Bihar News, Latest News from Bihar, News of Bihar, Biharprabha News |
- Army Chief begins his Farewell Trips
- Bihar Fumes over the denial of Special Status
- Hyderabad to host World Allergy Congress in December
- India to host World Snooker Championship next Year
- Pranab Mukherjee elected as Chairman of Asian Development Bank
- Pranab Da leading the Presidential Race
- 30 more days for Army Chief’s Regime
- Taj Mahal being prepared for Night Tourism
- The Biography of Hillary Clinton
- India US to refresh ties after Hillary Clinton visit
| Army Chief begins his Farewell Trips Posted: 05 May 2012 06:57 PM PDT Chief of Army Staff Gen V K Singh yesterday visited the Western Command Headquarters here in Kashmir. The Army Chief was briefed by Lt Gen S R Ghosh, General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Western Command on the operational preparedness of the Command and on other training and administrative matters, a defence release said here. The Army Chief also addressed all officers of the Command, including Senior Corps and Division Commanders, the release said. The COAS also interacted with Rajput Regiment officers and a large number of senior army veterans, the release said. Gen Singh awarded COAS Commendation to four personnel of 103 Engineer Regiment for their exemplary courage and devotion to duty during relief and rescue operations to save 62 trapped workers from the debris of a collapsed building in Jalandhar recently. Gen Singh’s wife Bharti Singh, who accompanied him for the day-long visit, met families of Junior Commissioned Officers and Jawans of Chandimandir Military Station and discussed various activities undertaken for the welfare of families in Western Command, the release add4ed  |
| Bihar Fumes over the denial of Special Status Posted: 05 May 2012 04:51 PM PDT Bihar Chamber of Commerce (BCC) today expressed anguish and shock over the denial of special category status to the state by the Centre. BCC president O P Shah said after the constitution of the inter-ministerial group to take a decision on the matter, people of the state have been hoping that the Centre would grant the status to Bihar and would frame special norms for the state at par with Uttranchal, Himachal Pradesh and North Eastern states. “By denying the state its rightful claim, the Centre has once against exhibited its gross negligence to Bihar and the Centre has once against failed to fulfill the constitutional obligation of a federal government, which does not allow any discrimnation to any state of the country,” he alleged. Shah said the people, the industry and trade of the state stands firmly behind Chief Minister Nitish Kumar in his effort to secure a special status to Bihar. The group, headed by Planning Commission member Sudha Pillai, which was constituted to look into the state chief minister’s persistent demand has stated that Bihar did not fulfil the criteria to deserve the special status. The report, which was submitted to the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) earlier this week, has left also left Bihar CM Nitish Kumar angry and disappointed. “We will continue our fight for the special status to Bihar till our demand is fulfilled,” he said. “We will even take our fight to Delhi for our legitimate demand.” Addressing a rally at Rosera in Samastipur district, over the course of his ongoing Sewa Yatra across the state, Nitish called upon the people to be ready to fight for the demand. Demanding a review of the parameters set for according special status to the states, Nitish said it was not as though the people of hilly states alone faced hardships. He stated that Bihar had been facing severe drought as well as devastating floods every year for no fault of its own. “Heavy rains in Nepal cause annual floods in Bihar, but the state cannot do anything about,” he said. “Every year we build infrastructure with great pains, but it is washed away by the recurring floods. It is an international issue and the Centre needs to talk to the Nepal government to solve the problem.” The chief minister said that the Centre had always discriminated against Bihar, something that had impeded the state’s growth. “Special status will only help Bihar attract investors and promote industries in the state,” he said. Nitish pointed out that Bihar was once the leading producer of sugar, but the industry had died because of the faulty policies of the Centre. “The Centre has also not given the coal linkages required to set up the power projects in the state,” he added. Since taking over the reins of the state government in 2005, Nitish has been demanding a special status for Bihar, on the lines of hill states, to tide over its under-development, but to no avail. On April 24, 2006, both houses of the state legislature had unanimously passed a resolution in this regard. On the eve of the results of the last general election in May 2009, when Nitish was widely expected to emerge as a ‘kingmaker’ at the Centre, he had announced that he would extend support to only those who would promise special status to Bihar. In July 2011, a memorandum in this regard, containing the signatures of 1.25 crore people, was submitted to the Prime Minister on behalf of Janata Dal-United. The Prime Minister subsequently set up an inter-ministerial group to look into the demand. Last year, Nitish also raised the issue at the National Development Council meeting. But on Wednesday, the group submitted its report to the Prime Minister advising against special status for the state. This is not the first time when the UPA government had overlooked Nitish’s vociferous demands. Earlier, the Centre had declined to announce any special package for the Kosi floods in 2008. In recent times, the Centre has refused to open the central university at Motihari as recommended by Nitish. It has instead selected Gaya for the purpose.  |
| Hyderabad to host World Allergy Congress in December Posted: 05 May 2012 03:47 PM PDT The World Allergy Congress will be held in Hyderabad from December 6 to 8 that will discuss various issues from basic sciences of allergy to new drugs being developed. Dr Sudershan Reddy, President-Elect of Respiratory Chapter of the Congress said that it will provide insights into the mechanisms and phenotypes of severe asthma and severe allergies and will also highlight recent developments in treatment and preventive strategies of severe asthma and severe allergies. He said that the Congress which is held once in two years would be held in India for the first time.  |
| India to host World Snooker Championship next Year Posted: 05 May 2012 02:44 PM PDT India will host the world professional snooker championship next year, Billiard and Snooker Federation of India president P.V.K. Mohan said here Friday. However, the venue was yet to be finalised. Mohan was speaking at the inauguration of the maiden Kolkata Open National Invitation Snooker Championship being staged at the Hindustan Club May 6-9. Leading players like nine times world billiards champion Geet Sethi, seven-times world champion Pankaj Advani, and Aditya Mehta, winner of Asian snooker championship in Doha, are among the competitors. However, Advani’s participation will be limited to a pro-am event May 5-6. In the main tournament, Mehta, the reigning national snooker champion, has been clubbed in group A with Sourav Kothari, siddharth Parikh and Abbhishek Kedia. Mehta will begin against Kedia Sunday. Group B features Sethi, Kamal Chawla, Himanshu Jain and Rajesh Tulsian. Sethi takes on Jain in his first match Sunday. Group C comprises Shahbaaz Adil Khan, Alok Kumar, Laxman Rawat and Manish Jain while Brijesh Damani, Manan Chandra, Devendra Joshi and Rohit Rajgharia are in Group D. After a round robin format, the top two competitors from each group will make the cut for the quarter-final knock-outs. The final will be played May 9.  |
| Pranab Mukherjee elected as Chairman of Asian Development Bank Posted: 05 May 2012 02:40 PM PDT Indian Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee was on Saturday elected chairman of the board of governors of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) for a year. Mukherjee will hold the chair till the conclusion of the next board of governors’ meeting, which is scheduled to be held in New Delhi May 2-5 next year. “I deem it an honor to host the next annual meeting and chair the deliberations in our race to the shared vision for the future, a world where the lives of hundreds of millions of poor people are transformed and there is freedom from poverty, disease, illiteracy, and gender inequality,” Mukherjee said in his acceptance speech. India is a founding member of Manila-headquartered ADB, which was set up in 1966. ADB’s lending operations in India commenced in 1986.  |
| Pranab Da leading the Presidential Race Posted: 05 May 2012 02:29 PM PDT For once, the Congress seems to have been able to get its act together on the presidential poll with its two possible candidates, Hamid Ansari and Pranab Mukherjee, running ahead of the rest of the pack. However, the party itself can hardly be credited with this achievement. Instead, it is really a gift of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and, more particularly, of its leader in the Lok Sabha, Sushma Swaraj, whose gaffes have landed the principal opposition party in a mess. Apart from confirming how the BJP’s leadership tangle remains unresolved, what the episode underlined was the party’s warped ideas on the subject of the next president. When Swaraj peremptorily and unilaterally ruled out the question of support for Ansari and Mukherjee, she was acting in accordance with the BJP’s conditioned reflexes of anti-Muslim and anti-Congress postures. Her charge that the vice president lacked stature was laughable, especially in the context of the lacklustre background of the present president, Pratibha Patil, whose elevation five years ago had surprised and amused the political world since many outside Maharashtra didn’t even know who she was. “Pratibha who?” was the question which was asked. Since then, her tenure – though thankfully devoid of major controversies – has hardly enhanced her stature. India’s first woman president, therefore, will go down in history as something of a disappointment. Swaraj’s assertion, therefore, that the far more distinguished Ansari lacked stature was odd, to say the least. Her objection appeared to have been based on the fact, therefore, that Ansari was a Muslim and, for the BJP, to straightaway endorse a Muslim candidate would go against the party’s grain. Since she couldn’t state the obvious, she took a roundabout way of restating the party’s “secularism” by naming former president A.P.J. Abdul Kalam as a nominee. Kalam, of course, has enjoyed the BJP’s support in the past if only because he shares some of the party’s views of Indian history. He is also known for his scientific achievements and personal integrity. But, having already been president, it will be strange to elevate him to the post again, especially when he is now 81. What the suggestion showed, therefore, was the BJP’s bankruptcy of ideas and also how bare was its cupboard of possible Muslim candidates. And this, in the world’s second largest Muslim country. It will be unfair to deny that the Congress’ calculations in choosing Ansari have nothing to do with the Muslim angle. But it acts with long practised sophistication in these matters, born of years of accommodating Muslim dignitaries inside and outside the organisation. So from the distinguished academic Zakir Hussain to the unprepossessing Mohammed Hidayatullah, to Ansari, the Congress has nurtured individuals of varying potential as followers and admirers. If Ansari stumbles at the last hurdle, it will be due to the habitually contrarian Mamata Banerjee, who is totting up one by one her unending opposition to the Congress’ initiatives. In Ansari’s case, it is his supposed friendliness towards the Marxists which is unacceptable to the West Bengal chief minister. If there was no other alternative, she would have wondered about the impact of her opposition to Ansari on her Muslim base in the state. But, fortunately for her, there is an alternative in Mukherjee, who can become the country’s first Bengali president if Mamata plumps for him. And, for Mamata, it will be something for which she can claim credit back home where little is going right for her at the moment. For the Congress, it is a Hobson’s choice. The party will dearly love to install Ansari with the next general election two years away when his elevation will enable it to mobilise Muslim support. The move will also enable it to keep some parties of the Hindi belt on its side – the Samajwadi Party, the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), and others who always wear their “secularism” on their sleeves. But the Congress is not sure whether Mukherjee’s wider acceptability – he can expect the BJP’s support as well – makes him a safer bet. In these turbulent political times, when the Congress’ credibility is low and when it may have to run an even weaker coalition government in 2014, Mukherjee’s sharp political mind, his grasp of constitutional niceties and skills as a mediator will be of as much value inside Rashtrapati Bhavan as outside. It will also be in the fitness of things that when the young prince ascends to the throne, the old family loyalist will be there behind the scenes with his advice and consent.  |
| 30 more days for Army Chief’s Regime Posted: 05 May 2012 12:09 PM PDT
The general will be in Chandimandir till Sunday before returning to Delhi Monday, sources in the army headquarters said here. It is customary for army chiefs and top commanders to go on farewell visits to key formations before their retirement when they get the opportunity to interact with troopers and officers. Gen. Singh, after over 40 years of service, will turn 62 May 10 as per his service record and retire May 31, paving way for army chief-designate Lt. Gen. Bikram Singh to take over the reins of the 1.13-million-strong Indian Army. The 22-month tenure of Gen. V.K. Singh, which began March 31, 2010, has been acrimonious over his attempts to get his birth date amended in service records, for which he even dragged the central government to the Supreme Court in January this year. He could not succeed in getting the court to rule in his favour and had to contend with his birth date in service records remaining May 10, 1950 instead of May 10, 1951. However, the government and the court refrained from questioning the veracity of his other records such as birth certificate, school leaving certificate, and passport that maintain his birth date as May 10,1951. If the plea had been accepted, it would have given the general another 10 months as army chief and he would have retired in March 2013. This would have upset the chain of succession in the army, which is decided on the basis of seniority at the time of the incumbent chief’s superannuation. Just ahead of his plea before the court, Gen. Singh, during his press conference January 14 on the eve of Army Day, had said that he “did not know” if this was his last Army Day as the chief. He did not have to wait long. In March, the army issued him a retirement warning letter and within a week, the government named Lt. Gen. Bikram Singh, the Kolkata-based eastern army commander, as his successor. However, the tumult in Gen. V.K. Singh’s tenure as chief did not end with the age row. He dropped a bombshell during an interview that he was offered by a bribe of Rs.14 crore to clear a deal for 600 Tatra trucks by a retired army officer and that he had informed Defence Minister A.K. Antony about it. This rocked the parliament and Antony had to order a CBI probe into the allegations, apart from giving an explanation. As if this was not enough came a media report claiming that the general might have mobilised two key army units from Hisar and Agra towards New Delhi on the intervening night of January 16/17 this year. The report dropped hints that it might have been a coup attempt that was thwarted by an alert government. The report was dismissed by the government and the army. Since then, the cold vibes in corridors of South Block, seat of the defence ministry, seems to have come down.  |
| Taj Mahal being prepared for Night Tourism Posted: 05 May 2012 10:59 AM PDT  Taj Mahal at Night Agra’s Taj Mahal may soon be opened up for night viewing, from a safe distance though. The Uttar Pradesh government is working on a roadmap to allow night viewing and a host of other measures to “pep up tourism at Agra“, one of India’s top tourist destinations. Chief Secretary Jawwed Usmani has asked officials to work on the project, which also includes creation of an eight-kilometre cycling track around the Taj and boating facility on the Yamuna. Besides asking for “more suggestions on developing areas around the Taj Mahal”, he has also sought a draft project report from the departments concerned within a month. The projects around the World Heritage monument would be taken up under the Nature Walk projects and eco-tourism vision of the state government, an official told IANS. Under the proposed project, the Taj Safari, Mumtaaz Eco-park, Camel Safari would be developed. Efforts were also on to begin the facility of boating in the Yamuna and allow tourists to view the Taj from the river, which flows adjacent to the monument to love. The Uttar Pradesh government, officials said, was serious about developing green patches and promoting tourism in a big way at Agra. At a recent meeting with officials, the chief secretary also asked them to ensure greenery in the area, water conservation in the ravines, creation of a new nature trail, creation of a new habitat for birds in the area and to further work on the green forest areas around the Taj. It has also been decided that the financial bearing on the said projects would be borne by the Agra Development Authority (ADA), the UP Forest Corporation and the union ministries of tourism and culture and forest and environment. The project report would be referred first to Aawas Vikaas, Forest department, and after a threadbare study of the issues, the matter would be taken to the chief minister for his approval. The Akhilesh Yadav government has recently approved an ambitious multi-million infrastructure development project for the neighbouring towns of Mathura and Vrindavan. The tourism department, along with the development authorities of these towns, has been asked to take up infrastructure development on a priority basis. This, an official said, would include sprucing and upgradation of the Govardhan Parikrama path, establishment of 33/11 KW sub-stations, double circuit underground cable laying, establishing 40 new transformers, landscaping, setting up of kiosks, renovation of ancient water bodies, ponds and broadening of roads and lighting up the pathways. A project report for the same has also been asked for.  |
| The Biography of Hillary Clinton Posted: 05 May 2012 09:52 AM PDT Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton is currently the US Secretary of State . She is Wife of former US President Bill Clinton served as United States Senator for New York from 2001 to 2009. She was one of the major Competitor to Barack Obama during Presidential Polls. She was born as Hillary Diane Rodham on October 26, 1947 at Illinois. Her Father was a small Businessman.Her mother wanted her to have an independent, professional career, and her father, otherwise a traditionalist, was of the opinion that his daughter’s abilities and opportunities should not be limited by gender. She grew up with two younger brothers, Hugh and Tony. At the age of thirteen Hillary found evidence of electoral fraud against Republican candidate Richard Nixon, which kick-started her political career. She then volunteered to campaign for Republican candidate Barry Goldwater in the U.S. presidential election of 1964. She briefly served as faculty members in the School of Law at the University of Arkansas. Having an independent Political image, she was reluctant to marry Bill Clinton fearing that her separate identity might be lost. Finally she agreed to marry in 1975. Their wedding took place on October 11, 1975, in a Methodist ceremony in their living room. She announced she was keeping the name Hillary Rodham, to keep their professional lives separate and avoid apparent conflicts of interest and because “it showed that I was still me,” although her decision upset their mothers.
Following her husband’s November 1978 election as Governor of Arkansas, Rodham became First Lady of Arkansas in January 1979, her title for twelve years (1979–1981, 1983–1992). Clinton appointed her chair of the Rural Health Advisory Committee the same year, where she secured federal funds to expand medical facilities in Arkansas’s poorest areas without affecting doctors’ fees. On February 27, 1980, Rodham gave birth to a daughter, Chelsea, her only child. She played a very active role in her husband’s Presidential Campaign in 1992. Bill Clinton often used to say that in electing him, the nation would “get two for the price of one”, referring to the prominent role his wife would assume. After Clinton became President , she worked as his advisor and often people referred her as Co-President of United States. She never missed her duties as a good wife. She stood in support of her Husband during Lewinsky Scandal. In her 2003 memoir, she attributed her decision to stay married to “a love that has persisted for decades”.
In 2000, Hillary Clinton made history as the first First Lady elected to the United States Senate, and the first woman elected statewide in New York. In the Senate, she served on the Armed Services Committee, the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, the Environment and Public Works Committee, the Budget Committee and the Select Committee on Aging. She was also a Commissioner on the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe. In 2006, Hillary Clinton won re-election to the Senate, and in 2007 she began her historic campaign for President. In 2008, she campaigned for the election of Barack Obama and Joe Biden, and in November, she was nominated by President-elect Obama to be Secretary of State. (With inputs from Wikipedia, and US Government Website )  |
| India US to refresh ties after Hillary Clinton visit Posted: 05 May 2012 08:50 AM PDT India will be juggling its ties with Iran and the US as it gears up to hold talks with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton Tuesday even as an Iranian trade delegation will be here to find ways to do business with Indian companies. The Iranian nuclear issue and sanctions imposed by the US and the EU to squeeze the Tehran regime suspected of developing nuclear weapons will be a key regional issue on the table when Clinton holds talks with her Indian counterpart S.M. Krishna Tuesday. Clinton begins her three-day visit to India Sunday from Kolkata where she is expected to meet West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. The Indian side is expected to brief Clinton about steps taken by New Delhi to persuade Indian companies to cut down Iranian oil imports. Iran accounts for around 10 percent of India’s oil imports. In the past few months, there has been a steady cut down in Indian oil imports from Iran. India has denied that it is reducing oil imports under pressure from the US, and has tended to put a brave face on it saying it was only seeking to diversify its supply of oil. India has made it clear to the US that it abides by the UN sanctions and not unilateral sanctions by individual countries or groupings and will continue to buy Iranian oil for its energy security. In March, the US granted exemptions to Japan and 10 European Union nations from its sanctions, which are aimed at pressuring Tehran to end its nuclear programme. Clinton’s visit to India coincides with a visit by a a 56-member strong Iranian trade delegation to India. The Iranian exporters, who are targeted by the Western sanctions, will be looking for fresh opportunities in the Indian market. A large Indian trade delegation had visited Iran in March to forge business links and to explore opportunities for additional trade and investment. In February, India found a way to skirt sanctions by sealing a payment mechanism under which Indian companies will pay for 45 percent of their crude oil imports from Iran in rupees. In recent years, India has taken care to insulate its multi-faceted ties with Iran from the West’s prickly standoff with Tehran over its nuclear programme. The West accuses Iran of developing nuclear weapons.  |
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