Patna, September 4
Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi today kick-started the party election campaign for the ensuing Bihar Assembly polls by addressing two public meetings at Saharsa (Kosi belt) and Samastipur (north Bihar).

Unlike his past visits when he praised Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s “good work” and called him “a man with good intensions”, the Nehru-Gandhi scion this time launched a blistering attack on Nitish and also took a pot shot at his secular credentials.

Addressing an impressive crowd that had waited for him for hours in the scorching sun, Rahul said Nitish Kumar had been maintaining a “relation of convenience” with Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi. “He did not allow him (Modi) to campaign in Bihar during the last Lok Sabha elections but soon after the polls, both were seen holding each other’s hands at a rally in Ludhiana. Now when the Bihar polls are round the corner, Nitishji has again started opposing Narendra Modi,” Rahul said.

He also criticised Nitish Kumar for remaining a “mute spectator” to the mayhem in Gujarat as the Railway Minister in the Vajpayee government. “Why didn’t he resign from the Union cabinet at that time,” he questioned.

Equating the Nitish Kumar government with Mayawati government in neighbouring Uttar Pradesh, Rahul said they had not improved anything in their state. The condition of people in Bihar and UP was pathetic as compared to the developed states like Delhi, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Haryana.

Chandigarh, September 4
The much required modernisation of ordnance factories is held up because adequate vendors are not available for the supply of equipment, plants and machinery that are required to upgrade the existing facilities.

Investment proposals worth several thousand crore rupees have been mooted for the ordnance factories, but the execution of many continues to hang fire. This would, in turn, affect the serviceability status, maintenance and upgradation of weapons, ammunition, armoured vehicles and equipment held by the services, especially the Army.

The expansion of the capacity in ordnance factories is required especially in the field of tanks and armoured personnel carriers. Ordnance factories have draw up projects for modernisation, but difficulties remain in implementation because for many of the machines required, there is only one vendor.

Sources said the Ordnance Factory Board (OFB), as per procedure, tendered for the procurement of specialist machines for making special ammunition, but they came across only one vendor. Consequently, no progress was made because the board was not able to actually establish the reasonableness of the price. The OFB tendered twice for the project, but still did not get more vendors.

Similarly, due to the limited number of vendors worldwide for the supply of explosives manufacturing and automatic explosives filling plant, the investment plan for the explosive plant could not be finalised, the sources said. Investment proposal worth Rs 2,300 crore is being pursued for procurement of explosives manufacturing plants such as the single-base propellant plant, nitro-cellulose plant, nitro-glycerin plant and small arms ammunition plant.

The army had intimated the OFB its long-term requirement of ammunition and armoured vehicles, based upon which the investment plans for modernisation and capacity augmentation of ordnance factories were formulated. This, as per the available information, included about Rs 390 crore for T-72 tank variants, Rs 80 crore for BMP-II armoured personnel carriers, Rs 1,515 crore for large calibre weapons and Rs 48 crore for mine protected vehicles.

The OFB has 39 factories with two more coming up at Nalanda in Bihar and Korwa in Uttar Pradesh that manufacture a vast range of war-fighting equipment, items of personal use and allied stores for the three services. After seeing an increase in sales over three years from 2006 to 2009, the figures fell in 2009-10. The sale of OFB products amounted to Rs 7,229 crore in 2008-09, but towards the end of 2009 it was just Rs 3,808 crore, say the Ministry of Defence figures.

New Delhi, September 4
The BJP has decided to postpone “till further notice” its national executive, scheduled for September 18 and 19 at Jammu, to remain ambiguous on the Babri Masjid-Rama Janmabhoomi issue.

The Allahabad High Court judgment in the case, is also expected, say BJP sources, around the same time and the party leadership is under pressure from the RSS and its affiliates, including the VHP and Bajrang Dal, to take a clear stand on it. Already sections within the BJP are seriously debating on how they should react to the verdict.

Sources said there were clear indications that certain members of the national executive were determined to rake up the issue at the two-day meet in Jammu. So, the party leadership decided to postpone the meet.

Sources said the RSS wants the BJP either to join the agitation or at least exert pressure for a legislation to secure the disputed site for the temple. But the BJP top brass seems to be in a dilemma for two major reasons. The first is impending Assembly poll in Bihar where coalition partner Chief Minister Nitish Kumar of the JD(U) is bending backwards to dent the Muslim vote bank of his rival and RJD chief Lalu Prasad. The revival of temple issue will give a handle to Lalu.

An equally important but a more long-term factor, said a source, is a realisation that as the national party, leading the alternative national coalition, aspiring to replace the UPA in the next General Election, the BJP is faced with the dilemma that in power it has to behave as a party committed to the rule of law and constitutional propriety.

Therefore, the BJP leadership is inclined to take a middle path whatever the verdict may be. A senior leader said: “There is a change in the rank and file. The lessons learnt after being in government for six years have made the BJP see the beauty of middle path.”

A recent meeting of Sangh Parivar members at Chitrakoot, also attended by some BJP leaders, took up matter along with other issues. The VHP has already begun its campaign for constructing the Ram temple on the disputed site, exhorting people to come forward for the cause through public recitations of Hanuman Chalisa. But when a BJP MP sought to raise the Ayodhya issue at the last parliamentary party meeting on August 31, BJP parliamentary party chairman LK Advani advised the MPs to wait for the judgment.

Thereafter, BJP MPs from UP met party president Nitin Gadkari. The BJP chief, however, refused to acknowledge this when confronted and said: “No comments.”

The very next day, Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Sushma Swaraj, also skirted the issue.

New Delhi, September 4
Alarmed by complete disregard of regulatory procedures governing the export of biological material for research, the Government is planning to toughen protocols in this respect. The move comes after revelations that the Indian scientists, who participated in the controversial superbug study attributing to India the emergence of a dangerous antibiotic resistant bacterium, did so without seeking permissions under the existing laws.

Union Health Secretary Sujatha Rao on Thursday admitted that the Drug Controller General of India had issued notices to the Indian scientists asking them if they had sought the required permissions.

“Two of the scientists, including the lead author Karthikeyan Kumaraswamy, have pleaded ignorance of such procedures. They said they had no idea a protocol had to be followed. But ignorance is no excuse under the law,” she said, adding that the superbug study brought to the fore a deep malaise in the field of research in India, where most scientists did not know they had protocols to observe and biological materials including blood samples etc could not be exported from the country just like that.

“This study has raised a vital issue. We are not against research but the implication of unregulated export of biological material has to be ascertained considering we are a transforming economy and a hub for clinical trials in the world. We can’t just let biological material go out or come in sans controls. Let us not forget that HIV-spread was also courtesy lack of such regulation,” Rao said.

Not all scientists involved in the superbug study (published in Lancet online) have responded to the notices sent in respect of violation of procedures. The Drug Controller General issued these notices earlier this week. He is awaiting a full response following which some action will be initiated against the scientists but the same would at best be in the nature of a warning.

New Delhi, September 4
Royal Rajasthan on Wheels, the new super luxury train, will start its journey tomorrow with several new destinations like Khajuraho and Varanasi in its itinerary.

The luxury train is a joint venture of the Rajasthan Tourism and Development Corporation and the Indian Railways. Encouraged with the grand success of Palace on Wheels, the tourist train was introduced in January 2009.

While the Palace on Wheels starts its journey on every Wednesday between August to April, the Royal Rajasthan is scheduled to run every Sunday between September and April.

For the first time, the train will include popular destinations like Khajuraho and Varanasi in its itinerary.

The new train promises to offer more facilities to its passengers. The refurbished train, with 22 coaches comprising one super deluxe coach, 13 deluxe coaches, two restaurants and bars and a spa coach, has a capacity of 82 passengers. — PTI

New Delhi, September 4
Within days of Rahul Gandhi calling himself a soldier of tribals, the government yesterday constituted an apex body, headed by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, for providing guidelines to improve the lot of scheduled tribe (ST) community in the country.

The National Council for Tribal Welfare (NCTW) would also review the implementation of the Forest Rights Act.

The 18-member body includes Ministers of Tribal Affairs, Finance, Agriculture, Home Affairs, Health and Family Welfare, Environment and Forests, HRD, Rural Development, Woman and Child Development, Culture, Mines, Coal and Power and the deputy chairperson of the Planning Commission.

The council would finalise broad policy guidelines to bring about improvement in the lives of the ST community in the country. It would also review the implementation of the Forest Rights Act, implementation of Schedule-V and Schedule-VI of the Constitution, monitor the implementation of Tribal Sub-Plan and the programmes aimed at protecting vulnerable tribal groups.

New Delhi, September 4
India’s military modernisation goal of having an aero engine that can be fitted on to IAF’s fighter jets may soon be a reality, thanks to a small “push” and “help” from its long-standing military ally, Russia.

The final tests with a Kaveri aero engine actually powering an aircraft are currently being conducted at a location in Russia and are expected to be completed by the end of October. If successful, the engine would be “flight worthy” and ready for fitment. As part of the last round of development and tests, an engine has been integrated with an IL-76 transport aircraft at the Gromov Flight Research Institute (GFRI), Moscow, for ground and flight tests.

Earlier, the Kaveri engine was found successful under simulated altitude and forward speed conditions during trials in Russia in February this year, sources said.

The Russian “help” in fine-tuning the engine and testing its systems is the outcome of a tie-up between Indian Gas Turbine Research Establishment (GTRE) and Central Institute of Aviation Motors (CIAM), Russia. Around Rs 427 crore have been spent in the past three years on the project.

Originally, the design and development of Kaveri engine was sanctioned to achieve flight standards for the indigenously produced LCA Tejas aircraft for the IAF. Kaveri fell short of standards and the first lot of Tejas slated for induction into the IAF in 2012 are currently powered by General Electric’s 404 engines.

As part of the long drawn out development process of Kaveri, key metals like nickel and titanium besides a super alloy that goes into developing such high-grade engines have been procured and have been successfully tested.

As on date all major engine sub-assemblies have been tested for aerodynamic performance and structural safety. Critical sub-systems like the fly-by-wire --- used to stabilise the flight of aircaft -- have been developed and tested.

Tsewang Phunchoke, a farmer, had toiled hard to see his standing wheat crop change its colour from green to golden brown. He was expecting a sweet harvest this season. But that was not to be. For, the August 6 flash floods in Leh, caused by torrential rains, brought along slush and boulders, thus burying Tsewang’s hopes.

Over 200 lives were washed away in the catastrophe. And those who survived had irreparable damages -- be the loss of their near and dear ones or that of their livelihood -- to wail upon for the rest of their lives. Tsewang’s livelihood, too, has been hit by the cloudburst. And what’s left behind is a barren piece of land, filled with boulders and slush.

Says Phunchoke, a resident of Ney village, about 60 km from Leh town: “I used to fend for my family with whatever amount I got by selling the crop. Now, I don’t know what to do.”

In Saboo village, about 20 km away from Leh, the story is no different. About 80 per cent of the villagers, whose main occupation was farming, have lost their livelihood.

“The government is giving us relief, but that won’t help us for long. They (government) should do something about our land,” says Rinchin Ramgyal, the former sarpanch of the village.

Mumbai, September 4
More than 50 govindas who participated in Janamashtami celebrations have been admitted to various hospitals in Mumbai after sustaining injuries from falling from a height.

According to Mumbai’s Municipal Corporation, 421 people from the city alone sustained injuries with some patients as young as nine years old. While most suffered minor injuries and were discharged from hospital, those still undergoing treatment suffered injuries ranging from fractures to life-threatening injuries. Three of those injured are in a critical condition at various hospitals with two of them still on ventilators.

One of the critically injured, Dattatray Salunke, is the bread winner of a family with four children. He was injured after the pyramid he was part of crumpled and several govindas fell on him. Salunke suffered head injuries and needed emergency brain surgery to remove a blood clot near his brain, according to Dr Sanjay Oak, dean of the KEM Hospital where he is admitted.

Another govinda, Abhijeet Patel, 25, broke his spine after he fell from a pyramid. Patel is now in the Intensive Care Unit of Cooper Hospital at Vile Parle in suburban Mumbai.

A third reveller, Deepak More, suffered head injuries while hanging out of a truck hired by the govinda group he was part of. Admitted to Sion hospital, More is recovering, according to a bulletin put out by the city's civic body.

With more tiers being added to the pyramids, the top levels are being occupied by young children who stand on each other’s shoulders.

Guwahati, September 4
The biggest regional party in the North East and the main opposition party in Assam, Asom Gana Parishad (AGP), has joined the bandwagon that demands doing away with the use of electronic voting machines (EVMs) for conducting elections in the country.

In view of reports that the EVMs are vulnerable to tampering, the regional party has resolved to move the Election Commission of India (ECI) for using the conventional ballot boxes instead of EVMs in the Assembly polls in Assam next year. AGP vice-president Apurba Bhattacharjee confirmed the move.

The AGP leader informed that the party would launch campaign in the state to mobilize public opinion against the use of EVMs.