The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

	Taxman detects Rs 7 crore evasion by Gadkari’s firms New Delhi, May 5 The Income Tax Department has detected alleged tax evasion to the tune of Rs 7 crore in the business transactions of Purti group of companies related to former BJP president Nitin Gadkari. Probing the alleged dubious transactions of the Purti Power and Sugar Limited (PPSL) since last year, the department has completed assessments pertaining to the last two financial years and has found evasion to the tune of more than Rs 7 crore, top official sources said. The Purti group, in its reaction, said it has not received any notice in this regard. A notice is not any indicator of any wrongdoing, it said, adding that Gadkari was not associated with the Purti group for the last two years. “Our attention has been drawn to reports in a section of media that the Income Tax department is serving a tax assessment notice to the Purti Group for the last two assessment years. We would like to make it clear that neither the Purti group nor any functionary of the Purti group has received any notice so far,” Nitin Kulkarni, PRO of Purti Group said in a statement. “If any tax assessment notice is received, our MD Sudhir Dive in consultation with our tax advisors will give an appropriate response. However, a tax assessment notice is a routine procedure. There are different levels of appeal at various stages. The Purti group will deal with the matter. “The tax assessment notice is certainly not any indication of wrong doing. We would like to place on record that Gadkari has not associated with the Purti group from last two years,” Kulkarni said. — PTI
	No accused or suspect in coalgate let off: CBI chief New Delhi, May 5 A day ahead of filing a crucial affidavit in the Supreme Court on coal scam which has rocked the UPA government, CBI Director Ranjit Sinha today affirmed that the agency’s probe into the matter was "clean and clear" and that no accused or suspect had been let off. The apex court hearing the matter on May 8 may decide the political fate of Union Law Minister Ashwini Kumar who is embroiled in a controversy for having had a meeting with the CBI Director and others on March 5 during which he vetted the draft of the status report on the scam that was to be filed by the CBI on the next day. At its last hearing on April 12, the court had asked Sinha to file an affidavit stating that the details of the report had not been shared with anyone as claimed by Additional Solicitor General Harin Raval before the court. Sinha told PTI that no substantive changes were allowed to be made in the status report of the CBI filed on March 6. — PTI
	ICMR awards: PGI docs shine Vinod Kumar Paul of AIIMS bags highest research honour Tribune News Service New Delhi, May 5 Doctors from the PGI, Chandigarh, bagged eight among the 43 awards which the Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR) presented this week for excellence in the field of medical practice. While the highest research award of the ICMR, Dr BR Ambedkar Centenary Award for Excellence in Biomedical Research, went to Vinod Kumar Paul, Head of Pediatrics Department, AIIMS, New Delhi; Dr DN Prasad Memorial Oration Award 2009 went to Bikash Medhi, professor at Department of Pharmacology, PGI, Chandigarh. The Ambedkar award is the topmost ICMR honour and carries a cash award of Rs 1 lakh and a certificate of honour and Dr DN Prasad Award carries a cash award of Rs 20,000 and is given to a doctor in the field of pharmacology. Both these awards are given in alternate years. The awards presented this week by the ICMR are for 2009. The other top awardees from the PGI, Chandigarh, are --Radha Krishan Dhiman, professor, Department of Hepatology, who won the Basanti Devi Amir Chand Prize 2009 for research in biomedical sciences, including clinical research. The Kamal Satbir Award for outstanding contribution to the field of non-TB chest diseases, especially respiratory allergy and chronic obstructive lung diseases, has been given to Dr Ritesh Agarwal, associate professor at the Department of Pulmonary Medicine, PGI, Chandigarh. The award bears a cash of Rs 10,000 and a certificate. The ICMR’s Chaturvedi Kalawati Jagmohan Das Memorial Award for 2009 went to Surjit Singh, professor of Pediatrics at Advanced Pediatric Centre, PGI, Chandigarh. The prize is awarded for eminent work in the field of immunology and bears a cash prize of Rs 20,000. Dr Sunit Singhi, head, Pediatrics, PGI, Chandigarh, bagged the Amrut Mody Unichem Prize 2009, which is given to a scientist for research work in the fields of gastroenterology, cardiology, neurology, maternal and child health or chest diseases. This year the prize went to Dr Singhi for work in gastroenterology, as per the ICMR citation. The ICMR’s Shakuntala Amir Chand Prize for 2010 has gone to Akshay Anand, associate professor at the PGI’s Neuroscience Research Lab. The BGRC Silver Jubilee oration Award for 2010 has gone to Dr Jasmina Ahluwalia, associate professor, Department of Hematology, PGI, Chandigarh; while the Dr YS Narayana Rao Oration Award 2010 has gone to Praveen Rishi, reader, Department of Microbiology at PGI, Chandigarh. Dr Amrinderjit Kanwar, head, Department of Dermatology, Venereology and Leprology at PGI, Chandigarh, has received the ICMR Lala Ramchand Kandhari Award 2010. Other awardees from the region are Dr Bhushan Kumar, consultant dermatologist at Silver Oaks Multi-speciality Hospital, Mohali, who has bagged the JALMA Trust Fund Oration Award instituted by the ICMR and Dr Ellora Sen, assistant professor at the Division of Molecular and Cellular Neurosciences, National Brain Research Centre, Manesar, Haryana, who has received the Shakuntala Amir Chand Prize 2009.
	Urban health mission gets Cabinet nod Slum-dwellers in cities will now be able to avail health facilities Aditi Tandon/TNS New Delhi, May 5 Urban poor, especially those living in slums, will now have access to primary healthcare services in cities and towns with the Cabinet recently approving the National Urban Health Mission (NUHM) to function as a sub-mission under the overarching National Health Mission which also caters to rural populations. To be implemented in 779 cities and towns with over 50,000 population, the NUHM aims to cover 7.75 crore people. Meant for the urban poor, it will primarily target the urban slum population of 68 million (6 crore) as revealed by the 2011 Census. The mission comes at a time when poverty in India is becoming urbanised. By 2030, urbanisation rate will touch 50 per cent. Urban poverty at present is around 25 per cent and although nationally rural poverty is higher, the gap is closing. As per the 2011 Census, 1.37 crore households in urban areas (around 17 pc) were slum households and in 19 cities with a population above one million, 25 per cent households were slum households. The Registrar General of India defines a slum household as one unfit for human habitation due to dilapidated state and cramped surroundings. People residing in these places will now be linked to health facilities with the NUHM vowing to provide one urban primary health centre (PHC) for every 50,000 to 60,000 population; one Urban Community Health Centre against every five to six PHCs in big cities; one Auxiliary Nursing Midwife (ANM) for every 10,000 population and one Accredited Social Health Activist ASHA (community link worker) for every 200 to 500 households. Importantly, 71 pc of the slum population lives in six states of Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh. These are highly vulnerable on the health front considering the majority don’t have a clean source of drinking water or sanitation facility. Census data shows 74 per cent slum households use taps as the primary source of drinking water followed by hand pumps used by 20.3 per cent. Over 19 pc households have no toilet facility and 15.1 per cent use public toilets. Besides, health indicators for urban poor are much worse than their urban counterparts. National Family Health Survey data shows that under-five mortality among the urban poor is 72.7 deaths per 1,000 live births as against the urban average of 51.9 deaths. The NUHM seeks to cover these gaps with the stated objectives of reducing infant and maternal mortality rates for the urban poor and giving them universal access to reproductive health. Five-year cost of the mission will be Rs 22,507 crore with the Centre’s share pegged at Rs 16,955 crore and the centre-state funding pattern decided at 75:25 except for the North Eastern states, and special category states of Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand for whom the funding pattern will be 90:10. The NUHM has been awaited for over a year now. It was earlier proposed as a separate Mission under the lines of NRHM. The Planning Commission insisted that the rural and urban health missions be managed under an overarching National Health Mission. The project The mission seeks to cover gaps between urban rich and poor with the stated objectives of reducing infant and maternal mortality rates for the urban poor and giving them universal access to reproductive health To be implemented in 779 cities and towns with over 50,000 population, the National Urban Health Mission aims to cover 7.75 crore people Meant for the urban poor, it will primarily target the urban slum population of 6 crore as revealed by the 2011 Census
	Revolt brews in Andhra Cong; 5 ministers target CM Reddy Suresh Dharur/TNS Hyderabad, May 5 A bitter revolt is brewing in the ruling Congress in Andhra Pradesh with at least five ministers openly coming out against Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy’s style of functioning and gearing up to take the battle to the doorstep of the party high command. Deputy Chief Minister D Raja Narasimha and APCC president B Satyanarayana, who is also a minister, have emerged as the rallying points for the dissidents who have been gunning for the Chief Minister, accusing him of being dictatorial and unilateral. The rebels in the party, whose number is growing steadily, have been holding parleys to chalk out a strategy to ‘expose’ the non-cooperative attitude of the Chief Minister and to seek the intervention of the Central leadership to sort out the matter ahead of the 2014 Assembly elections. The latest provocation was provided by the Chief Minister’s announcement of a new welfare scheme for the girl child ‘Bangaru Talli’ (Golden Daughter), envisaging financial assistance to girls from poor families to pursue their education. The rebel ministers alleged that the Cabinet members were not being consulted before formulation of new schemes. Another contentious announcement pertained to the allocation of iron ore mines at Bayyaram in the Telangana region for Visakhapatnam Steel plant located in the coastal Andhra region. The move has angered the senior ministers from the Telangana region who contended that Kiran, who hails from the Rayalaseema region, was neglecting the needs of the backward Telangana region. “I was kept in the dark about Bangaru Talli scheme though my ministry has a big role to play in the successful implementation of the programme,” lamented Health Minister Dr DL Ravindra Reddy, a known critic of the Chief Minister. A senior minister from Telangana, K Jana Reddy, openly attacked the Chief Minister for displaying “authoritarian streak” and ignoring the seniors in the Cabinet. “It is not proper on the part of the Chief Minister to keep his Cabinet members out of the decision-making process,Jana Reddy said. The spurt in the rebel trouble came in the backdrop of reports of the falling popularity ratings of the Congress. An already tenuous government had managed to survive a no-confidence motion in March last, thanks largely to the decision of the main Opposition Telugu Desam Party (TDP) to abstain from voting. With the supporters and detractors of the Chief Minister stepping up their activities, the high command is understood to have summoned Kiran to Delhi for discussions. Party sources said, he is likely to leave for Delhi tomorrow. Significantly, he has cancelled the official engagements scheduled tomorrow in Anantapur district. On their part, the dissidents, led by Raja Narasimha, are said to be planning to visit Delhi on May 8 and hand over a memorandum to Central leaders, containing a litany of complaints against the Chief Minister. On warpath Deputy CM D Raja Narasimha and APCC president B Satyanarayana, who is also a minister, have emerged as the rallying points for the dissidents who have been gunning for CM N Kiran Kumar Reddy (pic), accusing 0him of being dictatorial and unilateral The rebels in the party, whose number is growing steadily, have been holding parleys to chalk out a strategy to ‘expose’ the non-cooperative attitude of the Chief Minister and to seek the intervention of the Central leadership to sort out the matter ahead of the 2014 Assembly elections
	Retirement age of time scale Group Captains raised AFT brings them on a par with selection grade officers Vijay Mohan/TNS Chandigarh, May 5 In a significant judgment affecting a large number of IAF officers, the Armed Forces Tribunal (AFT) has ruled that time scale Group Captains would retire at the same age as selection grade Group Captains. In an anomaly peculiar only to the IAF, time scale Group Captains are being retired at the age of 54 years where as the retirement age for selection grade officers of this rank is 57 years. The position of time scale officers was created in 2004 consequent to the implementation of the AV Singh Committee recommendations on cadre restructuring of the three forces. Prior to this, officers who could not make it to the rank of Group Captain due to competitive merit or lack of vacancies were retired at the level of time scale Wing Commander. Allowing a bunch of petitions, the AFT has quashed the Central Government notification of June 2009 that lays down the age of retirement for time scale Group Captains as 54 years and directed that all the persons who are in the rank of time scale Group Captain will be entitled to continue in service up to the age of 57 years. The tribunal has ruled that time scale Group Captains who have retired at the age of 54 are entitled to benefits up to the age of 57 years. They would be entitled to arrears of salary till the age of 57 years and their pension and other emoluments would be worked out accordingly. Observing that there was no rational for creating two retirement ages for the same rank when they wear same uniform, wear the same rank, get the same salary and grade pay and discharge identical duties, the tribunal held that the distinction which is sought to be made between the two categories has no legs to stand. The IAF orders implementing the AV Singh Committee recommendation stated that time scale Group Captains would be retired at the same age as time scale wing commanders. The tribunal observed that once the officers concerned have been promoted to Group Captain and get the pay of that rank, they ceased to be Wing Commanders.
	Border scenario with China similar to 1962: Author Tribune News Service New Delhi, May 5 Neville Maxwell, author of the much debated book “India’s China War’ has compared the recent India-China fracas along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) with the developments of 1961-62 and questioned if this could lead to war. In an article in the latest edition of the ‘Economic and Political Weekly’, Maxwell lays out the comparison and asks: “What, in that historical context, is going on in the Daulet Beg Oldie region? And could something like that escalation to war occur there?” Arguing his case, Maxwell says: “This ( the DBO sector) was the main arena of the (Indian) forward policy, and from mid-1961 to late October 1962 Indian troops were struggling to advance into it as far as dire logistical difficulties and the resolute Chinese impediment would allow.” In his book on the 1962 Sino-India conflict, authored in 1971, Maxwell had laid the blame for conflict on Jawaharlal Nehru’s ‘forward policy’ and attempts to occupy Aksai Chin. Many years later, India’s leading strategist K Subramanyam, a former director of the Defence Ministry-backed think-tank Institute of Defence Studies and Analyses (IDSA), had punched holes in Maxwell’s claims on the 1962 conflict. In his latest article, Maxwell says: “In the Indian perception the entire area including and beyond the Karakorams encompassing the desolate Aksai Chin plateau, is Indian territory under illicit Chinese occupation. So far as the Chinese are concerned that area is not in dispute.” The DBO, once a caravanserai is recognised as being in Indian territory, was not attacked or occupied in 1962, says Maxwell while adding “But Since last year there has been a significant Indian build-up at DBO. Indian newspapers have reported reinforcement of the garrison, the induction of heavy artillery, even armour, and a landing strip laid in 1962 has been re-activated to facilitate supply.” Maxwell questions the Indian build up and has given a clean chit to China as he asks: “What is the Indian purpose? A Chinese invasion at that point is inconceivable, so it (India’s move) cannot be defensive”. To Maxwell’s mind, the Chinese incursion is to demonstrate that its purpose is observational and inoffensive, but also not transitory, it is unfortified, merely a tented encampment. ‘India’s China War’ In his book on the 1962 Sino-India conflict, authored in 1971, Neville Maxwell had laid the blame for conflict on Jawaharlal Nehru’s ‘forward policy’ and attempts to occupy Aksai Chin Many years later, India's leading strategist K Subramanyam, a former director of the Defence Ministry-backed think-tank, Institute of Defence Studies and Analyses, had punched holes in Maxwell's claims on the 1962 conflict In his latest article, Maxwell says that in the Indian perception, the entire area, including and beyond the Karakorams encompassing the desolate Aksai Chin plateau, is Indian territory under illicit Chinese occupation. For Chinese, that area is not in dispute
	Gene causing rare inherited brain disorder among children found Will make future diagnosis of rare genetic disorders easier Aditi Tandon/TNS New Delhi, May 5 A global team of researchers has identified the gene behind a rare brain disorder in a four-year-old boy from Punjab who has not been able to walk or sit without support since he was born. His condition, undiagnosed till now, has been attributed to mutations in DARS gene which scientists discovered through newly developed genome sequencing technologies that make it possible to strike at the root of rare diseases. The said gene has been, for the first time, associated with diseases in humans and has caused in nine other children worldwide the same inherited brain disorder as in the Indian child. Called ‘hypomyelination with brainstem and spinal cord involvement and leg spasticity (HBSL)’, the disorder is characterised by damages to white matter in the brain which aids motor development in people. The research, conducted by 16 experts including IC Verma, Director, Centre for Medical Genetics, Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, and Dr Monica Juneja, Department of Paediatrics, Maulana Azad Medical College, and led by Dr Ryan Taft from The University of Queensland’s used genome sequencing to find in these children a defect in a gene previously not associated with human disease. The study has been published in The American Journal of Human Genetics and paves the way for future diagnosis of rare genetic paediatric diseases. Dr Verma said 40 to 50 pc genetic disorders can’t be detected through normal testing or MRIs. “Genome sequencing technologies allow us to track defective gene. The first Human Genome Project in 1993 cost medical science $1 billion. Now the cost is $10,000. It will reduce further. It’s a technology that helps doctors with genetic counselling of parents.” In the instant case, the mother can now go in for genetic testing during her next pregnancy to determine the health of her child. Chances of the next child having a defective gene are 25 pc when the first child has one. Another take away from the new research is risk of marriages within families. “This four-year-old was born to parents who hail from the same family. Each of us has eight to 10 defective genes but when two people from one ancestry become partners, chances of defective genes pairing up increase putting the progeny at heightened risk of genetic disorders,” Dr Verma said. Due to the high birth rate in India, a very large number of infants with genetic disorders are born every year and almost half a million are born with malformations and 21,000 with the Down’s syndrome. Studies have shown that about 9,000 infants are born with thalassaemia every year and 5,200 with sickle cell disease. That being the rate of genetic diseases, new technology can help parents seek counseling at the stage of conception and pregnancy and manage the genetic condition of their children better. WHAT IS HSBL Called ‘hypomyelination with brainstem and spinal cord involvement and leg spasticity (HBSL)’, the disorder is characterised by damages to white matter in the brain which aids motor development in people This occurs when people don’t have enough myelin, a substance that coats nerve fibres and enables transmissions of electrical impulses in the nervous system The research used genome sequencing to find in these children a defect in a gene previously not associated with human disease This four-year-old was born to parents who hail from the same family. Each of us has eight to 10 defective genes but when two people from one ancestry become partners, chances of defective genes pairing up increase putting the progeny at heightened risk of genetic disorders. — IC Verma, Director, Centre for Medical Genetics, Sir Ganga Ram Hospital
	Order dismissing Col for having illicit affair quashed Tribune News Service Chandigarh, May 5 The Armed Forces Tribunal (AFT) has quashed the proceedings against a Colonel whose services were terminated for alleged misappropriation of petroleum products and for having an illicit relationship with the wife of a junior officer, but left it open to the Army take fresh action in accordance with law. The AFT, in its order this week, held that the authorities had combined both the elements into a single order. While the conviction by court martial for misappropriation of several thousand litres of petrol and diesel was upheld, the tribunal found irregularities in the proceedings concerning the allegations of illicit relationship. The incidents pertain to the period when the said officer, Col KD Singh was posted in Hisar a few years ago. There were also reports of the officer being assaulted by a junior officer over his alleged relationship, which resulted in him sustaining serious injuries. The tribunal observed that Army Rule 180 was not complied with during the court of inquiry investigating the cause of his injuries, which is statutory and gives full opportunity to an incumbent when his character and military reputation is at stake. In this case, most of the witnesses were examined by the court of inquiry without the accused being present, making the proceedings vitiated. A separate court of inquiry and the subsequent court martial were held for fuel misappropriation, where he was awarded a severe reprimand and five years forfeiture of service for the purpose of pension. Last year, he was served a show cause notice for termination of services without pension and gratuity. The termination order was a composite order of two elements and it was not open for the tribunal to segregate the same and to uphold the conviction of the accused, the tribunal ruled. Quashing the termination order, the tribunal has remanded the matter back to the authorities to take an appropriate action by giving him fresh show cause notice and by segregating two items or leaving it open for them to proceed against the officer in accordance of law.
	UP has as many mobile users as Japan’s population Shahira Naim Tribune News Service Lucknow, May 5 The number of mobile connection subscribers in Uttar Pradesh is almost equivalent to the population of Japan, making it the country’s top state in terms of mobile subscribers. Data from telecom regulator Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) shows that Uttar Pradesh is closely followed by Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Bihar, which together account for almost half of the total mobile connections. India, which is the world's second largest mobile phone market in terms of subscribers, had a total of 861.66 million mobile connections as on February 2013. Of this, 121.60 million subscribers are from Uttar Pradesh, the most populous state in the country. Incidentally, apart from Noida, Uttar Pradesh has no major industrial town to speak of. Hence, there is no visible correlation between the number of mobile subscribers and economic growth. Despite such a large number of mobile subscribers, the overall mobile subscriber base in the country has marginally declined by 0.11% from 862.6 million in January 2013 to 861.66 million at the end of February 2013. In terms of mobile subscribers after Uttar Pradesh, which has a total of 121.60 million mobile phone connections, Tamil Nadu comes second which has 71.81 million subscribers, according to the TRAI data. Maharashtra is at the third position with a subscriber base of 67.73 million. The state is followed by Andhra Pradesh and Bihar with 64.12 million and 60.73 million subscribers, respectively. As much as 55 per cent of the total cell phone subscribers in India live in these five states together accounting for 366 million of the total 861.66 million mobile subscribers. Karnataka stands sixth with 52.45 million mobile subscribers, followed by Madhya Pradesh with 51.43 million subscribers. Gujarat, fast rising as the most industry-friendly state, stands eighth with 51.23 million cell phone connections, while Rajasthan, the largest state in terms of area, has a total of 47.83 million mobile subscribers. Ringing a bell With 121.60 million users, Uttar Pradesh is country's top state in terms of mobile subscribers Incidentally, apart from Noida, Uttar Pradesh has no major industrial town Tamil Nadu, which has 71.81 million subscribers, stands second Maharashtra is at the third spot with a subscriber base of 67.73 million. The state is followed by Andhra and Bihar with 64.12 million and 60.73 million subscribers, respectively
	Buddhadeb lashes out at Mamata, seeks CBI probe Kolkata, May 5 The ongoing Left-Trinamool war of words in West Bengal over the chitfund scam today saw Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee accusing Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee of trying to drag his name into the scandal by spreading "lies" and stating that only a CBI inquiry would unravel the truth. "What is she trying to prove by showing my pictures? That I, my family members and my party members have taken money from chit-fund firms? She is trying to spread lies to save her own party from the scam," Bhattacharjee said addressing a rally in North 24-Parganas district. A few days back, Banerjee had displayed copies of newspapers, including CPM mouthpiece Ganasakti, with the purported photographs of the former Chief Minister and a former CPM MP from the state. "I was the Chief Minister for 10 years. It is not a big issue if someone clicks any photograph with me. It doesn't mean that we have taken money from that person. Have we put our own party leaders into chit fund firms to head any wing of such companies?" Bhattacharjee wondered. “Rather than delivering big speeches, let there be a CBI inquiry. A CBI inquiry can only bring out the truth," Bhattacharjee said. He alleged that the nearly two years of Trinamool Congress rule had witnessed a rapid decline in agriculture and industry. On one hand, poor farmers were not getting right prices for the paddy they produced ultimately pushing them to commit suicide, on the other the setting up of the steel factory at Salboni in West Midnapore district by the Jindals was in jeopardy, he said. "During the last year of our (Left Front) rule i.e. 2011, an amount of Rs 9,500 crore was invested, but in the very next year, the amount came down to a paltry Rs 123 crore," Bhattacharjee claimed. He claimed that the tall promise of creating 10 lakh jobs came unstuck. "Some jobs were indeed created, but that is in the green police, while other jobs were created by chit fund companies." The only thing that progressed unhindered was 'goondaism', he alleged, adding that theft and dacoity had taken place during his regime, but not in the magnitude as was being seen at the present. "Now common people are scared and the goondas are thinking that it is their government," he said. He alleged that after sending the bill to control chit fund companies to Delhi in 2003 for presidential assent, at least 20 letters had been despatched, but the bill was not signed into law. — PTI
	Riteish Deshmukh to enter M’rashtra politics Shiv Kumar Tribune News Service Mumbai, May 5 A section of the Congress in Maharashtra is actively pitching for actor Riteish Deshmukh to actively join politics. Riteish, a popular Hindi film actor known for his comic skills, is the son of late Maharashtra Chief Minister and Union Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh. According to party sources here, the younger Deshmukh has campaigned for his father and brother Amit in the past and is well-acquainted with many party workers in Latur, his home town. Riteish's brother Amit is a Congress MLA and is tipped to join Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan's team when it is expanded. Sources say Congress leaders here want Riteish to be fielded in next year's Lok Sabha elections. Though the buzz is that the actor is agreeable for a political career and has reduced the number of film assignments, Riteish himself has refused to comment on it. The demand for Riteish to enter politics also comes from his recent initiatives to set up educational institutions in Latur. The actor has gone on record saying he wants to improve women's education in his family's pocket borough. Recently, Riteish also turned producer with ‘Balak Palak’, a story about children coming of age. He is playing the role of a politician in his next home production ‘Lai Bhaari’, which is said to be based on the life of a political leader in the state.
	Indian Bison reappears in Kaziranga Bijay Sankar Bora/TNS Guwahati, May 5 The presence of Indian Bison has been recorded in the UNESCO World Heritage Site Kaziranga National Park (KNP) in Assam after over 30 years, much to the cheers of wildlife conservationists and park officials. KNP director NK Vasu said a huge male Indian Bison was clicked by camera traps installed in the park to monitor the tiger population. The Bison was recorded by camera traps located in the Bagori range of the park. The official said Bison was believed to have become extinct in the KNP since it was not spotted in the park for over 25 years. He said the presence of 25 Indian Bisons was recorded during the rhino census carried out in the park in 1978 and after that there hasn’t been any official record of sighting of Indian Bison in the park. Bison used to roam around plenty in the sprawling Kaziranga forest area (located in the Brahmaputra flood plains) many decades ago when the forest was linked with the forest of Karbi Anglong hills to the south as Bisons are known to prefer a habitat that comprises of plains and hills. But because of growing human activity in the area between Kaziranga and Karbi Anglong, Bison gradually became extinct from the forest areas of Kaziranga. Now, with the confirmed presence of a huge male Bison in the park, the authorities believe that there will be presence of few more such animals, including females. The presence of the endangered Bison, which is a Schedule I species, has added value to the enchanting wildlife habitat of the KNP. The Kaziranga is considered a unique wildlife habitat because of the presence of the Big Five -- Indian one-horned rhino, elephant, tiger, Asian buffalo and sambhar -- besides over 500 species of birds, trees and herbs and other animals. The presence of Bison will make it a rare habitat of the Big Six - rhino, elephant, tiger, buffalo, sambhar and bison. Rare sight A male Indian Bison was clicked by camera traps installed in the Bagori range of the park Bison was believed to have become extinct in the KNP since it was not spotted in the park for over 25 years The presence of Bison, which is a Schedule I species, has added value to the enchanting wildlife habitat of the KNP
	Delhi gang-rape case verdict expected by May-end New Delhi, May 5 With the trial in the Delhi gang rape case "almost 90 percent complete", the court verdict is expected to come by the end of May, Delhi Police commissioner Neeraj Kumar said. In an interview to a news channel, Neeraj Kumar said: "The trial of December 16 (2012) case is almost 90 per cent complete and judgment is expected by the end of May." On December 16, 2012, a 23-year-old woman was brutally raped and tortured by a gang of six people on a moving bus. She died a few days later of grievous injuries. The male friend of the victim, who too was attacked and severely injured, in an interview had criticised the police for their "inaction" in the case. The police commissioner dismissed allegations that policemen had offered a bribe of Rs 2,000 to the parents of a five-year-old-girl in east Delhi, another rape victim in the city, in April to hush up the matter. "A report was promptly registered by the women help desk after which a case was lodged. I admit the follow-up action was not up to the mark for which we suspended the SHO (station house officer) and IO (investigative officer) in the case," he said. There was no question of hushing up the case as NGOs were informed about the incident and media was also present there, he added. Speaking of capital punishment for rapists, Neeraj Kumar said: "Many criminals have been hanged for murders and terrorism but has this brought an end to such crimes? The law punishes criminals but if we start assuming that this will stop crimes, this will not be correct." The commissioner again said that his stepping down would not serve any purpose. "I am not among those who run away. I am the leader of the force and till the time the government has trust in me, I shall continue to lead," he said. According to Neeraj Kumar, in the wake of the recent crimes against women, the police have taken a slew of measures to make women feel safe in the Capital. "One such step is setting up of women help desks at police stations which are functional round the clock where females can register their complaints," he said. — IANS
	Ahmedabad serial blast accused sent to nine-day police custody Ahmedabad, May 5 The prime accused in the Ahmedabad serial bomb blasts case of 2008, Mohammad Shahid Nagori, was remanded in nine days’ police custody by a local court today. Nagori, a member of the Student Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) and an alleged Indian Mujahedeen (IM) operative, was arrested by the Madhya Pradesh police on May 3 from Ujjain and handed over to the Gujarat police team lead by DCP Crime Branch Himanshu Shukla on transit remand. The Crime Branch, which produced Nagori before Metropolitan Magistrate KR Pandya today, had sought 14-day custody as it wanted to get information on his alleged role in the 2008 serial blasts and the whereabouts of other 25 accused who are absconding. Earlier in the day, Assistant Commissioner of Police KN Patel, while addressing a press conference, said Nagori was trained for terrorist activities in a 'Jehadi camp' organised in Vagamon forests in Kerala. He also said one of the accused Amer Parvez, who was arrested earlier and now an under-trial at Sabarmati Central Jail, had revealed the presence of Nagori at the Vagamon Jehadi terror training camp. With the arrest of Nagori, the number of accused arrested in connection with the blasts has gone up to 74, while 24 more accused, including Riaz and Iqbal Bhatkal, are still wanted. 56 persons were killed and over 100 injured in a series of 21 bomb blasts that hit Ahmedabad on July 26, 2008, within a span of 70 minutes. — PTI
	1993 blasts convict dies Mumbai, May 5 A man awarded life sentence in the 1993 serial bomb blasts in the metropolis today died at his residence here. Ishaq Hajwane (85) was at present out on bail. The SC had upheld his conviction by TADA court in March this year. He was one of the convicts who along with actor Sanjay Dutt had been given one-month additional time to surrender by the apex court. "Ishaq Hajwane died at his residence. He was suffering from multiple organ failure," said his advocate Farhana Shah. Hajwane was found guilty of criminal conspiracy and participating in a weapons training session organised by Tiger Memon, the key mastermind behind the blasts. — PTI