It requires moderate intensity of sunlight which it traps and transfers to the battery inlet of the kangri. The battery then gets charged and by virtue of the attached inverter releases heat. The universal principle of physics converting one form of energy into other has been applied here. However, I cannot furnish all the technical details as the product is yet to get a patent,” Beigh said.Beigh sees this innovative idea as a breakthrough from the traditional practice of chopping trees. “Our dependence on the exhaustible sources of energy should be reduced. We need to come up with new strategies to put less pressure on our forests. The use of solar energy for many purposes is done on a wider scale in foreign countries. It is time we do the same in India,” he added.Beigh said the health hazards of carrying burning charcoal in kangri has    Read More

Srinagar, 7 Jan (Press Public News):- You can now order apples from the valley online and it will be couriered to you anywhere in the country within days. An official of the Kashmir Box.com, an online marketplace, which has included region's famous apples to the basket of items on sale, say they are already getting daily bookings for the fruit since the service was launched this week.Once the order is booked, the fruits are delivered either through courier service which could take up to three working days to reach anywhere in the country or through road transport, meant for bulk orders, can take between a week or ten days to reach the destination, said Chief Operations Officer of KashmirBox.com, Muheet Mehraj.The initiative, Mehraj, 22, said is a platform for the region's fruit growers to directly link up with the customers anywhere in the country, and in the coming days to the entire international market, has received "amazing response"."On the first day, we had up to 40 orders and so far we have not even marketed the product," Mehraj said. "We don't need to introduce the Kashmir brand," he said.The apple industry, which generates revenue of hundreds of crores annually, is one of the major sources of income for people in many parts of Kashmir especially in Sopore in north and Shopian in south Kashmir have earned sobriquets of being the region's "apple towns".Kashmir produces 17 lakh metric tonnes of the fruit annually and hun    Read More

Srinagar, 7 Jan (Press Public News):- Chief Minister Omar Abdullah today visited the old city area in Srinagar to review the ongoing reconstruction work of the Dastgeer Sahab shrine, which was gutted last year. He stressed upon engineers to restore the shrine to its original glory.“The Chief Minister, Omar Abdullah, today morning visited the under-construction Shrine of Peer-e-Dastgeer Sahab at Khanyar here and received the first hand appraisal of the status of the progress on work,” an official statement issued here read.The 200-year-old shrine, which housed many relics, was gutted on June 24, 2012. Subsequently, the government had ordered its reconstruction, promising people that it would be built on the old architectural design.The statement added that while interacting with officials of the construction agency, the Chief Minister stressed on them to ensure the restoration of the shrine to its old glory.“He said all aspects of the heritage characteristic of the shrine should be kept in view while completing the restoration work in a time-bound manner,” the statement further said.The Chief Minister also paid obeisance at the shrine and prayed for peace and development of the state, the statement said.Omar was accompanied by Minister for Rural Development Ali Mohammad Sagar.    Read More

Rohtak 7 Jan (Press Public News):- The production of sugar in the two cooperative sugar mills located in the district has come to a halt, following the strike by the sugarcane growers, in protest against the inadequate MSP. Hundreds of farmers sat in dharna for the second consecutive day today, outside the mills at Rohtak and Meham, having a daily crushing capacity of around 70,000 quintals, to seek revision in the MSP.The protesting farmers announced that they would carry on the strike till their demands were accepted. The farmers started their strike on Saturday, on a statewide call given by the Haryana unit of the Bhartiya Kisan Union (BKU), which has taken up the demand of a proper revision in the MSP of sugarcane. The farmers have locked the main gates of the mills, resulting in complete shutdown due to no supply of cane. While the local mill had targeted to crush around 30 lakh quintals of sugarcane this season, the target of the mill at Meham had been around 20 lakh quintals.Bir Singh, the Managing Director (MD) of Rohtak sugar mill, admitted that the production at the mill had come to a standstill. He said the crushing season had begun on November 29 last and was expected to continue till the availability of sugarcane. While the crushing target had been lowered by around 10 lakh quintals this year due to lower production, the mill had crushed about 11.25 lakh quintals of cane already.The farmers who have been sitting in dharna outside the mills have submitte    Read More

Sirsa, 7 Jan (Press Public News):- As many as 10 differently abled children fell unconscious due to the cold weather while running in a sprint event during the 12th state-level annual sports meet for the hearing and speech impaired at Shaheed Bhagat Singh Stadium here today.The two-day sporting event was organised by the Haryana Society for the Welfare of Hearing and Speech Handicapped.The children had been standing in the open since morning. While some of them regained consciousness after their limbs were massaged, others were taken to a hospital.Yesterday, these children were made to stand in the open for over three hours as Sirsa MP Ashok Tanwar, who had to inaugurate the event, arrived late. Medical experts said one of the reasons of syncope, the medical term for fainting, was over-exposure to extreme cold.PS Birla, organising secretary of the Haryana Society for the Welfare of Hearing and Speech Handicapped, said the sporting event was scheduled to be held earlier last year but it had to be postponed due to a curfew in Sirsa. He said the society would hold the event in September or October in future to avoid such inconvenience to children.Deputy Commissioner J Ganesan, who presided over the concluding ceremony later in the day today, said the authorities would provide training to the inmates of RKJ Deaf and Dumb Welfare Centre, Sirsa, under the 'Hunar Se Rozgar' scheme so that these children were absorbed in big hotels. As many as183 children participated in 15 athl    Read More

New Delhi, 7 Jan (Press Public News):-India has received firm indications from China that the new leadership of the Communist Party would give the highest priority to maintaining peace and tranquility along the border between the two countries.Informed sources said Beijing was keen to continue with the current upward trajectory in bilateral ties under the new leadership and would also try to address India’s concern over the yawning trade gap between the two countries.China’s new Communist Party leader Xi Jinping will formally take over as President in early March when the country's legislature opens to elect the leaders at various levels.Later in March, Xi is expected to hold bilateral talks with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on the margins of the BRICS Summit to be held in South Africa.Sources said that New Delhi was hopeful that Manmohan Singh would be able to establish the same kind of rapport with the new Chinese leader that he had developed with the outgoing President Hu Jintao and Premier Wen Jiabao.Amid the ongoing leadership transition in Beijing, the two countries would seek to maintain momentum in their bilateral ties through some high-profile engagements in the coming weeks.National Security Adviser Shivshankar Menon will meet China’s State Councillor Dai Bingguo on the sidelines of the meeting of the NSAs of BRICS countries here next week. This will be the last meeting between Menon and Dai, the Special Representatives (SRs) of the two natio    Read More

Ahemdabad,  7 Jan (Press Public News):-Three persons were killed and at least three reported missing in the devastating fire that broke out at the Indian Oil Corporation’s petrol storage tanker at Hazira, near Surat, in south Gujarat, on Saturday.The fire that broke out around 11 am on Saturday was contained after over 80 fire tenders, summoned from as far as from Ahmedabad, battled for over 25 hours. Some 27 kilolitres of petrol worth Rs 35 crore was destroyed in the blaze.Union Petroleum Minister Veerappa Moily visited Hazira this morning to supervise the operations.Moily, on behalf of the IOC, announced an ex gratia of Rs 5 lakh each to the next of the kin of those killed in the fire. This would be in addition to the compensation due from the state government and other authorities.He said in addition to the huge quantity of petrol lost in the fire, the IOC had suffered damages to the tune of about Rs 10 crore in infrastructure.Moily ordered a high-level inquiry into the incident to identify the cause and work out measures to prevent such disaster in the future. A similar fire in a Jaipur oil storage tanker in October 2009 had left 11 persons dead.He said the inquiry report would be submitted by January 20.Moily said the government would try to resettle the families of the two victims to have been identified so far in their home state of Bihar.The third body was recovered near the inflamed storage tanker this morning and Surat district collector Jayprakash Shivha    Read More

New Delhi, 5 Jan (Press Public News):- The Capital recorded season’s lowest temperature of 2.7 degree Celsius as icy winds continued to pile on the agony during the day. The weather was so cold last night that poor people who earlier slept under flyovers went to the night shelters which were packed to capacity.A Met official said that minimum temperature plummeted to 2.7 degree Celsius, four degrees below normal and down from yesterday’s 4.4 degrees, in the early hours, forcing people to pull out more woollens from their winter wardrobe.However, as the day progressed there was slight improvement in weather conditions with morning fog giving way to a largely clear sky.The maximum was recorded five degrees below normal at 15.7, which bettered previous day’s temperature by three degrees, the official said.He said that humidity oscillated between 45 and 100 per cent.On Tuesday, the minimum temperature had dipped to four degree Celsius, the previous lowest for the season and the next day, the city witnessed the coldest day in 44 years when maximum plummeted to 9.8 degree. The morning fog, meanwhile, affected the rail and air traffic with schedule of around 30 flights being disrupted at Indira Gandhi International Airport.Around 100 flights were delayed while one was cancelled and three international flights were diverted to other airports. The weather department has predicted mainly clear sky with fog or mist in the morning for tomorrow     Read More

Una, 5 Jan (Press Public News):- The newly installed Minister for Industry, Labour, Employment, Public Relations and Parliamentary Affairs, Mukesh Agnihotri, today received tumultuous welcome in Una town. Congress workers gathered in a large number to welcome him.It is after a long time that Una has got representation in the state Cabinet. Earlier, Des Raj, the late BJP MLA from Una, was the Minister for State in the Himachal Cabinet.Agnihotri has won consecutively from the Haroli Assembly constituency in Una district for the third time. With his induction in the Cabinet, he has emerged as a strong Congress leader from Una district. Owing to his closeness to Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh, Agnihotri is likely to hold sway in the district.While talking to mediapersons, he said he would strive to bring Una district on the national map in terms of industrial development.He said the availability of land was a major bottleneck in the development of industry in the state. Many big industries shirk from establishing units in the state, due to formalities and difficulties in collecting ample land for setting up of their units.The state government would develop land banks to check this issue where the formalities for providing land to industrial units could be reduced, Agnihotri said.He said lack of railway network in Himachal was also a major hurdle in the development of industry in the state.The state would lobby for the creation of an additional railway network in the state. U    Read More

Srinagar 5 Jan (Press Public News):- When Omar Abdullah took over as the youngest Chief Minister in 2009, the first impression he had created was his zero tolerance to human rights abuses in the strife-torn state.Just two days after he took over, Omar’s claim was put to a test when a 45-year-old differently abled villager Abdul Rashid Rishi from south Kashmir was allegedly killed by the Army, barely half a kilometre away from the Chief Minister’s residence.Two months later in the same year, followed the killing of two civilians on February 23 in Sopore, which sparked massive protests across the Valley.As if it was not enough, just five months down the line, he faced the first major crisis and challenge to his government, which was also a test for his own credibility.Protests erupted in Shopian district, when the bodies of Neelofar (22) and her sister-in-law Aasiya (17) were recovered from Rambiyar stream in Shopian town of South Kashmir on May 30, 2009.Though Omar ordered a judicial probe into the incident, it did not help to pacify the flared-up passions and anger. The Shopian town observed a strike for 46 days and the Valley also witnessed protests over the Shopian incident.Subsequently, the case went to the high court, which, directed the government to hand over the case to the CBI for investigation.The crisis and the unpredictable situation of Kashmir followed Omar even in 2010, when in April that year, three north Kashmir youth were allegedly killed    Read More

Gurgaon, 5 Jan (Press Public News):- The Gurgaon police has decided to dedicate 2013 in making the city free of crime against women.The police has drawn up a special action plan to meet this goal. With women employed in the corporate sector voicing their insecurity pertaining to the city environs and the reported uncooperative attitude of the police towards complainants, police commissioner KK Sindhu has mobilised the force for this task.As per the plan, all rural and urban police stations in state will get four or five women employees each.“We wish the women to trust us and speak up against crime. To facilitate complainants, we are getting more women in police stations so that those who come to complain are more comfortable. The women officers will not only instill confidence but will also be more sensitive to their issues,” said Sindhu.The police also wishes to bring this comfort to city women’s doorstep as five women PCRs will now be on city roads.The officials will aid women in reporting crime and dealing with it on the spot.The police has been going to MNCs, urging women to speak up. “We shall very soon have a data of the habitual offenders and eve-teasers with the Crime and Criminal Tracking Network System (CCTNS) which would be installed in all police stations of the city,” said Sindhu.    Read More

Jammu, 5 Jan (Press Public News):- Omar Abdullah, the youngest Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir, is left with just two more years to accomplish what he had promised to do in six years of his tenure at the start of his innings in January 2009.So far, he has traversed through one crisis after another. Often, he was seen on a cliff but he managed to jump to a firm ground, partly because of the support that he derived from Delhi, and partly owing to the “lessons he learnt” in the last two years.The year 2010 was bad. Street protests and clashes left the Valley crippled. As many as 120 persons were reported dead and there was huge damage to public property. The doomsayers were up on their feet, but Delhi didn’t let down Omar, who got a go-ahead to complete his full term of six years.Now, Omar has slowly, but steadily, stabilised himself and gained confidence. But the connect with the masses is inadequate. Whether he can lead the NC to victory with or without an alliance with the Congress is something which is being keenly watched in the political circles.His initiatives to kick-start several schemes and to widen the development landscape have been clouded by his own wish list of seeing “political solution to the Kashmir crisis” and removal of laws like the Armed Forces Special Powers Act . At times, this interrupted his “ sadak, bijli, pani agenda” - something which he had promised while taking over the reins of the state.In O    Read More

New Delhi, 5 Jan (Press Public News):- Representatives of the Central and state governments on Friday failed to evolve a consensus on death penalty for rape convicts. The day-long meeting of Chief Secretaries and DGPs, convened by the Ministry of Home Affairs after the Delhi gang rape, discussed ways to check crime against women.The country’s senior-most IAS and IPS officers pressed for life imprisonment for rapists, widening the ambit of sexual assault cases, lowering the age to define a juvenile, graded penalties, removal of clauses like remission of a sentence for good behaviour and allowing parole to rapists.“One or two Chief Secretaries have sought death penalty for rapists but it was not the general view. However, there was near unanimity that the age defining minors (at present a person has to be less than 18 years to be classified as minor) be lowered to 16 years in sexual assault cases,” said an official after the meeting.Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde said all suggestions put forward by the Chief Secretaries and the DGPs would be considered by the Central Government. He also expressed concern over the low rate of conviction in cases of crime against women saying there was a need for introspection by investigators, prosecution and all others concerned.“Convictions in rape cases are low. I have told the officers to be very strict in investigation and increase the presence of police on the roads,” he told reporters. In 201    Read More

Hyderabad, 4 Jan (Press Public News):- The Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (MIM) leader Akbaruddin Owaisi has landed himself in trouble for his alleged “hate speech”. Amidst widespread furore over the alleged inflammatory utterances, a local court here today directed the police to register a criminal case against the legislator and conduct an inquiry.The controversial speech, which has since gone viral on the social networking sites, was delivered by Owaisi in Nirmal town of Adilabad district on December 23 in which he had reportedly spewed venom at Hindu community.Owaisi (42) is the party’s floor leader in Andhra Pradesh Assembly and the younger brother of MIM president and Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi. Based on a complaint filed by a city businessman S Venkatesh Goud, the 4th Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate directed the OsmaniaUniversity Police to investigate the complaint under section 156 (3) of the CrPc and file a report before it on January 28. Goud had filed a complaint before the court alleging that Owaisi had made a “highly provocative and derogatory” speech against the majority community which was telecast on a local television channel owned by a MIM leader.Meanwhile, DGP V Dinesh Reddy said two separate cases had been registered against him.    Read More

Chennai, 4 Jan (Press Public News):-Dravida Munnettra Kazhagam (DMK) patriarch M Karunanidhi today announced that his third son MK Stalin will be the next party chief after his death.The 88-year-old leader also made it clear that he will continue to head the party till his death.“I will work for the cause of uplift of the society till death. So, for the question who after me, the answer is Stalin who is sitting amongst you and you should not forget it,” he told his partymen.The DMK patriarch was addressing party cadre at a function in which over 2,000 PMK men joined the DMK. His remarks were welcomed with a loud cheer.Karunanidhi had more than once given enough hints that Stalin is his political heir-apparent, an issue that had led to sibling rivalry with MK Alagiri, the elder son and Union Minister.Ever since 59-year-old Stalin was given prominence in the party and elevated as Deputy Chief Minister in 2009, there have been indications that he will succeed Karunanidhi.Alagiri had openly resented such hints saying he would not accept anyone else other than his father as leader.The Madurai strong man, who is two years elder to Stalin, had a couple of months ago made no secret about his unhappiness over the selection of party functionaries in his home turf, particularly in the youth wing headed by Stalin.Alagiri had said his recommendations were neglected by the party leadership, an indirect attack on Stalin.Noting that the PMK workers have joined the DMK becaus    Read More

4 Jan (Press Public News):- British NRIs once again came together to express their solidarity with the family of Delhi gang-rape victim who later died.This is the third time in a week that NRIs from the UK have rallied in support of the 23-year-old gang-rape victim. The first rally was organised by an IT engineer from Hyderabad last Saturday. It was followed by a meeting the following day for which a former Delhi police sub-inspector, Darshan Singh Grewal, was responsible.Shades of political rivalry have already crept into the NRI meetings because Grewal and his supporters are associated with the BJP.Yesterday's condolence meeting at Ram Mandir in Southall, West London, had the backing of Labour MP Virendra Sharma, who represents the constituency of Ealing Southall and is broadly sympathetic to India's Congress party.Speaking before the meeting, Sharma said, "I don't want to give the impression that this is a political issue. It is a social issue affecting our society in general. It's an issue of women in general and their protection. Women are suffering for certain and we need to fight against that."The British media, meanwhile, continues to maintain an unprecedented level of interest in what happened to the Delhi gang-rape victim and the subsequent social and political fallout.Earlier this week, the London Times commented that India is a country "that has been called the worst in the world to be a woman and after the events of the past fortnight it is no    Read More

New Delhi, 4 Jan (Press Public News):- Amid the raging debate on anti-rape laws, women organisations have urged the government to prohibit the degrading two-finger test which most hospitals continue to use on victims of rape to determine their “habituation to sex” and “virginity” and therefore their consent to the act of sexual violence.Most petitioners to Justice JS Verma Committee, tasked by the government to suggest ways to make India safer for women, have demanded a blanket ban on the archaic forensic procedure which involves a doctor inserting fingers in a rape victim’s vagina to determine the presence or absence of the hymen and the so-called “laxity” of the vagina.Findings from the test (conducted on adults and child survivors of rape) are routinely used by defence counsels during trials to question the credibility of victim’s statement and her lack of consent to the crime.In India, consent to sexual intercourse is vital because only non-consensual peno-vaginal penetration constitutes rape under the Indian Penal Code.Despite being unscientific, the findings of the two-finger test are still recorded in medico-legal reports of rape survivors with little attention to the fact that any “old tear” of the hymen or variation in the size of the hymeneal orifice can be due to reasons other than sex. The practice continues in spite of an amendment to the Evidence Act in 2003 (insertion of Section 114-A) to say    Read More

Kolkata, 4 Jan (Press Public News):- Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today said progress in the field of atomic energy and agriculture was imperative if India wanted to stay on the path of development. He urged scientists to engage in nation-building with a forward-looking approach. Country’s progress would be stalled if advancement in the field of science and technology was not maintained, he said.Speaking at the inaugural session of the 100th Indian Science Congress, the Prime Minister exhorted people to switch over to new scientific methods for ensuring rapid progress of the country. In the present-day world, there was no alternative to atomic power, he said.He also emphasised on the transformation of the agricultural sector. “The complex issues related to genetically modified food, nuclear energy or the exploration of outer space cannot be settled by faith, emotion and fear, but by a structured debate,” he said. “Nearly 65 per cent of our people live in rural areas. The 12th Five Year Plan assumes that a sustained growth in agriculture at the rate of 4 per cent per annum is essential to achieve food security,” he observed.“This transformation of the agriculture sector must be the top priority of our public policies, including science and technology policies. We need new breakthroughs in water-saving technologies in cultivation, enhancement of land productivity and development of climate-resilient varieties,” he said.The Prime M    Read More

New Delhi, 4 Jan (Press Public News):- The Delhi Police on Thursday filed the chargesheet against five accused in the brutal gang-rape and murder of a 23-year-old trainee physiotherapist.Charges were filed against five of the six accused as the sixth claimed he is a minor. His case would be heard by the Juvenile Justice Board.The five accused, Ram Singh, his brother Mukesh, Pawan Gupta alias Kaloo, Vinay Sharma and Akshay Kumar alias Thakur, were charged with murder, gangrape, attempt to murder, kidnapping, unnatural offences, dacoity, hurting in committing robbery, destruction of evidence, criminal conspiracy and common intention under the Indian Penal Code. The 1,260-page chargesheet, comprising 33 key pages, was filed before Metropolitan Magistrate Surya Malik Grover 18 days after the brutal incident. The prosecution urged the court to keep the document in a sealed cover to protect the identity of the victim. It alleged that the crime was executed in a "well-planned" manner. "We have invoked Section 120-B as the accused committed the crime in a well-planned manner," public prosecutor Rajiv Mohan told reporters. "Each one of them has a specific role in the commission of the offence. So they are equally liable for the crime. We have sufficient evidence against all the accused, including the juvenile offender," he said. Mohan said the DNA report has established the involvement of all the accused in the crime. The chargesh    Read More

New Delhi, 3 Jan (Press Public News):- The Supreme Court today sought the response of the Centre and all the states within four weeks to a PIL that has cited about 50 recent incidents of gruesome atrocities against women across the country to seek a better legal system and recruitment of more women in the police as part of a series of steps to deal with gender-based crimes.A three-member Bench headed by Justice P Sathasivam issued notice to all the states, though the PIL has named only Haryana and four other states - Delhi, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan - as respondents.“We want to deal with it in a comprehensive manner” in view of the seriousness of the issue, the Bench clarified. Justices Ranjan Gogoi and V Gopalagowda are the other judges on the Bench.The SC also sought the assistance of Attorney General GE Vahanvati in the case, besides asking other respondents, Union Ministry of Women and Child Development and National Commission for Women, to give their views.Pleading for putting in place a comprehensive security mechanism for women, the PIL wanted the setting up of all women police stations in all the states to encourage women to report crimes against them. “It has been well-settled by a series of decisions of this Hon’ble Court that the word ‘life’ in Article 21 of the Constitution means a life of dignity and not just an animal life,” the petition contended.All the police stations should have “Voluntary Ac    Read More

New Delhi, 3 Jan (Press Public News):- Police and judicial accountability are emerging as the dominant demands of the civil and legal communities petitioning the Justice JS Verma committee appointed by the government to review anti-rape laws after the Delhi gang-rape case. For the first time, demands are being raised for community monitoring of police probes into such offences.Considering that 95 out of 100 victims of sexual assault never report the crime due to unfriendly procedures and police harassment and eight out of 10 witnesses turn hostile at some stage, people working on the law say punitive and administrative action is a must against police officers who don’t register cases or delay investigations. The demand is to hold seniors liable for the negligence of juniors.Anand Grover of the Lawyers’ Initiative, which worked on the Criminal Law Amendment Bill 2012 to amend the IPC, the CrPC and the Evidence Act in sexual assault cases, says, “An FIR must be registered immediately. A police officer must be suspended for not doing so. We want community review of police investigations into sex offences. There have to community panels right up to the block level to track investigations independently and see that the police is doing its job. This must be part of the statute.”On the chargesheets, advocacy groups, including the Women’s Rights Initiative headed by Additional Solicitor-General Indira Jaisingh, say officers who delay the challa    Read More

Jammu,  2 jan (Press Public News):- After bad weather and poor visibility for the past five days hampered the evacuation of stranded passengers, the Indian Air Force (IAF) today airlifted 203 civilians, including 84 women, from Leh to the winter capital here.The aircraft, IL-76, launched special air sorties for the stranded passengers.“A total of 203 stranded civilians, including 84 women, besides children were airlifted to Jammu from Leh today by an IL-76 aircraft,” said officiating Defence PRO SN Acharya.The state government had earlier announced that special IAF sorties would be arranged for stranded passengers of the Leh region, which remains cut off from the rest of the Valley due to heavy snowfall on the Zojila Pass and the Kargil-Padum road.“The sorties from Jammu to Leh were suspended due to inclement weather conditions,” said Group Captain Sridhar, Officiating AOC of Air Force Station, Jammu, who personally supervised the entire operation from the Jammu air field.Sridhar said the IAF was ready and would carry out the task immediately in coordination with the civil administration as soon as the weather cleared.Sixtyfive Leh-bound passengers were to be airlifted from Jammu but the inclement weather didn’t allow the IAF to operate its flying machines.During the airlift operation, Chief Administrative Officer Shashikant Pati and air warriors of Air Force Station, Jammu, worked tirelessly with the full support of the civil administr    Read More

Chandigarh  2 jan (Press Public News):- Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda said today that the ambitious direct benefits transfer scheme would prove beneficial for the poor and the common man as the subsidy of various welfare schemes would directly reach the beneficiaries. Hooda said two districts of Haryana, Ambala and Sonepat, would also be covered under the first phase of the scheme.Hooda was interacting with mediapersons after flagging off the Haryana Vikas Sandesh rath yatra organized by Ashok Kadian, president, Congress Seva Dal, Bhiwani, from his residence here today.The rath yatra depicting various welfare policies of the state government would cover about 1000 km in 11 districts. It would reach Delhi on January 8.    Read More

Rohtak 2 jan (Press Public News):- The traffic police has so far recovered over Rs 1.12 crore as fines from traffic violators this year. Over 36,000 challans were issued for traffic violations in the district during the period, said a spokesman of the department.A team of traffic cops looks after over 30 important crossings and congested spots during peak hours. This strength needs to be doubled in view of the workload and the number of vehicles plying in the city at any given time.While the police has no record of the number of deaths in accidents in the district since January this year, an estimate puts the figure at over 50.An official said the department had launched a special campaign on December 15 to create awareness about traffic rules, particularly among school and college students, as many drivers were minors.The department not only suffers from staff shortage but also lacks adequate infrastructure. It was dependent on just a single crane to remove vehicles parked wrongly in the city, said sources in the department.     Read More

Hyderabad, 2 jan (Press Public News):- Sharing the nationwide outrage over the Delhi gang rape tragedy, the Andhra Pradesh Government is contemplating a series of measures to check crime against women.It has been proposed to introduce training classes for girls in self-defence techniques like karate and judo. “If everything goes according to plan, karate, judo and other martial art forms will be made part of the curriculum from the next academic year,” state Home Minister P Sabita Indra Reddy said.Sabita, the first woman in the state to handle the Home portfolio, said she had put forward the proposal before Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy who readily agreed to make it mandatory for the schools to introduce training in self-defence.All upper primary and high schools will be asked to train girls in self-defence as part of measures to equip them to deal with eve-teasing in public spaces.“I have suggested that along with sports and physical education, there should be compulsory training in self-defence forms,” the minister said.She has also proposed that the women's safety helplines be made more effective. The numbers are 1091, 108 and 100. She said that the 108 service would enable the public to register complaints of eve-teasing, stalking and other forms of sexual harassment.“These measures will boost the confidence of girls and encourage them to report any form of sexual harassment instead of suffering humiliation silently. A moral sc    Read More

Guwahati, 2 jan (Press Public News):- Insurgency is on the wane, but Maoists are rearing their ugly heads in Assam. Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi today said that after tackling insurgency effectively over the years, his government was now faced with Maoists who are trying to establish roots in the state.Interacting with the media on New Year here, Gogoi said, "Although insurgency is on the wane of late, Maoists are causing concern in the state.”Gogoi, however, said that the government was determined to tackle the threat in coordination with the Central government. He said the problem posed by Maoists had already been taken up with the Centre. “All steps will be taken to contain Maoist activities," Gogoi pledged.According to security sources, Maoists have made inroads into the region by setting up active cells in different parts of Manipur, Assam and Arunachal Pradesh.Maoists have already set up a network in five districts of Assam namely Tinsukia, Dibrugarh, Lakhimpur, Dhemaji and Golaghat.Several Maoists cadres were killed in encounters with security forces in the Sadiya area of eastern Assam’s Tinsukia district last year when surveillance against Maoists activities was mounted in Assam following intelligence inputs.The recent arrest of Anandji, a senior Maoist leader from Jharkhand, from a hotel in Tezpur town of north Assam indicates to the Maoists’ presence in the state.A police source said that Anandji had come to Assam mainly to    Read More

New Delhi, 2 jan (Press Public News):- The crime and criminal tracking network system (CCTNS) is set to be launched at 5,000 locations, including 3,000 police stations, across the country on January 4. However, Punjab, Jammu and Kashmir and Uttarakhand are among the six states and Union Territories that will not be immediately covered under the scheme.The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA)-backed project will provide a national databank of crime and criminals and their biometric profiles. This database will be connected with databases of other agencies of the criminal justice system like courts, jails, immigration and passport authorities.According to sources, the system in Punjab, Uttarakhand, Jammu and Kashmir, Manipur, the Lakshadweep Islands and Puducherry is still not integrated to support and host the specially designed software for the CCTNS.Once fully functional, the project will seamlessly integrate 15,000 police stations on an “e-governance” platform to create a nationwide networked infrastructure for putting in place an IT-enabled state-of-the-art tracking system to facilitate “investigation of crime and detection of criminals”.The project will also enable real-time tracking of 5,000 prominent police offices across the country.The system will have a wide-ranging application. It will automate police functioning, make it transparent, accountable, effective and efficient. Nationwide data will be available at 15,000 police stations an    Read More

New Delhi, 2 jan (Press Public News):- North India continues to reel under an intense cold wave, but the good news is that some respite may be round the corner.While the cold wave will continue to rage on for the next 48 hours at least, the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) today assured that minimum temperatures would not dip any further. Relief could be expected around January 3 when a fresh Western Disturbance (WD) will hit the region.Dense fog played spoilsport for fliers in New Delhi on New Year day as it disrupted operations at Indira Gandhi International airport, affecting over 100 flights. About 60 flights were delayed, 38 cancelled -- either due to poor weather at destination or due to operational reasons, while four international flights had to be diverted to Jaipur and Mumbai after visibility dropped to less 50 metres, an airport official said.According to Met department, the airport may witness dense fog tomorrow morning too. All the four diverted aircraft were of Air India and coming from Muscat, Bahrain, Dubai and Frankfurt.Fog or dense fog conditions will occur over Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, north Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, north Madhya Pradesh, West Bengal and Assam during the next three days.The New Year saw the cold wave intensifying further in several parts of the country. Delhi and plains of Punjab and Haryana shivered as the mercury plunged. In the plains, the lowest minimum temperature of 0.7°C was recorded at Narnaul in Haryana and Chu    Read More

New Delhi, 2 jan (Press Public News):- In the understanding of Government of India, stalking and stripping don’t qualify as sexual crimes. The reason: these are difficult to define and prove in courts.Documents with The Tribune show that the Home Ministry cited vague reasons to defend its decision to not treat stalking and stripping as separate categories of sex offences in the new anti rape Bill.If that wasn’t enough, it outright rejected another critical recommendation from women’s organisations to lay down the concept of command responsibility when crimes against women are committed by government officials.“Stalking etc was discussed by the HPC (high powered committee) and it was opined that it will be difficult to prove the offence of stalking and hence not covered (read in the new Criminal Law Amendment Bill 2012). Humiliation etc are difficult to define and establish in the court of law and hence not covered. Separate provision for each offence is not relevant as these are covered under Section 354 of IPC which deals with use of criminal force on women to outrage her modesty and Section 509 IPC which deals with use of words to do the same,” the Home Ministry said in response to a detailed critique of the Criminal Law Amendment Bill 2012 that over 20 women’s groups submitted to the Government. The Bill (no suggestions incorporated) was introduced in Lok Sabha on December 4.The Government response came on specific suggestions from    Read More

Jaipur, 31 Dec (Press Public News):-  With New Year revellers pouring in from across the country and outside, the Pink city is gearing up for the festivity with hotel and resort owners hopeful of making good business.Those in event business have chosen different and unique themes like 'Bhangra masti', 'Arabian nights' to Ghazal and Qawwali programmes to add to the excitement of New Year eve.Sanjay Kaushik, a tour operator, said people, especially students, were arriving in the city from parts of Haryana, Delhi and other states."Season this year is good and visitors are heading to other cities including Jodhpur, Udaipur and Jaisalmer besides Jaipur to celebrate new year," Kaushik told PTI.Amit Kothari, a hotel manager, said response from people has been heartwarming this year and most of the bookings has already been done.Another trend noticed this year has been a shift of venues from traditional hotels and clubs to farm houses and resorts on the outskirts of the city. Party organisers are offering pool-side dance, light shows, fireworks, lavish buffet and beverages along with DJs, dance performers from places like Delhi, Russia and Dubai."People now prefer to attend parties in resorts and farm houses to avoid hustle bustle of the city and traffic chaos so we planned our party in Kanota, 12 kms from the city," a party organiser Dushyant said.The price of tickets to enter such parties range from few hundreds to Rs 10,000 for a couple, he said. Mean    Read More

Hyderabad, 31 Dec (Press Public News):-  The New Year is likely to herald an ad-hoc treatment to the festering wounds of Telangana. Facing political heat over the four-decade-old demand for a separate state, the UPA government is said to be actively considering a proposal to constitute an autonomous Telangana Regional Council, on the lines of Darjeeling Hill Council, to put an end to the political uncertainty in Andhra Pradesh.“Given the bitter regional divide in the state over Telangana issue, the Central leadership is veering round to the view that a middle path will be an ideal option. The current thinking is in favour of adopting Darjeeling model to resolve the Telangana imbroglio,” highly placed sources in Congress said.Union Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde, who chaired an all-party meeting on Telangana in Delhi on December 28, had announced that the Centre would take a decision within a month on the demand for separate Telangana state.Though Shinde declined to specify the contours of road map ahead, the party sources say that creation of an autonomous Telangana Council, coupled with an attractive financial package for the region, was under active consideration.“We hope this ad-hoc arrangement will address the concerns of the region. The proposed Council will have adequate powers to prioritise developmental works in the region,” sources said.Though the Telangana protagonists within the ruling party and outside have made it clear that n    Read More

New Delhi, 31 Dec (Press Public News):-  With four of the six persons involved in the rape and murder of the 23-year-old paramedical student coming under the 17-20 age group, any confusion over their age would have to be cleared strictly going by their dates of birth in their respective school records.This is clear from a Supreme Court judgment delivered earlier this month. “Only in the absence of any matriculation or equivalent certificate or the date of birth certificate from the school first attended, the court needs to obtain the birth certificate given by a corporation or a municipal authority or a panchayat,” a Bench comprising Justices KS Radhakrishnan and Dipal Misra has ruled, citing earlier SC verdicts.The SC verdict is likely to be used as a guideline for determining the ages of the four accused if any controversy crops up over their dates of birth.The Delhi Police has not disclosed even the name of one of the accused as he is stated to be just a month or two short of completing 18 years of age. Anybody below the age of 18 can’t be tried in a normal court and under laws meant for adults. Such persons would be dealt with by Juvenile Justice Boards under the Juvenile Justice Act 2000 which primarily focuses on reforming the offenders and as such provides for a punishment of only two-three years even for rape and murder.Besides the juvenile, another accused Pawan Gupta, a fruit vendor arrested in the case, is just 18, while two others - gym    Read More

New Delhi, 31 Dec (Press Public News):-  A young man who saw a Delhi Police constable collapse and later die during the anti-rape protest near India Gate claimed that his phone was being tapped after police questioned him on Thursday. "My phone is being tapped...I don't know why," witness Yogendra told IANS.Yogendra, 24, a journalism student, was questioned by officers of the crime branch of Delhi Police after he challenged the police version of the constable Subhash Chand Tomar being beaten by protesters.Constable Tomar, 47, collapsed on Tilak Marg during an anti-rape protest around India Gate Sunday and died of cardiac arrest early Tuesday.Talking to IANS, Yogendra said: "My statement was recorded by the police Thursday, while Pauline's (another witness in her 20s) statement was recorded the next day...but I don't know why they are tapping my phone." "I told the officers what all I said earlier in the media," he said.Police said the constable was trampled upon by the crowd. Yogendra and Pauline said the constable collapsed while chasing the crowd and that he was not beaten or trampled upon by the protesters.While backing Yogendra's version, Pauline explained in detail how their efforts to revive the unconscious policeman failed, and added that she saw "no visible injuries" on the constable's body.TS Sidhu, medical superintendent at the Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital where Tomar died, said Wednesday that the constable had &q    Read More

New Delhi, 31 Dec (Press Public News):-  Seven more persons fell prey to a biting cold wave in Uttar Pradesh where death toll from harsh weather touched 69 today, while most other parts of North India also shivered and fog disrupted rail and air traffic.Fog staged a comeback in Delhi after four days. With a drop of four notches, the maximum temperature in the National Capital stood at 17°C while the minimum was 7.7°C. Fog also affected the schedule of around 50 flights.However, the Met Department has forecast a clear sky with mist in the morning for tomorrow.In Uttar Pradesh, severe cold wave claimed seven more lives, pushing the death toll this winter to 69. Two persons died in Barabanki district and one each in Gonda, Deoria, Ballia, Banda, and Hamirpur districts. The maximum temperature continued to be below normal by six to 11°C in parts of the state and the lowest minimum temperature of 0.7°C was recorded at the Lucknow airport.Normal life in most parts of Punjab and Haryana was crippled due to fog, which threw rail and road traffic out of gear. However, the minimum temperature in the region went up due to cloudy sky.While most of the flights from the Chandigarh airport were cancelled or re-scheduled, several trains crisscrossing the region were running hours behind schedule due to low visibility.Hisar was the coldest place in the plains of Punjab and Haryana with a low of 2.2°C, four notches below normal.Mercury plummeted in northern parts of Ra    Read More

Katra/Jammu, 31 Dec (Press Public News):-  Seven persons, including the pilot, were injured when a Pawan Hans helicopter carrying Vaishno Devi pilgrims made an emergency landing in a village in Trikuta hills in Reasi district today. A technical snag is said to be the reason behind the emergency landing.The helicopter, with six pilgrims on board, was on way to Sanjichhat from the Katra helipad (flight number 19). It made an emergency landing at Salal-Dabri village after the pilot detected a technical snag, said Inspector General of Police Dilbagh Singh.During the emergency landing, the helicopter tilted on one side due to non-availability of enough space, resulting in injuries to seven persons, the IG said.The injured have been identified as Anita Puri, Arti Puri, Chetan Kumar, Arun Kumar, Mikashi, Raj Rani, all resident of New Delhi, and pilot Col Amarjeet Singh Parmar.“Soon after the take-of, we were told that a technical fault had occurred in the engine and that we should be prepared for a precautionary landing,” Anita Puri said.Governor NN Vohra, who is also the Chairman of the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board, has directed Chief Executive Officer of the board Navin K Choudhary to ensure best medical treatment and other assistance to the passengers and their families at the board’s expense.Deputy CEO of the shrine board Rahul Sharma and Medical Superintendent Vinod Gupta have been deputed to supervise the medical treatment of the passengers.T    Read More

New Delhi, 31 Dec (Press Public News):-  As the debate heated up on stricter laws to deal with crime against women, the BJP today reiterated its demand to call a special session of Parliament. The suggestion has not found favour with the Left while the Congress has already rejected it.A debate in Parliament would “certainly be able to tap upon the serious sense of distress and dismay which is sweeping across the country”, BJP spokesperson Ravi Shankar Prasad said.He said the BJP would cooperate with the government in fortifying laws relating to crime against women besides strengthening the judicial architecture for ensuring swifter justice to the victims and action against the perpetrators of such heinous crime.The party had earlier led a delegation to President Pranab Mukherjee urging his intervention in directing the Manmohan Singh government to summon a special session of Parliament. Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde had turned down the suggestion.Agreeing with the BJP that there was an urgent need to firm up laws dealing with crime against women, CPI MP D Raja said a session could be held, but he doubted its efficacy till the larger issue of gender equality was settled. “The government has not been able to legislate on reservation for women although the Rajya Sabha has already passed the Bill (in March 2010),” Raja said.BJD leader Bharatruhari Mahtab said unless the government had a specific agenda, there was no point in calling a special sess    Read More

Jind, 28 Dec (Press Public News):- Bibipur, a village on the Bhiwani road, seems to have earned a new recognition following a long list of students of higher studies visiting the village to study the work done at the village level in the field of female foeticide and gender ratio.The village had hit the headlines in July this year when it became the first village in the state and the country to hold a panchayat of khaps and was selected for a pilot project for improving the gender ratio by the Union Government.“Over 55 students from various colleges and universities visited the village in the past couple of months to conduct their field studies on these issues and the village is certain to find its name in research books shortly,” said Sunil Jaglan, sarpanch of the village.He said residents of the village who had been actively involved in the campaign against female foeticide and education of women in the village and neighbouring areas, had been feeling motivated due to the visit of the students to the village. He said it was a new development and would help the people to put more efforts to achieve the target.The sarpanch said the media exposure the village got following an intensive drive launched by the panchayat in the past couple of years had placed Bibipur on the national map though Jind was considered one of the backward districts in the state.“I am pursuing MSc in Development Communication and Extension from Lady Irwin College, Delhi University.    Read More

Singapor 28 Dec (Press Public News):- The 23-year-old Delhi gang-rape victim has significant brain injury, infection in lungs and abdomen and she is currently struggling against all odds at Mount Elizabeth Hospital where her condition continues to be "extremely critical", the hospital said today."Our medical team's investigations upon her arrival at the hospital yesterday showed that in addition to her prior cardiac arrest, she also had infection of her lungs and abdomen, as well as significant brain injury," said Dr Kelvin Loh, Chief Executive Officer, Mount Elizabeth Hospital.In a statement, Dr Loh said, "The patient is currently struggling against the odds, and fighting for her life." Briefing reporters here on girl's condition, Loh said, "As at 28 December, 11am (8:30 IST) the patient continues to remain in an extremely critical condition." The girl, who was gang-raped and brutally assaulted in a moving bus on December 16, was brought here in an air ambulance yesterday and admitted to the Intensive Care Unit.She had undergone three surgeries at the Safdarjung Hospital in Delhi, where she remained on ventilator support during most part of the treatment. Doctors removed major part of her intestines which had become gangrenous."A multi-disciplinary team of specialists has been working tirelessly to treat her since her arrival, and is doing everything possible to stabilise her condition over the next few days," Dr Lo    Read More

Chandigarh, 28 Dec (Press Public News):- Astra, an air-to-air guided missile developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), crossed another milestone in its development trials after being successfully flight test this week.The missile, in its full configuration, met all the mission parameters, after being fired from a ground-based launcher at the Integrated Test Range in Odisha, a statement issued by the DRDO said.The missile successfully intercepted the designated mid-air target, Lakshya, the indigenously developed Pilotless Target Aircraft.Astra is stated to be a state of the art, beyond visual range’ (BVR) being developed for the Air Force. It is an active radar homing missile with a range of up to 110 km. Some more tests will be carried out from the ground launchers to generate data, which will be followed by launches from various aerial platforms.The missile will be capable of being deployed on various aircrafts, including the Tejas, MiG-29, Su-30, Mirage-2000 and the under development PAK-FA fifth generation fighter.    Read More

New Delhi, 28 Dec (Press Public News):- Protests continued today in the national capital as various women organisations and university students gave a call in the morning to “reclaim India Gate” for a mass protest to demand stringent laws for women’s safety.In response, nearly 500 protesters — along with activists of various NGOs like Jaogri, Saheli, Anhad and other women fronts — gathered at Nizamuddin Gol Gumbad and planned a march to India Gate in the afternoon.However, with prohibitory orders in place at Rajpath and India Gate, the Delhi Police stalled the protest midway at Zakir Hussain Marg, an arterial road leading to India Gate. The protesters decided to avoid a clash with the police and staged a sit-in right there. The protest continued till late evening.    Read More

New Delhi, 28 Dec (Press Public News):- A parliamentary panel today questioned the Delhi Police chief over the gang rape incident in the Capital and pointed out deficiencies like vacancies at officer level and lack of vehicles to patrol the streets.Police Commissioner Neeraj Kumar appeared before the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Home to face questions on 'growing atrocities against women in Delhi'.Home Secretary RK Singh, who was also to appear before the panel, could not attend the meeting.Kumar informed the panel about the sequence of events of the incident and said the police control room vans reacted "promptly" after receiving the phone call about the crime.He is learnt to have told the committee that police investigations helped nab the accused within days of the December 16 gang rape.During the course of the Police Commissioner's deposition, Congress member Sandeep Dikshit, who had recently demanded the resignation of Kumar in the wake of police action against protesters on Sunday, is understood to have said there was a disconnect between officers sitting in rooms and those on the ground.He said officials below Station House Officer rank act on their own giving little regard to orders from superiors.Dikshit is the son of Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit who had been demanding that the Delhi Police be brought under the control of the city government. The Delhi Police is under the direct control of the Home Ministry.Some members said police v    Read More

New Delhi, 28 Dec (Press Public News):- A 42-year-old woman was allegedly gang-raped by three men and dumped in south-east Delhi last night.The woman, who hails from Jaipur, said she was raped in Uttar Pradesh and dumped in the Kalkaji area last night. She then called her friend, who took her to the police station. The police took the victim to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) for a medical examination that has confirmed rape.The police has registered a case and detained Dileep Verma, one of the three accused, from Agra. He has been brought to Delhi for interrogation, Delhi Police spokesperson Rajan Bhagat said. Verma claimed he had known the victim for the last five years.The victim had gone to Vrindavan on December 22 and was returning home yesterday. She claimed she met Verma there and he accompanied her in a car to her hometown. On the way, Verma's two friends joined them."She told us that she was gagged, sedated and raped by the trio. They took turns to rape her," a senior police official said.A case of gang-rape under section 376(G) has been registered. Three teams have been formed and are raiding several places to catch the other two accused.In Singapore, victim very criticalThe 23-year-old Delhi gang-rape victim, who was flown in an air ambulance from India early this morning, was in an extremely critical condition at the super specialty Mount Elizabeth Hospital here. A bulletin issued this evening by the hospital said: "As at 7p    Read More

New Delhi, 28 Dec (Press Public News):- Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal today suggested a separate fund for states engaged in Green Revolution to help them diversify away from the wheat-paddy cropping cycle.Speaking at the National Development Council (NDC) meeting in the Capital, Badal asked the Union Government to help Punjab promote farm diversification.A technology mission was needed for the “diversification of agriculture with an allocation of Rs 5,000 crore for Green Revolution states”.A fund of Rs 4,000 crore was being provided to states in the North-East to “bring in Green Revolution”.The diversification plan for Punjab should be included in the 12th Five Year Plan (2012-2017), he said.Badal desisted from mentioning Haryana as the other state to implement Green Revolution when the country decided to be self-sufficient in grain crops in 1960s.Punjab, he said, had been apprised of the fact that the Central Government would soon withdraw from the procurement of wheat and paddy, hence diversification was the only way out and it could only be possible with a strong support from the Centre.“A remunerative MSP (minimum support price) and an assured marketing system for alternative crops such as maize, soyabean, cotton and sugarcane is needed,” Badal said at the meeting which was also attended by Chief Ministers of other states.Badal suggested that animal husbandry activities like dairy, poultry, fishery and piggery amon    Read More

New Delhi, 28 Dec (Press Public News):- Even as the Centre came in for sharp criticism from Chief Ministers of Opposition-ruled states at the National Development Council (NDC) meeting today,Tamil Nadu CM J Jayalalithaa created a stir when she staged an angry walkout as she was not allowed to complete her speech.Launching a full-scale attack against the Centre, Jayalalithaa accused the Centre of stifling the voices of Opposition-ruled states and treating them like "school children, adding that its "arrogance and intolerance" had grown to "exceedingly extreme limits". She left for Chennai after cutting short her stay in Delhi.Jayalalithaa was unable to complete her speech as a bell rang after ten minutes to indicate that her allotted time was over. The NDC meet had stipulated that each Chief Minister would be given ten minutes ech for their respective presentations. A tracking system had been installed to alert speakers that their time limit was over.Jayalalithaa, who was on the tenth page of her 28-page speech, took strong exception to the time limit imposed on Chief Ministers." I have attended many conferences, such a procedure has never been followed in the past," she remarked, adding that ten minutes were not enough for a Chief Minister to complete the speech."The plan document is so lengthy and encompasses so many subjects that CMs can't express their views in 10 minutes. Just to allot 10 minutes and humiliate, this is a move t    Read More

New Delhi, 28 Dec (Press Public News):-Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today made a pitch for a phased hike in the prices of energy products such as petroleum, coal, natural gas and electricity in these “difficult” economic times to achieve the target of 8 per cent growth in the 12th Five Year Plan.“Immediate adjustment of prices to close the gap is not feasible. I realise this, but some phased price adjustment is necessary,” Singh said while addressing the 57th meeting of the National Development Council (NDC) convened to finalise the 12th Plan.That the government seems to be moving in this direction is clear as the Petroleum Ministry has floated a proposal to hike diesel prices by Rs 10 over a 10-month period and kerosene by Rs 10 over a two-year period.While the proposal may have been mooted, how much of it may actually go through remains to be seen with several state elections due next year.“Energy is underpriced in our country. Our coal, petroleum products and natural gas are priced well below the international prices. This also means that electricity is effectively underpriced, especially for some consumers,” the Prime Minister added.The NDC meeting, the apex policy-making body that comprises Cabinet ministers and state Chief Ministers, was convened to approve the 12th Five Year Plan (2012-17) which seeks to peg the average annual growth rate at 8 per cent, as against 8.2 per cent proposed earlier.This is the second revision in the grow    Read More

New Delhi, 27 Dec (Press Public News):- After keeping the contentious issue pending for almost two months, the Centre on Wednesday announced an increase of Rs 65 per quintal in the support price of wheat, taking it up to Rs 1,350 per quintal for Crop Year 2012-13. Finance Minister P Chidambaram also announced additional wheat export of 2.5 MT to clear surplus stock and ease the storage crunch.Predictably, the decision left farmers clamouring for a better support price. However, Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices (CACP) chairman Ashok Gulati, who for this year had recommended freezing wheat MSP at last year’s rate, said the signal to Punjab and Haryana farmers was clear -- they need to look beyond paddy and wheat and diversify towards maize and poultry for the betterment of the soil and depleting water table.“Punjab and Haryana’s future lies in value addition and crop diversification. There are no soft options anymore. Just asking for higher MSP will not take them (the farmers) any further,” he told The Tribune in response to the growers’ demand of Rs 2,250 a quintal for wheat.While farmers are basing their demand on the Swaminathan Committee’s recommendations of C2+50% (cost of production + 50% more) formula for MSP calculation, Gulati says even if increased diesel prices is added and all other factors included, the cost of wheat cultivation would still work out around Rs 1,130, leaving farmers with a “good enough&rdquo    Read More

New Delhi, 27 Dec (Press Public News):- Faced with public fury, the government today set up a Commission of Inquiry to identify lapses and fix responsibility in the Delhi gang rape case. The issue was discussed by the Cabinet with ministers expressing concern over the incident.The one-person Commission, to be headed by former Delhi High Court judge Justice Usha Mehra, will also suggest measures to make Delhi and NCR safer for women and submit within three months its report which will be tabled in Parliament along with action taken by the government.The commission is in addition to the three-member committee, headed by former Chief Justice of India JS Verma, to suggest amendments to law for quicker trial and more stringent punishment in “aggravated sexual assault” cases amid demands for death penalty.Announcing the decision to set up the commission at a meeting chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Finance Minister P Chidambaram urged the public to “believe” that steps were being taken to find a lasting solution to the “problem that has plagued all metropolitan cities”.Sharing public anger over the brutal incident, Chidambaram said it was a “matter of shame” that the incident happened in Delhi. “We are deeply anguished at what happened in Delhi. I join all others in praying for the recovery of the victim,” he said with Information and Broadcasting Minister Manish Tewari echoing the thoughts.Referring to    Read More

New Delhi, 25 Dec (Press Public News):- Pushed on the back foot over police crackdown on anti-rape protesters, the government today said the action became unavoidable because of the violence and arson resorted to by anti-social elements that had penetrated peaceful protesters.Minister of State for Home Affairs RPN Singh told The Tribune that the agitation had begun on a peaceful note and the government had gone the extra mile by reaching out to the protesters and agreeing to most of their demands like setting up of fast-track courts for sexual abuse cases and a day-to-day hearing of the gang-rape case.The junior minister said the government had also agreed to the suggestion that a special police be raised for the security of women and a directory of those accused and framed in sexual harassment and rape case be prepared.Most of these proposals had emerged from Congress president Sonia Gandhi’s Sunday morning meeting with a delegation of protesters. It was also attended by AICC general secretary Rahul Gandhi.The minister was also present at the 90-minute interaction with the six-member delegation.Singh said not only did the government concede to the demands of the protesters but also laid down a timeframe for their implementation.He pointed out that the three-member committee set up under the chairmanship of Justice AN Verma to suggest changes in the rape and sexual abuse laws had been asked to submit its report within 30 days.He said once this report was with    Read More

New Delhi, 25 Dec (Press Public News):- The world now has a chance to see the rarest of Sikh relics, including the hair strands of Guru Gobind Singh, tenth and last of Sikh gurus. Hidden for ages from the public eye and denied to scholars, over 150 precious relics of the religion have been brought out of private collections for the first time to be documented.The treasure-trove of relics, woven together by one of their custodians Sikandar Singh and author Roopinder Singh, was dedicated to the people at a quiet function here this evening. PM Manmohan Singh’s wife Gursharan Kaur launched the 204-page “Sikh Heritage: Ethos and Relics” published by Rupa. Gursharan took the occasion to remind the Sikhs of their dying mother tongue Punjabi.Eminent art historian Dr BN Goswamy and Gurinder Singh Mann, professor of religion at the University of California, nodded. The work introduces a repository of Sikh heritage. The collections are not simply manuscripts; these include objects used by the gurus, including the comb of Guru Gobind Singh. Also adorning the trove is a rare walnut wood “chariot” gifted to the fifth Sikh guru by a Muslim carpenter from Kashmir.“The rath was gifted to the fifth Guru Arjan Dev and was passed down to generations of his disciples. We have placed the chariot in its historical perspective. It was used to bring home the guru’s bride,” Sikandar Singh told The Tribune.The work’s biggest asset is its a    Read More

New Delhi, 25 Dec (Press Public News):- Former Army Chief VK Singh and Ramdev have been named in one of the five cases registered against the protesters, after the violent demonstrations held in the Capital for demanding swift “justice” for the 23-year-old gang-rape victim. The cases were registered against the protesters for allegedly rioting, assaulting police officers and damaging public property during the demonstrations conducted at the VIP security areas of Delhi in the past two days.The first case was registered on December 22, the day when the public protested at Raisina Hill. The case was registered at the Parliament Street police station under IPC Sections 186 (Obstructing public servant in discharge of public functions), 353 (Assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty), 188 (Disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant), 147 (punishment for rioting), 148 (Rioting, armed with deadly weapon), 149 (Every member of unlawful assembly guilty of offence committed in prosecution of common object) and 34 (Acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention).A section of the Prevention of Destruction of the Public Property (PDPP) Act, 1984, was also added in the FIR.Yesterday, four more cases were registered at three police stations in regard to protests against the gang rape.Two cases were registered at the Parliament Street police station against the protesters. One was registered under IPC Sec    Read More

New Delhi,25 Dec (Press Public News):- Steel barricades and heavy police bandobast today failed to dampen the spirit of young protesters who continued to reach prime parts of Delhi seeking action and accountability following the December 16 gang rape of a young woman.Protesters made bids to group at places barricaded by the police. They finally made it to Jantar Mantar, the city’s most popular plaza for demonstrators of all hues and for all causes. While the police succeeded in keeping the groups of protesters from reaching either India Gate or Vijay Chowk, the scene of pitched battles on Sunday, the beefed-up security resulted in several traffic snarls in the capital.It also forced the government to shift the venue of bilateral talks with visiting Russian President Vladmir Putin to a more secure Prime Minister’s official Race Course residence instead of Hyderabad House, located close to India Gate.Besides restricting vehicular movement as a measure of caution, nine metro stations in the area were closed until further notice causing severe inconvenience to hundreds of commuters at busy inter-change stations such as Rajiv Chowk.After moves to outflank the police in a change of tactics, students began assembly at Jantar Mantar staging a peaceful sit-in. The ranks swelled as the thick blanket of fog began to lift.Learning from the experience, the young protesters today tried to dissociate from protests staged by student political outfits. There was some criticis    Read More

Shimla, 25 Dec (Press Public News):-Himachal Chief Minister-designate Virbhadra Singh and his wife Pratibha Singh were today acquitted in the audio CD case, with the Special Court stating there was no evidence relating to commission of any misconduct on their part for granting clearance to industrial proposals of Mohan Meakin and Ambuja Cement.Announcing the verdict on the eve of Virbhadra’s swearing-in for the office for a record sixth time, special judge BL Soni observed that the prosecution had failed to prove the case beyond reasonable doubt. There is no evidence of Pratibha Singh exercising personal influence on Virbhadra Singh for getting cleared matters relating to Mohan Meakin and Ambuja Cement, said the judge.The court observed that there was also no evidence relating to commission of any misconduct on part of Virbhadra and found no evidence of Virbhadra demanding illegal gratification for the proposals. Consequently, no case was made out against the duo under Section 120(B) of the IPC and sections 7, 9 and 13 of the Prevention of Corruption Act.Sharwan Dogra, counsel for Virbhadra Singh, contended before the court that there was no reliable evidence to show that the alleged audio cassette was recorded and contained the real conversation. The prosecution lawyer submitted that a fact could be proved by oral evidence, but the court rejected his plea. It observed that oral evidence did not prove that any illegal gratification was ever demanded and such amount    Read More

New Delhi, 25 Dec (Press Public News):- Setting aside their differences over civil nuclear cooperation and Russian telecom giant Sistema’s investment, India and Russia today signed two key defence deals worth about Rs 25,000 crore for the supply of 42 new Su-30 MKI combat aircraft and 71 Mi-17V5 helicopters to this country.The two countries also inked other agreements in fields, such as space, trade and investment, science and technology, education and culture, reinforcing the strong dynamics of their time-tested friendship.The pacts were concluded following the 13th annual India-Russia Summit between Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Russian President Vladimir Putin during which the two leaders discussed the entire gamut of bilateral ties as well as global developments.“Russia is a key partner in our efforts to modernise our armed forces and enhance our defence preparedness. A number of joint design, development and production projects are underway in high technology areas. We expressed satisfaction that these projects are progressing well,” Singh said in a statement after the talks with the Russian leader.He also spoke about the bilateral civil nuclear cooperation amid differences between the two countries over India’s civil nuclear liability law.Negotiations for the construction of Units 3 and 4 at Kudankulam have made good progress, he noted, adding that the two countries intend to continue implementing the roadmap for cooperation in the    Read More

New Delhi,25 Dec (Press Public News):- The Delhi Government today suspended two Assistant Commissioners of Police for negligence and sought an explanation from two Deputy Commissioners of Police for not being able to prevent the brutal assault and gang rape of a 23-year-old physiotherapy student in a moving bus in the National Capital.At a press conference here, Delhi Lieutenant Governor Tejinder Khanna, who cut short his US visit, said ACPs Mohan Singh of Traffic wing and Yadram of PCR had been suspended and asked to explain their conduct on the night of the incident. “I have instructed the Police Commissioner to seek an explanation from DCPs Premnath (Traffic) and Satvir Katara (PCR) and disciplinary action against them will be decided on the basis of that," he said.He also announced that citizens in distress could call Special Commissioner Sudhir Yadav’s number (9818099012) to report cases of harassment of women or other related issues. Yadav was also appointed as the nodal officer for dealing with women's organisations and would meet their representatives on the last Friday of every month.After a two-and-a half hour meeting with representatives of various women's groups, Khanna said it would be mandatory for the duty officer of all police stations in the Capital to register the complaint of the woman who approached them. He also condemned the Delhi Police’s crackdown at India Gate last night, adding that the public’s anger was justifiable    Read More

New Delhi, 24 Dec (Press Public News):- Ahead of President Vladimir Putin’s visit, India and Russia have signed a deal for working together to develop the air-launched version of the 290-km-range BrahMos supersonic cruise missile, which will be fitted to the Su-30MKI combat aircraft of the IAF.An agreement was signed between BrahMos Aerospace, Russian Rosoboronexport and Sukhoi Design Bureau for developing the air-launched version of the missile here on Friday, Defence Ministry officials said here.The two sides have been holding negotiations for the joint development for quite some time now and are now hopeful that the first test of the missile would be done within next six months, they said. Recently, the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) had cleared an IAF proposal worth over Rs 6,000 crore to buy BrahMos missiles for their integration with Russian-origin Su-30MKI.As per plans, the first test of the air-launched version of the supersonic cruise missile, developed jointly by India and Russia, is to be conducted by middle of next year.Two Su-30MKI of the IAF would also be modified by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) at its Nashik facility where the planes will be integrated with the aerial launcher developed by the BrahMos, they said.BrahMos missiles integrated on the Su-30s will help the IAF achieve the capability to deliver a deadly blow to enemy formations from stand-off ranges of around 300 km.     Read More

New Delhi, 24 Dec (Press Public News):- In a bid to shed her party’s image of looking after the cause of the Scheduled Castes alone, BSP chief Mayawati has said she is willing to support a separate Bill to provide reservation in promotion to Backward Classes in government jobs.Favouring an early implementation of the Sachar Committee recommendations, Mayawati also sought to target the Samajwadi Party by claiming that the Akhilesh government in Uttar Pradesh had failed to implement the election promise of according 18 per cent reservation to Muslims in government jobs.During the winter session of Parliament, the SP had raised the issue of providing reservation to the OBCs - its core vote base - and Muslims in government job promotions on the lines of a Bill which gives such benefits to the SC/ STs.“The present Constitutional Amendment Bill is necessary as the Supreme Court had quashed a government policy to provide reservation in promotion to SC and ST government employees.“We support a separate Bill to grant similar benefits to the Backward Classes,” Mayawati said.She said despite being in power for nine months now, the UP Government had not implemented its election manifesto of providing 18 per cent reservation to Muslims in education and government jobs.Alleging that the Mulayam Singh Yadav-led Samajwadi Party was not interested in providing benefits to the upper castes, she said her government had lifted a ban imposed by the SP government    Read More

New Delhi, 24 Dec (Press Public News):- The outrage against the brutal Delhi gang rape took a political turn today with political parties criticising the Delhi Police for its violent crackdown on protesters.While Yoga guru Baba Ramdev and Aam Aadmi Party leader Arvind Kejriwal joined in the protests in the Capital this afternoon and condemned the police crackdown, political parties expressed displeasure at the way the situation was being handled.After thousands of protesters defied the prohibitory orders, which restricted mass assembly at India Gate, Ramlila Maidan and Central Secretariat, in the morning, political student outfits mainly from the Opposition parties soon charged ahead in the crowd, inviting more heat from the police.Kejriwal appeared at India Gate in support of the protesters and participated in a sit-in, questioning the crackdown.The CPI also issued a statement condemning the police action on protesters. Leaders from the Opposition BJP, including Vijay Goel, were seen among the protesters.Condemning the police crackdown, an official statement from the CPI said: “The people’s anger is fully justified. Delhi and other cities have become unsafe for our women. The National Crime Records Bureau puts the number of rapes in Delhi in 2011 at 572. Delhi has recorded 2,620 rape cases in the past five years.”“The Delhi Chief Minister expresses helplessness saying the Delhi Police falls under the Union Home Ministry. The statements of th    Read More

Jammu, 24 Dec (Press Public News):- Road accidents continue to prove deadlier than militancy in Jammu and Kashmir, with 2012 witnessing 1,100 deaths in over 5,700 accidents so far. In 2011, the number of deaths in road accidents in the state stood at 1,120. The mishaps were attributed to 80 per cent human errors, bad condition of vehicles and poor road engineering and took place despite the Traffic Police adopting an accident prevention strategy and penalising people for violating road safety norms.Official statistics says at least 1,080 people, mostly two-wheeler riders, have lost their lives in around 5,740 road accidents so far this year. “About 8,600 people also received critical injuries, many of them were rendered handicapped in these accidents during this year,” the statistics say.A total of 6,644 road mishaps occurred in 2011, claiming 1,120 lives and causing critical injuries to 10,108 people. In 2010, 1,042 people died in 6,136 road mishaps. The number of road accidents that took place in 2009 was 6,006 while 1,126 people lost their lives in 2009.“Although the state government announced several corrective measures to curb the fatal road accidents, the efforts have failed to yield desired results so far. The government has declared five districts, including Doda, Kishtwar, Ramban, Rajouri and Poonch, as accident-prone, following recurring fatal road accidents. Special focus is being laid on curbing traffic violations such as overloading, r    Read More

Hisar, 24 Dec (Press Public News):- Hundreds of students, mostly girls, organised a demonstration here against the gang rape of a student in Delhi. They also submitted a memorandum to Haryana Agriculture Minister Paramvir Singh, demanding immediate steps to stop such incidents and prompt punishment for the rapists.Led by students of Hisar, the protesters gathered near Town Park and then marched towards Chaudhary Charan Singh Haryana Agriculture University (CCSHAU), where Governor Jagannath Pahadia was to inaugurate Kisan Diwas, to mark the birth anniversary of former PM Charan Singh. The students wanted to present their memorandum to the Governor.However, he did not turn up for the occasion and Singh inaugurated the function instead.The university had also announced the participation of Rohtak MP Deepender Singh Hooda, but he too failed to keep the date.Heavy police force had been deployed on the university campus by the authorities to prohibit the entry of the students.The students, however, insisted on meeting the dignitaries, leaving the authorities with no choice but to allow them in.The crowd shouted slogans against Delhi Police for cane-charging peaceful students near India Gate yesterday.In their meeting with Singh, the students expressed rage against the continuing incidents of sexual assaults on women in Haryana and elsewhere in the country and the Delhi incident in particular.    Read More

Chandigarh,24 Dec (Press Public News):- Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda has announced a bonanza for farmers that includes the setting up of Kisan Clubs in all subdivisions and a higher subsidy on agricultural implements.The Chief Minister made the announcement while addressing farmers at a state-level Kisan Sammelan organised at Karnal on the birth anniversary of former Prime Minister of India Chaudhary Charan Singh. The day is observed as Kisan Divas.Hooda announced that the funds being spent under the state agriculture modernisation scheme had been increased to Rs 3 crore from Rs 1 crore. He said that the subsidy on laser leveller had been increased from Rs 50,000 to Rs 75,000, on multi-crop planter from Rs 10,000 to Rs 20,000, on happy seeder from Rs 25,000 to Rs 50,000, on straw reaper from Rs 40,000 to Rs 60,000 and on zero till machine from Rs 15,000 to Rs 20,000He also announced that Kisan Clubs would be set up at the subdivisional level whereas these already existed at the district level.As many as 28 progressive farmers who had made outstanding achievements in agriculture, animal husbandry and dairy farming and pisciculture were honoured on the occasion .Hooda urged the farmers to adopt green housing technique.     Read More

New Delhi, 24 Dec (Press Public News):- The heart of the Capital today turned into a battle zone as protesters, who had gathered at India Gate demanding justice for the gang rape victim, clashed with the police, resulting in injuries to many.While over 50 civilians, including women and elderly, were hospitalised, there were also reports of 78 policemen getting hurt in the clashes.Among the injured are Joint Commissioner of Police (Central Range) Taj Hassan, Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police (New Delhi) Sanjay Tyagi, Deputy Commissioner of Police (outer district) Bhola Shankar Jaiswal and Additional Commissioner of Police (New Delhi district) KC Dwivedi.Constable Subhash Tomar was injured at Tilak Marg and has been admitted to the Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital. He is in a critical condition. He was posted at the Karawal Nagar police station in northeast Delhi.Security personnel were able to get India Gate cleared by 5.30 pm after using about 250 tear gas shells and resorting to lathicharge.Twelve Delhi Transport Corporation buses and an equal number of Police Control Room vans were damaged during the protests. A vehicle of the Delhi Doordarshan was also damaged.According to the police, the protest was hijacked by hooligans, resulting in violence and vandalising of public property. While some unruly elements uprooted wooden barricades erected for the Republic Day preparations and set them afire, others damaged police vehicles. In response, the police resorted to use of    Read More

Ahmedabad, 22 Dec (Press Public News):-Re-establishing that the “Modi Magic” is still going strong in Gujarat, the outcome of the 2012 Assembly elections has shown that the voters have voted differently in the parliamentary and the state Assembly elections.Putting up an improved show in the 2009 parliamentary elections, the Congress had almost equally shared the Assembly segment-wise leads. Out of total 26 Lok Sabha seats in the state, the BJP won 14 while the Congress got 12. The recent Assembly elections, however, showed that the Congress has failed to make any significant gains from its situation in the last Assembly elections in 2007.Though a few seats have changed hands, particularly because of the change of character and composition of many seats in the delimitation of constituencies, the BJP had been able to regain most of the Assembly segments it lost to the Congress in the parliamentary poll, despite the consolidation of the “Patel” votes under the banner of Gujarat Parivartan Party floated by former Chief Minister Keshubhai Patel.While Chief Minister Narendra Modi’s stronghold on the urban voters continued, the BJP has not fared badly even in the rural segment, particularly in constituencies that were clubbed with semi-urban areas in the delimitation. More surprisingly, the BJP also won seven of the nine seats where the Muslim votes were considered to be the decisive factors with the Congress conceding one of the two minority-domin    Read More

Jammu, 22 Dec (Press Public News):-Minister for Tourism and Culture Nawang Rigzin Jora and Minister for Medical and Technical Education RS Chib today inspected the under-execution tourism infrastructure in Suchetgarh, being created to promote border tourism in the state.The development of tourism infrastructure at the frontier area of Suchetgarh in Jammu district and Chamliyal of Samba district was taken up last year under a Central-funded project of Rs 6.39 crore.The project works include construction of tourist facilitation centre, budgeted accommodation, restaurant, fencing work, flower stalls, construction of pathways, toilet block, view decks, landscaping, besides conservation and development work of historical Radha Krishan temple and Peer Baba Ziarat at Suchetgarh.The government has so far released Rs 5.11 crore, out of which Rs 4.68 crore has been spent on creation of different tourist facilities in these border areas.Over 80 per cent construction and development work has been completed and the tourist facilities being created at the twin border spots are likely to be thrown open by the end of February next.After taking stock of the project works, Jora said the government was focusing on promoting border tourism to attract more visitors to the state. He said the initiative would help in developing border areas, which possess immense tourism potential.He said over the years Jammu has emerged as a major tourist destination and to expand the tourism scope beyond urb    Read More

New Delhi, 22 Dec (Press Public News):- Not a single claim in respect of the bodies buried in unmarked graves across north Kashmir has been made to the state government yet, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah today said. No DNA profiling has thus been conducted to link the blood sample of anyone to that of those buried in the graves.The State Human Rights Commission had in 2011 detailed the existence of 2,730 bodies in close to 38 unmarked graves in north Kashmir raising the hopes among families who have been saying that their kin disappeared following militancy and could be among those buried in unmarked graves.But no such linkage has yet been established with Omar Abdullah today saying in response to The Tribune query that no one had given a blood sample yet or identified a grave where their kin could be buried to enable the state to exhume the body to determine the truth.The state had earlier told the families to identify the graves of their missing relatives and give blood samples so that the government could exhume the particular body and conduct DNA tests on it to match the samples.“We had earmarked an officer in the state human rights cell. We had asked families to come forward with DNA samples. No one has come,” the CM said while raising the pitch for the establishment of a Truth and Reconciliation Commission through a joint initiative between India and Pakistan to determine the truth behind the Valley’s disappearances and bodies in unmarked grav    Read More

Chandigarh, 22 Dec (Press Public News):- Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda today announced that noted wrestler Yogeshwar Dutt would be the brand ambassador of the Health Department for the promotion of various schemes in the state.Hooda also launched the weekly iron and folic acid supplementation (WIFS) programme of the Health Department by distributing folic acid tablets among children at a programme organized here today. He also launched pentavalent vaccine under the state immunisation programme as an ANM injected the vaccine to a child in his presence. Haryana has become the first state to implement the WIFS programme and third in the country after Tamil Nadu and Kerala to launch pentavalent vaccine.The Chief Minister said the WIFS programme aimed at providing iron folic acid tablets to all students from Class VI to XII on every Monday in the government schools. He said adolescent girls in the 10-19 age group would also be given these tablets at anganwadi centres.Yogeshwar Dutt said he was proud to be associated with a social cause. He urged the people that they should give folic acid tablets and administer pentavalent vaccine to their children on time so that they remained healthy.    Read More

Gurgaon, 22 Dec (Press Public News):- Residents of Sheetla Colony today torched two jeeps and a JCB machine when MC officials went there to bring down illegal constructions within 900 metres of the Ammunition Depot here.Officials of the MC’s anti-encroachment wing along with police personnel reached the colony to execute orders of the court but were in for a rude shock when hundreds of residents of the colony blocked their way refusing to let the JCB machine approach their houses.The officials had razed a couple of under-construction houses when people came out on to the streets. When the police tried to shoo them away with a mild force, the mob turned violent and attacked the police and MC officials. The mob eventually burnt down two jeeps and a JCB machine of the MC.The police tried to bring the situation under control but in vain. They then requisitioned additional force and used lathis to disperse the mob.The police detained more than 20 persons. The locals tried to protest against the detention but with hundreds of armed policemen swarming the place they could not cause any further damage.The area has been put on high alert. It is the second time that the MC officials faced such a protest. Last time also, residents of the colony had come to blows with officials of the anti-encroachment wing.“We are just abiding by the court’s orders. Despite repeated directives people have not abstained from making new constructions in the restricted areas. If anyb    Read More

NEW DELHI 22 Dec (Press Public News):-  Olympic bronze-medallist Indian woman boxer M.C. Mary Kom has joined the nation in condemning the gang-rape of a 23-year-old paramedical student in the city, saying that the ghastly incident has left her shaken and distressed.The 29-year-old mother-of-two, is praying for the girl, who is battling for life in a city hospital after being brutalised in a moving bus by six men, all of whom have been arrested by the police.“The sheer brutality of the incident has left me completely shaken. I hope it never happens to any girl. I am praying that the victim survives. It is deeply disturbing that an incident like this took place in a modern society. We have to reflect on where we are headed as a society,” Mary Kom told PTI.“As a woman, I am distressed and I can understand the pain of the victim. It is shameful and needs to be condemned in strong words. Being an athlete I can’t suggest what needs to be done because this is the job of the government.“The government and the police have to ensure that women feel safe in the country. They have to do what is necessary, whether it is making stricter laws or whatever but such incidents have to stop,” asserted the five-time world champion.The plight of the victim, whose male friend was also badly beaten up by the culprits, has outraged the country with protesters taking to the streets to express their anger at the incident.Protests have been taking place    Read More

NEW DELHI 22 Dec (Press Public News):- The police fired teargas and used water cannons as several hundred students marched towards Rashtrapati Bhavan for the second day on Saturday demanding justice for the 23-year-old gang-rape victim. A boy, a girl and a traffic policeman were injured as the police directed water jets and opened a volley of teargas shells that pushed the protesters back a little, even as some of the protesters braved the chill and threw waterbottles and shoes at the policemen. Window panes of a police van were smashed. The protestors gathered at India Gate from early in the morning and marched through Rajpath towards Raisina Hill. They broke security cordons erected on Rajpath and managed to reach near Raisina Hill where they were stopped. The police action came as ‘negotiations’ failed at Raisina Hill leading to Rashtrapati Bhawan and the protesters, comprising largely young women and men, tried to breach the barricades to push towards Rashtrapati Bhawan. The protest spot resembled a battle zone with empty shells and wet roads. The area has been cordoned off and police reinforcements have been rushed to the Hill that divides the North and South Block, which houses the Prime Minister’s Office. Women protesters alleged that policemen hit them with lathis and declared they would launch a sit-in in the area. Protests refused to disperse from the place. As protests continued for the sixth day, former Arm    Read More

New Delhi, 21 Dec (Press Public News):Even as China continued with its aggressive posturing in the South China Sea, India and the 10 ASEAN nations today resolved to strengthen bilateral cooperation to ensure maritime security and freedom of navigation in the disputed sea in accordance with the international law.India and ASEAN also announced that they had finalised a free trade agreement (FTA) in services and investment after prolonged negotiations and elevated their relationship to a strategic level.“As maritime nations, India and ASEAN nations should intensify their engagement for maritime security and safety, for freedom of navigation and for peaceful settlement of maritime disputes in accordance with international law. We should also foster cooperation to counter piracy and respond to natural disasters,’’ Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said as he opened the ASEAN-India Commemorative Summit here.Though it was billed to be a summit to highlight 20 years of India’s partnership with the major regional bloc, China, because of its stance on the South China Sea, was the big elephant in the room as Manmohan Singh and top leaders from Indonesia, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Singapore, Thailand, Myanmar, Brunei, Vietnam and the Philippines gathered here for the two-day meet.Vietnam, which has been involved in a tense stand-off with China over the disputed sea, suggested that there should be a common code of conduct for ensuring peace in the area. Prime Minister    Read More

Ahmedabad, 21 Dec (Press Public News):-Fresh from the hat-trick in the Assembly polls, which pitchforked him in the BJP's prime ministerial candidates' race, Chief Minister Narendra Modi today said if he had committed any 'mistake', he seeks forgiveness from the people."If there has been a mistake somewhere. If I have erred somewhere, I seek apology from you, the six crore Gujaratis," Modi said in a victory speech in Hindi, aiming to reach out to a wider audience.Modi, who has always been under attack following the 2002 post-Godhara violence, made no mention of it in his 45-minute speech."You have given me power. Now you also give me your blessings so that I do not commit any mistake, no one is hurt and there is no mistake by me even unknowingly. When people, who are in fact God, give their blessings, there is no possibility of a mistake," the Gujarat Chief Minister said.Analysts said Modi choosing to speak in Hindi when he has stuck to Gujarati during his entire election campaign may be signalling his national ambitions.Taking potshots at his detractors, Modi said he does not need a certificate from anyone after "people have given me the biggest medal".As the cheering crowd shouted "PM-PM" for Modi, the BJP leader credited his victory to the six crore Gujaratis and his party saying that if he is able to serve Gujarat and take the state to a magnificent level, it was due to the collective strength of people and his party.Modi said    Read More

Ahmedabad, 21 Dec (Press Public News):-The outcome of the Gujarat state Assembly elections announced today has once again showed that Chief Minister Narendra Modi is still ruling supreme in the political scenario in the state. The combined opposition forces have failed to make much dent in Modi's popularity even 11 years after his remaining in the office.With the exception of the CPM in West Bengal in the past, the BJP and Modi's performance of registering a hat-trick of victories is perhaps a record not only in Gujarat, but in most states in the country. The anti-incumbency factor failed to hit the BJP and Modi even this time.The good showing by the BJP has opened a plethora of future possibilities for Modi. He can continue to hold the office of the Chief Minister for as long as he desires, or move to Delhi to jump onto the national platform.Though the party tally in the state fell short by one seat than its 2007 performance, Modi has emerged as a strong leader of the party in the state. His image seems to be improving in some other parts of the country, too. The BJP high command could try to confine him to state boundaries only at its own peril. The decision on the timing of his moving over to the national politics, if he so desired, however, is likely to be left to him.Several factors, including some "hidden ones", have contributed to Modi's victory. His ability to charm the people with his oratory to build his image as a "doer"    Read More

Shimla, 21 Dec (Press Public News):-After defeating the BJP in Himachal Assembly polls, the Congress top brass has now another big task at its hand: To choose the next Chief Minister among a bevy of contenders. Though the Congress victory has come under the leadership of PCC chief Virbhadra Singh, he is not the only one eyeing the Chief Minister’s post.With counting of votes over, the race for the top job has intensified. The contenders for the post have become active and started the headcount to ascertain their number of supporters among the 36 newly elected members.Virbhadra Singh, undoubtedly, remains the front-runner. Apart from Kaul Singh, the name of Union Minister Anand Sharma, who has been maintaining that he had no interest in the state politics, is also doing the rounds. CLP Leader Vidya Stokes, who was in the race for the top post in 2003, is another strong candidate.Virbhadra’s uncanny knack of winning over the Independents gives him an edge. He has already hinted that some Independents were ready to support the Congress for a strong and stable government.However, the victory of prominent leaders opposed to Virbhadra Singh like Kaul Singh, GS Bali and Asha Kumari and the defeat of some of his close supporters like GR Musafir, Rangila Ram Rao, Ram Lal Thakur and Kuldeep Pathania have enthused the rival camp.Observers say the Congress high command would not like to annoy Virbhadra, a five-time Chief Minister, especially with the Lok Sabha elections round    Read More

New Delhi, 21 Dec (Press Public News):-One of the four accused in the brutal rape of a young paramedical student on Sunday was today “identified” by the victim’s friend during a test identification parade (TIP) at Tihar jail here. The 23-year-old victim’s male friend, an engineer in a software company, identified Mukesh during TIP, a senior police official said.The police will probably seek the custody of Mukesh and interrogate him. Investigators, with the help of the woman’s friend, are likely to conduct the TIP of Ram, another accused.They will probably make Ramadhar Singh a part of the TIP. He was allegedly picked up and robbed of Rs 8,000 by Ram and the other five accused during their joy ride.This incident happened before the alleged gang-rape. The accused were using the chartered bus as public transport and planned to pick up passengers. They picked up Ramadhar from RK Puram and robbed him before dumping him at IIT-Delhi on Sunday. Ramadhar later lodged a complaint of robbery at the Vasant Vihar police station.Meanwhile, the victim, who was gang-raped and brutally assaulted in a moving bus on Sunday night, asked today if the culprits had been caught.“Have they been caught?” This is what the young student asked her family members when they met her in Safdurjung Hospital where she is undergoing treatment.Four of the accused - Ram Singh, Pawan Gupta alias Kaloo, Vinay Sharma and Ram’s brother Mukesh - have been    Read More

Ahmedabad, 21 Dec (Press Public News):-Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi today led the Bharatiya Janata Party to a third consecutive win in the state Assembly elections capturing 115 seats in the 182-member House, short by two seats from his 2007 performance of 117 seats. Surprisingly, the state presidents of both the Congress and the BJP were defeated.While it was a hat-trick for Modi, a record by any Chief Minister in the state so far, for the BJP it was the fifth straight win since 1995. The Congress which again failed to dislodge the BJP, ended with 61 seats along with its ally, the Nationalist Congress Party, two better than 59 it won in the last elections.The Gujarat Parivartan Party floated by the former Chief Minister Keshubhai Patel with the support of the disgruntled elements of the BJP to show Modi the “exit door,” ended up a cropper with only two seats, with Patel winning from Visavadar in Junagadh district in the Saurashtra region. Four seats went to Independents and others. In a tactical move, soon after the results were declared, Modi called on Patel at his Gandhinagar residence and sought blessing of the 84-year-old erstwhile stalwart of the BJP.Modi retained his Maninagar seat in Ahmedabad city by a comfortable margin of over 86,000 votes, though a few hundred less than last time, while the Congress suffered serious setbacks with its state unit president Arjun Modhvadia and Leader of the Opposition in the outgoing state Assembly, Shak    Read More

Shimla, 21 Dec (Press Public News):-The Congress bounced back to power in the hill state winning 36 out of the total 68 seats, while the ruling BJP had to contend with 26. As expected, the Independents put up a good show to bag five seats. The BJP breakaway group Himachal Lokhit Party, which had floated the Third Front with the CPM and the CPI, could just muster a solitary seat.The Congress, which had 23 members in the outgoing House, improved its tally by 13 seats, while the BJP’s score came down to 26 from 41. The margin of victory was not very big but it was a creditable performance by the Congress keeping in view the prevailing anti-party sentiment at the national level due to unfolding of various scams and measures like reduction in number of subsidised LPG cylinders.The political aware electorate maintained the three-decade old tradition of voting out the incumbent government and gave a clear verdict in favour of the Congress throwing aside all the predictions of a hung House. The strong anti-incumbency factor against the Dhumal government more than neutralised the impact of national issues such as price rise, corruption and FDI on which the BJP was banking on.While four out of 11 BJP ministers, Ramesh Dhwala, Krishan Kapoor, Narinder Bragta and Khimi Ram, were defeated, some prominent Congress leaders like former Speaker GR Musafir, former ministers Ram Lal Thakur, Rangila Ram Rao and Vijay Singh Mankotia and national mahila Congress chief Anita Verma also lost.T    Read More

New Delhi, 20 Dec (Press Public News):- India’s vaccine manufacturing sector is set for massive export boost with the country’s national regulatory authority, the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO), passing the WHO’s toughest efficacy and safety tests.An 18-member team of drug inspectors from the WHO, US-FDA, Sweden, China, Switzerland and Thailand reviewed the Central Drug Laboratory at Kasauli and CDSCO’s other facilities in Haryana and Kerala today and found Indian vaccine regulatory agencies had a fully functional vaccine regulatory system. India has become the first country in the world to have passed this stringent WHO test in one go.WHO’s assessment of the Indian national regulatory authority as functional paves the way for global acceptance of Indian vaccines and presents a significant potential for exports which can drive India’s pharmaceutical sector further.At present, India has 12 major vaccine manufacturing facilities and the domestic size of the vaccine industry is estimated at Rs 19,000 crore. The total export from the country at present is around $25 billion a year to 150 countries and this is set for a major increase post the WHO certification on vaccine safety aspects.In plain terms, the WHO certification means Indian vaccine makers can now apply for WHO pre-qualification which is mandatory to apply for most of the global vaccine tenders because countries want to be assured of the vaccine regulat    Read More

New Delhi, 20 Dec (Press Public News):- “Watch BJP’s Vijay Jolly condemn the Delhi gang-rape case on TV between 6 pm and 7 pm”; “Honorable Women and Child Development Minister will visit Safdarjung Hospital at 1 pm on December 19”; “Please check your mail for Congress president’s letter to CM Delhi and Home Minister”…The past two days have seen several SMS alerts from political leaders and MPs, going out of their way to show how much they care about the 23-year-old victim of gang rape, still struggling for her life at Safdarjung Hospital here. In more ways than one, therefore, politics is being played on the ground of a terrible crime.Picture this-the girl was raped on the night of December 16 and has since been admitted to Safdarjung Hospital in a critical condition. But it took three days for the Women and Child Development Minister Krishna Tirath to visit the victim. Coincidentally, Tirath woke up only a day after her party chief Sonia Gandhi had gone to see the victim. Earlier, other MPs including Congress’ Girija Vyas and BJP’s Sushma Swaraj had visited the hospital to meet with the girl and her parents.Tirath, however, remembered to report the time of her hospital visit to the media today as did BJP leader from Delhi Vijay Jolly, who was supposed to be on some TV show debating the matter. Even Congress president’s letter written to Home Minister and Delhi CM was reported to the media clos    Read More

New Delhi, 20 Dec (Press Public News):-The government has begun the process for creating additional posts of judges in the lower judiciary with a view to fill the existing vacancies and fast track rare criminal cases, such as the Delhi gang rape case, that demand immediate deliverance of justice.Speaking exclusively to The Tribune on a day when the nation continued to express its outrage over the poor state of women’s protection in Delhi, Law Minister Ashwani Kumar said the government was in the process of creating 1,800 new posts in the lower judiciary to fill vacancies and ensure speedy trial and justice.Admitting that the Delhi gang rape of a 23-year-old girl had shaken the conscience of the country, he called for social boycott of those guilty of such heinous acts.“The government is going to consider on a comprehensive basis a slew of initiatives, including setting up of fast-track courts and streamlining procedures, to ensure expeditious justice and to inflict the severest of punishments on the guilty. But this matter needs to be viewed in the totality of our social stricture. Such criminal acts bordering on depravity cannot be addressed through legal mechanisms alone. Those guilty of such crimes need to be socially ostracised as well,” Ashwani Kumar said.As regards fast-tracking of such cases, Law Minister said the Cabinet last week accorded approval to the creation of 1,800 new posts in the subordinate judiciary and the Law Ministry had started w    Read More

Jammu, 20 Dec (Press Public News):- The revered Peer Kho Temple on the banks of the Tawi river here has been developed as a major pilgrim-tourist attraction as part of the state government’s initiative to promote religious tourism in the city of temples, said Tourism and Culture Minister Nawang Rigzin Jora today during his visit to the site.The development of the Peer Kho shrine at a cost of Rs 3.50 crore was taken up by the Tourism Department during the last fiscal under Mega Tourism Destination Scheme, funded by the Central Government.The project, which includes the tourism reception centre, dormitory, amphitheatre, parks, walkways, shelter-sheds, bathing “ghat” and view decks on the banks of the Tawi to enjoy the splendorous beauty of Bagh-e-Bahu and the historical Bahu Fort, is nearing completion and is likely to be inaugurated early next year.The development of pilgrim places in the state was getting focused attention, Jora said, adding that the massive infrastructure development programmes had been initiated to provide added facilities to pilgrim tourists coming from within and outside the state.The MLA, Jammu East, Ashok Khajuria, Director, Tourism, Jammu, R S Mehta, and senior officials of the tourism department accompanied Jora during the visit.SHIVA SHRINEThe Peer Kho cave temple, overlooking Tawi River, is a well-known Shiva Temple in Jammu. *It temple is located on the banks of the Tawi river and it is widely believed that the Ramayana    Read More

Srinagar, 20 Dec (Press Public News):-A fierce encounter between Lashkar-e-Toiba militants and security forces at a village near north Kashmir’s Sopore town continued into the second day on Wednesday in which one more militant was killed taking the toll to six.One Army officer and a soldier were also injured in the encounter and had to be airlifted to the Srinagar-based Army headquarters where they are being treated. Both the Army personnel were hit in the leg by militant bullets.The injured Army officer, who was shot in the leg early in the morning, holds the rank of a Major and was on deputation with the Army’s special counter-insurgency unit Rashtriya Rifles, an Army officer said.The encounter began on Tuesday morning in Saidapora village near Sopore town when militants fired upon soldiers and policemen who had sealed off the area after receiving specific input about the presence of militants there.Five militants were confirmed as killed in the gunfight on Tuesday evening when the operation was suspended upon nightfall. Hundreds of security personnel, however, cordoned off the village to prevent any militant from escaping the encounter site.The Army officer confirmed that a total of six bodies of militants had been recovered from the encounter site. The officer said it had been confirmed that one of the slain militants was a local resident of Sopore while the identity of other five militants was yet to be established.A police official said one of the slain    Read More

Gurgaon, 20 Dec (Press Public News):-In the wake of recent gangrape of a paramedical student in Delhi, the district police has launched a slew of measures to ensure a safe New Year. According to the action plan approved today, the police will set up pickets in all vulnerable areas, including malls, colleges, call centres and other celebration venues, where police personnel will be on duty, patrol the area and help out residents with services like dropping home.Over 4,000 personnel, including women, will be deployed with special attention to areas like MG Road, Ambience Mall, Galleria Market, Business Centre in New Gurgaon and the Sector 14 market in the old DLF, which have been identified as potential flash points.“We are determined to ensure trouble-free festivities this year and thus, will set up police units in different areas ranging from colleges to pubs, malls etc wherever we have even a little suspicion of trouble. The Commissioner has mobilised the entire force,” said Deputy Commissioner of Police Surinder Pal.The police today ordered all bus operators to remove tinted glasses and curtains etc with immediate effect and special check-points were also set up to catch the violators. The bus operators were asked to get all drivers verified even schools were given verbal instructions to get complete assurance about drivers before entrusting students to them.Police Commissioner KK Sindhu has cancelled leave of all officials and asked them to ensure that the    Read More

New Delhi, 20 Dec (Press Public News):-The results of the Himachal Pradesh and Gujarat assembly polls to be declared tomorrow have evoked far more interest than any other state election in the recent past as the outcome has far-reaching implications for both the Congress and the BJP.Going by the various exit polls, Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi is set to romp home for the third consecutive term with a thumping majority while the Congress and the BJP are locked in a close contest in the hill state of Himachal Pradesh. Some surveys have said Congress has an edge in Himachal Pradesh and could even unseat the ruling BJP government.Since it it all set to lose Gujarat, it is critical for the Congress to win Himachal Pradesh. The party has faced a string of electoral defeats through the year while there is growing public disillusionment with the Congress-led UPA government which is beset with corruption charges and criticised for poor governance. The continuing rise in prices of essential commodities and the overall gloomy economic scenario has further added to the party’s woes.A victory in Himachal Pradesh will help lift the spirits of the Congress cadres which have been feeling demoralised in the face of the party’s dipping popularity graph. On the other hand, Congress president Sonia Gandhi’s recent efforts to strengthen the party organisation and begin preparations for the 2014 Lok Sabha polls could be jeopardised if the party is unable to win    Read More

New Delhi, 20 Dec (Press Public News):- The police has detained one more person in the Delhi gang rape case. Akshay Thakur, one of the bus cleaners, was detained in Aurangabad in Bihar and is being brought to Delhi. Another cleaner Raju is still at large.Prime Minister Manmohan Singh described the assault against the girl in a moving bus here on Sunday night as "very upsetting".The 23-year-old girl, who was also tortured, underwent a fifth surgery and "continues to be critical but stable", doctors attending on her at Safdarjung hospital said.Taking suo motu cognisance of the dastardly crime, the Delhi High Court decided to monitor its investigation by directing police to carry a "high standard" probe and file the chargesheet only after the court's perusal. "Nobody is safe," the court said, as it pulled up the police, noting such incidents repeatedly happen in the city.While the bus driver and main accused, Ram Singh, was yesterday sent to five-day police custody, the police produced Vinay Sharma, Pawan Gupta alias Kaloo and Ram’s brother, Mukesh in a local court today. Metropolitan Magistrate (MM) Namrita Aggarwal remanded Pawan, a fruit-seller, and Vinay, an assistant gym instructor in police custody for four days. Mukesh, who was allegedly driving the bus when the girl was being gang-raped, was sent to to 14-day judicial custody.Before Aggarwal remanded Mukesh, Pawan and Vinay in different custodies, she sent them to Metrop    Read More

New Delhi, 19 Dec (Press Public News):- Delhi citizens simmering with anger following the recent gang-rape of a 23-year-old girl in the capital took to streets today venting out their anger and discontent against the safety for women in the capital. Leading the protest were the students of Jawaharlal Nehru University who took charge last evening itself with a flash demonstration in front of the Vasant Vihar Police Station, where the case has been registered, demanding immediate arrest of the culprits.After reaching out to local residents and several women organisations, JNU students returned this morning calling for a ‘chakka jaam’ with more fire, louder slogans, bigger banners and a much larger protest demanding speedy action in the case.Responding to the ‘chakka jaam’ call of the JNU Students Union, hundreds of students and concerned citizens from the neighbourhood joined the protest today and blocked the Munirka junction of the outer Ring Road for from 11 am to 2 pm. The blockade was lifted only after the protestors were informed that four of the culprits have been arrested and the two absconders are also being pursued. Girl students made a human chain at Munirka mor halting the traffic saying that “fellow students, sisters are getting raped. We stand in solidarity for the girl and we stand together against the animosity in such culprits.”Citizens were visibly shocked and upset over the state of things. Protestors held several banne    Read More

New Delhi, 19 Dec (Press Public News):-Two more persons have been arrested in connection with the rape and brutal torture of a 23-year-old woman inside a moving chartered school bus in Delhi on Sunday night. With this, a total of four persons has been arrested in the case. Two accused are still at large.Delhi Police Commissioner Neeraj Kumar said at a press conference here today that the main accused, Ram Singh, was the first person to be arrested yesterday. He was today remanded in police custody for five days. Ram Singh identified five more persons who, he said, were with him in the bus when the woman was gang-raped.Vinay Sharma, an assistant gym instructor, and Pawan Gupta (alias Kaloo), a fruit seller, were also apprehended in connection with the case yesterday evening. This morning, the police caught Ram’s brother, Mukesh, from Rajasthan. The three persons would be produced in the court tomorrow.Mukesh was allegedly driving the bus when the incident took place. Investigators are searching for two more accused, identified as Akshay Thakur and Raju — both bus cleaners. Two police teams have been dispatched to Rajasthan and Bihar in their search. They all are residents of a jhuggi colony in Sector 3 of RK Puram.The police has booked them for kidnapping, gang rape, voluntarily causing hurt and conspiracy under various sections of the IPC. The police also plans to invoke Section 307 (attempt to murder) of the IPC against the accused.The accused had reportedly part    Read More

New Delhi, 19 Dec (Press Public News):-The government today assured Parliament that the the Delhi gangrape case would be tried on fast-track basis and action taken against police officials if lapses were found on their part.Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde promised steps for ensuring safety of women as members cutting across the party lines and gender in both the Houses expressed shock, grief and outrage over the horrific incidence of gangrape , demanding fast-track courts and exemplary punishment, including death penalty, for perpetrators of rape crimes.Addressing the Rajya Sabha, where the Question Hour could not be conducted in view of the vehement protests by members, Shinde said a special task force headed by Home Secretary would be constituted to look into suggestions made by members while a Criminal Law Amendment Bill for dealing with sexual offences had been introduced in the Lok Sabha.The Bill seeks to enhance punishment for such crimes, he said as members of all the parties expressed anger and concern over the repeated incidents of rape in the national capital, whose law and order comes under the Union Home Ministry. Besides, he said the police has been instructed to cover all roads by PCR vans at night and increase patrolling on specific routes used by women working in BPOs.Women members in both the Houses were in the forefront, expressing shock and anguish over the incident.While many members became emotional, actor-politician Jaya Bachchan broke down while speak    Read More

New Delhi 18 Dec (Press Public News):-The nation stands in disbelief over the shocking gang-rape of a 23-year-old para-medical student in the heart of the national capital. Admitted to a city hospital, the victim was in a "critical condition" on Tuesday even as the police arrested three accused and launched a manhunt for the remaining.In a late night development, Ram Singh, the driver of the bus in which the girl was raped, and his brother Yogesh were arrested. Both were inside the bus when the incident took place, a senior police official said.Singh and Yogesh are the first to be arrested, police said, and added that Yogesh was driving the bus when Singh raped the girl along with others.The police have identified four people, who allegedly raped the girl, and have already prepared sketches of two of them.The girl, who is pursuing the course in Uttarakhand and is in New Delhi for her internship, was battling for life at the Safdarjung Hospital where she was rushed late Sunday night after the incident that has sparked nationwide outrage.The girl, who has undergone a lot of trauma, is currently on ventilator support and a team of doctors is keeping a close watch on her health condition.    Read More

Lucknow 18 Dec (Press Public News):- Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav has extended tacit support to the stand of around 18 lakh state government employees who are on an indefinite strike opposing SC/ST quota in promotion.Speaking at a function in Bulandshahr, the CM toed the official party line on the issue by saying that the employees opposing reservation in promotion were waging a "just battle for their rights in which they had popular support".Emboldened by the CM's implicit support to their demand, the protesters under the banner of 'Sarvjan Hitay Sanrakshan Samiti' attacked the Congress and the BJP party offices today. They did not even spare BSP national president Mayawati's residence.Raising slogans against Congress president Sonia Gandhi and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, the protesters pulled down posters and banners of Sonia Gandhi put up at the party's office.They also moved to the official residence of Mayawati raising slogans against the party for its support to the Bill. Angry protesters raised slogans against the BJP in front of their office opposite the Vidhan Sabha.    Read More

Bangalore, 18 Dec (Press Public News):-The mortal remains of Jacintha Saldanha were today laid to rest at a church cemetery at Shirva in Udupi district of Karnataka in the presence of her husband Benedict Barboza, children Junal and Lisha, Benedict's mother Carmine Barboza, Jacintha’s mother Carmine Saldanha, close family friends and a large crowd of well-wishers. A large number of students and ordinary citizens were also present.Father William Memezes, spokesman of the Mangalore diocese, said that Jacintha had written in one of her three suicide notes that her body should be buried at Shirva, her husband’s village.In deference to her last wish, the body was buried at the cemetery at Shirva, a village known for its splendid flower crop.While Benedict, Jacintha’s accountant husband, belongs to Shirva, she hailed from Mangalore. The funeral cortege of the 46-year-old UK-based nurse, who committed suicide on December 7 after being misled by two Australian radio jockeys fishing for information regarding Duchess of Cambridge Kate Middleton’s pregnancy, had arrived at the church from her husband’s residence after a short prayer service by the parish priest there.Bishop of Udupi diocese, Dr Gerald Isaac Lobo, led the Mass at the church. The media was asked to keep away from the proceedings inside the church.Former Union minister Janardhan Poojary, Karnataka Muzrai Minister Kota Srinivas Poojary, BJP Udupi district president Udaykumar Shetty, local    Read More

Ahmedabad, 18 Dec (Press Public News):- Around 69 per cent polling was witnessed in the second and final phase of Gujarat elections today, sealing the fate of Chief Minister Narendra Modi, who is seeking a third term in office. The polling was marred by a firing incident involving BJP MLA from Sahera in Panchmahal district Jetha Bharwad, leaving four injured. Bharwad has been detained and investigation is on.“An estimated 68 to 69 per cent voters exercised their franchise in the second phase of polling,” a source in the state election office said.Like the first phase on December 13, when record 70.75 per cent voters exercised their franchise, the final phase of polling for 95 of the 182 seats in the state too saw a huge voter turnout to decide the electoral fate of 822 candidates, including Modi and former chief minister Shankar Singh Vaghela.Controversial former minister of state for home Amit Shah, accused in the Sohrabuddin Sheikh and Tulsiram Prajapati encounter cases, Health Minister Jaynarayan Vyas and Revenue Minister Anandiben Patel are among those in the fray. While Modi, seeking a third straight win from Maninagar, is crossing swords with suspended IPS officer Sanjeev Bhatt’s wife Shweta, slain BJP leader Haren Pandya’s wife Jagruti is trying her luck from Ellis Bridge seat on Gujarat Parivartan Party ticket.The BJP has fielded candidates in all 95 constituencies, while the Congress is contesting 92 seats. The GPP of former chief mi    Read More

Jammu, 18 Dec (Press Public News):- Angered by the death of two infants in a hospital in Baramulla district allegedly due to the negligence of medical staff, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah today told doctors and nurses to quit their jobs if they were not able to perform their duties.Omar also said that if he was not satisfied with the action taken by the health department, which had already ordered a probe into the incident, he would step in to take appropriate action.“We are still not able to give proper healthcare to the people of the state. It is a matter of anguish that two infants in the Baramulla hospital died due to cold because the doctors and paramedics couldn’t perform their duty with responsibility despite being provided with latest equipment, gensets, specialised training and everything,” Chief Minister said while addressing a gathering after inaugurating a health camp at General Zorawar Singh Auditorium in Jammu University.Omar said the state government had recently provided ventilators and two generators to the hospital and even sent three nurses for training to New Delhi. “It is the duty of the government to provide better facilities but doctors and medical staff haven’t acted responsibly. If the doctors and nurses are getting salaries but are not performing their duties, they should leave their jobs and not make a mockery of the system,” Omar said.On December 14, two infants had died in Baramulla district hospital du    Read More

Gurgaon, 18 Dec (Press Public News):- Having reportedly failed to satisfactorily implement 30 of the 36 ways suggested to control traffic snarls, the DGSCL has been given 15 days to pull its act together.In the first review meeting held after the presentation of the 36-point anti-snarl plan by the police in the high court, traffic police officials have found the expressway operation lacking on a majority of grounds. It has asked it to work things out within 15 days.Sources reveal while the operator has worked on issues like smart card and de-congestion of the Rajiv Chowk, it had failed in all other points.“The court had asked us to hold coordination meetings to see that the 36 suggestions which had been recorded in the last hearing were being implemented. We reviewed their work today and, unfortunately, a lot of work needs to be done. In fact, barring two or three points which caught the media’s attention, the company has not done much. We have given it 15 days following which a review meeting would be held,” revealed an official.In compliance of the directions of the Punjab and Haryana High Court (HC) to check the traffic snarls near the toll plaza on the Delhi-Gurgaon expressway near Gurgaon, a detailed report was submitted before the HC earlier this month. A division bench of the HC headed by Justice S K Mittal fixed the case for January 17 for hearing and directed the parties to inform the court on how many of these steps had been implemented by the    Read More

New Delhi, 18 Dec (Press Public News):- In another incident shaming the Capital, a 23-year-old girl was brutally beaten up and gang-raped twice allegedly by four men inside a moving private bus in south Delhi last night. She was stripped naked by her assaulters and thrown out of the bus under a flyover at Mahipalpur.The rape happened in front of the victim’s male friend, who was also badly thrashed by the accused. The victim, who hails from Uttarakhand, is in a critical condition at the Safdarjung Hospital, the police said.The girl had completed a paramedical course at Dehradun and was working with a hospital in Delhi. Her friend is an engineer and works with HCL.Deputy Commissioner of Police (South District), Chhaya Sharma said, “Six persons have been detained and main accused Ram singh who hails from Rajasthan has been arrested. Some vehicles have also been impounded. We have the CCTV footage of the bus but are yet to identify it.” Unconfirmed reports said the bus had been identified and traced to Noida. It was allegedly used to transport school children between Delhi and Noida.The police has registered a case under various IPC sections pertaining to rape, robbery and abduction at the Vasant Vihar police station in South Delhi.The police claimed that the couple after watching a movie in Saket had taken an auto-rickshaw to Munirka at 9.15 pm yesterday. From Munirka, they boarded a private bus for Mahipalpur. The bus had four passengers who reportedly s    Read More

New Delhi, 17 Dec (Press Public News):- The “dieselisation of Indian economy” has now prompted a Parliamentary panel to ask the Petroleum Ministry to get cracking on the telecom sector, which is consuming the heavily subsidised fuel for operation of mobile towers, and collect facts and figures to increase pressure on the Finance Ministry to impose cess on diesel vehicles.Growing tendency to switch over to diesel cars to take advantage of the subsidised fuel and no action on implementation of its earlier recommendations to check the practice has prompted an upset Parliamentary panel to ask the nodal ministry, the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas (MoPNG), to collect facts and figures and convince the Finance Ministry on why it was important to impose additional excise duty on diesel vehicles.In its report to Parliament last week, the Standing Committee on Petroleum and Natural Gas expressed dissatisfaction that no progress had been made by the MoPNG on its recommendation to take up the matter of levying cess on purchase of diesel cars used for private purpose with the Finance Ministry and discourage “dieselisation of economy and also bring in additional revenues for meeting the under-recoveries on the Oil Marketing Companies”.Giving the reference of its letter dated June 7, the MoPGN, in the action taken replies, stated it had again “requested” the Finance Ministry to reconsider the proposal. However, seeing no further action o    Read More

Hyderabad, 17 Dec (Press Public News):-It is a sure sign of the changing times in the once-turbulent Maoist-affected Telangana region. And Vala Ramadevi alias Swarnakka may well symbolise that change. Once a guerrilla fighter of the outlawed Naxalite outfit, People’s War Group (PWG), Swarnakka, 38, now finds herself in a reverse role. She is now guarding a leading politician of the state and Telugu Desam Party President N Chandrababu Naidu during his ongoing padayatra in the Telangana region.Swarnakka, who has left her violent past to join the social mainstream, is among the personnel providing security cover to Naidu, a former Chief Minister and a “Z plus” category protectee. After surrendering before the police, along with her Maoist husband, Swarnakka has been rehabilitated and appointed as a home guard. She has now been drafted for providing VIP security in Adilabad district which was once a stronghold of Maoists.“I have put my violent ideology firmly behind me and want to lead a normal life. I am discharging my duty as a home guard with utmost commitment and dedication,” she says, walking briskly a few steps ahead of Naidu during the walkathon near Bhainsa in Adilabad district, while keeping a close eye on the crowds gathered on either of the road.Ironically, Naidu had survived an assassination bid by Maoists in October 2003 when he was the Chief Minister. The extremists had triggered a landmine blast at Alipiri, the Tirumala footh    Read More

New Delhi, 17 Dec (Press Public News): Defence Minister AK Antony today made it clear that India Gate was the right place to build a national war memorial despite stiff opposition by Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit. Minutes after laying a wreath at the Amar Jawan Jyoti to commemorate the 41st anniversary of India’s victory over Pakistan in the 1971 War, Antony said: “As far as we are concerned, this (India Gate) is the place to have a war memorial. We are very clear.”The Delhi Chief Minister has opposed the construction of a war memorial at India Gate. In letters to Antony, Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde and Urban Development Minister Kamal Nath, she has said an alternative site should be found for the memorial.She says India Gate is the only popular hangout for the people of the city and the war memorial will restrict their movement in the area due to security reasons. The memorial will also affect the ambience of the area.Antony stuck to his guns indicating that he was in no mood to yield, saying “after long years of efforts, a Group of Ministers set up by the Prime Minister and the three Services chiefs had agreed to set up the war memorial here. Before taking the proposal to the Cabinet (for approval), the Urban Development Ministry has written to all stakeholders to seek their comments and views. But I am sure that we will be able to clinch the issue”.The Armed Forces have been demanding a war memorial in the National Capita    Read More

Ahmedabad, 17 Dec (Press Public News):- Never perhaps an election to a state Assembly has been watched so intently and carefully as the Gujarat Assembly elections this time. It is perhaps because it is presumed that the outcome of the Gujarat Assembly elections this time could decide the future political course of the country.Gujarat has several times in the past written history of the country. The "navnirman agitation" in the early seventies showed to the country the power of the people to overthrow a constitutionally elected government. In the mid-seventies, the first experiment of conglomeration of anti-Congress forces under the stewardship of former Prime Minister Morarji Desai was tried in Gujarat which turned out to be the fore-runner of the future Janata Party that emerged as an alternative to the Congress before the birth of the BJP in the eighties.Gujarat had also shown to the nation how total destruction from the killer earthquake of January 2001, could be converted into an opportunity to develop the border district of Kutch as a modern industrial hub. The communal massacre of 2002 shattered the social fabric not only in Gujarat, but also in many other parts of the country. It led to development of an unfounded distrust between the two communities.The outcome of the Assembly elections was expected to decide whether Chief Minister Narendra Modi would stake claim for the prime ministerial berth during the next General Election. Though Modi himself    Read More

Shimla, 17 Dec (Press Public News):-While the political managers of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Congress are busy formulating post-poll strategies to deal with any possible scenario, veteran Congress leader Sukh Ram has come out of self-imposed political exile and thrown his weight behind Virbhadra Singh.The credit will go to the state Congress chief if the party wins the electoral battle, Sukh Ram said here today. The former Union Telecommunications Minister, who engineered Virbhadra’s ouster in 1998 by lending support to the PK Dhumal-led BJP in the wake of a hung Assembly, maintained that he had differences with Virbhadra, but only on policy matters.“I have seen him campaign extensively for the party in the recent Assembly elections in all 68 constituencies with zeal and dedication. I had supplemented his efforts in Mandi and Kullu districts. If the Congress wins, it will be due to the vision, devotion and efforts of Virbhadra Singh,” Sukh Ram said.He said Virbhadra had the advantage of having been the Chief Minister five times and had the ability to play an effective role. He claimed that the trend among the people was of tilting towards the Congress and presumed that the party would form the next government.Asked specifically whether or not he backed Virbhadra’s candidature for the chief minister’s post, he said it was the prerogative of the Congress high command. He added that the high command would take a decision keeping in v    Read More

Srinagar, 17 Dec (Press Public News):- The seven-member delegation of Kashmiri separatist leaders led by chairman of the moderate faction of the Hurriyat Conference reached Islamabad today.Soon after their arrival in the capital city of Pakistan, the delegation members held “detailed meetings” with the ‘president’ and ‘prime minister ’of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).Earlier while talking to mediapersons at Lahore airport, Mirwaiz termed Kashmir as a trilateral issue between India, Pakistan and Kashmiris and called for its resolution through tripartite talks, a Hurriyat spokesman said in a statement issued here.“On his arrival at Lahore airport on Saturday evening, Mirwaiz in clear terms described Kashmir as a tripartite issue between India, Pakistan and the people of Kashmir which needs to be resolved through tripartite dialogue,” the spokesman quoted Mirwaiz as having told reporters on his arrival in Pakistan.“Mirwaiz said the basic purpose of his visit was to ensure participation of Kashmiris in the ongoing comprehensive dialogue between the two countries,” the spokesman said.The Hurriyat delegation had left Delhi airport on Saturday evening for Lahore airport, and from there it is scheduled to travel to Islamabad.“After having an overnight stay in Lahore, the delegation reached Islamabad today (Sunday) morning, where they were welcomed by the leader of the Kashmir Chapter of the Hurriyat Confere    Read More

Hisar/Jind, 17 Dec (Press Public News):- Agitating pro-quota Jat activists, who plan to lay a siege to the national capital and choke its supply of essential commodities, began their foot march from Hisar and Jind districts today.By evening, most jathas from Hisar had reached Hansi, their first stopover en route Delhi. While the youth were seen marching on foot, the elderly Jats travelled on tractors.“We will surround Delhi from all sides and block all entry and exit points to the Capital. Our activists coming from Hisar, Sirsa, Fatehabad, Jind and Rohtak will assemble at Bahadurgarh. Those from Ambala, Kurukshetra, Karnal, Panipat and Sonipat will assemble at the Kundli border. Activists from Bawal, Gurgaon and Bhiwani will choke supply lines to Delhi from the Gurgaon side,” said Ram Bhagat Malik, president of the Jat Arakashan Sangharsh Samiti in Hisar.He said the supply of milk, vegetables, fruits and all other essential items to Delhi would be stopped completely. He warned the government against making any attempts to stop them.The Jats have rejected the Haryana Backward Classes Commission’s recommendation of 10 per cent quota in government jobs and educational institutions to them and four other castes - Jat Sikhs, Rors, Bishnois and Tyagis.In Hisar, activists assembled at the Kirtimaan Chowk and started their march towards Hansi. In Jind, the march was flagged off from Narwana town. Addressing the members of the first jatha, that comprised around    Read More

Srinagar, 17 Dec (Press Public News):- Six soldiers belonging to the 1st Assam Regiment were killed while one went missing after an avalanche swept through the southern part of Siachen glacier, close to the Line of Control with Pakistan, Army officials said.The avalanche hit the Hanief sub-sector of Siachen glacier around 6.15 am today, Army spokesman Lt Col JS Brar told The Tribune. It hit a post located deep in the Karakoram mountain range where Indian and Pakistani soldiers guard the 70-km swath of snow at an altitude of around 19,000 feet, another Army official said.The bodies of those killed had been retrieved. Brar said the operation to trace the missing soldier would be resumed tomorrow after it was called off during the day due to bad weather. "Avalanche rescue teams are already deployed at the site. The moment, the weather clears up, we will launch the rescue operation again," he added.“The incident occurred during the inter-post movement of the soldiers,” officials said.In February this year, eight soldiers were killed when two massive avalanches hit their posts in the Sonamarg area of central Kashmir and in the Gurez area of north Kashmir. A number of forward posts of the Army in north Kashmir and the Ladakh region fall in avalanche-prone areas.An avalanche warning was issued in mountainous parts of the Kashmir region after heavy snowfall last week.Siachen, described as the world’s highest battlefield, has been a witness to regular    Read More

Ahmedabad, 15 Dec (Press Public News):- A lot is at stake for Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi in the “Hindutva laboratory” of central Gujarat, where the BJP is hoping to make up for the loss it may suffer in the Saurashtra region because of the “Keshubhai Patel” factor.Once a citadel of the Congress, central Gujarat completely changed its character after the 2002 communal riots in the aftermath of the Sabarmati Express coach burning at Godhra, which is the district headquarters of the Panchamahals.The minority massacre that followed singed all districts in the region with Kheda, Anand, the Panchamahals and Ahmedabad city being the worst-affected.The rise of the Hindutva fever then saw the BJP romp home with a massive 49 out of the then 52 seats in the central Gujarat region, though the number declined to 30 in the last elections. The number of seats has gone up to 63 this time after the delimitation of the constituencies.Since 2002, central Gujarat has voted differently in the state Assembly and local elections, by and large supporting the BJP, while in the parliamentary elections, it mostly stayed with the Congress.Two of the three ministers from Gujarat in the present Manmohan Singh Cabinet at the Centre - Dinsha Patel and Bharatsinh Solanki - are from Kheda and Anand districts, respectively.Being one of the most urbanised areas, central Gujarat, barring the tribal belt in the Panchamahals and Dahod districts, the voters have    Read More

New Delhi, 15 Dec (Press Public News):- Uproar over arrests over posts on social networking sites has prompted the government to send an advisory to states to ensure that the Section 66 A of the Information Technology Act is not misused. Telecom and IT Minister Kapil Sibal today agreed that the provision had been misused in some states and that the Centre would soon issue an advisory to check it.“We will soon be sending advisories to the state government that inspector, or sub-inspector-level officers should not use section 66 A of the IT act without any order from senior-level officers,” the minister told the Rajya Sabha responding to questions on whether the provision was prone to misuse by law enforcement agencies and the steps the government was taking to amend it.Sibal agreed that “there has been misuse (of Section 66 A of IT Act) in some states...It is my personal opinion and also of the Central Government that it (misuse) is not right”. He, however, also added that the misuse was not rampant.Section 66A provides for punishment up to three years for sending via electronic mail messages which are grossly offensive, menacing, insulting, dangerous or causing inconvenience.Recently, two girls in Thane near Mumbai were arrested for a Facebook post questioning virtual shut down in the city following Bal Thackerey’s death. The girls were released later. A few days later a 19-year-old boy was questioned by the police in Palghar of Maharas    Read More

New Delhi, 15 Dec (Press Public News):- A Delhi court today extended interim protection of Zee News Chairman Subhash Chandra and its Managing Director Punit Goenka till December 20, in case of alleged attempt by channel’s two editors to extort money from Congress MP Naveen Jindal’s company.Additional Sessions Judge Raj Rani Mitra said: “The interim protection for the two (Chandra and his son Goenka) is extended till December 20.” The order means that the duo would not be arrested till December 20. The two had applied for anticipatory bail on December 5. The court had initially granted them interim protection till today. The hearing on the anticipatory bail plea would be held on December 20. The order was passed after lawyers of Chandra and Goenka sought extension of their interim protection. Further arguments would be held tomorrow.    Read More