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Petrol prices go up by Rs 3 a litre
New Delhi, September 15
Household budgets, already reeling under record inflation, will come under further strain as Public Sector Unit (PSU) oil companies today hiked petrol rates by Rs 3.14-3.32 per litre. This is the second hike in petrol prices in four months. Indian Oil Corporation (IOC), Hindustan Petroleum (HPCL) and Bharat Petroleum had raised petrol price by Rs 5 per litre in May. Diesel, domestic LPG and kerosene price were hiked in June by Rs 3 per litre, Rs 50 per cylinder and Rs 2 per litre.

Nation page: DA hiked by 7%

In Punjab, it’ll pinch harder
Chandigarh, September 15
With today’s price hike of Rs 3.14 per litre and Punjab’s unwillingness to reduce state taxes, petrol prices in the state are amongst the highest in the country at Rs 74.5 per litre.

Indian Mujahideen on US terror blacklist
US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton on Thursday designated the Indian Mujahideen (IM), an India-based terrorist group with ties to Pakistan, as a “Foreign Terrorist Organisation” and a “Specially Designated Global Terrorist”. The order describes the Indian Mujahideen as a terrorist group with “significant links to Pakistan”. The group is responsible for several bomb attacks throughout India since 2005, resulting in the death of hundreds of civilians.

Brace for more rain in next 24 hrs
Showers lash Punjab, Haryana; farmers’ worries pile up; last spell, says Met
New Delhi/Chandigarh, September 15

With the monsoon extending its stay beyond the normal departure date of September 15, many parts of north India, including Punjab, Chandigarh, Haryana and Delhi received widespread rain today.

Last lashes: People caught unawares in a downpour in Jammu on Thursday. — Reuters

‘Illegal’ plying of buses
Lokpal orders inquiry against Badals
Chandigarh, September 15
Punjab Lokpal Justice DS Dhaliwal (retd) today ordered an inquiry into the complaint pertaining to the alleged “illegal” plying of air-conditioned buses by the family of Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal on 73 routes. The Lokpal, after taking into account the preliminary evidence in a case filed under the Punjab Lokpal Act 1966, directed the IG (Lokpal) to submit a report by November 1.

UK House move to debate rights’ violation in J&K miffs Delhi
New Delhi, September 15
Upset over British Parliament's move to discuss alleged human rights violations in Jammu and Kashmir, India today said it has taken note of the proposed debate. “We take due note of the proposed debate in the UK House of Commons, which we believe is an initiative of back-bencher MPs and does not reflect the position of the UK Government,’’ External Affairs Ministry spokesman Vishnu Prakash said in response to a question.

Ministers getting richer, but revealing ‘much less’ New Delhi, September 15 Union Ministers are not just rich but getting richer, reveals an analysis of the returns submitted by them, first to the Election Commission or the Rajya Sabha Secretariat in 2009 and then to the PMO last month. The analysis conducted by the Association for Democratic Rights (ADR) and National Election Watch (NEW) not only shows that 59 of the 77 ministers have assets valued in crores but also claims that each Union minister, on an average, is richer by Rs 3.3 crore more than in 2009.