Sagar News Views Reviews

Israeli military drone crashes during test flight

2012-01-30T08:34:00.000-08:00

Israeli military drone crashed Monday morning during a test flight. The country's army Radio said that the Heron TP, the most advanced unmanned aerial vehicle currently operated by the Israel Air Force went down in an open field shortly after taking off from the Tel Nof Air base in central Israel .

No injuries were reported in the incident. A military spokeswoman while talking to a new agency declined to comment on the model that crashed.

Local media, however, said it was the Heron TP II, an all-weather drone inaugurated by the Israeli Air Force last February with a cruising altitude of about 13,700 meters and a maximal payload of one ton that can remain aloft for 36 hours - features that enable it to fly strategic reconnaissance missions over countries as far away as Iran .

Glyphosate has been linked to more than 20 adverse health effects

2012-01-29T18:36:00.001-08:00

Glyphosate, the active ingredient in Roundup herbicide, has recently been detected in groundwater samples (Catalonia, Spain) at such high levels that 41 percent of them exceeded the limits of quantification.
Groundwater feeds springs, wells and aquifers – the natural source of drinking water -- and when contaminated, threatens the health of everyone who depends on it.
Monsanto, the maker of Roundup, has long claimed that Roundup is safe and environmentally friendly, but recent studies show it does not readily break down in the environment and is now contaminating our air, rain, water and food.
Glyphosate has been linked to more than 20 adverse health effects, including birth defects, infertility and cancer.
By Dr. Mercola

बसंत पंचमी पर सरस्वती पूजन: विहिप

2012-01-29T08:40:00.001-08:00

धर्म की रक्षार्थ वीर हकीकत राय काबलिदान सदा याद रहेगा: विहिप

(बसंत पंचमी पर सरस्वती पूजन कर वीरहकीकत राय को याद किया गया)

नई दिल्ली जनवरी 29, 2011। वीर हकीकतराय का धर्म के लिए किया गया बलिदान सदा याद किया जाएगा। मात्र 14 वर्ष के इस वीरबालक ने हंसते- हंसते अपने प्राण दे दिए किन्तु धर्म परिवर्तन या अपने आस्थाकेन्द्रों का अपमान सहन नहीं किया। सरस्वती पूजन के एक कार्यक्रम में बोलते हुए विश्वहिन्दू परिषद दिल्ली के मीडिया प्रमुख श्री विनोद बंसल ने यह भी कहा कि बसंत पंचमीके शुभ अवसर पर हमें आज ज्ञान, विज्ञान और कला की देवी मां सरस्वती की उपासना करदेश व धर्म की रक्षा हेतु वीर हकीकत राय के दिखाए रास्ते पर चलने का संकल्पलेना चाहिए।

दक्षिणी दिल्ली के संत नगर मैन रोडपर श्री सरस्वती पूजा समिति-संत नगर द्वारा आयोजित वार्षिक सरस्वती पूजन पांडालमें दिन भर लोगों का तांता लगा रहा। इस अवसर पर छोटे छोटे बच्चों द्वारा अनेकगीत-संगीत के कार्यक्रम प्रस्तुत किये तथा भजन संध्या कर मां सरस्वती का अह्वानकिया गया। नन्ही बच्ची कु दिव्या सतीजा(5), विदुषी व बालक छितिज तथा सक्षम कीमनमोहक प्रस्तुति ने सबका मन मोह लिया।

कार्यक्रम में संत नगर रेजीडेण्टवैलफ़ेयर एसोसिएशन के प्रधान सरदार जोधका सिंह, समिति के प्रधान श्री जनार्धनतिवारी, मंत्री श्री त्रिभुवन भगत व कोषाध्यक्ष श्री राम प्रभोद राय, श्रीमती चायातिवारी तथा विहिप के श्री अरुन होरा सहित अनेक गणमान्य लोगों ने भाग लिया।

Anti-Nazarbayev protest in Kazakhstan

2012-01-28T21:41:00.000-08:00

Anti-Nazarbayev protest in Kazakhstan

as hundreds of demonstrators on Saturday defied a heavy police presence to stage a rare protest in Kazakhstan against strongman President Nursultan Nazarbayev and the conduct of legislative elections.

Around 1,000 people shouted angry slogans against the Kazakh leader on the fringes of Republic Square in the largest city Almaty in an unusually large protest for Kazakhstan's tightly-controlled society.

"Freedom!" chanted the demonstrators.

"Nazarbayev go!" The demonstration had not been sanctioned by the authorities and police erected barricades around the square to prevent the protestors from entering its centre, agency said.

With around 500 members of the security forces present there was an atmosphere of high tension but so far it appeared that the police were allowing the demonstration to go ahead.

Leaders and top activists from the anti-Nazarbayev opposition, which won no seats in parliament, took turns to denounce the leadership of the energy-rich state.

"Return the country's riches to the people!" said the co-chairman of the Azat (Freedom) opposition party Bolat Abilov.

"We will stage another meeting in February. Even more of us will come. Let's stop being scared."

Leading opposition journalist Gulzhan Yergaliyeva declaimed: "The people are stronger than the regime. We must show our strength!"

The demonstration -- originally called to protest against fraud in parliamentary elections -- has been given an additional impulse by the arrest and jailing of three prominent opposition figures over the last few days.

Vzglyad newspaper editor Igor Vinyavsky, the leader of the unregistered Alga opposition party Vladimir Kozlov and activist Serik Sapargali have all been remanded in custody for two months after their arrest earlier this week.

Nazarbayev's Nur Otan party won almost 81 per cent of the vote in the 15^th January polls which international observers said failed to meet "fundamental principles of democratic elections."

The controversy came just one month after over a dozen people were killed in clashes between striking oil workers and police in the Caspian Sea city of Zhanaozen in Kazakhstan's worst bloodshed since the fall of the Soviet Union.

Nazarbayev, who has ruled Kazakhstan since before the Soviet Union's collapse, last year appointed former British Prime Minister Tony Blair to advise the country on attracting more foreign investment.

While Nazarbayev has been hailed by some as a shining example of modern leadership in the Islamic world, critics have long criticized his regime for seeking economic prosperity and stability at the expense of human rights.

Chief Minister O Ibobi Singh cast his vote as voting begins in Manipur

2012-01-28T09:00:00.000-08:00

Voters on Saturday lined up before 2,357 polling stations across nine districts of Manipur as elections began in 60 assembly constituencies amid tight security. An electorate of 17,40,576, including 8,82,236 woman voters, are eligible to exercise their franchise to choose their representatives from among 279 candidates in the 10th assembly polls. A total of 12,967 polling personnel have been deployed to conduct the elections which began at 7 am and would continue till 4 pm. Chief Minister O Ibobi Singh cast his vote at a polling station in Khangabok of Thoubal district, officials said. Around 350 companies of security personnel including 270 central para military forces were deployed besides the state armed police. Prominent candidates whose fate would be sealed on Saturday include the Chief Minister who is contesting from Thoubal constituency, former vice chancellor of Manipur university Ng Bijoy (Khurai) and Forest Minister Th Debendra (Jiribam). Manipur has nine districts - Imphal East, Imphal West, Bishnnupur and Thoubal (all in valley) and Churachandpur, Ukhrul, Senapati, Tamenglong and Chandel in the hills. Security forces are keeping a tab on the situation in the state, where blasts have taken place in the past few days, amid reports that insurgent groups might target some candidates

India Art Fair2012

2012-01-27T07:38:00.000-08:00

Foundation for Peace, Harmony and Good Governance

2012-01-27T07:21:00.001-08:00

Foundation for Peace, Harmony and Good Governance

Present

National Conference on Governance

29^th January 2012, NCUI Auditorium, New Delhi

Dear Sir/Madam,

Sub: Invitation to participate in National Conference on Governance

Foundation for Peace Harmony and Good Governance (FGG) is organizing a National Conference on Governance on 29th January 2012 at NCUI Auditorium, (Near Sirifort Auditorium Complex) 3, August Kranti Marg, New Delhi - 110016.

Currently we stand at the threshold of a unique opportunity to grow; however, we cannot avail such opportunity without appropriate reforms in governance and public management. Through this Conference our sincere endeavor is to set the house in order by taking all steps necessary to ensure introduction and application of good governance measures. The Conference is being organized to hear, learn and follow measures of Good governance from wise and experienced ultimately to get them implemented. The conference would focus on the following key areas in governance:

· Governance by the Government

· Corporate Governance

· Electoral Reforms

· Compliance in Democracy

During this year alone we had organized major National Conferences on Integrity, Black Money, RTI and Citizen’s Charter which had received enthusiastic response and I thank you for your valued inputs.

I am writing to invite you to participate in the day-long National Conference on Governance as our valued delegate and to participate in the discussions of the conference. I also request you to join us for tea and lunch at the venue.

I would like to request you to confirm your participation by replying to this email or by sending your confirmation to contactfgg@gmail.com or iggdelhi@gmail.com. Since, there are limited seats, prior registration is compulsory and hence seek your confirmation please.

The registrations starts at 9 am and the conference would conclude by around 5:30 pm.

We look forward to having you with us.

With warm regards,

D.R. Kaarthikeyan

Advisor: Law-Human Responsibilities-Corporate Affairs

President: Foundation for Peace, Harmony and Good Governance

Former :
             Director, Central Bureau of Investigation
             Director General, National Human Rights Commission
             Special Director General, Central Reserve Police Force

102, Ground Floor

Anand Lok

New Delhi - 110 049

India

Vivekananda Memorial Programme for Museum Excellence

2012-01-27T00:00:00.000-08:00

UnionFinance Minister would also unveil on 28^th January,2012 an enhanced(engraved bas relief) Vivekananda Memorial Plaque, with Swami Vivekananda’sembossed image on it. It will beinstalled in the Art Institute of Chicago’s Museum to commemorate Swamiji’s historic Chicago Address before the WorldParliament of Religions on 11^th September 1893 .

An agreementwill also be signed during the aforesaid visit of the Union Finance Minister Shri Pranab Mukherjee for VivekanandaMemorial Programme for Museum Excellence. Under this programme, Art Institute of Chicagowill work with Government of India to impart a broad range of knowledge onmodern operations of Museums like conservation, planning of exhibitions etc.for a four year period. Government ofIndia will provide an amount of US$500,000 for conduct of this programme by theArt Institute of Chicago.

Under the Commemorationof the 150^th Birth Anniversary of Guru RabindranathTagore, apart from several other activities, for thefirst time ever, several exhibitions of Tagore’spaintings are being organised in USA, France,Germany, UK, Singapore, Japan and South Korea by the National Gallery of ModernArt under Ministry of Culture in association with VisvaBharati University. The exhibition which would be inaugurated by theFinance Minister Shri Pranab Mukherjee in Chicagoon 28^th January, 2012 at the Art Institute of Chicago, is part ofthis series of exhibitions. It will put on display 61 of Tagore’spaintings.

Finance Minister to Leave for Chicago on A Two Day Official

2012-01-26T21:11:00.001-08:00

Union Finance Minster Shri Pranab Mukherjeewould be leaving for the two day official visit to Chicago, US on the early morning ofSaturday,28^th January, 2012. During his visit, the FinanceMinister’s first engagement on arrival would be to address the Chicago Councilon Global Affairs where large number of business leaders ofthe Corporate World are likely to participate. These business leaderswould mainly be from Fortune 500 companies as Chicago is Headquarter of 32 suchcompanies including Boeing, Caterpillar, McDonalds, Kraft, Abbott Laboratoriesand Sara Lee among others. During his address, theFinance Minister Shri Mukherjee is likely to sharehis perception about the Indian and Global economy especially when the worldeconomic situation is in a state of flux. On the other hand, India todayoccupies the leadership position in the world order across various fields andhas enormous resources, technology and skills with a pre eminent position. TheFinance Minister Shri Mukherjee is likely to envisagethe shared goals and objectives with these business leaders and invite them tobecome an active partner in India growth story.

2012-01-25T23:37:00.001-08:00

@PMOIndia Dr Manmohan Singh

First woman PM of Thailand, Ms.Yingluck Shinawatra will be the Chief Guest at the Republic Day celebrations this year pic.twitter.com/zMZFjnXg

Address by the President of India, Shrimati Pratibha Devisingh Patil

2012-01-25T21:14:00.001-08:00

Address by the President of India, Shrimati Pratibha Devisingh Patil
to the Nation on the eve of Republic Day
The President, Smt. Pratibha Devisingh Patil, addressed the Nation on the eve of the 63rd Republic Day. Following is the text of the President’s address on the occasion:

Dear Citizens,

On the eve of our 63rd Republic Day, I convey my warmest greetings to all of you across the country, from every walk of life and in different parts of the world. I convey my special greetings to the Armed Forces and the Para-Military Forces who guard our frontiers with great vigil and valour, in high mountainous terrains, deserts and the plains, on the coasts and the seas. I also convey my best wishes to our internal security forces and to our civil services. I compliment all citizens for their contribution to the process of nation-building.

We are living in a world that is complex and challenging. Forces of globalization have created an interlinked and interdependent world. No country exists in isolation; it is continuously being influenced by external developments. All nations, developed and developing, are facing the impact of global economic instability, as well as problems of unemployment and inflation, in varying degrees. Indeed, the 21st Century has brought in its trail a host of issues at a breath-taking pace. There are growing aspirations of the people, coupled with their expectations of immediate solutions. We are observing, an information explosion and ever-newer technological inventions. These have altered lifestyles and there is also a growing quest for materialism. There are persistent questions about how growth and resources will be shared in a more equitable manner. There are worries about the direction in which the human community is heading in this age of globalization, knowledge and technology.

For us in India, the discourse is about how an ancient civilization and a young nation, will move ahead to take India to its destiny. Our vision and our goals are clear. We look at building our country, as one whose economy demonstrates a robustness to grow, so that we can become a developed nation. For us, however, economic prosperity alone is not enough. We look towards an India, where there is equity and justice. We look at democracy, rule of law and human values, as being essential for making our country strong. We want a scientific and technological outlook in our people. We also look towards India as a country which will continue to bring moral force on to the global stage. I believe that there is a unity behind this vision of India. But, yet, sometimes one gets distracted by discordant pulls and pressures. How should we proceed to build our nation and its people? I believe that the answer lies in our age old values; the ideals of our freedom movement; the principles of our Constitution, as also in our unity, a positive attitude and our aspiration to grow.

It is often said, but not fully realized, that we are very fortunate to have a rich legacy of values, traditions and teachings. The ageless spirit of India, the eternal voice of India, has been resonating through millennia. What are those intrinsic qualities which have seen India prosper through centuries and eras? What is the message that should light our path, as we chart our future course? Our civilizational ethos contains the lessons of duty and truth. It tells us to be humane in all our thoughts and deeds. It highlights the qualities of compassion, care and of respect for others. It teaches that human beings and nature must exist in harmony with each other. All issues should be viewed in the context of humanity as a whole. Concepts, like ‘समन्वय’, ‘सर्वे भवन्तु सुखिनः’ ‘वसुधैव कुटुम्बकम’, are the very essence of Indian thought. This philosophy has given succeeding generations the inherent strength to grow, embracing in their fold a vast diversity of cultures, languages, religions and communities. So, when the question is asked, as to what ideals should be placed before the new generation, to take the country forward, should then there be any dithering or doubt in a country like India? As the inheritors of thousands of years of history and culture, we should follow the high ideals of our age-old civilization. More particularly, the youth should understand this, as they are the architects of the future as well. Our past becomes the essential guide for the future as well. In this context, I recall the lines of Gurudev Tagore, “Every great people holds its history so valuable because… it contains not mere memories, but hope, and therefore the image of the future.” The past of India has been glorious and so must be its future.

We can also draw inspiration from our independence movement. It was a unique struggle, as it involved non-violent methods and required extraordinary mass discipline, steadfastness and patience. We followed this course, under the leadership of Gandhiji, because we had faith in ourselves and in our strength. Surely, we can demonstrate the same discipline in nation building. But, how do we do this? It is, only when we resolve to make the goal of nation building more important, than anything else and, show strong belief in it. It is then that courage, confidence and determination, shall be our companions in this task, which has to be carefully piloted in a constitutionally acceptable order.

In fact, during various times of difficulties or when searching for an answer, the Constitution has provided us our moorings. It was framed by those who had participated in the freedom struggle, and had a deep understanding of the aspirations of the people, and of our culture. The Constitution has been and should be our compass, guiding us in nation-building. It is the charter of our democracy. It is the document guaranteeing individual freedoms to its citizens. It is the basis on which institutions of the State have been created and have derived their powers and functions. Our Constitution is a living and dynamic instrument, which has demonstrated its ability to be flexible enough to meet the demands of changing times, while retaining its basic features. Dr. Baba Saheb Ambedkar in his closing speech at the Constituent Assembly said, “The first thing in my judgment we must do is to hold fast to constitutional methods of achieving our social and economic objectives.” Unquote.

Dear Citizens,

There is tremendous work to be done to move forward on our social and economic agenda, if we are to achieve fast, inclusive and sustainable growth. Our foremost priority is the removal of poverty, hunger and malnutrition, disease and illiteracy. All social welfare programmes must be implemented efficiently. Agencies involved in the delivery of services should have a strong sense of duty and work in a transparent, corruption-free, time-bound and accountable manner.

We have a population which is predominantly young. With education and training, they can become skilled and, thus, capable of finding their livelihoods, starting their own businesses and thus, becoming productive assets. Reinforcing our health and education sectors is fundamental for developing our human resources. Primary education is now a fundamental right for children. There is a commitment to universalize secondary education. Expansion of school education will also require increase in the number of higher education institutions. This process has to be structured with great thoughtfulness, to ensure quality and excellence. Moreover, education must reach every section of our society, as must access to health reach all. We need to expand health services, particularly in rural areas. We need quality medical facilities for our population, which are affordable. In today`s era of ICT, technology can be very useful in our mission of health and education. In fact, science and technology is a critical input for the growth of the nation and for all sectors of the economy. Focus on research and development is an investment in our future. Our agriculture, industry and service sectors need to be working more efficiently, with greater scientific inputs and more inter-linkages with each other. Agriculture, however, is one sector whose integration with other sectors of the economy remains inadequate. We need to look at models of partnership, of farmers with industry and with R&D institutions in various activities, so that, not only does agricultural productivity increase, but farmers benefit as well. Special focus is necessary on dryland farming, given its enormous potential and, the fact that, a large proportion of farm labour and poor farmers are dependent on it. At the same time, it is very important to build our physical infrastructure – such as roads, ports and airports, to overcome constraints to rapid growth.

I strongly believe that women need to be drawn fully into the national mainstream. Empowerment of women will have a very big impact on creating social structures that are stable. The National Mission on Empowerment of Women set up in 2010, should help in the co-coordinated delivery of women-centric and women-related programmes. An important component of women’s development is their economic and social security. Social prejudices prevalent in our society which have led to gender discrimination need to be corrected. Social evils like female foeticide, child marriage and dowry must be eradicated. Status of women is an important indicator of progress in a society.

Dear Citizens,

India can take pride in its democratic record, but as in any functional democracy, it faces pressures and challenges. An important feature of a democracy is the constant expression of opinions. This process of incessant dialogue should flow in such a manner, that we are willing to listen to each other. Those who believe in democracy must try to see whether there is rationale in the others’ point of view. Gandhiji once said, “Evolution of democracy is not possible if we are not prepared to hear the other side. We shut the doors of reason when we refuse to listen.” The purpose of discussions and deliberations is to find solutions. Often, we are quick to find blame with others; but, yet are unable to give constructive responses. There seems to be a tendency to doubt almost everything. Do we not have faith in our own people’s strengths and in our institutions? Can we afford distrust amongst ourselves? Nations are built through great patience and sacrifices. Concord and not discord is the way forward for a country as large as India. All issues, therefore, must be resolved through dialogue and there can be no place for violence. Negativity and rejection cannot be the path for a vibrant country that is moving to seek its destiny. Our work, our values and our approach, must be based on the vast capability and capacity that India and its people have.

Our institutions may not be flawless, but they have coped with many challenges. Our Parliament has enacted path-breaking laws. Our Government has put together schemes for the progress and welfare of the people. Our judiciary has a reputable standing. Our media too has played an important role. With all institutions working together for the same national purpose it will create a stream of positive energy. Our effort to improve is an on-going process. While bringing about reforms and improving institutions, we have to be cautious that while shaking the tree to remove the bad fruit, we do not bring down the tree itself. There will be short term pressures, but in this process we must not lose sight of the long term goals, and must work together on our core national agenda. I do hope in the spirit of national interest, matters of national importance, are discussed and solutions are found between different stakeholders. This will strengthen the roots of our democracy and the foundations of our nation. We have a shared future, and we should not forget that it can be achieved if we demonstrate a sense of responsibility and a show of unity. I think India could set an example before the democratic world of progress and growth.

Dear Citizens,

India’s foreign policy is aimed at the promotion of an environment that is conducive to its socio-economic transformation. We seek to build bridges of cooperation and friendship with all countries of the world. We constructively engage with the international community to find responses to global challenges. The role and stature of India, has been growing and our nation has been scaling up in the ladder of the comity of nations. India seeks an architecture for global institutions that is more reflective of contemporary realities. We are also proud of the contributions of the Indian Diaspora, spread over many countries and across continents, to the economic, professional and political fields of the countries where they live.

Dear Citizens,

In conclusion, I would like to say that we must build a strong, prosperous nation, based upon a firm system of values. As we remove poverty, let us also enrich our thoughts. As we remove disease, let us all remove ill-will towards others. As our youth study more and acquire more knowledge, let them also learn to be more involved in activities for the progress of the nation, other than only self advancement. As we legislate, let us also understand that the most effective law is the conscience of citizens. As we advance in science and technology, let us realize and understand that it is more for human welfare. As we use the Earth’s resources, let us not forget to replenish and renew its vitality. On the eve of our Republic Day, let me once again convey my greetings, to all fellow citizens and end with the following lines which describe an India we should work for:

बहें जहां सदभाव की नदियां।
उगें जहां नैतिकता की फ़सलें।
सब मन एकता का गीत सुनाएं।
पग-पग देश का विकास बढ़ाएं।
मिलकर ऐसा देश बनाएं।

Are Fundamental Duties Demoralized in India?

2012-01-25T21:10:00.001-08:00

Are Fundamental Duties Demoralized in India?

By SiliconIndia,Wednesday, 25 January 2012, 05:02 Hrs

Bangalore: Indian Citizens have 10 fundamental duties but if one asks they can’t mention half of them. The question is ‘Why?’ and the answer is – ‘Because no one bothers.’ The dictionary meaning of ‘Duty’ is a moral commitment towards something or someone. Cicero, a great philosopher said, duty comes along with being a human and along with being in a place like country. ‘Fundamental Duties of an Indian Citizen’, is a term which is supposed to bring a feeling of national integration. But this is not the case for many, as there are many disrespectful incidences which had put our head into shame.

The Fundamental Duties are mentioned in the ‘Constitution of India’ in Part IV A in Article 51A. These are the moral obligations supposed to uphold the spirit of nationalism supporting the harmony of the nation. These duties were added by the 42^nd Amendment Act in 1976. Initially there are 10 duties mentioned in the constitution but the 11^th duty of a parent towards the child education is added on 2002 by the 86^th constitutional amendment which says, It shall be the duty of every citizens of India to provide opportunities for education by the parent the guardian, to his child, or a ward between the age of 6-14 years as the case may be. The others relate us to the duty towards our state, national heritage, national heroes, our culture, and environment. Like It shall be the duty of every citizens of India to defend the country and render national service when called to do so.

"Health Effects of Wireless Communications"

2012-01-24T22:08:00.001-08:00

"Health Effects of Wireless Communications"

The Centre for Development of Telematics (C-DOT) is arranging a lecture on "HealthEffects of Wireless Communications" by Prof Kenneth Foster of Universityof Pennsylvania, USA to create awareness on the subject. You are cordially invited to cover the lecture as per the following schedule.

DATE : January 25, 2012 (Wednesday)

TIME : 3.00 P.M.

VENUE : C-DOT Auditorium, Centre for Developmentof Telematics Campus, Mehrauli, New Delhi

RBI Monetary Policy of third Qtr

2012-01-24T03:44:00.001-08:00

The followings are the highlights of the third-quarter review of the
Monetary Policy announced by Reserve Bank of India Governor D Subbarao:
* Cash reserve ratio lowered by 0.50 pc to 5.5 pc
* Short term lending rate (repo) retained at 8.5 pc
* Short-term borrowing rate unchanged at 7.5 pc
* CRR cut to infuse additional Rs 32,000 crore liquidity
* GDP growth estimate for 2011-12 cut to 7 pc from 7.6 pc
* Downside risks to growth have increased
* March-end inflation projection at 7 pc
* Upside risks to inflation remains
* Bank rate retained at 6 per cent
* Fiscal slippages threat to economic stability
* Investment, capital inflows have slowed down
* Fiscal deficit to overshoot Budget estimate
* Injected Rs 70,000 cr in November-January through OMOs
* Next review of monetary policy on March 15.

Photographer Of the Year 2011 on February 1, 2012

2012-01-23T21:28:00.001-08:00

NewDelhi ,January 23, 2012: BetterPhotography, one of India’s leading photography magazines held the muchawaitedcontest, Photographer Of the Year 2011. Stated as one of India’sbiggestphotography awards, the competition is now in its seventh year.

Thisyear thecompetition promises to be grander and even more challenging. Thecontest wasopen to all and there were photo enthusiasts,hobbyists, students of photography and even professionals whoparticipated and whoare eagerly awaiting recognition on a national platform.

Theentries werecollected through a dedicated website (http://www.betterphotography.in/poy/)as well as physical print entries by post were accepted. The last dateofsubmission was December 31^st 2011 and the magazine receiveda recordbreaking 66,782 entries from towns, cities all over India and was openeven forNon Residential Indians.

Thecontest did not have an entry fee and the entrants were allowed toparticipatein multiple themes with a maximum of four entries per theme. For thephotoessay, participants could send up to two series of images-eachcontaining aminimum of six and maximum of 12 images.

Theawards are being sponsored by Title Partner Canon along with AssociatePartnerCanvera and Television Partner CNBC TV18. The themewinners will be whisked off to an exotic location for the finalface-offwherein they would have the opportunity to experience new and excitingattractions as they compete to earn the title of Canon-BetterPhotographyPhotographer of the Year 2011.

Asthe grandprize, the winner will receive a Canon EOS 7D, among other excitingprizes andcould win anopportunity to be recognized on a national level by the magazine.

Thecategories were judged on January 8, 2012 byprominent judges who have shortlisted the theme winners.

Thecategories and judges are as follows:

PhotoEssay: Song of the Road was judged by Mr. AmitMadheshiya and Mr. Mahindra Parikh. Landscapes:Play of Light was judged by SoumitraPendse and Mr. Hari Mahidar .
Still Life: Obvious Things was judged by Mr. Ian Pereiraand Mr. SunilRaju
Portraiture: I, Me, Myself was judged by Mr. David deSouza and Mr. AshokSalian
Wildlife: Animal Behavior was judged by Mr. Kedar Bhideand Mr. Anish Andheria
The Joy of Colour: was judged by Mr. SwapanMukherjee and Ms. Amrita Ganguly Salian
Life on the Streets was judged by Mr. IndranilMukherjee and Mr. Mukesh Parpiani
Reflections was judged by Mr. AmitAshar and Mr. Jagdish Agarwal

BetterPhotographyeditor, K Madhavan Pillai said “The number of entries was unbelievableand toreceive a response from the smallest towns to the biggest metros inIndia wasastonishing. It’s the seventh year for the contest and we are goingstrong.During the category judging we realized that there is so much untappedtalentin the country. We plan to conduct many more opportunities throughphotographyto explore the talent and capabilities of the people of India.”

TheFace Off will beheld in Mumbai from 29^th- 31^st January 2012 andeight contestantsfrom different cities will come to Mumbai to fight it out in a decisivefinalface off where they will click photographs under the themes provided tothem.

Thefinal title winneralong with the eight category winners would be announced on1st February2012 inMumbai. There would be a gallery of the nominated and winningphotographs foran exclusive first look to the guests present.

Thecontest waspromoted on a large scale through television promos on CNBC TV18, CNNIBN,Awaaz, CNN IBN, IBN Lokmat, magazine advertisements in BetterPhotography,Overdrive, T3, Chip, AV Max, Better Interiors, Entrepreneur, Burrp,NoiseFactory along with banner ads across web18 sites including In.com ,Moneycontrol.com , Ibnlive, Ibn khabar, Cricketnext.com and e-mailers to the vast Network 18database.

SAARC Business Summit

2012-01-23T21:10:00.001-08:00

SAARC Business Summit

Shri Anand Sharma, the Union Minister of Commerce, Industry & Textiles addressed the plenary session of the SAARC Business Summit centered around the theme of Building Bridges through Economic Co-operation, here today. Speaking on the occasion Shri Sharma said, “Today’s world is integrated & interdependent. Partnerships are the defining theme of our times. Asia, today, is at the cusp of redefining it’s, this decade will see 3 of the top 5 global economies coming from Asia, contributing to nearly a quarter of global GDP. After a gap of 12 years, India has assumed the Presidency of the SAARC Chamber of Commerce and Industry. The Minister congratulated Mr. Vikramjit Singh Sahney who has taken over as President of the SAARC Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

Replying to the query during the event - on the credit to exporters/investor; the Commerce Minister said, “I am sure the Government will take a considered view. Industry needs investment. Cost of credit needs to be brought down.” On the giving of MFN status by Pakistan to India Minister said everything is on track and it will be a reality in due course of time.

Addressing the gathering Shri Sharma observed that, “SAARC has completed 26 years in December last year and we acknowledge that South Asia Free Trade Agreement (SAFTA) has made significant progress over the years, much more remains to be done. SAFTA had a vision of creating a common market where tariff and non-tariff barriers will be revised and we had expected that the peak tariff rates should be no more than 5% for most of the tradable commodities between member countries of SAARC”. In the Male Summit, India has reduced its Sensitive List for the Least Developed Countries of SAARC from 480 to 25 items and zero custom duty access for the SAARC LDCs. This regime now covers 99.7% of our total tariff lines and all items of export interest to LDCs are covered under this regime, he reflected.

The Commerce Minister emphasized that, “we also need to develop new and imaginative credit mechanisms which expressly focus on supporting regional business models specially incentives could be provided which incentivize entrepreneurs for developing commercially-viable regional projects. Together we must work to improve our customs infrastructure and expedite the processing at the border posts. India is already strengthening the integrated check posts and land customs stations along all its borders providing modern clearing facilities to ensure easier movement of goods.”

Mr. Ranjan Mathai, Foreign Secretary of India while addressing the gathering said that, “Make SAARC region a magnet of regional cooperation, business & growth. Historical economic integration reinforced by the geographical commonality is a facilitating factor.” Shri Mathai expressed the thrust points to take the economic and political interaction. Reduction of non- tariff barriers, building a regional chain of production built on factor advantage, institutional linkages with the SAARC and changes in the policy measures to facilitate enabling environment to the interest of each other.

13 policemen including OC killed in Maoist attack

2012-01-22T04:12:00.001-08:00

Thirteen policemen, including the officer-in-charge of Bhandaria police station, were killed on Saturday and two others injured when Maoists triggered a landmine blast near the jungles of Bariganwa in Garhwa district of Jharkhand.

Official sources said to Prasar Bharati correspondent that the blast occurred near Bargarh Panchayat under Bhandaria police station.

"The Maoists triggered the blast, killing 12 policemen and the officer-in-charge of Bhandaria police station R B Choudhary around 11 am," SP Michael S Raj said.

"Only after post mortem, we tell whether they were hit by bullets (too)," he said when asked whether the Maoists fired upon the policemen after blowing up their anti-landmine vehicle, about 75 km from Garhwa town.

According to sources in Bhandaria police station, about 50 Maoists waiting for the police party triggered the blast around 11 AM.

"Thirteen policemen were killed and two policemen were injured in the blast," Director General of Police G S Rath said.

On 3^rd December, Maoists had triggered landmine blast in Latehar, killing 10 policemen and a child.

Angad Cheema wiin Chandigarh Golf Club

2012-01-22T00:00:00.000-08:00

Angad Cheema got one of his best birthday presents as he picked up the biggest title of his career, winning the All India Amateur golf title by beating the experienced Gagan Verma 5 and 4 in the 36-hole final at the Chandigarh Golf Club today.

As the match wore on, Angad found his form and rhythm. For Verma, who has won numerous titles in other events, was once again thwarted at the flagship event.

The two-time defending champion S Chikkarangappa was eliminated earlier in the quarter-finals.

Identity (Smart) Cards for People of A&N Islands

2012-01-21T09:11:00.001-08:00

Home Minister Launches Resident Identity (Smart) Cards for People of A&N Islands. The Union Home Minister Shri P. Chidambaram, launched the first batch of Resident Identity Cards under the coastal National Population Register (NPR) project at Porthrapur village in South Andaman district of Andaman & Nicobar Islands today in the presence of Lt. Governor of Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Lt. General Bhupender Singh. Smt. Bhulaxmi, a resident of Porthrapur, was the first recipient of the Resident Identity Card. The RIC, is a smart card having 64 KB micro processor chip. The National Institute of Design (NID), Ahmedabad, has finalized the visual layout of the card. It incorporates several physical security features like Guilloché patterns, hot stamped hologram and micro text etc.

Chief Secretary of Andaman & Nicobar Islands Shri Shakti Sinha, Registrar General & Census Commissioner India, Dr. C. Chandramouli, Deputy Director General (NPR), Shri S.K.Chakarabarti, Director of Census Operations ,Shri V. Abraham, Chairman & Managing Director of ECIL, Shri Y.S.Mayya and a host of other dignitaries from the Central Government and UT Administration were present on the occasion.

In Andaman & Nicobar Islands, 365 villages and the town of Port Blair have been covered under the coastal NPR project. A total of 3,88,398 persons have been covered. Of this, 2,82,885 persons above the age of 18 years would be issued identity cards.

The Government of India had decided to create a National Population Register (NPR) in the country. As a first step, the coastal NPR project was taken up in coastal areas of 9 maritime states (Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamilnadu, Andhra Pradesh, Orissa and West Bengal) and 4 UTs (Andaman & Nicobar, Puducherry, Lakshadweep and Daman & Diu) as one of the measures for strengthening the security of the coastline of the country. The demographic data collection of 1.2 crore persons and the biometrics of 75 lakh persons in the 3331 coastal villages under the coastal NPR project have been completed. At present, production of identity (smart) cards is underway. Till date, 5 lakh cards have already been produced.

The scheme envisages collection of specific items of information of each individual in the coastal areas and issue of Resident Identity (smart) cards (RIC) to all usual residents, who are of age 18 years and above. In all, 3331 coastal villages have been covered in the first phase of the project in these States/UTs. In Andaman & Nicobar Islands, besides villages, the town of Port Blair has also been covered. The approved cost of the scheme is Rs. 216.31 crore. The data collection for the project was done by house to house enumeration by Government officials who were assisted by data entry operators. The collected data was verified by the Government officials after publishing in the local areas and inviting claims and objections. The data was also subjected to biometric de-duplication.

The production and personalization of the RIC cards have been undertaken through the CPSUs. They have setup state-of-the-art production and personalization facilities at secure premises for the coastal NPR project. The delivery of the RICs would be undertaken by India Post for secure delivery to the usual residents.

Sri Lanka win fourth ODI against South Africa

2012-01-20T21:49:00.001-08:00

Sri Lanka celebrated a rare success Friday on a tour to South Africa with a five-wicket victory in the fourth one-day international.

Big knocks from captain Tillakaratne Dilshan (87), man-of-the-match Thisara Perera (69) and Dinesh Chandimal (59) lifted the visitors to 304-5 after the home side reached 299-7 with skipper AB de Villiers (96) to the fore.

After keeping close to the six-run-an-over target at the De Beers Diamond Oval for much of the innings, the Sri Lankan batsman hit out against a South African attack sorely missing rested fast bowler Dale Steyn.

Unfortunately, the win came too late for the tourists to affect the five-game series with the Proteas taking a winning 3-0 lead three days ago thanks to a four-run win in a rain-hit Bloemfontein contest.

Bamboo Mission Coverage Exceeds Target

2012-01-20T01:00:00.000-08:00

Bamboo Mission Coverage Exceeds Target; 1.89 Lakh Hectare area Covered; Rs. 485 Crore Spent on Scheme so Far Target of plantation fixed under National Bamboo Mission has been achieved with the coverage of 1.89 lakh hectare area in different parts of the country. 1.76 lakh hectare area was targeted to be covered from 2006-07 to 2011-12 under the mission.

Out of 1.89 lakh hectare, 1.33 lakh hectare is in forest area and 56 thousand hectare in non-forest area. An area of 47 thousand hectare of existing bamboo plantation has been improved for higher productivity. In different States, 1194 nurseries have been established to supply quality-planting material.

Rs. 485.39 crore has been spent by the Centre on the Mission so far since its inception in 2006-07. Total allocation for the Mission for 2006-07 to 2011-12 is Rs. 568 crore.

The Mission was launched in 2006-07 in 27 States to harness the potential of bamboo crop. The key objective of the mission is to increase the productivity of bamboo from 3 tonne per hectare to 20 tonne. The major thrust areas include setting up nurseries for production and distribution of quality planting material, area expansion, rejuvenation of old and unproductive plantation, pest and disease management, bamboo markets and dissemination of latest knowledge thorough workshops, seminars and training programmes.

UAE to invest in India

2012-01-19T18:34:00.000-08:00

UAE and India have agreed to set up a joint working group to facilitate the flow of investments, commerce and industry ministry said in a statement after the meeting.Abu Dhabi Investment Authority the sovereign wealth fund of the United Arab Emirates, Monday expressed "keen interest" in increasing investment in India, especially in infrastructure sector.

"This is an opportunity to enter this huge market," said Sheikh Hamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, managing director of Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, who is on a visit here.

Sheikh Hamed discussed the investment opportunities with Commerce and Industry Minister Anand Sharma during a meeting at Udyog Bhawan here.

"We will be very happy to see your participation in Indias infrastructure building, Sharma said.

The two country have agreed to set up a joint working group to facilitate the flow of investments, commerce and industry ministry said in a statement after the meeting.

INDOLOGY IN HUNGARYJanuary 23, 2012

2012-01-19T00:30:00.000-08:00

Hungarian Information and Cultural Centre

cordially invites you to an

INDOLOGY IN HUNGARY

An open house discussion

(in Hindi and English)

with

Dr. MᲩa N駹esi

Head of Department of Indo-European

Studies, ELTE University, Budapest

on Monday, January 23, 2012 at 6:00 pm

at 1/A Janpath, New Delhi 110 011

(Near Hotel Claridges)

ABHAAS Feature film, January 19, 2012

2012-01-18T20:25:00.000-08:00

Hungarian Information and Cultural Centre

cordially invites you to the

special screening of

ABHAAS (PrOLOGUE)
Feature film, directedby Bijaya Jena (1996), colour, duration: 105 minutes

on Thursday, January 19, 2012 at 6:00 pm

at 1/ A Janpath (Near Hotel Claridges)

New Delhi 110011

Bangladesh Open 2012.Round 2

2012-01-18T20:12:00.000-08:00

Dhaka, Bangladesh, January 18, 2011: Md Zamal Hossain Mollah of
Bangladesh shot a sublime seven under 65 to grab a three-stroke lead
in round two of the American Express Bangladesh Open 2012. Zamal’s
total stands at eight under 136 at the halfway stage. Zamal’s
compatriot and round one leader Md Siddikur Rahman, slipped to joint
second after firing a 73 in round two. Siddikur shares second spot
along with R Murthy of Bangalore, Delhi’s Vikrant Chopra and Vijay
Kumar of Lucknow at five under 139.

The cut was declared at nine over 153. Fifty professionals and one
amateur made the cut.

Md Zamal Hossain Mollah (71-65) had a slow start to the day as he
bogeyed the 10th. Zamal, the 2009 Bangladesh Open champion, made a
quick recovery with birdies on the 12th and 13th. The 27-year-old
chipped-in from the edge on the 12th and landed his second shot within
three feet on the 13th. Mollah dropped his second bogey of the day on
the 15th but the birdie on the 17th meant he made the turn at one
under.

Zamal turned on the heat on his second nine as he went on a
birdie-hunting spree. The Dhaka-based professional fired in his
approach shot from 135 yards to within three feet to pick up a birdie
on the first. Zamal made three birdies in a row on the third, fourth
and fifth to move to five under for the day. The Bangladeshi’s
pitching wedge shot from 139 yards stopped one foot from the pin on
the fourth while his 12 feet eagle putt on the fifth missed the hole
by a whisker.

Zamal’s bunker shot on the seventh landed one foot from the hole and
led to yet another birdie for him. He continued the good work with the
wedges since he hit it within a couple of feet to set up a birdie on
the ninth.

Zamal said, “I excelled with the wedges today as I hit it extremely
close on a number of occasions. I also drove well and found the centre
of the fairway quite often. I missed a lot of putts in round one but
today I did not leave myself any long putts.

“I am thrilled to have made nine birdies today. I couldn’t have asked
for a better round. This sets me up for the next two days. Since this
is my home course and I relish the conditions here, I’ll look to
target a total score of 20 under this week.”

Md Siddikur Rahman (66-73), the overnight joint leader, slipped to
joint second place after he fired a one over 73 in round two on
Wednesday. Siddikur’s round featured three birdies and four bogeys.

R Murthy, Vikrant Chopra and Vijay Kumar share second place along with
Siddikur at five under 139. Murthy’s 66 in round two included seven
birdies and a bogey.

Feroz Ali Mollah of Kolkata, the overnight joint leader, is in tied
sixth along with Abhijit Singh Chadha of Chandigarh at four under 140.

Bhanu Pratap Singh of Delhi made a hole-in-one on the sixth hole on
day two. Bhanu’s nine-iron tee shot landed a few feet short of the
hole and rolled in after a couple of bounces. The Delhi golfer posted
a 75 on Wednesday to total nine over 153 for two days. He is currently
placed tied 46th.

India must be prepared for all eventualities over Iran: Reddy

2012-01-18T09:33:00.000-08:00

India has not faced any problems in paying for crude oil it buys from Iran, but needs to be prepared for all eventualities, Oil Minister S Jaipal Reddy said today.

"We continue to be optimistic. Iran continues to be positive. However we have to be prepared for all eventualities," Reddy told reporters in New Delhi.
An official said Turkey's Turkiye Halk Bankasi AS, the bank through which India routes payments in euros to Iran for about 370,000 barrels per day of crude oil supplies, has so far not declined to be an intermediary.
"All that they (Turkey) have said is that they would not like to open new accounts but will continue to service existing accounts (through which payments are routed to Iran)," the official said, adding that not a single payment has defaulted since India began using the Turkey conduct in July last year.
US President Barack Obama on December 31 signed into law measures that deny access to the US financial system to any foreign bank that conducts business with the central bank of Iran.
The European Union will discuss imposing harsher sanctions on Iran, including a ban on crude imports, in response to the country's nuclear programme when the bloc's foreign ministers meet at the end of January.
The official said India will continue to buy crude oil from Iran, but would like to replace a part of the supplies with other sources like Saudi Arabia.
Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals Ltd, the largest buyer of Iranian oil, at 142,000 bpd, and other refiners are yet to renew their term import contracts with Iran for the year beginning April.
Essar Oil is looking at replacing 10 per cent of the 110,000 bpd of oil it buys from Iran with other Gulf sources.
Yesterday, Foreign Secretary Ranjan Mathai had stated that New Delhi would not seek a waiver from US sanctions to protect its oil trade with Iran.
The US allows waivers for firms in countries that significantly reduce dealings with Iran or when it is either in the US national interest or necessary for energy market stability.
Japan, South Korea and Turkey have all said they could seek waivers.
An Indian delegation comprising officials from the RBI, Oil Ministry, Finance Ministry and refiners is currently in Tehran to discuss alternative modes and routes of payments.

ABHAAS Feature film, January 19, 2012

2012-01-18T00:00:00.000-08:00

ABHAAS Feature film, January 19, 2012

Hungarian Information and Cultural Centre

cordially invites you to the

Tibetan protesters fired at in China, one dead

2012-01-17T04:44:00.001-08:00

Tibetan protesters fired at in China, one dead
Beijing, January 17, 2012

Chinese security forces on Saturday fired into a crowd of Tibetans in Sichuan Province as they tried to take away the body of a Tibetan man who died after self-immolation. This was claimed by reports from two Tibet advocacy groups and Tibetan officials in the exile government in India.

It appeared that at least two people had been hit by gunfire, and one of those might have been killed, said Kate Saunders, spokesperson for International Campaign for Tibet, which is based in Washington.

"The International Campaign for Tibet is calling upon the international community to press the Chinese authorities to use restraint as a matter of urgency," it said in a statement.

Saunders said the group had spoken to at least two sources.

Another group, Free Tibet, said it had confirmed reports that a Tibetan woman was shot.

There were unconfirmed reports that many others were also hit, said Stephanie Brigden, director of the group, which is based in London.

But China remained silent about the incident on Sunday, with local officials declining to confirm it took place.

The violence took place in the town of Aba, known in Tibetan as Ngaba, a focal point for protests against Chinese rule and the scene of civilian deaths during a widespread Tibetan uprising in 2008. Since then, it has been the site of at least 11 self-immolations, some of them fatal.

Those setting themselves on fire have mainly been monks, nuns or former members of the clergy. The monks in Aba who set themselves on fire all come from the Kirti Monastery, where anger has grown over Chinese repression of religious practices.

The self-immolation on Saturday was the 16th since March 2011, when Phuntsog, a monk at Kirti, set himself on fire and died. The wave of self-immolations in the past year was preceded by that of one monk from Kirti in the spring of 2009.

In total, at least 12 Tibetans have died through self-immolation since 2009, if the death on Saturday is confirmed. Scholars of modern Tibet say the self-immolations represent a new and disturbing protest strategy among the clergy.

Witnesses reported that the police began beating the man after putting out his flames. "Tibetans became very angry and gathered in what seems to be an impromptu demonstration," Saunders said in an e-mail.

The Tibetan government-in-exile in India issued a statement saying 700 people had surrounded the police station after the police took away the body of the person who had set himself on fire. "China must take full responsibility for these cases of self-immolation. It is within its power to end these unfortunate incidents by adopting liberal policies for Tibet."

Army chief move to SC on age issue

2012-01-16T20:07:00.000-08:00

Army Chief Gen V K Singh took the unprecedented step of moving to the Supreme Court he has challenged government decision over his date of birth over he retires in May next,wrongly mentioned 1950 instead of 1951.

Making it an issue of his honour and integrity, Gen Singh filed a writ petition in the apex court on Monday after exhausting all statutory options within the Defence Ministry which had recently rejected his contention that he was born in 1951 and not 1950.

The petition challenges the 21^st July 2011 order of the Defence Ministry which fixed the date of birth as 10^th May 1950 and the 30^th December 2011 decision by which his statutory complaint was rejected.

He has sought a direction for declaring 10^th May 1951 as the correct date of birth.

The General's action is without parallel in the history of India's defence forces and is bound to raise concerns about the relationship between civilian authority and the Services.

There was speculation on whether the Army Chief would step down or proceed on leave as the Supreme Court deals with his petition, but there was no indication to this effect.

Gen Singh is believed to have stated in his voluminous petition that the issue was not about his tenure but that of his integrity as head of the 13-lakh strong army.

The legal challenge marks the culmination of a simmering row between the General and the Defence Ministry arising out of two different dates of birth in the Army's files.

On the basis of his matriculation certificate and other documents, Gen Singh's date of birth is 10^th May 1951 and was accepted by the Ministry for most of his service.

However, another document in the shape of his UPSC entrance form filled for NDA course shows the date as 10^th May 1950. This is said to have emerged in 2006 since when the matter has been pending.

The petition, filed by counsel Punit Bali, has contended that for 36 years, the army had accepted 1951 as his year of birth and he had got promotions on that basis. He questioned why the government wants to change the date of birth now.

The General is believed to have pointed out that the Supreme Court had ruled that the matriculation certificate was an authentic proof of date of birth in service matters.

Gen Singh has been contending that 10^th May 1951 should be treated as his actual date of birth as it was mentioned in his matriculation certificate but the Defence Ministry has rejected it as 10^th May 1950 is the date entered in his UPSC entrance form for National Defence Academy (NDA).

By the government decision, he will retire on 31^st May this year.

Interestingly, at a press conference on Friday last, the Army Chief had kept his options open on the issue without disclosing the strategy.

Asked if he was contemplating resignation, he had said, "Please leave it to my judgement what do I want to do. It is an issue that concerns me. Let me decide on some action after I get time to think about myself."

Queried if he was not ruling out resignation, he said "let me find time to think about myself."

Gen Singh, who took over as the Army Chief on 31^st March 2010, has been maintaining that the issue related to his integrity and honour.

He had said that he tackled the issue in "organisational interest". A para-commando and veteran of 1971 Indo-Pak war succeeded Gen Deepak Kapoor.

Antony, while rejecting Gen Singh's statutory representation, had sent a letter to him expressing full confidence in his leadership.

Home Minister P Chidambaram, a member of the Appointments Committee of Cabinet, last week told a press conference that the age issue of Gen Singh had been dealt with fairly and justly.

"We hold the Army Chief in great respect. He is a fine soldier. He has done remarkable service to the country. We are unhappy that the controversy should have erupted but I am hopeful that that controversy will be resolved," Chidambaram had said.

SC issues contempt notice to Gilani

2012-01-16T04:58:00.001-08:00

Pakistan's Supreme Court has issued a contempt notice to Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani for failing to reopen graft cases against President Asif Ali Zardari and asked him to appear before it on 19th January.

The order was issued by a seven-judge bench led by Justice Nasir-ul-Mulk that on Monday began hearing the case related to the apex court's orders for reopening high-profile graft cases against Zardari and over 8,000 others.

The bench directed Gilani to personally appear in court to explain why contempt proceedings should not be initiated against him for deliberately disregarding the court's orders.

The bench noted that the Supreme Court had issued directions to the government several times to implement its orders regarding the reopening of graft cases.

However, the government had deliberately not acted on these orders, it contended.

The court's order is expected to lead to a fresh confrontation between the government and the judiciary at a time when the ruling Pakistan People's Party is engaged in a bruising row with the military over the memo scandal.

A Supreme Court-appointed panel is also probing the memo issue and held a hearing today that remained inconclusive.

The Supreme Court issued the order against the premier after the government's top law officer informed it that he had received no instructions regarding the order to reopen the corruption cases.

The court rebuked Attorney General Anwar-ul-Haq for failing to present the government's response to its orders to write to Swiss authorities to reopen cases of alleged money laundering against President Zardari.

Persistence Resistance 2012

2012-01-15T00:00:00.000-08:00

2012 Edition of our annual Film Festival
Persistence Resistance.
The dates for the festival are 9-17 Feb, 2012. In its fifth year, Persistence Resistance 2012 will be held in multiple venues.
Feb 9-11: British Council, New Delhi
Feb 10: North campus, Delhi University (in collaboration with margHumanities)
Feb 12-15: India International Centre, New Delhi
Feb 17: Max Mueller Bhavan/Goethe Institut, New Delhi.
Persistence Resistance is premised on the belief that documentary practices in any place actively participate in the shaping of our times. While celebrating the documentary form and practice, Persistence Resistance also acknowledges the audience as a powerful and resistive force that constantly constructs myriad ways of using and recycling images in an attempt to break out of the censorious trappings of the cinema hall. Keeping up with continually evolving viewing trends, Persistence Resistance attempts to create diverse spaces of viewing films, from the auditorium to the video parlours and video libraries. It offers a space for interacting with filmmakers as well as installations, and all of these aim to take account of the viewers' sensory perceptions, as well as recognizing the viewer as having a self-identity.
Persistence Resistance is an attempt at bringing together the documentary, the documentary filmmaker and the audience to collectively create and redefine public cultures.
In its fifth year, Persistence Resistance 2012 will screen Indian and international films, celebrating the independent documentary artists' deep engagement with the myriad forms that the documentary affords. The festival will also premiere some recent works.
The screening schedule will be available on our website very soon.

Delhi CM Close Interaction with NCC Cadets

2012-01-14T23:56:00.001-08:00

Chief Minister of Delhi CM has Close Interaction with NCC Cadets The Chief Minister of Delhi Mrs Sheila Dikshit had an hour long visit to the National Cadet Corps Republic Day Camp here today. Addressing the cadets Smt. Dikshit said that NCC provides a perfect stage to the youth to groom their capabilities. She further said that every year remarkable progress in NCC activities are being noted. She also asked the DG NCC Lt. Gen PS Bhalla to expand the ambit of NCC so that more and more youth could be attracted and get benefited from it.

She also lauded the cadets for their amazing performance in diverse fields such as drill, presentations, articulation, crafts skills in aeromodelling / shipmodelling and cultural programmes etc. The CM expressed her gratitude for the great show put up for her by the budding leaders of tomorrow. Conveying lavish praises to the NCC, the premier youth organisation, she exhorted its members to continue the dynamic mission of nurturing the tender youth and grooming them to take on the mantle of the countries leadership.

The Chief Minister was given an impressive Guard of Honour by a mixed contingent of smartly turned out young cadets. A NCC Boys Band from Sainik School, Kapurthala performed a very fine Band Display by playing melodious martial tunes. Their enchanting tunes and lithe movements earned big applause from one and all. The NCC had laid out tableaus from all Directorates that depicted the quintessential politico-socio-cultural nuances of all states. Here, very young boy and girl cadets crisply briefed an all attentive CM about their respective Sandmodels and Collages.

The versatile NCC cadets had also pieced together a superlative cultural performance. The programme included two group dances and a ballet which brought to the fore the vast talent of the cadets. While the group dances from Delhi and Karnataka manifested the rich cultural heritage of our nation, the attraction of the day was the ballet based on the woes of the child labour. The powerful act refined to perfection moved the spectators into a somber mood.

Around 2,000 Cadets, both boys and girls drawn from 17 NCC Directorates covering all the States and Union Territories of the country, are participating in this RD Camp. The cadets will take part in a number of activities like Cultural, National Integration, Awareness and Institutional Training competitions during the nearly month long Republic Day Camp.

Law Ministry control over the Election Commission:Khurshid

2012-01-14T21:11:00.001-08:00

Law Ministry control over the Election Commission:KhurshidPM Manmohan Singh has assured the poll body that the govt is committed to upholding its functional autonomy guaranteed by the Constitution.Khurshid had ruffled feathers by saying in a TV interview that the Law Ministry has control over the Election Commission, prompting Chief Election Commissioner S Y Quraishi to write to the Prime Minister on 29th December, last year.Khurshid, while making the statement, was talking in the context of Team Anna's objection to CBI being retained under government control under the Lokpal Bill when he said "every institution is under some control". This is the second time in recent days that Khurshid has drawn the EC's ire. The Commission had on Tuesday served show cause notice on the minister for promising 9 per cent sub-quota for minorities in UP while campaigning for his wife Louise in Farrukhabad on Sunday. The minister has denied having violated the Model Code of Conduct, saying the promise was made by the Congress in its manifesto released in the run-up to the 2009 Lok Sabha polls. The EC is yet to take a decision on it.

India Tourism Road Shows in Saudi Arabia

2012-01-13T21:11:00.000-08:00

India Tourism Road Shows in Saudi Arabia The Ministry of Tourism with the objective to tap the high end tourists from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) organised Tourism Road Shows in the cities of Dammam, Riyadh and Jeddah. The shows were held from 7th to 11th of this month.A strong Indian delegation comprising officials from the Tourism Departments of Jammu & Kashmir and Maharashtra, members of the Indian Association of Tour Operators (IATO), Air India, Jet Airways, Taj Group of Hotels, Medical and Wellness facilities etc., from India were present to showcase the multitude of tourist attractions of India to the Saudi Arabian Traveler. The Indian delegation was led by Shri RH Khwaja, Union Tourism Secretary. The State delegation of Jammu & Kashmir was led by the Minister of Tourism & Culture Shri Nawang Rigzin Zora and the Minister of State for Tourism Shri Nasir Aslam Wani. The Ambassador of India, Shri Hamid Ali Rao, was also present during the event in Riyadh. The Road Show held in the city of Dammam on 7th January 2012 witnessed the presence of over 154 participants representing the members of the Travel Trade, Media and opinion makers of this sector. During the event held in Riyadh on the 9th January, as many as 172 members of the travel industry and media participated and got a glimpse of Indian tourism products and its rich cuisine. The final leg of the Road Show was held in Jeddah on the 11th January 2012. According to travel statistics, 4.5 million Saudis representing nearly a quarter of the population, travelled abroad and spent about US $33 billion last year. India is fast emerging as a preferred destination for the Saudi tourists. Foreign tourist arrivals into India have witnessed a steady increase over the years, touching 6.29 million in 2011, an increase of 8.9% over 2009. During the year 2010 there has been an increase of nearly 38% in the inbound tourism from KSA to India with around twenty two thousand tourists. The Visa issuance figures of the Indian Mission indicate a similar high growth in the year 2011. One of the highlights of the Road Show was the focus on the ‘Medical & Wellness’ Tourism potential of India. India’s vast potential as a Health and Wellness tourism destination, backed by its medical facilities and world-class doctors, para-medical staff and hospitals, ancient healing systems such as ‘Ayurveda’ and other rejuvenating programs were show-cased. The cost of medical services in India is almost 30% lower to that in Western countries and the most cost effective in the region. Indian hospitals excel in cardiology and cardiothoracic surgery, joint replacements, transplants, cosmetic treatments, dental care, orthopedic surgery and much more. All medical treatments and investigations are done using the latest, technologically advanced diagnostic equipment. Moreover, India is just about four hours away making it easier for patients to visit even for follow-up – offering unmatched proximity and value-for-money. The Road Show also highlighted destinations which are becoming popular for holiday and the business traveler like the Luxury Trains viz. Palace on Wheels, Royal Rajasthan on Wheels, The Deccan Odyssey and the Golden Chariot etc. in addition to the Palace Hotels, Luxury Spas etc. The other niche tourism products being publicized were adventure, eco and wildlife tourism. The presentations were followed by interactive sessions with the members of the Indian Tourism Industry which provided an opportunity of building awareness about the Incredible India tourism product. This will contribute significantly in sustaining the growth of high spending tourists from KSA

Australia won the toss at Perth

2012-01-12T20:38:00.000-08:00

Australia won the toss and put India in to bat on the opening day of the third Test at the WACA, in Perth on Friday.Australia right on top first two hours of first day helped their bowler to clinch four wickets at India score of 63.Harri get wicket of Sachin, and followed by Gautam Gambhir out for 31,Laxman comes to the crease and Virat Kohli the next batsman in the field to prove his mettle.
At Lunch the two batman were 4 and 10 respectively. Hilfenhaus on his second ball of his second over, Virender Sehwag edges it, Ponting make no mistake and India loses its first wicket and it is 4 for 1.Rahul at score of 9 clean bowled by Peter Siddle.

India build with an all-pace attack with medium-pacer Ranganath Vinay Kumar coming in place of Ravichandran Ashwin.Australia predictably chosen four quicks on a green pitch with both Ryan Harris and Mitchell Starc in, supporting the established bowling pair of Peter Siddle and Ben Hilfenhaus.

Teams:

Australia: David Warner, Ed Cowan, Shaun Marsh, Ricky Ponting, Michael Clarke, Michael Hussey, Brad Haddin, Peter Siddle, Ben Hilfenhaus, Ryan Harris and Mitchel Starc.

India: Gautam Gambhir, Virender Sehwag, Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, VVS Laxman, Virat Kohli, Zaheer Khan, Ishant Sharma, Umesh Yadav and Vinay Kumar.

Umpires: Aleem Dar (Pakistan) and Kumara Dharmasena (Sri Lanka).

Third umpire: Paul Reiffel (Australia).

Match referee: Ranjan Madugalle.

600 file nominations for 70 seats in Utt’khand

2012-01-12T08:53:00.001-08:00

600 file nominations for 70 seats in Utt’khand

600 candidates have so far filed their nominations for 70 assembly seats in Uttarakhand where polling is scheduled to be held on 30th January.

The exact number of candidates who have filed nominations till expiry of deadline on Thursday evening, would be known later, Uttarakhand Chief Election Officer Radha Raturi said.

State minister Matbar Singh Kandari (BJP), former minister Nav Prabhat (Cong), and Manish Tiwari (Cong), nephew of veteran Congress leader and former Uttarakhand Chief Minister N D Tiwari were among those who filed their nomination papers on the last day on Thursday.

The scrutiny of nomination papers would be held on Friday while the last date of withdrawal of names is 16^th Jan.Both ruling BJP and main opposition Congress have fielded their candidates on all the 70 seats in the hill state where nearly 64 lakh voters are expected to exercise their franchise.

Posted 46 minutes ago by Nareshkumarsagar

Malaysian oppo leader Anwar acquitted in sodomy trial

2012-01-11T10:16:00.000-08:00

Malaysian oppo leader Anwar acquitted in sodomy trial

Malaysian High Court on Monday has acquitted opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim of sodomy charges by his former aide after a two-year trial, a verdict likely to strengthen his alliance ahead of the general elections.

High Court Judge Justice Mohamad Zabidin Mohd Diah on Monday took just three minutes to deliver his most awaited judgment to a packed court house and found him not guilty of sodomising his former aide 26-year-old Mohd Saiful Bukhari.

The Judge said there were no collaborating evidence to support Saiful's testimony, citing unreliable DNA evidence.

"The court cannot be 100 per cent certain that DNA was not contaminated," the judge said. "And because it was a sexual offence, the court is reluctant to convict on uncorroborated evidence," he said. However, there is no written judgment.

A crowd of 64-year-old Anwar's supporters shouted "Allahu Akbar," or "God is great" after the judge finished reading the verdict.

Anwar immediately hugged his children who were crying over the verdict. He also shook hands with the prosecutors.

"Thank God justice has prevailed," a jubilant Anwar said. "I have been vindicated. To be honest, I am a little surprised... My focus now will be at the coming elections."

The verdict comes ahead of elections due in 2013 but widely expected to be called later this year.

The allegations against Anwar surfaced just months after elections in 2008, in which he led the opposition to unprecedented gains at the expense of the ruling coalition.

The trial has riveted Malaysia and sparked charges of a government set-up to cripple the Anwar-led opposition. It is the second sodomy verdict in a dozen years for Anwar.

However, Information Minister Rais Yatim said in a statement that the acquittal "proves that the government does not hold sway over judges' decisions."

"Malaysia has an independent judiciary," Rais said.

"The current wave of bold democratic reforms introduced by Prime Minister Najib Razak will help extend this transparency to all areas of Malaysian life."

Hundreds of police and security personnel were deployed on the streets and outside the court ahead of the verdict. Hours before the verdict, thousands of Anwar's supporters assembled near the Jalan Duta court, awaiting the verdict.

They carried banners saying "free Anwar" and shouted slogans denouncing the trial, with some chanting "reformasi" (reform), the battle cry of Anwar supporters after his spectacular ousting as deputy prime minister in the late 1990s.

Anwar, who served as Deputy Prime Minister from 1993 to 1998, was sentenced to six years in prison for corruption in 1999 and to another nine years for sodomy in 2000.

In 2004, the Federal Court reversed the second conviction and he was released. Sodomy is illegal in this Muslim country though few are ever prosecuted.

Mohd Saiful, who accused Anwar of sodomy, tweeted that he remains calm over the verdict that dismissed his charge.

Meanwhile, Kuala Lumpur police chief said officials were investigating an explosion at a car park about 400 metre from court complex. The bomb squad and forensics team were at the scene.

2012-01-11T07:56:00.000-08:00

Industrialization of Animal Agriculture Jeopardizes Food Security, says Humane Society International

NEW DELHI (January 11, 2012) —Humane Society International has released a report critical of the idea that inhumane confinement of animals in industrial production facilities somehow enhances food security. In reality, the HSI report demonstrated, the industrialization of animal agriculture does just the opposite, jeopardizing food security by degrading the environment, threatening human health, and diminishing income-earning opportunities in rural areas.

“There is strong scientific evidence of the negative impacts of these animal factories on people and animals,” said Chetana Mirle, Ph.D., director of farm animal protection for HSI. “We must do a better job of supporting small-farmer led and animal welfare-friendly agriculture, as well as implementing stronger environmental and farm animal welfare regulations.”

In India, 140 to 200 million egg-laying hens are confined to barren, wire battery cages so restrictive they cannot even spread their wings. Each bird has less living space than an A4 sheet of paper. With no opportunity to experience most natural behaviors, such as nesting, dust bathing, perching and foraging, these birds endure lives wrought with suffering. Factory farms that confine more than 50,000 birds within a single shed are increasingly common in the country.

In 2008, more than 720 million chickens were slaughtered in India for their meat. These broiler chickens also experience crowded confinement and other adverse conditions.

The HSI report, The Impact of Industrial Farm Animal Production on Food Security in the Developing World, reviews the growing body of evidence showing that industrial farm animal production fails to improve food security. Some highlights of the document are:

· Increasingly inhumane conditions for animals on farms do not benefit people. For example, the growing confinement of India’s egg laying hens in cramped battery cages has failed to significantly improve the nutritional outcomes for low-income communities.

· More humane farming practices can benefit human communities as well as animals. The report urges the government to implement progressive environmental, public health, and animal welfare regulations to minimize the negative impacts of industrial farm animal production on animals, the environment, and vulnerable human populations.

Media Contact: N.G.Jayasimha: (0)9490732614, ngjayasimha@hsi.org

2012-01-10T07:53:00.000-08:00

ScientificTemper Statement Revisited-2011

ThePalampur Declaration

Recapitulation of the1980s Spirit

The concept of Scientific Temperwas articulated first by Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru in 1946 in his book Discoveryof India, referring to it as "a way of life, a process of thinking, amethod of acting and associating with our fellowmen". The tradition ofskepticism and humanism is not new to Indian intellectual tradition. Suchnotions go back to antiquity – Jain, Sankya, and Buddhist traditions have repeatedlyemphasized the spirit of enquiry. During the Indian renaissance many leaderspopularised the notion of scientific enquiry and gradually it became part ofIndian ethos.

Nehru was instrumentalin laying the foundations for building the infrastructure for science andtechnology in India – the Universities, the IITs, the CSIR labs, etc. Thesebecame the 'hardware' of science and technology in India, while ScientificTemper among the people of India was to be the ‘software’. In 1976, Indiabecame the first country to include in its Constitution 'Scientific Temper withhumanism' as a fundamental duty of all citizens of the country [Article 51-A(h)].

Four years later, in October1980, a group of academicians and intellectuals deliberated for four days atCoonoor, near Ooty, on the state of Scientific Temper in the country. Out ofthose deliberations was born ‘A Statement on Scientific Temper’, which wasreleased on 19 July 1981. This document articulated the need to inculcate thevalues of Scientific Temper in the Indian Society to rid the country of itssocio-economic ills at that time. The Statement was expected to usher in amovement––a second Indian Renaissance––in India to 'provide the necessaryfillip for restructuring our country embodying the aspirations of our people'.Broadly, the statement extolled the virtues of the scientific method as anantidote to the traditional religious and/or superstitious dogmas that prevailin our country. In recent times, the hold of such antiquarian beliefs hasbecome greatly widespread in the country through television channels, andlately, through the Internet.

The preamble to the Statementnoted the continuous accumulation of knowledge by which allowed mankindexercise control over the environment. However, the spread and adoption ofmankind’s knowledge has been uneven due to prevalent schisms across the worldand control over such knowledge by the elites. In such a bleak situation,fatalism prevails, reinforcing obscurantism, irrationalism and a retreat fromreason. To advance in the scientific age, we must understand the meanings andimperatives of scientific temper – which in essence is ‘humanity’s assertion ofbeing in charge of its destiny and not a passive victim of malevolence ofstars’. Scientific Temper thus becomes an imperative for a brighter future forour country.

The Statement goes on to includein its definition of Scientific Temper as the method of science thatencompasses all human knowledge cutting across the natural sciences and thesocial sciences. ‘The spirit of inquiry and the acceptance of the right toquestion and be questioned are fundamental in scientific temper.’ It considersknowledge as open ended and ever evolving. Scientific Temper is incompatiblewith theological and metaphysical beliefs. While science is universal,religions and their dogmas are divisive. Scientific Temper cannot flourish in agrossly inegalitarian society where 50 per cent of the population lives belowthe poverty line and almost 70 per cent of our people, especially women, arefunctionally illiterate. Social justice, widespread education and unrestrictedcommunication are pre-requisites for the spread of Scientific Temper and,therefore, optimizing the results of science and technology.

The Statement called for a majorrole of Scientific Temper in reviving confidence and hope and dispelling afatalistic outlook. The campaign to promote Scientific Temper must inculcatevalues like equality and dignity of labour and social accountability of one'sactions. The Statement also cautioned against using scientific andtechnological solutions as ‘magic bullets’ for every problem in the country.‘The nature of social stratification and the power structure in a societyprevents the acceptance of such solutions. Technologically, one may be able togrow enough food for everyone, but the pattern of income distribution preventsthe benefits of increased food production reaching large segments of thepopulation. When the social structure and stratification prevent theapplication of rational and scientifically proven solutions, the role ofScientific Temper is to lay bare the anatomy of such social barriers.’

The debates and discussions onScientific Temper that the Statement initially, have not continued in Indiatowards ushering a second renaissance, at least to the extent that thesignatories wished. Scientific Temper remained largely confined to rhetoricalstatements. Sadly even social scientists did not make an effort to refine thisconcept or operationalise the concept for measuring/gauging Scientific Temper.It behoves us to retrieve this concept before it is lost in the cacophonytriggered by the changing scientific, technological and economic order. Thus,there is a need to revisit the 1981 Statement.

The intellectual space leftuntapped by academicians and the state structures has been to an extentoccupied by various voluntary organisations (also called NGOs and Civil Societyorganisations). Since the 1980s, there has been a substantial growth in thenumber of these organisations. What impact these various efforts have had onthe inculcation of Scientific Temper in the population is yet to be studied,but what is clear is that these efforts, though commendable, have not been ableto change the direction of the tide of irrationality.

Ever since the 1981 Statement wasreleased, two opposite, and yet synchronous, changes have been observed in thecountry. It should be noted with some satisfaction that the combined effect ofefforts made to propagate scientific ideas in the country, to which people’sscience movements and scientific institutions have contributed in a largemeasure, have definitely made a difference, however small it may be. Suchefforts had modest impact as in the case of bringing out large numbers ofpeople to watch the 'total solar eclipse' during 1995 or critically appraisingpublic policies as in the case of the Silent Valley Project.

But, at the same time, during thepast 30 years there has been a marked increase in public display of religiousand sectarian identities, ascendance of irrational cults, glorification ofobscurantist practices, religiosity and wielding of religious symbols. This hasprovided the ideological basis for, at times, brutal unscientific actions inboth public and personal domains. Discrimination based on caste, gender andethnic identities, perpetuated on the basis of irrational beliefs andsuperstitions are still widely prevalent, and are a blot on our society.Privatisation of electronic media has also had the undesirable effect ofproviding increased space for forces responsible for the spread ofirrationality and undermining scientific temper.

ChangingWorld Order

During the last two decades manyparts of the world also witnessed new and large scale social movements againstthe new world order––often described as neo-liberal regimes advocating marketfundamentalism and withdrawal of the state from economic and social sectors.These movements were ostensibly mobilised on the basis of rational objectiveknowledge on issues facing different sections of the populations.

The most significant developmentin the world during the past two decades has been the accelerated globalisationof trade and services aided by the extensive penetration of Information andCommunication Technologies (ICTs). The ushering in of the Internet and the WorldWide Web paved the way for consolidation of economic hegemony of transnationalcompanies (and TNCs) all over the world and its natural resources.

On the other hand, neo-liberalregimes also laid the ground for organised international resistance againstsuch hegemonies. Creation of large cyber spaces has revolutionised the storing,searching and retrieval of electronic documents, including scientificpublications. The barriers that confined scientific knowledge among a few havebeen broken, empowering researchers in developing countries by makingscientific corpora available to them with considerably reduced lag period.Today, a possibility exists for non-experts to access scientific knowledge onvaried subjects with a click of a button. This process is causing erosion ofthe ‘almost religious authority’ that science experts exercised hitherto. Thedemocratic, open, transparent and egalitarian nature of science is reassertingitself on a much bigger scale today.

It is needless to overemphasisethat this cyber space is also available to those who spread occult andunscientific ideas. In fact, using this space they are meticulously trying toenlarge their constituency. In India, efforts to counter these forces by makinguse of the same cyber space has, unfortunately, been found wanting.

Developments in biotechnologyhave also had a profound impact on all spheres of human existence. It hasstarted bringing new research insights into almost all conventional disciplinesof natural and social sciences. It has also generated heated public debates allover the globe and has given birth to resistance movements.

The above developments are likelyto have a profound impact not only on social relations but may also intenselyinfluence man-nature relationships..

CurrentState of Science and Technology (S&T)

In the last two decades there hasbeen an unprecedented increase in the World’s stocks and flows of humanresources and research output, in terms of academic publications and patents.The world has witnessed a shift from industrial economy to ‘knowledge economy’.In this changed world order, India is struggling to increase its scientific andeconomic share. However, with its still high rate of illiteracy and lack ofuniversal education the relevant questions such as ‘what constituteseducation?’, ‘what does knowledge society mean in the Indian context?’ and‘whose knowledge counts in this knowledge society?’ assume importance.

Thecharacter and nature of scientific praxis has also changed during the last 20years or so. For a long time production of scientific knowledge and itsapplication and relevance were not separated and science was expected to servethe state in respect to the security and welfare of its citizens. Thus, S&Tserved well in the growth of industrial economies of both the capitalist and thesocialist countries. Unfortunately, the neo-liberal regimes of many countries(including India) have changed this social contract of science in favour ofmarkets and corporate entities.

Theprivatization of research and academic institutions through IPRs has resultedin blurring the boundaries of basic and applied research and their relation totechnology, such as in biology. In the academic and policy circles science is beingreplaced by ‘innovation’––whichis a mix of science, technology,management, marketing, organisations, and a host of other things. It isinnovation studies or innovation policies and competition among firms andnations now dominate the intellectual and policy space. It is innovation thatis used as a benchmark of economic growth and development. For ordinarycitizens technology and gadgets are today the most tangible manifestations of‘science’.

Thefast pace of technological intrusion, without essential back-up support ofscientific knowledge base, introduces cultural and social distortions withintraditional cognitive structures. Lack of effort at providing the necessarycomplementary scientific knowledge base for the population at large isconsolidating these distortions resulting in the corrosion of democraticstructures. Moreover, technology-driven modernisation creates a cognitive gapdue to loss of traditional knowledge, which is being filled in by religiosityin new forms.

Relevance of Scientific Temper in today’sWorld

Inview of the concerns expressed above, we feel that scientific temper should bestrengthened and diffused widely in our society. In some sense, ScientificTemper can be equated to application of the scientific method based on logicand evidence. Scientific Temper in this sense is also privileged and seen asantithetical to 'revealed knowledge', evidence for which does not go beyondreligious scriptures or superstitious beliefs. Science, on the other hand,holds that life, mind and universe can be understood without invoking thesupernatural and revealed knowledge. Scientific knowledge is thus universal and isreliable in contradistinction to the so-called revealed knowledge and thediverse metaphysical interpretations of life and the universe, which form thebasis of the various religions and associated superstitious beliefs.

ScientificTemper is essentially a world-view, an outlook, enabling ordinary citizens tochoose efficient and reliable knowledge while making decisions in their individualand social domains. It is not the content or extent of knowledge base of one orother domain of scientific corpus that a citizen acquires, but rather the pursuitof rational enquiry, which is the hallmark of Scientific Temper.

Socialphenomena do not easily lend to experimentation or verification. Thus, ifScientific Temper were to be diffused to ‘solve mundane problems’ of ordinarycitizens, the methods of science would have to be enlarged and re-defined ininter-disciplinary perspectives. “The understanding of the social phenomena andhuman behavior, knowledge about the social process and its determinants, areessential for designing policies to promote social change and to produce adynamic society capable of absorbing and utilizing the scientific andtechnological developments for the welfare of human beings” (VKRV Rao)

Scienceand technology have contributed at a macro level to the socioeconomicdevelopment of India and the world at large. India could ward off famines andimport of food grains in the 1960s largely through Green Revolution, which alsohad the unfortunate effect of causing income disparities and environmentaldegradation. The solution to these problems will come from new scientific andtechnological initiatives and people-oriented policies.

Theaverage life span of Indians increased due to availability of antibioticsagainst some common diseases. Similarly, communication facilities have expandedwith the advent of the TV, mobile phones and the penetration of computers andInternet. Yet disparities in the availability and access to education continueto grow, and fruits of science and technology do not reach across the regions,religious sects, gender, and castes. It may be worth gauging how far theseeconomic and scientific achievements - and Scientific Temper - in India havepercolated down to the common man. As scientific progress outstrips scientificunderstanding, citizens that are increasingly reliant on science and technologyand yet largely ignorant of their workings, would be at a great disadvantage.Correspondingly, their participation in the democratic process would beincreasingly marginalised. The growth of Scientific Temper is a measure of theextent to which the society applies the methods of science to solve itsproblems.

Advocatesof Scientific Temper have often identified superstitions and religious beliefsas the main target of opposition. In this sense, Scientific Temper is an‘ideology’ pitted against these religio-centric ideologies. Unfortunately, inIndia this process––termedas ‘transmitter model’ in literature––could notsucceed in effecting changes in the people’s attitudes or values. In fact, overthe years, there has been an increase in the public display of religiousactivities by public figures in all walks of life.

Thissituation is made worse when even scientists actively participate in suchreligio-centric rituals in the public domain. Many scientists publicly professtheir faith in ‘gurus’ and ‘babas’ in India. With the spread of the electronicmedia––theTV and the Internet––thesepublic (and private) activities are in constant public gaze and much of thiscontent can also be stored and recalled. Such displays by scientists weakentheir position as role models for the practice of scientific temper.

Publicdisplay of religious symbols, figures, images and artefacts in governmentoffices, religious ceremonies in institutes and educational institutions andreligious invocations during inaugurations of scientific conferences, mar thesecular character of these institutions in particular and the Indian State ingeneral. A number of these acts are legitimised in the garb of ‘culture’. Inorder to secure its constitutional obligation, the state must forbid suchdisplays within government owned spaces.

Therecent spurt in providing legitimacy to the ‘occult’ by dubbing it asscientific is a disturbing phenomenon. Some may argue that it is in a wayacceptance of supremacy of science over other forms of knowledge generation,but such acts not only discredit ‘science’ they also use science as a saleablecommodity. It is necessary to create regulatory mechanisms against thedissemination of such unscientific and irrational messages and devise ways thatenable corrective measures to be taken.

Moderneducation is the strongest determinant of scientific information, knowledge andattitude. It is true that over the years scientific information base in thecountry has enlarged, but it will be far from reality to assume that thisinformation is getting transformed into knowledge and thereby bringing a changein attitude. Unfortunately, our education system is still not sufficientlyevolved to inculcate Scientific Temper in young minds.

Thegrowth of mass media as a means of transmitting science related informationstarted with the print media––academicjournals to communicate the results of scientific research, newspapers andmagazines to communicate science to citizens. Later radio broadcasts have addedto these channels of communications. The biggest impact of mass media, however, came with television. It should be notedwith utmost concern that TV has emerged as the most potent agency spreadinganti-scientific temper in India. Freedom of expression is being used as freedomof propagating irrational, outmoded and antiquated ideas. Thus, ironically thelatest technology is being used to propagate anti-science beliefs. Today, thereare a large number of religious channels but there is not a single Indianscience channel.

Fundamentalistforces selectively embrace technology and make use of these technologies topropagate outmoded ideas. It is propagation of modern scientific knowledge thathits at the core of irrationality and is therefore not acceptable to them.

A Strategy for Spread of ScientificTemper in India

ScientificTemper breeds within the confines of scientific information base, therefore, itis imperative to make relevant scientifically generated latest informationavailable to the common citizen. However, it will be erroneous to equateScientific Temper with scientific information.

Ithas been repeatedly observed through survey studies that the thought structureof a common citizen is constituted by scientific as well as extra-scientificspaces. These two mutually exclusive spaces co-exist peacefully. Act ofinvocation of one or the other is a function of social, political or culturalcalling. Those who consider spreading Scientific Temper as their fundamentalduty must aim at enlarging the scientific spaces.

We call upon the people of India to be the vanguard of the scientifictemper.

Useof religious symbols and ceremonies with religious overtones performed in thegarb of cultural activities must be stopped in government offices andinstitutions run with public funds.

Anational monitoring system with powers to issue guidelines must be set up tocontinually monitor for unscientific content in the media channels and theeducation system, particularly up to school level.

Scientistsand scientific institutions should not only function in a more transparentmanner but also reach out to the public at large with an objective to instilconfidence in science, scientists and scientific institutions.

Atelevision channel dedicated to the spread of scientific temper should beoperated with funding from the government.

Sciencecommunication activities mandated in the government agencies should focus moreon rationality, inquiry and method apart from content.

India is astratified country and cultural and religious minorities have special needs. Fundamentalist,unscientific and antiquated ideas are not prevalent only among the religiousmajority, these are also as rampant among the minority and marginalisedsections of people. On the one hand, similar unscientific beliefs govern thelives of the minority, on the other hand, they are further marginalised becauseof lack of scientific temper among the majority community. It is necessary toidentify their special needs and devise intervention policies.

Every one is born with the ScientificTemper. The child wants to touch, feel, experiment and explore everything onits own—the basic ingredients of Scientific Temper. However, somewhere down theline, owing to societal or traditional influences or due to the type ofeducation being imparted in our schools, the child loses the tendency to askquestions and explore natural phenomena, leading to accept notions forced uponit without putting them through the scientific rigour. Therefore, ScientificTemper needs to be incorporated into the school curriculum at all stages sothat the spirit of scientific inquiry can be inculcated from

Posted just now by Nksagar

Raonic wins Chennai Open

2012-01-09T09:42:00.001-08:00

Fourth seeded Canadian Milos Raonic played the match of his career to snatch the singles title from the jaws of defeat in the $ 450,000 Chennai Open tennis cham’ship by beating top seeded Serbian Janko Tipsarevic in the final on Sunday.

The match also tuned out to be the longest final in the history of the Chennai Open.

Milos Raonic hit 35 aces against Tipsarevic’s eight, collected 250 ATP points and a cash prize of $71,900 besides the glittering trophy, while the runner-up received $37,860 and 150 points after the 193-minute duel.

Saina loses in Qtr final of Korea Open

2012-01-07T01:29:00.001-08:00

Saina Nehwal suffered a straight-game defeat at the hands of sixth seed Yanjiao Jiang of China in the quarterfinals to crash out of the Korea Super Series in Seoul on Friday.

The fourth seed Indian lost 17-21 10-21 to the world number six Jiang in a 36-minute battle in the women's singles competition.

The 21-year-old started of well in the opening game and was leading 5-1 but couldn't sustain the pressure as the Chinese drew parity at 8-8 and then kept widening the gap, moving to 14-10.

Saina tried to come back, gaining a few points but Jiang managed to keep her nose ahead and pocketed the first game.

In the second game, Saina put up a fight but it lasted till 7-6 as the Chinese reeled off six points on the trot to surge ahead and held her fort to enter the semifinals.

The world number four Indian will next play in the Malaysia Open starting on 10^th January.

Gael Monfils stunned Rafael Nadal

2012-01-07T01:28:00.000-08:00

Gael Monfils stunned Rafael Nadal 6-3 6-4 in the semifinals of the ATP's Qatar Open on Friday to line up an unexpected all-French final against Jo-Wilfried Tsonga after Roger Federer pulled out of the tournament with back spasms.

Monfils, who had only beaten Nadal once before in nine meetings, started well with a strong first serve and an ability to chase down nearly every shot.

Monfils broke Nadal to go up 4-2 in the first set.

Nadal recovered to lead 4-1 in the second set but Monfils stepped up his game.

He won 16 of 21 points - including several jump volleys - to go 5-4 up before closing out the match when Nadal hit a return wide."I just played my game," said Monfils, who swept aside Viktor Troicki of Serbia to reach the semis.

The match was overshadowed by Federer withdrawing only 30 minutes before he was to play Tsonga.

The 16-time Grand Slam winner said his back had not improved since beating Andreas Seppi in three sets on Thursday.

Federer, who was looking for his fourth title in Doha, apologised to organisers but said he didn't want to risk further injury ahead of the Australian Open, which starts 16^th January.

It is only the second time the 30-year-old Swiss has pulled out of a tournament due to injury in his illustrious career. He withdrew from the quarterfinals at the 2008 Paris Masters, also because of a back injury.

DGCA asks Kingfisher airline to file report on safety of passengers

2012-01-06T09:04:00.000-08:00

Director General of Civil Aviation, DGCA has asked the Kingfisher airlines to file a report by Monday on the alleged concern's over the safety of its passengers. The DGCA on Thursday met the representatives of Kingfisher airlines to discuss issues relating to passenger safety in the airline. It also met representatives of the Air India Express over the same issue.

Talking to reporters, DGCA Bharat Bhusan said that ensuring and improving the safety standards of all airlines is the prime concern. Mr Bhusan added that all the airlines are going through a troubled financial phase but passengers safety can not be compromised with.

AIR Correspondent reports that the DGCA had sought explanations from carriers on safety concerns highlighted by the regulator’s internal report which said that the private owned Kingfisher Airlines is unsafe and should be wound up.

Five new members in reconstituted Ethics Comm and ICAS

2012-01-05T20:00:00.001-08:00

Five new members in reconstituted Ethics Comm and ICAS

Five new members have been inducted in the Ethics Commission and Court of Arbitration which was reconstituted by the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) in New Delhi on Wednesday.

Supreme Court Judge (Retd) Arun Kumar and High Court Judge (Retd) SK Mahajan will be the two new members of the Ethics committee, while the three new members of Court of Arbitration are Supreme court Judge (Retd) HS Bedi, High Court Judges (Retd) SK Agrawal and Manju Goel.

Other members of the Ethics Committee and the Arbitration Commission, which was disbanded at the IOA AGM on 15^th December, have been retained.

Ethics Committee will now have five members and Court of Arbitration will consist of eleven members.

IOA Acting President Prof Vijay Kumar Malhotra said that reconstitution of these bodies has been done as per the decision taken at the Annual General Body (AGM).

Prof Malhotra said a misleading campaign was launched that IOA was against the ethics committee and the Indian Court of Arbitration for Sports (ICAS).

He said the reconstitution of these committees prove that "We have nothing to hide and we are true to our promise and pledge to have transparent IOA".

"The reconstitution of these committees with a full approval of the General House of the IOA is a befitting reply to those who want to encroach the autonomy of the sports federation," he said.

"IOA fully adheres to the Olympic Charter and follows the guidelines of the International Olympic Committee(IOC) and at no stage we ignored IOC's views or suggestions regarding Ethics committee as has been made out to be by certain vested interests who want to destablise the IOA," Malhotra said.

Malhotra said that the rules and regulations of Ethics Committee and ICAS will be framed shortly.

All the disputes relating to the sports federation affiliated to the IOA will be decided by the ICAS henceforth.

Following is the full constituted Ethics Committee:

Justice (Retd) Umesh Banerjee, Justice (Retd) Arun Kumar, Justice (Retd) RL Khurana, Justice (Retd) MSA Siddiqui, Justice (Retd) SK Mahajan.

Indian Court of Arbitration for Sports (ICAS):

AR Lakshmanan, Justice (Retd) HS Bedi, Justice (Retd) MR Culla, Justice (Retd) RS Sodhi, Justice (Retd) BA Khan, Justice (Retd) Usha Mehra, Justice (Retd) JK Mehra, Justice (Retd) Lokeshwar Prasad, Justice (Retd) SN Sapra, Justice (Retd) SK Agarwal, Justice (Retd) Manju Goel.

EU agrees to ban import of Iranian oil

2012-01-05T00:00:00.000-08:00

European Union member states have agreed in principle to ban imports of Iranian crude oil to put pressure on Iran over its nuclear programme.

The move is expected to be announced formally at an EU Foreign Ministers' meeting at the end of January.

The United States, which recently imposed fresh sanctions on Iran, has welcomed the news.

Iran has dismissed the threat of new sanctions and denied Western claims that it is trying to develop a nuclear weapons programme.

Iran has also denied that a record low of its currency this week was linked to punitive U.S. measures against its banks.

French foreign minister Alain Juppe said that an EU Foreign Ministers' meeting will be held on January 30th and on this occasion they will be able to take the decision on the embargo of oil and petrol from Iran.

The Security Council has already passed four rounds of sanctions against Iran for refusing to halt uranium enrichment.

Meeting with Saudi Arab Business Delegation

2012-01-04T00:30:00.000-08:00

Meeting with Saudi Arab Business Delegation

Jan 4, 2012 - Federation House, New Delhi

We are delighted to inform you that a high-level35 member business delegation from Saudi Arab isvisiting India in January, 2012. On this occasion FICCI is organizing business tobusiness meetings with the visiting delegation as per the following schedule:

Date: January 4, 2012

Time: 10:30 a.m.

Venue: FICCI, FederationHouse, New Delhi

Scandal-hit German president faces resignation calls

2012-01-03T07:48:00.001-08:00

German President Christian Wulff, an ally of Chancellor Angela Merkel, faced resignation calls on Tuesday over a home loan scandal and allegations he tried to hush up the story.

President Christian Wulff received a $650,000 private loan from the wife of a wealthy businessman and friend, apparently at below market rates, in 2008,when he was governor of Lower Saxony state.

Wulff, 52, has been hit by accusations that he intervened to try to stop revelations by the mass circulation newspaper Bild last month over a personal loan he received from the wife of a tycoon friend.He left a furious message on the voicemail of Bild's powerful editor Kai Diekmann threatening legal action and also reportedly contacted the chief executive of Bild's publishing house Axel Springer and its main shareholder.Amid rising anger in the country at a perceived attack on the freedom of the press, the Financial Times Deutschland said he should step down from his office."On its own, it could perhaps be dismissed as a trifling matter, but there have been so many such trifles for Christian Wulff recently that it is becoming a worrying and slowly unbearable whole," the paper wrote."Everything taken together, it's slowly becoming too much ... his credibility has been hit by this plethora of mistakes. A man who is dragging around such a burden can no longer remain president," the FTD said.The influential Sueddeutsche Zeitung chimed in, saying in an editorial, "This abuse of press freedom demonstrates that the job of president is too big for Wulff."Merkel has thus far defended Wulff, but the Weser-Kurier regional daily said, "At some stage, the chancellor will have to make the cold calculation that his presence in the office is harming her and the country more than a second resignation."Germany was rocked in May 2010 when then president Horst Koehler resigned suddenly, after appearing to suggest German troops abroad were defending Berlin's economic interests.Merkel invested a great deal of political capital to push through Wulff's subsequent election, which turned into a debacle for her, as members of her own coalition broke ranks and refused to vote for him in parliament.Wulff's spokeswoman said on Monday the president valued the freedom of the media highly and had sought to be transparent.

GOPIO COMMUNITY SERVICE AWARD AT THE JAIPUR BANQUET

2012-01-03T07:21:00.000-08:00

GOPIO TO HONOR SEVEN FOR COMMUNITY SERVICE AND SENIOR INDIAN BUREAUCRAT WITH SPECIAL AWARD AT THE JAIPUR BANQUET

GOPIO has selected seven to receive community service awards at the annual banquet to be held on Jan. 6th. The senior most Indian Administrative officer, Shnipping Secretary and former MOIA Secretary K. Mohandas will be recognbized for his services to the Indian Diaspora community. This year's award recipients are as follows:

Faisal Kottikollon (Bahrain) - Entrepreneur/industrialist. Founder President/CEO of Emirates Techno Casting synergy comprising of several successful companies. A visionary industrialist and philanthropist, a man widely respected for his business acumen and compassion for the underprivileged. As the founder-chairman of the UAE-based KEF Holdings, he has scripted a phenomenal success story that continues to inspire many entrepreneurs. Many years of service in practicing corporate social responsibility as well as setting up the Shabana & Faizal Foundation charity organization directing funds and support for the betterment of deprived people.

Raghunath Manet (France) - Prominent exemplary classic Indian dancer and teacher with exemplary contribution to social and humanitarian activities that include active collaboration with UNESCO for promotion of art and Indian culture worldwide. Pro bono community volunteer service as teacher of vocal, instrumental, Ayurveda, yoga and classic dance at his own institution. Offering basic education, training facilities, shelter & access to art & culture, including handicrafts, to particularly the disabled, blind persons and kids and disadvantaged persons through his own school based in Pondicherry. Participating in voluntary activities for AIDS/SIDACTION. Funding for Reconstruction of Historical sites and Temples in South India by performing Freely.eg. "The famous Temple of Tanjore".

Prof. Ved Prakash Nanda (USA) - Director of the International Legal Studies Program at the University of Denver and an internationally renowned jurist. He was also the former president of the World Jurist Association and President of the World Association of Law Professors. Prof. Nanda is the recipient of the 2004 Gandhi, King, Ikeda Award; the 1997 United Nations Association Human Rights Award; and the 1990 World Legal Scholar award. He has authored or co-authored 22 books in international law and is widely published in law journals, magazines and newspapers. He has been a Distinguished Visiting Professor and Scholar at a number of universities in the United States and abroad. One of the founding team setting up GOPIO International for the cause of protecting and furthering the human rights of PIOs; a professional of excellence and dedication to community service. A staunch supporter of forging better bilateral ties and understanding between India and US and India and many other countries.

Photo from top left clockwise - Faisal Kottikollon, Raghunath Manet, Prof. Ved P. Nanda, Hendry Vikramasinghe, Datuk A. Vaithilingam, Dr. Ajeet Singhvi and
Dr. Rami Ranger

Dr. Rami RangerDr. Rami Ranger, MBE (UK) - A very successful businessman with recognition from Her Majesty the Queen five times, four times for business (Sun Mark Ltd) and once personally for community service.　This year the company was added to the Sunday Times most profitable 100 companies in Britain in their "Profit Track 100". He also devotes his time to benefit society by launching ground breaking initiatives designed to strengthen social cohesion in Britain. He has created hundreds of jobs for fellow Indians and he also raises funds for worthy projects in India. He encourages the British Indian community to become more publically and politically spirited in Britain. In addition, he has also helped 5 fellow Indians to become Members of Parliament in Britain to safeguard India's interest.

Ajeet Singhvi, MD (USA) - Immediate Past President of American Association of Physicians of India Origin (AAPI), the largest organized association of PIOs and NRIs in the US. Worked for over 30 years towards better understanding between people of Indian and United States. Prominent physician with faculty appointment at Loma Linda University Medical Center, a Fellow of the American College of Gastroenterology and the American Gastroenterological Association. He served as the Chief of Staff at Hemet Valley Medical Center from 2000 to 2004, and was also on the Hemet Hospital Foundation Board. He is presently serving on the Board of Riverside County Medical Association. He has been working closely with community leaders to address issues of mutual interest, especially the first ever "Health India Think Tank". Worked closely with community leaders to address issues of disease prevention and health promotion amongst Indo-Americans.

Datuk A. Vaithilingam (Malaysia) - A dedicated national leader of NGOs for social service and community development in Malaysia; recognized as a righteous spokesperson for the advancement of inter-faith advocacy and its role in fostering harmony within the multi-religious communities of Malaysia. At the forefront in initiating and implementing community development and social welfare programs in for in Malaysia. He has helmed various leadership roles of Malaysia Hindu Sangam that is Malaysia's national representative organization of the 1.8 million Hindus in the country. He served as the President of the Malaysia Hindu Sangam for over 12 years until his retirement in 2009. He has also been a key founder member of the Malaysian AIDS Council, as well as the Malaysian Consultative Council for Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Sikhism & Taosim (MCCBCHST).

Hendry H Wickramasinghe (Sri Lanka) - Secretary/Consultant at Office of Hon. M.P. Praba Ganesan. Participated in the peace process activities in Sri Lanka at the grass root level, representing Indian origin Tamils. An ardent activist in promoting the Indian origin upcountry Tamils rights in socio-cultural and political spheres and facilitating higher studies of upcountry Tamil students. Made significant contribution in the service of preservation and betterment in temples in Colombo. Actively campaigning for the civil rights of Indian origin Tamils in Sri Lanka whom were disenfranchised in 1948. Participated with Ministers and Members of Parliament in seminars and study tours on the Federal System in most of the European countries since the year 2000. Many years in support of the community in both public and social service, as well as your exemplary achievements and your commitment to human rights.

SPECIAL AWARD - Hon. K. Mohandas (India)

Secretary K Mohandas is the senior most IAS officer in the Indian administration. Currently the secretary of the Ministry of Shipping, Government of India, earlier he served as the secretary in the Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs (MOIA). While serving as the Secretary of MOIA, Mohandas traveled in many countries with large NRI/PIO population to reach out the overseas Indian communities, to understand their issues and seek solutions to them. During his term as MOIA Secretary, Mohandas made several initiatives from the Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs including Overseas Indian Facilitation Center (OIFC), India Development Foundation of Overseas Indians and Global Indian Network of Knowledge (Global INK). When MOIA initiated the Kolkata project at the urging of GOPIO as a memorial for the PIOs who migrarted one century ago from India, Secretary Mohandas came forward and helped to clear it from his ministry.

Why Anna is not able to get 10K people in Mumbai

2012-01-02T22:05:00.000-08:00

"Why Anna is not able to get 10K people in Mumbai his home ground"

This time one can see who and what Anna Hazare is.Again a men who wanted publicity is on for three days.

This was planned again by Kejriwal and Kiran bedi known by other name in Punjab and Haryana.

This is to test that how many people will be there and what is popularity level of Anna Hazare.Sadly an hours back I cam back and we have 538 people sitting by EOD.

Reason why crowd is not there is we do not see any one from Bharat Swabhiman movement as most of the crowd of 5 to 6 thousand people in Delhi was of BST on direct order from Ramdev.But now because of dirty mouth of kiran bedi and Kejriwal people have moved away from Anna.

Second ,traitors in this team have taken toll on this movement.

Only Hope is Anna will fast in front of Sonia or Rahul Gandhi and expecting that they will come out themselves and approve the bill.

Anna hazare is shameless, people asked him that he can fast after few days once his temperature comes normal but Old dead men was under bad mouthed Bedi and Kejriwal command that this is again good time to gain popularity by showing that you fasted three days without food with fever.

India has never produced such shameless person.A Person who does not want India to be like Gandhi wanted but uses his name.

--
Acharya Agnivrat
www.agniveer.com
www.satyavidya.com
http://satyagni.com/
www.vjsingh.com
"ॐ भूर्भुवः स्वः तत्सवितुर्वरेण्यम् भर्गो देवस्य धीमहि धियो यो नः प्रचोदयात् "

London Fireworks on New Year's Day 2011 - New Year Live - BBC One

2012-01-01T05:26:00.000-08:00

Sixty protesters detained in Russia chanted "a New Year without Putin"

2012-01-01T01:40:00.000-08:00

Russian authorities detained more than sixty people on New Year's Eve when opposition party supporters assembled to stage a protest in Moscow against Prime Minister Vladimir Putin.More than two hundred protestors chanted a call for "a New Year without Putin" at a square in central Moscow.

Police arrested about sixty protestors on the grounds that they were trying to hold a rally without obtaining permission from authorities.The police say the detainees were released late at night.

Opposition parties are claiming there was vote manipulation in the Lower House election in December.

Putin, who is seeking to be elected Russian president again in March, dismissed the series of protests over the Lower House election as nothing unusual.Opposition groups are determined to hold protest rallies to drum up criticism of Putin and the present Russian administration as the presidential election approaches.

Happy New Year

2011-12-31T02:36:00.000-08:00

International Conference on Communication and Broadband NetworkingICCBN 2012

2011-12-31T01:40:00.001-08:00

2012 International Conference on Communication
and Broadband Networking (ICCBN 2012)
12 to 13 May 2012
Bangkok, Thailand

All papers for the ICCBN 2012 conference will be
published in the proceeding, and will be
included in the ASME Digital Library, and
indexed by Ei Compendex and Thomson ISI
Proceedings.

The deadline for abstracts/proposals is 10
February 2012.

E Sreedharan to retire from DMRC

2011-12-30T08:30:00.000-08:00

E Sreedharan will retire as DMRC chief tomorrow and hand over reins to colleague Mangu Singh after a highly successful 16-year tenure during which he transformed the capital's transport sector through Metro.

79-year-old Sreedharan, who joined the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation in 1995, will formally hand over charge to Singh, a veteran Civil Engineer, tomorrow evening at a brief ceremony at the 'Metro Bhawan' in New Delhi.

The iconic 'Metro Man', who changed the way Delhi travels by constructing the modern transport system in the capital in a short span of time, will retire after having worked in government service for over 58 years of which 16 years he spent in Delhi Metro.

After his retirement, Sreedharan plans to spend his post-retirement days in his native village in Thrissur district of Kerala.

Vice President Greets People on New Year 2012

2011-12-30T00:49:00.001-08:00

Vice President Greets People on New Year 2012

The Vice President of India Shri M. Hamid Ansari has greeted the people of our country on the joyous occasion of New Year 2012. In his message he has said that New Year dawns with renewed hope of pledging ourselves towards working with dedication for progress of our country.

Following is the text of Vice President’s message :

“I greet all citizens on the joyous occasion of New Year 2012.

New Year dawns with renewed hope of pledging ourselves towards working with dedication for progress of our country.

May the New Year bring peace, prosperity and happiness to all.”

Sagar31news _Lokpal and Lokayukta Bill, 2011

2011-12-29T09:02:00.000-08:00

Intiatives in Coal Sector During 2011

2011-12-28T06:23:00.001-08:00

Intiatives in Coal Sector During 2011

Year 2011 was remained eventful for the coal sector. There was increased pressure on coal demand in view of increasing industrial activities. A number of initiatives were taken by the ministry to match the demands which include streamlining of coal linkages, review of performance of coal blocks allotted and formulation of policy for competiting bidding of coal blocks. Some of the initiatives taken during the year are as under:

Increased Coal Production

During the 2011, from1st April, to 30th November, Coal India Limited (CIL) and Singareni Colleries Company limited (SCCL) together supplied 214.27 million tonnes of coal to the power plants as against the pro-rata ACQ of 282.87 million tonnes indicating overall materialization of about 92%. This was achieved inspite of unprecedented rain this year and long strike in Telangana region affecting coal production Not only that the combined coal production of Coal India Limited (CIL) and SCCL from April 2011 to November, 2011 (provisional) was 277.81 million tonnes as against the pro-rata target of 303.54 million tonnes indicating achievement of 91% of the pro-rata production target.

Maharatna status for CIL

CIL had been a Navratna company since August, 2008. Considering its importance in country’s economy and its achievements, CIL has been conferred with the Maharatna status in April this year. As Maharatna Company, CIL has now been delegated with enhanced financial powers and greater autonomy in its functioning.

Navratna status for Neyveli Lignite Corporation

NLC had been a Miniratna (Category-I) company since 30/08/2004. With the growth of lignite production and increased power generation activities in the region, the financial growth of the company was increased many folds. Considering the same, NLC was conferred with the Navratna status from 11/04/2011. As Navratna company, NLC has been delegated with enhanced financial powers and greater autonomy in its functioning.

Preparation of Mining Plan

To bring up uniformity and to standardize the preparation of Mining plans by the Coal/Lignite block holders, ministry of Coal prepared guidelines for the coal and lignite block(s) during the year.

Compensation for land acquisition

The proposals related to land acquisition and compensation received from coal companies are processed promptly, notified for land acquisition and funds released for payment of compensation. During 2011-12 (up to 30th November, 2011), 50 notifications were issued and Rs. 24.14 crores was released to coal companies for payment of compensation.

Joint Bipartite Committee for the Coal Industry

The Ministry has approved for constitution of the Joint Bipartite Committee for the Coal Industry (JBCCI) – IX has been conveyed to Coal India Limited. CIL has constituted the Committee on 1st August, 2011. JBCCI –IX is tasked to have a ways settlement for a period of 5 years beginning June, 2010.

Review of R&R Policy of CIL

A Committee to review the R&R Policy of Coal India Limited has been constituted under the Chairpersonship of Additional Secretary (Coal) with Members from coal bearing States, Central Ministries and coal companies for suggesting modifications in the R&R Policy in order to meet the reasonable aspirations of project affected persons. The Committee has met twice to discuss the issue.

2011-12-27T08:13:00.000-08:00

People trickling in to MMRDA grounds #

Lokpal & Lokayuktas bill on floor

2011-12-27T08:12:00.000-08:00

Intense debate in Lok Sabha on Lokpal and Lokayuktas bill

The much-awaited Lokpal Bill was taken up for consideration by the LS on a stormy note on Tuesday with the Opposition demanding its withdrawal even as the govt asserted that it had sought to strike a fine balance.
Moving the Bill for consideration, Minister for Personnel V Narayanasamy asserted the supremacy of Parliament saying "we need to bow our heads to this House only and not before anyone else."
Narayanasamy contended that the Lokpal and Lokayukta Bill had several unique features like confiscation of properties of any person believed to have committed an offence relating to corruption.
As the minister was speaking, RJD chief Lalu Prasad was on his feet claiming that the Lokpal Bill was an attack on the federal structure of the Constitution.
When Narayanasamy referred to setting up of Lokayuktas and lack of anti-corruption ombudsman in Gujarat, AIADMK and BJP members were on their feet shouting slogans against the government.
Leader of Opposition Sushma Swaraj dubbed the Bill as full of deficiencies and wanted the weak bill to be sent back to the Parliamentary Standing Committee so as to make it effective and strong.
"Accept our amendments or withdraw the Bill... Send it back to standing committee for further discussion," she said while describing it as a patently unconstitutional legislation which the Opposition will not tolerate.
Prasad also demanded withdrawal of the Bill contending that it was brought in haste under pressure.
Tearing into the Bill presented by the government, Swaraj said the Lokpal Bill in its present form would sow the seeds of second partition as it has the provision for religion- based reservation which was patently unconstitutional.
"I warn you that you should not sow the seeds of second partition by going in for religion-based reservation," she told the Prime Minister.
Noting that what was being sought to be passed would not be good for the country, Swaraj reminded Singh that he had himself narrated an Urdu couplet once in the House - 'lamhon ne khata ki, sadiyon ne saza payee' (a mistake committed in minutes have led to ages of suffering).
The Leader of the Opposition also raised objections to several issues including creation of Lokayukta through the Lokpal Bill and the process of appointment and removal of the ombudsman and demanded inclusion of CBI under its ambit, saying she had moved amendments on these counts.
She dismissed as farce the way the bill has included the Prime Minister in its purview.
Swaraj questioned the provision for in-camera proceedings and disallowing making public these proceedings even through RTI.
HRD Minister Kapil Sibal, who led the Congress counter- charge, hit out at the BJP saying it had political motives to delay the Bill so that it benefits them in the upcoming polls through Anna Hazare's campaign.
"If you oppose this Bill, you will be violating the sense of the House and people will never forgive you," he told the Opposition.

Maharshi Dayanand Kirti Stambh soon in Delhi

2011-12-26T06:32:00.000-08:00

On the eve of 85th. “Balidan (Sacrifice) Diwas” of Swami Shardhanand ji, a Great Social Reformer, Freedom Fighter and a Symbol of Hindu Muslim brotherhood and Unity. A Grand “Shobha Yatra” of 4-5 Kms. started at 10am on 25 Dec. from Naya Bazar, to Chawri Bazar, Nai Sarak, Chandni Chowk and held public meeting at Ramlila Ground. EveryYear around 10,000 to 12,000 Aryas from around 300 Arya Samajs, Gurukuls, DAV Educational Institues, Schools Participate. Homage is Paid to the Great Swami Shardhanand ji,at Ramlila Ground. Ho'nble Minister Dr. Ramakant Goswami announced Delhi will soon have Maharshi Dayanand Kirti Stambh,Tower of fame to be erected close to Akshardham temple. Maharshai Dharmpalji,Pressident Dr Vinay,Dr Mahesh and Rajiv Arya general secretaryalong with other dignitories were present in the Function-Today. For further details contact: Media: Rajnish Verma,M - 9811362087, 9312163330

Saraswati,Dayananda, 1824-83,Indian religious reformer, founder of the Arya Samaj movement. He was a Brahman from Gujarat who became the major spokesman for the 19th-century Hindu revival that placed exclusive authority in the Vedas. He condemned idol worship, untouchability, child marriage, and the low station of women, which he said were not sanctioned by the Vedas. In 1875 he founded the Arya Samaj [society of nobles] in Bombay to spread the doctrines of the newly reinterpreted Vedas. Although he was little concerned with politics, his message reawakened the Hindu traditionalists and reinforced the division between Muslim and Hindu in India.Vedas are the fundamental base of vedic culture. These are the source of knowledge, Science and Religions etc. Vedas are the eternal knowledge provided by God which consist of all the preaching related to duties and karmas. Vedic culture is the universally adaptable
culture.All the science and knowledge which we see in the world is extracted from the Vedas only. This is the reason that all the Rishies-Maharshies and Acharyas have sung the hymns of the significance of Vedas. Maharshi Manu declares as VEDO AKHILO DHARMMULAM Manu -2/6.Givingh

Happy Christmas

2011-12-25T09:54:00.000-08:00

Christmas being celebrated across the globe

Christmas festivities have gripped the country and abroad as thousands of Christian pilgrims and tourists from around the world are flocking to Bethlehem, where Jesus Christ was born more than two thousand years ago.

पाक हिन्दुओं को निकाला गया तो होगा प्रचण्ड आन्दोलन : विहिप

2011-12-25T08:49:00.000-08:00

पाक हिन्दुओं को निकाला गया तो होगा प्रचण्ड आन्दोलन : विहिप
(पाकिस्तान से आये हिन्दुओं के लिए विहिप ने किया यज्ञ-सत्संग का आयोजन
नई दिल्ली दिसम्बर 25, 2011। पाकिस्तान व बंग्लादेश में प्रताडित हो रहे हिन्दुओं के प्रति भारत सरकार का उदासीन रवैया हिन्दू समाज के प्रति घोर अन्याय है। विहिप के केन्द्रीय मंत्री डा सुरेन्द्र जैन ने आज दक्षिणी दिल्ली के बिजबासन मे रह रहे पाक से आए हिन्दुओं के साथ हवन यज्ञ व सत्संग में भाग लेकर कहा कि भारत हिन्दू धर्म की जन्म स्थली है इसलिए संपूर्ण विश्व का हिन्दू जब भी संकट में होता है, वह भारत की ओर आशा भरी निगाह से देखता है। उन्होंने मांग की कि पाकिस्तान से पीडित और प्रताडित होकर आए हिन्दुओं को नागरिकता प्रदान करने की कार्यवाही तुरन्त प्रारम्भ करनी चाहिए। सरकार को आडे हाथों लेते हुए उन्होंने चेताया कि यदि किसी ने इन्हे भारत से बाहर करने का दुस्साहस किया तो इसके विरोध में एक प्रचण्ड आन्दोलन खडा किया जएगा।

डा सुरेन्द्र जैन ने कहा कि पाकिस्तान के हिन्दुओं के प्रति भारत सरकार का नैतिक और संवैधानिक दायित्व बनता है। नेहरू-लियाकत पैक्ट के अनुसार पाकिस्तान व बंग्लादेश में रह रहे हिन्दुओं के हितों की रक्षा करना भारत सरकार की जिम्मेदारी है। आज पाकिस्तान में हिन्दुओं का कत्लेआम हो रहा है, उनकी सम्पत्ति और लडकियां छीनी जा रही हैं। उन्होंने मांग की कि भारत में पाक से जान बचाकर आए हिन्दुओं के पुनर्स्थापन की व्यबस्था भारत सरकार को करनी चाहिए। सरकार अपनी जिम्मेदारी समझे या न समझे, विश्व हिन्दू परिषद अपने दायित्व को समझती है। हमने पहले भी पाक से आए हिन्दुओं को यहां बसाया है। अब भी विहिप इसके लिए संकल्पबद्ध है। विहिप इनके लिए रोजी रोटी की व्यबस्था करेगा तथा भारत में इन्हें बसाने हेतु हर संभव प्रयास करेगा। डा जैन ने यह भी कहा कि मुसलमानों की तकलीफ़ों की झूठी कहानियों पर आंसू बहाने बाली इस सरकार को हिन्दुओं के प्रति भी संवेदनशील होना चाहिए, इनको नागरिकता प्रदान करने की कार्यवाही तुरन्त प्रारम्भ करनी चाहिए। उन्होंने चेतावनी भरे स्वर में कहा कि यदि किसी ने इन्हे भारत से बाहर करने का दुस्साहस किया तो इसके बिरोध में एक प्रचण्ड आन्दोलन खडा किया जाएगा।

इस अवसर पर महामण्डलेश्वर स्वामी रामानन्द रमते योगी जी महाराज, स्वामी करुणानन्द जी, स्वामी सुरेसानन्द जी तथा स्वामी राम मंगलदास जी, विहिप दिल्ली के महामन्त्री श्री सत्येन्द्र मोहन, उपाध्यक्ष श्री महावीर गुप्ता, मीडिया प्रमुख विनोद बंसल, विभाग मंत्री श्री शान्ती स्वरूप, जिला मंत्री श्री कमलेश शुक्ला, प्रसिद्ध समाज सेवी व विहिप कार्यकर्ता श्री नाहर सिंह व श्री राकेश पाण्डे सहित आदि अनेक लोग सामिल थे।

भवदीय

विनोद बंसल

Election Commissionpoll-related complaints24-our toll free call centre number 1950

2011-12-25T00:07:00.000-08:00

Manipur will go to the polls on the 28th of January, Punjab and Uttarakhand on the 30th of January and Goa on the 3rd of March. Filing of nominations will begin on the 4th of January in Manipur, a day later in Punjab and Uttarakhand and on the 10th for the first phase of polling in Uttar Pradesh and on the 6th of February in Goa.

Counting of votes for all the five states will take place on the 4th of March.He said the commission has prepared the schedule taking into account all relvant aspects.

Mr. Quraishi said Central Paramilitary Forces besides the state police will be deployed for the smooth conduct of polls.Candidates will have to open a separate bank account to enable the observers to have a close watch on their poll expenses.

The Election Commission has opened for the first time a 24-our toll free call centre number 1950, the year in which the Commission came into being, to register poll-related complaints. The Chief Election Commissioner said every poll going state shall have a complaint redressal mechanism based on a website and call centre.

Raghav Malik wins the PGTI Final Qualifying Stage for the 2012

2011-12-23T19:27:00.000-08:00

Raghav Malik wins the PGTI Final Qualifying Stage for the 2012 season

Arshdeep Tiwana finishes second, Top 44 players earn full card for the 2012 season

Gurgaon, December 23, 2011: Raghav Malik (72-71-69) of the DLF Golf & Country Club emerged winner at the PGTI’s Final Qualifying Stage for the 2012 season which was played at the Golden Greens Golf & Country Club, Gurgaon.

Gurgaon-based Malik clinched the title on the first playoff hole (18th hole), after he had ended tied first along with Arshdeep Tiwana (74-69-69) of the Kovai Hills Golf Resort, Coimbatore, at the end of the regulation 54 holes. Malik and Tiwana had identical totals of four under 212 before they headed for the playoff.

The top 44 players from the Final Qualifying Stage earned full cards for the 2012 PGTI season.

Raghav Malik’s fourth round of three under 69 included birdies on the third, fifth, seventh, 10th and 17th and bogeys on the sixth and 16th. Raghav sank a 15-footer on the third and converted a 12 feet putt on the 10th. He hit a great approach shot from the fairway bunker on the fifth where he landed it within four feet of the pin. The 22-year-old also hit his tee shots extremely close on the seventh and 17th holes.

Malik finally sealed it after making an excellent up and down from the bunker for birdie on the first playoff hole. Tiwana lost out in the playoff as he missed an eight feet birdie putt.

Malik said, “I had a very strict game-plan for this tournament and I stuck to it. This win comes as a huge confidence-booster ahead of the 2012 season. It was important for me to break the victory-barrier and this win has helped me achieve that. I would like to thank my family for their continuous support and my mental conditioning coach for making me believe in my abilities. I would also like to thank PGTI for staging this event in an excellent manner and Golden Greens Golf Course for providing immaculate playing conditions.”

Runner-up Arshdeep Tiwana’s final round 69 featured five birdies and two bogeys.

Pawan Kumar (75-69-71) of Delhi grabbed third place after finishing with an overall score of one under 215.

The Chandigarh duo of KPS Sekhon and Abhijit Singh Chadha finished tied fourth along with Delhi’s Dinesh Kumar at even par 216.

Anna plan to fast

2011-12-23T07:52:00.000-08:00

Anna to go ahead with fast; HC rejects petition

Anna Hazare has made it clear that he will go ahead with his 3 day fast in Mumbai from 27th Dec at MMRDA ground for which he will organise the Rs.7 lakh rent through donations as the Bombay High Court rejected a petition seeking discounted rates for the protest venue.

"MMRDA will give some concessions and the ground hire cost will be Rs 7 lakh. The donations will be accepted only by cheque and draft. We will also keep tab on the donors," he said in Ralegan Siddhi on Friday.
Hazare said his close aides Arvind Kejriwal and Kiran Bedi will join him in his fast in Mumbai while another group of activists will go on hunger strike in Delhi in support for a strong Lokpal bill.

The court further said that it cannot come to the conclusion if the agitation was in public interest or politically motivated.

The court also said it cannot direct the government to open the gates to the enclosed area in Azad Maidan, another probable venue for the proposed 3-day fast from 27th December to allow Team Anna larger space for the protest.

"We are afraid that such issues cannot be decided by the court. This court cannot come to the conclusion as to whether this agitation is in public interest or politically motivated," a division bench of Justices P B Majmudar and Mridula Bhatkar observed on Friday while rejecting the petition filed by Jagrut Nagrik Manch, an affiliate of Hazare's India Against Corruption.

Pakistan PM spells out fear of being ousted

2011-12-23T01:00:00.000-08:00

Pakistan PM spells out fear of being ousted

In an unprecedented tongue-lashing against the powerful military, Pakistan Premier Yousuf Raza Gilani on Thursday said "no institution can be a state within a state" and warned that "conspiracies" are being hatched to "pack up" his democratically-elected govt.

People will have to decide whether they want "elected people or a dictatorship", he added as talk of a rift between his government and the military gathers pace.
"I want to make it clear today that there are intrigues and conspiracies going on and the conspiracy is to pack up the elected government," Prime Minister Gilani said while addressing a function organised to commemorate the birth anniversary of Pakistan's founder Muhammad Ali Jinnah.
"I want to tell them that whether we are in government or opposition or among the people, we will fight for the rights of the people of Pakistan," he said without giving details of who was behind the conspiracies against his government.
The premier made a veiled reference to the differences between his government and the army, saying "no institution can be a state within a state".
He added, "Nobody can say they are not under the government. Every institution of this country, including the Ministry of Defence, is under the Prime Minister".
"There should be no ambiguity that anybody can claim that I am independent...If any individual thinks they are not under the government, they are mistaken".
"They are under the government and will remain under the government because we are the elected, chosen representatives of the people of Pakistan."
Gilani said the people have to decide whether they want "elected people or a dictatorship".
Prime Minister's unusual remarks came in the backdrop of tensions between the civilian government and the powerful military over the memogate scandal.
The army and ISI have urged the Supreme Court to conduct a probe into the alleged memo made public by Pakistani-American businessman Mansoor Ijaz that had sought US help to prevent a feared coup in Pakistan after the killing of Osama bin Laden in May.
However, the government has challenged the apex court's jurisdiction to hear a batch of petitions seeking a probe into the memogate scandal, saying the matter is already being investigated by a parliamentary panel.
Meanwhile, in another twist in the memogate case, the Defence Ministry yesterday informed the apex court in an affidavit that it had "no operational control" over the military or the ISI.
The ministry stated it was not in a position to confirm or deny the stand taken by the military and ISI on the memo issue.
During his address today, Gilani said his government had the "highest regard and respect for the army" because it had stood up against terrorism and extremists, but made it clear that no institution could function without the support of the people.
Gilani said he had worked for public "ownership" of military operations by taking "responsibility for all military actions in country".
He further said, "No military can fight against anybody without the support of the masses. If there is no support, no war can be won."
At the same time, he appeared to hold out an olive branch to the army by saying, "My military is disciplined and they follow the constitution of Pakistan".
Pakistan has been ruled by the military for almost half of its history and no elected leader has been able to complete his full term.

VHP will oppose Backdoor Entry of Muslim Reservations

2011-12-22T06:15:00.000-08:00

New Delhi, December 22, 2011,VHP will oppose Backdoor Entry of Muslim Reservations
Through Lokpal or any other way
Manipulating public sentiments about Lokpal Bill, Govt of India & a few political parties are trying to push Muslim Reservations in the name of Minorities reservations in Lokpal Committee. It is a surreptitious way to cheat the people of Bharat into accepting Muslim Reservations. Constitution does not allow religion-based reservations. Govt & a few parties’ efforts to woo Muslims & capture their vote bank through such anti-constitutional move for various elections is strongly opposed by VHP as it will permanently hurt Hindus.
Muslims produce unlimited children on the name of their religion & demand reservations based on that excess percentage, it is mockery of democracy. It is using Bharat’s democracy to kill Bharat’s democracy. Sachhar Committee claims they are backward. It itself is a blatant lie & even if in some parts they may be so, it is thanks to their own unlimited children whose burden now they are trying to put on majority & govt is forcing majority to bear costs of excess children of Muslims.
Muslim Reservation’s backdoor entry in the name of Lokpal Bill is the dirtiest conspiracy to create precedence for further amend the constitution for religion-based reservations. Giving any percentage to Muslims & Christians even from OBC / Sc/ ST / NT is aimed at snatching education, jobs, bank loans & therefore life of majority Hindu youth & families.

Now using Lokpal or elections, anyone tries to destroy the very fabric of Bharat & distort democracy by giving religion based reservations any which way or any name, then VHP appeals to Bharat to stand united irrespective of castes against it democratically & come forward for a strong peaceful agitation. This is only way for survival for Hindus now.
VHP will announce its agitation plans immediately if any move of Muslim or Christian reservations is done. VHP appeals to all parties & the Govt to immediately withdraw any such proposals either from Lokpal bill or in any other form, failing which the majority Aam Aadmi will take to streets democratically & peacefully.

Cabinet approves bill for creation of Lokpal with Constitutional status

2011-12-21T11:33:00.000-08:00

Cabinet approves bill for creation of Lokpal with Constitutional status

The Union Cabinet has approved a historic bill for creation of the Lokpal with Constitutional status.
After two days of intense drafting by a group of ministers and officials, the new draft of the Lokpal Bill along with the Constitution (Amendment) Bill was cleared at a special Cabinet meeting that lasted 70 minutes.

Top government sources confirmed this after the Cabinet meeting chaired by the Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh in New Delhi. The bill will be introduced in the current session of Parliament.

The Ministerial group had finalised the draft of the Lokpal Bill on Monday. Lokpal will be a nine-member body, whose Chairman will be selected by a four-member panel consisting of the Prime Minister, the Lok Sabha Speaker, Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha and Chief Justice of India or his nominee from among the Supreme Court judges.

The bill provides for the Prime Minister to be brought under the purview of the Lokpal with certain safeguards that keep out aspects like international relations, public order, atomic energy, space, internal and external security from inquiry.

Though the Lokpal will have no control over CBI, an important provision has been added under which the CBI Director will be selected by a committee of the Prime Minister, Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha and Chief Justice of India or a Supreme Court judge.

The draft bill also proposes 50 per cent reservation for Scheduled Caste/Scheduled Tribe, Other Backward Classes, Minorities and Women in the Lokpal bench and in the search committee.

It also proposes that half of the bench will be members from judicial background.

It will have a five-year term and its chairman or a member can be impeached only after at least 100 MPs make a representation.

Cabinet approves setting up of NCHER bill

2011-12-21T09:00:00.000-08:00

Cabinet approves setting up of NCHER bill

The cabinet has approved a bill which provides for establishment of National Commission for Higher Education and Research, NCHER. It will take over regulators like University Grants Commission (UGC) and All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE).

The Commission will have 70 member body, having representation from states and professional bodies to decide on policy issues.

The draft bill NCHER, proposes to have an 11 member committee to execute the decisions of the council. It will provide mandate to the Commission to bring reforms in higher education for setting up quality institutions across the country.

The objective of the Commission is to increase the gross enrollment ratio to 30 per cent by 2020 from 20 per cent in 2010.

India and Bhutan poised to forge greater partnership:PM

2011-12-20T22:42:00.001-08:00

India and Bhutan poised to forge greater partnership:PM

Dec 21, 8:51 AM
The Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh has expressed confidence that India and Bhutan are poised to forge greater partnership that will bring added prosperity to the people of the two countries.

In his remarks at the Hiren Mukherjee Memorial lecture in New Delhi on Tuesday, Dr. Singh said that the partnership will promote common security and strengthen the bonds of amity.

The Prime Minister described the signing of a pact on climate change and a convention in environment as new dimensions to the process of regional cooperation in South Asia. He extended a warm welcome to the Prime Minister of Bhutan Jigmi Y Thinley for delivering the Hiren Mukherjee lecture.

Delivering the lecture the Prime Minister of Bhutan urged India to take centre stage in global decision making process and fora with clarity of vision. He extended full support to India's bid for permanent membership of UN Security Council and its active participation in G-20, BRICS and ASEAN consultations.

He called for overcoming regional prejudices to forge greater partnership among South Asian countries. He said Parliamentarians of the region will strengthen the resolve of the governments to find ways and durable solutions even to the most provocations and injuries.

The Bhutanese Prime Minister said that developed and some developing countries ignored the mounting costs of rising GDP and in the process destroyed the natural wealth not only for today but for tomorrow. Mr. Thinley advocated for contributing to the making of harmonious and cooperative SAARC.

Referring to present economic slowdown, he said that meaningful progress can continue in many ways but people of the region need to use common sense and reason. He said, India has the wisdom and the capacity to make a difference.

Mr. Thinley said New Delhi cannot do more on domestic front alone but at the international level, he said, it can make international community more responsible to the threats of an ecological catastrophe. He paid glowing tributes to Prof. Hiren Mukherjee for his outstanding contribution in the parliamentary democracy.

The Lok Sabha Speaker Mrs. Meira Kumar while thanking the Bhutanese Prime Minister recalled his contribution in realizing the concept gross national happiness championed by him as a development philosophy in the w

National Green Tribunal

2011-12-20T21:28:00.001-08:00

National Green Tribunal The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has been established on 18.10.2010. The Tribunal has been established for effective and expeditious disposal of cases relating to environmental protection and conservation of forests and other natural resources including enforcement of any legal right relating to environment and giving relief and compensation for damages to persons and property and for matters connected therewith or incidental thereto.

A total of 5950 cases relating to environment and forests issues were pending in various courts across the country as on 1.1.2009.

The Tribunal’s dedicated jurisdiction in environment and forest matters shall provide speedy environmental justice. The Tribunal is mandated to make an endeavour for disposal of applications or appeals finally within 6 months of filing of the same.

The Minister of State gave this information for Environment and Forests (independent charge) Shrimati Jayanthi Natarajan in a written reply to a question by Shri Ishwar Singh in Rajya Sabha today

Area under Cultivation of Bt. Cotton to be around 94 Lakh Hectares in 2011-12

2011-12-20T21:24:00.001-08:00

Area under Cultivation of Bt. Cotton to be around 94 Lakh Hectares in 2011-12 Bt. cotton is the only crop approved for commercial cultivation in nine states by Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC). The area under Bt. cotton is targeted to be around 95.04 lakh ha for the year 2011-12.

The findings of laboratory and field studies conducted and also commissioned by Central Institute for Cotton Research (CICR), Nagpur showed that Bt. cotton was toxic to bollworms but did not have any direct effect on any of the non- targeted beneficial insects and was also non-toxic to, birds, fish, cow, goat and soil micro-organisms. Studies conducted by CICR showed that Bt. Cotton has been playing a major role in effectively protecting the crop from bollworms, especially the American Bollworm, Helicoverpa armigera, thus preventing yield losses. The biggest gain from the technology was in the form of reduced insecticide usage from 46% in 2001 to less than 26% after 2006 and 21% during the last two years 2009 and 2010. The introduction of Bt. cotton hybrids has helped in production increase from 156 lakh bales (170 kg lint per bale) in 2001 to an estimated 356 lakh bales in 2011. Bt. cotton was introduced in 2002 and the area increased from 0.29 lakh hectares in 2002 to 95.04 lakh hectare in Kharif 2011(target). The productivity was 309 kg per hectare in 2001 before the introduction of Bt. cotton which increased to 495 Kg/ha in 2010.

Studies conducted by CICR showed that there was enormous farmer support for Bt. cotton as is evident from the fact that more than 90% of the area in all the cotton growing states in India is now under Bt. cotton. Maximum gains in yield increase have been obtained in Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Haryana, Punjab and Tamil Nadu. There have been a few stray reports of opposition to the technology from NGO groups, but these have had a miniscule impact on the spread of Bt. cotton in India. Farmers are being constantly educated by CICR, State Agricultural Universities, Krishi Vigyan Kendras through front line demonstrations and training programmes on all aspects pertaining to GM crops, its bio-safety and suitable methods for harnessing sustainable benefits through appropriate crop production technologies.

This information was given by Shri Harish Rawat, Minister of State for Agriculture and Food Processing Industries in written reply to a question in the Lok Sabha today.

Security along coasts being reviewed regularly

2011-12-19T01:00:00.000-08:00

Progress of security along coasts being reviewed regularly.

The implementation and progress of security along the coasts is being reviewed regularly for strengthening maritime and coastal security across the country. A high level committee set up for purpose is being headed by the Cabinet Secretary.

Home Ministry sources said that the security apparatus along the coasts is being implemented in two phases since 2005. The first phase has been completed in March this year and the funds for its implementation were being provided by the Center

Tourism Minister Holds Interactive Session with Private Tour Operators

2011-12-18T20:21:00.001-08:00

Tourism Minister Holds Interactive Session with Private Tour Operators
Union Tourism Minister Shri Subodh Kant Sahai has expressed the hope that given the strong market fundamentals the civil aviation market will register a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of more than 16 per cent during 2010-2013. Addressing an interactive session with private tour operators (Charter Operators) to develop tourism by improving air connectivity to small/lesser known destinations in the country in New Delhi today he said Government has embarked upon the policy of developing integrated perspective investment plans for key circuits / destinations in each of the States / UTs. These investment plans will identify components requiring investments through Government of India, State Governments, Public Private Partnership (PPP) and Private Sector.

GOODRICKE EAST INDIA AMATEUR GOLF CHAMPIONSHIPS

2011-12-17T19:58:00.001-08:00

GOODRICKEEAST INDIA AMATEUR GOLF CHAMPIONSHIPS 2011-Nksagar-Sagar Media Inc:17^thDecember, 2011, Kolkata : The Goodricke East IndiaAmateur Golf Championship, the oldest amateur golfing event outside England, tees off at the Royal Calcutta Golf Club on19^th December 2011 and will conclude on 25^th December 2011.

Indian golf has seen amajor upswing in recent times with our professionals leaving their mark onforeign shores with a host of sterling performances led by Arjun Atwal, JeevMilkha Singh, Jyoti Randhawa, Rahil Gangjee and S. S. P. Chowrasia. All theseprofessionals started their careers as amateurs and coming to Kolkata for theGoodricke East India Amateur Championship was an annual pilgrimage for thesestars.

The event is played overboth a stroke play and match play format. The 36 holes stroke play event actsas a qualifying round to select the 32 players, who then play the knockoutstage over five rounds. The challenging and grueling format throws up a lot ofsurprises. Being an IGU categorized tournament, it is of great significance toamateur players for earning ranking points. There are about 90 entries. Entrieshave been restricted to players having handicap of 6 and under.

Indian sports have seengolf in the limeClight this year. The Goodricke East India Amateur GolfChampionship has been the cradle for some of India’s finest golf stars. Lastyear Chandigarh’s Abhijit Chaddha won the Stroke play title beating SamareshSardar of RCGC. Karan Vasudeva went on to win the Match play title beating SurajAli another RCGC player.

This year’s event hasattracted India’s best amateur golfing talent including Delhi’s Gagan Varma,Abhijit Chadha, Ashbeer Singh Saini, Jasjeet Singh, Angad Cheema and the No. 1amateur player of the country, S Chickarangappa from Bangalore. The prodigioustalent of Kolkata golfers like Lakshman Singh, Surya Prakash, Samaresh Sardar,Raja Sardar, Suraj Ali will also be on show. Very competitive and grueling golfis certainly on the cards.

Goodricke East IndiaChampionship covers both major formats of the game. The 36 holes Stroke playcompetition is the curtain raiser to select the 32 man field who will then participatein the Match play event.

Goodricke, famous for itsexclusive range of teas has broadened the event this year to include aninvitee’s event which will encompass the entire golfing fraternity of the citywith reserved spots for juniors, Ladies and different age groups including ourSenior golfers (over 50 years) of age. This event will be played on the 24^thDecember, 2010. To keep the interest alive in the main event for spectators aunique contest of “pick the Winner” of 25^th December 2011 with someexclusive prizes has been introduced.

The Royal Calcutta GolfClub after the onslaught of the monsoons has seen a great deal of renovationwith strategically placed new water bodies and freshly contoured greensproviding the perfect setting for this historical event on a course that canboast of its long tradition dating back to 1829. The icing on the cake would beto have a Kolkata bred winner, which we missed narrowly last year.

Punjab, Uttarakhand, Manipur, Uttar Pradesh and Goa to go to the polls

2011-12-16T23:52:00.001-08:00

Election Commission has made it clear that the election dates for the five poll-bound states, which are due next year, are yet to be decided. Chief Election Commissioner S. Y. Quraishi told reporters in Panaji that the dates would be announced after having consultations on various aspects concerning these elections.

Punjab, Uttarakhand, Manipur, Uttar Pradesh and Goa will go to the polls next year

Nancy Powell first eve Ambassador to India

2011-12-16T23:27:00.001-08:00

Nancy Powell appointed Ambassador to India

Nancy J Powell, a career diplomat with wide experience in South Asia, has been named by US President Barack Obama as the next ambassador to India, the first woman to be nominated for the coveted post.

64-year-old Powell would replace Timothy J Roemer, who resigned from his post in April 2011 following a two-year stint as US envoy to India, after going through a confirmation process by the Senate.

Peter Burleigh is currently serving as the Charge d'affaires of the US embassy in India.

Powell, a career member of the Senior Foreign Service, earlier served as US ambassador to Pakistan and Nepal and also held various diplomatic posts in Kolkata, New Delhi, Dhaka, Kathmandu, Islamabad and Ottawa.

"These fine public servants both bring a depth of experience and tremendous dedication to their new roles," Obama said in a statement announcing Powell's appointment and that of Dick Berner, who has been named Director, Office of Financial Research, Department of Treasury.

"Our nation will be well-served by these individuals, and I look forward to working with them in the months and years to come," he said.

Presently serving as Director General of the Foreign Service and Director of Human Resources at the Department of State, Powell was conferred the personal rank of Career Ambassador in January 2011.

Prior to her current assignment, Powell served as Ambassador to Nepal (2007-2009), Ambassador to Pakistan (2002-2004), Ambassador to Ghana (2001-2002), and Ambassador to Uganda (1997-

Anna Hazare:'The Protester' is the Time's 2011 Person of the Year

2011-12-15T19:14:00.001-08:00

'The Protester' is the Time's 2011 Person of the Year, as the magazine honoured those who stood up for common people, from India's anti-graft crusader Anna Hazare to Tunisia's street vendor Mohammed Bouazizi, who set himself on fire sparking the Arab Spring.

The US magazine said the revolution began in Tunisia, "where the dictator's power grabbing and high living crossed a line of shamelessness, and a commonplace bit of government callousness against an ordinary citizen a 26-year-old street vendor named Mohamed Bouazizi became the final straw."

Last year, the Time picked Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, whose competitors included another 21st century communications guru, WikiLeaks maestro Julian Assange.

Accompanying the Time report is a photo essay of profiles of over 30 ordinary citizens who did not give up in the face of death and torture and continued to fight tyrannical regimes, corruption, inequality and injustice all over the world.

Among the pictures is a close-up profile of a smiling and Gandhi-cap wearing Hazare and one in which he is sitting cross-legged.

Its caption reads "anti-corruption crusader in India."

"When God wants to bring in change, he needs a vehicle of change, and I became that vehicle," Hazare is quoted as saying.

Anonymous Complaints Against Officers

2011-12-15T18:32:00.001-08:00

Anonymous Complaints Against Officers

The Central Vigilance Commission receives complaintsfrom various sources which also includes complaints of anonymous/pseudonymousnature. The details of anonymous/pseudonymous complaints received in theCommission from the year 2007 to 2010 are as under:-

Year	Received (including brought forward)
2007	2073
2008	1669
2009	2781
2010	2250

The Commission has observed that sometimes suchcomplaints are made against officers at the time when they become due forpromotion/retirement etc.

The Central Vigilance Commissin(CVC) has, vide its circular dated June 29, 1999, ordered that no action shouldat all be taken on any anonymous or pseudonymous complaints, and they must justbe filed. In its subsequent circular dated October 11, 2002, while reiteratingthe earlier instructions, the CVC has further directed that if anydepartment/organization proposed to look into any verifiable facts alleged insuch complaints, it may refer the matter to the Commission seeking itsconcurrence through the Chief Vigilance Officer or head of the organization,irrespective of the level of employees involved therein.

The Central Government vide OM dated September 29,1992, had issued instructions dealing with anonymous and pseudonymouscomplaints. The said OM inter-alia lays down the generally no action iswarranted on anonymous/pseudonymous complaints against Government servants andthey are to be filed and that selective cognizance of anonymous/pseudonymouscomplaints, containing verifiable allegations can be taken with specific ordersfrom the head of the Department/Chief Executive.

Thisinformation was given by Minister of State in the Ministry of Personnel, PublicGrievances and Pensions and Prime Minister’s Office, Shri V. Narayanasamyin written reply to a question in the Rajya Sabha today.

***

RS/SR

Kuwait's Emir Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad Al-Sabah in cabinet

2011-12-14T19:13:00.000-08:00

Kuwait's Emir Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad Al-Sabah on Wednesday swore in the new cabinet with only minor changes to the government that resigned in November over allegations of corruption.

Sheikh Sabah urged Kuwaiti voters to abandon factional, sectarian and tribal allegiances while choosing representatives in an upcoming general election which he said would usher in a new era for the oil-rich Gulf state.
Former prime minister Sheikh Nasser Mohammad al-Ahmad Al-Sabah resigned on November 28 over allegations of corruption and after mass rallies demanding his ouster organised by the opposition.
One week later, the emir dissolved parliament for the fourth time in under six years.
The new cabinet, which includes only minor changes, is headed by former defence minister Sheikh Jaber Mubarak Al-Sabah, and is comprised of just 10 ministers, all of whom held posts in the previous cabinet.
Interior minister Sheikh Ahmad al-Humud Al-Sabah, a senior member of the ruling family, has been entrusted with the defence portfolio, while the foreign affairs, oil, finance, electricity and water ministries remain unchanged.
The newly appointed cabinet is the eighth to be formed in Kuwait since February 2006.
All previous cabinets were forced to resign over political disputes.
A decree for the upcoming election-which must be held within 60 days of the dissolution of the 50-seat parliament was expected to be issued later Wednesday.
The new compact cabinet will serve for several weeks as stipulated by Kuwaiti law, which calls on the government to resign after declaring election results.
Kuwait has been rocked by a series of almost non-stop political disputes since Sheikh Nasser, a nephew of the emir, was appointed premier in February 2006.
Kuwait is OPEC's third largest producer, pumping about 3.0 million barrels of oil per day.
It has a native population of 1.2 million and 2.4 million foreign residents.
Despite accumulating massive assets exceeding $300 billion from high oil prices, development projects have been stalled because of the political turmoil.(