Bihar News, Latest News from Bihar, News of Bihar, Biharprabha News |
- Captain Dhoni to act as Lt Colonel Dhoni for one Week
- BEML to file defamation case agianst Ex-Army Chief Gen V K Singh
- Sachin marks Century away from Cricket Ground
- Team Anna calls for an Independent Investigation in CoalGate
- Special Safe Cabs for Girls and Women launched in Gurgaon
- Bihar becomes Fastest growing State for 2nd Consecutive Year
- India to setup 16 new Nuclear Reactors in next 5-year Plan
- Sonakshi’s Cousin Bhavna to debut in Films
- Air Force successfully Tests Akash Missiles
- The Topic for Satyamev Jayate Episode 5
| Captain Dhoni to act as Lt Colonel Dhoni for one Week Posted: 01 Jun 2012 06:43 PM PDT
Dhoni, who is enjoying a rare month-and-half break from international cricket, will travel to Jammu, Rajouri, Uri, Srinagar and Leh, apart from visiting the base camp of Siachen glacier, the world’s highest altitude battlefield, in his role as the army’s brand ambassador, officers at the Indian Army Headquarters told IANS here Friday. “There are lots of prior commitments. I have to do some work with the ‘Territorial Army’ and ‘Save the Tiger’ campaign,” Dhoni told reporters here Thursday. Dhoni, who got commissioned as a Parachute Regiment’s Territorial Army officer last year, will stay with the soldiers in their bunkers and camps during the tour till June 7. Besides Dhoni, the army had also inducted another former India cricket captain, Kapil Dev, Malayalam movie star Mohan Lal and Olympic gold medallist shooter Abhinav Bindra as honorary lieutenant colonels in the Territorial Army to help inspire the country’s youths to join the armed forces for a career.  |
| BEML to file defamation case agianst Ex-Army Chief Gen V K Singh Posted: 01 Jun 2012 05:36 PM PDT Bharat Earth Movers Limited BEML has said it will file a defamatory suit against former chief of army staff Gen. V.K. Singh for making false and motivated charges against the state-run company in the controversial Tatra trucks deal. ‘It is unfortunate that the great V.K. Singh, holding the position of the chief of army staff of this great country, made a shocking and false statement on the price and quality of Tatra trucks we have been supplying to the army since the 90s,’ a miffed BEML chairman V.R.S. Natarajan told reporters at Bangalore. Gen. Singh had claimed that the Tatra trucks sold to the army were not only grossly overpriced but also sub-standard in terms of quality and operation. In a startling revelation, the general had also alleged that a former army officer offered him a Rs.14 crore bribe for clearing the order to supply an additional 600 Tatra trucks to the army. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is probing the charge. ‘We are sending a legal notice to him (Singh) first, seeking an apology for making false, motivated and damaging statements against the company. If he fails to respond, we will file a defamatory suit for claiming damages. We did not expect a man of that stature dubbing our truck as the most useless vehicle given to the army,’ Natarajan said. Singh retired from service Thursday. Referring to the graft charge, Natarajan said BEML had nothing to do with ‘somebody’ offering bribe to clear the order and reports in a section of the media dragging the company’s fair name were without basis and irresponsible. Reacting to Natarajan’s statement, Gen. Singh said: ‘Apology for what? I have not made any allegations but have only stated some facts.’ Natarajan, however, said: ‘In the communications between Gen. Singh and the ministry of defence, the company’s name (BEML) does not figure anywhere. We are going to act decisively on this issue.’ Asked why he did not say this when Gen. Singh was in service, Natarajan said the company had to seek legal advice and get the board’s approval for initiating the defamation process. Wondering from where Gen. Singh got the information that the Tatra truck was priced at Rs.28 lakh (Rs.2.8 million) in Czech Republic but when brought and sold in India its price trebled to Rs.73 lakh (Rs.7.3 million) to Rs.1 crore (Rs.10 million), Natarajan said the entire deal through the ministry of defence was executed with due diligence by the ministry. ‘When the ministry floated the global tender in 1999 for purchasing 88 trucks, two global firms (Ukraine and Bumar) responded. We tied up with Bumar while BHEL did with the Ukranian firm. As both the firms qualified for the bid, the quantum of order was divided to 44 each. When the army found the armoured recovery vehicle (ARV) we supplied much superior to the other, we were nominated to supply the order,’ Natarajan said. ‘Subsequently, the army floated a tender in 2003-04 for purchase of an additional 140 trucks. As Bumar agreed to indiginise up to 40 percent for the order, the army and the ministry agreed with us to indiginise up to 23 percent. But the great army chief says we imported them and put our label to supply it,’ Natrajan said.  |
| Sachin marks Century away from Cricket Ground Posted: 01 Jun 2012 04:32 PM PDT NDTV and Coca-Cola India celebrated the completion of transforming the 100th school under the ‘Support My School’ initiative at Priyadarshini Vidyalaya in northwest Mumbai. The event also marked the inauguration of the 50th school library under the initiative. Set up by Pearson Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Pearson, a media and education company, the library has over 600 books on all subjects. It was inaugurated by campaign ambassador and cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar. Representatives of the campaign partners UN-Habitat, Charities Aid Foundation (CAF), Tata Teleservices, Pearson Foundation and Sulabh International were also present at the occasion. “This is my first century away from cricket and a very happy one. I am honoured to be associated with this inspiring campaign that is committed to provide the right infrastructure to keep children happy in schools. Reaching the milestone of the 100th revitalised school is a proud and joyous occasion for us,” Tendulkar said. The campaign was initiated in January 2011 with a vision to address issues such as access to drinking water, sanitation and infrastructure facilities in schools and to create healthy, active and happy environment at schools. Over 43,000 children across 10 states in India have benefitted from the campaign that has helped reduce dropouts and absenteeism and increased enrolments in these revitalised schools. Also present at the occasion were Vikram Chandra, Group CEO of NDTV and Atul Singh, president and CEO of Coca-Cola India and South West Asia. Speaking about the library, Khozem Merchant, president of Pearson India said: “Our library project has been an extraordinary success with students spending quality time reading books outside of their curriculum, some for the very first time.”  |
| Team Anna calls for an Independent Investigation in CoalGate Posted: 01 Jun 2012 03:23 PM PDT Team Anna and the opposition yesterday attacked Prime Minister Manmohan Singh as the CBI started a preliminary probe into alleged irregularities in the allocation of coal blocks in 2006-09. But the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) made it clear that it was not probing the prime minister. Coal Minister Sriprakash Jaiswal meanwhile rubbished Team Anna’s allegations. Team Anna member Arvind Kejriwal renewed his attack on Manmohan Singh. “If the prime minister claims innocence, why is he afraid of an independent investigation,” he asked in Ghaziabad. Jaiswal told reporters in Bhubneshwar that there was no scam in the allocation of coal blocks and that his department was not aware of any CAG report. “There is no scam. Anybody can level any charges against anyone… There is democracy in the country,” he said. But he quickly added that if faults had been committed by the end users, these could be investigated. His denial came even as the CBI began its probe following a directive of the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC). The CVC roped in the CBI following a complaint by Bharatiya Janata Party MPs Prakash Javadekar and Hansraj Ahir, who said the prime minister headed the coal ministry when most allocations were done. Manmohan Singh held the coal portfolio from November 2006 to May 2009. The CBI will scrutinise two aspects — misuse of allocation of coal blocks and misuse of coal blocks by private companies. The coal blocks were given away to both public and private companies. According to the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG), mining rights for coal blocks were allocated without auctioning them and this led to massive profits for chosen private firms. Even as the BJP welcomed the CBI probe, Kejriwal called it irrelevant, saying he was ausre the agency will give a clean chit to prime minister. “We reject the referral of case to CBI as it will give a clean chit to the prime minister. How can the CBI investigate a case when it reports to the prime minister? It is just a pretence,” he said. Said BJP leader Balbir Punj: “The coal scam is one of biggest to hit UPA. It has taken place at a time when the in-charge at the coal ministry was the prime minister. CBI has registered a plea but I don’t see it will be in a situation to carry an objective, impartial investigation. “CBI is a part of the government and the government is headed by the PM,” said Punj. Marxist leader Sitaram Yechury said the loot of minerals should end. “The coal minister is saying there is no scam. So let the CBI investigate it,” he added. The Congress chose not to comment, saying the prime minister had clarified the issue. A combative prime minister on May 29 threatened to give up his public career if there was any truth in the allegations hurled against him by Team Anna. Kejriwal said the government was trying to mislead the people by saying that massive allocation of coal mines took place due to a peak in demand for coal. “In three years, 145 blocks were allocated while prior to his tenure only 75 mines were allocated in 12 years. It shows that the demand for coal was high only in three years. In fact, only one coal block has been allotted since he left the charge of coal portfolio,” he said. Demanding an independent probe, Kejriwal said the blocks were allocated to companies which had “nothing to do with steel cement and power. Their motive was to sell the mines”.  |
| Special Safe Cabs for Girls and Women launched in Gurgaon Posted: 01 Jun 2012 02:51 PM PDT A taxi service exclusively for women and families was launched in this Delhi suburb Friday. The drivers will be women trained in martial arts. The Apra group has launched GCabs with a fleet of 125 vehicles and 35 drivers. An official said that the number of drivers would be increased in line with the demand. The Apra group had last year launched a ‘Pink Auto’ service in Gurgaon exclusively for women. The recent increase in crimes against women commuters in the Gurgaon area has led the company to start the taxi service. The vehicles are fitted with state-of-the-art communication and dispatch systems and GPS. The service also provides a point-to-point sharing facility that reduces the per kilometre expenditure. The women drivers are experienced and have been trained for the last two months in road safety and traffic rules. The service would be available from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and will cost Rs.20 per km.  |
| Bihar becomes Fastest growing State for 2nd Consecutive Year Posted: 01 Jun 2012 02:08 PM PDT
There has been a slight dip in Bihar’s growth Rate in one year, yet it was able to retain its top spot. The Economy of Bihar grew by 14.8 % during 2010-11. The economy of Bihar has also grown bigger to that of the Agriculture Heaven Punjab. As per the ranking, Bihar Tops the list with 13.1 % followed by Delhi with 11.3 percent and Puducherry (11.0 %). Chhattisgarh (10.8 %,) and Goa (10.7%) comprise the rest positions in Top 5. With the Bihar government taking up road building and other construction work in a big way, and with the state’s law and order situation improving, consumers who were earlier wary of flaunting their wealth are now buying cars and bikes at an unprecedented pace. Rural demand too has got a boost with agricultural productivity rising for several crops, and with an improvement in connectivity and state-funded programmes for education, health and livelihood. Bihar is currently among the fastest growing markets for tractors. The State Topped the List in Per Capita Income Growth also. Bihar’s per capita Income grew by 12.0 percent, followed by Delhi, Goa, Chattisgarh and Tamil Nadu. Interestingly Bihar is the only state in India with Double digit Per Capita Income Growth. “There are two things happening in Bihar. One, investment sentiment has picked up largely because of governance issues. Two, Bihar’s growth is against a very low base. But there is a lesson in it for others,” said N R Bhanumurthy, professor at the National Institute of Public Finance & Policy.  |
| India to setup 16 new Nuclear Reactors in next 5-year Plan Posted: 01 Jun 2012 01:51 PM PDT Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd (NPCIL) will launch 16 reactors at an outlay of Rs.2.3 trillion ($40 billion) during the 12th Plan period (2012-17), a top official of the atomic power operator said. “We have to launch eight 700 MW pressurised heavy water reactors (PHWRs) and eight light water reactors (LWRs) involving a total outlay of Rs.230,000 crore (Rs.2.3 trillion). The LWRs will be from foreign companies,” S.K. Jain, who retired Thursday as NPCIL chairman and managing director, told IANS in an interview. According to him, the eight 700 MW PHWRs would come up at Kaiga in Karnataka, Gorakhpur in Haryana’s Fatehabad district, Banswada in Rajasthan and Chutka in Madhya Pradesh. The 16 reactors are in addition to NPCIL’s four 700 MW PHWRs under construction – two at the Rajasthan Atomic Power Station (units 7 and The NPCIL currently generates 4,780 MW of power. The new additions of 4,800 will take this to 9,580 MW. A 500 MW reactor to be commissioned by another company, Bhavini, will take India’s installed nuclear power capacity to 10,080 MW by the end of the 12th Plan. This will be three percent of the 300,000 MW generation capacity planned by 2017. India currently generates a little less than 200,000 MW of power. Jain, who had a long stint as the NPCIL head, added that raising funds will not be an issue for the projects. “NPCIL is sitting on Rs.15,000 crore which we call as cash for investment. In addition, the company has entered into joint ventures with NTPC, Indian Oil Corporation Ltd (IOCL) and Nalco for setting up nuclear power plants. Each one of them is a giant in its own field.” On the strength of these companies’ balance sheets, additional funds of Rs.40,000 crore could be raised and with NPCIL’s internal accruals, a total of Rs.80,000 crore could be mobilised, Jain said. “Eighteen overseas banks have come out for arranging debt to NPCIL’s expression of interest that was floated recently. Four have said they would underwrite the entire debt funding for our projects,” Jain said. According to him the company is looking at external commercial borrowings (ECBs) and export credit agencies (ECA) for funds and over a month ago, NPCIL raised $250 million through ECBs. He said three public-private-partnership joint venture companies have been incorporated and the projects would be soon allotted for them after the Atomic Energy Act is amended to allow such tie-ups in the nuclear field. Referring to the two equipment joint ventures that NPCIL has entered into, Jain said the company has tied up site, money and technology and is all set to progress further. NPCIL has entered into a three-way joint venture with Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd (BHEL) and Alstom for manufacturing turbines for the 700MW PHWRs. “As far as PHWRs are concerned, we have now finalised that the minimum size would be 700 MW. In the future we may also make the turbines at this plant for imported reactors,” he added. The atomic power plant operator has another joint venture with Larsen and Toubro for making forgings for nuclear power plants. While Jain was silent on the fuel position, industry officials told IANS that the domestic fuel situation is comfortable for NPCIL as it will be getting 60 percent more uranium for powering four new reactors.  |
| Sonakshi’s Cousin Bhavna to debut in Films Posted: 01 Jun 2012 08:15 AM PDT
“I am doing a Telugu film, which will start rolling in November. There are some Hindi projects as well on the pipeline,” Bhavna told IANS. The 23-year-old is not new to the arclights as she did a video with Ken Ghosh when she was eight years old and also featured as a child artist in “Na Tum Jaano Na Hum ” (2002) and “Joggers’ Park” (2003). When asked about her choice of films, the aspiring actress said she would like to do some sensible cinema. “I don’t believe in this whole game of making Rs.100 crore at the box office. For me, it is all about script. When a beautiful film like ‘Udaan’ can be made in Rs.8 crore and can obtain such outstanding response, then I believe there is still some sensible cinema being made in our country,” Bhavna said. “I am open to do both offbeat and commercial films, but all depends on the script,” she added. Talking about their family connection, Bhavna said that her maternal grandmother and Sonakshi’s maternal grandma are sisters, “so she is my cousin”. She says that they bonded well as children. “It’s been a lovely journey so far. I am hoping to take some good advice from her. Like any other relationship even I and Sonakshi bonded very well since childhood. We used to meet during Diwali and Holi and used to have a good time,” she added. Sonakshi became a big name in the film industry after making an impressive debut with “Dabangg” in 2010 and her second film “Rowdy Rathore” releases Friday — Bhavna is looking forward to the film that will see Akshay Kumar performing some raw stunts. “I think she is looking ravishing in ‘Rowdy Rathore’, can’t wait to see her in the film. It’s been two years … after ‘Dabangg’, we have not seen her on screen,” she said. But at the same time, she says they “don’t discuss work at home because she hardly has time to breathe these days”. “She is so busy with her work. There is no comparison or any sort of pressure in our family. I will do it to the best of my ability and make my family proud,” she added.  |
| Air Force successfully Tests Akash Missiles Posted: 01 Jun 2012 07:08 AM PDT Indian Air Force today successfully conducted two tests of country’s indigenously developed medium-range surface-to-air Akash missile from a defence base in Odisha, an official said. The missile, which has a range of 27 km and an effective ceiling of 15 km, was test-fired from the Integrated Test Range of Chandipur in the costal district of Balasore, around 230 km from here, as part of the production trials. “The air force personnel launched and witnessed the mission. Both the tests were successful” test range director M.V.K.V. Prasad told IANS. Another test of theAkash missile is likely to take place from the same defence base early next week, he added. The 720 kg Akash carries a 55 kg payload. It can fly at a speed of up to Mach 2.5, operate autonomously and simultaneously engage and neutralise different aerial targets. It can be launched from static or mobile platforms to provide for flexible deployment. The missile had been successfully test fired from the same base a number of times last month.  |
| The Topic for Satyamev Jayate Episode 5 Posted: 01 Jun 2012 05:49 AM PDT
Honour killing is the homicide of a member of a family or social group by other members, due to the belief of the perpetrators that the victim has brought dishonor upon the family or community. Honor killings are directed mostly against women and girls, but have also been extended to men. More than 1,000 young people in India have been done to death every year owing to ‘Honour Killings’ linked to forced marriages and the country needs to introduce stringent legislation to deal firmly with the heinous crime The Show would be aired on Star Plus and DD National on Sunday, June 3 at 11 AM Each Episode of Satyamev Jayate carries its own unique topic dealing with a social curse prevailing in India. Interestingly, a lot is consciousness has been raised in India about the causes raised in the show. Lets wait and watch whether Aamir would be able to stop the menace of Honor Killing in India.  |
and two at Kakrapara in Gujarat – at an outlay of Rs.22,000 crore.
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