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Maya sacks 2 ‘tainted’ ministers
India-Russia defence ties going great guns, but for supply delays
Bhatt’s bail plea deferred but cops don’t get custody
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Goa mining scam: PAC report blames nexus, takes no names 7,600 km yatra for ‘good governance & clean politics’
Telangana stir hits Aakash production
Mumbai Blasts
2G: Raja wants to argue his case in person in SC
6-month jail for Goa ex-minister in assault case
India, China to have border peace mechanism
Bus driver mows down 7 over fare row
Antibiotic consumption rising at 7% a year
Now, Mizoram border haat to boost trade with Myanmar
Cop ends life
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Maya sacks 2 ‘tainted’ ministers
Lucknow, October 5 Yesterday, Lokayukta Justice NK Mehrotra had suggested an inquiry either by the CBI or Vigilance Department against Misra for possessing assets disproportionate to his known sources of income. He had also found Misra guilty of illegally controlling some gram sabha land. State president of the BSP Swami Prasad Maurya in a press statement today said that taking note of the Lokayukta’s recommendation, the Chief Minister ordered a vigilance inquiry against both the ministers. They have been asked to fight the graft cases in court and if they prove their innocence, they would be reinstated in the ministry, the statement assured. Last month, Animal Husbandry Minister Avadhpal Singh Yadav had also been removed after being indicted by the Lokayukta. The Chief Minister had also ordered a vigilance inquiry in this regard. Last year, Religious Endowment Minister Rajesh Tripathi was shown the door after the Lokayukta found him guilty of encroaching upon crematorium land. BSP state chief Maurya claimed that the BSP was the only party in the country to take prompt and severe action against ministers and party functionaries found guilty of corruption. He accused Opposition parties of indulging in "petty politics" and claimed that their governments in other states were not acting on Lokayukta reports. "This step has also been taken so that Opposition parties do not misuse this issue for indulging in unnecessary politics," he said. Stressing that the BSP came into being to fight criminalisation of politics and corruption, Maurya said the action taken by "it - time and again - against its leaders, ministers and MPs has been to stop anyone from damaging the image of the party". He said the ministers had met the CM and told her how the Opposition parties "were framing them in order to tarnish their image" and also said that they were contesting their cases as per
law. — With PTI inputs
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India-Russia defence ties going great guns, but for supply delays
New Delhi, October 5 This has happened even as India expressed its concern over delays on part of Russia in providing spares for existing equipment and while it termed the design and development of a multi-role transport aircraft as “tardy progress”. The Defence Ministers of India and Russia, AK Antony and AE Serdyukov, respectively, met in Moscow last evening. This was eleventh meeting of the India-Russia Inter-governmental Commission on Military-Technical Cooperation (IRIGC-MTC). Antony flagged the vexed issue of delayed export clearances from Russia for vital repair equipment for already contracted weapons. This has been affecting supplies of defence equipment and spares, especially in case of the T-90 tank, MiG-series of fighter aircraft and the SMERCH multi-barrel rocket system. The Indian delegation, which comprised all top officials of the Defence Ministry, expressed New Delhi’s concern at the “tardy progress” in the design and development of the multi-role transport aircraft (MTA). The two sides agreed to accelerate this project. Spokesperson of India’s Defence Ministry Sitanshu Kar said, “The two leaders have expressed satisfaction that steps have been taken to further encourage development of defence technologies, modernisation of military equipment and joint manufacture of military equipment.”
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Bhatt’s bail plea deferred but cops don’t get custody
Ahmedabad, October 5 Sessions Court Judge VK Vyas adjourned the hearing on Bhatt's bail plea till October 7 after partly hearing arguments of Bhatt's lawyer IH Sayed. The Gujarat government had yesterday moved an application opposing the hearing of Bhatt's bail plea on the grounds that his revision remand application was pending. Vyas said he was of the opinion that Bhatt's bail application should be heard, even if the remand application was pending in another court. Yesterday, the court had reserved its order on an application by the state government saying
that Bhatt's bail plea could not be heard as his revision remand application
was pending. Opposing government's argument, Bhatt's counsel IH Sayed said since
the complainant KD Pant had changed his statements many times, he was unreliable. The IPS officer had yesterday refused to compromise on a proposal from a Sessions Judge that if
he went on remand for three hours, the court would later in the day hear his bail application. "I cannot compromise with those goons. Whatever wrong the government wants to do, I do not care. I will tolerate it," Bhatt had said in the open court. Bhatt was arrested on September 30 in connection with an FIR filed against him by police constable KD Pant in June, for allegedly threatening him and making him sign false affidavits regarding a meeting called by Chief Minister Narendra Modi on February 27, 2002, hours after the Godhra train carnage.
— PTI
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This village in UP does not burn Ravana’s effigy
New Delhi, October 5 Residents of Bisrakh firmly believe that their village is the birthplace of Ravana and thus, they neither stage Ramleela nor do they celebrate Dasehra. There are places in the country where Ravana is held in great reverence. For instance, for many in the countryside in Tamil Nadu, the demon king is a hero, a Vedic scholar, a connoisseur of music and a great warrior. This obscure little village in UP’s Gautam Budh Nagar district has somehow escaped public attention despite its uniqueness. Incidentally, Bisrakh is one of the several villages in Gautam Budh Nagar which were up in arms in the agitation against the “faulty” land acquisition policy of the Mayawati government in the twin villages of Bhatta-Parsaul. Purushottam Kumar Sharma, a resident of the village, claims the name of the village to be a distorted version of the name of Ravana’s father, Rishi Vishravas. “Ravana was born in Bisrakh. He spent his childhood in the ashram that was founded by his father. He established a shivlinga here which is why instead of burning effigies of Ravana, we worship Lord Shiva because Ravana was his follower,” he says. Lending credence to his belief is an ageless Shiv Mandir with an octagonal Shivlinga, probably the only one of its kind. Believed to have been established by the demon king himself, the two-and-a-half-foot-high Shivlinga is said to go deep down under the surface. “No one knows how deep the root goes,” explains 80-year-old Pandit Nandlal Shastri. The octogenarian explains that Ravana’s father named the village Vishvrakh, which later got distorted to Bisrakh.“Vishvrakh was his ashram. Ravana migrated to Lanka after he married Mandodari. He was so powerful that he overpowered the nine planets called Navagrahas. Lanka originally belonged to his half-brother Kuber, the Lord of the Treasures of Swarg. Ravana took it from him,” he says.
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Goa mining scam: PAC report blames nexus, takes no names
Panaji, October 5 Operative portions of the report made available to be media, name neither Kamat, who has been holding the mining portfolio for the last 12 years, nor ministers Joaquim Alemao and Vishwajeet Rane, who have been named by leader of opposition Manohar Parrikar at other forums as being involved in illegal mining. According to official sources, the PAC report is, however, indicative of the involvement of politicians in the scam on the basis of "reasonable doubt". "Reasonable doubt prevails that influential politicians, including ministers, are deeply involved," the report states, but names only Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Jitendra Deshprabhu, already arrested for involvement in illegal mining. "How much involvement of various politicians does exist, what is the illegality quantum, can only be brought to light if a criminal investigation is conducted," a source said, adding that the PAC report has asked for a CBI investigation or a Lokayukta probe into the scam. Hours after submitting the PAC's report to Speaker Pratapsing Rane however, Parrikar, who heads the PAC, obliquely blamed Kamat for the scam. "Does the Chief Minister not want to change situation in the mines department at all? He does not want to punish anyone guilty? Any third person would take inference that he (Kamat) is involved," he said in the Assembly. "When he was the Chief Minister, exports rose from 16 million tonnes to 54 million tonnes. Production is thrice now. Only 30 million tonnes (of ore) is legally extracted, while 20 millon tonnes is not legal," said Parrikar. He expressed hope that the PAC report would be tabled in the Assembly on Friday - the second and last day of the monsoon session. In his response, Kamat said the "truth will prevail" and the mining ministry should not alone be held responsible. "Ultimately truth will prevail because there are records to support the truth," an emphatic Kamat told the house. "There are five government agencies which regulate mining. The Mines Department, the Ministry of Environment and Forests, the Indian Bureau of Mines, the director general mines safety and the Pollution Control Board. Each agency is supposed to take action if its laws are violated," he said. Asked if the PAC report would be tabled in the house on Friday, Speaker Rane said: "I will need time to examine it."
— IANS
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7,600 km yatra for ‘good governance & clean politics’
Engine from Ropar to power Advani’s Jan Chetna Yatra The rath in which Advani will undertake his Jan Chetna Yatra will be a bus chassis fitted with Isuzu engine from Ropar taken to Pune to a showroom at Pimpri-Chinchwad, disclosed a source. The air-conditioned bus with internal heating system for colder climes, will have a toilet, a fridge and kitchenette, two beds and sitting space large enough to accommodate almost the entire core committee of the BJP with an opening in the roof and a lift accompanied by a powerful sound system, which will lift Advani to the rooftop for address to his supporters on the way. While sources said the fittings may cost around Rs 50 lakh, the BJP refused to specify the amount and the expenditure on this journey, with Kumar saying since the local units will be bearing the expenses on the way, it will be very difficult to compute the total cost.
New Delhi, October 5 During the course of his 7,600-kilometre journey for “good governance and clean politics, which is a positive yatra and not against any person or party”, Advani will cover almost half the distance by road on an Isuzu bus and the other half by air, touching down at important destinations such as Kolkata, two prominent stations in North-East, Thiruvananthapuram and half a dozen other towns, said Kumar. The two leaders of Opposition in Parliament Sushma Swaraj and Arun Jaitley will be present along with the Bihar chief minister at Sitab Diara for the flagging off. Participation of other leaders and BJP chief ministers, meanwhile, is still shrouded in mystery. Kumar was ducking a question about participation of Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi, who had advised Advani against undertaking this yatra, saying, “All our chief ministers will participate.” It has also become official now that Advani, and in effect, the entire BJP, has abandoned the Ayodhya/Hindutva ideology since he will be skipping both Somnath and Ayodhya. Kumar elaborated, saying, “Our ideology is nation first.” When reminded about Ram Janmabhoomi, he said, “We have already won the case.”
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MNS attacks North Indian auto drivers in Mumbai
Mumbai, October 5 The police said it had detained over 70 persons in different parts of the city after they attacked auto-rickshaw drivers. "Most of them are activists of the MNS," a police official said. The attacks on auto-rickshaw drivers were reported from areas like Ghatkopar, Sion, Vikhroli and North Central Mumbai where the MNS has a strong support base. The MNS has put up boards in different parts of Mumbai asking auto-rickshaw drivers not to cause inconvenience to commuters by going on strike. On Tuesday, Raj Thackeray held a press conference where he threatened auto-rickshaw drivers with dire consequences. He said leader of the auto-rickshaw union and NCP leader Sharad Rao would be physically assaulted for frequent strikes by the auto-rickshaw drivers. The auto-rickshaw drivers have been protesting a crackdown on tampered meters by the Regional Transport Office. The police said it had also received complaints from passengers who accused the drivers of beating them up after arguments over unreasonable charges. "Ninety-five per cent of the auto-rickshaw drivers who have been caught with tampered meters are from UP and Bihar. If they want to replicate the conditions of their home states in Mumbai, we will not let them," Thackeray said. He asked his party workers "to teach auto-rickshaw drivers some manners" beginning today.
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Telangana stir hits Aakash production
New Delhi, October 5 The device, which saw a formal launch in the Vigyan Bhavan here today, is being produced at Quad Electronics, Hyderabad, where designers of the device, Datawind, have set up a special production line to deliver the orders placed by the Ministry of Human Resource Development. Speaking to The Tribune, managing director of Quad Electronics Raminder Singh said, “We are in Hyderabad where the agitation is going on and the production is suffering to that extent. As against a capacity to produce 2,000 units a day, we are currently producing only about 700. The production process has been impacted, but we are trying to do our best to make the delivery on time. We have arranged for extra shifts.” Singh admitted that the looming power crisis was also an issue in the production of the devices. The government has placed an order for one lakh pieces which need to be delivered by the next month. “So far, close to 5,000 have been delivered,” said Suneet Singh Tuli, CEO, Datawind. The balance order is under production with Andhra Pradesh reeling under the impact of pro-Telangana stir. The economy is now starting to get affected with the gap between power demand and supply widening to 50 million units (MU) a day and the demand touching a peak of 275 MU because of continued dry spell in the state. Raminder Singh, however, added that Quad was committed to make the deliveries of Aakash on time and would do its best to meet the targets. “The production of the device is challenging in several other ways. There are issues of excise and custom clearances considering a lot of components have to be imported. The government is pushing to ease these barriers,” Singh said. The Aakash tablet comprises several components sourced from around the world. The major components and their sources are as follows - South Korea (39 pc), China (24 pc), US (16 pc), India (16 pc) and Taiwan (5 pc). Developer of the design Tuli said the device was wholly manufactured in India and its most expensive component - touch screen panel - was made in India. Meanwhile, the government, aware of the limitations of producing Aakash in one facility in Andhra, called for industry to come forward to scale up production.
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Mumbai Blasts
Mumbai, October 5 Frustrated at the slow progress in investigations, Home Minister P Chidambaram talked tough with CM Prithviraj Chavan on Monday and warned that the probe would be taken over by the National Investigation Agency, sources said. Following Chidambaram’s tough talk, investigations will now centre around crucial footage from closed circuit cameras which captured the images of two young men suspected of planting the explosive devices at Opera House and Zaveri Bazaar, sources say. The Anti-Terror Squad of the Mumbai Police, which took control of the video footage, had been reluctant in sharing it with the Crime Branch and other investigating agencies, sources said. For nearly a month, investigators from the ATS attempted to track the two young men but without success. ATS officials fanned out to various places in Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal and other places but reached a dead-end.
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2G: Raja wants to argue his case in person in SC
New Delhi, October 5 In a plea filed before the court of Special CBI Judge OP Saini today, Raja said there could be many facts about the case that his lawyer might not know and if he was allowed to be present in the court (SC) in person, he would be in better position to make his point. The judge has fixed October 7 to hear Raja’s plea. The plea relates to the SC-monitored probe into the 2G scam where on Monday, Raja’s lawyer is likely to explain to the apex court how Raja only followed the policy decisions of the government and the then Finance Minister, P Chidamabaram, was in full know of the things. Raja, who was arrested by the CBI in the 2G case this February, is presently lodged in the Tihar Jail along with DMK MP Kanimozhi and 12 other top executives of various telecom companies who are co-accused in the case. Last week, the CBI had pleaded before the trial that Raja be booked under Section 409 of the IPC for the criminal breach of trust, a non-bailable offence with punishment stretching anywhere up to 10 years’ imprisonment.
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6-month jail for Goa ex-minister in assault case
Panaji, October 5 The former Goa Tourism Minister was chargesheeted for assaulting a Junior Engineer of the Electricity Department, Kapil Natekar, in 2006. The District and Sessions Court at Margao today upheld the conviction by a Judicial Magistrate in the case and refused him bail, following which the MLA was immediately arrested and transferred to the Sada sub jail. Meanwhile, Pacheco has moved the Bombay High Court challenging the sentence.
— PTI
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India, China to have border peace mechanism
New Delhi, October 5 The proposed mechanism would comprise diplomats and military personnel who would remain in constant touch with each other to prevent any misunderstanding between the two countries due to any incident along the Line of Actual Control. The sources said the proposal to have such a mechanism had been agreed upon during the talks between Prime minister Manmohan Singh and his Chinese counterpart Wen Jiabao when they met in Sanya in April on the margins of the BRICS Summit. The sources explained that India and China have a long unsettled boundary. Flag meetings between the military personnel were held from time to time. There were other mechanisms in place as well, but there was no mechanism at the level of officials on both sides for regular exchanges. “With the new mechanism, we will have a direct communication link between New Delhi and Beijing,” they said. Meanwhile, the sources said the next round of talks between the special representatives of India and China on the boundary issue would be held in New Delhi before the end of the year.
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Bus driver mows down 7 over fare row
Jaipur, October 5 Ten others were injured in the incident, which occurred at college road this morning in Karauli, 160 km from here. All the victims were from Agra, Superintendent of Police Omprakash said. The passengers, who were on their way to Keladevi temple, had an argument with the driver of the private bus plying between Jaipur-Hindaun over fare. Following the dispute, the passengers allegedly thrashed the driver and pelted stones on the bus near a petrol pump in Karauli and left for the temple on foot, he said. The bus driver followed the passengers and allegedly ploughed his vehicle into two groups of people, killing seven persons, including a girl. Two of the deceased were identified as Rahul and Sindhi, both hailing from Agra. All the victims were from Agra and efforts are on to ascertain their identity, he said, adding, that the 10 injured included four women. The driver is absconding. A case has been registered against him under different sections, including 302 (murder) of IPC.
— PTI
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Antibiotic consumption rising at 7% a year
New Delhi, October 5
countering ndm1
Units of antibiotics sold in the retail sector increased by 40 per cent between 2005 and 2009, with sales of cephalosporins (used to treat bacterial infections) being particularly high with the sale of these units increasing by 60 per cent over the five-year period. A report, released yesterday at the first Global Forum Bacterial Infections, also showed rapid increase in per capita total microlide use between 2005 and 2010 as the units sold per 1,000 population rose from 500 to nearly 1000. The rise in infections during hospitalisation and the growing resistance to antibiotics is leading to an increase in the use of antibiotics in hospitals. A study by the International Nosocomial Infection Control Consortium conducted in 12 intensive care units in seven hospitals in seven Indian cities which followed 10,835 patients hospitalised for 52,518 days showed that patients acquired 476 infections in hospitals. Of these infections, 46 per cent were enterobacteriaceae, 27 per cent were pseudonomas, 6 per cent were acinetobacter and 8 per cent were candida. A study of 71 burn victims at PGIMER, Chandigarh, showed 59 had acquired hospital infections (83 per cent). “This calls for infection control strategies in hospitals where heavy use of antibiotics due to high infection rate is leading to growing drug resistance,” Dr Ramanan Laxminarayan, Vice President, Research and Policy at the Public Health Foundation of India, said. The studies reveal high presence of drug resistant E Coli bacteria among hospital patients in New Delhi where a recent Lancet study had detected similar results which the Health Ministry had denied. New Delhi reports 33 per cent drug resistance level to ciprofloxacin in E Coli as against 20 per cent in Mumbai; 4 per cent in Vellore and 1 per cent in Britain and South Africa. Further, antibiotic-resistant bacteria are highly prevalent in food-producing animals in India, with no policy in place to control this trend.
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Now, Mizoram border haat to boost trade with Myanmar
Guwahati, October 5 Official sources in Mizoram said the border trade point would be set up at Zowkhatar (Mizoram) that will connect to Rhi in Myanmar across the border. Earlier, India had set up first such border haat in the N-E at Kalaichar in the West Garo Hills in Meghalaya on the border with Bangladesh. The existing official border trade point with Myanmar is functioning at Moreh in Manipur that connects border town of Tamu in Myanmar. The border trade point at Moreh has stabilised and is identified as one with immense potential. The countries recognised the need to start collaborating to build a land customs station at the India-Myanmar border at Mizoram to facilitate vehicles and goods entering and leaving
Mizoram.
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New Delhi, October 5
Ahmedabad, October 5
