India sees telecoms consolidation as Vodafone lines up $2 bln investment
New Delhi/Mumbai/Srinagar, Oct 16 (ANI): Telecom Minister, Kapil Sibal has said that Vodafone Group has planned to invest more than $2 billion in the country, a victory for a policy change designed to boost foreign interest and thin out the crowd of a dozen players in the world’s second biggest mobile phone market. The investment plan by Britain's Vodafone follows the removal in August of a cap on foreign firms investing in telecoms companies. Sibal on the occasion, also said that it was “possible” that the government could hold another auction of third-generation (3G) spectrum, which would be the first since 2010, but he gave no timeline for this.
Fresh ceasefire violation kills one soldier in Kashmir
Jammu and Kashmir, Oct 16 (ANI): One Indian soldier was killed and six more were critically injured in another ceasefire violation near the Line of Control (LoC) in Balakot sector of Jammu and Kashmir on Tuesday. A day earlier, heavy firing near Rajpura post in Samba sector, along the Kashmir border injured a trooper of BSF. In New Delhi, defence expert, Bharat Verma, said that India must display more power on its border with Pakistan, as such violations would continue before the arrival of winters.
PM should be the first accused in Coalgate scam: PC Parekh after CBI booked him Hyderabad, Oct 16 (ANI): After CBI filled another FIR against industrialist Kumar Mangalam Birla and Former Coal Secretary PC Parekh in the infamous Coal Allocation Scam, Parekh said that if he is one of the accused, then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh should be the first accused in the case. He further said that there is nothing wrong in the allocation of blocks, but if CBI sees anything wrong with the same and the case goes to the Supreme Court, I would accept it as much as the responsibility of the PM.
Coalgate: BJP reacts to Parekh’s remark, says PM prime accused New Delhi, Oct 16 (ANI): Even as former union coal Secretary PC Parekh hit out at CBI saying that if they suspect his role in the coal scam then, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh should be referred to as accused No 1 since he approved the allocation; BJP spokesperson Prakash Javadekar said that Congress is known for corruptions as PM allowed the arbitrary allotments of coal without proper reasoning.
