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Mumbai, October 11 Congress President Sonia Gandhi today hit out at the BJP-Shiv Sena alliance in Maharashtra for trying to “break up Indian society.” “Our tradition is to unite people and accept others, but they were trying to break society”, she told an election rally in the textile town of Bhiwandi which has a large Muslim population.  Campaigning ends in Maharashtra
Gegong set for another term as Arunachal CM
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Bush, Manmohan pay homage to Harbhajan Yogi
Send protest note to Bush over FBI: CPM
Former CJI for law to regulate political parties
Blind can vote on new EVMs
National Swabhiman Manch formed
Ansals told to deposit 3 cr as damages for fire victims
Patil may present NE status report at UPA-Left meeting
Patil cancels visit to J&K
ULFA differ on talks
India to increase troops strength in Congo
Govt moots seizure of Rishikesh doctor’s property
SC declines to stay construction of temple
Mirza Raja Jai Singh pays homage to child Guru Harkrishan.
Dalit women lead fight against illicit liquor
Arsenic in groundwater in UP: study
Alert in Mumbai after discovery of shells
Bansi Lal to miss merger ceremony
Wickremesinghe meets Natwar Singh
Reddy for easy visas for journalists
India-Singapore joint air force exercise begins
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Sena, BJP trying to break up society: Sonia
Mumbai, October 11 “Our tradition is to unite people and accept others, but they (Shiv Sena and BJP) were trying to break society”, she told an election rally in the textile town of Bhiwandi which has a large Muslim population. Referring to the Gujarat violence Mrs Sonia Gandhi accused the BJP-Sena alliance of backing outfits that engaged in violence. Launching an attack on former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Mrs Sonia Gandhi accused the Opposition of lying. “Truth is almost uppermost in our culture but the Opposition is engaged in spreading lies and making false promises,” she said. “It’s a total lie that the NDA considered Maharashtra its own,” Mrs Sonia Gandhi said, referring to Mr Vajpayee’s speech in Mumbai on Sunday. She accused the former NDA government of meting out step-motherly treatment to Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chattisgarh, Nagaland and other Congress ruled states apart from Maharashtra. “The last time they ruled Maharashtra, people faced extortion threats and rampant corruption. Please do not let them repeat it again,” Mrs Sonia Gandhi said. Launching a veiled attack on the Samajwadi Party in the town, Mrs Sonia Gandhi asked voters to be wary of parties which called themselves secular but were hand in glove with the BJP-Shiv Sena alliance. After the rally, the Congress chief started a five-hour roadshow, “Jan Sampark Abhiyan”. She will visit nearly 30 different places in Mumbai. |
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Campaigning ends in Maharashtra
Mumbai, October 11 Leaders of the all major parties were campaigning today across the state. Congress President Sonia Gandhi who hit the streets of Mumbai as part of a roadshow reached out to thousands of people lining the streets to shake hands with her. At Nagpur, 605 km from here, political debate touched a new low with Shiv Sena leader Raj Thackeray abusing Union Railway Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav at a rally. Opinion polls have predicted a close finish in Maharashtra where the ruling NCP-Congress combine is locked in a fierce battle with the Shiv Sena-BJP alliance. However, political observers feel that the presence of a large number of rebels could spoil the chances of the Congress-NCP across the state. Meanwhile, Mr Uddhav Thackeray, son of Shiv Sena supremo Bal Thackeray, has been drawing crowds in Yeola, the
constituency of ally-turned-foe Chhagan Bhujbal. Campaigning for sitting MLA Kalyanrao Patil of the Sena, Mr Thackeray has managed to sway voters against challenger Bhujbal who is banking on members of his OBC Mali community here. |
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Gegong set for another term as Arunachal CM
AICC leaders here said the Congress had crossed the magic number of 31 in the 60-member seventh Arunachal Pradesh Legislative Assembly and would form the next government. Indications are that Mr Apang, who has held the post of Chief Minister for nearly 20 years, stands a good chance for another term. There is a section in the Congress that is advocating that Arunachal Pradesh Congress Committee president Mukut Mithi be accommodated as Deputy Chief Minister. However, a decision would be taken after Congress president Sonia Gandhi returns from Maharashtra tomorrow, when she will discuss these developments with senior party colleagues like Mr Ahmed Patel and Mr Pranab Mukherjee. The central observers for the CLP leaders will also be announced tomorrow. Ms Gandhi is learnt to have called up Mr Ramesh Chennithala, CWC in-charge of North-East, who is in Itanagar, to congratulate him on the party’s victory. Commenting on the Arunachal Pradesh results, Ms Jayanti, Congress spokesperson, said the verdict was a forerunner of the Maharashtra elections, where the “Congress-NCP combine will get a three-fourth majority and form a government.” In Itanagar, Mr Apang said the leadership issue would be decided by the legislature party meeting to be held there on October 13. The Congress, which had won 53 seats in the 1999 elections, registered a tally this time of 34 (three unopposed) as independents notched up 13 victories. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) got nine, the Arunachal Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party two each. Twentyeight Ministers and MLAs of the party lost the October 7 election. For the first time, the ruling party will face a strong Opposition in the assembly. The BJP won nine of the 38 seats it had contested. The saffron party, which had ruled the state for the past few months, received a major setback when its chief Gegong Apang switched over to the Congress lock, stock and barrel, days ahead of the assembly elections.
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Bush, Manmohan pay homage to Harbhajan Yogi
New Delhi, October 11 A wreath was placed on Yogi Bhajan’s body on behalf of Dr Manmohan Singh as Mr Bush conveyed his condolences to Yogi Bhajan’s family. Barbara, wife of New Mexico Governor Bill Richarson was present at the residence of Yogi Bhajan, according to information received here. Inter-faith community leaders and friends and admirers of Yogi Bhajan remembered him fondly and commended his work in bringing the A large contingent of leaders from this country, Britain and other parts of the globe are expected to attend the bhog ceremony of Yogi Bhajan at the Hacienda de Guru Ram Das Ashram in Espanola in New Mexico on October 23. SAD general secretary Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa, National Commission for Minorities Chairman Tarlochan Singh, the Head Priest of Akal Tahkt, SGPC president Jagir Kaur and a host of religious leaders who could not attend the cremation will pay their last respects during the bhog ceremony. |
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Send protest note to Bush over FBI: CPM
Kolkata, October 11 The CPM and other Left Parties criticised the FBI’s offer as uncalled for and an attempt to interfere with the internal matter of the country. But the BJP welcomed it and thanked the Bush administration to come forward and help to fight terrorism. The Congress, however, kept silence on the issue. But the Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh, did not find anything wrong in the FBl’s offer to assist India to fight against terrorism. The veteran CPM leader, Mr Jyoti Basu, warned the Bush administration against trying to interfere in the internal matter of the country. He advised Mr Bush to mind his business and look into their own problem instead of poking nose into the affairs of other countries. The former Home Minister, Mr Advani, reminded Mr Basu of the Indo-US pact singed during the Prime Minister, Mr A. B. Vajpayee’s tenure to jointly fight against terror, which the CPM had not only endorsed, but also welcomed. He said the FBI’s offer was in accordance to the treaty and there was nothing wrong with the FBI making the offer. The CPM state secretary, Mr Anil Biswas, also an important Politburo member, alleged that Mr Advani was still trying to sabotage the nation’s sovereignty in inviting the US Administration in interfering into an internal matter of a country. Mr Biswas demanded that the Prime Minister should now openly criticise the FBI’s offer and accordingly, send a protest note to the Bush administration. |
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Former CJI for law to regulate political parties
Bangalore, October 11 “Political parties are an important component of parliamentary democracy. And while the Constitution only has a freedom of association provision there is nothing to regulate political parties,” he said. Speaking to mediapersons after a meeting of an all-India forum being set up to combat corruption in public life, he also said the possibility of the Supreme Court permitting televised trial of important political cases should be explored. He deplored the near collapse of values and institutions, which existed only in form with their substance seriously impaired. “There is a sense of desperation among people, especially among those who have to confront government. Public power and public money must be spent for the public good. That is good governance,” he said. Electoral reforms were another key area for action he added. “According to an estimate, 30 to 40 per cent of eligible voters are unable to find their names in the list. This must be corrected for a start.” JD (U) state president B. Somashekar said this group of people, with eminent members in it from various walks of life, was being formed with the intention of providing a platform to fight corruption. “This is a national level movement we are launching, and we are exploring the best mechanisms for achieving our goal.” The former CJI said even if quick remedies were not possible, awareness must be created and intense public debate generated thereby. Prof Trilochan Sastry, Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore, said spending of money by politicians during elections must be closely monitored. “If a politician spends crores for getting elected, his priority during his term will only be to recover that money, and make more for the next election.” |
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Blind can vote on new EVMs
Hyderabad, October 11 This is thanks to the introduction of the Braille signage features in electronic voting machines, developed by the Hyderabad-based Electronics Corporation of India (ECIL). The Election Commission has decided to introduce the EVMs with Braille features for the visually impaired electors in the Asifnagar byelections as a pilot project, Mr M. Narayana Rao, state Chief Electoral Officer, told The Tribune here on Friday. The names and serial number of candidates will be printed in Braille on the right side of the balloting unit in the form of sticker to enable the blind to identify the contestants and choose their option. Dummy ballot sheets containing all details, as they appear on the ballot paper in the balloting unit, will be supplied to each polling station and the visually impaired voter can go through the contents before he goes to the voting compartment to cast his vote. The facility will be available in all the 190 EVMs to be used in the Asifnagar byelection. “Depending on the result of the additional feature in this byelection, the Election Commission will take a view on implementing it across the country,” Mr Rao said. |
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National
Swabhiman Manch formed New Delhi, October 11 The manch will hold its first public rally in New Delhi on November 4, and put “ 27-point “ agenda before the nation. Mr George Fernandes will be the convener of the front, and the rally will be presided by former Prime Minister Chandra Shekhar. Incidentally, the decision comes two days before the Maharashtra elections on whose outcome these politicians of yesteryears are pinning their hopes for the political realignment to take place, sources said adding that if the Congress-NCP alliance loses the Assembly elections then even the Left would be willing to withdraw support from the UPA government. Later addressing the press conference at his residence today, after holding a meeting with these leaders, Mr Fernandes announced that initially Rastriya Swabhiman Manch would have eight member committee including BJP leader Uma Bharti and JD (U) leaders Digvijay Singh and Jaya Jaitley, Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Nirupam, former Lok Speaker P.A. Sangma and Janata Party President Subramaniam Swami. The meeting reportedly discussed the present political scenario of the country. Though Uma Bharti could not attend the meeting, but in her letter to Dr Subramanium Swami, she said,” I fully support the issue of Sonia
Gandhi, on which you have called a meeting at Mr George Fernandes’ residence. I believe that there is lack of transparency as far as her background is concerned.”
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Ansals told to deposit 3 cr as damages for fire victims
New Delhi, October 11 Though Ansal Theatre and Clubotel Ltd, which owns the cinema, was ordered by the Delhi High Court to pay 55 per cent (Rs 9.33 crore) of the total damages, the Ansals pleaded the court that it be allowed to raise the money from “securities” on the theatre building. While allowing their plea, the court made it clear that the cinema hall could not be released to them till final disposal of the criminal trial by the Sessions Court against the Ansals and various government officials for negligence because it was under the “seal” of the trial court, which has to examine the evidence in it on conclusion of the case. The high court had directed the Ansals to share the compensation amount with the Delhi Vidyut Board, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi and the Delhi Police (Cinema) Licensing. The apex court said after depositing the money by the Ansals, 50 per cent of it would be available for disbursement to the families of the victims. While the Delhi Vidyut Board has already disbursed its share of Rs 2.36 crore, the Municipal Corporation and the Delhi Police had deposited the money with the high court but challenged its order directing them to pay the compensation. The apex court did not say anything on the payment of their share at this stage while allowing the Ansals four weeks to deposit the money. |
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Patil may present NE status report at UPA-Left meeting
New Delhi, October 11 The leader of the four Left parties - CPM, CPI, RSP and the AIFB - met today to set the agenda for the meeting and hoped that the Union Home Minister, Mr Shivraj Patil, would be present during the discussion as agreed. Talking to mediapersons, CPI leader A.B Bardhan said three items had been identified to be discussed at the meeting in which the Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh, and UPA chairperson and Congress President Sonia Gandhi would also be present. The volatile situation in North- East and the measures being taken by the government to contain it would also be discussed, he said. When asked whether they would seek removal of Home Minister Shivraj Patil, RSP leader Abani Roy said “we are concerned with the functioning of the ministry and nothing else”. Mr Patil is likely to present a status report on the North-East at tomorrow’s Coordination Committee meeting. When asked whether the Left parties would suggest measures for tackling the volatile situation in the region, in view of the bomb attacks in several states, Bardhan said “we would first listen to the government and then react.” Incidentally, the CPM mouthpiece ‘People’s Democracy’ in its editorial on North-East said the situation should be tackled in a two-pronged manner. “Firstly, while mounting a concerted counter offensive, the Indian security forces will have to ensure a high degree of coordination amongst the North-Eastern states. Secondly, efforts must be made to seek the cooperation of both Bangladesh and Myanmar in containing the cross border movement of these terrorists and the operation of these outfits,” it said. The party said “while ensuring that an effective counter-insurgency strategy which is focused and professionally executed is put in place, the Centre must keep in mind the fact that in the final analysis the effort for a political solution must be carried out simultaneously.” Mr Bardhan said the visit by Prime Minister to the USA and UK and the talks with the Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf had changed the situation in resolving the Jammu and Kashmir issue. “We would expect the Prime Minister to appraise us of the talks with the Pakistan President and the new measures being taken by the government to initiate the stalled peace process in the state,” he said. |
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Patil cancels
visit to J&K
New Delhi, October 11 The Prime Ministers’ Office has begun finalising Dr Manmohan Singh’s visit to the state during which he is likely to make announcement of a package to uplift the economy of the state,
official sources said. Dr Manmohan Singh is also likely to lay the foundation stone for Kashmir
University's South Kashmir campus. He was earlier scheduled to visit the state in early September but it was cancelled as model code of conduct went into force. In a related development, Mr Patil has again postponed his visit to the state. Though there was no formal word on the postponement this time, official sources said Mr Patil was likely to undertake the visit after the Prime Minister’s trip to the state. |
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ULFA differ on talks
Guwahati, October 11 It is reliably learnt from the intelligence wing of the Assam Government that Rajkhowa, reportedly hiding in Bangladesh, had established contact with the Centre to hold talks for peace in the region. Rajkhowa is reportedly in a mood to shun violence which is isolating ULFA from the common man. But Barua is not keen on holding talks and prefers to settle the issue through violence. Intelligence sources disclosed that some of the recent attacks in Assam were masterminded by him. On their part, both the Centre and the state government are in a mood to take advantage of the differences of opinion between Rajkhowa and Barua. The Centre is reportedly planning to initiate a dialogue with Rajkhowa, bypassing Paresh Barua. Meanwhile, the state government has requested the centre to work out the modalities for the proposed talks with the NDFB .The state government can only act as a facilitator in the proposed talks because the major demand of the NDFB for a sovereign Bodoland, on which the negotiations will take place, is an issue which can be addressed only by the Centre. Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi is reportedly
keeping his fingers crossed over the outcome of the proposed talks offered by the NDFB. The present offer by NDFB president D.R. Nabla for talks is, thus, the third such successive attempt in a row, the outcome of which can only be assessed after the NDFB truly implements the ceasefire after October 15. |
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India to increase troops strength in Congo New Delhi, October 11 Defence Secretary Ajai Vikram Singh said here today that India had accepted the UN request for sending more troops to Congo. “India, which keeps a brigade worth of troops on standby for deployment in UN peacekeeping operations, has accepted the UN request for sending more troops there. This ably demonstrates our commitment to peacekeeping”, he said while inaugurating a seminar on the ‘Future of Peace Operations: Implications for India’ here. He said the Indian armed forces were sent to Congo in the 1960s as well and had lost 39 men at that time. “Now again we are engaged in Congo. Our air force contingent and a company of the Army is already there”. The current Indian contingent in Congo has a 300-strong air force contingent armed with Mi-35 utility and attack helicopters and a 100-member team of the army’s Para Regiment. On October 2, the Security Council had unanimously voted to increase the number of peacekeepers in the restive African nation by 5,900. The civil strife-torn nation at present has 10,800 peacekeepers and their
number would now increase to 16,700.
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Govt moots seizure of Rishikesh doctor’s property
Dehra Dun, October 11 The property of the accused, estimated to be worth nearly a hundred crore would be put on a freeze as per the orders. This includes his movable and immovable assets, including Neeraj Clinic from where he operated, the state of the art Seema Dental College, bank accounts, about six other buildings owned by him, over 10 vehicles and credit cards among others, the police said. Central Excise and Customs Commission has issued orders through notices to officials concerned in this regard. After receiving the orders, the police has begun the process of seizing the property running into crores of rupees, said SSP PVK Prasad. Meantime, the NDPS Special Court has accepted the bail application of two of Dr Gupta’s employees who surrendered in the court. The two employees Krishna Kumar and Deewan Singh Rawat had been charged with trying to obstruct the raid and misbehaving with the Drug Controller. The ‘doctor’ was known to give narcotic drugs to the epilepsy patients, trapped through blown up advertisements in national newspapers. Into hard selling his ‘miraculous cure’ for epilepsy for 20 years, Dr Gupta was booked under the NDPS Act and violation of license Act apart from Section 420 following a raid on his clinic by State Drug Controller about two months ago. |
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SC declines
to stay construction of temple New Delhi, October 11 Taking cognizance of the statement of senior advocate Harish Salve, appearing for the temple trust, a Bench of Mr Justice N Santosh Hegde and Mr Justice S B Sinha said the stay could not be granted at this stage as a “substantial” part of the temple building had been completed. “The temple is way beyond the green belt. There is one more plot in between the green belt and the temple and it is wrong to say that it is situated in the Yamuna bed,” Salve said. The construction of the temple was challenged by the Federation of Uttar Pradesh Government Employees, which claimed that the land on which it was being built, belonged to the state government and had been leased out to the Delhi Development Authority (DDA), which was not supposed to allot it
further to any party. The court adjourned further hearing in the matter till November 17, pointing out that the employees’ federation, which had filed the PIL in the case, could not be selective in
targeting a particular party when there were large scale encroachments on government land in the area.
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Exhibition of rare Sikh relics
New Delhi, September 11 Also on display would be the first draft of the Kartarpuri bir, popularly known as the Bahowali bir, and also a mini Guru Granth Sahib, specially prepared for Sikh soldiers fighting on European fronts during World War II. For the first time, translations of Guru Granth Sahib in various Indian and foreign languages will also be on display. According to the chairman of the research centre, Dr Jaswant Singh Neki, efforts are on to persuade the families to permanently hand over the relics to the research centre so that these could be preserved for generations to come. The National Institute of Punjab Studies, Bhai Veer Singh Sadan, which has taken up a major project of locating, cataloguing and conserving Guru Granth Sahib birs and relics, has succeeded in getting some relics through INTACH, a laboratory in Lucknow, said Dr Mohinder Singh, director of the institute. The exhibition, which has on display 40 paintings, besides art objects and relics, has been organised as part of the celebrations of the 400 years of prakash utsav of Sri Adi Granth and presents a panoramic vision of Sikh thought, tradition, heritage and culture. Organised as a joint effort of the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee and the National Museum, the exhibition is on till November 25. Intended to be built as an institution devoted especially to research on contemporary implications and interpretations of the holy Granth, the foundation stone for the centre was laid in 1967 by Master Tara Singh. However, the real purpose behind making such a centre was forgotten when the building was finally completed somewhere around 1994-95. It was after much persuasion by Sikh scholars that the building was finally dedicated to research on Guru Granth Sahib. Since most of the artistically calligraphed early copies of the holy Adi Granth available for display are fragile and involve the risk of damage, the exhibition only has photographic display. For an idea of this unique copy of the holy granth, one of its folios depicting 18 raga-raginisis put on display in original. “Ek Omkar” is its principal motif and the Golden Temple displayed through a model in gold, is the axis of the exhibition. A translite of the holy relics of the Sikh Gurus is another attraction. A few photographs taken during the recent kar seva at the Golden Temple are also on view. On display is a rare portrait of Guru Gobind Singh by a Mandi artist,
perhaps during his lifetime, when invited by the Mandi Raja. Another painting depicts Mirza Raja Jai Singh of Amer, paying homage to Guru Harkrishan. A painting portraying Kabir, Ravidas, Pipa and Namadeva, whose shabads form part of Gurbani, is another rare work of art. Besides this, there are medieval paintings, depicting various sakhis, portraits of Sikh Gurus and devotees. Another rare art object is a silver plaque with the figure of Baba Nanak engraved in light relief. Some contemporary art on display include four Bramha depictions by renowned Sikh artist Davinder Singh and two portraits, one of Kabir and the other of Bhai Mardana, and a depiction of Bramha by Arpana Kaur. A rare textile embroidered with figures of warriors and others, “rumalas”, “bagh”, “dushala”, “phulkari” a “chowri” with silver handle, a silver crown engraved with Ek Omkar and the emblem of the Sikh Panth and a pair of silver “padukas” are also exhibited. Some items of traditional jewellery include “serpech”, “natha”, “bunde” and rare Akal Sahai copper coins. Music has been as significant component of the Panth as weapons. Musical instruments rabab, daff and dafli depict Sikh reverence for Gurmat, the spiritual power. After the sixth Guru or dained that piri would be coupled with miris, weapons acquired sectarian significance in the Sikh tradition. Weapons, which are highly revered in the Sikh tradition, including the “khanda”, a rare armrest, “katar”, “jamadhar” and ammunition case are also on display. |
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Aishwarya, Hrithik sexiest Indians
Chennai, October 11 Almost one out of every five (19.3 per cent) respondents voted for Aishwarya, while Bollywood’s latest sensation Bipasha Basu came a close second, winning 19.2 per cent of the votes. Shah Rukh Khan proved to be popular among teenagers, as voters in the age group of 16 to 20 rated him as the sexiest actor (20.3 per cent), ahead of Salman Khan (15.9 per cent). The versatile actor is also a favourite among womenfolk, bagging 31.5 per cent of their votes, which put him way ahead of his star colleagues. Among actresses, teenagers considered Bipasha to be more sexy than Aishwarya. Bipasha seemed to have cast a charming spell on 23.2 per cent starry-eyed teenagers. The online survey, claimed to be the world’s biggest-ever sex survey, included a section where more than 2,300 Indians voted for the nation’s sexiest celebrities, sports personalities and Indian cities. Among the cities, Mumbai (29.2 per cent) was voted as the sexiest, followed by Bangalore (25.7 per cent) and Chennai (13.4 per cent). However, 16 to 20-year-olds considered the garden city of Bangalore (30.3 per cent) to be sexier than Mumbai (21 per cent).
— UNI |
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Dalit women lead fight against illicit liquor
Chennai, October 11 Because of the crusade by these Dalit women, socially and economically backward classes, the illicit arrack sellers have closed shop and got into legal activities in two villages in Ramanathapuram district, 500 km from here and on the southern most tip of India. Led by a Dalit woman, Mrs Veerammal, they formed a local body to eradicate the arrack menace from the village and to save several families. The body succeeded in putting an end to the menace, which had been thriving for 50 years and has succeeded in changing the whole profile of the village. The village of Melavalasai with around 1,000 people living was infamous in the region for illicit liquor sale till some time ago. Severe drought over the past few years forced the men, most of whom were agricultural labourers, to work as construction workers for paltry wages. They took to drinking illicit arrack at these dens and soon became addicts. The situation worsened to such an extent that they blew up their weekly wages at these dens where they also gambled and the women were forced to sell their household and personal belongings to keep their kitchens running. It naturally led to quarrels at home with the women in the receiving end. Unable to bear such trauma a Dalit woman, Mrs Veerammal mobilised the women of the village and succeeded in taking on the arrack mafia. She led the women on a march to the liquor dens and warned the bootleggers to stop their business. But the bootleggers did not pay any heed and asked the women to concentrate on something useful. The irate women then barged into the sheds and destroyed the arrack pots. The arrack sellers threatened the women and complained to their husbands, but the women stood their ground. The bootleggers then shifted their liquor booths to a nearby village, Keelavalasai. Mrs Veerammal too shifted her campaign base to Keelavalasai where she formed another women prohibition group. However, they failed to dislodge the illicit arrack sellers there till they lodged a police complaint. Acting on their tip-off, the district police chief had the men arrested under the Bootleggers Act. They were sent to prison but when they were freed most of them were reformed. Some of them are now raising milch animals, while others are running petty shops. Now the men are working hard to earn a living and educate their children. |
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Arsenic in groundwater in UP: study
New Delhi, October 11 While the Central Government accepted that arsenic contamination was limited to eight districts in West Bengal and one district in Bihar, namely Bhojpur, studies conducted by Unicef and Jadavpur University had also confirmed that arsenic was found in other states as well. The report by the CSE showed that arsenic contamination was spreading from its traditionally known regions of West Bengal to remote villages in Uttar Pradesh’s Ballia district, and westward along the Gangetic Plains. Even though the Ballia administration had denied the report and threatened to take the CSE to court, the centre was standing by its findings, saying that the report was based on confirmatory laboratory studies sponsored by the centre and had demanded urgent remedial action by the state government. |
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Alert in Mumbai after discovery of shells
Mumbai, October 11 Mumbai Police Commissioner
A.N. Roy told reporters here that scrap markets, particularly a big facility called the Koyla Bunder market in Sewri in North Central Mumbai were under scrutiny. Truckers tipped off the police yesterday about a jeep full of ammunition abandoned outside the Kalamboli metal market in Navi Mumbai, the financial capital’s twin city. Ballistics experts from the Army and the Navy already had a look at the seized consignments, Mr Roy said. |
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Bansi Lal
to miss merger ceremony New Delhi, October 11 Mr Bansi Lal is tipped to take over as Governor of an important state, sources said. Political sources gave several reasons for Bansi Lal's absence at his much-awaited home-coming after 13-year 'vanvas' (exile). According to one political explanation, Mr Bhajan Lal cannot see eye to eye with former Haryana Chief Minister Bansi Lal. The former has conveyed to the party high command that he would not share dais with Mr Bansi Lal. Senior AICC functionaries, however, rubbished the claim and said Mr Bansi Lal's absence and his so-called rivalry with Mr Bhajan Lal had nothing to do with this. These sources clarified that Mr Bansi Lal had already authorised his politician son Surinder Singh to merge the HVP with the Congress therefore the question of Mr Bansi Lal's presence at the merger ceremony does not arise.
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Wickremesinghe meets Natwar Singh
New Delhi, October 11 Mr Wickremesinghe, who is currently the Leader of the Opposition in the Sri Lankan parliament, will call on the President, Dr A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, and the Prime Minister, Mr Manmohan Singh, tomorrow, sources said. |
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Reddy for easy visas for journalists
New Delhi, October 11 Speaking at a seminar ‘Working of Press Laws and Right to Information’, organised as part of the national conference of South Asia Free Media Association’s India Chapter, Mr Reddy said alongside free movement of journalists, access to newspapers and magazines should also be allowed. Newspapers of Bangladesh and Pakistan should be read in India and Indian newspapers in the other countries,
he said. Former Union Minister Arun Shourie expressed satisfaction over media regulations. He said not a single journalist had been successfully prosecuted in India in case of a confrontation with the state machinery. |
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India-Singapore joint air force exercise begins
New Delhi, October 11 Although it is not the F-16s of the US Air Force, but six of the Singapore Air Force fighters of the same type today commenced joint exercises with the IAF, giving the force a chance to have a look at the abilities of the F-16s and to practise war manoeuvres with them. This is the first time that the two air forces have come together for the ‘Ankush’ defensive and offensive air exercises till October 27 over
Gwalior, Kalaikunda (West Bengal) and Pokhran (Rajasthan). The IAF will be flying all aircrafts in its inventory, save the MiG-25s. |
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New Delhi, October 11