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GAIL launches anti-malaria nets
Centre to expand Kolkata airport
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Ideology first, individual last: RSS to tell BJP
New Delhi, July 3 The BJP today decided the candidature of Surendrabhai Patel, treasurer of the Gujarat unit of the party, and Surya Kant Acharya, senior leader of the party, for the July 14 biennial elections to the Rajya Sabha from Gujarat.
New Delhi, July 3 Giving a new twist to the Imrana case, the All-India Muslim Personal Law Board today said the woman might not have been raped as claimed and the allegation might have been influenced by a property dispute.
Govind Ghat mudslide: Sikh pilgrims launch stir
Regime change in Iran may shoot up oil prices
Bangarappa sees early Assembly poll in Karnataka
TRS threatens to divorce Cong in Andhra
CABE panel recommends neighbourhood schools
Paswan’s condition stable
Rare Buddha idol recovered
Garoland issue hots up in Meghalaya
Replica of steam engine installed at Roorkee station
AGP expels Mahanta
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GAIL launches anti-malaria nets
New Delhi, July 3 Malaria affects over one million Indians annually resulting in around 1,000 deaths and medical bills worth crores. GAIL has taken up the project in collaboration with Sumitomo Chemicals of Japan to promote these special nets made from one of its flagship product called G-Lex. After successful trials in Tamil Nadu, these nets are being launched as part of government’s anti-malaria campaign. According to the WHO, India and Africa are among the worst malaria-affected regions of the world. After AIDS and TB, malaria is considered as one of the deadly diseases in India. After a ban on DDT, officials say, malaria is again emerging as a major disease in rural and urban India. According to official estimates, the annual market of anti-malaria repellents and creams has crossed over Rs 2,000 crore mark, and the mosquitoes are developing resistance to these products. Government is already running an anti-malaria programme across the country with the help of the World Bank. “Having a life span of five to seven years, the bed net will be made from high density polythethylene (HDPE) impregnated with a potent anti-malarial insecticide. The new technology has been developed by M/s Sumitomo Chemicals of Japan and these nets are called long lasting insecticidal net,” said a GAIL official. He said the insecticide released at a controlled rate, proves fatal for the mosquitoes. The net remains effective for at least five years. “Approved by the WHO, these nets have been tested at a globally accredited laboratory for efficacy and health. These nets have been approved clinically for humans and have no side-effects,” he added. GAIL has already identified two local manufacturers, who will be making the honey comb designed net from the special resin. GAIL will distribute these nets in selected malaria-prone areas. There are a number of states in India, especially Orissa, North-East, Gujarat, and northern states, which have been identified as malaria-prone. These bed nets will be distributed in select villages with the help of state governments, health departments and monitored for qualitative acceptance and evaluation. These are priced around Rs 500 per piece internationally, but in India, the price mark will be Rs 200 to Rs 250. The net will remain effective for five years, making it a very economical option as compared to the cost incurred on other mosquito repellents. UNICEF, global leader in net purchase and distribution, estimates that 30 to 40 million long-lasting insecticidal nets are required annually for the next five years in order to saturate the market. Only about 13 million nets are currently being produced. “GAIL has supplied some nets to the Border Roads Organisation and is awaiting their response on the effectiveness of the product,” the official said. |
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Centre to expand Kolkata airport
Kolkata, July 3 The proposal to upgrade the airport at par with all other international airports had been pending for over past few decades since the expansion of the runway for facilitating proper landing and take-off of the big aircraft like Airbus 300 and Boeing 747 was not possible on the short-route runway. The runway’s expansion needed the demolition of a mosque, which could not be possible due to resistance from the Muslim community and several other political parties. Former Civil Aviation Minister in the Vajpayee government, Mr Shawnawaz Khan, however, wanted that the runway be expanded as per plan by shifting the mosque to another place near the airport to which the Congress as well as several other left parties strongly objected. The Marxist Chief Minister, Mr Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, remained silent and non-committal on the plea that the matter fell within the jurisdiction of the NDA government, though like his predecessor, Mr Jyoti Basu, he strongly demanded that Kolkata airport be upgraded at par with all other international airport for facilitating more international flights. But now at long last, the UPA government agreed to expand the second runway only up to 440 metre against its original plan of extending it to an additional 1228 metre which could have matched the second runway with the 3627 metre long main runway at Dum Dum as it is in Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport and Mumbai’s Santa Cruz. The UPA Civil Aviation Minister, Mr Praful Patel (NCP) initially tried to expand the runway as per the original plan and accordingly, he held a meeting with the Chief Minister but later decided to expand the runway only up to 440 metres for the time being. This shortest expansion will protect and safeguard the mosque but there are doubts if it will facilitate the landing of big airbuses, boeings and jumbos there. The Director of the airport, Mr D.K.Monda, admitted they had received a formal clearance from the Civil Aviation Ministry for expanding the second runway up to 440 metre and Rs 22 crore had been sanctioned, the construction of which would start soon. He, however, felt this shortest expansion would not much stand in the way of landing and take-off of big aircrafts. But several civil aviation experts and the international pilots association have expressed doubt if the “shortest expansion” would at all attract the international plane companies to introduce their services to Kolkata under the present constraint since the safety and the security of the passengers as well as the aircraft would be involved. Moreover, even after this expansion, the landing and take-off of all big aircraft would depend mainly on the water and the temperature as done in the case of manual landing, since the short runway would not facilitate the introduction of the instrumental landing system there, feared the civil aviation experts. |
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Ideology first, individual last: RSS to tell BJP Surat, July 3 In the wake of the recent controversy surrounding BJP President L.K. Advani’s remark in Pakistan and consequent developments, the Sangh top brass is not only extremely concerned over the erosion of
ideology but also the growing tendency among party leaders to attack the RSS and display personal
loyalties, sources said. “It is not the issue of Mr Advani’s statement. It is the tendency towards personality-based politics, polarisation of individual loyalties and about everything else and the attack on the RSS even by small-time leaders that is worrying,” a senior RSS leader told PTI, on condition of anonymity. Over 140 delegates across the country, including key functionaries of the Parivar outfits and state organisers are attending the meeting whose stated agenda includes the review of its training programmes and birth centenary celebrations of second RSS chief Guru M.S. Golwalkar. With Mr Advani seeking to clarify his statement on Pakistan founder Mohammed Ali Jinnah and revive Hindutva issues in the run-up to the conclave, the mood was one of “forgive and forget” but the “leakage” of the letter written by BJP national secretary Sudheendra Kulkarni to BJP chief, stressing on the need to recast the BJP-RSS ties, on the eve of the Surat meet, appears to have complicated the matters further. While many in the RSS themselves were not very comfortable with their chief K. Sudarshan’s controversial
television interview suggesting leadership change, its criticism by people like Brijesh Mishra and recent “counsel” to the Sangh fountainhead by leaders like Pramod Mahajan and now Kulkarni have made them rally around the
Sarsanghchalak.
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BJP finalises RS candidates from Gujarat
New Delhi, July 3 BJP RS members Savitabehn Sarda and Lalit Mehta are retiring on July 18 after the completion of their terms. The names of Mr Patel and Mr Acharya, who are expected to be elected unopposed, were finalised by the central election committee, which met here under the chairmanship of party president Lal Krishna Advani. The meeting was attended by CEC members who were present in Delhi. The Congress has renominated Ahmed Patel, political secretary to party president Sonia Gandhi, for a third term in the Rajya Sabha from Gujarat. Former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, former party president Venkaiah Naidu, Sushma Swaraj, Pramod Mahajan and Anant Kumar were among those who did not attend the meeting that lasted for around 30 minutes. |
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Imrana might not have been raped: Muslim board
New Delhi, July 3 The AIMPLB had sent a team to Muzaffarnagar to ascertain facts about the case. “A team conducted investigation and found no evidence of rape except for Imrana’s claim,” the team leader and AIMPLB convenor
S.Q.R. Ilyaas said here. He said the team felt that the allegation might have been influenced by a property dispute between father-in-law Ali Ahmed and Imrana and her husband Nur
Ilahi.
— PTI |
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Govind Ghat mudslide: Sikh pilgrims launch stir
Dehra Dun, July 3 The pilgrims said nearly 350 vehicles had been buried while the administration estimated the number to be 150. Over 30 bigger vehicles were retrieved today, officials said. The pilgrims complained that they could not get in touch with their families due to disrupted communication network. They also alleged that the district administration was not doing enough to provide them with prompt relief and delaying the process of retrieving the vehicles. Meanwhile, there was a row between the pilgrims and the members of the management committee of the gurudwara over accusations of what the pilgrims called inadequate relief arrangements. The district officials had to intervene to bring the situation under control. The mudslide caused after a cloudburst had left 11 local shopkeepers dead. The bodies were recovered yesterday by the ITBP personnel, Border Road Organisation personnel and district administration. A relief of Rs 50,000 each has been announced for the families of the dead, officials said. The road to Badrinath and Hemkund Sahib has been cleared of the debris and traffic restored, the officials said. |
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Regime change in Iran may shoot up oil prices
New Delhi, July 3 The new President, who will take over in August, has already announced to give preference to local companies and investors in the oil sector, creating fear among oil marketing companies about the long-term oil supply from the region. Mr Ahmadinejad has announced to begin a clean-up operation in the oil sector, alleging that it was dominated by corruption and nexus between politicians, officials and oil companies. Iran will flush out corruption from the country’s oil industry and favour domestic investors in the underdeveloped hydrocarbons sector,” Mr Ahmadinejad is reported to have said. That may slow the increase in Iran’s oil output as demand for gasoline and jet fuel is increasing, led by the US, India and China. Development of oil reserves has been slowed in countries such as Mexico, Venezuela and Russia, where governments are increasing control over their domestic energy industries. It is not a coincidence that international crude oil prices have shot up to over $ 60 per barrel with the change in the regime. Though the prices marginally came down to $ 57 per barrel today, the market is expecting that in case of a conflict, the price may shoot up to over $ 80 per barrel. FICCI has also projected that in case of rise in international crude oil prices to $ 80 per barrel, the domestic prices of petrol would shoot up to Rs 50 per litre. It will not be easy for the government to check oil prices, which is already facing criticism from the Leftist parties. Iran, which is the fourth largest producer of oil in the world and has the second largest gas reserves, is a major oil supplier to India. Petroleum Minister Mani Shankar Aiyar has expressed hope that the change in regime will not have any adverse impact on the trade between the two countries. Experts in the field, however, say that with increasing pressure from the US on the new government in Iran, the future of $ 4 billion Iran-India gas pipeline remains uncertain. “ In case of US decision to launch attack on Iran over its nuclear ambitions, India may face difficulty in the supply of LNG from Teheran. New Delhi has recently signed a deal of over $ 20 billion for the supply of 5 million tonnes of natural gas over the next 25 years.” |
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Bangarappa sees early Assembly poll in Karnataka
Lucknow, July 3 Speaking to the Press during his first visit to the city following his victory on the Samajwadi Party ticket last month, Mr Bangarappa lashed out at the state Congress unit for its common minimum programme. Accusing the party of even joining hands with the BJP to ensure his defeat, he said this had brought down his margin to a little less than 17,000 votes, a sharp decline from his earlier victories, which were with a margin close to 1 lakh. According to him, the Congress, in order to impress party national President Sonia Gandhi, had also issued full-page
advertisements in the Delhi edition of a paper, pointing out that Bangarappa’s popularity had gone down after he left the Congress. Questioning the Congress’s popularity, which had polled 660 votes from Allahabad, Mr Bangarrappa said it should work on raising its profile rather than attacking others. Claiming a bright future for the Samajwadi Party in the event of early Assembly elections in Karnataka, the former Chief Minister said the party had already set up district units in 10 districts and had received a warm response. Ruling out an alliance with any political party, a position which he confirmed with National Samajwadi president Mulayam Singh Yadav right there, he stated that the party would go it alone and attempt to form a government in the state. |
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TRS threatens to divorce Cong in Andhra
Hyderabad, July 3 “We are seriously considering snapping our alliance with the state government. YSR Reddy’s rule is fascist,” senior TRS leader and Union Minister of State A. Narendra today said. The TRS has two ministers in the UPA Cabinet at the Centre and six in the state. The TRS, which is already nursing strained relations with the Congress over Telangana statehood issue, has raised objections over the government’s toughening stand against extremists. Dubbing the July 1 incident in which a top leader of Janashakti group of Naxalites Riaz was killed along with three as a fake encounter others, the TRS demanded a judicial probe into the incident. So incensed is the TRS over the encounter that a team of its ministers air-dashed to Delhi today to meet party supremo and Union Labour Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao to chalk out their future course of action. “We may be forced to reconsider continuing in the government if such fake encounters continue. We will consult our party president and take a decision,” the TRS leader and Minister for Youth Services and Employment T Harish Rao said. However, Chief Minister Y. S. Rajasekhar Reddy brushed aside the latest warning from TRS camp. |
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CABE panel recommends neighbourhood schools
New Delhi, July 3 It has suggested minimum basic infrastructure in schools, 1:40 teacher-student ratio and spending 6 per cent of the GDP on education, half of it on
elementary education. The report on ‘Free and Compulsory Education Bill and Other Issues Related to Elementary Education’ was submitted to Human Resource Development Minister Arjun Singh here. Mr Sibal said the committee favoured provision of 25 per cent of seats for poor students in private educational institutions. He said the burden would be shared by the government and students belonging to affluent families so as to make the education system integrated. Private educational institutions would be given time to implement the measures, he said. He said unless the allocation towards education was increased to 6 per cent of the GDP, the country would not be able substantially improve its present literacy rate. The committee advocated neighbourhood schools so that students did not have to travel a long distance for education, he said. Mr Sibal said parents and civil society had to ensure that there were no illiterate children in the country. He said no suggestions for punitive measures against parents or guardians who fail to send children or wards to school. The recommendations of the committee would be discussed by CABE in its meeting scheduled for July 14 and 15. |
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Paswan’s condition stable
New Delhi, July 3 “He is fine, though resting most of the time,” said his son, Mr Chirag
Paswan. He said tests were on and angiography was scheduled to be conducted
tomorrow morning. The LJP chief, on a visit to Bihar, had complained of chest pain last morning and was admitted to a Patna hospital. He was examined there by a five-member team from the Escorts Hospital that later brought him here. Meanwhile, Railway Minister Lalu Prasad today met LJP chief and wished him speedy recovery. Senior JD(U) leader Sharad Yadav also went to the hospital and met him. Among other senior political leaders who called on the ailing Paswan were Union ministers Prem Chand Gupta (RJD), Meira Kumar and Jai Prakash Narayan Yadav. |
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Rare Buddha idol recovered
Varanasi, July 3 A GRP patrol party recovered the idol from an unclaimed bag from Coach Six of the Howrah-bound Bombay Mail, the sources said.
— PTI |
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Garoland issue hots up in Meghalaya
Shillong, July 3 Captain Sangma led the united movement of Hills People to see the creation of Meghalaya in 1971, and became the first Chief Minister of the newly formed state. He represented the Garo tribes. After 34 years another prominent Garo leader of the state, Mr P.A. Sangma, former Lok Sabha Speaker and leader of the NCP, is now the focus of all development concerning the demand for the creation of “Garoland”, a state to be carved out of Meghalaya for Garos. The
North-East, mostly known for its insurgency problem, is presently witnessing the emergence of an otherwise apolitical issue like education as a bone of contention between Khasis and Garos in Meghalaya resulting in the demand for the bifurcation of the state. It all started recently over the fiasco in the distribution of examination papers by the Meghalaya Board of Secondary Education (MBOSE), with its headquarters at Tura in Garo hills, for the
students from Shillong in the Khasi-dominated areas. This prompted the Khasi Students Union (KSU) to demand the bifurcation of MBOSE with the appointment of one secretary each for Tura and Shillong and a full-fledged chairman. The KSU had called a three-day bandh between June 23 and 25 affecting normal life on the issue. The agitating KSU activists also torched government vehicles and properties. The Chief Minister, of state, D.D. Lapang, heading the Congress-led Meghalaya Democratic Alliance (MDA), declared to appoint one secretary each for Tura and Shillong for MBOSE following the demand of the KSU, which amounted to the bifurcation of MBOSE. The decision followed the resignation of State Sports Minister Paul Lyndoh, former KSU President, from the Cabinet in support of the KSU’s demand. Lyndoh now
represents the Khun Hynniewtrep National Awakening Movement (KHNAM), a supporting ally of the Congress. But soon after D.D.Lapang declared the appointment of one secretary each for Tura and Shillong, the Garo
Students Union and Garo Citizens Forum called a two-day bandh in Garo hills between June 24 and 25 to protest against the move. This again prompted the Congress-led alliance to convene a Cabinet meeting which decided to expand the expert committee on education to review the decision of the Chief Minister to appoint Secretaries for Tura and Shillong and submit the
report within two months. The committee is headed by the state’s Chief Secretary. The Chief Minister has been forced to retreat for the time being, despite representing the Khasis, because of the strong protest against his decision by Mukul Sangma, the Deputy Chief Minister, who represents the Garos. Both Khasis and Garos are now demanding the bifurcation of Meghalaya for the creation of separate states for Khasis and Garos. The third tribe, Jayantis, are with the Khasis. Out of the 60 Assembly seats, 24 are from three Garo hill districts. As the movement is fast taking the shape for separate states for the creation of Garos and Khasis, P.A. Sangma is back into action. The Garo Citizens Forum has already adopted a resolution demanding the creation of Garoland. The NCP will organise a public rally in October where it plans to officially place the demand for the creation of Garoland. The NCP was taking the time to mobilise public support on the issue. It is learnt that P.A. Sangma is now in touch with the Congress leader and Deputy Chief Minister Mukul Sangma on the issue, and both Sangmas are reportedly moving in the same direction to place the demand for Garoland. On their part, the KSU and the KHNAM are also demanding separate state for Khasis and Jayantis. Chief Minister D.D. Lapang seems to be helpless as the Congress does not have absolute majority in the Assembly to tackle this issue. |
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Replica of steam engine installed at Roorkee station
New Delhi, July 3 The replica has been crafted by workmen at the
Amritsar railway workshop who relied on the drawings of the original steam locomotive. The drawings were prepared by IIT Roorkee. Sources in the Northern Railway said the Director of IIT, Roorkee, Prof Prem Vrat, Chairman and CEO, Noida Development Authority, D.D. Sharma, Additional General Manager, Northern Railway, V.K. Kaul, Chief Mechanic Engineer, Northern Railway, S.P.Singh and the workmen involved in the construction of the replica of the locomotive were present during the installation. “Roorkee is on the Dehra Dun-Shatabdi route and has a lot of historical importance. IIT Roorkee has linkages with international educational institutions and Roorkee, therefore, gets a lot of visitors from overseas.” The Railway Board Chairman also conducted a window trailing inspection of the 100-km track between Roorkee and Meerut. Hailing the initiative, Executive Director (Heritage) in the Railway Ministry, Rajesh Agarwal said Thompson was the pride of India and was older than the 153-year-old Indian Railways. “This has been done in heritage interest. It will revive the nostalgia of the advent of steam locomotives and the ushering in of India’s industrial revolution.” The Thompson steam locomotive was brought to India from the UK in December 1851 and marks the beginning of the era of steam locomotives in India. Mr Agarwal said when the National Rail Archives were set up in 2002 as part of 150 year
celebrations of the Indian Railways, he stressed on the need for documenting details on the Thompson steam locomotive as India’s first steam locomotive. “The story goes that when the Thompson locomotive was brought to India for construction of the aqueduct near Roorkee, everybody felt that it was some kind of a monster that puffed a lot of black smoke. It did not last too long. Everybody heaved a sigh of relief when its boiler exploded,’’ said Agarwal who has been Director of the National Rail Museum (NRM). |
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AGP expels Mahanta
Tinsukia (Assam), July 3 A senior party leader said the steering committee met here this afternoon and decided to expel Mahanta, who was earlier served a show-cause notice, in the larger interest of the party. Sitting MLAs Sahidul Alam Choudhury, Utpal Dutta, Bubul Das and former speaker Ganesh Kutum have been also issued show-cause notices for alleged anti-party activities. Meanwhile, Mahanta said in a statement that all members of the AGP must put up a united front. “Efforts must be made to strengthen the regional force for fulfilling the hopes and aspirations of the people of Assam and for that all members of the AGP must remove their difference and stay united,” he said. He said the AGP must be strengthened to prevent the Congress from retaining power. Mahanta has been in the eye of the storm for the past few weeks for criticising the party leadership following which he was issued a show-cause notice.
— PTI |
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