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Govt to sell wheat, rice in open market
Cash ’n’ Curry?
BJP puts weight behind Khanduri
Arushi Murder |
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Singur Crisis
Fate of Koda govt hangs in balance
Left leaders hold talks with Gowda
Narayanan briefs Cabinet on J&K situation
Amarnath Row
M’rashtra delays girls’ age of marriage
Unicef plan to combat malnutrition
Commander indicted for submarine collision
Hoax calls put B’lore cops in a tizzy
Per capita water availability may reduce
War memorial near Guwahati in danger
Pak firing again at LoC
Assam flood hits Asia’s largest river island
Council to promote overseas employment
Governor approves Aug 25 for trust vote
1993 blasts: Accused held after 15 yrs
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Govt to sell wheat, rice in open market
New Delhi, August 21 However, the open market sale of foodgrains will be taken only after meeting the requirement for the buffer stock and strategic reserves. While the state governments will distribute foodgrains to the retail consumers, the Food Corporation of India (FCI) will sell it directly to bulk buyers through an open tender system. The Ministry of Consumer Affairs and Food and Public Distribution will decide the quantity and timing for open market operation on the recommendations of the Committee of Secretaries. The record foodgrain production estimated at 230.7 million tonnes for 2007-08 has enabled the government not only to procure adequate stock for the Public Distribution System (PDS), but also for the open market operation. As per the buffer norms, the government should have an opening stock of four million tonnes of wheat in April 2008. The government has created a strategic reserve of three million tonnes. Besides, the Centre has allowed the states to regulate the foodgrain stocks the traders can keep in a given period to check hoarding. Earlier, the Centre used to decide the quota the states could manage. But shortages last year forced the Centre allowing states manage the stocks. The government also decided to extend the notification for imposition of stock limits on rice, wheat, pulses and edible oils till April 30, 2009, said Information and Broadcasting Minister P.R. Dasmunsi while briefing the Cabinet. The notification that allows states to impose stock limits on certain commodities was to expire on August 31. The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs also gave its approval for continuation of the ongoing groundwater survey schemes, exploration and investigation, Central groundwater authority and study of recharge to groundwater as one integrated scheme on Ground Water Management and Regulation at an outlay of Rs 460 crore during the 11th Plan. The scheme will help strengthen groundwater resource management system, delineation of groundwater development to worthy areas, developing area-specific artificial recharge and rainwater harvesting techniques, development of web-enabled groundwater information system for quick dissemination of groundwater data, capacity building of scientists, planners and other stakeholders and strengthening of coordination and synergy amongst all other stakeholders.
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Cash ’n’ Curry?
Chandigarh, August 21 The work, assigned to him as the department’s standing counsel, has also been withdrawn. Income Tax Chief Commissioner P.K. Chopra said the issue was being referred to the Central Board of Direct Taxes for further action. The Chandigarh Police also arrested Panchkula-based property dealer Rajiv Gupta. He had initially supported Bansal’s “concocted” story that the cash was meant for Nirmal Singh, a property dealer, whose name sounded similar to that of Justice Nirmaljit Kaur. The statement of Bansal’s second clerk, Jai Parkash Rane, was also recorded before a magistrate under Section 164 of the CrPC. As the proceedings were held in a closed courtroom in accordance with the specified procedure, the details of the statement were not known. The action of getting his statement recorded makes it evident that the Chandigarh Police plan to use him as a witness in the case against Bansal and others. As Chandigarh Police maintained silence over the issue even today, vital questions remain unanswered. It is still not clear why a senior officer of the Punjab Vigilance Bureau facilitated Bansal’s surrender at the Sector-11 police station. The officer, attached with the Punjab Vigilance Bureau as Superintendent of Police, had escorted Bansal till the gates of Sector-11 police station before the former law officer gave himself up before the cops. It is believed that the matter had already been brought to the notice of the Punjab and Haryana High Court Chief Justice Tirath Singh Thakur. The involvement of Vigilance Bureau officer in the surrender has already raised eyebrows. The issue was raised by the Bar Association members during the General House meeting convened to discuss the issue on Wednesday. The Bar was of the opinion that the investigations in the matter could not be fair as Bansal was enjoying the patronage of senior Punjab Police officers and the matter should be handed over to the CBI. The Bar also wanted to know the name of the High Court Judge at whose residence the money was to be delivered. The name remains a matter of speculation at the Bar and among the High Court Judges till date as the Chandigarh Police are desisting from making it public. The members will have to wait before the Bar is taken into confidence as the Chief Justice is reportedly examining the issue “very seriously” on the basis of information provided to him in the presence of senior judges by Inspector-General of Chandigarh Police S.K. Jain. According to information, the High Court Judge, whose name has surfaced in Bansal’s statement, has not been officially called by the Chief Justice to explain her stand. The Judge, it is said, has some explanation on the arrival of money for purchasing property in Himachal Pradesh. She is likely to share the information with the Chief Justice, as and when she is called upon to do so. Meanwhile, Bansal, whose remand ends on Saturday, shared vital information with the police. Delhi-based businessman Ravinder Singh, who had allegedly send the money through Bansal, continues to evade arrest, despite lookout notices and raids at various places.
(With inputs from Akash Ghai)
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BJP puts weight behind Khanduri
Dehra Dun, August 21 While, former Chief Minister Bhagat Singh Koshiyari is still camping in New Delhi to press on the demand to replace Khanduri, but indications in the ruling BJP are that the high command has thrown its weight behind the Chief Minister Khanduri for the time being. The Chief Minister looked confident after the Cabinet meeting held here yesterday, the first after dissidence against him. Asked whether all ministers attended the meeting, Khanduri replied that all were present except two, both of whom were away for panchayat elections. On the question of any decision on the Virender Dixit commission report about selecting a permanent capital of the state, Khanduri said the voluminous report had been given to all ministers for their views. “We will study the report,” he added. It was a sudden move by dissidents last week that surprised not only Chief Minister Khanduri but also the party high command. Dissidents complained against the style of functioning of the Chief Minister. They were told to work wholeheartedly for the ongoing panchayat polls and prepare for the next Lok Sabha elections. Ramesh Pokhriyal 'Nishank', Uttarakhand Health minister, who also sided with the dissidents against the Chief Minister has also been called by senior party leaders to discuss the crisis. "There is no question of change in the leadership. The dissidents have been told to wait till the Lok Sabha polls," said Uttarakhand BJP chief Bacchi Singh Rawat. On the other hand, Chief Minister Khanduri has also started the damage -control exercise to win over party legislators. Besides meeting party legislators and ministers to address their grievances, the Chief Minister also appointed another official as his secretary. Khanduri faced a lot of flak about the functioning of his secretary Parbhat Kumar Sarangi, an IAS officer. It was alleged that Sarangi had been acting as 'super Chief Minister' of the state. Tarkeshwar Vaishnav, a senior officer has been appointed as the second secretary of the Chief Minister. "There is no crisis in the state BJP and there are no indications of any change," claimed Devender Bhasin, chairman of the state media advisory committee and a close aide of the Chief Minister.
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Arushi Murder
New Delhi, August 21 Terming as “shockingly insensitive” Mayawati’s way of handling the situation involving rights of a deceased child, Renuka said she would urge Mayawati to reconsider her orders of recalling the then DIG, Gurdarshan Singh, after all that he had said and done to harm the dignity of the child and the case itself. “This is a shockingly insensitive way of dealing with the situation. I am going to write to Mayawati, asking her how she could do this. How could she just restore the dignity of a man who did so much harm to the rights of a minor child? This is simply not done,” she said. Gurdarshan Singh’s objectionable and sweeping remarks about the character of Arushi had invited tremendous public and government criticism, leading to the transfer of the cop. Not only had Choudhury taken up the matter, even the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights had written to Uttar Pradesh DGP, asking him to explain how the state police, under Gurdarshan Singh, had arrived at “objectionable” conclusions about the case and the character of the victims.
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Singur Crisis
Kolkata, August 21 Kirishia Bachaoo Committee Convernor Becharam Manna alleged, Das, who was suffering from mental agony after his 4.5 bighas of farmlands were forcibly acquired. He had been demanding that his land be returned as he had to look after his family of six. But unfortunately last night, he died of a heart attack. Mamata reiterated her demand for returning of 400 acres of lands at Singur to the unwilling farmers, which she said, would solve the on-going crisis of Tata Motors. But both state industries minister Nirupam Sen and Tata Motors managing director Ravi Kant have conveyed to her today that all 997 acres of land handed over to Tata Motors will be needed for the project. They also rejected her demand for returning of 400 acres of lands to the owners and also her proposal for shifting the ancillary industries elsewhere from plant site. The Trinamool supremo said the “unyielding attitude” of the state government and the Tata Motors authorities were now forcing her to launch an agitation at Singur and elsewhere in the state and accordingly they would begin their indefinte sit-in demonstration and agitation in front of the Tata Motors site from August 24. Samajwadi Party leader Amar Singh, former WBPCC president Somen Mitra, Jayanta Bhattacharyya, MP and leaders and workers of several other political parties would also join in their stir. Mamata warned that if there was any attempt to apply force against the striking workers, there would be death and bloodsheds for which Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee would be solely responsible. The WBPCC declared today that they would also launch an agitation at Singur in support of the landless farmers from August 24 jointly with the Krishi Bachaoo Committee. The Hooghly district zilla Congress led by Abdul Mannan today led a protest march at Singur demanding the return of lands to the unwilling farmers. But while the marchers were trying to forcibly enter the factory premises, they were beaten by the police. As a mark of protest, the Congress workers and supporters organised a blockade on the Durgapur Highway which led to the suspension of the vehicular movement on the highway for over two hours.
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Fate of Koda govt hangs in balance
New Delhi, August 21 While the Congress has assured him full support, the other major player in Jharkhand RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav is keeping his cards close to his
chest. Soren who arrived here last night from Jhansi after his 17-member group pulled support to the 23-month old Madhu Koda government, to stake claim and become the Chief Minister, told newsmen later that both Congress and RJD leaders had personally assured him full support. But while the Congress admitted that it had assured him support, provided he managed to get the numbers, Lalu Prasad later denied having met
Soren. The Railway minister said, “No meeting took place with Soren,” implying that he has not made promise to the ’Guruji” so far. Since the Koda government has been reduced to a minority after the JMM withdrawal, Governor Sibtey Razi has asked the Chief Minister to prove his majority on the floor of the House by August
25. Koda incidentally had been installed with the active support of the RJD chief and therefore Lalu Prasad is finding it difficult to wriggle out of his commitment to
Koda. Moreover, there is fear that the nine independents loyal to Koda, all ministers in Ranchi are reluctant to ditch Koda and cross over to
Soren. Therefore Lalu Prasad had asked Soren to first persuade the independents, secure Koda’s resignation voluntarily and then stake claim. But that has not worked out so far.
Soren claimed here about Lalu, “He is with us. I am fully confident that I will form the government with the support of much more MLAs than required,” he said adding. “We have full support of
Lalu.” He recalled that he was instrumental in making Lalu Prasad and later his wife Rabri Devi chief ministers of Bihar.
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Left leaders hold talks with Gowda
New Delhi, August 21 The general secretaries of the Communist Party of India (CPI) and the Marxist Communist Party of India (CPM) A.B. Bardhan and Prakash Karat, respectively, held a two-hour luncheon meeting with former prime minister and JD-S chief H.D. Deve Gowda here today as a part of this process. CPI national secretary D. Raja and JD-S general secretary Danish Ali were also present at the meeting. “We discussed the latest political developments in the country,” Bardhan told newsmen. But the JD-S president refused to divulge details saying: “I have had a long relationship with the Left which had supported me as the prime minister in the United Front government.” There were reports that Samajwadi Party general secretary Amar Singh also came and met Deve Gowda separately. But the JD-S sources refused to confirm or deny this. A major constituent of the Third Front is the UNPA and its latest convenor TDP supremo N. Chandrababu Naidu is coming here on Saturday. The same day, BSP chief Mayawati may also come after concluding the UP Assembly session. Naidu is expected to hold a meeting with Mayawati and the Left leaders. A meeting of the UNPA is also in the offing. In August-end, a joint meeting of the Left, the UNPA, Mayawati and Deve Gowda is also on the cards, where long-term strategies will be discussed, Left sources disclosed. The Left is seeking to mobilise sufficient numbers to oppose and stall some new Bills pushing the liberalisation policy. The Left leaders are also likely to talk to the BJP/NDA to secure their support against any move by the UPA government, free of Left support now, to enforce its new economic policies. Left sources pointed out that they have specifically in mind two major issues - the Pension Regulatory Bill and the government’s move to put the provident fund money in the stock market - which they are keen to block.
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Narayanan briefs Cabinet on J&K situation
New Delhi, August 21 National Security Adviser (NSA) M.K. Narayanan on Thursday briefed the Cabinet on the situation in Jammu and Kashmir, Information and Broadcasting Minister Priya Ranjan Dasmunsi told reporters here after the Cabinet meeting. Asked about steps taken by the Centre to defuse the crisis, he said that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had already taken the initiative by convening an all-party meeting. The minister replied in the negative when asked whether the government would take any new initiatives to restore normalcy in the state that has been polarised along the religious lines because of the land row. “If there is any breakthrough, I'll let you know,” Dasmunsi said. Narayanan had yesterday paid a daylong visit to Srinagar to study the situation in the state. During his visit, he had a meeting with Governor N.N. Vohra and it was decided to facilitate discussions with all the groups protesting over the Amarnath land issue. The NSA reviewed law and order, security, public distribution system and measures related to strengthening the administrative machinery. Narayanan was accompanied by Defence Secretary Vijay Singh, Chairman of the Joint Intelligence Committee H. Upadayay, Director of Intelligence Bureau P.C. Haldar and Joint Secretary at the Prime Minister's Office Sanjay Mitra. Jammu and Kashmir Chief Secretary S.S. Kapoor, Home Commissioner Anil Goswami, state police chief Kuldeep Khoda, Additional Director General of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) A.K. Ghosh and the commanders of the three Army corps in the state also attended the meeting. Senior Central and state intelligence officers also briefed Narayanan about the surcharged atmosphere in the Valley and the Jammu region. Narayanan also met several leaders of state political parties. According to officials, Narayanan had expressed concern over the developments in the last few months, especially in the Kashmir Valley, where separatists had been organising massive public rallies like they did in the 1990s. Sources also said the meeting deliberated over inputs provided by the intelligence agencies and the possible ways to deal with the situation in the coming days. Narayanan’s trip came in the wake of the bitter Amarnath land row that has created an unprecedented communal divide in the country's only Muslim-majority state. The allotment of 40 hectares of land to the Amarnath Shrine Board in May this year had triggered protests in the Muslim-dominated Kashmir Valley, prompting the government to take back the land.
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Amarnath Row
New Delhi, August 21 The BJP which had announced with great fanfare here on Monday its intent to have its two senior most leaders L.K. Advani and Rajnath Singh address a rally supporting the Jammu agitation, quietly withdrew the announcement the next day pleading that there was some problem about scheduling the programme. However, BJP sources claimed today that the opposition to offering the Shri Amarnath Sangharsh Samiti (SASS) platform to the BJP leaders had come from the Congress leaders participating in this agitation. But VHP general secretary Praveen Togadiya implicitly contradicted the BJP claim by admitting that it was actually the VHP which had the real control of this agitation. Incidentally, samiti president Leela Karan Sharma is a RSS activist. Togadiya said here today in reply to a question, “We have authorised 62 organisations of Jammu traders and religious organsations to take whatever decision they want to in this regard.” Interestingly the VHP and the BJP joined forces to hold district-level demonstrations throughout the country today. BJP general secretary Arun Jaitley led a batch of party volunteers at Hauz Khas, who courted arrest demanding restoration of land to the Amarnath Shrine Board. Further pressed on scuttling Advani and Rajnath’s plans to address the proposed rally Togadiya said, “We don’t know anything. So far only others are talking. The Sangharsh Samiti has not named any leader. Till yesterday no decision had been taken by the samiti in Jammu.” He also left it to the Jammu people pleading, “Ask the Jammu people, more than 62 traders and religious organisations are there in it. It has MLAs and MPs from all parties, including the Congress, the National Conference and even the PDP. We believe that this is a Hindu religious issue. We have involved all Hindus of all affiliations.” During the NDA regime, the sangh had come out with the proposal to trifurcate Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh into three separate administrative units. Jammu has a high concentration of Hindu population, Kashmir valley that of the Muslims and Ladakh of Budhists. The BJP which led that government has disowned any association with the trifurcation move.
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M’rashtra delays girls’ age of marriage
New Delhi, August 21 Conducted by the Institute for Health Management, Pune, through 2003 and 2006, the Safe Adolescent Transition and Health Initiative (SATHI) not just succeeded in delaying by one year the median age of the adolescent girl at marriage, it delayed by a year her median age at conception as well. The most significant outcomes were increase in the interval between marriage and first conception from six to 10 months, and significant reduction in the proportion of married adolescent girls getting low-birth weight babies. “Birth weight is a proxy measure for maternal and neonatal mortality (MMR and NMR). Reduction in the number of women delivering low-birth weight babies is a significant demographic indicator of a better MMR and NMR,” said Dr A. Dyalchand, director of the institute, whose model the government is keen to replicate. “We would be happy to scale up the intervention, though health is a state subject,” Amarjit Sinha, joint secretary in health ministry today said. Importantly, the initiative, which targets a hitherto neglected group of 15 to 19-year-old adolescent girls, managed a massive reduction in postnatal complications faced by married adolescent girls. The study becomes more relevant considering 26 per cent of total fertility in Maharashtra is contributed by married adolescent girls (as per NFHS-3 data), which the study targets. This group suffers complications during and after delivery, with many girls enduring spontaneous abortions with terrible reproductive outcomes. “Earlier it was believed that spontaneous abortions did not cause complications, but now there is evidence that 65 per cent of girls who have faced such abortions report severe complications,” said Dyalchand, accompanied by director health services Maharashtra Prakash Doke. Maharashtra has decided to gather more evidence in favour of the study by enhancing its scope to 10 districts and 20 primary health centres. It will then spread the project across the state. For now, the available evidence sounds encouraging - age of adolescent girls increased from 15 (at the start of study) to 16 (at the end); age at conception advanced from 16 to 17 years through the period of study. The initiatives used were simple, as Dr Dyalchand explains, “Link workers held monthly surveillance to assess the study group’s health needs, initiated strong behavioural change communication by telling men that real men marry women, not girls. Contraceptives were made available and their use increased three-fold over the study period. Community monitoring was kept strong.” In terms of population, the study targeted 50 lakh girls, 25 per cent of them married. Even the Population Fund of India today endorsed the study saying it addressed the vulnerabilities of a group (15 to 19 years) that tends to get lost in the general age group for reproductive health - 15 to 49 years. “If we have to reduce infant, maternal and neonatal mortality rates, we can’t ignore this group,” said additional director, PFI, Kumudha Aruldas.
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Unicef plan to combat malnutrition
New Delhi, August 21 Disturbing also is the persistently high percentage of underweight children under three. The numbers fell by only one per cent from 47 in 1998-99 to 45.9 in 2005-2006 - a significant distance to the MDG target of 25.8 per cent. Small surprise that child malnutrition found a prominent mention today from Karin Hulshof, representative, Unicef India, who said: “India’s responsibility - with one-fifth of the world’s children - is special. Today…we share the burden and the opportunity … to make this a better world for children to live in.” Over five years, Unicef, along with the ministry of women and child development (WCD), plans to reduce infant mortality rate from 58 per 1000 live births to 28 and maternal mortality rate from 301 to 100 per 100,000 live births. The commitment is to help India achieve MDGs 4 and 5, on improved IMR and MMR, respectively. For her part, WCD minister Renuka Choudhury admitted to the challenges of reaching out to children below three, and the issue of 12 per cent of India’s children below six having no access to safe drinking water resulting in diarrhoeal deaths. She also used the occasion to stress food fortification - a persistence that has not gone down too well with the planning commission and the PMO. “Time has come to look at nutrition holistically and have optimal fortification,” she said, while the UN representatives were more worried about gaps in development indicators. Analysis has showed that children from certain tribal communities, castes and minority communities account for the largest gaps, Hulshof said.
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Commander indicted for submarine collision
Mumbai, August 21 According to sources, a court martial found Commander Narendra Kumar, commanding officer of INS Sindhughosh, guilty of causing damage to the vessel when it surfaced suddenly and collided with a merchant vessel on the surface. Commander Kumar has been penalised with six months loss of seniority. The incident happened off the coast of Mumbai in January this year when the submarine rammed into Leads Castle, a cargo ship registered in the US. The vessel was participating in an exercise at the time of
the incident. The submarine was said to be carrying its full component of missiles including Klub Cruise Missiles and torpedoes at the time of the mishap. However none of the 53 crew members on board were injured. It transpired during the Board of Inquiry that Kumar had ordered switching off the vessel’s sonars as part of the exercise and the crew did not detect the cargo ship above it. Shortly after the mishap, the submarine managed to return to the base unaided. It was then sent for repairs, which took a month to complete.
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Hoax calls put B’lore cops in a tizzy
Bangalore, August 21 “Sir, we are from an IT company. We got four hoax calls yesterday saying bombs had been planted in our premises. The IT companies seem to be the first target whenever any trouble breaks out in the city”, the two executives told police commissioner Shankar Bidari, when they finally got an audience with him. While the city police already have enough on its plate, the hoax calls, streaming into various establishments ever since serial blasts rocked the city on July 25, are giving the police additional anxiety. Four bomb-threat calls were made on Friday (Independence Day), mentioning two defence establishments, a shopping mall and a hotel as targets. However, all calls turned out to be a hoax. The first call at 9 am to the city police control room said a bomb was planted at the Command Hospital on the Airport Road. Another call mentioned the defence training centre at Mehkri Circle. A bomb squad, along with sniffer dogs, made a thorough check at both places and concluded the calls were a hoax. The third call was made to the Chennai police control room, claiming a bomb was planted at the Forum mall in Bangalore. But, no bomb was found there either. The fourth hoax call claimed a bomb was planted at a hotel in Sanjaynagar. Earlier, the police had caught a group of security guards, who thought they could have fun by calling the control room and inform that a bomb had been planted at Ranka Apartments in Seenappa Layout, New BEL Road. A housekeeping section employee in a commercial complex on Residency Road was also arrested recently for making a hoax call. He called up an electrician at an MNC bank, who reported the matter to the police. A search proved it was a false alarm. During interrogation, the accused admitted that he wanted to pull the electrician’s leg and didn't mean any harm. He was arrested and remanded to judicial custody. A hoax call disrupted classes at a school in Bharatinagar recently. Around 10 am, the school was informed that a bomb would go off in the next hour in the school. The bomb disposal squad searched the school but found nothing. The call was traced to an STD booth in Frazer Town and the owner said some students of the same school had come to the booth a while ago. An anonymous call saying that a bomb had been planted inside the Mysore palace was found to be hoax after explosive experts and sniffer dogs were pressed into service. The two IT company executives, who met the police commissioner Bidari today, had already filed a complaint with the K.R. Puram police station. But not satisfied with this, they wanted assurance from the city police chief about their safety.
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Per capita water availability may reduce
Roorkee, August 21 A research paper on ‘Status and Strategies for Management of Water Resources of India’ by Rakesh Kumar, head of Research Coordination and Management Unit, NIH points out that in India per capita surface water availability that stood at 2,309 m3 and 1902 m3 in the years 1991 and 2001, respectively, are projected to reduce to 1,401 m3 and 1,191 m3 by the years 2025 and 2050 respectively. Study reveals that the long-term average annual rainfall in India is 1,160 mm, which is the highest anywhere in the world for a country of comparable size, however, the annual rainfall in India fluctuates widely. “The highest rainfall in India of about 11,690 mm is recorded at Mousinram near Cherrapunji in Meghalaya in the northeast. In this region rainfall as much as 1,040 mm is recorded in a day. At the other extreme are places like Jaisalmer, in the west, which receives barely 150 mm of rain,” says study. Study points out that India receives annual precipitation of about 4,000 km3, including snowfall. Out of this, monsoon rainfall is of the order of 3,000 km3. Though the average rainfall is adequate, nearly three-quarters of the rain pours down in less than 120 days, from June to September and thus exhibits very high spatial and temporal variability. “As per the international norms, if per-capita water availability is less than 1,700 m3 per year then the country is categorised as water stressed and if less than 1,000 m3 per capita per year then the country is classified as water scarce. In India per capita surface water availability is expected to reduce, hence, there is a need for judicious planning, development and management of the greatest assets of the country that includes water and land resources for raising standards of living of millions of people particularly in rural areas,” asserts Rakesh Kumar.
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War memorial near Guwahati in danger
Jaswantgarh (Tawang), August 21 Ironically, a sizeable portion of the famous memorial of the India-China War of 1962 is about to give way under the pressure of landslide right under the nose of the Border Road Organisation (BRO) that is in charge of the entire road stretch from Bhalukpung (Assam) to the frontier. Six soldiers of the 19 Gahwal Corps of the Indian Army who are at duty at Jaswantgarh, said one of the three bunkers at the site had already been damaged due to landslip while another was about to buckle under pressure. “We have already informed the BRO about the threat posed to the memorial because of the landslide but apparently no preventive step has been taken so far,” said Naik Subedar Jagdish Singh who heads the team of the six soldiers at Jaswantgarh. The war memorial is more of a place of worship for any Indian soldier. It keeps alive the heroics of one of the bravest soldiers in Indian Army, Rifleman Jaswant Singh of 4 Garhwal Rifle (No 4039009) who fought valiantly during the war against the invading Chinese forces and managed to held on to the post for 72 hours killing about 300 Chinese soldiers before he was grievously injured, captured and then hanged on November 17, 1962. He was awarded a Maha Vir Chakra (MVC) posthumously. The memorial has a bust of Jaswant Singh, his portrait and other belongings. No soldier passes the area towards the Sino-Indian border without paying obeisance to rifleman 'Baba' Jaswant Singh. For his caretakers, the Baba still exists. They make his bed, polish his shoes and deliver the mail sent by his admirers. The memorial has no electricity connection. It is lit up only for two hours in the evening through a generator.
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Pak firing again at LoC
Jammu, August 21 The Army PRO said, “There was no causality. We don’t know who was behind the attack.” The PRO did not rule out the involvement of militants in the attack as militants in Pakistan too possess 60 mm mortar gun which otherwise is a military weapon. However, defence sources claimed it was the task of the Pakistani army. This is 27th incident of firing from the Pakistani side in the current year and ninth in the past four weeks.
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Assam flood hits Asia’s largest river island
Jorhat, August 21 About 160 villages in the island, with more than two lakh population, were submerged due to the sudden rise in the water level of Brahmaputra, official sources said. They said, a villager was also washed away in the flood water yesterday and his body was fished out by the police this morning. The four 'satras' (vaishnavite religious centres) as well as arable land measuring 20,000 hectares have also been submerged . A major portion of the Kaziranga National Park, a world heritage site and home to the endangered one-horned rhinos, is also reeling under the deluge. The deluge also created havoc in Nagaon district, where more than 100 villages have been submerged.
— PTI
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Council to promote overseas employment
New Delhi, August 21 Ravi was launching the website for the 7th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD), to be held in Chennai from January 7 to 9. The website (www.pbdindia.org) provides for on-line registration of delegates for the mega event, apart from providing other details like the programme schedule.
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Governor approves Aug 25 for trust vote
Ranchi, August 21 The Koda-led coalition government fixed the date after the Governor had on August 18 directed it to prove its majority on the floor of the house by August 25 after the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM), a 17-member party, withdrew support from the UPA coalition. The chances of the Chief Minister securing a majority in the confidence vote looks bleak after the Congress yesterday announced that it would go along with the JMM in the house. JMM president Shibu Soren today said in New Delhi that RJD supremo Lalu Prasad assured him of RJD's support.
— PTI |
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1993 blasts: Accused held after 15 yrs
Mumbai, August 21 The police arrested Khan, an accomplice of gangster Dawood Ibrahim, from the suburban Nalasopara area in the neighbouring Thane district. Joint Commissioner of Police Rakesh Maria said Khan was allegedly involved in landing of RDX on the Raigad coast and its transport to Mumbai prior to the blasts, which killed 273 persons and injured over 700. He had been absconding since then. He returned to India in 2006. According to police, he lived and worked in Dawood’s house in Karachi for some time. He will be handed over to the CBI and produced in special TADA court tomorrow. The court had convicted 100 accused in the bomb blasts case last year.
— PTI |
Mosquito breeding in Parliament House ‘Singh is Kinng’ heads for Toronto fest 1,100 detonators seized Nepalese held, explosives seized
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