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

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• Lady super cop transferred for solving major Rape case
• Delhi beats Kolkata by 8 wickets in IPL 5
• BHU may comeup with its Campus in Bihar
• Aryabhatta Knowledge University to setup Nanotechnology Research Center
• Google to make augmented reality, a reality
• India develops its own Air-borne warning Radar
• Larsen & Toubro acquires Thalest- a British company
• Army Chief to lead Ramdev’s Anti-Corruption Army
• Man lands in Jail after one night stand
• Chinese couples prefer fake Photography

Lady super cop transferred for solving major Rape case Posted: 05 Apr 2012 06:07 PM PDT Kolkata: The rape case of  a 37-year-old Anglo-Indian woman  at Park Street on 5 February took a new turn when the Investigating officer of this case Mrs. Damayanti Sen was transferred. She was instrumental in solving the case and bringing out the truth in front of everyone. The victim had claimed that among the persons who were in the car when she was allegedly raped at gunpoint and threatened her while she was returning from a night club, was a man named Lavi Gidwani. Initially, the rape charges were dismissed by many including Chief Minister Mamta Bannerjee, who termed it as fabricated. However, a series of investigations by Mrs. Damayanti Sen  who was the Joint Commissioner of Police (JCP) revealed that the rape charges were genuine and  it also led to arrest of the culprits. Sumit Bajaj, Rehman Khan who had masqueraded as Lavi Gidwani and Ruman Khan, were identified and arrested on 18 February. The main accused Kadir Khan is however  absconded. On Wednesday, Mrs. Damayanti Sen was shunted out to an insignificant post. Sen has now been made Deputy Inspector General of Police (Training) in Barrackpore. The transfer of an efficient Officer like Damayanti has  received criticism from all sections of society  and media. However, CM Mamta defends her decision saying that it was her government’s “right” of her government to decide who should perform what job. “It is the right of the state government to decide what should be done or what should not to be done. It is our prerogative to get the job done by someone who is more effective. What is going on in the section of media is nothing but yellow journalism. The editor of a newspaper has the right to decide its policy and chose its staff. Likewise, the government also the right to make independent decisions,” said Banerjee while addressing a programme here. Interestingly, Damayanti was Kolkata’s first woman joint commissioner of police  and was holding this portfolio since 2009.  She is among 60 IPS officers reshuffled in the first such major exercise after the Banerjee government came to power in West Bengal in May last year.

Delhi beats Kolkata by 8 wickets in IPL 5 Posted: 05 Apr 2012 05:12 PM PDT Kolkata: In their maiden match of IPL 2012,  Delhi Daredevils crushed Kolkata Knight Riders by eight wickets  at the Eden Gardens here on Thursday. After thundershowers caused a 150-minute delay, reducing the match to a 12-over affair, the DareDevils restricted their rivals after winning the toss to 97/9 and then coasted to victory with five balls to spare. Having played a destructive knock, Irfan Pathan (42 not out off 20 balls, 2×4, 3×6) hit the winning stroke, a boundary, as the Delhi side reached 100/2, much to the dismay of the near capacity crowd at the historic ground who waited patiently for hours to watch the action in the middle. Glenn Maxwell remained not out on 3. The third wicket partnership added 43 runs in 23 deliveries, with Pathan doing almost the entire scoring. Australian Aaron Finch (30; 27b, 5×4)) played a strokeful knock, while skipper Virender Sehwag (20 off 13b, 1×6, 1×4) threatened to run away with the match during a 49-run opening wicket stand, as the Knight Riders’ bowlers failed to make much of an impression. However, the duo were dismissed in quick succession that slowed down the run rate. At one point of time, the Daredevils required 39 runs in four overs, and the match was still open. But Pathan’s lusty hitting ensured an easy win for the Delhi franchisee. In the evening, the Knight Riders got off to a poor start, losing their star opener Brendon McCullum (9) in the very second over, before Daredevils fast bowler Morne Morkel (3/18) wrecked havoc with his yorkers. Handed the ball in the third over, the South African shattered the stumps of compatriot Jacques Kallis (4) and local boy Manoj Tiwary (0) to be on a hattrick but Yusuf Pathan prevented the feat. Morkel later got rid of Knights skipper Gautam Gambhir (16) to reduce KKR to 5/54 inside seven overs. It was only thanks to cameos by local boys Laxmi Ratan Shukla (26; 17 b, 1×4, 2×6) and Debabrata Das (18; 9 b, 2×6) that the Knight Riders could play their full quota of overs to reach close to the three-figure mark. Umesh Yadav (2/9) and Roelof Van Der Merwe (2/28) were the other successful bowlers for the visitors. Irfan Pathan was man of the match. “After starting off badly, we did play better to set a target of 98. However, Delhi played better and were the deserving winners,” Skipper Gautam Gambhir said at the post match conference. He refused to blame the loss either on the toss or the truncated game. “These things are not in your hand. Of course, we too would have chosen to chase had we won the toss.” Gambhir also had words of praise for local boys Laxmi Ratan Shukla and Debabrata Das who played well enough to take the Knight Riders to a respectable total. “In spite of being 34 for 4 we posted a challenging total. Shukla and Das both played well enough. They have been batting well in the nets and they are surely the players to watch out for,” said Gambhir. He also hoped South African pacer Merchant de Lange, who gave 36 runs in his 3 overs, will come good in the later matches. Meanwhile, Irfan Pathan, who top scored in the match with a quick fire 42 to become the man of the match, said the wicket in the second half became better for stroke making.

BHU may comeup with its Campus in Bihar Posted: 05 Apr 2012 05:00 PM PDT Banaras Hindu University (BHU) may soon come up with a campus in Bihar . If sources are to be believed, then some talks are already on to establish its campus in the state. However, no formal requests have been made by University till the time of writing this news. Bihar CM Nitish Kumar yesterday said in the assembly that if such a proposal comes, state would provide land to the University. Already, Bihar has campuses of major Educational honchos like BIT Mesra and Aligarh Muslim University. It has also setup several new universities in past like Central University of Bihar, Aryabhatta Knowledge University, Chanakya National Law University. BHU has another campus at at Barkatcha near the city of Mirzapur, about 80 kilometers from Banaras named as Rajiv Gandhi South Campus spread in 2,760-acre.

Aryabhatta Knowledge University to setup Nanotechnology Research Center Posted: 05 Apr 2012 04:49 PM PDT Aryabhatta Knowledge University (AKU Bihar), Bihar would come up with a research Center in Nanotechnology in Patna. AKU Vice Chancellor S N Guha, revealed this information while inaugurating the annual function of Physiological Society of India at PMCH. The center would be officially inaugurated on Thursday and a team of experts from differnt central universities are already camping in Patna for the same. Aryabhatta Knowledge University (AKU), Patna has been established by Government of Bihar for the development and management of educational infrastructure related to technical, medical, management and allied professional education in the state. AKU has provided affiliation to all Engineering colleges in Bihar in addition to several Medical and Pharmaceutical colleges.

Google to make augmented reality, a reality Posted: 05 Apr 2012 06:09 AM PDT Internet Giant Google is testing a pair of augmented reality glasses that would present before your eyes any real time information you wish to see. It has been code named Project Glass In a blog post shared on Google Plus, the Project Glass team from Google X, a secret Google research lab working on future technologies like a space elevator, Wednesday asked people for input, posting several design photos of the glasses and a demo video to show what the glasses might enable users to do. Rather than a pair of traditional glasses, the augmented reality glasses is a solid metal band running across the brow line with a small heads-up display on the right side, reported Xinhua. According to the demo video, a man walks around the streets in New York City, checking and sending text messages with friends, seeing maps as well as information, taking pictures and video chatting via the glasses by voice control. The New York Times first reported the Project Glass in February. It said at the time that the glasses was expected to go on sale later this year. But a report from Wired magazine said that Project Glass is still more of a concept than an actual product and won’t see an official release in the near future. According to the newspaper’s tech blog Bits, people who have seen Project Glass said there is a misconception that the glasses will interfere with people’s daily life too much, but the glasses actually free people up from technology. “They let technology get out of your way. If I want to take a picture I don’t have to reach into my pocket and take out my phone; I just press a button at the top of the glasses and that’s it,” one person who has used the glasses told Bits.

India develops its own Air-borne warning Radar Posted: 05 Apr 2012 05:57 AM PDT India has successfully joined the provileged league of having Air-borne Early Warning RADAR. Developed by Defense Research and Development Organization, it was tested in Brazil recently. AEW&C is a radar fitted on a plane that provides intelligence on not only enemy aircraft taking off far across the border but also incoming missiles and troop movement on the ground. The test of the Airborne Early Warning and Control System (AEW&C), developed by India’s Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), took place at the San Jose dos Campos in Brazil. An elated DRDO chief V.K. Saraswat said: “Good show, well done and congratulations!” Saraswat credited team work for the success after the “modified aircraft fitted with the dummy antenna unit performed very well”. CABS director S. Christopher, who is also the programme director for AEW&C, said the system had been indigenously developed in a consortium mode with the help of DRDO and Indian industrial partners. DRDO Chief Controller (Avionics) G. Elangovan congratulated the team of Centre for Air Borne Systems (CABS) and associated work centres and also the team at Embraer. It is a force multiplier in the sense it can enable quicker decision-making by troop commanders for responding to threats before time. “Maiden flight of the second fully modified aircraft for the indigenously developed AEW&C was held Thursday in Brazil,” the DRDO official said in a statement. “The necessary mission systems and components, including the dummy AAAU (Active Antenna Array Unit) are successfully fitted on board Embraer EMB 145I aircraft,” he said. The flight marks an important milestone in the AEW&C programme. The aircraft will be delivered to India in June. The other mission systems will then be integrated on to the aircraft, and mission system flight trials are likely to commence from November. CABS, a DRDO lab, is the nodal laboratory entrusted with the task of delivering the AEW&C system. The external mission systems were developed indigenously and fitted on the aircraft. The rest of the internal systems too will be integrated into the aircraft on arrival to India.

Larsen & Toubro acquires Thalest- a British company Posted: 05 Apr 2012 04:06 AM PDT Larsen & Toubro (L&T) group has said that its electrical and automation unit has acquired Britain-based company Thalest to use its technology for a variety of businesses. “Thalest/Servowatch’s deep understanding of the control and automation space will open new vistas in other markets and segments,” said S.C. Bhargava, senior vice president and head of L&T Electrical and Automation Thalest is the holding company of Servowatch Systems Ltd, Bond Instrumentation and Process Control Ltd and Servowatch Inc (USA). Thalest Limited is engaged in offering Integrated Platform Management System and Integrated Bridge System solutions for naval warships and mercantile marine ships, vessels and floating systems. L&T's Electrical & Automation business has been present in this space with marine electrical and automation solutions. The acquisition came as yet another inorganic expansion move by the L&T Group. Last month, L&T Finance Ltd, a public-listed group firm, struck a deal to acquire Fidelity's Indian mutual fund business, which has AUM of Rs 8,881 crore. In March, L&T Finance Holdings Ltd, the financial services arm of the engineering conglomerate, also acquired Indo Pacific Housing Finance Ltd (IPHFL) (formerly known as AIG Home Finance India Ltd), a Delhi-based housing finance firm.

Army Chief to lead Ramdev’s Anti-Corruption Army Posted: 05 Apr 2012 03:53 AM PDT Prominent Yoga guru Baba Ramdev has invited Indian Army chief Gen. V.K. Singh to join his campaign against corruption after retirement “I invite him,” Ramdev said here before launching a range of consumer ayurvedic products by his company. Ramdev told the media that the campaign against black money and corruption would be strengthened if more people joined it. Ramdev also urged the general to attend his yoga camp “to get rid of stress or tension that he has been facing” after raising major corruption charges recently. “I request the army chief to take the benefit of my yoga camp after retirement to enjoy life free of stress,” Ramdev said. Meanwhile, the Army Chief is in Nepal to attend the three-day Regional Seminar on Natural Disaster Management and Humanitarian Assistance. He strongly dismissed the reports of unexplained troop movements near Delhi in January and termed it “absolutely stupid”. “This is absolutely stupid,” Singh said when asked to comment on the report. Army Chief became the epitome of Anti-Corruption struggle when in an interview with The Hindu published on 26 March 2012 he said a lobbyist, whom he did not identify but who was suggested elsewhere to be retired Lieutenant-General Tejinder Singh, offered him a bribe of 14 crore (US$2.79 million) in order to have a tranche of 600 sub-standard vehicles manufactured by Tatra cleared for purchase. In the same interview he also said that he had informed the Defence minister, A. K. Antony, of the matter. According to supporters of Vijay Singh, his decision to inform Antony complied with regulations that make it “the duty of every officer to bring to the notice of his superior, and if the superior is involved, then to the next superior officer, all cases of dishonesty.”

Man lands in Jail after one night stand Posted: 05 Apr 2012 03:09 AM PDT A Chinese man was jailed after One Night Stand with a stranger under curious circumstances reveals Chinese daily.A man who stole a woman’s iPhone after their one night stand was given six months’ jail and fined 1,000 yuan ($160) for theft, the Shanghai Daily reported Thursday. Prosecutors said Dong Liang met the victim through Tencent’s instant messaging tool Weixin in November. After chatting for some time, the pair decided to meet each other at a subway station Nov 15. Dong said they had some beer and went to a hotel after the woman agreed to have sex with him. The next day, Dong woke up and told the sleeping woman he had to go to work. Before he left, Dong quietly took the woman’s iPhone that was beside the pillow, a court heard. The woman reported the theft to the police. Two hours later, Dong was caught at his home.

Chinese couples prefer fake Photography Posted: 05 Apr 2012 01:05 AM PDT Chinese Couples now prefer to get morphed Wedding albums prepared rather than going for an actual Wedding photography. Here is a report on why they do so. Rising cost of a wedding photo-shoot is forcing some Chinese couples to get their wedding albums prepared with the help of morphing offered by various online photography-related agencies. With the help of computer software like Photoshop, a couple’s ordinary photo can be added with wedding dresses, flowers or even a tropical island setting to create faux wedding images. He Wen, a bride-to-be, happens to be one such individual who has opted for this service. She discovered it from friends after many an anxious moment over photography cost, reported China Daily citing Chongqing Morning News. Instead of paying several thousand yuan for a professional photo shoot, the would-be bride has sought professional help. She and her fiance have relied upon online websites that would manipulate ordinary cell phone snaps into faked images for their wedding photo album. “The cost of a wedding shoot in a studio is normally 5,000 to 6,000 yuan (up to $950), but I only paid around 300 yuan (about $50) online to make my wedding photos,” she said. In China, contrary to the West, most couples get their wedding photos taken ahead of the actual marriage day. He Wen sent several pictures taken by cell phone to an online service provider. “It is a surprise to see the pictures,” she said. “They are very professional, even better than studio photography,” she added. China Daily said the website Zhubajie.com is one such online platform that offers bids of PS (Photoshop) and design services. It has signed over 8,000 orders worth 420,000 yuan ($66,580) since last year.

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

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• 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 Indian Navy today inducted INS Chakra, a Russian-origin nuclear submarine, into its fleet, giving its underwater combat capabilities much-needed muscle and becoming the sixth navy in the world to operate such a vessel. 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 Two Indian army units that moved towards New Delhi during mid-January night without notifying the government raised an alarm in the capital, the Indian Express newspaper reported on Wednesday, citing several unidentified sources. 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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Bihar News, Latest News from Bihar, News of Bihar, Biharprabha News

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• INS Chakra to be commissioned into Indian Navy today
• Is Darbhanga becoming another Terrorism hub ?
• Rapist sentenced with 7 year rigorous Imprisonment
• ITBP sets up its command in Bihar
• Who is Hafiz Muhammad Saeed ?
• US announces 10 Million Dollars on Hafiz Saeed
• Piyush Sompura to design the Angkor Wat in Bihar
• Bihar likely to execute schemes of West Bengal

INS Chakra to be commissioned into Indian Navy today Posted: 03 Apr 2012 03:18 PM PDT Vishakhapatnam: India’s Naval Defense is ought to get one of the heaviest boost of decades when 8,140-tonne Russia-made Nuclear Submarine Akula II class Nerpa aka INS Chakra will be formally commissioned into Indian Navy With its inclusion, India will become the sixth nation in the World having nuclear-powered submarines that can remain underwater for several months unlike diesel-powered submarines that have to surface at regular intervals.Other nations with nuclear-powered submarines are US, Russia, France, Britain and China. “It will be deadly hunter-killer of enemy submarines and warships, as also provide effective protection to a fleet at sea. It can also provide cover to the nuclear-armed INS Arihant if required. With a dived speed of 30-35 knots, INS Chakra will be able to outrun any current Pakistani or Chinese submarine,” said a source. The 8,140-tonne INS Chakra, however, is not armed with long-range nuclear missiles, like the Russian SS-N-21 cruise missiles with an over 2,500-km range due to international non-proliferation treaties like the Missile Technology Control Regime. The 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. Defence Minister A.K. Antony will commission the Akula II class Nerpa that has been renamed as INS Chakra. Antony will fly from New Delhi to attend the function with navy chief Admiral Nirmal Verma at the Ship Building Complex here. India had operated a Soviet Charlie class nuclear submarine from 1988 but this was later returned. India’s indigenous nuclear submarine INS Arihant is also expected to start operational patrols soon, officials said. “Arihant is at an advanced stage and will be joining soon – maybe in months,” an official in know of the development told IANS here. That would mean that India will have two nuclear submarines guarding its long maritime boundaries. INS Chakra 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. India and Russian signed a deal worth over $900 million for leasing the submarine which was expected to be inducted in 2010. But the delivery was delayed after an accident in 2008, in which 20 sailors died after the vessel’s fire-suppression systems were accidentally triggered during sea trials, releasing toxic gases. Indian Navy crews have already been trained for operating the submarine.

Is Darbhanga becoming another Terrorism hub ? Posted: 03 Apr 2012 04:53 AM PDT Darbhanga has been the crown of Mithilanachal, the most prominent cultural abode of  Bihar.  Best known as the City of Ponds, Darbhanga appears in many chapters of Glorious Indian History. The philanthropy of  King of Darbhanga has been well known in all times.  Recently a blot in the fame of Darbhanga has appeared which links it to various terrorist activities ocurring in the Country.  It may be a coincidence, but 12 of the 13 people arrested recently for links with terrorist outfit Indian Mujahideen (IM) are from Darbhanga in Bihar. Asadullah Rehman alias Dilkash, Kafeel Ahmed, Talha Abdali alias Israr, Mohammed Tarique Anjuman, Haroon Rashid Naik, Naqi Ahmed Vasi Ahmed Sheikh, Nadeem Akhtar Ashfaque Sheikh, Mohammed Qatil Siddiqui, Gohar Aziz Khumani, Mohammed Adil, Mohammed Irshad, Gayur Ahmed Jamali and Aftab Alam alias Farooq — all were caught in the past six months from various places in India for alleged involvement in a string of bomb attacks. Of the 13, six are in Delhi’s Tihar Jail, four in a Bangalore prison and three in Mumbai. Barring Mohammed Adil, a Pakistani from Karachi, the rest are from Darbhanga. Why Darbhanga? Different experts give different reasons. Mumbai Police’s Anti-Terrorism Squad chief Rakesh Maria said it was the elusive member of IM, Ahmed Siddi Bappa alias Yasin Bhatkal, who chose the Bihar district to indoctrinate young men. Former Intelligence Bureau chief Ajit Doval has another theory. “IM members target densely populated Muslim areas. With help from conservative people, they brainwash others,” Doval told IANS. “Darbhanga has been targeted as a part of their new module since 2001 when SIMI (Students Islamic Movement of India) was banned.” The radical SIMI was the forerunner of IM, which has been blamed for a string of terror attacks across India. Arun Bhagat, formerly of the Research and Analysis Wing, said a terrorist group works like a queen bee. “After a systematic geographical search of a particular Muslim- dominated area, outfits like IM start a nucleus, recruiting new members. That is the reason so many are from Darbhanga,” Bhagat told IANS. Darbhanga, situated 132 km from Patna, has a population of 3.2 million according to the 2001 census. As per the 1991 census, its Muslim population is 555,429. New Delhi-based expert on terrorism Ajai Sahni said it did not necessarily mean that the IM was targeting only Darbhanga to look for new members. “Once a member belonging to another state is caught, the next module might come to light,” said Sahni. Activists of Indian Mujahideen, which has declared war on the Indian state, have indeed been operating in various parts of India. These include Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore and Uttar Pradesh. The Indian government outlawed the Indian Mujahideen in June 2010. The US has designated it a Foreign Terrorist Organisation.

Rapist sentenced with 7 year rigorous Imprisonment Posted: 03 Apr 2012 01:51 AM PDT Delhi High Court has upheld the seven years rigorous imprisonment given to a priest who had  repeatedly raped a 16-year-old girl, that too in a Temple. “A rapist not only causes physical injuries but more indelibly leaves a scar on the most cherished possession of a woman — her dignity, honour, reputation and not the least her chastity,” Justice M.L. Mehta said. “It is a serious blow to her supreme honour and offends her self-esteem and dignity. It degrades and humiliates the victim and where the victim is a helpless innocent child or a minor, it leaves behind a traumatic experience,” the judge said last week. The court observed that this particular “heinous offence was committed by a priest who is regarded as trustworthy and a respected person of the society”. Justice Mehta’s observation followed a plea from Prem Dass, a priest at a Shiva temple, challenging a 2010 trial court order, stating that the conviction was bad in law. The high court has maintained the earlier order against Prem Dass, who raped the school-going girl for almost three years. “Disregarding morality and consequences of his act, he committed such a barbaric offence upon a young girl repeatedly,” the judge said. “In my considered opinion, the prosecution has brought home the guilt of the appellant beyond reasonable doubt.” In July 23, 2007, the girl, then 16, told police that she was first raped by the priest in May 2004 after she fell ill there. He raped her several times after blackmailing her. She said the priest threatened to “defame” her if she disclosed the crime to anyone.

ITBP sets up its command in Bihar Posted: 03 Apr 2012 01:19 AM PDT Indo Tibetan Border Police has opened its base near Patna in order to increase its presence in this region. It is headed by a DIG ranked officer. The base command will be located at near Deedarganj on the outskirts of Patna. Two other units in Katihar and Ranchi are likely to come up soon. The land acquisition for the same has been done. The command Infrastructure will be developed in due course at the 72 Acres land acquired for this purpose. DG (ITBP) Ranjit Sinha said this would provide ITBP personnel, many of whom belong to Bihar and Jharkhand and served mostly in difficult terrains along the India-China border, a chance to stay with their family.

Who is Hafiz Muhammad Saeed ? Posted: 03 Apr 2012 01:08 AM PDT Hafiz Muhammad Saeed  is the head of Jama’at-ud-Da’wah  and a close aide of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), which was responsible for 2008 Mumbai Attacks. The United Nations  has declared Jama’at-ud-Da’wah a terrorist organization in December 2008 and Hafiz Saeed a terrorist as its leader. He is  quoted saying, “There cannot be any peace while India remains intact. Cut them, cut them so much that they kneel before you and ask for mercy.“ Here we present a short Biography of Hafiz Saeed. He was born in Sargodha Punjab on March 10, 1950 to a conservative Pakistani Punjabi family.  He is married to a lady known as  Maimoona. His family had  lost 36 of its members when migrating from Shimla toLahore during the Partition of India   During the tenure of Gen.  Zia-ul-Haq  he was appointed  to the Council on Islamic Ideology, and he later served as an Islamic Studies teacher at the University of Engineering and Technology (Lahore), Pakistan. He was sent to Saudi Arabia in the early 1980s by the university for higher studies where he met Saudi Sheikhs who were taking part in the Afghan jihad. They inspired him to join his colleague, Professor Zafar Iqbal, in taking an active role supporting the Mujahideen in Afghanistan. There he met some youth who later became his companions. In 1987 Hafiz Muhammad Saeed, along with Abdullah Azzam, founded Markaz Dawa-Wal-Irshad, a group with roots in the Jamait Ahl-e-Hadis This organization spawned the jihadist group Lashkar-e-Taiba in 1990, with the help of Pakistan’s Inter Services Intelligence officers. Lashkar’s primary target is the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir.   He holds two masters degrees from the University of Punjab and a specialization in Islamic Studies & Arabic Language from King Saud University. On October 12, 2009, the Lahore High Court quashed all cases against Hafiz Muhammad Saeed and set him free. The court also notified that Jama’at-ud-Da’wah is not a banned organization and can work freely in Pakistan. Justice Asif Saeed Khosa, one of two judges hearing the case, observed “In the name of terrorism we cannot brutalise the law.”

US announces 10 Million Dollars on Hafiz Saeed Posted: 03 Apr 2012 12:55 AM PDT United States has announced an award of up to $10 million for information leading to arrest and conviction of Hafiz Saeed, the mastermind of 26/11 attacks on Mumbai and $2 million for Hafiz Adbul Rahman Makki, under its Rewards for Justice programme. In her talks Monday, US Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Wendy Sherman had conveyed to Foreign Secretary Ranjan Mathai the US’ decision on two terrorists. “India welcomes the US notification under the Rewards for Justice Programme,” ministry of external affairs spokesperson Syed Akbaruddin said here. “The foreign secretary expressed India’s sincere appreciation for the additional US step to target Hafiz Mohammad Sayeed and Abdul Rahman Makki as well as the LeT,” Akbaruddin said here Tuesday. The US announcement “reflects the commitment of India and the US to bring perpetrators of the Mumbai terrorist attacks to justice and continuing efforts to combat terrorism,” Akbaruddin added. “It also sends a strong signal to LeT as also its members and patrons that the international community remains united in combating terrorism,” the spokesperson said. The American announcement of the reward for capture or information leading to Saeed’s capture came from US Under Secretary of State Wendy Sherman, who conveyed the same to Indian Foreign Secretary Ranjan Mathai Monday. The US also announced a $3 million bounty on Saeed’s brother Hafiz Abdul Rehman Makki. Saeed, known in India for its virulent anti-India rhetoric and patronized by a section of the powerful military-dominated Pakistani establishment, has sharpened his tirade in recent months. India has been consistently pressing Pakistan to prosecute Saeed for his key role in the 26/11 terror carnage, but Pakistan has tender to shelter behind legal subterfuge, saying there is no evidence against him. During the talks between Mathai and Sherman, the two sides sought to step up collaboration in dealing with terrorism emanating from India’s neighborhood. “The two sides agree that all terrorist organizations, including LeT, should be defeated and have called for elimination of terrorist safe havens and infrastructure inside Pakistan and Afghanistan,” Akbaruddin said. The talks between Mathai and Sherman have set the stage for the strategic dialogue between External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna and US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in Washington June where terrorism and AfPak issues are expected to figure prominently.

Piyush Sompura to design the Angkor Wat in Bihar Posted: 02 Apr 2012 10:40 PM PDT Piyush Sompura, an Architect from Ahmedabad will design the upcoming Angkor Wat in Bihar which is being constructed by Mahavir Mandir Trust. Piyush is the currently the  Chairman of Panna Craft Limited. The proposed temple at  Ismailpur Village, Hajipur district, 20 km from Patna,  will be named 'Virat Angkor Wat Ram Mandir' and it will house the idols of Radha-Krishna, Shiva-Parvati, Ganesh, Surya, Vishnu and the 'Dashavataram', the ten incarnations of Vishnu. It will be 900 ft long, 360 ft wide and 270 ft tall. The current budget is Rs150 crore. The proposed Viraat Angkor Wat  would also have the tallest ‘shikhar’ (spire) in the world. It will take upto five years to construct the temple and another five years to give the final finishing touches to it. Our thrust is to recreate the Angkor Wat temple on a sprawling 30 acres of land surrounded by greenery," Acharya Kishore Kunal, a retired IPS officer and the man behind the mega project told IANS. According to him, the five-storied and 222-feet tall temple will be the tallest structure of its kind in the world.

Bihar likely to execute schemes of West Bengal Posted: 02 Apr 2012 10:31 PM PDT Bihar Government has decided to implement few schemes already under place in West Bengal which includes incentives for poor, health insurance and small businesses. Schemes of West Bengal government regarding workers in construction, tram and shipping sectors as also rickshaw-pullers today recieved praise from Bihar government which said it would like to implement them too. “We also appreciate the Shop and Estabalishment rules in West Bengal and would like to follow them in our state,” Bihar Labour minister Janardan Singh told reporters here after a discussion with his West Bengal counterpart Purnendu Bose at Writers’ Buildings. He said that Bihar would like to adopt a common stand with West Bengal to take up with the Centre the Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojna. Under the centrally-sponsored scheme, a BPL family is given Rs 30,000 per year which should be raised to Rs one lakh due to rise in treatment cost and for that matter Bihar would like to seek cooperation from the West Bengal government. Singh said that he also discussed with Bose the Aam Bima Yojna, a 50:50 centre-state schemes, where Bihar government would like the state’s cooperation in demanding full responsibility of the state for implementation

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• Cricket Stars tweet their joy on anniversary of World Cup victory
• Kingfisher to pay its Employees all overdues by April
• Indian Railway TTEs to carry Palmtops in place of Charts
• Aakash 2 Tab to hit market in May
• Actor Daniel Craig to inaugurate London Olympics
• India marks entry into World Cycling Championship
• 1989 movie to be released in 2012
• IIM Indore will setup International Center at Abu Dhabi
• Indian art auctioned at record 302500 dollars

Cricket Stars tweet their joy on anniversary of World Cup victory Posted: 02 Apr 2012 05:19 AM PDT Indian Cricket Stars tweeted their joys after celebrating the first anniversary of the majestic vistory in 2011 Cricket World Cup. Sachin Tendulkar, for whom winning the World Cup was a childhood dream, can’t believe that the 12 months passed away since Mahendra Singh Dhoni-led Indian team lifted the coveted trophy for the second time, breaking a 28-year-long wait. “Time flies but memories last forever. What a day it was!!! 02-04-2011,” Tendulkar tweeted. After India beat Sri Lanka in the World Cup final April 2, 2011 at Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium, the team dedicated the win to Tendulkar. For the first time the world witnessed the softer side of the batting maestro, who failed to control his tears while taking the victory lap with his children. Indian opening Virender Sehwag also thanked wished his teammates and support staff and also thanked the fans. “Can’t believe its been a year since we were crowned the World Champs! Everyone contributed to the dream spcly the supporting fans! Thank you,” he tweeted. “A big hug to each and every team member including the support staff. A special thanks to the BCCI for being sensitive to our needs and providing us whatever we requested,” he tweeted. Suresh Raina recalls “that moment of euphoria.” “Its a year already & the disbelief continues. The most special date of my life. That moment of euphoria Of madness. Of lifelong inspiration,” he tweeted.

Kingfisher to pay its Employees all overdues by April Posted: 02 Apr 2012 05:12 AM PDT Kingfisher Boss Vijay Mallya has wrote its employees that all their over dues would be paid in April. “All junior staff will be paid before Easter, April 4. All pilots and engineers will be paid April 9 and 10,” he wrote. “My focus now is to start paying your seriously overdue salaries.” Mallya assured his employees that he would be available at all major stations from this week to address the staff’s concerns. “Despite all my other commitments to UB (United Breweries) companies, I am personally passionate about and committed to your airline.” The letter stated that the company can now pay the overdue salaries as its bank accounts have been un-frozen following payments worth Rs.44 crore to the income tax department and Rs.20 crore as service tax. On March 27, the airline suspended operations to several cities and asked its staff to stay home till it managed fresh funding. The airline claimed that it had started the summer schedule with about 120 daily flights and 20 dedicated aircraft. The airline’s international operations have been suspended after the International Air Transport Association (IATA) barred the carrier from its inter-airline clearing house and billing and settlement plan accounts due to non-payment of dues. The move is akin to the Reserve Bank of India removing a commercial bank from its currency clearing system. Currently, Kingfisher has a debt of Rs.7,057.08 crore. Its net loss widened to Rs.444.27 crore for the quarter ended Dec 31, 2011 from Rs.253.69 crore in the October-December quarter in the last fiscal. The company’s scrip at the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) touched a new low in the intra-day trade at Rs.15 and was trading at Rs.15.50, down 6.34 percent around 1.15 p.m.

Indian Railway TTEs to carry Palmtops in place of Charts Posted: 02 Apr 2012 04:14 AM PDT Indian Railways TTEs will soon carry Palmtops with them in place of long Reservation Charts. A pilot project was launched in Shatabdi trains and upon success, Railway plans to introduce this scheme in all express trains. The palmtops will be connected to the central server and enable the TTE to update the status of passengers who turn up for the journey. It would reflect the status of available seats on a train across the railway network, which could be booked by any passenger willing to board it in at the next station. The system developed by Centre for Railway Information System and to work in tandem with SIMRAN (which tracks real time movement of trains), will help railways earn extra revenues, claim officials. Sources at Baroda House, the headquarters of Northern Railway, claim the process will stop the TTEs from charging arbitrarily for short distance bookings.

Aakash 2 Tab to hit market in May Posted: 02 Apr 2012 03:59 AM PDT Aakash 2, the upgraded version of Aakash tabs would hit the market in May 2012. It was announced by HRD Minister Kapil Sibal “The upgraded Aakash will be fabulous. The processor will be 700 mega watts, the live battery would be of three hours uninterrupted, you will have a capacity screen. We will unveil it in May,” Sibal said on the sidelines of a seminar organized by the Indian Chamber of Commerce (ICC). The minister, who also holds the education portfolio, had earlier said that two state-owned technology companies had been roped in to manufacture the upgraded version. He had then admitted that there were problems with Datawind, the original developer of the tablet. Datawind has come under criticism for missing delivery deadlines and for failing to provide a proper customer service platform. The government was also unhappy after various faults were detected in the tablet, and officials had indicated that the government may not extend the contract for manufacture of more tablets to Datawind. “Now it is at testing stage. There is no commercial production of Aakash. We ultimately want to give out a product which is a quality product and therefore we are going through different versions of Aakash. “Aakash 2 will also go through tests. Only when we feel that quality is clear, and that children will accept then only we will commercialize it,” he said.

Actor Daniel Craig to inaugurate London Olympics Posted: 02 Apr 2012 03:10 AM PDT James Bond  aka Daniel Craig will inaugurate the 2012 Olympics to be held at London. He was invited by British Queen Elizabeth to inaugurate the month long extravaganza starting in October this year. The highly anticipated sporting event is set to be introduced by a short film titled “The Arrival” starring Craig, who has been appointed to open the ceremony, reports the sun.co.uk. Her Majesty will reportedly do a cameo in the film. Oscar winner Danny Boyle is serving as creative director of the opening ceremony and will work behind the scenes to ensure that the film remains unforgettable.

India marks entry into World Cycling Championship Posted: 02 Apr 2012 02:05 AM PDT After 1 years of Winning World cup Cricket for the second time, India has marked entry in to the World Cycling Championship for the first time. The trio of  Bikram Singh from BSNL, Amrit Singh from Railways and Amarjit Singh of Punjab qualified for the event, to be held in Melbourne April 4-8. The three riders achieved the feat despite getting no financial help from the union sports ministry. Twenty-four countries out of 147 had made the cut for the Championships after battling it out in the continental qualification. The event is also a qualifier for the London Olympics. Meanwhile, India will host 2013 Asian Championships for track and road events.

1989 movie to be released in 2012 Posted: 02 Apr 2012 12:58 AM PDT In 1989 a movie titled Visions of Ecatasy considered so shocking blasphemous and that it was banned even before its release in Britain. After 23 years, the same film would be released in original after the ban has been withheld. The movie is about St. Teresa of Avila, a 16th century Spanish nun and mystic who had visions of Christ, which lasted almost uninterrupted for two years. The 18-minute film is an interpretation of these visions and includes sexual scenes involving St. Teresa and another woman, who represents her psyche. The scenes are interlaced with shots of the nun lying on Christ, who is still nailed to the cross, and caressing him. The film was inspired by a statue by 17th century sculptor Gian Lorenzo Bernini titled St. Teresa in Ecstasy, which is located in Rome. But the film will now be released after the British Board of Film Classification overturned its original decision.

IIM Indore will setup International Center at Abu Dhabi Posted: 01 Apr 2012 11:56 PM PDT IIM Indore will setup its overseas Center at Abu Dhabi. It will be country’s first IIM to setup its center on the foreign soil. A high level faculty team has submitted a report for opening up a study campus there, chairman of IIM L N Jhunjhunwala said at the convocation ceremony yesterday. He also informed that efforts were under way to get a deemed university status for the IIM. Director of the IIM Dr N Ravichandran said the institute has grown 10-fold in the last 13 years with number of students going up from 45 to 450. Meanwhile, IIM sources said that barring two, all those who passed out got placement in the range of Rs 15 lakh to Rs 38 lakh

Indian art auctioned at record 302500 dollars Posted: 01 Apr 2012 10:51 PM PDT A painting by an Indian artist was auctioned last month at a record price of 302,500 dollars at Indian, Himalayan & Southeast Asian Art auction This portrait of the imposing figure of Rawat Gokal Das celebrating ‘holi’ with his consorts (fl. 1761-1814) was consigned by a collector who bought the piece two decades ago for a modest $125, according to New York auction house Bonhams. Dated 1808 and measuring 16 x 22 inches this work is a rare representation of Bagta’s larger scale depiction. Bagta was featured in the landmark exhibition which opened at the Museum Rietberg, Zurich, and was on display at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York’s ‘Wonder of the Age, Master Painters of India, 1100-1900′ exhibition until recently. “It was truly incredible to witness the sale of this work come to fruition. Bringing in a lot of this calibre has proven to be not only a highlight of my career but also a highlight for Bonhams and for this 2012 Asia Week,” said Edward Wilkinson, Bonhams department specialist.

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• The dangerous implications of India’s nuclear romance
• Now Cheques and Drafts valid for 3 months only
• More Mobiles than toilets in Himachal
• Zardari to visit Ajmer on April 8
• CBI issues restraint order against Rishi in Tatra Case
• Amitabh is the Superstar not me, says Rajnikanth
• Aung San Suu Kyi set to make history as Myanmar votes

The dangerous implications of India’s nuclear romance Posted: 01 Apr 2012 11:18 AM PDT Efforts are on to squelch the months-long peaceful movement by villagers living in the neighbourhood of the Kudankulam nuclear plant in Tamil Nadu which has delayed its commissioning. What brought the people out of their homes is the fear that the plant is a threat to their lives and livelihood. Repeated assertions by spokesmen of the national science and technology establishment, from former president A.P.J. Abdul Kalam downwards, have not convinced them that the plant is accident-proof. Instead of talking to the people and addressing their concerns, the Government of India appears set to crush their movement using crude force. At the best of times, it is not easy to have open and honest deliberations on the nuclear issue. Since nuclear technology has military applications, all countries routinely conduct much of the work in this area in total secrecy. The Indian nuclear programme has been directly under the prime minister since its inception, and Parliament does not look into the working of the Department of Atomic Energy closely. The institutional mechanism set up to oversee nuclear safety is under the department itself. So long as the government fights shy of creating an independent nuclear safety mechanism outside the department’s control, its claims about the safety of the nuclear installations cannot be taken at face value. The arguments advanced by the official establishment to allay fears about the safety of the Kudankulam plant are irrational and unscientific, not to say dishonest. How can Abdul Kalam guarantee its safety when the Russian equipment suppliers are not ready to do so? In a bid to belittle fears of radiation emanating from the plant, the government points out in an advertisement placed in the newspapers, that the people are already exposed to radiation present in nature and used in medical treatment. It is absurd to cite the presence of natural radiation and its use for medicinal purposes to justify exposing the people to a possible nuclear catastrophe. One factor that complicates decision making on the Kudankulam project, the first stage of which is almost ready to be commissioned, is that the government has already spent about Rs.150 billion on it. When India signed an agreement with the Soviet Union in 1988 for setting up the project, the cost was estimated at Rs.40 billion. It shot up as a result of the inordinate delay in starting and completing the work, occasioned partly by the Soviet Union’s collapse. But can a democratic government approach an issue involving people’s lives and livelihood the way an auditor looks at a statement of expenditure? That a lot of money has been sunk is no justification for continuing with a project about which grave doubts remain in people’s minds after Fukushima. Anti-nuclear groups, which include persons with expertise in the area, have suggested that part of the investment in the ongoing nuclear projects can be salvaged by converting them into natural gas-based plants. After the Three Mile Island accident, the US had converted the Shoreham nuclear plant in Long Island, New York, the William H Zimmer nuclear plant in Ohio and the Midland Cogeneration Facility in Michigan to run on fossil fuel. The argument that India cannot ensure energy security without nuclear power rests on questionable grounds. Currently nuclear power constitutes only three per cent of the country’s energy requirement. Even if the projects conceived in the pre-Fukushima period are implemented on time (which, going by the record, is most unlikely), the expectation is that nuclear plants will supply 25 per cent of the power by 2050. This means there is enough time to recast the energy plans in the light of current realities. Two years ago many countries were working on new nuclear plants. Last week the Germans backed out of a commitment to supply equipment for two plants in Britain citing the Fukushima disaster and the European economic crisis as the reasons. Today, India shares with China the dubious distinction of being the only countries determinedly pursuing the nuclear path, undeterred by Fukushima. The ruling establishments in the two countries are guided by visions of reaching the heights of the global economy. As the most populous nations, it is quite legitimate for them to aspire to be the world’s largest economies. The moot question is what route to take to reach the destination. Currently India and China are on a track cut by the Western countries which, having brought large parts of the world under their heel, had access to cheap energy sources. This raises two problems: large-scale consumption of energy and large-scale expulsion of poisonous wastes. Neither China nor India is engaged in scientific pursuits to find solutions to these problems. Instead they are claiming the right to follow the disastrous path of the developed economies. Their scientific efforts are limited to demonstrating that they can do what the West had done. The motivation behind India’s nuclear romance is not the need for energy security, as the ruling establishment claims, but the overweening desire for big power status. Its achievements in the fields of nuclear and missile technology have generated a sense of pride not only in its scientific and technical personnel but in the nation as a whole. This sense of pride effectively camouflages the stark fact that very little original work is being done in the fields of science and technology. As a country blessed with sunshine, India stands to benefit the most by a breakthrough in solar energy technology, which is already available but is not cost- effective. Yet the government has neglected this area, transfixed as it is by delusions of nuclear grandeur. The fall of the Soviet Union, which had made great advances in some critical areas, like space technology, pushing the US to the second place, holds a lesson for India: big power status built up overlooking the interests of the masses is liable to collapse like a house of cards. The Kudankulam line-up reveals the contours of a division within the country. Ranged on one side are various elements of the establishment: the central and state governments, the science and technology bureaucracy, the political parties, etc. On the other side are poor, marginalized people, backed by small, scattered groups of human rights defenders. A similar line-up can also be seen at other centres where nuclear plants are coming up as also at places all across the country where national or multinational corporations are trying to squeeze the poor people out to set up mega projects. (B.R.P.Bhaskar is a veteran journalist and commentator. He can be contacted at brpbhaskar@gmail.com)

Now Cheques and Drafts valid for 3 months only Posted: 01 Apr 2012 08:30 AM PDT Banks from today will stop honouring cheques and drafts if they are not presented within three months of the date of issue as against six months earlier. The decision to reduce the validity of cheques, bank drafts and other instruments to three months announced by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) earlier will come into effect from today. With a view to mitigating frauds related with such instruments, the RBI in a directive had said with effect from April 1, 2012, banks should not make payments against cheques, drafts, pay orders or banker’s cheques if they are presented after the period of three months from date of issue. The directive followed complaints that some persons were taking undue advantage of the six-month validity period and circulating these instruments like cash. Commenting on the decision to curtail the validity period of cheques and drafts, a senior banker said, the three-month validity period is a good enough time for conciliation of these instruments. The RBI had said, “In public interest and in the interest of the banking policy, it is necessary to reduce the period within which cheques/drafts/pay orders/banker’s cheques are presented for payment from six months to three months from the date of such instrument.”

More Mobiles than toilets in Himachal Posted: 01 Apr 2012 07:29 AM PDT In Himachal Pradesh, connectivity through mobile phones came twice as fast than basic facilities like toilets and latrines. This fact has come to light in the new Census of India 2011 data on “House listing and housing census” detailing the assets available to households. There has been a huge jump of 65.4 percent of people owning mobile phones in the state in the past one decade, while the number of people having access to latrines and toilets increased by just 35.7 percent and 32.1 percent respectively during the period, director (census) Balbir Tegta told IANS. The report said the number of mobile phone users in the state has increased from 16.9 percent to 82.3 percent, against 63.2 percent at the national level. Likewise, the number of families having latrines in houses increased from 33.4 percent to 69.1 percent and toilets from 35.4 percent to 67.5 percent. Similarly, the percentage of families defecating in the open has come down to 29.7 percent from 66.6 percent. The report says that there is marked improvement in the lifestyle and prosperity of the hill people. As many as 72.4 percent households have good housing facilities, which is higher than 53.2 percent at the national level. Seventy-three percent families own TV sets, up from 50.4 percent in 2001. The number of people who own cars has risen from 2.6 percent to 8.3 percent, while the number of two-wheeler owners has gone up from 7.4 percent to 15.5 percent. The percentage of those using banking services has risen from 59.5 percent to 89 percent. The dependence on nature for firewood has seen a marginal decline from 64.6 percent to 57.5 percent. Likewise, the percentage of cooking gas users has gone up from 28.1 percent to 38.6 percent. But the state’s housing sector is over-saturated. The percentage of vacant houses has increased in urban areas from 13.9 percent to 17.6 percent and in rural areas from 9.9 percent to 11.1 percent. Solan and Shimla districts are the top districts with the highest percentage of vacant houses. The percentage of vacant houses in Lahaul and Spiti district, which remains cuts off from the rest of the world for over five months due to heavy snow, has increased from 8.2 percent to 13.9 percent. This indicates people migrated to other towns due to hard climatic conditions there. Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal, in his budget speech in the assembly session, said the state economy grew at an average rate of 8.3 percent in the past four years, taking the GDP of the state from Rs.33,963 crore in 2007-08 to Rs.54,695 crore in 2010-11. “The growth rate in 2011-12 is expected to be 7.6 percent which is much higher than the national estimate of 6.9 percent. The per capita income of the state has increased from Rs.43,966 in 2007-08 to Rs.65,535 in 2010-11 and is expected to be Rs.73,608 in 2011-12, which is 20 percent higher than the national level of Rs.60,972. “Thus in the last five years the income of the people of the state has increased by almost Rs.30,000 per capita which is a reflection of the growing prosperity of the people.”

Zardari to visit Ajmer on April 8 Posted: 01 Apr 2012 06:27 AM PDT Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari is likely to visit Ajmer on April 8 to pay obeisance at the famous Sufi shrine of Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti. A request for a “private visit” by the President has been forwarded to the Indian side though a final date for the trip is yet to be set, sources in the Pakistan government told PTI. However, sources in Delhi said the visit is likely to take place on April 8. The Pakistani sources said the government has kept Zardari’s planned visit to the famous 13th century shrine in Ajmer in Rajasthan under wraps as it is intended to be a “purely private” matter. “The visit is supposed to be devoid of political or diplomatic content but since it involves the President, the possibility of some meetings with Indian leaders cannot be ruled out,” said a source familiar with the plans for the visit. When Presidential spokesman Farhatullah Babar was reached for comment, he said he was “really not aware” of such a visit. However, a Presidential aide, who spoke on condition that he would not be named, said Zardari’s visit to Ajmer had been in the pipeline for almost a year. “This visit has been planned since last year as the President wants to make a trip to the dargah in Ajmer,” the aide said. (More)

CBI issues restraint order against Rishi in Tatra Case Posted: 01 Apr 2012 05:24 AM PDT The CBI today issued a restraint order to prevent London-based NRI businessman Ravi Rishi, an accused in a case of alleged irregularities in purchase of Tatra trucks for the Army, from moving out of the country. The agency has alerted all airports and exit points to ensure that he does not leave the country, official sources said. Rishi was not available for his comments and his company, when contacted, refused to react to the development, saying it were cooperating with the CBI in the case. 57-year-old Rishi, named as an accused in the agency’s FIR in alleged irregularities in purchase of Tatra trucks for the Army, has been questioned twice so far by the CBI and was likely to be summoned again. Rishi has termed the allegations against him as unfortunate, saying the trucks were sold through public sector undertaking Bharat Earth Movers Limited. He also said the charges levelled with regard to Tatra trucks by Army Chief Gen V K Singh were baseless. The move comes after the Army chief complained alleging Lt Gen (retired) Tejinder Singh had offered him a bribe for clearing a consignment of “sub-standard” trucks. Lt Gen Singh has refuted the allegations and has filed a defamation case against the Army chief and some other senior officers. CBI officials will be seeking more details from the Army chief before they decide on whether to register a preliminary enquiry or a case in connection with the bribery charge. The sources said the Army chief was expected to soon provide more material about the alleged bribe offer

Amitabh is the Superstar not me, says Rajnikanth Posted: 01 Apr 2012 04:17 AM PDT His stardom has transcended borders and the fan frenzy Rajinikanth generates is unmatchable but the veteran thespian says that Amitabh Bachchan is the only one who can be called a superstar. When asked about how he felt about being a superstar, Rajinikanth, who was here to promote his upcoming film “Kochadiyaan”, said, “For me, the only superstar is Amitabh Bachchan.” “For me every film is like the first picture. I am very choosy with the director and producer,” said the 61-year-old, who has given hits like “Chandramukhi”, “Sivaji” and “Robot”. Rajinikanth, who was admitted in the hospital and treated for dehydration and exhaustion some time back, said, “I am 90 per cent fine now, thanks to the prayers of my fans.” He is now gearing up for the release of “Kochadiyaan”, a Tamil period film directed by his daughter Soundarya and with music by AR Rahman, this Diwali on November 13. “Kochadaiyaan is a fantasy film. It will attract not only children but everyone. It will be of international standards and the film will be ready by Diwali November 13 this year,” Rajinikanth said at the Bentley Hotel here last evening. “Kochadiyaan” is partly inspired by the name of the Pandya Dynasty king Kochadaiyan Ranadhiran and the plot will be a fictional account with small references to history. “I will have the new experience of singing in the film. It is going to be very different,” said Rajinikanth, who will be singing a song for a film after 21 years.

Aung San Suu Kyi set to make history as Myanmar votes Posted: 01 Apr 2012 01:59 AM PDT Yangon, Thousands Sunday voted in Myanmar’s parliamentary by-elections in which Nobel laureate and democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi is contesting for the first time. Over six million voters are eligible to decide the fate of 157 candidates from 17 parties, media reports said. The balloting is taking place for 45 vacant seats in nine regions. Over 150 observers from the European Union, the US, Canada, Australia, India and Asean are monitoring the exercise. The 66-year-old Suu Kyi is standing for a lower house seat from Kawhmu Township constituency near Yangon. On Sunday, she visited polling stations in Kawhmu. A day earlier, around 60 percent of respondents in a countrywide survey said they will vote for Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy (NLD). The NLD is contesting all 45 seats. BBC said it was the first time the NLD was taking part in elections since 1990. The ruling Union Solidarity and Development Party and the NLD are the two main contestants. The Myanmar government is still dominated by military and former military officials from the former regime that ruled the country for decades. Since 2010, a transition of power began and the government freed many political prisoners, relaxed media restrictions and persuaded Suu Kyi and the NLD to rejoin the political process. In 1990, NLD had won a landslide victory in a general election but the military refused to accept the result. Suu Kyi spent much of the following 20 years under house arrest and refused to take part in the 2010 election.

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