New Delhi, April 9
It was a moment of pride and honour for families of defence heroes today as President Pratibha Patil presented a total of 69 medals, including gallantry and service decorations, to personnel from the Army, Navy, Air Force and other allied defence services at an investiture ceremony here.

Three Army men, including two Majors, were decorated with Kirti Chakra, the country’s second highest peacetime gallantry medal, for their bravery during counter-terrorism operations in Jammu and Kashmir. As many as 23 Shaurya Chakras and 15 Param Vishist Seva Medals were also presented by the President.

Among the Kirti Chakra awardees was Major Amit Oscar Fernandes of the Maratha light infantry. “…Fernandes caught the weapon of the terrorist by its barrel and deflected it away from his party…. The hot barrel caused burns to his hand… the terrorist bit his thumb… Fernandes persisted and snatched the weapon away from the terrorist,” read his citation. In poor visibility and rough terrain, Fernandes not only saved the lives of his comrades but also eliminated three hardcore terrorists in Baramulla.

Major Suresh Suri, who go the Kirti Chakra posthumously, displayed a conspicuous act of bravery, comradeship and exemplary leadership. He was badly injured in a gunfight with terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir in September last year. But that did not deter him from evacuating his injured comrade. Ultimately, Suri succumbed to his injuries. Suri’s wife Pallavi received the award from the President. The third Kirti Chakra went to Naik Rishikesh Gurjar of the Rajput Regiment. He killed two terrorists in close combat.

Among the Shaurya Chkara awardees was IAF’s Squadron Leader Harkirat Singh, a fighter pilot. He had taken off from Uttarlai near Barmer in September 2008 in a MIG-21 Bison. Flying at a height of 40,000 meters during a practice interception, the aircraft engines failed. The crash was imminent and ejection at that height was not possible. Further, there was danger of the aircraft crashing into a settlement causing further loss of human lives.

Singh’s citation said: “...The pilot faced the demanding task of carrying a landing in the night… his composed mental state under extreme adverse conditions were instrumental in successfully recovering the aircraft.. any wrong input or delayed action by the pilot would have resulted in a catastrophe.” Mustafa Ali, an IAF flight engineer, who was killed after his helicopter — that was transporting Election Commission officials and ballot boxes after polling in Chattisgarh Assembly elections — came under Maoist fire in November 2008, was also on the list of awardees. The pilot of the same chopper, Squadron leader TK Chaudhri, was awarded the Shaurya Chakra for piloting the chopper to safety in Jagadalpur and saving the lives of 15 men on board.

Among other Shaurya Chakra awardees were: Major Ankur Garg, Major Saurabh Dutt Kholia, Major Dinesh Singh Parmar, Major Subramaniam Anand. Major Ajay Singh, Major Harneet Singh Samra, Major Manoj A Pothen, Captain Mudassar Iqbal, Capt Anoop Pandey, Lt Satbir Singh. 

New Delhi, April 9
Scientists from the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) and Narora Atomic Power Station (NAPS) concluded today that radiation from Cobalt-60, a radioactive isotope of cobalt used in radiotherapy, was behind the mysterious injuries to six persons in Mayapuri area of the city, which triggered panic and alert yesterday night

The radioactive material is likely to have found its way to a scrap dealer several days back from a hospital in Faridabad and he and his employees at the shop began feeling sick as they got exposed to the container carrying radiation material over these days.

Jain, who is serious, was admitted to a private hospital on April 4 but the news of his sickness caused by radiation spread yesterday evening.

SK Malhotra, BARC spokesperson, said two teams of scientists have collected eight samples (consisting of wires, nuts, bolts, pellets and other material) and have isolated them. “Two teams of scientists from BARC and Narora arrived here last night and we have gathered eight bunch of Cobalt-60 samples from the two shops. They have been isolated and taken away. The area can be concluded safe now as no elevated level of radioactivity is present,” said Malhotra. He said a lead container full of radioactive product was tried and broken open by the men working at the shop, which led to radiation.

As soon as the news of injuries caused by mysterious radiation spread in the Mayapuri area spread, panic struck and some people living near to the two shops, where the incident occurred, either ran away or confined themselves inside. It was only after experts arrived that a sense of order returned.

The police has blamed the hospital, which is likely to be one in Faridabad, for not following rules regarding disposal of such radioactive materials. The Department of Atomic Energy said in a statement later that Jain, who has suffered maximum injuries, has high radiation levels and four nearby shops also had high radiation fields. However, the teams of scientists have located the sources of radiation and took corrective measures. 

New Delhi, April 9
The government is working to include Indian Systems of Medicine (Ayush) in the medical courses to ensure holistic healing through quality control. Minister of State for Health Gandhiselvan today said the National Rural Health Mission was the main vehicle to achieve the goal and it seeks to open up local health tradition.

The minister said a proposal before the government is to have a medical facility combining western medicine and Indian system of medicine to provide holistic medical treatment as it was not possible to open hospitals with facilities only for traditional medicine. “A suggestion is also gaining ground for allopathic medical courses to include Ayush so that students are able to get the best of all aspects of medical knowledge,” he said.

Emphasising the need for quality control, Gandhiselvan said the Quality Council of India, an autonomous body under the government, had been deputed by the Department of Ayush to develop voluntary certification systems covering Ayush products and medicinal plants. This mandate has recently been extended to cover quality standards of Ayurvedic Hospital Services.

The minister added that medical education would have to be more inclusive and open ended with the knowledge of science itself open to alternate approaches. 

New Delhi, April 9
Sitting ducks. That’s how Chhattisgarh’s top terrorism expert Brigadier (retd) BK Ponwar describes the security personnel who are fighting the Naxalites in the ‘Red Corridor’.

“The CRPF and the police personnel are not following the basic rules of jungle warfare,” said Ponwar, who heads the state’s first Counter-Terrorism and Jungle Warfare College in Bastar, while talking to The Tribune.

“I don’t want to annoy anyone but while combing the jungles you are required to follow standard operation procedures. Such basics save lives. If you don’t stick to them, the results are disastrous. Dantewada is a live example,” points out Ponwar, adding that he has been time and again warning the paramilitary troops to avoid pitfalls. “Despite my repeated instructions, the teams are not following the basic rules of special counter-Naxal operations in the jungles and on pucca and kuccha roads,” he said.

Also, they rely too much on their superior firepower, which is not of much help in that tough terrain, he added.

Ponwar says the policemen are being sent into the jungles after a few lectures at training camps but they are not fully oriented to carry out such specialised operations.” For example, they have been told not to travel by road, and use it only as a navigation tool. They’ve also been asked to not use vehicles and move in a V-formation in the forest. But mistakes keep happening,” said the expert.

“I have also been briefing the jawans that during combing operations they should never sleep in a village. Resting place should be on a ridge with a three-side clear view, ” he said. “But most of them enter the jungles or traverse the hilly terrain, believing in their superior firepower…see what happened on Tuesday…the Naxals outnumbered them in the terrain which they know like the palm of their hand,” said Ponwar.

“Your fight with Naxals starts right at your doorstep…be careful otherwise your body will go back. This is what I tell the commandos that come to my college,” says the man, who is on Naxals’ hit list. Last year, the rebels tried to blow up his vehicle by installing a massive landmine in a five- feet tunnel dug under the main Raipur-Jagdalpur highway near the college. The tragedy was averted following a timely alert from locals.

Asked for how long the Naxal menace would continue, Ponwar said: “If a joint operation is launched in the entire ‘Red’ belt, we can wipe out the problem in a year or so.”

Of the 76 policemen who were killed in Tuesday’s attack, 75 belonged to the CRPF. The CRPF team had been on a special combing mission in the interiors of Tarmetla jungles, near Chintalnar, when the Naxals attacked them. The rebels first blew up an anti-mine vehicle with an IED and then ambushed the CRPF team.

The last major incident took place in Chhattisgarh on July 12, 2009, when around 40 policemen, including the Superintendent of Police Vinod Kumar Choubey, were killed in a gruesome guerrilla attack by the Maoists in Rajnandgaon district.

Maoists have become more offensive in Chhattisgarh as the state police last year breached the “Red Corridor” in its two northern districts, Sarguja and Jashpur, flushing out rebels from there. The ‘Operation Green Hunt’ has also been provoking the Maoists.

New Delhi, April 9
Friday saw reciprocal politics at its very best. The BJP came out in support of Home Minister P Chidambaram, asking him not to be seen to be retreating, as any such move would mean victory for Maoist guerrillas. The Congress reciprocated the magnanimity by staying mum on Chattisgarh BJP Chief Minister Raman Singh.

Congress spokesman Abhishek Singhvi refused to answer the question on whether the Chattisgarh CM should take moral responsibility for the Dantewada carnage and offer to resign, just like Chidambaram had done.

Interestingly, even though the Congress today chose to heap praises on the Home Minister for offering to resign, in the past three days there have been substantial murmurs within the party on how Chidambaram’s statement on Naxals in West Bengal was the reason behind the heinous attack.

A section within the Congress is not too happy with the way anti-Naxal operations are being handled by the Home Minister. This group believes that Naxals cannot be equated with terrorists in Kashmir. However, the criticism has not been vocal.

A senior Congress leader admits to differences but also adds that within a party there will always be divergent viewpoints. Moreover, even though there are people within the party gunning for Chidambaram, the general feeling right now is that it is the State of India that is under threat and that this is not the time to score brownie points. “They know that under the circumstances, he is the best man. Politicians do not say or do anything that is not perceived well at that point of time,” observers say.

Ditto with the BJP. It, too, believes that there is a genuine threat to the country from Maoists and that any attempt at politicking under the circumstances could backfire. The need to stick with the Congress also stems from the fact that among the worst Naxal-affected areas are states either ruled by the BJP or where it is an alliance partner.

New Delhi, April 9
A day after Indian Army chief General VK Singh, pointed out that were “internal deficiencies” in the way the CRPF carried out the Dantewada operations, the Ministry of Home Affairs tonight rebutted reports in the media that the 75 CRPF men massacred Naxals had not undergone training or were ill-equipped. The ministry termed the reports as “incorrect and baseless”.

The Army chief had said that the CRPF’s 62 Battalion had not trained under the Army for jungle warfare. The MHA listed out the dates on which these companies had undergone “anti-Naxal” training but did not reveal the location of training.
“Pre-induction training was imparted with specific reference to the area in which they were to be inducted”. All three companies of the battalion were well-equipped. After the ambush, the following arms were lost: LMGs (6), INSAS rifles (42), SLRs (7), AK-47 rifles (17), mortars (2) and carbine (1),” said the ministry. As regards training capacity, the CRPF has schools in Silchar and Shivpuri with an annual capacity to train 1,829 personnel and 750 personnel, respectively. Four more ad hoc training schools are being set up, one of which will be for the CRPF. Twenty more CIAT schools, with a total annual capacity of 18,000 personnel, are being set up in five states with MHA’s assistance.

The Army has trained 10 battalions of the CRPF, 10 of the BSF and 5 battalions of the ITBP prior to their induction in Naxal-affected states, the ministry said. 

New Delhi, April 9
After suffering a major blow at the hands of the Naxals in Chhattisgarh, the CRPF today said it will not let the blood of its men go waste and take the battle against the Maoists forward with a hardened resolve.

“We will not let this blood go waste. I pledge to carry forward the battle,” CRPF Special Director General (North) NK Tripathi said at the force's Valour Day event here. Asked if the force was feeling demoralised after the Dantewada attack in which 75 CRPF personnel were wiped out in an ambush on April 6, he said, “There is no question of our moral being hit. As a matter of fact, our resolve to fight has hardened.” Tripathi said the force would take more time to understand the mistakes committed and the right strategy adopted by the Naxals.

The senior CRPF official said he did not agree with certain media reports regarding lack of training in the force and that the particular company which was attacked in Dantewada had not been given the required training. — PTI

New Delhi, April 9
The Jamiatul Ulemae Hind, the premier organisation of Muslim clerics, has demanded reservation for Muslim women under proposed Women’s reservation in Parliament and state legislatures.

The JUH is holding a public meeting on April 11 to press for this and many other issues affecting the Muslims and has invited Samajwadi Party president Mulayam Singh Yadav, RJD chief Lalu Prasad and LJP supremo Ram Vilas Paswan to address this meeting. JUH chief Maulana Arshad Madani stated this here today.

He said, “No one can deny that Muslims have remained politically, socially and educationally backward in the country. It is in this context that the JUH demands reservation for Muslims, not only in jobs and educational institutions but also in legislatures.”

Opposing the Women’s Reservation Bill in its present form Madani said, “The Bill in its present form will benefit only affluent class and highly educated classes,” and added, “There is need to reserve quota for Muslims, backward and underprivileged women in the Bill.”

His other demands include implementation of the Ranganath Commission report, CBI probe into Batla House and bringing in an effective law against communal violence.

Mumbai, April 9
Come next summer the only Alphonso or 'Haapus' mangoes you will find in the markets will be grown in and around the Konkan region spanning coastal Maharashtra, Goa and Karwar in Karnataka. With support from the Maharashtra government, cultivators are seeking Geographic Indication (GI) registration for the Alphonso so that the fruit grown outside the region do not sport the prestigious tag.

The move to seek GI registration for the Alphonso was taken two years ago after similar varieties of the fruit from other parts of the country entered Mumbai's markets. “Fruits from Tamil Nadu and Gujarat sporting the Alphonso tag entered Mumbai last year to take advantage of the high prices for genuine Alphonso mangoes,” says Pandurang Taware, managing director of the Maharashtra Agricultural and Rural Tourism Cooperative Federation, one of the bodies behind the move.

The fruit, which was originally introduced by the Portuguese colonisers more than 500 years ago commands the highest prices in the market. First batches of the Alphonso that enters the market in January fetches the most. This year Alphonso from Ratnagiri had hit Rs 16,000 for a batch of four dozen fruits or Rs 333 per mango before declining later in the season.

The Alphonso growers have also received the support of Dapoli Agriculture University in the Konkan in their bid for getting fruit a GI registration. Once it comes through, fruits grown outside the geographical areas of Devgadh, Vengurla, Vijaydurg, Rajapur, Purnagadh, Jaygadh, Anjanvel, Mandangadh, and Dabhol will not be allowed to sport the Alphonso tag.

Mango cultivators from Ratnagiri allege that mango saplings have been purchased in large numbers by farmers in other parts of the country. The trees planted in the last decade are maturing and the fruits are arriving in the Mumbai markets to be sold as Alphonsos.

Similar GI registration tags like Champagne and Bordeaux apply to sparkling wines grown in the respective areas of France. In India, feni from Goa has also been given the GI registration after sustained efforts by the state government and distillers. Only the fine variety of rice grown in India and Pakistan can sport the Basmati tag.

Mumbai, April 9
The Maharashtra government has unveiled a reward and punishment policy to combat the Maoist rebels active in the state. A simultaneous beefing up of the anti-Naxal Task Force along with a rehabilitation package for the surrendered Maoists is being put in place, according to the state home department.

“Nine battalions of the CRPF are in the process of being moved to the Naxalite-hit areas of Gadchiroli,” state Home Minister RR Patil said. Gadchiroli, along with neighbouring districts of Gondia, Bhandara, Chandrapur, Yavatmal and Nanded have a st rong Maoist presence due to their proximity to the affected areas of Chattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh. The state government recently created more than 2300 new posts in Gadhchiroli district.

According to Director General of Police AN Roy, personnel from the Cobra C-60 force set up specially to counter the Maoists have been deployed. “Operations are continuing in Gadchiroli and Gondia districts,” Roy said. Maharashtra suffered a major Maoists attack in October last year when 17 police personnel were ambushed and killed by a Naxalite dalam led by a woman. Earlier in the year, three police personnel were ambushed and killed by the rebels.

Sunil Ramanand, who heads the anti-Maoist task force in the state, says co-ordinated action by the police force of all the Naxal-hit states is part of a clear and bold strategy. Under this policy, troops clear an area of the Naxalites and stay put while the civil administration puts in place infrastructure and other amenities to woo the local population.

The state government is also aggressively wooing the Naxalites to surrender by providing them with incentives. Since 2005, more than 319 rebels, including some zonal commanders, and dalam commanders of the so-called People’s Liberation Army have accepted the rehab package, according to Ramanand.

The anti-Naxal forces in Maharashtra have achieved success in tracking the movement of rebels by deploying the Unmanned Aerial Vehicles or pilot-less aircraft. These drones, equipped with sophisticated night-vision, help the authorities in pinpointing the location of rebels who move around after sundown.

Commanders of battalions operating the drones are able to obtain visuals from these UAVs on to their laptops thus enabling them to react quickly, according to police sources. A proposal to air-drop commandos as part of search and destroy facilities of the rebels is still pending. The Union home ministry is yet to allow bombardment of the Maoist hideouts from the air, according to state home ministry sources.

Advanced versions of the drones come equipped with radio-tracking equipment that allows operators to listen into conversations by the guerrilla units. These drones are built by the state-owned DRDO

Jaipur, April 9
Famous world over as a tourist destination, Jaisalmer is poised to be a hub of solar power generation in the country.

According to a recent assessment of the Jaisalmer region, the area has the potential of generating up to 1 lakh MW of power. Rajasthan Energy Minister Jitendra Singh said, “The assessment shows that the sands of Jaisalmer spread in a radius of 100 km are capable of generating 1 lakh MW of power in future, which is sufficient to cater to the power needs of the entire country.”

The state government’s enthusiasm vis-à-vis solar power generation is being attributed to increase in number of applicants who have evoked interest in making investment to harness solar power in the state. The state has already received 220 bookings for producing energy from solar power in the state and if the investment materialises, Rajasthan will be generating 8,000 MW additional power.

At present, the state has a power generation of 8,000 MW, which comes from collective contribution of the state-owned and private power generation firms. Another factor that has boosted the spirit of the state’s energy department is the incentives being offered by the Centre to the companies keen to invest in solar power generation.

Talking about the overall scenario, the state has received proposals from companies like Reliance Industries Limited, Par Solar, Jindal Power, GVK Power and Infrastructure Limited, Moser Baer Photovoltaic Limited and Zoom Developers for setting up solar plants in the state. These companies will set up their respective plants across the districts of Barmer, Jaisalmer, Bikaner and Jodhpur. These plants will be based on different technologies like solar photovoltaic, solar thermal and thin film, etc.

The state receives the highest amount of solar radiation in the country, but the only problem in tapping solar energy potential is the high cost of power generation. Power generation from solar energy is quite expensive. The cost per megawatt in case of solar power comes to around Rs 18 crore as against Rs 4 crore in case of thermal power and Rs 5 crore in wind power. The per unit cost of generation is also high at Rs 15 in case of solar power plant compared to Rs 3 per unit in conventional electricity.

Meanwhile, the World Institute of Sustainable Energy has come out with a clean energy technology action plan for climate mitigation, as per which the state has a potential of producing 50,000 MW to 2.3 lakh MW of energy. However, only a fraction of this potential has been realised so far.

Raipur, April 9
As Chhattisgarh police officers analyse what went wrong in Dantewada, one of their demands is better anti-landmine vehicles to safeguard the personnel.

"An anti-landmine vehicle can withstand the impact of an explosion up to a certain limit after which it can get damaged. It seems the Naxals have identified its capacity and are targeting it," said a senior police officer.

In the past five years, there have been at least six instances when the Maoists have damaged anti-landmine vehicles in blasts. This includes the 2006 incident in Gangalur village of the Bastar area when 24 jawans were killed.

Whenever Naxals target an anti-landmine vehicle, it does not get destroyed completely but certain portions get damaged, causing serious injuries to the jawans sitting in it, he said.

Following such incidents, the state police has now written to the vehicle manufacturers to rectify the flaws and make them more safe. — PTI

Sasaram: The Maoists shot dead a farmer, his son and blasted their house at Konarkhurd in Bihar's Rohtas district, the police said today.

“More than a hundred armed Maoists raided the house of Dadan Singh, pulled the family members out and triggered dynamite blasts to blow up the house at Konarkhurd in Chenari police station late last night,” Deputy Superintendent of Police RK Mal said. They gunned down Singh and his son Bishambhar Singh, he said.A combing operation had been launched to catch the Maoists, he said. 

Patna, April 9
RJD leader Lalu Prasad's recent visit to Patna Zoo with securitymen carrying weapons has sparked off a controversy with the authorities ordering an inquiry by a Forest Ranger to investigate the matter.

“Forest Ranger Shashibushan Prasad has begun an investigation and would submit the report in a week,” Director of Patna Zoo Abhay Kumar said. Lalu visited the zoo on Wednesday to offer prayers at a temple inside with his security guards carrying sophisticated weapons, prompting Kumar to order the inquiry. “The guards of the zoo have also been asked to explain why they allowed Lalu's security personnel to enter the zoo with weapons," Kumar said.

Asked whether entry into the zoo with weapons was banned, Kumar said, “It is an administrative order being followed by all who visit the zoo for the safety of animals and environment.”

“We have approached the state government to issue strict directives to VIPs with Z-plus security to follow the administrative order,” he said. — PTI

Shillong, April 9
Minister of State for External Affairs Shashi Tharoor has defended his tweets saying these are "interactive akashvani" but regrets the distortion of his comments.

"This is an extended and very informal conversation with a large number of people. I have over seven lakh people who are reading what I have to say, who react to what I have to say and who also put up questions to me," Tharoor told PTI here last night.

The minister is here on a two-day visit to attend an international seminar at the North East Hill University.

“It's a kind of interactive akashvani. That is the whole purpose of this kind of communication," he added.

The minister was in spotlight earlier for his "holy cow" and "cattle class" comments on Twitter on the government's austerity measures.

In an apparent reference to journalists, he said, "If anybody wants to quote it, I do not have any objection. But incidentally, if anyone wants to distort it, I regret that."

Asked if he would be always available on Twitter, Tharoor quipped, "Right now there are many ways you can get me like radio and television." — PTI