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Jolted by grim sex ratio, Centre to review PNDT Act
Puttaparthi, an oasis of development
THE GODMAN & HIS KINGDOM
‘His teachings are eternal’
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Two senior Navy officers to face court martial
Corruption cases
Gujarat Govt admits failure in appointing Lokayukta
4.85 lakh students take JEE 2011
BARC scientists recover uranium, cobalt-60 from N-waste
No fire mishap at Kaiga N-plant: Official
Final phase of Assam poll today
Keep tabs on cash in transit: EC to airports New technique to extract uranium
from N-waste
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Jolted by grim sex ratio, Centre to review PNDT Act
New Delhi, April 10 The decision comes in the wake of the latest provisional census data painting a grim picture on the front and showing big decline in females per 1000 males not just in the north India states but also in the hitherto more progressive western regions, including Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Maharashtra. Most states have posted reduced child sex ratios in 2011 as against 2001, with the highest decline in Jammu and Kashmir. “A review meeting of state health secretaries is scheduled for April 20 for an in-depth analysis of the implementation of the PC & PNDT Act and to chalk out an action plan to check the practice of sex selection leading to female foeticide,” Health Ministry said today. Meanwhile, Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad has reconstituted Central Supervisory Board on the PNDT Act under its Section 7. It will now have 35 members, including three women MPs and people from the civil society. This board will meet in May-end to finalise an action plan to save girls. The PC and PNDT Act was brought into operation in India from January 1, 1996 and later amended to make it more comprehensive. It was then renamed “Pre-conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques Act”, which rolled from February 14, 2003. It seeks to ban use of sex selection techniques before or after conception as well as misuse of pre-natal diagnostic techniques for sex selective abortions and to regulate such techniques, so as to pre-empt the misuse of such technologies and the consequent adverse impact on sex ratio. But the government has realised that the Act is not working the way it should have, with the census holding up a mirror to law makers, who may have to rethink punitive mechanisms under the law. The issue of sale of ultrasound machines will also come up for debate considering the fact that despite regulated sale based on the conditions, such machines are being installed with impunity. The reconstituted board for the PNDT Act will have, among others, Dr. V. K. Paul, Head, Paediatrics, AIIMS; Ravinder Kaur, Professor, Sociology, IIT Delhi; Dr. Rajiv Yeravdekar, Director, Symbiosis Institute of Health Sciences and Subhash Mendhapurkar, Director, Society For Social Uplift Through Rural Action, Himachal Pradesh.
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Puttaparthi, an oasis of development
Puttaparthi (AP), April 10 From a sleepy village to a thriving spiritual empire, Puttaparthi has seen a steady transformation over the past six decades while rest of the Rayalaseema region continues to present a familiar picture of famine, farmer suicides and lack of development. With swanky hotels, "divine villas", commercial complexes, resorts, foreign exchange counters and a string of shops selling Indian handicrafts, jewellery, clothes and musical instruments, Puttaparthi has the look of an international tourist centre. Drive a few kilometres away from this pilgrim town of nearly 10,000 population, a significant chunk of them being foreign devotees, one will encounter a vast stretch of dry lands and villages with no sign of development. The thriving economy at Puttaparthi revolves around the single phenomenon called Sathya Sai Baba, revered by millions of his devotees across the world as the incarnation of God. It is a smooth blend of commerce and spirituality near the main ashram "Prashanthi Nilayam" where Sai Baba resides and gives darshan to the devotees. Overlooking his spiritual headquarters, there is a string of luxury hotels and shopping centres selling Baba's photos, CDs and cassettes containing his discourses and songs. There are eateries of every international choice, serving Italian, French, Tibetan and Chinese food items for the convenience of the foreign devotees, some of whom have made Puttaparthi their home. With the entire economy of the town revolving around Baba, many shudder to think about the fate of businesses in the event of his demise. "We fear that the entire economy will collapse. Hotels and the real estate industry will suffer the most," said Ratnakar Raju, who runs an Internet café near the ashram. "It is hard to imagine life without Baba. He is everything for us. If there is no Baba, there is no life," said N Nagaratnamma, who runs a hotel in front of the Sathya Sai General Hospital. Every year, Sathya Sai Baba leaves for his summer sojourn to Kodaikanal in Tamil Nadu where he spends about two months. During this period, there is virtually no commercial activity in Puttaparthi. The flow of foreign devotees and tourists from other parts of the country virtually comes to a standstill. "During the off-season, several shops and business establishments remain closed. We offer hotel rooms at one-fourth the normal tariff," said N Shankar, a receptionist at Sai Heritage hotel. With the health condition of the Baba turning critical, there is a growing worry that the economy of the pilgrim town is set for a free fall. Already, the real estate developers are feeling the heat. Several apartment complexes and villas are lying vacant while the land prices are falling rapidly.
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THE GODMAN & HIS KINGDOM
Hyderabad, April 10 Like his magical powers, there is a touch of mystery to the vast financial empire he has created over the past six decades. As the country's most influential spiritual guru battles for life, several disturbing questions are being raised over who will be his successor. Rationalists may have dubbed his miracles like materialising ash, gold rings and chains, shivalingams as magic tricks, but none has questioned his massive philanthropic activities. However, a veil of secrecy surrounds the functioning of the nine-member Sathya Sai Central Trust set up in 1972 to oversee the myriad service activities. Its members include former Supreme Court Judge Justice PN Bhagvathi, former Vice-Chancellor SV Giri, Mumbai-based industrialist Indulal Shah and retired IAS officer Chakravarthi, who is the all-powerful secretary.
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‘His teachings are eternal’
Bangalore, April 10 But not everyone has the equanimity of the abovementioned lady. The massive ashram spread over both sides of the road consists of a temple and an educational institution (deemed university) on the one side and residential quarters for teachers and a canteen on the other side. Today, there is only a trickle of devotees visiting the temple that has a brass statue of Lord Vishnu playing the flute and photographs of the godman. “Tomorrow, there will be a good gathering in the ashram. Devotional songs (bhajans) will be sung in the temple throughout the day”, the caretaker, who ensures that the visitors to the temple do not carry their mobile phones to the place of worship, said. He said the devotees would also pray for Baba’ quick recovery when they gather at the temple tomorrow. “We are all very sad that Baba is unwell. In the hospital (The Sathya Sai Trust runs a massive hospital located six km from the ashram) some women inmates have been crying ever since they have learnt that the Baba is unwell. Who will take care of various problems of the world now? The caretaker, who can give a visitor a packet containing the much sought after ‘vibhuti’ (magic ash) of Baba, says. Venkatesh, an elderly devotee, mumbled out that he was hoping that the Baba would overcome his current health crisis. “I have faith”, he quipped looking very insecure.
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Apex court to hear Binayak’s bail plea today
New Delhi, April 10 Sen, 61, has challenged the order of the Chhattisgarh High Court, which had rejected his bail plea on February 10. A professional doctor and a pass-out of the prestigious Christian Medical College (CMC), Vellore, Sen has sought bail contending that the trial court has erred in convicting him when there was no substantial evidence. A bench of Justices H S Bedi and C K Prasad had on March 11 agreed to hear Sen's plea and had sought the response of Chhattisgarh government within four weeks. Opposing Sen's bail plea, the state government in its affidavit had said that the activist should not be granted any relief as he has deep links with hardcore Naxalites. "He (Sen) provides active support and co-ordinates in spreading base of the CPI (Maoist) in the country. Apart from providing logistic support, he exchanges information and material directly and indirectly with the Naxalites in Chhattisgarh, West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Bihar, Jharkhand and Orissa and propagates Naxal ideology," the affidavit filed by the state government said. According to the state government, Sen helped Naxal leaders in arranging accommodation in Raipur and through his wife Elina Sen also helped open bank accounts of hardcore Naxalites Shankar Singh and Amita Shrivastava. — PTI
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Two senior Navy officers to face court martial
New Delhi, April 10 The inquiry against the two senior-most members of the Navy's skydiving team had probed several cases of monetary bungling by the two officers which were allegedly carried out by the duo on the pretext of taking part in adventure sports activities. “Commander N Rajesh Kumar and Lt Cdr Mahesh Birajdar were found guilty of the charges levelled against them in the BoI and disciplinary action was recommended against them. Their Summary of Evidence (SoE) has also been completed and their court martial proceedings will begin soon,” Navy sources told PTI here. However, the officers have challenged the disciplinary action against them in the Armed Forces Tribunal, saying they were not even given opportunity to defend themselves in the probe. “We have appealed in the Tribunal against the disciplinary action against Rajesh and Birajdar as Navy authorities have violated Navy Rule 205 which makes it mandatory for the Navy to record statements of the witnesses in presence of officers or men whose military reputation is being questioned,” Commodore Sukhjinder Singh, counsel of the two officials said here. He said the authorities had not even provided the convening order of the BoI to the two officers, who have been attached with the Navy headquarters here for the last two years without work. — PTI
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Corruption cases New Delhi, April 10 The committee, comprising Justice Aftab Alam of the Supreme Court, Karnataka High Court Chief Justice J S Khehar and senior advocate P P Rao, has asked Dinakaran to respond to the 16 charges framed against him by April 20, sources said. The committee, which issued the charge sheet to Dinakaran in March and asked him to respond by April 9, has made it clear that it will commence the hearing in the matter on April 25 and will not give any further adjournment. Meanwhile, Advocate Vagai, convener of the Committee for Judicial Accountability, which is spearheading the campaign against Dinakaran, has alleged that he was trying delaying tactics. The charges against Justice Dinakaran, who is facing impeachment proceedings in Parliament, include possession of wealth disproportionate to his known sources of income and illegal encroachment on public property and land belonging to Dalits and other weaker sections. He is also accused of having five Tamil Nadu Housing Board plots in the name of his wife and two daughters, benami transactions, acquiring and possessing agricultural holdings beyond the ceiling fixed by the TN Land Reforms Act 1961, destruction of evidence, undervaluation of sale agreements, evasion of stamp duty and illegal constructions. Justice Dinakaran has also been accused of resorting to irregular and dishonest administrative actions by fixing rosters of judges to facilitate dishonest judicial decisions while he was the Chief Justice of Karnataka High Court. He has also been charged with undertaking transfers of judges and appointment of staff illegally, sources said. Dinakaran has been granted liberty to engage a lawyer of his choice to defend himself. Justice Dinakaran was recommended for appointment as a Supreme Court judge in August 2009 but the move was stalled following the allegations against him. — PTI
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Gujarat Govt admits failure in appointing Lokayukta
New Delhi, April 10 Modvadia had reacted to Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi’s attack on Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and the UPA government for failing to bring in the Lokpal Bill. The official spokesperson of Modi’s government, while conceding the crux of the matter, blamed it all on the Opposition Congress and the Governor. He said, “The government of Gujarat has made sincere efforts to fill up the vacancy of Lokayukta, but because of the negative approach of the Opposition Congress, …and the Congress has adopted a prejudiced and rigid approach, which has resulted in the post of Lokayukta in Gujarat remaining vacant.” Modi’s representative said the Chief Minister had initiated the process of filling up the vacancy in August 2006. Modvadia had alleged that the term of the former Lokayukta, SM Soni, expired in November 2004. Vyas said that Modi had called a meeting in August, 2006, for consultation with the Leader of Opposition (LOP) in the state assembly. “Although the LOP didn’t object to Chief Minister’s choice, he suggested including other names as well. After this the Chief Justice of Gujarat High Court was consulted, said Vyas, adding that the file with the name was sent to the Governor for his approval in August 2006 itself, and claimed that the Governor took no decision on this proposal till February 2009.
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4.85 lakh students take JEE 2011
New Delhi, April 10 Buckling under pressure from the civil society and directions to reform the exam system from the HRD Ministry, the IITs this year, for the first time, have promised to share with the candidates answer key to JEE 2011 and also the scanned images of the Optical Response Sheets (ORS) of students. While the answer keys will be put up on the JEE website by May 15, ORS sheets would be uploaded by May 25 to allow aspirants to tally their scores with the answer keys. The step follows allegations against the IITs of the tampering of ORS sheets. Students, however, are still disturbed and ask why don’t the IITs, like the CBSE, upload answer keys on their website on the day of the test when the coaching centres can do so. “Why do they need to wait for correcting all the ORS sheets before uploading the answer key? Why this delay? Moreover, there would be no scope left for correction if things are delayed that much,” said Prof Rajeev Kumar of IIT Kharagpur, who has been the force behind the JEE reform movement. That apart, the IITs in today’s test, strangely, rolled back the welcome step of partial marking they had introduced last year to reward students who get most answers right. The move followed from the fact that certain questions in JEE have more than one correct answer; so the student should get marks for every correct answer that he marks. Last year, however, apprehensions were raised that some students could get full marks by acting smart and marking all the four choices for a given question. The clamour, therefore, rose for checks and balances to prevent such elements among the aspirants. Instead, the IITs today completely rolled back a provision that, with certain positive amendments, would have helped set good candidates apart from the rest. “They should have not done away with partial marking. They should have introduced negative marking for the wrong choice that a students marks in his bid to outsmart the system when a given question has more than one correct answer,” Prof Kumar said. A good initiative in JEE 2011 today was reduction in negative marking to raise the test score, JEE being a very low scoring test.
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BARC scientists recover uranium, cobalt-60 from N-waste
Mumbai, April 10 The treatment of these waste by microbes (both natural as well as genetically engineered ones) offers less expensive, eco-friendly, 'in situ' (at the effluent site) alternative to the commonly used physiochemical methods of waste treatment, SK Apte of the BARC today said. Nuclear waste contains a variety of heavy metals, radionuclides, organic solvents and other toxic substances and their management is a challenging task for scientists. Deinococcus radiodurans, the most radioresistant bacterium known, has been genetically engineered at city-based BARC to scavenge Cobalt-60 and uranium from radioactive waste. "Recovery of heavy metals and radionuclides from such wastes is desirable, not only to protect the environment but also to recover traces of precious metals such as uranium, which is not possible by conventional physiochemical process," Apte said. Using a complex process, scientists produced recombinant strains of bacteria which could remove more than 90 per cent of the heavy metal cadmium (used in alkaline batteries) and uranium in just 3 hours from very dilute solutions, he said. "What's more, the deinococcus cells could do the job even after irradiation with very high doses of gamma rays, thereby demonstrating their ability to clean up radioactive waste of such metals. Engineering the enzymes acid and alkaline phosphatases into microbes for bio precipitation (deposition on microbes) of heavy metals holds promise for the development of appropriate technologies for recovery of uranium, cadmium and other metals from acidic, neutral and alkaline nuclear wastes, Apte said. The use of such genetically engineered microbial cells offers an environmentally safe technology for bio remediation of cadmium, he said. "We are planning to extend this technology for removal of heavy metals from nickel-cadmium alkaline battery wastes in future," Apte said. Sea water is another vast source of uranium though the concentration of metal in seawater is just 3 ppb (3 micro grams per litre). — PTI
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Centrestage
Both Karunanidhi and Jayalalithaa have been busy claiming that their alliance would win more than 200 out of the 234 seats in the Assembly. However, analysts are not so sanguine. While, initial surveys before the exit of MDMK from the AIADMK alliance predicted a land slide for Jayalalithaa, the latest predictions give about 90 seats to her party in the 234-member Assembly. AIADMK camp is worried, since the party would have to depend on outside support, if the predictions turn out to be true.
A section of AIADMK supporters feel that a government with Congress support would be more stable, specially because the Congress would be in no mood to lose another opportunity to share power in Tamil Nadu. Most of the surveys predict about 70 seats to the DMK, but they also point out that a last minute decision by Vaiko's MDMK in favour of the DMK would tilt the scales and improve the DMK's tally. Going by the statements of MDMK's second level leaders, the possibility of Vaiko's supporters voting for the DMK candidates is not entirely ruled out. Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and DMK chief M Karunanidhi too has claimed that MDMK leaders throughout the state are supporting his party nominees. As Karunanidhi does not want to share power, he is hoping to bag at least 90 seats and form a government with the outside support of the PMK and Thol Thirumavalavan's VCK. If his party falls short of 90 seats and he requires Congress support, a coalition government would become inevitable. Political analysts believe that neither of the two leading parties can form a government of their own, since the vote share of other parties has increased and they are likely to secure sizeable number of seats. Both the major Dravidian parties are now trying every trick in their bag to win higher number of seats that would enable them to form a government of their own or a government with outside support of smaller players. In a bid to compensate the exit of Vaiko's MDMK from the opposition front, AIADMK supremo J Jayalalithaa has begun to raise the plight of Lankan Tamils during her election campaign, shifting her focus away from freebies and 2G spectrum scam. "If the AIADMK was in power during the war between the island government and the LTTE, your beloved sister would not have hesitated to sacrifice power to stop the war", she declared during her campaign. Recalling the Lankan military offensive two years ago, she alleged that thousands of Tamil people including children and women met painful deaths due to the aerial bombardment and missile attacks by the island military on civilian targets. Charging Karunanidhi with abandoning the island Tamils for protecting his own chair, she asserted "I would have sacrificed power to save Tamil people from annihilation. Karunanidhi does not have any love for the Tamil people and his only agenda is to promote the interests of his family", she said. Initially, Jayalaltihaa began her campaign promising a spate of freebies for voters. But, she later shifted to 2G spectrum scam, when she found that there was no response to her promises. As her anti-corruption tirade too failed to cut much ice with the people, she raised the Lankan Tamils' issue, some believe as a last desperate effort to woo voters. Immediately reacting to Jayalaltihaa's charges, Karunanidhi referred to Jayalalithaa's anti-LTTE stand in the past and charged that the opposition leader did not oppose the war against the Tigers at that time. The DMK leader claimed that his party had genuine concern for the Lankan Tamils and Jayalalithaa was raising the issue for electoral gains. However, it remains to be seen whether Jayalalithaa is able to fit in her new role and gain credibility on the Lankan issue.
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If Karunanidhi wins, he has to thank his daughter, Selvi
Tiruvarur: More than the charisma of veteran leader and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi, what moves the hearts of the people in this small town is the "vote-for-dad" campaign undertaken by his eldest daughter Selvi. In a constituency dominated by villages, which are separated by several kilometres from each other, Selvi is engaged in a door-to-door campaign, holding the hands of each rural woman and saying "appaavukku vottu podunga (vote for dad), evoking a spontaneous positive response, "Since, my dad is 87 and he has to campaign everywhere in the State, he cannot come to each of your houses. Instead, I have come to meet you", she says in a friendly manner. She does not forget to say that her father (Karunanidhi) is contesting from his hometown for the first time. Dismissing the campaign of AIADMK candidate Kudavaasal Rajendran that people could not meet Karunanidhi, since he would be in Chennai most of the time, Selvi says "I will come here often. You can meet me any time and convey your grievances. I will tell dad and solve your problems". Instead of moving in a vehicle, Selvi has chosen to walk along the dusty lanes, sans trees and shadows of tall buildings. A Chief Minister's daughter sweating under the scorching sun evokes sympathy and touches a chord among the rural electorate. In some places, women are overheard saying "Why are you coming to meet us in this hot summer. We will definitely vote for your dad." Not only women, everyone is impressed by Selvi's dedicated hard work. A fifty-year-old villager, who has two daughters, remarked. "Generally, girls love their father, more than boys. A Chief Minister's daughter is not different. I have been voting for the AIADMK for the last 30 years. This time, I have decided to vote for Karunanidhi, since I do not want to disappoint this affectionate daughter." Selvi carefully notes down the grievances of the villagers and promises to solve them, immediately after the polls. If the grievances are minor, she solves them on the spot. For instance, when a girl sought her help for higher studies, saying that her father had died due to snake bite two months ago, the Chief Minister's daughter immediately made arrangements for her studies and promised to take care of her educational expenses. While Karunanidhi is away, campaigning in other parts of the State, former Union Minister TR Baalu is taking care of the election campaign in this temple town, where Karunanidhi attended school, from his native Thirukkuvalai village.
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She is both the amma and the ‘daughter’ in her constituency
Srirangam : As AIADMK supremo J Jayalalithaa started her campaign at this temple town, raising the "daughter of the soil" slogan, her party workers are confident of a thumping win for 'amma', in this party citadel, which has returned AIADMK candidates eight out of nine times in the last three decades. "Srirangam is the native place of my parents. All my ancestors lived here. When I come to this place, I feel like coming to my mother's house. I am one among you", Jayalalithaa asserted, when she toured this constituency, situated in between river Cauvery and its tributary Coleroon. Except Srirangam town, most of this constituency is dominated by villages and dependent on agriculture. While Brahmins dominate the urban area , Dalits and Mutharaiyars, a backward community dominate the rural areas. The fact that most of the populist schemes of the DMK government has not reached this place is cited as an advantage for Jayalalithaa. Besides, the voters are displeased with the DMK government, which has failed to provide drainage facilities, even in the urban areas here. A unique problem cited by the people here is an issue concerning temple land in this area. A dispute between the municipal corporation and the Sri Ranganathan temple administration about the ownership of the 200 acres of land around the temple, has prevented the sale and purchase of land near the temple. About seven thousand families would benefit, if the dispute was resolved. Improvement of facilities in the government hospital including forming a blood bank , appointing additional doctors, a check dam over the river Coleroon are the long pending demands of the electorate here. The people here also demand a railway bridge, across the Cauvery, to connect the temple town with Tiruchi city, in addition to the existing one. Besides, farmers here are demanding the setting up of industries, which can utilise banana and jasmine produced by them. The voters in Srrangam hope that a major politician like Jayalalithaa could solve their problems, if she is elected. During the last Lok Sabha elections , the AIADMK secured 70 thousand votes in this Assembly segment, about 20,000 more than the DMK front's candidate. Besides, the candidate of actor Vijaykanth's DMDK, which is part of the AIADMK alliance now, garnered about 14,000 votes. Hence, the AIADMK cadres expect to romp home by a huge margin in this constituency.
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The BJP witnessed an upswing in its fortunes when the AIADMK formed an alliance with it in the 1998 Lok Sabha elections. BJP nominees then managed to win Lok Sabha seats from TN for the first time . The DMK then joined hands with the BJP in the 1999 Lok Sabha polls and BJP candidates won from Tamil Nadu again. The party entered the state Assembly with the victory of four candidates in the 2001 Assembly elections, which it contested with the DMK. The party, however, drew a blank in the 2004 Parliamentary elections despite having an alliance with the AIADMK. After the Congress came to power at the Centre in 2004, both the Dravidian parties began vying with each other to woo the Congress and the BJP was left in the lurch. The party was forced to go it alone in the 2006 Assembly elections but was unable to win any seat. This time, the BJP is not leaving any stone unturned and all its national leaders including Nitin Gadkari , Sushma Swaraj , Arun Jaitley and Venkaiah Naidu are engaged in hectic campaigning in the state. State BJP leader and former Union Minister Pon Radhakrishnan is contesting from Nagercoil constituency in Kanyakumari district. The party is confident of winning here. The party is also optimistic of a strong showing in the district and a few constituencies in western Tamil Nadu. BJP leaders are hoping to lay a strong foundation for the party throughout Tamil Nadu and work to emerge as a viable alternative to the two Dravidian parties. The party claims to have identified ten seats, in which it expects to take the second position and 30 more seats, in which it hopes to garner a respectable share of votes.
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‘M’ powered Alagiri comes up against Election Commision’s short circuit
Around 125 candidates with criminal background and 240 'Crorepati' candidates are seeking support of the people of TN for getting elected to the Assembly. Among the 125 candidates, against whom criminal cases are pending, 66 are facing serious charges including murder, attempt to murder, kidnap and robbery. The AIADMK is leading the pack with criminal cases pending against 43 of its 160 candidates. DMK which is contesting in 119 constituencies has fielded persons with criminal background in 24 seats. Joining the race with the Dravidian parties, the BJP, which is promising to change the political culture of Tamil Nadu, has given tickets to 19 people against whom criminal cases are pending. Muruganandham, BJP's candidate in the coastal constituency of Nagapattinam has the highest number of criminal cases against any candidate. He is facing trial in 47 cases, including five cases of attempt to murder and a case of robbery. ASSETS : Among the 240 candidates who have declared assets worth more than Rs one crore, AIADMK tops the list with 75 of them, while DMK comes second with 73 crorepatis. More than half of the 63 Congress candidates own assets worth more than Rs one crore. Actor Vijaykanth's DMDK also has 12 crorepathis in its list. H Vasanthakumar of the Congress tops the list with declared assets worth about Rs 133 crore. AIADMK candidate S Duraisamy occupies the second position with assets of about Rs 64 crore. AIADMK supremo J Jayalalithaa has declared assets worth about Rs 51 crore, occupying the fifth position, while Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi comes behind her with declared assets of about Rs 44 crore. But his son and deputy Chief Minister has assets worth Rs two crore only, as per the declaration submitted to the EC. Meanwhile, Union Minister MK Alagiri's plans of winning a majority of the 59 seats in the southern districts have run into rough weather due to the stringent measures taken by the Election Commission to clamp down on money power. If he is able to send 40 to 50 of his supporters to the Assembly, it will give him a firm hold over the party and help him to counter supporters of Karunanidhi's younger son, MK Stalin, who is being projected as the heir apparent. Alagiri is now also at war with the Madurai Collector U Sahayam, Madurai Police Commissioner P Kannappan and Madurai SP (rural) Asra Garg, who are keeping a strict watch over alleged money distribution to voters by his people. The EC has so far stood firm. Crores of rupees in cash, silver slabs, gold and liquor have been seized at Madurai during raids. There is heavy patrolling all over the state. Even journalists' vehicles are stopped, checked and videographed. Alagiri has accused the Collector, Sahayam, of being an AIADMK supporter. Sahayam rejects the charge and says, "I am neutral and just enforcing the orders of the Election Commission".
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No fire mishap at Kaiga N-plant: Official
Bangalore, April 10 "Preliminary investigation has revealed that it was a false alarm. There was no fire or fuel leakage in the temperature moderator equipment in the reactor. Everything is safe," Kaiga power generating station director JP Gupta said. He said, “We have decided to re-start the 220MW third unit and connect the generated power to the grid on April 17, after completing the surveillance tests and investigation into the smoke detection alarm." He allayed fears of any health risk to the employees. — IANS
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Jantar Mantar
A birthday gift from Pak!
Meira Kumar had celebrated her birthday on March 31, a day after the cricket match. For the record, Meira Kumar shares a warm relationship with the Pakistan's National Assembly Speaker Fehmida Mirza. She had written a congratulatory letter to Meira Kumar when she was elected Speaker. As for Gilani, the Pakistani Prime Minister appears to have taken a cue from late Pakistani President Zia-ul-Haq, who was known to send across packets of mangoes and carpets not just to Indian leaders but even journalists from his alma mater, St Stephen's College. Platform for self-seekers As Anna Hazare's four-day indefinite fast at Jantar Mantar last week snowballed into a mass movement, it also served as a ready platform for self-seekers and publicity hunters who descended there in large numbers to express solidarity with the anti-graft crusader. Bollywood actor Anupam Kher and director-cum-choreographer Farah Khan were among such celebrities who were there spouting inanities about the need to root out corruption, which was lapped up by an unquestioning audience. Farah Khan zoomed in, registered her presence with a three-line speech and then vanished. It later transpired that she was in Delhi for the audition of a new television programme but decided to take advantage of her stay here to garner some much-needed publicity, especially since her last film "Tees Maar Khan" was a super flop. While nobody questioned Anupam Kher's sanctimonious spiel at Jantar Mantar, the actor was effectively cut short on a television chat show when he was questioned about his deafening silence on the rampant corruption in the film industry, which ranges from tax evasion, use of slush funds and unaccounted black money. A flustered Kher was left speechless. |
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Final phase of Assam poll today
Guwahati, April 10 Out of the total 496 candidates, 64 are from the Congress, 53 from the AGP, 58 from the BJP, 24 from the Bodo People’s Front (BPF), 39 from the AIUDF, six from the CPM, 14 from the NCP, 58 from the AITC, one from the Loka Sanmilani, and the rest are independents. A total of 2,038 polling stations have been marked hypersensitive, and 1,475 vulnerable in the second phase of polling. In the 2006 assembly polls, the ruling Congress won 18 LACs out of the 64 LACs where polling is being held tomorrow. The AGP won 17, the BJP won one, the BPF won 24, the AIUDF won seven, the CPM won two, the NCP and the Loka Sanmilani won one each. This time, the Congress is likely to face tough challenge from either the AGP or the AIUDF in constituencies located in the districts of Kamrup, Nalbari, Barpeta, Goalpara, Dhubri, Nagaon , Marigaon Darrang and Bongaigaon. The BJP is posing challenge to Congress in three constituencies in Kamrup Metropolitan District and a few seats in Nagaon and Darrang districts. The BPF which was partner in the last Congress-led coalition government, this time is facing challenge from its rival Bodoland People’s Progressive Front (BPPF) in at least five of the total 11 constituencies under the four districts of Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC). The AIUDF, led by Badaruddin Ajmal, is giving a tough fight to the Congress in all the seven minority-dominated seats in Dhubri district, at least three seats in Barpeta district, five seats in Nagaon district. High security arrangements Polling will be held amidst tight security as violence was feared in the four Bodo Territorial Administered Districts (BTAD), where the Ranjan Daimary-led anti-talk faction of the NDFB had indulged in a few pre-poll incidents. Altogether, 346 companies of central paramilitary forces have been deployed for the poll at 65 to 75 per cent of polling stations, and the rest will be covered by the police. — PTI
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Keep tabs on cash in transit: EC to airports New Delhi, April 10 The EC, after a recent meeting with the Civil Aviation Secretary and Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS), also issued orders to install additional CCTV cameras in all commercial airports at sections where cash or gold is detected, counted or seized and also in the interrogation chambers of law enforcement agencies including the I-T Department. According to sources, the EC has framed the new set of guidelines after two Rajya Sabha MPs were held in Patna while travelling with huge amount of money during last year's Bihar Assembly polls, and recently MPs at the IGI airport here were also held doing the same in the event of Assembly elections in four states. "Such recording of CCTV shall be preserved with the airport operator or authority and when required, be made available to the Election Commission or Chief Election Officer," the EC's new instructions to check illegal cash and black money in the electoral process said. The EC also asked CISF personnel guarding counters at airports and local police to immediately inform the I-T department upon detecting any passengers carrying more than Rs 10 lakh cash or gold over one kg. — PTI
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New technique to extract uranium
from N-waste
Mumbai, April 10 The treatment of these waste by microbes (both natural as well as genetically engineered ones) offers less expensive, eco-friendly, 'in situ' (at the effluent site) alternative to the commonly used physiochemical methods of waste treatment, SK Apte of the BARC today said. Nuclear waste contains a variety of heavy metals, radionuclides, organic solvents and other toxic substances and their management is a challenging task for scientists. Deinococcus radiodurans, the most radioresistant bacterium known, has been genetically engineered at city-based BARC to scavenge Cobalt-60 and uranium from radioactive waste. "Recovery of heavy metals and radionuclides from such wastes is desirable, not only to protect the environment but also to recover traces of precious metals such as uranium, which is not possible by conventional physiochemical process," Apte said. Using a complex process, scientists produced recombinant strains of bacteria which could remove more than 90 per cent of the heavy metal cadmium (used in alkaline batteries) and uranium in just 3 hours from very dilute solutions, he said. "What's more, the deinococcus cells could do the job even after irradiation with very high doses of gamma rays, thereby demonstrating their ability to clean up radioactive waste of such metals. Engineering the enzymes acid and alkaline phosphatases into microbes for bio precipitation (deposition on microbes) of heavy metals holds promise for the development of appropriate technologies for recovery of uranium, cadmium and other metals from acidic, neutral and alkaline nuclear wastes, Apte said. — PTI
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New Delhi, April 10
Puttaparthi (AP), April 10
IITs lower negative marking to raise test scores; cut off to rise
There are an estimated 1,200 Sathya Sai Baba Centres spread over 114 countries.
Predictions of a hung Assembly in Tamil Nadu is haunting the major parties the DMK and AIADMK.
Already, a key ally of the AIADMK, actor Vijaykanth has refused to share stage with J Jayalalithaa . Her partymen wonder what would be the demand of Vijaykanth if the AIADMK is forced to form a government with his support. In view of the well-known mood swings and egoistic character of Vijaykanth and the inflexible attitude of Jayalalithaa, party workers are fervently praying that such a situation does not arise. 
A few days after she attended the intimate dinner hosted by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for his Pakistani counterpart Yousuf Raza Gilani on the sidelines of the last month's high-voltage Indo-Pak cricket match at Mohali, Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar was in for a pleasant surprise. An emissary from the Pakistan High Commission dropped in at her residence with a special package - a Persian carpet - for her from Gilani as a belated birthday gift.
