Sunday 29 July 2012

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

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


500m Long Tunnel spotted near India Pakistan Border

Posted: 29 Jul 2012 06:30 PM PDT

A 500m Long Tunnel under construction with 3 feet diameter has been discovered across India Pakistan Border in Samba district south of Jammu. There can be no doubt that the tunnel was to be used to infiltrate Militants and push in Ammunition from Pakistan into the Valley. Officers donot deny the possibility of more such tunnels.

It was discovery of a farmer Sukhdev Singh of Chechwal who was tilling his fields and all of a sudden there was massive oil erosion that impacted around 20 feet. Trying to understand the caving in phenomenon, Singh traced a cave and informed the BSF. The entire area was sealed off and digging was started that eventually led to the discovering of a tunnel going towards the borde

With India’s Independence Day only 18 days away, some fear that the tunnel may have been prepared to infiltrate militants on or ahead of Aug 15.

The tunnel, about 55 km southwest of Jammu, is 3 feet by 3 feet in diameter and has pipes for supplying oxygen, according to Senior Superintendent of Police (Samba) Israr Khan.

It appears the tunnel is 400-500 metres long, he said.

The tunnel runs below the border fence, erected on Indian territory to prevent infiltration of terrorists from Pakistan. “Our fair assessment is that this tunnel is under construction.”

The Pakistani post Lambryal is about 500 metres opposite India’s Chinari post. “There is thick vegetation in the area. We can’t know the activities going on that side.”

Officials do not rule out the possibility of more such tunnels either already constructed or under construction from Pakistan to India.

Residents of Chhichwal village say the Border Security Force (BSF) and the army are not taking the issue seriously.

Said Fateh Singh, an elderly man: “It is over 36 hours since the tunnel was discovered. But no one from the army has come to find out the facts.

“It is only the senior superintendent of police who is camping here. The BSF came with a machine to dig the place but that machine ran out of fuel.

Ravi Choudhary, a farmer who saw the sinking area leading to the tunnel’s discovery, said: “By not acting fast we are giving time to Pakistan to cover up things.”

The Jammu and Kashmir Police has called for geological experts and the remote sensing department to study the tunnel. “But no one has reached so far,” said Parveen Katwal, another villager.

Because of strong security measures on the Indian side, Pakistan has been finding it difficult to push militants into Jammu and Kashmir.

“That is the reason Pakistan has embarked on constructing such an underground tunnel to push arms, ammunition and militants into Jammu and Kashmir,” one official said.

Hundreds of Kashmiri youths who went over to Pakistan for arms training and now desperate to return to the state by surrendering to security forces and making use of government rehabilitation policies.

Pakistan wants to push in more militants into Jammu and Kashmir as there are very few left in the state, another official said.

Use of tunnels under contested border is nothing new. Most of the Palestine economy and resistance is directly linked to 1200-odd tunnels under the Egypt-Gaza Strip separation barrier.

Indian Forex Reserves up by $589 Millions during last week

Posted: 29 Jul 2012 05:30 PM PDT

India’s foreign exchange (forex) reserves grew by $589 million to $287.34 billion for the week ended July 20, central bank data showed.

Foreign currency assets, the biggest component of the forex reserves kitty, increased by $565.5 million to $255.10 billion for the week under review, according to weekly statistical supplement released by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI).

The RBI did not provide any reasons for the growth. It said the assets in US dollar terms included the effect of appreciation or depreciation of non-US currencies such as the pound sterling, euro and yen held in reserve.

The country’s forex reserves had declined by $872.7 million in the previous week under review.

The value of special drawing rights (SDRs) grew by $15.8 million to $4.34 billion during the week ended July 20, while India’s reserves with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) rose by $7.7 million to $2.13 billion.

However, the value of gold reserves remained unchanged at $25.76 billion.

India needs more TV Shows like Satyamev Jayate

Posted: 29 Jul 2012 04:30 PM PDT

Satyameva Jayate Aamir KhanSatyamev Jayate the first of its kind show in World has created History, not for the TRP it gained but for its immense social impact quadrupled by the Superstar effect of Aamir Khan. Satyamev Jayate did in 13 weeks what Social Activists could not do for over 30 years.

To Sum up, India needs more shows like Satyamev Jayate. The show went on air May 6 and in episodes after episode, Aamir brought forth unknown facts related to child sex abuse, medical malpractice, manual scavenging and dowry.

He followed it up off the screen by meeting concerned leaders to ensure the problems are resolved.

The actor-filmmaker met Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot to request the creation of a fast track court to decide the cases of the doctors, none of who have been penalised in the female foeticide cases.

Coincidently, the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Bill, 2011, that was earlier cleared by Rajya Sabha, got the nod from lower house after the second episode of “Satyamev Jayte”.

The episode highlighting malpractice among medical practitioners irked medical community. Though the medical community was miffed and asked apology from Aamir, the parliamentary standing committee invited Aamir and the “Satyamev Jayate” team to discuss the issue.

The grand finlae show highlighted the basic tenets of the constitution that promises equality for all. Ironically, the people in the country are still subjected to discriminations on the basis of caste and religion.

“When India’s leaders envisaged building a new nation after independence, the constitution was the foundation stone of this endeavour. We had resolved to establish a sovereign, secular, democratic republic with justice, liberty, equality and fraternity for all. After 65 years of Independence, are we actually living up to those principles,” Aamir asked.

The episode saluted the courage of The Sarvodaya Trust, which gave shelter to both Hindu and Muslim children after the 2001 devastating earthquake in Gujarat as well as Sunitha Krishnan, a social worker who looks to rehabilitate prostitutes and rape victims through her anti-trafficking organisation Prajwala

Sunitha, one of the rape victims, said that irony is that “people want to make documentaries and movies on these girls, but no one wants to own them.”

The episode also appreciated the work of Naseema Hurzuk, a wheelchair bound lady who runs Helpers Of The Handicapped, an organisation helps disabled.

In last 13 weeks, the star evoked a range of emotions as he dealt with the sensitive topics, and each episode witnessed moist eyes among those in the TV audiences and many more at homes and offices across the country as people tuned in to watch the programme.

Before the show hit the screen, Aamir said in his promotional ads that he wanted to replicate the phenomena created by the epic Mahabharat and Ramayana teleserials of yore on Sunday mornings and he succeeded in doing so.

Equipped with well-researched instances and case studies, each episode forced people to think beyond boundaries. The programme was simultaneously beamed on Star Plus and Doordarshan, a first.

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.

The actor has said that he may come back with the second season of the show.

India successfully test Fires Brahmos Missile

Posted: 29 Jul 2012 02:47 PM PDT

Yesterday India test fired Supersonic Cruise Missile Brahmos from the defense base in Balashore with a range of 290 km and a conventional warhead capacity of up to 300 kg.

The missile was launched from the Integrated Test Range in Chandipur in Balasore district, about 230 km from here. “It was an experimental repeat of a previous version,” M.V.K.V. Prasad, director of the test range, told IANS.

The missile has a top speed of Mach 2.8, which is about three times faster than the US subsonic Tomahawk cruise missile. This makes BrahMos one of the fastest cruise missiles in the world.

The missile can be launched from submarines, ships and aircraft. Sea and ground launched versions of the missile have been successfully tested and put into service with the army and navy.

It was the 32nd flight test of the BrahMos. The latest test was carried out at about 10.30 a.m.

“The objective of the mission was to evaluate some of the newer subsystems which are produced from the Indian industry as part of production stabilisation. More than 25 such systems were incorporated in the development missile”, BrahMos Aerospace spokesperson Praveen Pathak told IANS.

The latest launch was primarily aimed at testing the new power systems, materials for airframe components, guidance scheme and various electric systems. The data obtained from multiple telemetry stations of ITR are being analysed for large scale production by the Indian industries, he added.

Women! Flirt Men to enjoy Success at Negotiations

Posted: 29 Jul 2012 01:30 PM PDT

Feminine charm is a measurable phenomenon, scientists have established, with women who employ it enjoying the most success in negotiations, The Independent reported Sunday.

Results from the first academic study of the technique shows that it can increase success rates in negotiations with both men and women by as much as a third.

Effective feminine charm combines flirtation with friendliness and women who get it right can get around 20 percent off the price of a car, according to the study.

But getting the right balance between flirting and being friendly is vital, because women who are too straightforwardly friendly lose out, according to Laura Kray who led the study.

Researchers from the University of California, Berkeley, and the London School of Economics, carried out four separate experiments to investigate female charm, the newspaper added.

They say that, while there is a commonly held assumption that feminine charm boosts a woman’s effectiveness in negotiations, it has not until now been investigated by researchers.

Narendra Modi showers heaps of Praises on Biharis

Posted: 29 Jul 2012 12:14 PM PDT

Gujarat CM Narendra Modi showered heaps of Praises for Biharis and emphasized on the Bihar-Gujarat Relationship for the past 100 years. He was speaking at a ceremony celebrating Bihar Centenary Celebrations.

In this unique style he said, “Gujarat and Bihar share an old bond. If Sardar Patel had not been there, Rajendra Babu (who hailed from Bihar) would not have become the President of India while Jayprakashji made Morarjibhai PM,”.

“Sardar Patel made Rajendra babu President. While it was Jayprakashji who made Morarjibhai Prime Minister. There are countless such examples that bind us,” he said adding Bihar was the land where Gandhiji started the movement for Swaraj.

Talking about large number of Biharis who have migrated to Gujarat, Modi said, “there was a time when Kolkata had most number of migrants from Bihar, but I think now Surat has broken that record.”

Trying to strike a chord with Biharis here, Modi said the state government was planning to build a large statue of Lord Buddha as there was much influence of his in Gujarat as it is in Bihar.

Asking the Biharis not to forget their roots, Modi said that, “Biharis settled in Gujarat may have become 100 per cent Gujaratis now but we do not want them to forget their roots”.

Modi also highlighted the strength of the Biharis saying that they display their talent in whichever field they go.

“If there were to be no Bihari youngsters, imagine what will happen to Television? 80 percent of the crew is from Bihar. This is their influence,” Modi said.

Madhura Nagendra was the Mysterious Girl in Red during Olympic Opening Ceremony

Posted: 29 Jul 2012 11:03 AM PDT

madhura nagendraThe Mysterious Woman who was seen in front of Team India parade has been identified to be Madhura Nagendra from Bangalore. According to Family sources, she was selected for a dance performance by show creator Danny Boyle.

She almost took away the whole camera attention from Team India during the  10s  show. Dressed in red shirt and blue trouser, Madhura was seen leading the Indian contingent in the march past alongside Beijing Games bronze medallist Sushil Kumar during the Opening ceremonyand her unwanted presence has left the Indians fuming as they had no clue as to who she was.However, her father K Nagendra said she was not an intruder and there was no security breach and also apologised for the controversial incident.

“My daughter Madhura was officially selected for giving a dance performance in the inaugural ceremony by show creator Danny Boyle,” Madhura’s father K Nagendra said.

Nagendra said his daughter was practising dance for past many months with all participants selected to perform at the Opening ceremony.

“From whatever I learnt and presume that she being an Indian, the London Olympics Organising Committee might also have selected her to ‘take’ the team inside the stadium. This might have hurt our team’s feelings. I feel very sorry for that,” Nagendra said.

Nagendra said there was no security breach by her daughter as nobody can enter the stadium without security clearance.

Nagendra also said that he was also given passes to watch the show. “I returned yesterday from London and my daughter would reach Bangalore in next couple of days,” he added.

Madhura is a post-graduate student and studied in Christ College in Bangalore. She is also a good dancer, according to her neighbour Yashodha Ramprasad, who stays at Banshankari area.

Understandably agitated by the incident, India's acting Chef-de-Mission PK Muralidharan Raja had shot off a letter on this embarrassing issue to the London Games organisers last night in protest against the incident.

"There is no mysterious girl. The incident just exposes the tall claims made by the organisers regarding security. Just imagine if this had happened in India that a person without any accreditation had walked ino the main arena, that too along with a contingent … all hell would have broken out in this side of the planet," an IOA spokesperson said.

"IOA has filed a complaint and is waiting for a reply from London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (LOCOG). Some say the girl was a volunteer. Even if that was the case, how did she manage to sneak in without an accreditation card hanging around her and if she was security cover, then she had no business to be walking in front of the contingent hogging all the limelight," the official said.

The Indians have fielded 81 athletes, the largest ever in the history of the Games, but only 40 athletes and around 11 officials participated in the parade at the opening ceremony, which showcased Great Britain's rich heritage combined with dazzling fireworks and stunning visual effects.

Meanwhile LOCOG has accepted that she was a cast member. Sebastian Coe, the London Olympics organising committee chairman said "The mystery woman who gatecrashed the opening ceremony of the London Games Friday night with the Indian contingent was a cast member  and should not have been there".

"I hear she was a cast member who got slightly overexcited. She should not have been there. But don't run away with the idea that she just walked in. We'll look at it for next opening ceremony," said Coe.

 

Congress Leader praises Narendra Modi in Gujarat

Posted: 29 Jul 2012 09:49 AM PDT

Congress Leader and Rajya Sabha MP Vijay Darda has triggered a Fresh Controversy by Calling Gujarat CM Narendra Modi a Lion and praised his style of functioning  while attending an Award Ceremony in Ahmedabad

“Modi’s commitment and dedication towards work bears resemblance to that of a lion,” Darda Said

The Congress MP, who is also the editor-in-chief of a media house, was given ‘Tarun Kranti Awards’ at the event for his services rendered to society through his media house. The other two recipients of the awards for social service wereBaba Ramdev and Jain International Trade Organisation (JITO).

Speaking on the occasion, Modi said Darda might have to pay a price for his comments made in Gujarat.

“It won’t be surprising to read tomorrow’s breaking news that Darda has been served a show-cause notice from the party high command for praising Modi,” he said, taking a dig at Congress leadership.

Darda, later clarified that he did not mean anything political through his comments on Modi. “I was just expressing my heart-felt feelings at a religious function,” he said. “In our culture, we always speak good about the host and this is a religious function, so none of my comments should be misconstrued as political remarks,” Darda added.

Meanwhile, Congress has taken a dim view of the entire episode. Party sources said that Gujarat in-charge Mohan Prakash will be asked for a report.

“First of all we will seek a report from the state in-charge and determine the truth. We will find out what needs to be done and then decide,” a senior party leader said.

Summary of first Day of Anna Hazare’s Fast unto Death

Posted: 29 Jul 2012 09:42 AM PDT

Social Activist Anna Hazare began his Hunger Strike after 4 days of inaction on part of Government. Hazare has threatened  to die of Hunger, if his demands are not met.

Hazare, 75, began his fast at 10.30 a.m. at the Jantar Mantar in the heart of the capital, very near the seat of the Indian government. It is his third indefinite fast in the capital in just over a year. The soldier-turned-activist’s 12-day long-fast in August last year had attracted massive following and forced the government to get working on a Lokpal bill.

Some 350 others, including three Team Anna members, have been fasting at the site since Wednesday. Fifteen of them had to be hospitalized after their condition deteriorated.

Addressing the crowd of a few thousands, Hazare said: “I am ready to sacrifice my life for the cause. I am confident that people will not let me die.”

“People will not let me die till Jan Lokpal bill is passed,” said Hazare as his supporters cheered.

He also said that though India was a democracy, the people had forgotten the real meaning of the word and it was time to awaken the people for a return to real people’s power.

“They (politicians) are servants and we people are the owners; but the picture today is that people have become the servant and the politicians are the owner,” he thundered to loud cheers.

“This movement is to awaken the people,” Hazare said.

Hazare denied accusations that Team Anna was deviating from its stated aim of getting the Jan Lokpal Bill passed in parliament. “It is the government which is moving away from its path. Our main demand is to get the Jan Lokpal Bill passed.”

He quickly added that as long as all 15 ministers in the Manmohan Singh government who Hazare alleges are corrupt remain in parliament, the Lokpal Bill will not be passed.

He also touched on yoga guru Baba Ramdev sharing the dais with Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi in Ahmedabad, saying: “I do not want to be dragged into this muddy debate”, and then warned: “Don’t try to divide us.”

He added immediately that if he saw the movement becoming directionless “I will stop it right there.”

Later Hazare launched a book titled “Swaraj” by Team Anna member Arvind Kejriwal, who is also on fast at the venue.

Besides Kejriwal, two other team members on fast are Manish Sisodia, and Gopal Rai.

Earlier, Hazare used diplomatic language to criticise Saturday’s surprise protest by some of his supporters outside Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s official residence.

He said the protest was a reaction by people angry with the government. However he advised his supporters to “think before doing any such things” in future.

The crowds appeared to be more Sunday compared to earlier days. While the crowd was largely dominated by youngsters, the elderly also turned up in huge numbers.

Shilpa Gupta, an Anna supporter, told IANS: “I was not able to come the last four days. I decided to come to Jantar Mantar today to join the fight against corruption.”

Harkishan Gupta, a 69-year-old retired government official, told IANS: “The government can say anything it wants to, but the fact is that somebody has been keeping up this fight against corruption.”

A group of young chartered accountants have volunteered to manage the donations for India Against Corruption, run by Team Anna members, at the venue. Saksham Mittal, 32, an accountant with a private firm, said he could not join the movement last August “but this time I did not want to miss the opportunity,” Mittal said.

The Lokpal Bill was passed by the Lok Sabha in the winter session last year, but got stuck in the Rajya Sabha and was referred to a parliamentary select committee. It was expected to be tabled during the budget session but was not. Team Anna members are demanding that their version of the bill be incorporated and passed by parliament.

Team Anna has permission to fast at Jantar Mantar till Aug 8, the day the parliament’s monsoon session is expected to begin.

No comments:

Post a Comment