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PM for close watch on anti-poverty schemes
CPM stir hits rail services
Rosaiah likely to stay Andhra CM
Sohrabuddin Case
BJP MLAs quit from Jharkhand Assembly
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Green brigade raises eyebrows over YSR memorial
India assures foolproof security for C’wealth Games
Bhupen Hazarika turns 84
CPM stir hits rail services
Proposed BJP-HJC alliance hits hurdle
SC allows release of ‘Wanted’
Six suspected KCP militants killed
Pak has vested interest in shielding
Saeed: Krishna UAE plane gets clearance to leave Ship sinks off Paradip coast
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PM for close watch on anti-poverty schemes
New Delhi, September 9 Addressing a conference of state ministers of rural development and panchayati raj in the Capital, the Prime Minister said allocations for poverty alleviation programmes were rising every year and policymakers now had to ensure that people got the best value for every rupee spent on their behalf. This year’s allocation for the UPA government’s flagship programme NREGA is Rs 39,000 crore and Rs 2,350 crore for the Swarnjayanti Gram Swarojgar Yojna (SGSY). For the Rajiv Gandhi National Rural Drinking Water Mission and the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojna, allocations stand at Rs 8,000 crore and Rs 18,500 crore, the Prime Minister said, adding that effective overseeing of these programmes was therefore extremely important. There are concerns about the performance of the NREGA programme. Even though some states have shown good results, many are lagging behind. Conceding this, the Prime Minister urged the laggards “to catch up”. “We still have miles to go before we achieve the full potential of this unique legislation,” he said. Referring to the setting up of a “delivery monitoring unit” at the PMO to monitor NREGS, he said as much data as was possible would be put in public domain of the websites of the ministries concerned . The Prime Minister called upon participating ministers to deliberate upon ways to ensure that benefits reach out to the needy and the poor and advocated the need to shift from input base monitoring to independent evaluation of the outcome. Interestingly, even as one of the most powerful persons in the country made a strong case for the rural poor in the country, he faced some “powerless” moments. Even as lights went lights went off for a few seconds at the prestigious Vigyan Bhavan, an unfazed Prime Minister continued speaking though the security personnel had some anxious moments. Meanwhile, the Prime Minister said revival in rains was aiding monsoon-sown crops. “Rains over the past week augur well for kharif crop and have brought cheer to farmers,” he said, adding that “most areas of the country however will probably have deficient rainfall.” The worst start to the monsoon season in eight decades has caused drought in 278 districts in the country, damaging crops of rice, sugar cane and oilseeds. Raw sugar reached an all-time high last week on speculation that India, world’s biggest consumer, will boost imports to bolster supplies The Prime Minister reiterated the country has had record production and procurement of foodgrains in both 2007-08 and 2008-09. “We thus have adequate food stocks and there is no cause for concern or fear of shortages of foodgrains in the country as a whole. I, however, have no doubts that we will tackle the situation effectively and resolutely. Foodgrains supply should be available in localities where there is deficiency of production in relation to demand. Also utmost care ought to be taken to deal with scarcity of fodder and drinking water,” he said. The Prime Minister also emphasised the need to mobilise public opinion and use of social audits for the enforcement of rights and entitlements of the people. He said the government had taken a major decision to restructure and redesign the SGSY and convert it into National Rural Livelihood Mission (NRLM). The new scheme, to be implemented on a mission mode, will use a multi-pronged strategy for poverty reduction in a time-bound manner.
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CPM stir hits rail services
Kolkata, September 9 Yesterday, the CPM workers in Malda led by their MLA Biswanth Ghosh held up several mail and suburban trains, including Guwahati-New Delhi Rajdhani and Darjeeling Mail, by squatting on railway tracks at Saltapur station for 20 hours. They were demanding stoppage of all mail trains at small stations and also opening of a computerised booking office there. On Tuesday morning, several CPM workers also organised demonstrations at the Serampore station, demanding better amenities to passengers. The angry people gheraoed the Station Master and ransacked his office. They made a make-shift kitchen on the platform and prepared foods for themselves. Oddly enough, neither the railway police nor the district police took any action against the protesters and facilitate restoration of train services. Due to demonstrations, the passengers particularly the office-goers and hospital patients faced problems. The railway authorities today filed an FIR against the CPM MLA and several other party workers for creating obstructions in train services. Another FIR was also lodged against the CPM at Serampore for assaulting the Station Master and ransacking his office.
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Rosaiah likely to stay Andhra CM
New Delhi, September 9 Apparently, Rajya Sabha MP KVP Ramachandra Rao, who met Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Tuesday and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today, has been assured that Jaganmohan will be well taken care of. Rao - a close aide of YSR - had made a strong pitch for Jaganmohan to be made the next Chief Minister of the state. MPs from the state have also been camping in Delhi, meeting senior leaders to press their demand for Jagnamohan to be made the Andhra Chief Minister. Sources, however, say around 10 Andhra MPs, who called on the Congress president today, have been categorically told to put an immediate stop to their “Jagan for CM” campaign and not rock the boat for the party during the tough time. Details of a plan for Jaganmohan are still being worked upon and senior party leaders Pranab Mukherjee, Veerappa Moily and Digvijay Singh will visit Hyderabad this weekend. Sources say most likely interim Chief Minister K Rosaiah will continue as the Chief Minister for the time being and Jaganmohan, an MP from Kadappa, will be given some position at the Centre. Meanwhile, hectic parleys continued as Rao met Ahmed Patel, Parnab Mukherjee, Digvijay Singh and Veerapa Moily during the day. Sources say Jaipal Reddy and Renuka Chowdhury were also summoned to 10 Janpath for consultations by Sonia Gandhi on the issue. Rao, one of the perpetrators of “Jagan for CM” campaign, has been asked to use his clout and control the situation. He has been told to prevail over the young man to not be impatient and abide by High Command’s wishes for the time being. The Congress is clear that the next incumbent to the Andhra Pradesh CMO will be someone who enjoys Jaganmohan’s support and confidence. The party is now engaged in a fine balancing act for even as it is alarmed by aggressive lobbying by Jaganmohan's supporters, senior party leaders feel that not making him or someone he supports the Chief Minister may create a factional dispute and weaken the party.
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Sohrabuddin Case
New Delhi, September 9 A Bench comprising Justices Tarun Chatterjee and Aftab Alam made it clear that it was imperative on the part of the state to ensure that the police probe was beyond suspicion. It wanted to know why the state was unable to come out with a report that was beyond any shadow of doubt. The Bench made the observation when senior counsel Mukul Rohtagi, appearing for the state, said it was unfortunate that all the police investigation was described as a cover-up and opposed the plea for transferring the probe to the CBI or the Special Investigation Team (SIT). Contending that the investigation was progressing well and in the right direction, he also urged the Bench to stop monitoring the case. The trial court should be allowed to monitor the investigations into the killing of Sohrabuddin Sheikh, his wife Kausar Bi and their friend, Tulsiram Prajapati, between November 2005 and March 2006. Depriving the trial court of this role would cast a shadow on the integrity of the judiciary in Gujarat, he said. The state government has already paid a compensation of Rs 10 lakh to Sohrabuddin's brother Rubabuddin, who has sought a probe by the SIT, headed by former CBI Director RK Raghavan, which is monitoring the progress in all riot-related cases in Gujarat. Senior counsel Dushyant Dave, appearing for Rubabuddin, however, sought to cast aspersion on the probe being conducted by senior police official Geeta Johri, alleging that she had delayed the investigations for months. Possibly, it was part of a larger conspiracy involving the police chief, the Home Minister and even someone in a higher position. Posting the next hearing for September 23, the Bench asked Solicitor General Gopal Subramanium, amicus curiae in the case, to give his views on the investigations right from the day the apex court registry forwarded Rubabuddin's complaint to the state police chief on January 21, 2006.
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BJP MLAs quit from Jharkhand Assembly
Ranchi, September 9 The BJP MLAs submitted their resignation letters to Speaker Alamgir Alam, Assembly sources said. An MLA from the Anglo-Indian community, who was nominated by the then ruling BJP-led NDA alliance, also resigned. The BJP, which had won 30 seats in the 2005 elections, has been reduced to 21 following resignations, disqualifications and defeat in an Assembly bypoll. The strength of the House came down to 42 after the resignation of the BJP MLAs. The President’s rule was imposed in Jharkhand on January 19 after JMM president Shibu Soren quit as the Chief Minister after he was defeated in the Tamar Assembly bypoll which he had contested to enter the Assembly. The term of the House expires in March next year. —
PTI
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Green brigade raises eyebrows over YSR memorial
Hyderabad, September 9 The crash site is located in a notified tiger sanctuary called Gundla Brahmeswara Wildlife Sanctuary. “All construction activity is banned in a tiger reserve unless permitted by the Central government and the Central Board for Wildlife,” state’s additional principal conservator of forests A V Joseph said. The sanctuary is home to the highly protected tigers. The hillock where the twin-engine Bell 430 helicopter, carrying the Chief Minister and four others crashed, is at Pavuralagutta, about 30 km from Atmakur town in Kurnool district.Tigers, panthers, sloth bears, wild dogs, hyenas, jungle cats, bonnet monkeys, marsh crocodiles, pangolin, sambar, chowsinga, chinkara and mouse deer are some of the species found here. Environmentalists argue that no one has a right to tamper with the Forest Act to build a memorial. If a memorial is to be erected then roads will have to be laid and the basic facilities such as lighting arrangements and drinking water will have to be provided. Such construction activities are not permitted in reserve forest areas as per the Wild Life Conservation Act of 1972. Spread across 9,500 sq km, Nallamala forest is home to thousands of endangered animals and birds. The first meeting of the state Cabinet, after the death of YSR, had decided to build two memorials -- one at the crash site and the other in the state capital. DGCA probe into chopper crash begins
A five-member team from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation, headed by R K Tyagi, arrived in Kurnool town in Andhra Pradesh to begin probe into the helicopter crash that killed Chief Minister Y S Rajasekhar Reddy and four others on September 2. The team held discussions with state Chief Secretary P Ramakanth Reddy, DGP S S P Yadav and district police and revenue officials and inspected the pieces of wreckage and other material recovered from the crash site.The investigators will visit the accident site at Pavuralagutta hillock tomorrow and gather scientific clues.
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India assures foolproof security for C’wealth Games
New Delhi, September 9 Talking to reporters after a meeting of the international security liaison group, set up to coordinate security related matters with Commonwealth countries, Home Secretary GK Pillai said security experts of all the participating countries have been called in on September 23 and 24. They will be shown the security arrangements and their suggestions will be heard and then incorporated in the overall security plan. He said, “All factors had been taken into account. The home ministry also plans to use helicopters for air surveillance besides having dedicated lanes from the airport to hotels when the teams arrive”. Several countries had expressed reservations on the games after recent developments.
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Bhupen Hazarika turns 84
Guwahati, September 9 The All-Assam Students Union (AASU) organised a glittering musical function at the altar of Bhupen Hazarika’s statue at Dighalipukhuri in the city to sing panegyrics to the legendary singer on his birth anniversary. The singer came live before his fans through video conferencing and expressed his deep gratitude for the love and affection they have showered on him throughout his musical journey. Best singers from all universities and leading institutions enthralled the audience at the function by singing golden numbers of the winner of coveted Dada Saheb Phalke Award. Srimanta Sankardeva Kalakshetra, the biggest cultural complex in the north east, too organised a colourful cultural function to celebrate the day. The singer is currently recuperating from a recent heart surgery at his Mumbai residence.
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CPM stir hits rail services
Kolkata, September 9 Yesterday, the CPM workers in Malda led by their MLA Biswanth Ghosh held up several mail and suburban trains, including Guwahati-New Delhi Rajdhani and Darjeeling Mail, by squatting on railway tracks at Saltapur station for 20 hours. They were demanding stoppage of all mail trains at small stations and also opening of a computerised booking office there. On Tuesday morning, several CPM workers also organised demonstrations at the Serampore station, demanding better amenities to passengers. The angry people gheraoed the Station Master and ransacked his office. They made a make-shift kitchen on the platform and prepared foods for themselves. Oddly enough, neither the railway police nor the district police took any action against the protesters and facilitate restoration of train services. Due to demonstrations, the passengers particularly the office-goers and hospital patients faced problems. The railway authorities today filed an FIR against the CPM MLA and several other party workers for creating obstructions in train services. Another FIR was also lodged against the CPM at Serampore for assaulting the Station Master and ransacking his office.
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Proposed BJP-HJC alliance hits hurdle
New Delhi, September 9 Sources said the BJP was facing problems within on the question of aligning with the HJC. According to these sources, there have all along been two sharply divided views in the BJP over forging alliances in Haryana. While one section led by Arun Jaitely and general secretary in charge of Haryana Vijay Goel has favoured aligning with former chief minister Bhajan Lal who heads the HJC, the other led by Sushma Swaraj favoured the other former chief minister and INLD chief Om Prakash Chautala. Goel’s decision to break away from Chautala did not go well with the Sushma camp and sources indicate that this section is picking holes in the HJC-BJP alliance proposal. This is notwithstanding the fact that alliance talks have progressed considerably and the prime leader of HJC Kuldeep Bishnoi has held a series of meetings with BJP leaders, including one with BJP president Rajnath Singh in these last few days. Also the BJP has agreed in principle that in the event of HJC-BJP alliance coming to power, the chief ministership will go to Bhajan Lal, a precondition set by the HJC before starting negotiations with the BJP. But because of lack of unanimity in his party, Goel changed his tune considerably here today. He said, “I have nothing new to say. The discussion is on. But there is no agreement yet. I can speak to you in definite terms only when the discussions conclude and we arrive at some decision.” He also sent out a signal that it is the HJC and not so much the BJP, which is keen on this alliance. He said: “When their (HJC) alliance with the BSP broke down, we got an offer from them,” adding “Main issue is seat sharing. Chief ministership is no issue at all.” He also stated: “We are capable of fighting all 90 seats on our own,” but added, “Whenever two parties come together it benefits both.”
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SC allows release of ‘Wanted’
New Delhi, September 9 A three-member Bench headed by Justice BN Agrawal said Kapoor could release the Hindi film, subject to returning Rs 2 crore to LMB Holdings, a B4U group company, by September 16. Senior counsel Mukul Rohtagi, who appeared for the producer, told the Bench that his client had entered into a contract under which LMB Holdings had advanced Rs 10 crore, representing part of the funds for making five films. But the company was seeking the return of the entire money even before the release of the first film.
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Six suspected KCP militants killed
Imphal, September 9 Official sources said today that police commandos, attached to the Imphal West police station, were patrolling in the Awang Khunou area, under Patsoi police station, when they were fired upon by militants late last night. In the encounter, six militants were killed, sources said. One M16 rifle, 62 rounds of ammunition, three 9mm pistols, one motorcycle and one Tata Sumo were recovered from the spot. —
PTI
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Pak has vested interest in shielding Saeed: Krishna New Delhi, September 9 "It's an orchestrated voice emanating from Pakistan. They have a vested interest in safeguarding Hafiz Saeed," Krishna said. "We have no doubt that Saeed is the brain behind the 26/11 attacks and we have the evidence to prove it," he added. Replying to a query if India was running out of patience due to Islamabad's reluctance in taking action against terrorists, he said: "We have got to have lots of patience when dealing with troublesome neighbours like Pakistan. India is too big, too strong to get frustrated." The minister said despite the freeze on dialogue between the two sides, India was talking to Pakistan on the terror issue. "We are continuously engaging Pakistan on terrorism although we may not be talking to each other on other issues," Krishna said according to a press release issued by news channel 'Headlines Today'. He added that the terror issue would be the main focus of talks with his Pakistani counterpart Shah Mahmood Qureshi during their meeting at the UN General Assembly in the next few weeks. Commenting on the recent incursions across the international border by China in Ladakh, the minister said the two sides had already met 13 times to discuss the long-standing border issue. "Incursions here and there should not be magnified. We have a long border with China and ongoing relationship that we would want to see developing into a partnership." On the Chinese military and infrastructure build up in Tibet, he said, "We have been monitoring the Chinese build-up along Arunachal Pradesh and elsewhere. Our defence preparedness is a continuing process." Asked whether the growing Sino-Nepalese bonhomie will affect India's interests, he said, "Nepal understands our security concerns and has reassured us that it would not let any other country use its soil to work against us." —
PTI
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UAE plane gets clearance to leave New Delhi/Kolkata, September 8 The External Affairs Ministry has given the green signal to the Ministry of Defence and Customs authorities that the C-130 Hercules plane can be allowed to leave the NSC Bose International Airport, official sources said. The aircraft has been grounded since Sunday evening.Airport sources in Kolkata said the airplane is likely to resume its flight tomorrow at around 9 AM. The flight originated from UAE capital Abu Dhabi.
—PTI
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Ship sinks off Paradip coast
Bhubaneshwar, September 9 The Chief Engineer of the ship ‘Black Rose’ drowned as he tried till the last to save the vessel from going down in the Bay of Bengal. Captain Servey Kamarov and 25 other crew members were rescued by the Coast Guard while they were floating in the sea wearing life jackets. —
PTI
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