Bihar News, Latest News from Bihar, News of Bihar, Biharprabha News |
- Padma Award conferred to actor Dharmendra
- Indian Navy inducts INS Chakra to its fleet
- Bihar started to woo America and Britain
- Was Indian Military planning planning for something else ?
| Padma Award conferred to actor Dharmendra Posted: 04 Apr 2012 05:35 AM PDT New Delhi: Late cartoonist Mario Miranda, actors Dharmendra and Shabana Azmi, top mathematician M S Raghunathan, former Chief Vigilance Commissioner N Vittal and industry leader B Muthuraman were among those conferred the Padma awards by President Pratibha Patil here today. Miranda’s son Rahul received the Padma Vibhushan from Patil at a ceremony at Rashtrapati Bhawan which was attended by Vice President Hamid Ansari, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi and a host of other dignitaries. A loud round of applause reverbated in the majestic Durbar Hall when filmstar Dharmendra stepped forward to receive the Padma Bhushan award from the President. Shutterbugs had a field day as actor-turned-activist Shabana Azmi received the Padma Bhushan. Among the Padma Bhushan awardees were literary theorist Homi K Bhabha, violinist M S Gopalakrishnan, Tata Steel Vice Chairman B Muthuraman, former bureaucrat Mata Prasad, mathematician Raghunathan, jurist P Chandrasekhara Rao, Vittal, neurologist Noshir Hormusji Wadia and former Singapore Foreign Minister George Yong-Boon Yeo. 88-year-old eminent painter K G Subramanyan (Padma Vibushan), Satya Narayan Goenka and Jose Pereira (Padma Bhushan) were not present at the ceremony. Among the Padma Shri awardees were industrialist Swati Piramal, eminent diabetologist V Mohan, former hockey Olympian Zaffar Iqbal, archer Limba Ram and cricket commentator of yesteryear Ravi Chaturvedi. Yakshagana exponent Ramachandra Subraya Hegde Chittani, sitar maestro Shahid Parvez Khan, terracotta artist Mohan Lal Kumhar, Rajasthani folk musician Sakar Khan Manganiar also received the Padma Shri. Odissi dancer Minati Mishra, theatre personality R Nagarathnamma, Lavani exponent Yamunabai Waikar and Chhau dancer Gopal Prasad Dubey Art also received the Padma Shri. Among the other Padma Shri awardees were Laila Tyabji (Handicrafts), Vijay Sharma (Painting), Reeta Devi, Niranjan Pranshankar Pandya, Sat Paul Varma and Phoolbasan Bai Yadav (Social Work). Scientists V Adimurthy, Virander Singh Chauhan, Vijaipal Singh, Y S Rajan and Jagdish Shukla were among the Padma Shri awardees. Distinguished Chartered Accountant Yezdi Hirji Malegam, industrialists Gopinath Pillai and Swati A Piramal, archaeologist K Paddayya and environmentalist Kartikeya V Sarabhai received the Padma Shri. Prof Mahdi Hasan, Shrinivas S Vaishya and Vallalarpuram Sennimalai Natarajan received the Padma Shrin in the medicine category. The Padma Shri conferees in the Literature and Education category were Eberhard Fischer, Surjit Singh Patar, Irwin Allan Sealy, Sachchidanand Sahai and Ralte L Thanmawia. Prabhakar Vaidya received the Padma Shri in the Physical Education category, while T Venkatapathi Reddiar was honoured for his contribution to horticulture. Homeopath Late Jugal Kishore was also among the Padma Shri awardees but no one from his family was present to receive the award.  |
| Indian Navy inducts INS Chakra to its fleet Posted: 04 Apr 2012 04:05 AM PDT
The Akula-II class submarine “K-152 Nerpa” renamed INS Chakra-II is on a 10-year lease from Russia at a cost of nearly $1 billion. Defense Minister A.K. Antony formally inducted the 8,000-ton vessel with the hope that it will strengthen the Indian Navy. “India is the strategic hub of the India Ocean region. Peace and stability (in the region) are necessary. India’s naval presence is crucial,” the defence minister said. “Induction of the nuclear submarine is to strengthen our national security and maritime security. It will strengthen the Indian Navy to meet any challenge in the maritime security.” India is one of the world’s leading defense spenders and the acquisition has increased over the years after heavy military spending by its neighbours – Pakistan and China. In particular, India has been keen to strengthen its maritime security after China has been moving to fast build up a powerful “blue water” navy. But Antony denied that the modernizing armed forces, including the induction of the submarine, were aimed at any country or in the pursuit of an arms race. “India doesn’t believe in an arms race. We are not a confrontationist nation. We are a peace-loving nation.” With the induction of the nuclear submarine, India has joined the elite club of the US, Russia, France, Britain and China that operate such vessels. Indian Navy chief Admiral Nirmal Verma said the “induction of Chakra is a major step in (the) direction” of modernizing the force. “Chakra will increase the operational flexibility of the Indian Navy,” Verma said. India currently has 14 ageing conventional submarines and is in talks for the lease of another Akula-II class submarine from Russia. “There is a proposal for a second submarine but we have not taken any decision,” said Antony. Nuclear-powered submarines have an edge over conventional vessels because they can remain underwater for several months unlike diesel-electric powered boats that have to surface at regular intervals. The leased submarine would operate with the Indian Navy for 10 years and provide India’s sea warfare a thumping capability – not just as an attack and weapons platform, but would also serve as a laboratory for researchers to study the technology of nuclear submarine warfare. It can also provide cover to the indigenous nuclear-armed INS Arihant that is to conduct sea trials later they year before being commissioned next year which will get operational India’s nuclear weapon triad – the capability to fire from land, air and sea. The newly inducted vessel has a maximum speed of 30 knots and can operate at a maximum depth of 600 meters. With a crew of 73, it can remain underwater for over three months at a time. The vessel is armed with four 533mm and four 650mm torpedo tubes and the 300-km range Klub-S land-attack cruise missiles, which India deploys on its Kilo-class conventional submarines. Russian Ambassador in India Alexander Kadakin who was present at the induction function described the vessel as “powerful and ferocious”. “Today is a very special occasion… It is a milestone not only for the Indian armed forces but also a shining example of the strategic partnership between India and Russia,” the ambassador said.  |
| Bihar started to woo America and Britain Posted: 04 Apr 2012 01:02 AM PDT Bihar has suddenly started to woo American and British officials in a rather dramatic manner. Several representatives of US and UK Government recently met CM Nitish Kumar and explored the possibility of Business ties with the state. US Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs, Ambassador Wendy R Sherman on Monday met Bihar Governor Devanand Konwar and Chief Minister Nitish Kumar before attending a meeting to discuss trends in development and governance throughout the state. “Bihar is on the move … Bihar has emerged as an inspiring model of positive change and good governance. Bihari society in general and its youth in particular appear eager to create new opportunities for economic growth and development,” Sherman said. Sherman, on her maiden India visit, called on Bihar governor Devanand Konwar and also attended a meeting with some entrepreneurs, analysts, community leaders, NGO activists and state officials to discuss trends in development and governance throughout the state as well as the challenges they face in accomplishing their goals. British Chancellor of the Exchequer, George Osborne, called on the chief minister at Bihar Niwas and expressed deep interest in the growth story of Bihar. He wanted to explore investment opportunities available to British companies for participation in the growth story of Bihar. The CM informed him that huge investment opportunities were available in power sector, provision of professional education like engineering, management, law and skill development as well as agro-based industries.  |
| Was Indian Military planning planning for something else ? Posted: 04 Apr 2012 12:47 AM PDT
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Wednesday said that the media reports were “alarmist” and should not be taken at face value.”These are alarmist reports. These should not be taken at face value,” Singh told reporters on the sidelines of a function here. Clarifying the government’s stand, Singh said the army chief’s office is an exalted office and all of us have an obligation to do nothing that lowers its dignity. The Indian Express newspaper in a front page report said the Hisar-based Mechanised Infantry and elements from a unit of the airborne 50 Para Brigade based in Agra had moved towards the capital in January. It said the movement took place on the night of Jan 16, without following the standard operating procedure of informing the defence ministry in advance. It said since this happened around the time when army chief Gen. V.K. Singh was waging a judicial battle against the government over his age row, it created unease and suspicion in the corridors of power in Delhi. Citing central intelligence agencies, the news daily said that key military units stationed in the vicinity of the national capital had embarked on a 'non-notified' movement towards Delhi. The mechanised infantry based in Hisar (Haryana) as a part of the 33rd Armoured Division (which is a part of 1 Corps, a strike formation based in Mathura and commanded by Lt Gen A K Singh) had started out in the direction of the capital, 150 km away. The reports further claims that the movement of an entire unit of Mechanised Infantry, with Russian-made Armoured Fighting Vehicles carried on 48 tank transporters, was confirmed by routine lookouts. Defense Minister A.K. Antony was informed and the government ordered police to check all vehicles on roads to Delhi as a way of slowing traffic. The Defense secretary, the ministry’s top civil servant, cut short a trip to Malaysia to handle the situation. On January 16, the very same day these exercises took place, Singh took a case against the government to the Supreme Court in a row about whether he could serve another year before retiring. He later lost the case.  |
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