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Munda takes oath as CM tomorrow
Emulate Haryana for acquiring land, |
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1000-crore fund set up to boost innovation
IAF to procure 59 Mi-17 choppers from Russia
US wants China’s constructive role in S-Asia Manipur Fake Encounter
Panel on Telangana to offer range of solutions
Sethusamudram Project
SC notice on Bani Granth book ban
150 Tribune employees donate blood to mark Majithia’s
DGP’s Appointment
Pune Blast
Mastermind of PEC admission scam held
Producer Ramanaidu to get Phalke Award
Bihar netas wary of code
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Munda takes oath as CM tomorrow
Ranchi/New Delhi, September 9 BJP leader Munda, 42, who is getting the chief ministership for the third time, will be the eighth CM in 10 years since the mineral rich state was carved out of Bihar on November 15, 2000. No chief minister has ever completed a full term in the state. Governor MOH Farooq invited the BJP’s chief ministerial candidate to take oath on September 11 at 11:00 am, Raj Bhavan sources said in Ranchi, two days after Munda staked claim. The BJP and Shibu Soren's JMM came back together over three months after they parted ways, leading to the imposition of President's Rule. Munda was asked to prove his majority on the floor of the Assembly within seven days from the date of taking oath, the sources said. The present Assembly, which was kept under suspended animation after imposition of Central rule over three months back, is the third and was constituted on December 30 last. The invitation by the Governor came after Munda called on him shortly after the Cabinet recommended the revocation of President’s Rule. “The Cabinet has made appropriate recommendation to the President based on Governor's recommendation. You will have to wait for the President's decision," Home Minister P Chidambaram told reporters in New Delhi after a meeting of the Union cabinet, which took up the issue. Munda has claimed the support of 45 MLAs in the Assembly with an effective strength of 81. In the list submitted by Munda to the Governor on Tuesday to back up claim he had majority support, there are 18 MLAs each of BJP and JMM, two from JDU, five from AJSU and two Independent MLAs — Chamra Linda and Bidesh Singh. Farooq had sent his report to the Centre on September 7 after Munda, the newly elected BJP legislative party leader, staked claim to form the government, submitting a list of 45 MLAs in the 81-member House and parading 44 of them at the Raj Bhavan. President's Rule was imposed in Jharkhand on June 1 with the Assembly being put under suspended animation after BJP withdrew support to the Shibu Soren-led government after the latter voted with the UPA during cut motions in Parliament and no party came forward to form an alternative government. Congress, which has 14 MLAs and its ally JVMP 11, has not shown interest in forming government in the state owing to "trust deficit" with JMM. Babulal Marandi was the first chief minister before Munda took over from him. In between Madhu Koda held the post once and Soren thrice. — PTI
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Emulate Haryana for acquiring land, says Sonia
New Delhi, September 9 Land acquisition should not result in the loss of fertile land and farmers should get adequate compensation for their land, the Congress president said, also making it clear that development should not come at the cost of environment. “In whatever we do we must not forget that our lush forests and mountains, majestic rivers and all other water sources, and clean air have sustained and nurtured us for millennia,” she said. The AICC chief’s remarks on the environment vis-à-vis development debate are being read as direct contradiction with Prime Manmohan Singh’s recent views over the issue. “We cannot solve problems by perpetuating poverty in the name of environment,” the PM reportedly said at editors’ conference on Tuesday. Acceding that new industry and infrastructure could not be built without acquiring land, the Congress president, after dedicating to the nation the Stage II of the National Thermal Power Project (NTPC) at Dadri, said “land acquisition must be done in a manner that does not result in the loss of large tracts of fertile and productive agricultural lands so indispensable to cultivate foodgrains needed to feed people”. “Farmers must be provided adequate compensation and an alternative occupation where their lands are acquired,” she said, giving the example of states like Haryana, which had “progressive legislations in this regard” that “other states should emulate”. In a way, Sonia’s remarks seem to be a clear indication of the way the current debate in the UPA over land acquisition issue is heading. The government is contemplating several options, including adopting models followed by Gujarat and Haryana, besides offering equity share to landowners when it re-introduces the contentious Land Acquisition Bill against which key ally Mamata Banerjee had earlier voiced objections. Her comments assume significance in the context of recent developments following the massive standoff that the Uttar Pradesh government faced with farmers over land acquisition along the six-lane Yamuna Expressway Project. The issue saw Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi securing an assurance from the PM that the government would bring a new legislation on acquiring farmers' land in next Parliament session while on Wednesday the apex court endorsed the UP government's acquisition of land along the Expressway Project.
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` 1000-crore fund set up to boost innovation
New Delhi, September 9 “We will set up a fund to reward innovations. To start with, the fund will be set up with a corpus of Rs 1,000 crore, which may go up to Rs 5,000 crore. A major portion of the fund will come from the private sector and not the government," the chairman of the council, Sam Pitroda, told reporters here after the first meeting of the council. One of the council members and renowned filmmaker, Shekhar Kapur, also mooted the idea of starting a television reality show that would provide a platform for the young minds to showcase their innovative ideas for solving the problems of the economy. Set up by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, the council is aimed at energising innovation initiatives so as to make them part of the national effort aimed at reducing poverty, improving governance and making development more inclusive. The council launched its portal where a compilation of scientific achievements that can be used to improve the quality of life will be available. The portal will also have a facility to highlight ideas that any citizen thinks would be useful to the society on the national canvas. The aim of NIC is to herald a mindset change and create a push at the grassroots level so that more and more people are involved in shaping a national-level innovation strategy. The council’s mandate includes formulating a roadmap on innovation for the 2010 to 2020 period focusing on inclusive growth. The NAC also comprises Planning Commission members Arun Maira and K Kasturirangan, former Nasscom chief Kiran Karnik and Tata Sons executive director R Gopalakrishnan. Among others, the industry representatives of Ficci and CII, Amit Mitra and Chandrajit Banerjee, respectively, are also on the NIC board. — PTI
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IAF to procure 59 Mi-17 choppers from Russia
New Delhi, September 9 The 80 choppers ordered in 2008 will be for enhancing the medium-lift helicopter fleet of the IAF whereas the next 59 would be used for replacing the older ones in the existing fleet which will be phased out in coming years, Defence Ministry officials told PTI here. The proposal for acquiring the 59 choppers has already been cleared by the Defence Acquisition Council and will be put up for Cabinet Committee on Security clearance soon, they said. India will start receiving the first of 80 Mi-17 transport helicopters from Russia by the end of this year which will help in augmenting its capability to carry out missions in high-altitude areas and relief operations.The remaining choppers are likely to be inducted in phased manner in next four years. In 2008, India had signed a deal with Russia to supply 80 Mi-17s to augment its existing fleet of around 150 Mi-8 and Mi-17 medium-lift choppers, which have over five tonne load-carrying capability and are also used to ferry troops and VIPs. The Air Force had felt the need of inducting more medium-lift choppers after a spate of natural disasters following the tsunami in December, 2004 and the heavy snowfall in Kashmir in 2005. The IAF is also going to acquire light utility, heavy-lift and attack choppers in the near future to expand its rotary wing fleet. The trials for procuring all the three class of choppers are on in different parts of the country. With sale of equipment such as the Admiral Gorshkov aircraft carrier, additional Su-30 MKI fighter aircraft, Mi-17 helicopters, Moscow has continued to be among the top defence hardware suppliers. — PTI
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Justice Gogoi sworn in
Chandigarh, September 9 At a ceremony attended by sitting and retired judges of the High Court, bureaucrats, relatives and approximately 500 advocates, the judge swore to “bear true faith and allegiance to the Constitution of India as by law established”. The judge also swore to “uphold the sovereignty and integrity of India” and “duly and faithfully and to the best of ability, knowledge and judgement, perform the duties of the office without fear or favour, affection and ill will”. The ceremony started with the High Court registrar-general reading out the transfer order. With his transfer, the number of judges in the High Court has gone up to 47, against sanctioned strength of 68. Justice Gogoi is the third in the seniority list, after Chief Justice Mukul Mudgal and Justice Mehtab Singh Gill. He will now be a part of the High Court collegium, along with Chief Justice Mudgal and Justice Gill.
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US wants China’s constructive role in S-Asia New Delhi, September 9 “We believe all maritime claims in South China Sea should be settled through peaceful means so that there is no eruption in the region,” Admiral Robert F Willard, Commander of the US Pacific Command, told reporters here. On a visit to India to discuss regional security and the growing Indo-US military relationship, Willard held meetings with National Security Adviser Shivshanker Menon, Defence Secretary Pradeep Kumar, Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao and the three services chiefs over the past two days. The current tension between India and China over a host of issues is understood to have figured prominently during the meetings. The US commander agreed that any change in military relations or military manoeuvres between China and Pakistan would cause a concern to India when asked for his comment on reports about the presence of some 11,000 Chinese troops in Pakistan occupied Kashmir (POK). He, however, avoided any further remark on the issue, saying it was a matter to be dealt with by the Indian establishment. Appreciating the cooperation being seen between India and China in the economic field, Willard hoped the two countries could also improve the military relationship between them. Describing the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) as an affiliate of the Al-Qaida, he said the LeT was now embedded in Europe, the US and other parts of the world. “We have been reevaluating the threat (from LeT) on a regular basis,” he said. Asked if the ISI was still encouraging terrorist activities against other nations from the Pakistani territory, he said this was an issue under discussion between the US and Pakistan and India and Pakistan.
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Manipur Fake Encounter Guwahati, September 9 Those who were named in the chargesheet under various Sections of the IPC included commandos of the Manipur Police and the then officer-in-charge of city police station, Imphal. The chargesheet was filed against inspector Munal Singh, inspector H Devendra Singh, head constable Thounaojam Herojit Singh, rifleman Ngangom Toyaima Singh, constable W Binoy Kumar Singh, havildar Th Jagat Singh, rifleman Md Imran Khan, head constable Oinam Keshor Singh and constable Makan Kanchung Chothi, according to a CBI source. The accused have been chargesheeted under Sections 34, 302, 218, 203 of the IPC and also under substantive offences. The court of the CJM, Imphal, has taken cognizance of the chargesheet and issued arrest warrant against the accused persons. The CBI has cited over 250 witnesses and more than 125 documents, besides several articles along with the chargesheet. In a Writ Petition filed by Chungkham Taratombi Devi, mother of the deceased Chungkham Sanjit Meitei, Imphal Bench of the the Gauhati High Court passed an order dated August 25, 2009, to treat the complaint dated August 7, 2009, of the mother as FIR, following which City PS Imphal (W) registered a FIR dated August 26, 2009, under Sections 302/34 of the IPC and Section 27(3) of the Arms Act. She alleged in the complaint that her son was shot dead arbitrarily by the Manipur Police commandos. Imphal Bench of the HC by an order dated December 23, 2009, transferred the investigation of FIR of City PS Imphal (W) to the CBI. As per the Manipur Police version, FIR was lodged in the city police station against an unknown youth (later identified as Sanjit Meitei) on July 23, 2009, who was allegedly shot dead in retaliatory firing by police commandos on the BT Road. In pursuant to the HC orders, the CBI registered a case against some personnel of Manipur Police on January 16, 2010, corresponding to the FIR of the police station. However, during the investigation, another case was also registered by the CBI, corresponding to the Manipur city police station case.
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Panel on Telangana to offer range of solutions
Hyderabad, September 9 “As per the mandate given to us and the Terms of Reference, we will endeavour to recommend optimal solutions as a way forward for resolution of the issue,” member-secretary of the committee and former Union Home Secretary VK Duggal said. The five-member panel, set up in February this year to go into the competing demands for and against Telangana state, is doing a tightrope walk in view of the strong feelings on both sides of the political divide. By prescribing a “range of solutions”, the committee, headed by former Supreme Court judge, hinted that it would not take any sides in the ongoing bitter debate but would confine itself to presenting the factual position and a set of options to the Centre which will take the final call. The panel members, along with Justice Srikrishna, were interacting with the media here after receiving representations from various groups on the Telangana issue. “We will give credible and useful recommendations. There is no reason for anyone to agitate,” Justice Srikrishna said. The panel is expected to submit its report by the end of December. The committee members have toured Telangana, Rayalaseema and coastal Andhra regions, interacted with a cross section of people and received 1.20 lakh memoranda so far. A panel of technical experts, appointed by the committee, has gone into the contentious issues like irrigation facilities, power projects, industries and jobs. “We hope to wrap up the consultation process by the end of this month and we will submit the report within the stipulated time,” Duggal said. The committee, constituted against the backdrop of a turbulent political situation in the state, has dropped enough hints that it would not make any single recommendation, either in favour of or against the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh. Again, the ball will be left in the Centre’s court.
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Lalit Modi drags BCCI to court
Mumbai, September 9 Modi’s contention is that both Jaitley and Amin are “biased” against him. The Bombay High Court, which admitted the petition filed by Modi, will hear the plea on September 13. Earlier, the BCCI had rejected Modi’s demand that both Amin and Jaitley recuse themselves from the three-member disciplinary committee set up to hear the charges against him. The third member of the committee is Jyotiraditya Scindia. While making his demand, Modi had contended that Amin, who replaced him as the chairman of the IPL, was an interested party in the case against himself. According to Modi, Amin was part of a consortium of investors that had bid for one of the two IPL franchisees, which finally went to Pune and Kochi.
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Sethusamudram
Project
Chennai, September 9 Addressing a large gathering at Tiruchi, a city in the central region of Tamil Nadu, last night, he said since the Centre itself was aware that the scheme was feasible, it should not delay it further. He asserted that the DMK would take all possible steps to expedite the case in the Supreme Court. If the scheme was implemented, a large number of ships would pass through the sea around Tamil Nadu and the state's economy would flourish, he said. Recalling that it was a dream project of DMK founder C N Annadurai, the Chief Minister said the foundation stone for the scheme was laid by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in the presence of Congress president Sonia Gandhi. The scheme which would lead to the prosperity of Tamil Nadu had been obstructed in the name of Lord Ram, he said. Lashing out at MDMK leader Vaiko, Karunanidhi said the former had joined hands with those who were opposing the scheme.
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SC notice on Bani Granth book ban
New Delhi, September 9 A Bench comprising Justices RV Raveendran and HL Gokhale also stayed the Punjab and Haryana Court’s directive to the state government to file a compliance report by tomorrow after setting up a committee of experts, two each from the Sikh and Hindu communities, for undertaking a detailed study of the book. The state had slapped a ban on the book on December 15, 2008, contending that it had objectionable content that hurt the religious feelings of a particular section of people. The state’s standing counsel Ajay Pal, who mentioned the matter before the Bench seeking early hearing, said the HC had limited jurisdiction to examine the grounds for the ban under section 95 CrPC and could not conduct a “roving enquiry” of its own to determine whether book contained any objectionable material. As per the petition, the HC had erred in not appreciating that the book had promoted enmity and disharmony between different sections by denigrating the religious practices of Hindus and Sikhs.
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150 Tribune employees donate blood to mark Majithia’s death anniversary
Chandigarh, September 9 In Chandigarh, the blood donation camp, conducted by the Department of Blood Transfusion, PGI, at The Tribune head office, was inaugurated by a Trustee of The Tribune Trust, Dr RP Bambah, the former Vice-Chancellor of Panjab University. Appreciating the noble cause started by the Tribune Employees Union, Dr Bambah stressed upon the need to encourage voluntary blood donation, as the process could save several lives. There can be no better tribute to the founder of the Trust, he added. Complimenting the union for holding the camp, Editor-in-Chief Raj Chengappa said the Tribune employees have sent a right message to the society on the occasion. Union president Balbir Singh Jandu said the body was committed to the cause of blood donation and other such activities. Till now, he said, the employees of The Tribune Trust have donated over 10,000 units of blood in such camps, which were started two decades ago. On the occasion, Virender Walia, the Editor of Punjabi Tribune, was also present. In Jalandhar, the camp, conducted by the doctors of the Civil Hospital, was inaugurated by News Editor Ramesh Chaudhary. Notably, The Tribune employees who have donated blood more than 25 times include Arun Kaushal (77), Rajan Raikhy (49), Ashok Kumar (41), Anil Kumar Gupta (39), Surinder Singh (35), Gurinderjit Singh (31), Sukhwinderjit Singh (31), Jatinder Awasthi (31), Balbir Singh Jandu (30), Balwinder Jammu (29), Bhajan Singh (28), Subhash Chauhan (25) and Vijay Sharma (25).
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DGP’s Appointment
Chennai, September 9 Vijay Kumar, the only IPS officer from Tamil Nadu, who has received the President's Police Medal for Gallantry, in his petition, expressed shock at the presumption of the state government that he was not willing to accept the post of DGP, since he had never expressed his "unwillingness" to be appointed for the post. Charging the home secretary with misleading the court, he said the official might have misled the government as well. Presently heading the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel National Police Academy in Hyderabad, Vijaykumar said "if officers went on central deputation, it did not mean that they had foregone their promotion given by the state government concerned". Referring to the counter-affidavit filed by the State government, in response to an earlier petition by Nataraj, a DGP ranked officer, who heads the fire and rescue department, Vijaykumar said the state government's contention in the high court that he was 'unwilling' to head the police force was legally incorrect. "The home secretary's contention that I had gone on my own volition (for deputation) is correct but his presumptuous inference that this is synonymous with my unwillingness to serve in the cadre in which I was borne since the last three decades and more is shocking to say the least. It is also legally incorrect." Letika Saran's appointment was initially challenged by Nataraj who stated that senior officers like himself, N Balachandran and K Vijay Kumar were overlooked for the post. Filing a counter affidavit, the state government said Vijay Kumar was unwilling to accept the DGP post and had gone on deputation. Now, Vijaykumar himself moved the high court, challenging Letika Saran's elevation.
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Pune Blast
Mumbai, September 9 But the official ruled out links between between Baig and the members of Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), a separatist terrorist group in Sri Lanka. On Tuesday, the ATS arrested Baig (29), who allegedly heads LeT’s operations in Maharashtra, in Pune and his aide Shaikh Lalbaba Mohammed Hussain alias Bilal (27) in Nashik.
— PTI
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Mastermind of PEC admission scam held
Chandigarh, September 9 The 11 students who have secured admissions had forged a Nepalese identity. The mastermind had allegedly charged between Rs 10 and Rs 15 lakh for each admission, separately. The report said that “as many as 11 students admitted to Punjab Engineering College, Chandigarh have secured their admissions under the scheme called Direct Admissions of Students Abroad (DASA). The Union Ministry of Human Resources and Development has entrusted the Central Coordination of Admission under the DASA scheme to N.I.T.K. Surathkal (Karnataka). Under the DASA scheme, the foreign nationals, persons of Indian origin and Indian nationals studying abroad are eligible for admissions.” The students have to appear in a Scholastic Aptitude Test-II (SAT-II), besides other academic qualifications. The 11 students against whom the case has been registered have obtained admissions on the basis of forged Nepalese identity cards. The admissions were co-ordinated and financed by the NIT, Surathkal (Karnataka) and students reported at the Punjab Engineering College, Chandigarh. Out of 11 students, there are five girls and six boys who belong to different districts of Punjab and Haryana.
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Producer Ramanaidu to get Phalke Award
New Delhi, September 9 Ramanaidu (74) will be honoured at the National Films Awards function scheduled to be held in the Capital in October. He will receive a Swarn Kamal, a cash prize of Rs1 million and a shawl. The industry veteran, who entered the film world in 1963 with "Anuragam", is listed as the most prolific producer with 110 films by the Guinness Book of Records. He has the distinction of producing movies in Hindi, Bengali, Oriya, Assamese, Malayalam, Tamil, Kannada, Gujarati, Marathi and Bhojpuri. Credited with making films in several languages, Ramanaidu has received several awards from the Andhra Pradesh government and his film "Surigadu" was selected for the Indian Panorama in 1993. His Bengali film "Asukh" had also won the National Award for the best film in 1999. Some of his well-known films are "Premanagar", "Dildar" and "Bandish" in Hindi, "Srikrishna Tulabharam", "Preminchu" and "Ramudu Bheemudu" in Telugu and "Asukh" and "Sudhu Ekbar Bolo" in Bengali. Ramanaidu has worked with big names like NT Rama Rao, A. Nageswara Rao, Sivaji Ganesan, Pandari Bai, Jamuna, Padmini, Sobhan Babu, Kamal Haasan, Chiranjeevi, Rajnikanth, Rajesh Khanna, Hema Malini, Rekha and Jeetendra.
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Bihar netas wary of code
Patna, September 9 The vehicles blaring sirens and the big cavalcades which had become a regular feature on the roads of state capital whenever the Chief Minister or his deputy or the other top politicians like Lalu Prasad, Ram Vilas Paswan and the visiting Union Ministers ventured out have suddenly disappeared. Wary of the consequences for violating the ‘code of conduct’ almost all the ministers of Nitish Kumar cabinet have given up the luxurious life style.
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Arjun Munda will be sworn in as Jharkand's new chief minister on Saturday at the head of a BJP-JMM coalition, with the Governor inviting him to form a government today shortly after the Union cabinet recommended the revocation of President's Rule in the state.
New Delhi, September 9
New Delhi, September 9
Chandigarh, September 9
