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Civic polls: Cong sweeps Telangana
AAP slams EC inaction on Modi’s TV message |
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Sonia, Rahul take stock of Congress’ performance
On way out, Manmohan to meet PMO staff today
With govt change, top babus may not get to finish tenures
Sangma backs Modi as PM
Land acquisition
‘Mangalyaan’ to reach Martian orbit on Sep 24
Saradha scam: CBI sets up SIT
278 yatris halted on way to Kedarnath shrine
Punjab has no grants for Sainik School
Bodo students want illegal arms seized
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Civic polls: Cong sweeps Telangana
Hyderabad, May 12 The Congress, which has ruled Andhra Pradesh for 41 of its 57 years of existence, faced a near wash-out in Seemandhra, which comprises the coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema regions, largely because it was seen as the villain for its role in the impending creation of Telangana, which will next month become a separate state. Former Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu-led TDP has bagged over 60 municipalities out of more than 90 of them in the Seemandhra region. YSR Congress of YS Jaganmohan Reddy, who is staunchly opposed to the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh, was placed second with 17 municipalities so far in its kitty. In Seemandhra, the TDP bagged five corporations, including Vijayawada, while YSRCP clinched two — among which was Kadapa, the native district of Jaganmohan. The Congress, which was almost decimated in the coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema regions, has so far won more than 20 municipalities out of a total 53 in Telangana, which would come into being as a new state on June 2. The Congress has pushed Telangana Rashtra Samiti of K Chandrasekhar Rao to the second position. The TRS, which was in the forefront of the agitation for a separate Telangana state, has so far bagged eight municipalities. TDP, which was once a major force in the Telangana region, has been relegated to the margins after winning just three municipalities so far. The BJP bagged two municipalities. Several urban bodies in both the regions threw up hung verdicts. The polls to 145 nagar panchayats and municipalities and 10 corporations were conducted on March 30 against the backdrop of the passage of the contentious Telangana Bill in Parliament.
— PTI
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AAP slams EC inaction on Modi’s TV message
New Delhi, May 12 The party claimed it amounted to violation of the model code of conduct. “The Aam Aadmi Party is shocked to see violation of the code by media houses and the ostrich approach of the EC today wherein TV news channels have been broadcasting Narendra Modi’s live speeches. The whole of India is aware that Modi is a contestant in Varanasi and broadcasting his political speeches today amounts to influencing the voters of Varanasi. AAP hopes the EC will take action instantaneously,” the party said in a complaint to the EC. Stating that more than three media houses aired the speech, the AAP has urged the EC to take strong action against the channels. “The model code of conduct is applicable to all citizens of India and media houses are no exception. By not initiating suo-motu action against these media channels, is the EC indicating its submissiveness? “During an election, it is the EC’s duty to conduct it in a free and fair manner. Why isn’t the EC issuing any direction to these news channels to stop the broadcast forthwith? Why is the EC silent on this violation?” the letter added. The party also reiterated its demand for re-election in few booths of the Gurgaon parliamentary constituency. AAP has alleged rigging in a few booths on the day of polls. “We have provided details of nature of irregularity in 110 polling stations and provided audio-visual evidence to back up our claims. Based on that, my party and I have requested for an independent probe and demanded repolling in 110 polling stations to ensure free and fair elections. Earlier we had complained about this on the polling day itself,” said AAP candidate from Gurgaon Prof Yogendra Yadav in a letter to the Chief Election Commissioner VS Sampath. “We submitted a scientific analysis of the polling station wise turnout data which established that there was a cluster of booths that recorded abnormally high turnout, upwards of 90 per cent or even 95 per cent, that these were concentrated in the areas where we had complained about rigging and that the dispersion of turnout did not follow normal statistical pattern in the three segments (Nuh, Firozpur-Zhirka and Punhana) of the constituency,” he said.
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Sonia, Rahul take stock of Congress’ performance
New Delhi, May 12 Party president Sonia Gandhi chaired the crucial meeting in which general secretaries in charge of states were asked to give their feedback on the realistic assessment of seats the party is winning. Also present at the one and a half hour long deliberation at Sonia’s 10 Janpath residence was Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi who asked Congress leaders the reasons for anti-incumbency in every state. Sonia’s political secretary Ahmad Patel, Congress general secretary in charge of organisation Janardan Dwivedi, AICC treasurer Motilal Vora were among those who attended. Sources said both Sonia and Rahul asked party leaders to desist from making any comments on the ongoing exit polls which paint a gloomy picture for the Congress and UPA. “We have seen this before. Let us wait for the results on May 16,” is what Rahul is learnt to have told the delegates as the meeting progressed simultaneously with the TV channels telecasting exit polls. This deliberation with general secretaries was preceded by the meeting of Congress Core Group where discussions are said to have centred on Congress’ commitment to secularism and what it must do to keep communal forces at bay. There are indications that the party wants to stop BJP’s PM nominee Narendra Modi from forming the Government and would be prepared to consider all options to make that happen. Asked if the party is committed to keeping Modi out, Congress general secretary Shakeel Ahmed today admitted, “We are committed to prevent communal forces from taking charge of the country.” At the end of the final phase of elections today, the Congress is privately hoping to get around 130 to 140 seats and believes the BJP would be limited to 180 to 200 in which case it would not be in a position to form the Government as secular parties recently (read TMC and BSP) have refused to go with Modi. In 2004, the Congress had formed the Government with just 145 seats. But the party is also prepared to face the worst with the leaders already gearing to insulate Rahul from any attribution of defeat. Shakeel Ahmad said when asked who would be held responsible for Congress’ gloom if exit polls turn out correct, “First, we don’t believe in these exit polls because they are always wrong. In 2009 they gave us 68 seats lesser than what we got. Second, Rahul Gandhi is not in the Government. He is our second top leader. There is local and state leadership, there are individual candidates. Defeat is a collective responsibility.”
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On way out, Manmohan to meet PMO staff today
Singh, who had already announced his retirement from active politics in the country this January, will hand over the baton to his successor after the results of the marathon Lok Sabha elections are announced on May 16. A refurbished office and cabinet room await the new Prime Minister and Singh is expected to vacate the 7 Race Course Road official residence to a bungalow on 3, Motilal Nehru Marg. Till a few months ago, the bungalow in the prized Lutyens Zone area was the residence of Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit. PMO sources said Dr Singh and his family had already started moving packages much of which are cartons of books. The plan is to shift to their residence at the earliest so that the new Prime Minister can move as
per convenience. Former Prime Ministers are entitled to an official residence and are provided allowances equivalent to a Cabinet Minister/Leader of the Opposition attendant with secretarial staff. Since Prime Ministers are protected by the Special Protection Group, a similar arrangement continues for some time. In the past, former Prime Ministers Chandra Shekhar, PV Narasimha Rao, HD Deve Gowda, Inder Kumar Gujral
and Atal Bihari Vajpayee were allotted alternate accommodation. While Deve Gowda stays in Safdarjang Lane, Vajpayee continues to be in 6A, Krishna Menon Marg, with his adopted family.
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With govt change, top babus may not get to finish tenures
New Delhi, May 12 Some of the top men and women on crucial posts have several months to go before their tenures end and it remains to be seen if the next government retains them or shifts them. Raisina Hill, the seat of the government, is now the topic of discussion among officers. The cabinet secretary, defence secretary, home secretary, foreign secretary, chief of the Research and Analysis Wing, director of Intelligence Bureau and director of the CBI have two-year fixed tenures. The Congress-led UPA government had set the precedent of removing officers with fixed tenures when in June 2004, within three weeks of coming to power, it removed Kamal Pande as cabinet secretary. Then, Pande was the only one on a fixed two-year tenure and, in due course, should have continued till November 2004. The UPA, in 2005, made an amendment to the Fundamental Rule (FR) 56 (R) to insert this enabling provision that allowed a fixed two-year tenure for the home and defence secretaries and the intelligence chiefs by citing "sustained continuity" and "operational nature" of these posts. The SC decided on having a two-year fixed tenure for the CBI director and the foreign secretary was added to the list later.
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Ahmedabad, May 12 Announcing support of the NERPF, which comprises 10 regional parties to Modi, he said: "Modi is one step closer to becoming prime minister". Sangma is the president of the National People's Party (NPP). The NERPF had fielded candidates on 21 out of 25 seats of the North-East region. "When Modi is one step closer to becoming the Prime Minister, I extend the support of our political front of North-East, having 10 parties (to him)," Sangma said while addressing media. — PTI
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No interest payable on solatium, rules SC
Legal Correspondent
The Additional District Judge, Bathinda, and the Punjab and Haryana High Court ruled in favour of the landowners and directed the government to pay interest on solatium from the date of taking possession of the land on July 2, 1981. The Centre came to the SC challenging the HC verdict dismissing its plea against the Bathinda court’s directive. Appearing for the Centre, Additional Solicitor-General Mohan Jain said the interest was not payable as it was not specifically awarded in the decree. He cited several SC verdicts against the payment of such interest. Accepting Jain’s contention, the Bench noted that the SC had laid down the law on this aspect in a case between Sunder versus Union of India and ruled that “interest could not have been granted on solatium. In view of this, the appeal is allowed. The judgment of the high court is set aside to that extent only”. The ruling
The Supreme Court had ruled (in Sunder versus Union of India) that interest could not have been granted on solatium. In view of this, the appeal is allowed. The judgment of the high court is set aside to that extent
only.
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DRDO launches supersonic rail sled
Chandigarh, May 12 The 4-km-long rail track, classified as a national test facility, will enable components to be tested at supersonic speeds on the ground. India is among a handful of countries in the world now possessing this unique test facility. Inaugurating the RTRS, Scientific Adviser to Raksha Mantri and DRDO Director General Dr Avinash Chander said that the track would be extremely useful for the testing of a wide range of critical systems such as payload for manned missions of ISRO, the navigation system for missiles and aircraft, proximity fuses for advanced warheads, fuses for armament systems, parachutes for payload delivery, arrester systems for aircraft such as the Tejas LCA. Describing the RTRS facility, Dr Manjit Singh, Director, TBRL, said the facility consisted of five rails each 4-km long on which a test article can be propelled at supersonic speed with the help of specially designed rockets. The track built for this purpose is precision aligned and capable of withstanding high level of loads. The capability so acquired would accelerate the pace of development of defence and aerospace technologies and products, he said. Dr SS Sundaram, DRDO’s Director General (ECS), Dr Satish Kumar, Chief Controller, DRDO, Ajay Singh, Chief Executive (CW&E), M Balakrishnan and VS Sethi, both former directors of TBRL were present on the occasion. Later, Dr Chander also witnessed the demonstration of several newer advanced warheads. He also inaugurated the new building of Ballistics Vidyalaya, Ramgarh, a school run by DRDO Educational Society and the Sampooran Singh Officers Transit Facility at Ramgarh.
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‘Mangalyaan’ to reach Martian orbit on Sep 24 Thiruvananthapuram, May 12 Dismissing the sceptical views expressed by certain quarters over the mission, he said, “The Mars mission is going well and will reach the orbit on September 24, 2014.” This will make all in ISRO and the people of the country proud “as it will be a major milestone for ISRO,” Radhakrishnan said. Now it took four minutes for a signal from the ground station to reach the spacecraft, launched from Sriharikota on November 5, he said. Stating that many more missions were under different stages, Radhakrishnan said another major project in coming months would be the experimental mission of GSLV-MARK 3 with crew module for country’s human space flight mission. — PTI
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Saradha scam: CBI sets up SIT
New Delhi, May 12 Though the SIT will beheaded by Joint Director (north-East) Rajeev Singh, CBI official from WestBengal, Odisha, North-East and Bihar will also be part of investigating team. The SIT will alsoprobe the role of market regulators like Securities Exchange Board of India (SEBI), authorities under the Company Act, RBI, sources said. “The SIT willsoon collect all relevant documents before registering the FIR in the matter. The CBI will also look into the larger conspiracy angle,” said CBI spokesperson, Kanchan Prasad. The spokesperson saidthe SIT was formed in the wake of the Supreme Court order on a PIL on Friday asking CBI to probe the matter and directing the state police forces to cooperate with the central agency in the investigation. The Enforcement Directorate (ED) is also looking into money laundering charge against the Saradha Group and has registered five cases so far.
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278 yatris halted on way to Kedarnath shrine
“The Kedarnath Yatra has been officially stopped, but there is a possibility of movement by the locals through several exit and entry points that only the villagers are familiar with,” said Subhash Kumar, Uttarakhand Chief Secretary. “Unlike the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra which is tightly regulated, the exact number of pilgrims may not be known. But we are keeping tabs on the pilgrims based on the information gathered by the local authorities. The decision to resume the yatra will be taken tomorrow in consultation with the local administration and the prevailing weather conditions,” he said. However, the Rishikesh-Kedarnath national highway (NH-109) was open till Mankatiya for small and big vehicles. As the old trekking route from Gauri Kund to Kedaranth was completely wiped out in the last year’s floods, an alternative route constructed by the SDRF and the Nehru Institute of Mountaineering has helped pilgrims pay obeisance at the holy shrine. “A bridge has been built at Bhimbali for trekkers to reach the left bank of the Mandakini. The alignment has been changed to the left side of the river. The Rambara-Kedarnath trek, which was around 7 km earlier, is now around 8-km long. The entire new route from Mankatiya to Kedarnath is around 22 km,” said Bhaskaranand Joshi, Secretary Department of Disaster Management. Despite tall claims by the government, the reconstruction of roads and bridges has been slow. The highways in Rudraprayag are still broken. The five-km stretch from Sonprayag to Gaurikund on the left bank of the Songanga river, which was washed away in the floods, continues to be broken. Copter services to shrine from May 17
Dehradun: The Department of Civil Aviation has decided to defer the launch of helicopter services to Kedarnath from Fata and Guptakashi to May 17. The decision came after the Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) failed to accord permission to the state government for starting helicopter services to Kedarnath. Once the helicopter services are launched, the pilgrims will be able to complete Kedarnath Yatra (to and fro) in 13 minutes on the payment of Rs 7,200.
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Punjab has no grants for Sainik School
Chandigarh, May 12 Sources said Punjab had not paid about Rs 1 core that it was required to give the school in the 2013-14 fiscal. Consequently, the scholarships for about 70 students have been held up. Non-availability of stipulated grants has also affected the maintenance and upkeep of the school’s premises. The institute is housed in the palace that belonged to the erstwhile Maharaja of Kapurthala and given the building’s age, rich architectural design and heritage status, it requires a lot of conservation work and repairs. Some projects have been initiated to conserve the building by Delhi-based cultural and heritage foundations. In fact, in a report issued earlier this year, the Parliament’s Standing Committee on Defence has observed that Punjab was among the states that swayed away from its financial responsibilities when it came to funding for sainik schools. The expenditure for running sainik schools is shared by the Central and state governments according to a fixed formula. There are 24 sainik schools across the country and many of them are
facing problems in getting the required funds from respective state governments. Earlier, it was also proposed to get some money sanctioned from the MP Local Area Development Fund for undertaking specific projects, modernisation or infrastructure development of sainik schools, but it did not evoke much interest. Scholarships held up
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Bodo students want illegal arms seized
Guwahati, May 12 ABSU president Promod Boro today claimed that illegal weapons were available in the BTC areas not only with militants but also with various other groups and the availability of these weapons was a grave threat to normalcy in the area. He said that the ABSU had submitted several memoranda to the Union Home Ministry and the Assam Government for taking effective steps to seize all the illegal weapons in the area. The ABSU leader said that though the students’ organisation has been taking up the issue at various levels since 2008, governments at the state and the Centre have failed to take serious note of it.
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New Delhi, May 12
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