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Govt slashes defence budget by Rs 7,870 cr
cross-loc
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Industrialisation can’t be at farmers’ cost: SC |
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Battleground UP: Modi, MSY cross swords
As BJP eyes youth, veterans press for party ticket
Left, others ready to make the most of LS session
AP House gets a week to clear Telangana Bill
Mumbai MP begins fast for cheaper power
RS polls: Congress meet to discuss candidates on Jan 25
No dilution of stance on Article 370: BJP
Base workshops of Army get makeover
Sunanda’s death probe goes to Crime Branch
JN Chaudhury takes over as NSG chief
Shankaracharya loses cool, slaps journalist
Japan keen on amphibious aircraft deal
Coordination glitch at R-Day rehearsal
NCP nixes move to free veggie trade from middlemen
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Govt slashes defence budget by Rs 7,870 cr
New Delhi, January 23 The cut had been formally conveyed to the MoD two days ago, sources said, adding that the revenue budget, meant to meet day-to-day expenses, would get the money instead. It is for the second successive fiscal that the defence budget had been slashed. In the previous fiscal, the government had imposed a mid-year cut of
Rs 14,903 crore over the original allocation of Rs 1.93 lakh crore. The worst-affected would be the Indian Army, as its projects were awaiting clearances, while the Air Force and Navy have speeded their acquisitions. At the start of the fiscal, Union Finance Minister P Chidambaram had laid out a budget allocation of
Rs 2,03,672 crore for 2013-2014 for the MoD. Out of this, Rs 86,740 crore was for Capital expenses, which is purchases or to make pending payments during the year. Another
Rs 1,16,932 crore was to be spent on salaries and to meet operational needs. Sources said 82% of the capital account
(Rs 71, 126 crore) had been spent till date, the cut has been imposed on the remaining sum, leaving the MoD with only
Rs 7,744 crore. The MoD, in October last year, had asked for Rs 7,800 crore in addition to the existing allocations, citing expenses in view of the drastic change in rupee-dollar conversion rates and increased cost of fuel used by forces. The Finance Ministry slashed
Rs 7,870 cr out of the budget meant to buy weapons, artillery pieces, warplanes, warships, naval dockyards and special classified projects.
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cross-loc trade Tribune News Service
New Delhi/Srinagar, January 23 “The two Foreign Ministries are in consultations (on the issue). But let me clarify that there is no modality that exempts a person alleged to be involved in a criminal activity from facing the full force of the India law,” MEA spokesperson Syed Akbaruddin said in New Delhi. His comment came a day after Pakistan summoned India’s Deputy High Commissioner Gopal Baglay to the foreign office in Islamabad and demanded immediate release of the driver. Noting that the spirit of the CBM relating to trans-LoC trade and travel was to bring about humanitarian benefits to the people of Jammu and Kashmir, he said it was surprising that Islamabad had chosen to hold it hostage for the sake of people indulging in drug trafficking. Asked India had sought consular access to Indian truckers being held by Pakistan in retaliation, the spokesperson said a consular access could be sought only if someone was detained. These truckers were, however, not being allowed to return home. “All we can hope is that diplomacy finds a solution.” A Srinagar report said the standoff continued for the seventh consecutive day as 75 truck drivers remained stranded on opposite sides of LoC. A senior government official, posted in north Kashmir’s Baramulla district, said there was no change in the “status quo” on the LoC.
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Industrialisation can’t be at farmers’ cost: SC
New Delhi, January 23 “Although urbanisation and industrialisation is taking place, the industry has not developed sufficiently and a large part of our population is still required to depend on agriculture. Lands are, therefore, required to be retained for agricultural purposes," a Bench comprising Justices HL Gokhale and J Chelameswar said in a judgment in a case from Gujarat. In the 87-page verdict, the SC indicted Revenue Minister Anandiben Patel, viewed as second only to the CM, for allotting 2,00,000 sq yd agriculture land in Kutch district to a private company, Alumina Refinery Ltd, after over-ruling secretaries' opinion and farmers' concern without giving any reason and directing the Collector to act in a particular manner. "Ministers are not expected to act in this manner and therefore this particular route through the corridors of the ministry, contrary to the statute, cannot be approved. The present case is clearly one of dereliction of duty by the Collector and dictation by the Minister, showing nothing but arrogance of power," the Bench held. “She (the minister) has simply brushed aside the objections of the secretaries merely because the CM’s Secretary had written a letter, and because she was the minister concerned,” the SC noted.
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Battleground UP: Modi, MSY cross swords
Lucknow, January 23 At his "Desh Bachao, Desh Banao" rally at Varanasi, Mulayam Singh hit out at Modi for his promise to make UP another Gujarat. "Does Modi have the capacity to make Uttar Pradesh another Gujarat? Can he give unemployment allowance or free quality health care or special schemes for women? The Samajwadi Party government has fulfilled all its promises within two years," he said. Recalling the Gujarat riots, he said women were paraded naked. "Modi's hands are soaked in the blood of innocent. Did the BJP have no better candidate than him?" he said. Addressing the Vijay Shankhnaad rally at Gorakhpur, Modi said the father-son duo of Mulayam and Akhilesh was virtually after him and following him everywhere. He was referring to the SP rally at Bareilly in western UP on November 21 while he was holding a rally in Agra in the same region. Elaborating on his comment of making UP another Gujarat, Modi said it meant 24X7 power supply everywhere, consistent agricultural growth of above 12 per cent, communal harmony and a situation when the people of UP won't need to go to Gujarat in search of jobs.
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Ready to be PM, if party MPs select me after polls: Rahul
Lucknow, January 23 He said this in response to a specific question by a local reporter regarding his preparedness to accept the responsibility of being the next Prime Minister. In his maiden interaction with local journalists in Amethi, Rahul articulated his views on a variety of issues for around 45 minutes. He said the Congress had a tradition of elected MPs selecting the Prime Minister. "I will consider the post if our party comes to power and the elected MPs select me for the job," he said. Hitting out at the BJP for naming its prime ministerial candidate before the elections, he said the trend was against the democratic culture and it promoted personality cult. He said some other Congress leaders were also fit to become the prime minister. Among them, he listed the names of P Chidambaram, Salman Khurshid, Digvijaya Singh and Congress president Sonia Gandhi. Reacting to Aam Aadmi Party leader Kumar Vishwas's charges of inadequate power supply and bad roads in Amethi despite Rahul representing it for the past 10 years, he said these issues were in the domain of the state government. Rahul concluded his two-day visit to Amethi today.
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As BJP eyes youth, veterans press for party ticket
New Delhi, January 23 Sources said that anticipating good results not only veterans such as LK Advani, 86, and Murli Manohar Joshi, 80, wanted to re-contest from Gandhinagar and Varanasi respectively - the seats they won in the 15th Lok Sabha elections - many former chief ministers wanted to contest the Lok Sabha elections. Apparently, Rajya Sabha MP Shanta Kumar wants to contest from Kangra in Himachal Pradesh, the seat he had earlier represented in the lower house. Sitting BJP MP Rajan Sushant has quit the party and also the seat and
there are several claimants for the seat, including the three-time-MP Shanta Kumar. Party sources admit his winning ability factor, but are skeptical about his age.
Shanta Kumar will turn 80 in September. Others queuing up for the Lok Sabha tickets include Uttarakhand bigwigs Bhagat Singh Koshiyari and BS Khanduri. Koshiyari’s tenure in the Rajya Sabha is ending and the relatively-young-leader (he was born in 1942) wants to contest from Nainital. Khanduri, 79, who had won from Garhwal many times in the past, is staking claim again even as many young leaders are in the fray. Former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Kalyan Singh, 82-year-old Etah MP, is seeking re-election from the constituency, this time on a BJP ticket. Kailash Chandra Joshi, former Madhya Pradesh CM and sitting MP from Bhopal, is another not-so-young politician who does not want to call it quits so soon, or so the sources claim. The 85-year-old was the MP Chief Minister in 1977 as a member of the Janata Party. The BJP is yet to get down to the basics of the ticket distribution, but party sources say the focus this time would be on young and fresh candidates who appeal to young and first-time voters.
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Left, others ready to make the most of LS session
Four Left parties, the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK), the Samajwadi Party, the Biju Janata Dal, the Jharkhand Vikas Morcha, the Janta Dal (Secular) and the Janata Dal (United) are working on a plan to highlight the rise of communal forces and the prevailing economic situation, especially the rise in prices of essential commodities, during the session and seize the Opposition space. Most of these parties have been working closely. These came together for a convention in Delhi (in October last year) against growing communal tension in the country, especially in the light of Muzaffarnagar riots. An attempt to hold a rally in Karnataka next month under the aegis of the Janata Dal (Secular) is still in the works. CPM and JD(U) leaders are planning to meet early next week to chart out a common course of action. This is aimed at carving out a distinct identity as opposed to the Congress and BJP-led alliances. The Left and the JD(U) are at an advanced stage of talks to have an electoral understanding for the Lok Sabha elections. The Left parties hope to finalise an arrangement with the AIADMK in Tamil Nadu and the Janata Dal (Secular) in Karnataka. In UP, however, the reluctance of the SP to let go off any seat is known. The winter session of Parliament, scheduled to be held from February 5 to 17, is primarily intended to seek parliamentary approval for the vote-on-account for the interim budget, which will allow the government to draw from the treasury till July this year. The government has already given an indication of its plan to bring legislations to tackle graft.
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AP House gets a week to clear Telangana Bill
The original deadline set by the President for the Assembly to return the Bill along with its opinion ended today. Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy, who is opposed to the division, had sought an extension by four weeks in view of the need for a thorough discussion on the Bill. Now, the challenge before the Congress-led UPA is to see that the AP Reorganisation Bill, 2013, is passed in the coming Budget session of the Parliament, the last session before the general election due in April/May. The session, scheduled to start on February 5, will have a heavy agenda, including passage of the vote-on-account budget, Railway Budget and several important pending Bills. If the Telangana Bill is not passed by the Parliament for paucity of time then Andhra Pradesh will remain undivided and the Assembly elections, due along with the general election, will be held in the united state. This would create a piquant situation for the Congress that had taken a huge political risk in deciding to carve out separate Telangana state, comprising 10 out of the total 23 districts in AP, and to make Hyderabad the common capital for a period of 10 years. The ongoing debate in the Assembly on the draft bill has highlighted the bitter regional divide prevailing in the state. Cutting across party lines, the legislators from Telangana region want the constitutional process of bifurcation to be expedited and the new state be formed before the general elections. However, the members from Rayalaseema and coastal Andhra regions, jointly referred to as Seemandhra, are making every attempt to stall the Bill. The Chief Minister’s representation to the Centre, seeking an additional four weeks time, was widely seen as a delaying tactics to ensure that the bill does not come up before the Parliament before the elections.
Deadline extension
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Mumbai MP begins fast for cheaper power
Mumbai, January 23 Nirupam told mediapersons that he would sit on fast till Anil Ambani’s company brought down power tariffs for suburban Mumbai, its main area of operation. R-Infra, Tata Power and the BMC-owned BEST supply power to Mumbai and its suburbs, while the Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Corporation (Mahavitaran) supplies power to the rest of Maharashtra. The Maharashtra Government last week announced it would provide subsidies up to 20 per cent for all Mahavitaran consumers. The decision on Mumbai was kept pending since it involved payments to private companies.
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RS polls: Congress meet to discuss candidates on Jan 25
The meeting will decide on Congress nominations for the crucial elections to be held on February 7. The last date for nomination of candidates is January 28 and the process of election has to be completed by February 10. Sources in the party today indicated to The Tribune that the three-term former Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit could be nominated as a party candidate to Rajya Sabha from Haryana or Himachal Pradesh where the respective state party units have resolved to let Congress President Sonia Gandhi take the final call on the nomination. Sheila Dikshit today met Sonia Gandhi on the issue. Sources indicated that there was a greater likelihood of Sheila being nominated from Haryana from where the Congress can send back only one candidate to the Upper House. The term of two Congress MPs from Rajya Sabha, namely Ram Parkash and Ishwar Singh, is expiring on April 9. Congress spokesperson and Haryana Industries Minister Randeep Surjewala said: “The state unit has unanimously passed a one-line resolution authorising Congress president to decide on the Rajya Sabha nomination from the state. Her decision on nomination will be final and acceptable to all whatever it is.” State sources said the Haryana leadership was yet to be informed by the high command of any strategy for RS. Himachal leaders indicated the same. Meanwhile, it was learnt that Congress treasurer Motilal Vora could get another term of Rajya Sabha from Chhattisgarh where the term of two sitting MPs including Vora is expiring. Rahul has asked AICC general secretaries concerned to call the Pradesh Congress Committee presidents, Chief Ministers or Congress Legislature Party chiefs of all 16 states where the 55 Rajya Sabha vacancies are arising. The meeting on January 25 will be the first major political strategy meeting which Rahul will chair. The final decision on RS candidates will be taken both by Sonia and Rahul. The following vacancies are arising in Rajya Sabha due to the expiry of the term of sitting MPs - seven seats in Maharashtra; four in Odisha, six each in Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh; five each in Bihar and West Bengal; four in Gujarat; three Rajasthan, MP and Assam; two each in Haryana, Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh; one each in Himachal, Meghalaya and Manipur.
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No dilution of stance on Article 370: BJP
In his address on the provision orgainised by the Syama Prasad Mookherjee Research Foundation and the J&K Study Centre, senior BJP leader Arun Jaitley said unlike common perception that the saffron party was diluting its stance, all that it was asking was a discussion on why Article 370 should not be repealed. "We (BJP) are in isolation when we ask for repeal (of Article 370) but it is splendid isolation because a large part of population is with us. There are many people against it," he said, pointedly asserting that at no point in time did the BJP ever dilute its long-held stance on the issue. "If we ask for an analysis it is called dilution of stance. When we say that we want a discussion we just want to know its socio, economic and political effect. We are not in its favour and it is still possible to dilute it into extinction. If executively inserted order Article 35 (a) is removed, a large part of the impact of Article 370 will be diluted into extinction, he said. Jaitley and his colleague Nirmala Sitharaman also detailed how the special provision for a separate status for Jammu and Kashmir had turned into an "instrument of oppression and discrimination against Indian citizens" by its "selectively use and misuse".
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Base workshops of Army get makeover
Chandigarh, January 23 Detailed project reports have been prepared for the modernisation work, which will begin at two workshops - 509 Army Base Workshop (ABW) and 515 ABW. The workshops will be revamped, for which private players are being roped in. The modernisation will be on a turn-key basis. Eight ABWs were established across the country during the Second World War to carry out repairs and overhaul of weapons, vehicles and equipment, as well as manufacture spares. These workshops function under the control of Director General Electronics and Mechanical Engineers (EME), who comes under the overall supervision of the Master General of Ordnance at Army Headquarters. Some time ago, the functioning of the ABWs came under the scrutiny of the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG), which observed that there were significant underperformances in achieving the targets for overhaul of equipment. The CAG report said the shortfall in overhaul of tanks and infantry combat vehicles was up to 68 per cent, transport vehicles up to 58 per cent, vehicle engines up to 40 per cent and manufacture of spares up to 42 per cent. As a result, the overhaul schedule of the equipment was not adhered to, adversely affecting their operational readiness. Further, the equipment overhauled by the ABWs did not conform to the required quality standard. Under the Army’s modernisation scheme, old buildings at the ABWs would be demolished and new structures, grouped and co-located with related activities, constructed to house the latest industrial infrastructure, rigs, test beds, machinery and special equipment for remanufacturing weapons and equipment in a modern, automated and computerised assembly line environment. New management and control procedures for administration, supply chain management, procurement and movement of stores, material handling, communication as well as human resource management would also be integrated with the revamped work setup.
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Sunanda’s death probe goes to Crime Branch
New Delhi, January 23 The incident was earlier being investigated by the Sarojini Nagar police station of the South District Police in Delhi. Police sources said the probe was transferred to the Crime Branch, as they were part of the security arrangements for the Republic Day Parade and unlike the Crime Branch they had to deal with the local law and order situations. Crime Branch Special Commissioner of Police Dharmendra Kumar said: "Sunanda's inquest proceedings have been transferred to the Crime Branch." Alok Sharma, an SDM, in his inquiry report had said Pushkar's post-mortem report revealed that she died due to poisoning. The post-mortem also revealed several injury marks on her body. The SDM gave his report to the South District Police on January 21 and directed them to probe if her death is accidental, suicidal or homicidal. The police said her viscera report would be given to them by the Central Forensic Science Laboratory, after about a month. The SDM had also taken the statements of 11 people, including Pushkar's brothers, Rajesh Pushkar and Ashish Das, son, Shiv Menon, husband, Shashi Tharoor, who is the Minister of State for Human Resource Development, Tharoor's personal assistant, Rajkumar Sharma, and consultant, Shiv Kumar, two doctors, including the one from the Leela Hotel, who had declared her dead, servant and driver.
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JN Chaudhury takes over as NSG chief
New Delhi, January 23 The NSG is India’s primary counter-terror and anti-hijacking force. It was set up in 1984. Chaudhury is an IPS officer of the Assam-Meghalaya cadre. Before joining the NSG, he was the Assam Director General of Police. He has also served in important positions in his cadre states at Tezpur, Bongaigaon, Borpeta and Guwahati.
— TNS
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Shah Rukh hurt during shooting
Mumbai, January 23 Khan suffered a head injury and began to bleed after a door crashed into him. The shoot was being conducted at a suburban hotel. A statement by Khan’s office said the actor suffered a minor injury and was given medical aid at the hospital. He was discharged later in the day. He was accompanied by wife Gauri, director Farah Khan and film producer Karim Morani.
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Shankaracharya loses cool, slaps journalist
Jabalpur, January 23 "Rajniti ki baat nahi karna (Don't talk politics)," the seer admonished the reporter as he slapped him. — PTI
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Japan keen on amphibious aircraft deal
New Delhi, January 23 The two countries had decided to open negotiations on the deal when Prime Minister Manmohan Singh visited Tokyo in May last year. Japan had expressed its desire to sell to India the US-2, a domestically developed aircraft used by its armed forces. The deal would be significant as it would mark further strengthening of the alliance between India and Japan, both of which see rising China as a threat to regional stability. Significantly, Japan is the only country with which India holds a “two-plus-two dialogue” on foreign policy and defence issues. According to Gautam Bambawale, Joint Secretary (East Asia) in the External Affairs Ministry, the two countries had formed a joint working group to discuss the aircraft deal. The group has already met once. Its second meeting would be held soon after the visit of the Japanese PM. “We are discussing the possibility of purchasing the amphibious aircraft. Terms and conditions of any defence deal obviously take time to be finalised,” he said. Asked if a civil-nuclear cooperation agreement with Japan could be signed during Abe’s much anticipated visit, the Indian official said both countries were keen on cooperation in this area. However, no time line could be set for inking the accord. It is learnt that the two countries still have differences over the language of the proposed pact. Japan is insisting that there should be a “termination” clause specifying that the deal would be suspended should India conduct another nuclear test. New Delhi, however, is not willing to accept any such clause in the agreement. The Japanese PM, who will be accompanied by a high-level delegation, will also discuss ways to enhance trade and economic cooperation between the two countries. Japan is keen to sell rare earth material and bullet train technology to India. The two PMs are also expected to discuss various other Indo-Japanese ventures like the Delhi-Mumbai industrial corridor
(DMIC).
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Coordination glitch at R-Day rehearsal
New Delhi , January 23 The IAF top brass is not impressed and is screening through the records as to how the ground coordinators of the fly-past had caused confusion. The tableaux of the ground parade were delayed even as the planes arrived overhead. Delhi Area Deputy Commander Maj Gen Rajbir Singh said the coordination was delayed by two minutes and efforts would be made to correct the timing of all tableaux. He said the IAF planes arrived early. Sources in the IAF said the pilots were not to blame. All 30 planes were airborne when the first change was communicated to delay by 10 minutes. That was carried out. Then another call was received to make up for the delay and fly past four minutes behind the original schedule. But by then the planes had been lined up in air for the route and could not be altered as they travel at varying speeds.
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NCP nixes move to free veggie trade from middlemen
Mumbai, January 23 Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan had promised to remove fruits and vegetables from the purview of the Agriculture Produce Marketing Committees Act by January 15 this year after Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi had pushed for such a measure in states ruled by the party. The NCP has a strong presence across the 300-odd APMCs in Maharashtra. Moreover, the party controls the mathadi workers or head loaders union which enjoys a monopoly in loading and unloading goods in the APMCs. “We are still discussing the matter with all stake-holders before taking a final decision,” Agriculture and Marketing Minister Radhakrishna Vikhe-Patil told reporters. The mathadi workers and the traders had threatened to go on strike earlier this month to protest the move to free up the fruits and vegetable trade. The state government bought time by saying that the notification to allow sale of fruits and vegetables outside the APMCs would be put on hold. The Navi Mumbai APMC market is the second largest such facility for fruits and vegetables in the country handling between 20,000 and 40,000 tonnes daily. As soon as the notification was issued, the Maharashtra Government ruled that farmers would be able to sell fruits and vegetables directly to customers. However, following the deadlock, customers will have to wait longer for cheaper prices.
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