MUMBAI: Unfazed by mounting demands for his resignation, BCCI president N. Srinivasan on Wednesday continued his streak of defence by refusing to step down from the post.

Shortly after IPL chairman Rajeev Shukla demanded that Srinivasan “dissociate” from the inquiry against his son-in-law and Chennai Super Kings Team in the wake of IPL spot-fixing scandal, the BCCI chief told reporters that Shukla has not suggested anything new and was only voicing what he had himself said on Sunday.

“I saw Shukla’s interview. What he says is that this commission has been appointed and I should dissociate myself from the procedure as stated in Kolkata when I did the press conference.

“I had said in Kolkata that I will have nothing to do with the commission — its appointment, its terms of reference and its decision. What Shukla has done, he has reiterated this only. So there is nothing else. ,” said Srinivasan.

Srinivasan said, “I have nothing to do with the commission. It is independent. Under the operational powers, they have powers to sanction and impose punishment. So, we will just await the results.”

Asked about demands for his resignation from BCCI office-bearers like Jyotiraditya Scindia and Hyderabad Cricket Association president G. Vinod, Srinivasan said, “I will not reply to individual reactions.”

Ever since the scandal broke out, Srinivasan has been under intense pressure to resign but he has remained defiant.

A three-member BCCI inquiry committee is probing Meiyappan and the spot-fixing allegations against three Rajasthan Royals players and its franchise as well as the Chennai Super Kings.

Justice T. Jayaram Chouta, former judge of the Karnataka and Madras High Courts, Justice R. Balasubramanian, former judge of the Madras High Court and BCCI secretary Sanjay Jagdale are members of the commission. — PTI

LAHORE: Embroiled in the IPL spot-fixing scandal, Pakistani umpire Asad Rauf on Wednesday said he was ready to face the ICC’s Anti Corruption and Security Unit to clear his name.

“Money, gifts, spot-fixing and match-fixing have never been my goal and target. They have never been a topic in my life,” Rauf said.

“If there is an inquiry by the ICC’s Anti Corruption and Security Unit, then I will be happy to face the inquiry and answer all their queries,” he added, while dismissing all allegations against him.

The spot-fixing saga in the IPL turned murkier with the controversial umpire’s withdrawal by the ICC from next month’s Champions Trophy in England for his alleged role in the scandal, which is growing bigger by the day.

The ICC had said in a statement that Rauf was withdrawn as he was under investigation by the Mumbai Police, thus becoming the first umpire to come under the scanner in the IPL spot—fixing scandal.

Rauf has had a history of controversies and only last year a small-time model named Leena Kapoor had accused him of sexually exploiting her for months before refusing to marry her.

Although the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) had distanced itself from Rauf’s case, saying the event was held in India and Rauf was officiating as an ICC umpire, PCB chairperson Zaka Ashraf had said that action would be taken against the umpire if the ICC asks for any such step. — PTI

ISLAMABAD: A US drone attack killed at least six suspected militants in Pakistan’s lawless North Waziristan tribal region today, the first such strike since the country’s general elections and the announcement of a new policy for the use of the CIA-operated spy planes by US President Barack Obama.

The spy plane targeted a house in Chashma Pul area of Miranshah, the main town of North Waziristan Agency, early this morning.

Six persons in the house were killed instantly and two others injured, TV news channels quoted officials as saying.

Local residents said several drones were seen hovering over the area after the attack.

The injured were taken to a nearby hospital, where officials described their condition as critical. The identity of the dead and injured could not immediately be ascertained.

This was the first drone strike in Pakistan since the May 11 polls and the announcement of a new policy for the use of spy planes by Mr. Obama last week.

According to the new policy, drone strikes can only be used to prevent imminent attacks, when the capture of a suspect is not feasible and if there is a “near certainty” that civilians will not be killed.

Pakistan’s general election was won by the PML-N and Prime Minister-elect Nawaz Sharif, who is set to assume office in June, has said Washington must take Islamabad’s concerns about drone strikes seriously.

US and Afghan officials describe North Waziristan as a safe haven for Taliban and al-Qaeda elements and many top militant commanders have been killed by US drones in the region.

Pakistan’s Foreign Secretary Jalil Abbas Jilani said on Friday the drone strikes were illegal and counter-productive despite the new guidelines unveiled by Mr. Obama. — PTI

NEW DELHI: Starting June 1, cooking gas (LPG) consumers in 18 districts will get Rs 435 in their bank accounts when they book an LPG cylinder as the government rolls out its ambitious direct benefit transfer programme to cut its fuel subsidy.

The scheme was to be rolled out in 20 districts initially but the launch in Mysore in Karnataka and Mandi in Himachal Pradesh has been put off by a month due to assembly and parliamentary bypolls, official sources said.

Oil Minister M. Veerappa Moily will launch the scheme in Tumkur in his home state Karnataka on June 1, while Minister of State for Petroleum and Natural Gas Lakshmi Panabaka will simultaneously kickoff the scheme in Hyderabad, the capital of her home state Andhra Pradesh.

Sources said after the launch of the scheme, consumers in 18 districts like North Goa and Pondicherry will get Rs 435 in their bank accounts every time they book for an LPG refill.

These consumers then will have to buy cooking gas at market price which is double the Rs 410.50 rate for a 14.2-kg bottle in Delhi.

The government intends to extend the scheme to rest of the country before end of the year but wants to see results in the 20 districts first. The 20 districts selected have high Aadhaar or unique identification number penetration.

While as many as 89 per cent of the LPG-consuming population in these districts have Aadhaar number, government will give a three-month grace period to them to procure the UID number and seed it with their bank accounts where cash subsidy has to be transferred.

After three months, that is from September 1, only consumers having Aadhaar and banks accounts linked to them will get cash subsidy and the rest will have to buy LPG at market price, they said.

The government anticipates a saving of Rs 8,000 to 10,000 crore in LPG subsidy annually after the scheme is rolled out all over the country. — PTI

SHIMLA: Himachal Pradesh Police is set to launch a website which will list the names of sex offenders, an official said here on Wednesday.

The police will maintain a register of sexual offenders and their names will be displayed on its official website, Inspector General (Law and Order) Sanjay Kundu said in a statement. "This will probably make Himachal the first state to adopt a standard procedure to deal with crime related to sexual offences," he said. 

He said a decision in this regard was taken at a meeting chaired by Director-General of Police B. Kamal Kumar on Tuesday.

It was also decided that gender-sensitisation training would be organised for all the police personnel. — IANS

TOKYO: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Wednesday called on Japanese Emperor Akihito and discussed bilateral ties and issues of mutual interest. Singh accompanied by his wife Gursharan Kaur met the Emperor and the Empress of Japan at the luncheon at Imperial Palace here ahead of his meeting with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

Singh, who is on a three-day visit to Japan to strengthen bilateral strategic ties, on Tuesday said India sees Japan as a "natural and indispensable partner" in its quest for stability and peace in Asia.

Noting that India and Japan are among the major actors in this region, he said, "it is our responsibility to foster a climate of peace, stability and cooperation and to lay an enduring foundation for security and prosperity."

"India's relations with Japan are important not only for our economic development, but also because we see Japan as a natural and indispensable partner in our quest for stability and peace in the vast region in Asia that is washed by the Pacific and Indian Oceans," he said.

"Our relationship with Japan has been at the heart of our Look East Policy," Singh said. — PTI

THANE: At least 14 persons were killed and 36 others injured in a collision between a private bus and a tanker at Medvan Khind on the Mumbai-Ahmedabad Highway on Wednesday.

The collision between the private luxury bus and the tanker took place around 7 am, police said.

Resident Deputy Collector Manoj Gohad said rescue operations have already been launched.

"The disaster management machinery has been pressed into service and medical teams have been dispatched to the accident site," he said.

The injured were rushed to various hospitals around Dahanu, Additional Collector Ashok Shingare said, adding the critically injured were being shifted to hospitals in Mumbai. — PTI