Monday 7 May 2012

Bihar News, Latest News from Bihar, News of Bihar, Biharprabha News

Bihar News, Latest News from Bihar, News of Bihar, Biharprabha News


UPSC topper always wanted to be an IAS Officer

Posted: 07 May 2012 08:11 AM PDT

A jubilant Shena Agrawal from Haryana who topped the UPSC examination this year said that she was expecting to do well in the exam but never felt that she would be a topper.

Shena, who is pursuing Indian Revenue Service(IRS) at the National Academy of Direct Taxes (NADT) here had completed her MBBS from the All India Institute of Medical Sciences and later got into IRS after she cleared her exam last year but she had always aspired to become an IAS officer.

“I always dreamt of getting into IAS. Last time, I gave the exam and got IRS which is also a good career option, but IAS was always my aim,” a delighted Sheena said.

When she was doing her MBBS, she had visited rural areas for training and saw the lack of basic facilities there and wanted to extend a helping hand to people there.

“I strongly felt to work for these people and for that purpose I aspired to become IAS. In our country, the policies formulated are good but the problem lies in their implementation.

I want to implement policies at the grass root level and reach out to those who need support from the government. I needed a wider platform to work with the masses and I think I got that,” she said before leaving for New Delhi.

Kalam calls for Renewable Energy Security

Posted: 07 May 2012 06:58 AM PDT

Advocating the need for energy security, former president A P J Abdul Kalam today said India’s power requirement would increase to four lakh MW by 2030 and focus should be on renewable energy generation to meet the situation.

With the growing population, by 2030 the country would have a population of 1.4 billion and the energy requirement would increase from 1,99,000 MW to 4,00,000 MW, he said inaugurating the Centre for Innovation in Energy Research at the Central Electro Chemical Research Institute (CECRI) at Karaikudi , Tamil Nadu.

 

In order to meet the same, one should look into possibility of energy security by minimizing energy utility and wastage, he said. Focus should be on the production of renewable energy in the form of wind, bio-fuel and solar energy, he said, adding that hydro drive model may be considered seriously by Indian scientists.

 

Talking about Energy Mission 2030, he said affordability,minimisation of dependence on fossil fuel and energy Vs environment were to be considered seriously. Solar energy should be used for agricultural purpose.

Desalination of sea water need to be thought of to meet the shortage of drinking and irrigation water. CECRI Director Vijayamohanan K Pillai said in the last two decades, CECRI had significantly contributed to basic and fundamental aspects of Electrochemical Science and Technology, notably in areas of energy generation (batteries and fuel cells and ultra capacitors) and storage, corrosion and its mitigation, nano materials and bio-sensors.

“We have a CSIR 800 programme primarily for the benefit of rural communities with respect to affordable health, clean water and environment,”

President Patil defends her Foreign Trips

Posted: 07 May 2012 05:56 AM PDT

Facing criticism over her foreign visits, President Pratibha Patil today said there has been a “misconception” and wanted people to ascertain the factual position.

“Right now, there has been a misconception so far as the visits of the President are concerned…The President does not go at his/her own will. The Government gives a suggestion on the places the President should visit,” Patil said in an interview to NDTV.

She said the people of the country should respect the President’s post and ascertain the factual position before raising questions. “This post of President is a Constitutional post. It is the duty of everyone, all citizens to see that they respect the post… the institution of President,” she said.

On the criticism faced over guests and relatives accompanying her during foreign tours, Patil said, “This has been the international practice and in previous occasions also in the past guests and relatives have accompanied the President. So it is not that I have set a precedent.”

She said the foreign visits of the President are “serious business” and beneficial in building the country’s image and has helped in resolving many issues with nations. “These visits have been in the context of the growing profile of India at the international level,” she said.

“India seeks to be a permanent member of the UN Security Council…Things like this don't happen automatically, you need constant dialogue and discussion with the world,” she said. Asked about the recent Army Chief controversy, she said Government has taken action on corruption charges.

“I think that matter is settled. We should not carry it forward any more”. On the Women’s Reservation Bill, she said, “You see of course it will empower women but it is a decision which the political parties have to take…I think it would be good if there is a consensus is reached and some decision is to take about it.”

Satyamev Jayate falls in Copyright Comtroversy

Posted: 07 May 2012 04:50 AM PDT

Satyemev Jayate, Aamir Khan’s TV debut which was preceded by months of publicity, culminated in a controversy with the band Euphoria alleging that the chorus of the show’s 22-minute anthem, Satyamev Jayate, had been lifted from the band’s decade-old song Satyameva Jayate.

Euphoria’s lead Singer Palash Sen said that if they had asked him, he could have heartily granted the permission even without charging any money. But , they didnot bother to respect the copyright. Thats the reason, we have sent Legal notices to them.

The COmposer of the tune, Ram Sampath refused to comment about it while Star TV acknowledged the notice but said that they are analyzing the issue.

For the last few days, Palash Sen has been receiving calls from many of his fans who told him that the tune of the anthem of Aamir’s show, Satyamev Jayate, was the same as Euphoria’s song, which was also called Satyameva Jayate.

“The trailers and the anthem of this show have been running on television for quite a while, but I had not seen the videos. When I heard it, I was shocked. In 2000, Euphoria released its second album Phir Dhoom, and one of its songs was named Satyameva Jayate. And the chorus of composer Ram Sampath’s version of Satyamev Jayate is exactly the same as the chants in our song. They’ve basically used the same refrain. Jo baaki ka gaana hai, that has different words and tune. But the mainstay of the song – the chorus – is ours. Which is why I’ve sent a legal notice to them,” says Palash.

iGate removes Surname Patni from its brand name

Posted: 07 May 2012 03:40 AM PDT

iGATE Corporation today announced its new brand name as 'iGATE'. The name 'Patni,' representing Patni Computer Systems Limited, a majority owned subsidiary, has been removed from its brand identity.

Unveiling the brand, Phaneesh Murthy, CEO, iGATE said, “I have always articulated that Patni, being a family name, is difficult to protect in several of our markets.

This brand change is in line with our vision of 'one company' that will follow the successful delisting offer process of Patni with the Indian stock exchanges.”

“With a revenue run rate of over a billion dollars and over 27000 employees, the new iGATE symbolises a young and vibrant brand representing the merits of a fully integrated entity. Equipped with an innovative mindset of a game-changer, iGATE will engage with global customers to deliver high-impact outcomes through our proprietary iTOPS framework”, he said in a statement

Idea biggest gainer after Mobile Number Portability

Posted: 07 May 2012 01:32 AM PDT

Idea Cellular has been the biggest gainer of mobile number portability (MNP) service with a net addition of 3.32 million customers as on March 31 followed by Vodafone and Bharti Airtel.

The two firms stood with a net addition of 2.89 million and 1.2 million subscribers respectively.

The port in number request for Idea Cellular as on March 31, 2012 were 9,297,896 while port out requests were 5,974,318, Minister of Communications Kapil Sibal said in a written reply to the Lok Sabha.

While port in and out requests for Vodafone are 11,040,863 and 81,50,730 respectively, the same for Bharti Airtel stood at 1,08,27,376 and 9,613,630 respectively, he added.

Sibal also said that complaints against some companies including Bharti Airtel, Idea Cellular and Vodafone have been received by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) and Telecom Enforcement Resource and Monitoring (TERM) Cells for rejecting MNP requests.

A total of 26,325 complaints have been received so far.

“Based on the complaints received, information was sought from the service providers on the MNP rejections from time to time and coordination meetings were held to resolve the complaints,” Sibal said.

“Wherever violations were observed in respect of complaince of MNP regulations/directions, showcause notices were issued to the concerned service providers. So far showcause notices have been issued to Bharti Airtel, Idea Cellular, Loop, Reliance and Vodafone,” he added.

MNP is a service which allows users to switch operators while retaining their phone numbers.

The service was implemented across the country Jan 20, while the pilot launch of the service took place in Haryana Nov 25, 2010.

To opt for MNP, a customer has to pay a maximum of Rs.19 to the new operator for ‘porting’ the number and remain with the new operator for at least three months.

The customer has to send an SMS from the existing phone to 1900. Based on this, a unique porting code will be sent by existing provider. An application then has to be filed with the new service provider mentioning the code for transferring the connection.

Foreign Tourists lament Victoria Memorial post Clinton’s visit

Posted: 07 May 2012 01:26 AM PDT

Foreign tourists who arrived at the historic Victoria Memorial hall Sunday afternoon were irate after they were denied permission to enter due to the high-profile visit of US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

Clinton, who is on a two-day visit to Kolkata, visited the British-era museum Sunday evening. Ahead of her visit, the hall and its surrounding area were virtually turned into an impregnable fortress, with sleuths of central and state agencies accompanied by armed commandos controlling every movement in the area.

‘I had come to visit Victoria Memorial Hall. But I was not allowed due to Hillary’s visit. I was not aware of her visit to Victoria. I don’t know when again I will be able to visit this place as I will be leaving the city soon,’ said David, an Armenian citizen.

‘This is really disgusting we have come a long way from our hotel to see Victoria (Memorial) and now we are not allowed due to the high profile visit. The authorities should make separate arrangements for the normal visitors,’ said Evelyn, a visitor from Germany

The museum was put under high security and closed to the public from 1 p.m. due to Clinton’s scheduled visit at 5 p.m.

‘I hope I could make a trip to Kolkata once again because I have heard alot about Victoria Memorial Hall. I wish to be lucky next time,’ said Adam, a tourist from the Czech Republic.

During her 15-minute stay at the museum, Clinton was shown an exhibition of paintings of Gaganendranath Tagore, a 19th century Indian painter and cartoonist of the Bengal school and a nephew of Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore.

Founded in 1921, the Victoria Memorial houses a major collection of paintings, sculptures and manuscripts from the British period and is considered the largest repository in India for a visual history of Kolkata.

India under pressure to cut oil imports from Iran: Clinton

Posted: 07 May 2012 12:22 AM PDT

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton Monday said countries like India were being pressurised to reduce their oil imports from Iran to make Tehran change its nuclear policy.

“We knew that Iran’s continuing development of nuclear programme would be very destabilising for the region because there would be an arms race in the region. It would also cause a great threat to Israel. Our goal was to persuade Iran to change its policy because it was already under international sanctions violating international obligations of UN Security Council and international atomic energy,” said Clinton, who began a three-day trip to India Sunday from Kolkata.

“It was a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and it has not complied with all the obligations it had to. So we started putting together (the) international coalition and passed strong sanctions at the Security Council. The pressure has brought Iran back to the international table. The first meeting was in Istanbul,” said Clinton addressing a gathering at the La Martiniere school.

Iranian crude oil accounts for about 12 percent of India’s current oil imports, the second largest supplier after Saudi Arabia.

“We do not believe that Iran would have come to the table if it was not sanctioned and pressured. We do not believe that Iran will peacefully resolve this if there was no pressure. The reason why India, China, European countries, Japan have been asked to reduce their oil imports from Iran in order to keep the pressure on Iran.”

Clinton maintained that oil rich countries like Iraq and Saudi Arabia can meet the energy demands of India and other countries.

“We think it is part of India’s role in the international community. It is not just that the US is asking and doing, it’s the international community asking and doing.”

When asked whether the Iran issue is currently the main road block in the way of Indo- US relations, Clinton said, “Well it has moved and we are encouraged by seeing what Indian government has been able to do. We appreciate what has been done. We believe there is adequate supply to meet their energy requirements.”

However, Clinton remained tightlipped about the ‘sanctions waiver’ that New Delhi is hoping for, saying “it is too early to make any comment on that”.

Earlier, in March this year, the US had served notice on India and 11 other major importers of Iranian oil by stating that a decision on imposing financial sanctions on them would depend on the progress in cutting down supplies from Tehran.

Center likely to steer clear Bihar Central University row

Posted: 07 May 2012 12:19 AM PDT

A solution to the contentious issue of setting up a Central University in Bihar seems likely as Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar today held a luncheon meeting with Human Resource Development Minister Kapil Sibal at his residence here to resolve it.

Sources said the two discussed the issue during their meeting and a solution to resolve the issue of setting up the varsity can be expected soon. The Centre has proposed to set up the varsity at Gaya, but the state is seeking to open it at Motihari.

Sibal had said in the Rajya Sabha last week that he was “willing” to sit down with Kumar and discuss the issue. “I have rung up Nitish Kumarji, I have requested him for an appointment, I am willing to sit with him and decide as to what we should do about the Bihar Central University as well. We have no problems,” Sibal had said. “Let us sit together, and let us see how this can be done,” Sibal said.

Earlier, more than a dozen MPs of Bihar, mostly belonging to JD-U and BJP, staged a protest rally here demanding that the varsity be set up at Motihari as Bihar Assembly had also passed a unanimous resolution in this regard. The varsity proposal has created a rift between the Bihar chief miniser and Sibal, who has favoured Gaya as an ideal location for the institution as the place is close to an international airport and is well connected.

“When the state legislative assembly has unanimously passed a resolution for setting up the university in Motihari, I fail to understand why Sibalji is against it,” BJP MP Radha Mohan Singh had said here last week. Sibal has insisted that Gaya as a location will help the varsity get quality faculty and also help it develop as a centre of excellence.

The Ministry has been allocated land by the Defence Ministry there for the varsity, which at present is functioning from a temporary accommodation in Patna.

Aamir overwhelmed with the success of Satyamev Jayate

Posted: 06 May 2012 11:40 PM PDT

The much-awaited television show Sataymev Jayate has turned out to be another masterstroke from Aamir Khan. The star evoked a range of emotions as he dealt with the sensitive topic of female feticide and its repercussion on the society in the first episode of his maiden TV venture that went on air Sunday.

There were many moist eyes among those in the TV audiences and many more at homes and offices across India as people tuned in to watch the programme, which Aamir  said in his ads he wanted to replicate the phenomena created by the epic ‘Mahabharat’ and ‘Ramayana’ teleserials of yore on Sunday mornings.

‘My ammi (mother) was not here, she was in Pune. She liked the show and messaged, ‘Dil pe lag gayi aur baat ban gayi’. It was very overwhelming that she liked the show. I had tears in my eyes. I am really happy,’ Aamir told reporters here Sunday.

Equipped with well-researched instances and case studies, Aamir’s one-and-a-half hour programme was simultaneously beamed on Star Plus and Doordarshan, a first.

Not only that, in a bid to reach out to everyone, special screenings of the show were held in some villages in Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat where people do not have access to televison.

The maiden episode highlighted how unethical medical practitioners are hand in glove with families wanting to kill the female unborn baby.

‘I was watching the show with my wife,the core team of the show and son Azad. I don’t know how much Azad understood. I had tears in my eyes. I got good response for the show through industry people, various people, twitter reactions. Even our website crashed because of the traffic,’ added the 44-year-old.

Aamir also dispelled the perception among people that female foeticide is practised by rural people or those living in small towns with Mitu Khurana, a Delhi-based doctor being asked by her orthopaedic surgeon husband and in-laws to abort her girl twins just after 20 weeks of conceiving. Finally, she left home to save her twin daughters from death.

Viewers have given the thumbs up to ‘Satyamev Jayate’, saying it is a gutsy, hard-hitting and sensible programme that strikes an emotional chord with the audiences.

‘What Aamir Khan is doing is fantastic. He has shown all aspects of the issue – the minuses and what could be done to prevent it. He has not left it hanging in the middle. He has shown the total picture. He has done it in a way that it will touch the hearts of people,’ said Ranjita, a Delhi-based counselor.

The show’s success can be estimated from the fact that it occupied the ‘top five trends’ on the social networking site Twitter. Even before Aamir could wrap up the episode, 2,254 tweets were notched up.

If that’s not enough, ‘Satyamev Jayate’ received such an overwhelming response that its official site crashed within minutes of the end of his programme due to huge traffic.

In terms of business too, Aamir has managed to draw big brands and loads of moolah to sponsor a reality show that puts the spotlight on the invisible people in the country. Airtel is the title sponsor, while Aquaguard Axis Bank, Berger Paints, Skoda, Coca-Cola, Johnson & Johnson and Dixcy Textiles paying crores for the show.

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