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Cong-BJP duel hots up over Katju
Akhilesh govt orders probe into Allahabad stampede
India to use UN pact to get papers from Italy
SC stays execution of Veerappan’s four associates
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Race begins for new CAG as govt looks for a softer face
Soon, CRPF may procure UAVs for
anti-Naxal operations
Congress’ poor base in Odisha worries Rahul
Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi on his way to Sambalpur in Odisha on Monday. — PTI Maharashtra to dress up Buddhist spots for tourists
HC orders CBI probe into Guria murder case
JEE main: CBSE extends deadline for slot selection
India did raise turban issue with Hollande during visit
Inclusive urban planning is need of the hour: Selja
Rhino killed in Kaziranga
Amar admitted to Dubai hospital Unions’ talks with ministers collapse, strike on Even distribution of sops likely in Rail Budget
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Cong-BJP duel hots up over Katju
New Delhi, February 18
Upping the ante against the PCI chief, BJP leader Yashwant Sinha accused Katju of "crossing the red lines repeatedly" and not using the language befitting a former judge. "Katju has been crossing the red lines repeatedly through his various press statements. What kind of judge Katju was I don't know, but I am convinced he does not deserve to be the chairman of an important body like the Press Council of India. "He should be dismissed immediately. There is no point in asking for his resignation. Secondly, he has no business interfering in politics. Press Council chairman is not going to determine who is going to be the Prime Minister of this country," Sinha said. Katju and Jaitley had yesterday engaged in a spat over the former's article in a newspaper which criticised Modi. "This is not the part of his jurisdiction. What he has done is that he has confused his personal opinion with that of the PCI chairman. Therefore, he does not deserve to hold the office of the PCI chairman," Sinha said wondering "what does he mean by writing the most objectionable article against Narendra Modi." Digvijay Singh, however, dismissed Jaitley's stringent criticism of Katju asking, "Is it because he owes his Rajya Sabha seat to Mr Narendra Modi, that Mr Arun Jaitley feels that he should defend Mr Narendra Modi? I think Mr Arun Jaitley should not comment like this. It is unbecoming of the Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha." Slamming Jaitley for his "venomous" attack on the PCI chairman, Digvijay Singh said that Katju had always been impartial and at the same time very sensitive to the people's cause. "Why did Mr Arun Jaitley keep quiet when he brought out the issues against the Chief Minister of Maharashtra, against the Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh, against the Home Ministry in the arrest of Iftekhar Gilani. "When he, sort of, publicly rebutted the police in the case of gang rape in Delhi, he kept quiet on those occasions," the Congress leader added. Digvijay was asked if the incident reflected BJP's reluctance to take criticism to which he said that "the fact is that they have a fascist ideology that can't take criticism...who believe in either you are on my way or the highway." Yashwant Sinha, however, said that he found Katju using words like "nonsense" and "rubbish" against Jaitley, something unbecoming of a judge. Congress spokesperson Abhishek Manu Singhvi trashed Jaitley's comment that Katju was "more Congress than Congress" questioning whether everybody who has criticised Modi was a Congress plant. "I am astonished at the outburst (of Jaitley). Over the past 11 years, people of all colours, parties, persuasions and views have at different times criticised and even condemned Modi. Does it mean all of them are Congressmen? "Anybody who criticised Modi becomes a Congress plant. In that case, thousands of people of the country - unconnected with politics, connected with politics, whosoever has done so must be treated as a Congress member," Singhvi said. Lok Janashakti Party also backed Katju saying that be it Gujarat or Bihar, NDA governments are "playing the game of statistics and manipulation" in the name of development and criticised Jaitley for his "unjustified" anger. "Jaitley should talk after due consideration. Katju speaks on the basis of facts. The BJP is attacking PCI chairman unnecessarily. In a similar manner, the NDA government in Bihar has gagged the media. We support Katju on whatever he has said over the situation in Gujarat now and Bihar in the past," party chief Ram Vilas Paswan said. A three-member team constituted by Katju over the media situation in Bihar last year had said that the media in Nitish Kumar-ruled Bihar is facing some sort of censorship and not being able to function freely. Katju has invited sharp criticism from some quarters even then. Congress spokesperson Rashid Alvi said whatever observations Justice Katju had made were his own observations. “He is working as an independent person as chairman of the Press Council of India and he is a man of reputation. The BJP is in the habit of making baseless allegations,” Alvi said. — PTI
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Akhilesh govt orders probe into Allahabad stampede
Lucknow, February 18 The decision, which was taken late last night, is expected to avert further ruckus in the Vidhan Sabha over the issue. Principal Secretary Home R M Srivastava said that the enquiry headed by Justice Bhatt would submit its report within two months. On the day of the accident, on February 10, the state government had ordered an enquiry by the Chairperson Board of Revenue. Later during his on-the-spot visit to the site of the accident CM Akhilesh Yadav had virtually given a clean chit to his officers raising doubts over the value of such an inquiry. On the opening day of the budget session on February 14, the BSP and the RLD had disrupted the house demanding a judicial probe by a sitting High Court judge. The BJP had boycotted the Governor’s address to the joint session of the Vidhan Sabha demanding a similar probe. Later the House had to be adjourned as the Opposition created furor refusing to budge from its demand for a judicial probe. As the Vidhan Sabha is meeting on Tuesday after a long weekend, the state government decided to accept the Opposition’s demand of a judicial probe to ensure peace inside the house when CM Akhilesh Yadav is expected to present his second budget.
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India to use UN pact to get papers from Italy
New Delhi, February 18 A formal petition under a UN mandate will be made to an appointed minister in Italy to seek documents of the VVIP helicopter deal. Official sources said the MoD-CBI team going to Italy to probe bribery allegations in the purchase of 12 helicopters from AgustaWestland, a subsidiary of aerospace giant Finmeccanica in Italy, was delayed due to the visa issue of one of the team members. Today, the team was briefed again that it will also have to meet Finmeccanica authorities as they seem to be cooperating with the Italians in the probe. New Delhi is looking at the 2012 adopted UN resolution on seeking legal help from G-20 countries. Italy has ratified the resolution and is a signatory to it. Separately, New Delhi is a signatory to the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) which is under a UN mandate and aimed at preventing money laundering. Italy is part of this task force as the European Commission has accepted and signed it on behalf of the 27 countries under its umbrella. India does not have a mutual legal assistance treaty (MLAT) with Italy. However, using Italian law, New Delhi is all set to petition the Minister of Justice to seek documents. This route of seeking documents was ratified by the UN in 2012 which released a step-by-step guide “Requesting Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters from G20 Countries”. This ensures requests are received and processed as efficiently as possible. The minister, on receiving the letter, can order that documents be provided, unless these “prejudice the sovereignty, safety or other essential interests of the state or the request is expressly forbidden by law or are contrary to the fundamental principles of the Italian legal system and the criminal proceedings may be prejudiced by discriminatory reasons”. The Minister of Justice, if he/she believes that the letter of request is enforceable, shall forward it to the Court of Appeal (in this case Busto Arsizio). The Court of Appeal shall execute the orders. India has a bright chance as the documents do not impinge on Italian national security. The CBI will need the documents to register a preliminary enquiry to start an investigation in the case. So far, there is no evidence in India.aThe Rs 3,500 crore deal to supply 12 helicopters was signed in February 2010. Following the arrest of Lorenzo Borgogni, a former head of external relations of Finmeccanica, who spilt the beans on the bribery trail, the magnitude of the bribes has emerged. A warrant in an Italian court names European and Indian middlemen as beneficiaries of the illegal pay-off by the AgustaWestland to secure the deal. Among those blamed are former IAF Chief SP Tyagi and his three cousins.
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SC stays execution of Veerappan’s four associates
New Delhi, February 18 A Bench headed by Chief Justice Altamas Kabir passed the order on a plea by their senior counsel Colin Gonsalves that the authorities were going ahead with the execution without offering them a chance to challenge the presidential decision. The four death row convicts are Veerappan’s elder brother Gnanaprakash, Simon, Meesekar Madaiah and Bilavendran. They were awarded death penalty in 2004 for killing 22 police personnel by triggering a landmine blast. In 2001, a trial court in Mysore had sentenced them to life term which was enhanced to death sentence by the Supreme Court. Their gang leader Veerappan was killed in an encounter with the Tamil Nadu Police in October 2004. The Supreme Court Bench, which included Justices AR Dave and Vikramajit Sen, also allowed the convicts to amend their petition - filed in a hurry - and submit it in proper form in the light of technical objections raised by Attorney General GE Vahanvati who would assist the court on the issue. The Bench said it would either hear the petition or refer it to another Bench headed by Justice GS Singhvi which was already considering such petitions by Rajiv Gandhi killers
and Devender Pal Singh Bhullar. On April 19, 2012, the Bench comprising Justices Singhvi and SJ Mukhopadhaya had reserved its judgment on Bhullar’s plea for commuting to life imprisonment the death penalty awarded to him for the September 10, 1993 bomb attack on the then Youth Congress president MS Bitta. Bhullar had pleaded that he should be spared the gallows as he had virtually undergone life sentence due to the long delay in the rejection of his mercy plea. The Centre, however, opposed the plea. The SC has also stayed the hanging of Santhan, Murugan and Arivu who were sentenced to death for their role in the assassination of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi during the Lok Sabha election campaign in Tamil Nadu in 1991.
The case * A trial court in Mysore had sentenced Veerappan’s four associates to life term in 2001; it was enhanced to death sentence by Supreme Court * Their gang leader Veerappan was killed in an encounter with the Tamil Nadu Police in October 2004
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Race begins for new CAG as govt looks for a softer face
New Delhi, February 18 As the CAG gets set to demit office in May, the race for the next top auditor of the country has started in the earnest with four to five names floating around in official circles. All of these candidates have the backing of ministers with one even having the backing of the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO). Sources said among those in the race include the names of Cabinet Secretary Ajit Seth, Revenue Secretary Sumit Bose, Defence Secretary Shashi Kant Sharma, Telecom Secretary R Chandrasekhar and Home Secretary RK Singh. The search for the new CAG has assumed political importance as the CAG reports on scams in telecom and coal sectors have seriously damaged the fortunes of the UPA government. With the next round of general elections due next year, the government would be keen to repair its battered reputation even as the opposition parties await Rai's audit reports on the VVIP chopper deal and the UPA's flagship MNERGA programme. The government is all the more cautious this time as the incumbent CAG, despite being the choice of the UPA government, chose to carry out his office unbiased and had the government on the mat once too often, giving the BJP-led opposition parties enough ammunition to fire one salvo after another at the government. Sources said the government now wants a soft candidate to replace Rai, who despite being the choice of Finance Minister P Chidambaram, never worked under pressure from the government and in fact, has now been tainted as the opposition’s man. Rai has taken the government head on and the latest round of criticism came only a day ago when Rai termed the ruling classes ‘typical bullies’ and pointed out that the current year has debunked the myth of majority remaining silent. He also said the silent majority could no longer be bullied by the minority, which has mandate to rule. Sources said the main fight is between the five candidates named above with the name of the Secretary, Financial Services, DK Mittal, also doing the rounds. Sources said while Cabinet Secretary Ajit Seth has the backing of Prime Minister’s Principal Secretary Pulok Chatterji, Revenue Secretary Sumit Bose has the backing of the Finance Minister. Reports also suggest that Defence Secretary Shashi Kant Sharma was the candidate put forward by Defence Minister AK Antony and Home Secretary RK Singh is Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde’s choice. Sources said the appointment of the CAG would be watched closely not only by the opposition parties but also the by the nation on the whole as Rai, with his revelations, has made himself and the institution that he heads household names, thanks to the media glare and a proactive civil society. The term for the CAG is for six years.
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Soon, CRPF may procure UAVs for anti-Naxal operations
Chandigarh, February 18 “We have sent our requirements for UAVs to the Ministry of Home Affairs,” CRPF Director General Pranay Sahay told The Tribune during his visit here. “We are looking at a number which is economically viable and reasonable to procure,” he said without giving out the exact figure the force was planning to buy. The Border Security Force is the only other Central police organisation to have its own air wing that operates fix-wing aircraft as well as helicopters. Proposals have also been mooted for the Indo-Tibetan Border Police to have its own helicopter wing. About 48 per cent of the 3 lakh-strong force is deployed to combat left-wing extremism, primarily in the Chhattisgarh-Jharkhand belt. “At present, we are dependent on the Indian Air Force and the National Technical Support Research Organisation (NTRO) for aerial surveillance in the naxal-hit areas,” Sahay said. The CRPF’s experiments at using IAF and NTRO UAVs have been operationally encouraging though at times, it has had to face difficulty in getting these as and when required. The CRPF has been successful in using UAVs to pick up ground conversation and movement of Maoist cadres in the forested terrain of Chhattisgarh. These inputs have often provided real-time intelligence during the conduct of operations. The CRPF has also tried out a mini-UAV called Netra in the jungles to carry out reconnaissance of naxal hideouts and movements. It is a battery-powered device that has been developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation. But given its small size and payload, it has limited utility and cannot carry out long-range and high-endurance tasks. In addition, the CRPF is also procuring additional night-vision devices, surveillance equipment and advanced weaponry to boost its capability to combat left-wing extremism as well as to undertake counter-terrorist operations in Jammu and Kashmir, where 33 per cent of its strength is deployed.
Adding aerial edge * Requirements sent to Ministry of Home Affairs
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Congress’ poor base in Odisha worries Rahul
Sambalpur (Odisha), Feb 18 Starting his two-day Odisha visit from here, Rahul interacted with party functionaries at the district, block and panchayat levels in marathon sessions, seen as an exercise to cement cracks among leaders and end groupism in order to rejuvenate the Congress as a cohesive outfit. "He wanted to know as to why the Congress has become so weak in Odisha," said a senior party leader after a session with Rahul, who is visiting Odisha for the first time after being elevated as the AICC's second in command. "He (Rahul) emphasised the need to make common people aware of different welfare schemes and developmental programmes taken up by the Centre in Odisha. He sought to know whether partymen are informing people about these," said another leader from western Odisha after meeting Rahul. — PTI
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Maharashtra to dress up Buddhist spots for tourists
Mumbai, February 18 Under a plan prepared by the Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC), ancient shrines, including cave temples in a number of places in the state like Aurangabad, Thane, Pune, Nashik, Raigad, Satara, have been identified for exploiting their tourism potential. In addition a number of new attraction like the Vipassana Pagoda at Borivali in North Mumbai have also been earmarked as tourist attractions. “The Buddhist travel circuit attracts a large number of tourists from countries like Japan, China, Thailand, Korea, etc. At present they visit Bodh Gaya, Nalanda and other places in Bihar. Maharashtra also has a lot of potential which needs to be explored," says Jagdish Patil, Director, MTDC. The Bihar government has even upgraded local airports so that direct flights from Japan and China are possible to destinations in the state. The Buddhist circuit sees a large number of high-spending elderly tourists from Japan, Korea and other places. The travel industry is keen on the state developing the infrastructure required to service this segment of the population. For instance, the Vipassana meditation centre at Borivali has special infrastructure to meet the needs of elderly people. According to officials here, they have doctors in attendance apart from facilities for special diets to meet the needs of senior citizens. Sources say, the Central government has earmarked as much as Rs 70 crore to develop a number of sites in the Nashik-Pune region which fall close to Mumbai. “We are providing a number of amenities at places like Pandavleni, Ghoradeshwar, Junnar, Karla, Bhaja and Bedsa which have a number caves from the Buddhist era,” says Patil. Under a proposal overseen by the Maharashtra Chief Minister's office, infrastructure facilities are to be developed at these places and sufficient amenities are to be provided to suit international tourists. Several hotel chains are exploring the possibility of constructing three and four-star hotels in these areas, according to officials. Also on the anvil are major infrastructure upgrades at Ajanta and Ellora which see a large number of tourists every year.
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HC orders CBI probe into Guria murder case
Kolkata, February 18 The HC division bench also directed the CID, inquiring into the case, to immediately hand over all the papers and other related documents to the CBI for unearthing the mystery and arresting the culprits involved in the unfortunate death of the orphan girl. Guria was found missing from the orphanage sometime in July last year and later her body had been recovered after digging the courtyard of the orphanage. The girl was allegedly gang-raped and then brutally killed by some staff members of the orphanage and local goons. Afterwards, two more bodies, identified as Sunita (13) and Ranjana (10), both the inmates of the home, were also recovered from the riverside of the Damador after interrogating the arrested persons.
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JEE main: CBSE extends deadline for slot selection
New Delhi, February 18 The last date of selection of slots for the all-India entrance to undergraduate engineering programmes in NITs, IIITs and other Centrally funded technical institutions was earlier fixed as February 15. “However, it was noticed that several aspirants have still not selected the slots/dates for the examination as yet. Therefore, the last date for selection of slots/dates is being extended to February 22,” said a spokesperson. “The allotment of slots will be on first-come-first-served basis. If a candidate does not make any selection by February 22, they will be randomly assigned a slot/date based on availability,” the spokesperson added. Earlier this month, the CBSE had extended the deadline to edit the application form.
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India did raise turban issue with Hollande during visit
New Delhi, February 18 It is understood that New Delhi conveyed to Hollande the sensitivities of the Sikh community regarding the ban on Sikh students wearing turban in public or government schools. Hollande reportedly told the Indian side that he would ask the authorities concerned to engage with the Sikh community in France over the issue. Officials said India has raised the turban issue with France at every interaction between the two sides. It has been repeatedly pointed out to Paris that the Sikh turban simply could not be equated with other religious symbols like Muslim headscarves or Christian crosses. During his visit to Paris last month, External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid too had raised this issue with his French interlocutors. He was told that the issue should be looked in its totality and that the ban on religious symbols in schools was not Sikh specific. France has time and again promised to reconsider the issue but there is no indication that Paris would reverse the decision. Paris says that the ban on turban is part of an act passed in 2004, prohibiting wearing of conspicuous religious symbols in public schools, and is not targeted against any particular community.
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Inclusive urban planning is need of the hour: Selja
New Delhi, February 18 Speaking at the inaugural session of an International Conference on Inclusive Urban Planning being organised here by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation, Selja called for inclusive cities and said at present the policies had led to some areas being well provided with excessive supply of infrastructure, spaces and amenities and the others being severely deprived with inadequate housing, sub-optimal and scarce infrastructure and urban decay. “These physical divides lead to invisible borders in the social, cultural and economic spheres in the cities. Exclusion can have various dimensions and it can manifest in many forms. The result is poverty, educational shortfalls; dependency; gender-based discrimination, weakening of community relationships; gaps among citizens, lack in the provision of quality basic services; and loss of cultural expressions,” she said adding that if cities were properly planned, they could become vehicles of social change. Selja called inclusive planning and policies crying need of the hour and said inclusive spatial planning should be on the premises of planning for mixed neighbourhoods, creating good public spaces and facilities for the neglected urban areas, removing architectural barriers for the under-privileged and differently abled and creating gender sensitive urban spaces are some of the key elements. “Inclusive social planning should aim at poverty reduction, generation of equal employment opportunities for all and an autonomous and decent life for the disabled,” she said.
Urban mess * Over 50 pc global population living in cities * By 2030, all developing regions, including Asia and Africa will have more people living in urban areas than in rural areas. *
In India, nearly 590 million people will be living in cities. We would have around 68 million plus cities by then.
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Rhino killed in Kaziranga
Guwahati, February 18 An official source informed that the rhino was killed at Roumari camp area in Bagori range of the national park by poachers late last night. Forest personnel recovered the carcass of the beast sans the horn early this morning. The killing of yet another rhino triggered public protests in Kaziranga Park area teven as the Park Directors allegedly misbehaved with local journalists while preventing them from entering the Park to gather on-the-spot information about the poached rhino.
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Saina face of AP’s save energy drive
Hyderabad, February 18 Saina will campaign for the State Energy Conservation Mission (SECM), encouraging people to take up energy saving measures to minimise power consumption in the wake of severe power crisis gripping the state. SECM chief executive officer A Chandrasekhara Reddy said: “We had a meeting with Saina and her coach Pullela Gopichand a few days ago and explained the objectives of our energy conservation mission. We gave a PowerPoint presentation on the unprecedented power crisis facing the state. “We explained to them how the scarcity of natural resources like coal, gas and water has led to an acute power shortage in the state and impact of energy conservation activities.” The state has been going through unprecedented power crisis with the gap between demand and supply crossing 70 million units per day, forcing the power utilities to go in for massive power cuts. During the past few years, there had been indiscriminate use of power by consumers, putting tremendous burden on the power utilities, Reddy said. SECM officials told Saina that if everyone in the state was actively involved in this energy conservation mission, the state will save 15,000 MU of energy, worth Rs 7,500 crore every year.
Without power * AP is reeling under acute power crisis with gap between demand and supply crossing 70 million units per day *
Through energy saving campaign, the state looks to save 15,000 MU of energy worth Rs 7,500 crore every year
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Amar admitted to Dubai hospital New Delhi, February 18 “His condition is critical but stable,” the aide said, adding he has been admitted to Welcare Hospital in Dubai. Singh, once the public face of Samajwadi Party, was admitted to Singapore's Mount Elizabeth Hospital and Medical Centre for treatment of kidney ailment a couple of years ago. — PTI
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Unions’ talks with ministers collapse, strike on New Delhi, February 18 Rejecting the PM's appeal yesterday to the unions to call of the stir, the 11 trade unions said the panel of ministers failed to give then any concrete proposal and that not even one of their demands was accepted. “The strike is on... They are only asking for time. They say they will study the demand and will give proper reply or take necessary action later on... We said it is not possible, there should be some concrete decision over demands of the workers," said INTUC president G Sanjeeva Reddy. INTUC is affiliated to the Congress. AITUC general secretary Gurudas Dasgupta also endorsed Reddy's views. The two-hour long meeting was attended by representatives of all 11 trade unions. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had yesterday appealed to the unions to call off their strike as it would cause loss to economy besides inconvenience to people and offered talks. He had requested his AK Antony, Sharad Pawar and P Chidambaram besides Labour Minister Mallikarjun Kharge to hold discussions with the union leaders. — PTI
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Even distribution of sops likely in Rail Budget New Delhi, February 18 On the sharing of benefits, sources say, the financial statement of the key infrastructure ministry, which has returned to the Congress after a gap of 17 years, will ensure that this year all sops are evenly distributed among states unlike previous years when coalition politics saw new projects and trains concentrated to the state of the coalition partner holding the department. But there is a possibility that passengers may see another hike in fares by way of increase in fuel surcharge or catering charges in premier trains. “The list of new trains, projects, extensions, etc. will be evenly distributed among all states, irrespective of the party they are being governed by. There is no reason why a particular state or region should benefit or be neglected when it comes to allocations from Central funds. There are many states (in South for example) which have remained ignored in the past,” a source says. The ministry headed by Pawan Bansal is currently in the process of finalising the Rail Budget to be presented on February 26. When Trinamool Congress leader Mamata Banerjee was holding the ministry, she chose to shower West Bengal with new projects and trains, and also extra funds to keep those announced earlier moving. Her successor Dinesh Trivedi seemed more inclusive but he also ensured that when it came to projects, his home state - West Bengal - benefited from plum projects. Another big gainer last year was Maharashtra, especially Mumbai. So while officials promise equal distribution to all states, irrespective of the political party in power, there is a good chance that some of the additional burden of Rs 2,700 crore incurred due to the recent hike in diesel prices is passed on to passengers. Reeling under deficit of Rs 25,000 crore in the passenger segment, the Railways had hiked fares in December to increase earnings by Rs 6,600 crore in one year. But the diesel price hike resulted in reduction of profits. There is also the option of increasing fuel surcharge and raising catering charges in premier trains like Rajdhani, Duronto and
Shatabdi. *
Railway Ministry, held by the Congress after a gap of 17 years, is finalising its Budget to be presented on February 26 *
Looks to distribute sops evenly among states, unlike previous years when the portfolio was held by coalition partners *
May hike fares by way of increasing fuel surcharge
or catering charges in premier trains * Receives 2,000 requests for start of new trains, extension of old lines, additional sops
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New Delhi, February 18
Chandigarh, February 18
Seeking to gauge his party's strength and weakness in Odisha ahead of next general election, Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi today wanted partymen to make people aware of various development and welfare schemes undertaken by the UPA government.
Starting his two-day Odisha visit from here, Rahul interacted with party functionaries at the district, block and panchayat levels
Rejecting the BJP's demand, AICC general secretary Digvijay Singh jumped to Katju's defence, saying he had always been impartial and wondered whether Jaitley was reacting in this manner because he "owed" his Rajya Sabha seat to Gujarat Chief Minister Modi.
What to expect