Govt committed to ‘aam aadmi’: Prez
New Delhi, February 22
Reiterating the UPA’s commitment to the welfare of ‘aam aadmi’, President Pratibha Patil today declared the government’s firm resolve to rein in prices of essential commodities and strengthen the country’s security apparatus to equip it to meet the challenge posed by terrorism.

India outraged over beheading of Sikhs
New Delhi to raise issue at Foreign Secy-level talks

New Delhi, February 22 India today strongly condemned the ‘barbaric’ beheading of two Sikhs by the Taliban in Pakistan as Sikh organisations asked the government to intervene and take up the matter strongly with the Pakistan Government.	BJP activists scuffle with police during protests in New Delhi against the killing of two members of the Sikh community in Pakistan by the Taliban. — Reuters
Pak must check terror: Rao Editorial: Taliban’s outrageous act

Sukna Scam
Lt Gen Prakash gets relief, tribunal quashes COI
New Delhi, February 22
Lt Gen Avadesh Prakash today got relief from the Armed Forces Tribunal (AFT), which quashed the Court of Inquiry (COI) proceedings against him in the Sukna land scam and ordered a de novo probe into it.

Kishenji offers 72-day ceasefire
Kolkata, Febuary 22
The Maoists tonight made a conditional ceasefire offer asking the government to halt the offensive against them for 72 days and involve mediators for talks.

VVIPs on ultras’ hit list
Jalandhar, February 22
Revival of terrorism in Punjab is a possibility, following latest secret reports of the Intelligence Wing of the Punjab police. According to the reports, terrorist groups could target religious and historical shrines , besides some busy public places. The terrorist outfits, including Babbar Khalsa International (BKI), have placed several VVIPs on their hit list.

Pro-Telangana Rally
Agitating lawyers try to enter Parliament annexe
New Delhi, February 22
Outsmarting security officials, a section of protesting pro-Telengana lawyers who had assembled at the Jantar Mantar today managed to reach the gates of Parliament and raised slogans before they could be stopped. About 200 agitating lawyers walked towards Parliament during the protest, without catching the attention of the police. They reached the Parliament House annexe raising pro-Telengana slogans.

Buried in House files: 47 Bills New Delhi, February 22 At the start of another session, Parliament has 47 Bills waiting to see the light of day. Of these, 14 are pending in Lok Sabha and 33 in Rajya Sabha, including an extraordinary piece of legislation — the 18-year-old Constitution (Seventy-ninth) Amendment Bill, 1992, which seeks to amend the directive principles of state policy to make population control the state’s duty and provide for disqualification of MPs/legislators with more than two children!