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India’s growth story amazing: Oz PM
Give drought relief to us directly: Farmers to Centre
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news analysis
Rahul: Modi played drums as India faced power crisis
Naidu: Andhra’s new capital to be near Vijayawada
Badaun rape case
Cabinet nod to 7% hike in DA
Love jihad: Court seeks report from UP Govt, EC
ACB to shame offenders on Facebook
Order reserved on Tejinder’s plea
Actor took to prostitution as she ran out of money
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India’s growth story amazing: Oz PM
Mumbai, September 4 Abbott, the first head of government outside the leaders of SAARC nations to visit the country after the Narendra Modi government took over, said he wants to make the most of “an abundance of opportunities” for business in India. “.....this is a country which has amazed the world over the last few decades with its growth and its development the world’s second most populous country; on purchasing power terms, the world’s third largest economy, clearly, the emerging democratic superpower of the world and a country with which Australia has long and warm ties,” he said. “The purpose of this trip, as far as I am concerned, is to acknowledge the importance of India in the wider world, acknowledge the importance of India to Australia’s future, to let the government and the people of India know what Australia has to offer India and the wider world for our part, and to build on those stronger foundations,” he said addressing a 30-member business delegation accompanying him on the trip in Mumbai. Noting how India has changed “enormously” since his last visit 33 years ago as a backpacker, Abbott, who has expressed keenness to sign a nuclear deal with the country, said,” I can remember on my first day in Mumbai watching a bullock cart take material into a nuclear power station. Well, 33 years on, there aren’t that many bullock carts left in urban India, and the power stations, the nuclear power stations are more sophisticated than ever,” he said.
— PTI Abbott to visit AIIMS today New Delhi: Australian Premier Tony Abbott will visit AIIMS' trauma centre on Friday around 2:20 pm. He is scheduled to meet the institute's faculty and researchers who are associated with the joint Australia-India Trauma Systems Collaboration Programme. The bilateral project is on reducing the burden of injury in India and Australia through development and piloting improved system of care.
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Give drought relief to us directly: Farmers to Centre
New Delhi, September 4 A memorandum submitted by the Bharti Kisan Union demanded a review of the MSP of paddy and other crops taking into account unexpected rise in cost of production. Farmers said any package for drought should be given directly to them as doles given by the Centre to the state governments “never reaches” the real beneficiaries. Punjab and Haryana have sought special packages from the Center for having purchased extra electricity at higher costs to save crops and meet other farm-related exigencies. While Punjab has demanded Rs 2,330 crore, Haryana, which recently became the first state to declare drought, has sought Rs 4,829.25 crore from the Centre. A top government functionary said the Agriculture Minister was all praise for Punjab for having cropped 95 per cent of the land, despite a 60 per cent plus overall deficit. He is also expected to recommend a special “financial commendation” for Punjab by November-December. “However, the agriculture ministry can only recommend as finance ministry is the sanctioning authority,” he said. As per BKU leaders Onkar Singh Agaul and Sewa Singh Arya, farmers are facing a huge cost of extra diesel to pump sets to water crops and despite this extra input costs the yield per acre would definitely come down by 15 to 20 per cent. They added “whatever may have been the claims of the state governments, they are never supplied power to run tubewells for more than three to five hours a day”. Apart from seeking tax-free diesel for the agri sector, farmers also want a relaxation in paddy procurement specifications. Submits memorandum to Agriculture Minister
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Explosives seized, Assam on alert
Guwahati, September 4 The Assam police recovered 90 gelatin sticks, 100 packets of detonators inside an abandoned bag at Machkhowa bus terminus of the Assam State Transport Corporation in the heart of Guwahati
city today. The police detained five persons for interrogation. In another such seizure of explosives, Government Railway Police (GRP) personnel recovered three bags full of explosives from the Lower Haflong railway station in troubled Dima Hasao hill district of Assam. The bags containing explosive materials were found lying abandoned on the platform after the UP Silchar-Lumding Cachar Express left the station past midnight with passengers. The GRP personnel recovered 150 gelatin sticks, 600 detonators and over 30 feet of fuse wires from the bags. Amar John, in charge of GRP station at Lower Haflong Railway station, said investigation was on to find of the source and destination of these recovered explosive substances. It is suspected that the explosives were dumped on the platform by the carriers to avoid detection, while GRP personnel were carrying out routine check inside Cachar Express when it was parked at the station. Recoveries
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Al-Qaeda’s Indian chapter: Kashmir has reasons to worry
Arun Joshi There is absolutely nothing new in the announcement that Al-Qaeda has set up its chapter in the Indian sub-continent. In fact, the group and its off-shoots have been operating in Kashmir and other parts of India since 1990s. But the statement has the potential to stir more trouble ahead of the Assembly elections in the state. Al-Qaeda chief Ayman al Zawhari’s declaration in a video, the authenticity of which is yet to be verified, that the group is setting up its wing in the Indian sub-continent is one of the formal announcements. The fact is that there were announcements to this effect since March 2007 when it first announced its arrival in Kashmir. Thereafter, there were repeated announcements to this effect. The separatists in Kashmir always discounted these reports, maintaining that it was a “deliberate move to give a colour of terrorism to their indigenous struggle.” Internationally, it might be seen as reclaiming global terror turf by al-Qaeda to counter the growing profile of Islamic State of Iraq and Syria ( Levant) ( ISIS). But the mention of the Muslim-populated areas like Gujarat, Assam and particularly the Muslim majority Kashmir in India has raised security concerns by several notches. Jammu and Kashmir, the only Muslim majority state in the country, is going to Assembly polls in two to three months. “This raises security concerns because the elections are approaching,” a top security official told The Tribune. “We take everything seriously. The local militants are also deadly and such announcements can only embolden them,” he said. The official was referring to the 16-hour-long encounter in south Kashmir’s Pulwama district on Tuesday and Wednesday in which Jaish-e-Mohammad’s longest surviving militant Altaf Ahmad Rather and two of his associates were killed. Kashmir’s various militant outfits are affiliated with al-Qaeda - a symbolic name for the global terror. It is not an organization as such. “We have dealt with such threats before and we will deal with it. But we do take everything seriously,” DGP K Rajendra told The Tribune. Security agencies say the al-Qaeda’s activities in Kashmir date back to 1990s. An eminent American, with a wide experience in Central intelligence agency and security affairs, Bruce Riedel, in his article “Al-Qaeda Five Years After the Fall of Kandhar” for the US-based non-profit organization “The Brookings Institution”, released in 2008 had stated: “The December 1999 hijacking of IC 814 from Kathmandu to Kandahar - the capital of Taliban-ruled Afghanistan - was masterminded by Osama bin Laden. Al Qaeda also moved closer to Kashmiri terrorist groups like Lashkar-e Toiba and Jaish-e-Mohammad. These ties predated 9/11. In late 1999, for example, Bin Laden had been intimately involved in the Kashmiri hijacking of an Indian airliner to Kandahar along with the Taliban and Pakistani intelligence agents.”
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Navy’s largest patrolling vessel commissioned Chennai, September 4 INS Sumitra, which was commissioned at the Chennai Port Trust, would be based at Chennai under the operational control of Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Eastern Naval Command. The ship, which has a displacement of 2,200 tonnes and can travel a speed of up to 26 knots, is equipped with state-of-the art medium and short range weapons which include 76mm medium range gun, a potent Close-In Weapon System, Electronic Support System Sanket Mk III and Communication Intelligence System ELK 7036. The ship is a well-balanced weapon-sensor platform, with the capability to undertake offshore patrolling, support high value assets and defence of offshore installations. The latest generation warship will join the Eastern Naval Command fleet for maritime surveillance and coastal security. Commanding-in-Chief Eastern Naval Command Vice Admiral Satish Soni, Commanding Officer, Commander Milind Mokashi, were present. — PTI
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Rahul: Modi played drums as India faced power crisis
The Congress vice-president said Modi came to power by making big promises but his government is yet to even begin working on them despite completing 100 days in office. "They had made big promises but where is the result? They might have forgotten so let me remind them. They said they will change the country, bring down prices, reduce corruption. 100 days are over. “At least begin working now. People say they have not even started working. The PM is playing drums in Japan while there is no electricity here and prices are rising," he told reporters. During his recent visit to Japan, Modi had tried his hand at playing drum while taking part in a function. On a two-day visit to his Lok Sabha constituency Amethi, Rahul admitted to differences in opinion in Congress over issues and said there has always been "this type of tension" in the party. The party will deal with the issue, he said. A group of young Congress leaders, including 15 AICC secretaries, recently decided to write to senior leaders against what they claimed was attempt to damage the party's image by making controversial statements outside party fora. It is being seen as a rallying of support for Gandhi within the party after comments of several party leaders were seen as a disapproval of his leadership style. — PTI
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Naidu: Andhra’s new capital to be near Vijayawada
“We have decided to locate the capital city in a central place of the state around Vijayawada and to go for decentralised development of the state with three mega cities and 14 smart cities,” Naidu said even as protests broke out in the backward Rayalaseema region. Vijayawada, located on the banks of Krishna river in the paddy-rich Krishna district, has a population of 15 lakh and is a commercial and transportation hub with one of the largest railway junctions in the country. The new capital will come up on Vijayawada-Guntur belt, a prosperous belt with fully developed infrastructure, good air, rail and road connectivity and strong backing by powerful political and industrial lobby. The location has the support from influential politicians and leading industrialists of the region. Moreover, the Telugu Desam Party put up an impressive performance in the region in the general elections. However, the TDP government’s choice runs contrary to the recommendations made by a five-member expert panel constituted by the Centre on location of new capital.
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Three accused brothers get bail
Tribune News Service
Lucknow, September 4 Two days ago, two police constables — Chattrapal Yadav and Sarvesh Yadav — charged with criminal conspiracy in the case were also let off after the CBI did not frame charges against them. However, CBI spokesperson Kanchan Prasad said the central agency not filing charge sheets against the five accused at this stage should not be construed as their being given a clean chit. The investigation is still going on in the case as per the court orders. The relief for the accused came following the DNA test results which did not conclusively prove sexual violence against the two girls. The family of the two minor girls has threatened to commit suicide it the five accused were let off by the CBI. CBI fails to charge sheet accused
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Cabinet nod to 7% hike in DA
New Delhi, September 4 An official statement said the Cabinet chaired by PM Narendra Modi today approved the release of an additional installment of DA to the Central Government employees and Dearness Relief (DR) to pensioners with effect from July 1, 2014. This is an increase of seven per cent over the existing rate of 100 per cent of the basic pay or pension to compensate for price rise. The increase is in accordance with the accepted formula, which is based on the recommendations of the 6th Central Pay Commission.
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Love jihad: Court seeks report from UP Govt, EC
Lucknow, September 4 Taking cognisance of a PIL filed by advocate Pankaj Tewari, a Division Bench of Justices Imtiaz Murtaza and Ashwani Kumar Singh asked both UP and the EC to furnish a report in the court on September 15.
— TNS
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ACB to shame offenders on Facebook
Mumbai, September 4 Pictures of several junior-level officials, including policemen who were caught taking bribes, have been posted in the past three weeks since the page went live. The bureau has now asked citizens to capture bribe seekers on camera and put them on the Facebook page of the ACB to eradicate corruption.
— TNS
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Order reserved on Tejinder’s plea
New Delhi, September 4 A Bench headed by Justice Pratibha Rani passed the order after hearing arguments by the CBI opposing the bail plea and of Lt Gen Singh’s lawyers, led by senior advocate Kapil Sibal, who questioned the logic behind his arrest after the charge sheet had been filed.
— TNS
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Actor took to prostitution as she ran out of money Hyderabad, September 4 The actor (23), who was arrested on Sunday, is currently lodged in a rescue home. “I was out of money. I had to support my family and some other good causes. Some people encouraged me to get into prostitution to earn money, police sources quoted her as saying. — IANS
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Amethi/New
Delhi, September 4
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