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India, USA to sign key pacts
CWG Contract: Prasar Bharati Chairperson blames
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Navi Mumbai airport is on
Leadership tussle brews in BJP
Health Ministry mulls blanket ban on smokeless tobacco
Rabri in for tough fight
Gadkari slams Cong, RJD for dynastic rule
Naxals from Orissa making comeback in Andhra
Communists not stuck in ’40s: Karat
Cong warns pro-Tiger ally
ULFA leader freed on bail
Babri hearing on Nov 18
e-Karva Chauth: Internet helps eves sight hubbies
India, Malaysia trade pact today
Satyam Scam Raj launches attack on Bal Thackeray STAPLED VISAS PM in Malaysia, countries set to bolster economic ties Freedom fighter passes away
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India, USA to sign key pacts
New Delhi, October 26 Highly placed sources said the two sides were in constant touch finalising the pacts to be signed after talks between President Obama and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on November 8.
Indications are that Secretary of State Hillary Clinton would not be coming to India along with the President since she will be in Australia for the annual Australia-US ministerial consultations. Meanwhile, ahead of the President’s visit, the Obama administration is nudging India to assume the leadership role in Asia as a major economy and the world’s largest democracy, in an apparent attempt to counter China. According to senior US government officials, Washington desired India to take a more active role outside its immediate South Asian region in trade, political and security fields. “We view India as an East Asian power…India is not confined to the context of its immediate neighbourhood,’’ the officials, who preferred to remain anonymous, told reporters at a select briefing. Worried over the growing influence of China and its increasing economic muscle-power, the US has made no secret of its desire to project India as a power which could act as a balancing factor in Asia. The US officials indicated that the growing Chinese assertiveness would be one of the key issues that would figure during Singh-Obama talks. New Delhi, too, has been sensitive about China’s ambitions in the continent. Beijing’s recent moves like questioning the status of Jammu and Kashmir have caused a lot of anxiety in the South Block. New Delhi looks with suspicion at the increasing Chinese investments in countries adjacent to India like Pakistan, Myanmar, Nepal and Sri Lanka. The American side believes that boosting economic and trade ties with India would not only be mutually beneficial but also enhance India’s role globally. The US has projected the bilateral trade with India to touch $ 50 billion this year. The two-way trade doubled to $ 43 billion dollar between 2004 and 2008. The growing significance of trade between the two countries could be gauged from the fact that a delegation of more than 100 corporate honchos would accompany President Obama on his India visit. Outsourcing and H1B visa issue are, however, likely to remain a bone of contention between the two countries. The US officials admitted that these were difficult issues but hoped the two sides would be able to deal with them satisfactorily.
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CWG Contract: Prasar Bharati Chairperson blames
CEO
New Delhi, October 26 The Information and Broadcasting Ministry, meanwhile, has sent all relevant files to the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG). It is learnt that the ministry had asked the Prasar Bharati Board to execute the final contract in accordance with the request for proposal (RFP) draft that was submitted to it. Any major changes or deviations were not permitted to be made in the draft contract. However, certain clauses in the final document had reportedly been altered to accommodate the UK-based company. In one of the clauses in the draft contract, which was cleared by the I & B Ministry, and was required to be incorporated in the final document, an extra sentence was inserted.
This had greatly benefited SIS Live, giving it undue advantage. This particular clause made it almost impossible for Prasar Bharati to act against the company as it could have disrupted the telecast services of the games. The competent authority in the government was never kept in the picture on the changes, major or minor, introduced in the draft agreement. The ministry is believed to have played no role in finalising or executing the contract. Lalli yesterday rejected the allegations of corruption on the contract given to the British company and sought to place the blame on the ministry. Pande today went on the offensive against Lalli, saying details of the Host Broadcast Management Committee (HBMC) meetings were kept secret and not shared with the board. She said the finance department had raised objections in the contract with SIS Live and Lalli was formally informed about it.
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Navi Mumbai airport is on
New Delhi, October 26 The project may become a reality with the environment and civil aviation ministries reaching an understanding on it, but a final decision will depend on the report of the expert appraisal committee on a revised proposal. The two ministers, who today met to discuss the much-needed second airport in the financial capital of the country, said majority of environmental concerns had been resolved. Most of the green concerns raised by the Environment Ministry, 65 per cent as per Ramesh, a figure that was quickly revised to 70 per cent by Patel, stand resolved. “We have made good progress. The expert appraisal committee will meet on November 9 and 10 to have a final look at the compromises being worked out by both sides,” Ramesh, who earlier had even been charged of obstructionism by an exasperated Patel, said. “He (Patel) is hopeful and I am also hopeful,” Ramesh said. Under the revised proposal, the airport site would not be changed, but the location of non-aeronautical assets like hotels and shopping areas could be shifted.
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Leadership tussle brews in BJP
New Delhi, October 26 Ever since Gujarat panchayat elections, Modi lobbyists here, led chiefly by Advani and Arun Jaitley, have been harping on how Muslims voted in a big way for the BJP and Modi’s Muslim candidates succeeded in 106 talukas. This is unparalled for the BJP even in pre-Modi era least of all from Narendra Modi, who grew in esteem among his BJP admirers mainly for his anti-Muslims rhetoric. Advani never tires of citing (even in Bihar) Modi’s Gujarat as a role model of development. Now Modi loyalists would readily mention him as the role model of “real secularism” as juxtaposed to the Congress/Left variety of “pseudo-secularism”. Already Modi’s friends have frequently quoted the Sachchar Committee report to claim draw parallels between the per capita income of Gujarati Muslims and secular states like West Bengal and Bihar. Since the 2009 elections, a section in the BJP has been whispering that the BJP may project Modi as their prime ministerial candidate in 2014. A state president (not of Gujarat) had predicted a year ago how Modi would undergo a profile change and emerge as the BJP’s best bet. Once he succeeded in propagating his secular image even the allies might come round to supporting him, he had forecast almost a year ago. But Modi faces competition from Arun Jaitely and Sushma Swaraj. Jaitely is suave and has wider acceptability among allies like the Akali Dal and the JD-U, most importantly he has a leeway with Nitish Kumar and Sukhbir Singh Badal.
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Health Ministry mulls blanket ban on smokeless tobacco
The report found a quarter of Indian adults (26 per cent) using smokeless tobacco either by chewing, applying it to the teeth and gums or by sniffing. Use of smokeless tobacco in India is far more prevalent than the use of its smoking version, which is consumed by 14 per cent of the adults as against 26 per cent who use smokeless forms. More than 21 per cent of all users of smokeless tobacco consume it on daily basis with the extent of use being higher for males (33 per cent) than females (18 per cent). At 29 per cent, the prevalence of smokeless tobacco use in rural areas is higher than in urban areas, where it is 18 per cent. What’s shocking is the increasing addiction to smokeless tobacco forms among women; with Puducherry being the only place in India where women use more smokeless tobacco than men. Overall, the extent of use varies from a high of 49 per cent in Bihar to a low of 5 per cent in Goa and Himachal. Eastern states report 38 per cent use as against the northern states that see just 7 per cent use, with percentage of use in Chandigarh and Haryana being six and in Punjab being seven. Contrastingly, among current tobacco smokers, 25 per cent are males and just 2.9 per cent females. That being the case, the ministry is toying with the possibility of banning smokeless tobacco in all forms, considering its consequences for the cardiovascular health of the country. “We are exploring means whereby we can ban smokeless tobacco use. A national consultation will be called on the issue to get views of all stakeholders, including health experts, civil society, judiciary, state government representatives and consumers. It is not an easy thing to achieve as most major cigarette-producing firms are now making smokeless tobacco products to avoid hefty taxes on cigarettes, and these firms have strong lobbies. Smokeless forms attract no taxes, which is why we also see a spurt in the number of cigarette companies entering this sector. We will have to look at how to ban the use of these forms,” ministry sources said. Around nine lakh persons die every year in India due to diseases related to tobacco use; 40 per cent of TB deaths are associated with tobacco use.
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Rabri in for tough fight
Incidentally, both Raghopur under Vaishali district and Sonepur (Saran) from where she is in the fray are going to the polls on October 28 along with 46 other constituencies spread in six districts of North Bihar. Since neither Chief Minister Nitish Kumar nor his deputy Sushil Kumar Modi nor other claimants for the Chief Minister’s post like Lalu Prasad and Ram Vilas Paswan are contesting the Assembly elections, all the focus has shifted to Rabri Devi. Pushed into the hot seat of Chief Minister by her husband following his incarceration in the fodder scam case, Rabri Devi made her debut in state Assembly from the Raghopur constituency vacated by her husband. Needless to say that this Yadav-dominated constituency could have been the safest seat for her. Ever since she won from Raghopur in the by-election of 2000, she has been retaining the seat all this while. But the last Assembly elections held in October-November 2005 proved to be very difficult for her and she could win by a slender margin of 4,500 votes. Five years down the line, the former Chief Minister seems to have lost further confidence to wrest the seat that was considered to be a pocket borough of Lalu-Rabri. Why else would she file her papers from the Sonepur constituency as well deny party ticket to the sitting MLA Ramanuj Yadav? But reports from Sonepur indicate that it would not be a cakewalk for her. She is locked in a very keen contest with NDA candidate Vinay Singh, a former MLA. Her husband Lalu Prasad and her son Tejaswi Yadav have held many election meetings in both Raghopur and Sonepur trying to placate people of their caste to elect her. Her party’s ally and LJP chief Ram Vilas Paswan has also been holding road shows in the constituency to ensure her victory. But things appear to be difficult for her in view of a straight contest and polarisation of non-Yadav votes in favour of the NDA nominee. Muslims are also split on the issue of casting their vote against Nitish Kumar. “We are not voting for the BJP in Sonepur but for Nitish Kumar and his development work,” said Shamim Ansari. The ruling JD(U) has again fielded Satish Kumar, a popular Yadav leader of the Raghopur area, against Rabri Devi. Satish is leaving no stone unturned to avenge his defeat this time. He is fully backed by Ranjan Yadav, former mentor of Lalu Prasad and now the JD(U) MP from Pataliputra who is credited with defeating the RJD chief during the last Lok Sabha polls. Ranjan has extensively toured the constituency which is still an island surrounded by the Ganga and Gandak rivers. If Ranjan is to be believed, the voters of Raghopur have made up their mind to make their three-time MLA lick the dust this time as she has not bothered to visit the constituency even once during the last five years whereas Satish, her rival in the fray, spent a lot of time with the people of the area.
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Gadkari slams Cong, RJD for dynastic rule
Pirpainti (Bihar), October 26 “The Congress is victim of a family rule,” Gadkari said at an election rally while canvassing for NDA nominees in Bhagalpur district. “The RJD and LJP too are engaged in promoting ‘parivarvad’.... They will bite the dust,” he said. Hitting out at the RJD, Gadkari alleged that Lalu Prasad had installed his wife Rabri Devi as chief minister in his place when he was sent to jail in the multicrore fodder scam. “Now Lalu has brought his son (Tejaswi) in politics.” The BJP chief also accused the RJD-Congress combine of pushing Bihar “miles behind” in development during their 15-year rule. “The RJD-Congress regime has been characterised by corruption and jungle raj,” he alleged. Speaking of the NDA rule in Bihar, he said: “The work done during the past five years by the Nitish Kumar government is just a trailer.... The full film will be screened once Bihar makes it to the category of developed states in the country. “India can't develop unless Bihar is developed and it can be made possible only when every hand in the state has plenty of opportunities for jobs.” The first step taken by the Nitish Kumar government was to establish the rule of law and more than 45,000 criminals were convicted in speedy trials during its tenure, he said. Besides, 23,000 km of road was built and a number of initiatives were taken for bringing development back on the rails in the state. If the NDA is returned to power, problems relating to electricity supply would be accorded top priority and steps would be taken for setting up thermal power plants, besides ensuring development in all fields, Gadkari said. — PTI
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Naxals from Orissa making comeback in Andhra
Hyderabad, October 26 State Director General of Police K Aravinda Rao said the Naxalites from the neighbouring Chhattisgarh and Orissa were crossing over into the state to regroup as a formidable force. The CPI (Maoist) had already thrown its weight behind the Telangana movement and was desperate to use it as a springboard to come back into the reckoning. “We have specific information that the Naxals are staying for a longer time in Khammam district, which shares a 225-km-long border with Chhattisgarh and 45-km border with Orissa. They are trying to activate their old cadres and form new groups again,” the DGP said. The police has stepped up vigil in vulnerable areas to thwart any attempt by ultra Left extremists to stoke regional passions and indulge in violence. The Maoists’ attempts to revive their activity come against the backdrop of growing concerns over the political situation in the Telangana region after December 31, the deadline for the Justice BN Srikrishna Committee to submit its report on the contentious issue of bifurcation. “We will deal with the political fallout of the Telangana agitation in a normal way. However, if some anti-social elements like the Maoists come into the picture, we have to deal with them as we do in case of a law and order breakdown,” the DGP said. The reports of the Naxalite resurgence gained further credence after revolutionary balladeer and Maoist sympathiser Gaddar floated a separate political outfit early this month to fight for the statehood cause. It is widely believed that Gaddar’s dramatic entry was at the instance of the Maoists. In a bid to gain public support as part of a larger strategy to make a comeback, the CPI (Maoist) had called for intensifying “militant mass struggle" to achieve Telangana state. The backward region was a traditional stronghold of the Naxalites before they were driven out following intense police pressure. Gaddar, whose real name is Gummadi Vithal Rao, may well serve as a magnet for the Dalits, the Backward Classes, artistes, writers, intellectuals and social activists in the region. He had left his bank job in the 1970s to join the Naxalite movement and was an active member of the Jana Natya Mandali, a cultural front of the erstwhile People’s War Group (PWG), for several years.
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Communists not stuck in ’40s: Karat
New Delhi, October 26 Denying media reports about the same, CPM general secretary Prakash Karat said the statements attributed to him in some sections of the press in respect of the 1940s and the importance of caste in Indian politics were wrong. The reports quoted Karat as saying that the Communists are “stuck in the forties” as far as their theory and practice is concerned. In a press statement today, Karat denied the attribution saying, “There have been certain reports of my speech at the memorial conference for Victor Kiernan in Cambridge that are inaccurate in parts and misleading. Some agencies have attributed to me that I stated that we committed “a historical blunder” in not recognising the role played by caste in politics and society. It is also alleged that I said that the Communists are “stuck in the forties” as far as their theory and practice is concerned.”
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Cong warns pro-Tiger ally
Chennai, October 26 Amid charges by the Congress functionaries, that Thirumavalavan's Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi was behind the desecration of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi's statue, the Congress leader said, "Thirumavalavan's comments could defame neither Sonia Gandhi nor party's general secretary Rahul Gandhi."
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ULFA leader freed on bail
Tezpur, October 26 The septuagenarian was apprehended by the Royal Bhutanese Army during operations against North-East militants and was handed over to the Indian security forces on December 15, 2003. He was arrested under the Unlawful Arms Act and has been in judicial custody since December 2003. Before being whisked away from the court, Buragohain said the progress of the peace process and its modalities would depend on ULFA chairman Arabinda Rajkhowa. — PTI
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Babri hearing on Nov 18
Lucknow, October 26 The special CBI court today fixed November 18 as the next date of hearing. While Gupta, a 1990 batch officer at present posted as Director in RAW, had been summoned by the court and was present, her cross-examination could not continue due to the absence of the defence counsel Hari Dutt Sharma. According to the prosecution, adjournment had been sought on the request of defence counsel Sharma quoting personal grounds. The newly nominated Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate Vishnu Prasad Agarwal (ACJM IV) fixed the matter for hearing on November 18. Following the promotion and transfer of Chief Judicial Magistrate Gulab Singh in the end of May this year the Special CBI court in Rae Bareli has remained without a judge as the High Court had not nominated anyone to hear the Babri mosque demolition case being heard in Rae Bareli. Finally on October 8, after a four-month delay the Allahabad High Court nominated Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate Agarwal to hear the Babri demolition case. The nomination came after the district judge had written a letter to the High Court requesting nomination of a judge in the CBI special court The disruption in the proceedings in the Babri demolition case has come at a time when a crucial and key witness senior IPS officer Anju Gupta was being cross-examined. At the time of the demolition she was ASP in Faizabad and was also assigned to look after Advani’s personal security. In her crucial statement recorded on March 26, Gupta had told the Rae Bareli special CBI court that Advani had indeed given a provocative speech on December 6, 1992, by calling upon the kar sevaks to build the temple at the same place.
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e-Karva Chauth: Internet helps eves sight hubbies
Haridwar, October 26 But for eves whose husbands can’t make it home on Karva Chauth, internet connectivity has come as a great boon. At cyber cafes with webcams, women can see their husbands face live on the computer screen as soon as the moon rises on the horizon. Cafes booked in advance
Arun Ohri, owner of Unique Cyber Café at the city’s busiest commercial hub Ranipur Mod, said that e-Karva Chauth was getting popular with every passing year. “In 2008, only two women, whose husbands were in Mauritius in the Merchant Navy, came and performed rituals. “Last year, the number rose to five or six. This year, we have reserved an hour for married women who want to perform rituals in front of the computer as these women hesitate to come fully clad in the traditional attire,” said Arun. But many were disappointed that despite Haridwar being a world-renowned city, only a couple of internet zones had the video chat facility though they were willing to pay double the normal rates. Of the many who went home disappointed, some got an instant wireless internet connection on their home PCs to get connected with their faraway husbands. Neelam Pawar, whose husband is in the Pratapnagar area of Tehri that has been severely affected by a flood-like condition due to Tehri dam water release, said, “My husband couldn’t come here due to the massive landslides and the Tehri dam water disconnecting our village from the main road. “So we bought a wireless internet connection through which I saw him on my PC,” said an elated Neelam. Mona Arora, a resident of Model Colony and an architect whose husband is in Abu Dhabi with a petroleum firm for the past two years, has been going to cyber cafes, but this time, she performed Karva Chauth rituals at home, thanks to a home e-connection. She pointed out that Indians are very traditional and herein lies our strength. “See how unmarried women observe fast for their to-be husbands. Technology has certainly made it easier for women.” Renu Arora, a social science lecturer, said the fact that wives were even using the Net to observe rituals is a sure sign that the Indian marriage system is still the best and is in good health.”
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India, Malaysia trade pact today
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is all set to gain another success in his Look East policy here, as he embarks on the second leg of his three-nation Asia tour. Having successfully completed negotiations on the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) and setting the momentum for the civil nuclear cooperation with Japan on Monday, India is all set to announce the conclusion of negotiations on its bilateral trade pact with Malaysia on Wednesday.
The Prime Minister arrived here on for a two-day tour, which is likely to culminate in the sealing of the Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement (CECA) with Malaysia. The PM was received by Malaysia's Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs, Senator Kohlan Pillay, Minister for Human Resources, Dato S Subramanium and Deputy Minister in the Malaysian Prime Minister's Office, Dato Devamani. With all outstanding issues on the CECA being resolved by the negotiators from both sides, the two countries are all set to take their economic ties to a new level. During the meeting of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and the Malaysian Prime Minister Dato Sri Mohd Najib Tun Abdul Razak on Wednesday, the two countries are expected to discuss a range of issues like cooperation in defence and education sectors, besides taking up issues of expatriates in Malaysia and people to people participation through cultural exchanges. The two countries are also expected to sign a few documents relating to military cooperation and joint ventures in the petroleum sector. India and Malaysia have been traditional allies for long. Economic and commercial relations are emerging as the mainstay of the bilateral relationship. Malaysia is the second largest trading partner for India within ASEAN, and India is the largest trading partner for Malaysia in South Asia, excluding China. Bilateral trade between the two countries is now estimated at $10.5 billion, and this has doubled in the past five years. The conclusion of CECA as a single undertaking covering goods, services and investment will thus be mutually beneficial for the economies of both countries. India is likely to sign agreements striving for better strategic orientation to the partnership and forging ties in IT, infrastructure, health, biotechnology and energy sector. The two PMs will also discuss security issues like servicing of defence equipment procured from Russia. HAL chief, AM Nair is also here for this purpose. The training of Malaysian pilots for Sukhoi aircrafts and evolving a cooperative mechanism on the Straits of Mallaca and Singapore, besides enhancement of navigational safety there will also be discussed. Manmohan Singh will also inaugurate the "Little India" at Brickfields on Wednesday evening, which has been developed by Malaysia for the Tamil speaking population here.
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Satyam Scam New Delhi, October 26 A Bench passed the order on the CBI’s plea that the accused were involved in a major financial scam that had hit the employees, shareholders and financial institutions. The Bench directed the trial court to complete the proceedings by July 31 next year failing which the accused would be free to approach the Andhra Pradesh High Court seeking bail. The High Court had granted bail to Raju on July 20 this year observing there was no possibility of tampering with evidence by him as the records of the company had been transferred to the new management which had bought it. The other accused whose bail was cancelled are G Ramakrishna, then Vice President (Finance), D Venkatapathy Raju, then Senior Manager (Finance), C Srisailam, then Assistant Manager (Finance) and V Srinivas, former Chief Finance Officer. Rama Raju was Managing Director.
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Raj launches attack on Bal Thackeray Mumbai, October 26 Speaking at a rally ahead of the elections for the Kalyan-Dombivli municipality, Raj Thackeray hit out at Bal Thackeray for attacking him and the MNS to deflect attention from the rot in the Shiv Sena. Hitting out at his uncle and cousin Uddhav Thackeray who has taken over the reins of the Shiv Sena, Raj accused the latter of corruption. Bal Thackeray himself turned a blind eye to what was happening in the Sena, Raj said. Worse still, Raj who had refrained from directly attacking his uncle so far went on to nearly call Bal Thackeray a drunkard. Every night, Raj mimed Bal Thackeray drinking and passing out thereby remaining clueless as to what went on in the party
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STAPLED VISAS India on Tuesday strongly reacted to Beijing’s assertions that it would continue to issue stapled visas to Kashmiris. Stating that Jammu and Kashmir is an integral part of India, and thus there cannot be any change in policy for the state, India said Beijing should respect India’s sensitivities on Kashmir. China had earlier on Tuesday said that its policy of issuing stapled visas to Kashmiris would remain unchanged. A Chinese foreign ministry spokesman said though China had friendly relations with India, its policy towards stapled visas for residents of the state remained unchanged. The statement came just three days ahead of the crucial meeting between the Prime Ministers of the two countries at Hanoi, and India has not taken very kindly to it. Government sources here said Jammu and Kashmir is an integral part of India, so there has to be uniformity regarding visa policy regardless of the domicile and ethnicity of the applicant. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is here on a two-day visit. He will be meeting Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao on the sidelines of the East Asia Summit later this week. The issue of stapled visa is likely to figure prominently during the talks. Earlier, External Affairs Minister SM Krishna had said he hoped that Beijing would maintain “neutrality” on the affairs related to Jammu and Kashmir and respect India’s sensitivities on the issue. However, the statement made by Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Ma Zhaoxu, at his bi-weekly briefing, has raised heckles of Indian authorities. The spokesman was reportedly replying to questions whether the issue would come up for discussion at the meeting between Singh and Jiabao. He said officials of both countries were in “touch” with each other to arrange the meeting. The Chinese media on Tuesday reported that Ma declined to comment on the just concluded visit of Singh to Japan and the Indian Prime Minister’s talks with his Japanese counterpart Naoto Kan in which China figured prominently. China has been issuing stapled visas to residents of Jammu and Kashmir since 2008. The policy had its fallout recently when China declined to grant visa to Lt Gen BS Jaswal, the Chief of Indian Army’s northern command, for official talks in Beijing, on the ground that he was posted in Jammu and Kashmir. This had then led to India putting on hold all defence exchanges with China.
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PM in Malaysia, countries set to bolster economic ties Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is all set to gain another success in his Look East policy here, as he embarks on the second leg of his three-nation Asia tour.Having successfully completed negotiations on the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) and setting the momentum for the civil nuclear cooperation with Japan on Monday, India is all set to announce the conclusion of negotiations on its bilateral trade pact with Malaysia on Wednesday. The Prime Minister arrived here for a two-day tour, which is likely to culminate in the sealing of the Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement (CECA) with Malaysia. He was received by Malaysia's Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs, Senator Kohlan Pillay, Minister for Human Resources, Dato S Subramanium and Deputy Minister in the Malaysian Prime Minister's Office, Dato Devamani. With all outstanding issues on the CECA being resolved, the two countries are all set to take economic ties to a new level. During the meeting of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Malaysian Prime Minister Dato Sri Mohd Najib Tun Abdul Razak on Wednesday, the two countries are expected to discuss a range of issues like cooperation in defence and education sectors, besides taking up issues of expatriates in Malaysia and people to people participation through cultural exchanges. The two countries are also expected to sign a few documents relating to military cooperation and joint ventures in the petroleum sector. India and Malaysia have been traditional allies. Economic and commercial relations are emerging as the mainstay of the bilateral relationship. Malaysia is the second largest trading partner for India within ASEAN, and India is the largest trading partner for Malaysia in South Asia, excluding China. Bilateral trade between the two countries is now estimated at $10.5 billion. The conclusion of CECA as a single undertaking covering goods, services and investment will thus be mutually beneficial for both countries. India is likely to sign agreements striving for better strategic orientation to the partnership and forging ties in IT, infrastructure, health, biotechnology and energy sector. The two PMs will also discuss security issues like servicing of defence equipment procured from Russia. Training of Malaysian pilots for Sukhoi aircrafts and evolving a cooperative mechanism on the Straits of Mallaca and Singapore, besides enhancement of navigational safety there will also be discussed. |
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Freedom fighter passes away New Delhi, October 26 It was during her school days that she was drawn towards the freedom movement. On August 26, 1942, she launched an agitation at Anarkali Bazaar in Lahore and was arrested along with her three children. She was kept in a solitary confinement, a punishment rarely meted to political prisoners under the British Laws. In 1950, she and her husband got drawn towards the Bhoodan movement led by Vinoba Bhave. The cremation will take place at Lodhi Road tomorrow. |
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India and the USA are expected to ink at least seven agreements in defence, trade, climate change, education, clean energy, market access and hi-tech exports during President Barack Obama’s visit to India early next month.Highly placed sources said the two sides were in constant touch finalising the pacts to be signed after talks between President Obama and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on November 8.
The sight of women in traditional attire carrying ‘puja thalis’ and ‘kurwes’ making a beeline at cyber cafes shouldn’t come as a surprise on Karva Chauth day in this age of technology.According to tradition, women first look at the moon, then at their husbands and only then, do they break their day-long fast.
It is learnt that trade-related issues and defence cooperation would top the agenda of the two countries during bilateral talks. Some of the key US officials are expected to remain in Delhi for a few more days after Obama leaves India to carry forward negotiations on the understandings reached between the American leader and the Indian Prime Minister. 
New Delhi, October 26
Patna, October 26