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Monday, April 11, 2011, Chandigarh, India
Updated at 2:30 am (IST)

Lokpal Bill in monsoon session: Pranab
Says NDA could’ve cleared the Bill, but it didn’t
Thiruvnanthapuram, April 10
Union Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee today said the UPA government was ready to bring in and get the Lokpal Bill passed in the next session of Parliament if the Opposition cooperated with it. Responding to queries on BJP leader LK Advani's demand that the Lokpal Bill should be introduced and passed in the next session of Parliament itself, Mukherjee said "we are glad to get it passed if the Opposition co-operated for it".

No rift over draft panel: Hazare
New Delhi, April 10
Anna Hazare, who broke his fast yesterday after government conceded to his demands on the proposed Lokpal Bill, seemed to have “resolved the differences” among his supporters over the composition of the drafting committee. Soon as Hazare appointed former Law Minister Shanti Bhushan and his son Prashant Bhushan to the committee, media reported Baba Ramdev’s objections to the inclusion of both father and son in the panel.

RADIA EFFECT: 15-member Inter Ministerial Group constituted
Centre to make phone tapping leakproof
New Delhi, April 10
Against the backdrop of Radia tapes leak controversy, a 15-member Inter Ministerial Group (IMG) has been constituted for recommending effective monitoring of provisions of telephone tapping and curtailing its leakage to the public at large. The Union Home Secretary will chair the IMG which will have secretaries of Defence, DoT, IT, Revenue, Personnel and Legal Affairs as among the members, according to a Cabinet Secretary note.

DoT may cancel licences of Idea, Spice in 5 circles
Penalty for failing to roll out services in stipulated time; TRAI gives go-ahead
New Delhi, April 10
The Telecom Ministry is likely to cancel the licences of leading mobile operator Idea Cellular and Spice in five states for failing to roll out services within the stipulated time. Telecom regulator TRAI has recommended to the Department of Telecom (DoT) to cancel the licences of Idea in Karnataka and Punjab circles and that of Spice in Maharashtra, Haryana and Andhra Pradesh.

Grain In The Rain

As the country awaits a record 84.27 million tonne wheat output, farmers at the Rajpura grain market try to save their produce from the unexpected showers that lashed the region on Sunday. In 2010, shortage of storage space led to accumulation of 55 lakh tonne of wheat, 90 per cent of which is lying in the open. The Tribune lensman JS Virdi captures one of the anxious moments farmers face while their produce lies under the open skies.

Wiki exposes inspired anti-graft crusade in India: Assange
London, April 10
Revelations by the WikiLeaks are having a positive impact, believes its founder Julian Assange, who claims that the publication of secret US embassy cables by the Indian media had helped inspire an anti-graft movement in the country.

27 years later
Apex court refuses relief to Himachal Govt engineer
Says job loss, years of trial ordeal can’t affect sentence
New Delhi, April 10
The Supreme Court has refused to reduce the one-year sentence awarded to an engineer of the Himachal Pradesh Irrigation and Public Health Department for corruption despite the fact that the crime was committed 27 years ago and that the convict had suffered loss of job and the ordeal of the long-winding trial and appeals.

Comedian takes on hero Tiruchi, April 10 In an unusual script, a comedian is turning the tables on a hero, who is finding himself cornered, unable to counter the former's attractive speeches laced with sarcasm, humour and political punches. The duel between actor and DMDK leader Vijaykanth and popular comedian Vadivelu is hogging the centre stage of poll campaign now. Nation page: TAMIL NADU READY TO SING ‘JAYA HEY’