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TN: Bomb found on Advani’s yatra route
tribune Special
Dalai Lama just wants meaningful autonomy for Tibet
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Team Anna core panel overhaul likely
Patriotism replaces Hindutva card
Rajiv killers’ pleas adjourned till Nov 29
India, China to hold boundary talks in Nov
Jnanpith awardee Shrilal Shukla dead
Balakrishnan case: SC
notice to TN, Kerala
After Naidu, TRS chief declares assets to clear his name
Another scam in K’taka; this time in Deve Gowda’s term
Governors’ meet begins today; ragging high on agenda
Changing food habits causing inflation, says Thomas
In UP, monitoring mid-day meal a phone call away
Poll setback: Pawar to oversee NCP’s soul-searching
16 more infants die in WB govt hospitals; toll 29
Identity theft bugs Amitabh
Senior AP IPS officer accused in forgery case
21 devotees killed in Gujarat road mishap
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TN: Bomb found on Advani’s yatra route
Madurai, October 28 Advani, 83, who has topmost Z-plus category security, changed his route after the five-feet long bomb, concealed by grass and a saree, was found under the culvert at Alampatti near Tirumangalam, 30 km from here early this morning, police said. The police said about 10 kg of gelatine powder had been packed in two PVC pipes that were bound together. The pipes had been linked to four detonators and a 12-volt battery with a 50-metre wire. The bomb was to be operated manually. The police seized from the site a medical glove and found that the gelatine powder had been acquired in Nagercoil. Suspecting it could be the handiwork of Naxalites, who are allegedly having a base in the nearby hills in Madurai and Theni districts, police said the crude bomb was powerful enough to blow up the culvert. An official of the Bomb Disposal Squad said, "Such bombs are common in Naxal and Maoist-infested areas." The police has detained a person identified as Nehru who is being interrogated. The explosive was first sighted by locals, who informed the local panchayat member, who in turn alerted the police. Following the development, police said the yatra route of the BJP leader was changed and he travelled to Srivilliputhur, Shencottah via Virudhunagar and Sivakasi. In Delhi, BJP spokesperson Rajiv Pratap Rudy said Advani's Yatra will continue as scheduled. He said BJP has faith in the security agencies both at the Centre and in the states. Former BJP president Rajnath Singh said the internal security situation was becoming more grim and said the Centre should have a comprehensive action plan to deal with the challenge. Advani started his second leg of the anti-corruption yatra from Madurai and was to reach Kerala via Srivilliputhur Tenkasi and Shencottah. — PTI
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tribune Special
New Delhi, October 28 The technology called MEMS (micro electro mechanical system)-based Oscillation Monitoring System (MOMS) will monitor the health of railway tracks across India and record real-time data on track fitness as trains move, helping the authorities locate faults and repair them urgently. The system will also sound an alarm when it records vibrations beyond a threshold limit, thereby preventing possible derailments.
So far, the Indian Railways has been using bogies fitted with measurement instruments based on vibration sensing of the train coach floor to detect faults. But these bogies are limited. Hence, reviews happen after unacceptably long breaks. Saturated rail tracks have already seen several accidents. This morning, three bogies of the Howrah-Delhi Kalka Mail derailed, though no one was injured. The latest system, designed by IIT Kanpur in collaboration with the Railways’ Research Designs and Standards Organization, Lucknow, is a new-generation, fully automated, cost-effective and ultra-portable device that can help prevent derailments, improve passenger safety and reliability of data recording. “The device is the size of a matchbox weighing 100 gm and can be easily mounted on the floor of a railway bogie using adhesive tape. It has a very high track-fault location accuracy of up to 20m on ground, a pluggable microSD card for continuous recording of vibrations and GPS locations up to two weeks. “We have given it a built-in battery with USB-charging facility and a battery backup of nine hours,” said Kshitij Deo, IIT-Kanpur pass out and one of the four student developers of MOMS today. The device also has an advanced feature for locating faults on the track. “When switched to the retrace mode, it reads the previously recorded jerk location. If the location of any of the previously recorded faults is within 200m radius of the device, it sounds an alarm with increasing intensity as the location nears,” Kshitij said, just days after Infosys founder Narayan Murthy cast doubts on the calibre of IITians. The Railways has successfully tested the device on Shatabdi and Rajdhani along major routes and plans to float tenders to procure it. India has about 14,000 trains. “In the initial phase, the Railways will procure one or two devices per train before expanding the project further,” Kshitij said. He, however, clarified that the alarms that the device raises are meant to be read by railway personnel deployed to monitor them and are not for passengers. The system has wireless connectivity over bluetooth for data display during runtime. “The device has audio-visual indicators for easy observation during runtime. Data recorded on its SD card can be retrieved by reading the card on a computer. It can be analysed for performing predictive maintenance, leading to a better riding experience. Once fitted on trains, the Railways will know which track requires what maintenance,” Kshitij said. The project began in 2010, the year when a parliamentary panel on railway passenger safety noted that routine government announcements to introduce new trains without proper assessment of tracks had compromised safety standards. Last year, India had seen 15 rail accidents.
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Dalai Lama just wants meaningful autonomy for Tibet
Dehradun, October 28 “The support of the Chinese people is essential. I keep meeting Chinese citizens. They are supportive of the middle path, like the Tibetans. I think the Chinese people can influence their leadership in paving a way towards a realistic solution on Tibet,” said the Dalai Lama. The Dalai Lama made these observations while interacting with students at the 76th founder’s day celebration of The Doon School, where he was the chief guest. He also said that Tibet was not seeking independence from China. “Give us meaningful autonomy and allow us religious freedom, freedom to preserve our unique cultural tradition and economic development. That is all we ask of China. We can have a mutually beneficial relationship,” he stressed. The Dalai Lama opined that China needed a political change in the form of Western-style democracy. “Over the years, the People’s Republic of China has changed, so also has the Chinese Communist party. “It is no longer composed of the working class, but of the middle class. It has adopted capitalism, but adheres to authoritarian rule. I too support the socio-economic policies espoused by Marx, but have always been against authoritarian rule. Authoritarian rule instills fear. There is a sense of fear among the people living in mainland China,” observed the Dalai Lama. Based on his own experience, the Dalai Lama offered three mantras to students for attaining happiness in life - fill the mind with healthy thoughts, learn from common experiences and use common sense. “These three things will always keep you content. In a healthy body rests a healthy mind. Consider this: at 77 years of age, I am quite healthy. Though I underwent a surgery for gall bladder a few years back, I recovered in five days flat. I had faith in my doctor. Later, my doctor’s wife told me that her husband had become calmer after operating on me,” said the Dalai Lama.
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Team Anna core panel overhaul likely
New Delhi, October 28 Core committee member Raju Parulekar, also Anna Hazare’s official blogger, today asked for the entire group to be replaced with a new team. In a letter to the Gandhian, he asked the core group to be suspended and expanded to strengthen it against those targeting it. “Such attacks (against Team Anna members) and the subsequent clarifications will strengthen the conspiracy to divert the attention from the key issues... I request you to give greater representation to the core committee consisting of limited members and turn it into a hardcore committee comprising 121 crore people,” he said. Sources in the core committee however said the team was being disbanded to avoid the embarrassment of dropping Prashant Bhushan, who had triggered a country-wide controversy by advocating plebiscite in Kashmir and evoking strong opposition from Hazare and other team members. Anna, social activist Medha Patkar and Justice Santosh Hegde will not be attending tomorrow’s meeting. In a veiled attack on key Team Anna members, Hegde today said “Anna’s strength does not lie in the core committee”. As Hegde cited a prior commitment in Mumbai for not attending the meet, he said there were no differences. Parulekar said Hazare was contemplating forming a pan-India apolitical organisation to achieve the objective of a change in the electoral system. “The new outfit would aim not at playing the game of election but at changing the rule of the game of election,” he said, adding that “it will be an apolitical organisation”.
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Patriotism replaces Hindutva card
New Delhi, October 28 Advani, currently on his nationwide Jan Chetna Yatra, wrote in his blog yesterday, “Let all other vain gods disappear for the time from our minds.” Clearly trying to break away from his controversial past, Advani wrote in his blog, “If Rama Bhakti has an appeal for the average Indian, Rashtra Bhakti (patriotism) has no less an appeal.” Taking refuge behind the speech of Swami Vivekananda, Advani recounted that after his return from Europe to Madras in 1897, Vivekananda had observed, “For the next 50 years, this alone shall be our keynote - this, our great Mother India. Let all other Vain gods disappear for the time from our minds.” Advani wrote, “This exhortation of the great saint was made in 1897. ‘Next fifty years,’ he had said. What a prescient remark; independence came precisely in 1947, exactly 50 years later!” Advani’s exhortation to the people to forget about their gods comes at a time when there is perception in political circles that there is some disconnect between him and the BJP. While Advani is almost asking people to forget about Ram Temple and Ayodhya, two senior leaders of his party, former president Rajnath Singh and Kalraj Mishra are moving along in their respective raths from two diametrically opposite directions in UP to converge at Ayodhya to reiterate the party’s commitment to build the Ram Temple at the disputed site of demolished Babri Masjid. Also, Advani’s “secular” appeal is in sharp contrast to his earlier speeches made not so long ago, say in 2005, when there was an attempted terror attack on the makeshift temple of Ram Lalla at Ayodhya while the UPA government was ruling at the Centre and Mulayam Singh Yadav in Lucknow. Within a year of relinquishing office in Delhi, the BJP leader was addressing rallies in Delhi, swearing again by Ayodhya, saying, “Today, the BJP is the largest political party in the country, thanks to the journey that began from Somnath during the Navaratri of 1990. The procession that began with a handful of nationalists led by an uncompromising nationalist is today a roaring stream of nationalist fervour. The pilgrimage will be over the day Ram Lalla finds his rightful place in a temple commemorating the sacred site of his birth.” Advani had then said, “The Ramjanmabhoomi issue, which had got buried, has again come alive after Tuesday’s militant attack in Ayodhya,” adding, “Ram Temple will be built right there (‘Shri Ram Mandir Wahin Banega’).”
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Rajiv killers’ pleas adjourned till Nov 29
Chennai, October 28 “However long the delay may be, it is not a mitigating circumstance and cannot be construed as a valid ground for commutation of death sentence and in any event, does not reduce the gravity of the crime,” the Centre said in its counter-affidavit in response to the petitions filed by Murugan, Santhan and Perarivalan. On August 30, the court had stayed for eight weeks the execution of Murugan, Santhan and Perarivalan, admitting their pleas for commuting of their death sentence to life term. The stay came as a major relief for the three convicts as their execution was then fixed for September 9 after President Pratibha Patil turned down their mercy pleas. In the affidavit on behalf of the Centre, Joint Secretary (Judicial) in the Union Home Ministry, JL Chugh, pointed out that the power of the President under Article 72 of the Constitution “is a discretionary power which cannot be taken away by any statutory provision”. The power cannot be altered, modified or interfered with in any manner whatsoever by any statutory provision or authority, the affidavit said, adding: “Exercise of power under Article 71 of the Constitution is not curtailed by any limitation as to the timeframe within which such power conferred might be exercised.” — PTI
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India, China to hold boundary talks in Nov
New Delhi, October 28 National Security Adviser Shivshankar Menon will lead the Indian delegation at the talks while the Chinese team will be headed by State Councillor Dai Bingguo. The talks are being considered important against the backdrop of recent developments in Sino-India ties, especially Beijing’s vehement opposition to the agreement between India and Vietnam for oil exploration in the South China Sea and the increasing Chinese activity in Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK). China claims full sovereignty over the entire South China Sea. However, what has been appreciated in New Delhi is the fact that China has discontinued the practice of issuing stapled visas to Indian nationals from Jammu and Kashmir. The two sides had for quite sometime been discussing the dates for the meeting between the Special Representatives. The proposal was to hold the meeting in October end but later it was decided to schedule it after a possible meeting between Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao on the sidelines of the East Asia summit in Bali on November 18-19. The two sides have so far held 14 rounds of talks but made little progress in resolving the lingering dispute.
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Jnanpith awardee Shrilal Shukla dead
He was 86.
Author of “Raag Darbari”, Shukla was presented the country’s highest literary honour on his hospital bed by Uttar Pradesh Governor BL Joshi on October 18. Joshi and Chief Minister Mayawati have expressed profound grief over his demise. In separate condolence messages, they said that Shukla’s death had created a void in the world of Hindi literature and it was an irreparable loss to Hindi lovers. Shukla had penned “Agyatwaas”, “Vishrampur Ka Sant” and many other novels. His works highlight fall in moral values in post-Independence era. Shukla and another Hindi author Amar Kant were chosen on September 19 for the Jnanpith award for the year 2009. He is also a recipient of Vyas Samman and Padma Bhushan. — PTI
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Balakrishnan case: SC
notice to TN, Kerala
New Delhi, October 28 A Bench headed by Chief Justice SH Kapadia has sought the response of the two states to an application filed by a PIL petitioner who has pleaded for a judicial inquiry into the assets of Justice Balakrishnan, who is now Chairman of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC). The application, pleading for making the two states as respondents in the PIL, has alleged that former TN Chief Minister M Karunanidhi misused his discretionary power to allot two prime plots of land in Chennai to one Kannabiran, a former aide of Justice Balakrishnan. The application further alleged that documents of several properties belonging to close family members of Justice Balakrishnan had been seized by the Kerala government. During the preliminary hearing of the PIL in February, the Bench had asked Attorney General GE Vahanvati to submit a status report on the complaints sent to the President and the Vice-President on the issue. The complaints had been submitted by a journalist. The Bench asked for a status report from the AG as the allegations in the PIL and the complaints were similar. Justice Balakrishnan was a judge of the Supreme Court for 10 years since June 8, 2000. He was the CJI from January 14, 2007 till his retirement on May 12, 2010 when he was succeeded by Justice Kapadia. In the complaint lodged with the President and the Vice-President, allegations have been made against Justice Balakrishnan’s son Pradeep, sons-in-law PV Sreenijin and Benny and daughters-in-law Soni and Rani, besides his younger brother KG Bhaskaran. Bhaskaran had to resign as Kerala Government pleader in the Kerala High Court following charges of corruption. The state government has ordered a vigilance probe against
Sreenijan.
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After Naidu, TRS chief declares assets to clear his name
Hyderabad, October 28 After the Telugu Desam Party chief N Chandrababu Naidu, it was the turn of Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) president K Chandrasekhar Rao today to declare his assets. The dramatic announcement, made at a press conference here, was apparently aimed at silencing his critics who have been accusing him and his family of amassing huge wealth in the guise of leading the Telangana statehood movement. Rao declared that he owned 24 acres of land and two houses, one at Hyderabad and the other at Karimnagar town. He said that he had “borrowed money from his friends” and invested Rs 4 crore in “Namasthe Telangana”, a Telugu daily launched recently and another Rs 55 lakh in “T-News”, a television channel. Both the media outlets are unabashed in their support for the Telangana cause. “Beyond this, I do not own any properties,” Rao declared. The TRS chief and his family members have come under attack for turning the Telangana agitation into a “money-spinning venture”. Rao’s detractors, particularly the main Opposition TDP, alleged that he had struck a “secret deal” with the ruling Congress and secured a multi-crore Polavaram irrigation contract for his business partner CL Rajam, who is also the managing director of “Namasthe Telangana” daily. Ironically, the TRS and other pro-Telangana groups are vehemently opposed to the Polavaram project on the grounds that it would spell doom for the region and would only benefit the coastal Andhra belt. Recently, the TDP chief had declared the assets of his entire family and challenged his political rivals to follow suit. Naidu, his wife N Bhuvaneshwari, son Nara Lokesh and daughter-in-law N Brahmani together own assets worth Rs 39.88 crore. Naidu has assets worth only Rs 40 lakh in his name, including a 1,120 sq yard residential house in the posh Jubilee Hills area listed at the acquired cost of Rs 23.2 lakh, an Ambassador car worth Rs 1.52 lakh and balance of Rs 15.16 lakh in savings bank accounts. His wife and son are engaged in family businesses covering dairy and media sectors. Naidu's son has assets of Rs 6.73 crore while the assets in the name of his daughter-in-law Brahmani stood at Rs 3.22 crore. The assets of politicians are coming in the open in the wake of the high court ordering a comprehensive probe into the alleged illegal properties of YSR Congress Party president YS Jagan Mohan Reddy. The court order was based on petitions filed by the Congress and TDP leaders. In a tit-for-tat move, Jagan’s mother and MLA YS Vijayamma had recently filed a public interest litigation in the high court, seeking an inquiry into the properties of Chandrababu Naidu. Vijayamma, the widow of former Chief Minister YS Rajasekhar Reddy, alleged that Naidu had misused power during his stint as CM between 1995 and 2004 and amassed huge wealth. She sought action against Naidu under the Prevention of Corruption Act and Money Laundering Act.
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Another scam in K’taka; this time in Deve Gowda’s term
Bangalore, October 28 Critics of the BJP government in the state claim that the case have been dug up to turn the heat on Deve Gowda who has been vocal against the corruption charges against the various BJP ministers in Karnataka. However, Shankar Bidari, chief of the CID, which has been entrusted with the probe into the case, has cited that the investigation was the result of a PIL filed by a retired chief engineer. Bidari has also assured that the investigation will be carried out “without fear or favour”. Vidhana Soudha police earlier this week registered an FIR against unnamed “politicians” and “officials” involved in a Rs 400 crore scam in the awarding of piece works contracts in the Upper Krishna Projects (UKP) during 1995-98. Deve Gowda was Chief Minister from December 1994 to May 1996. When he moved to New Delhi after becoming Prime Minister, J H Patel, handpicked by Deve Gowda, became the CM and remained in the office till the five-year tenure of the government ended in 1999. The FIR registered on Monday followed a PIL in Karnataka High Court by retired chief engineer Somashekhara Reddy, who is also secretary of Karnataka Corruption Eradication Committee. Reddy sought a CBI probe into certain irregularities and misappropriation in the UKP during 1995-98 on the basis of a report submitted by the state legislature and findings of CAG. Following a court directive, Reddy made a representation to the chief secretary. Subsequently, in December last year, the state government asked the CID to look into the scam. After a preliminary investigation, the legal wing of the CID came to the opinion that it would be appropriate to register a case in this connection.
Another MLA behind bars Bangalore, October 28 With him, the number of BJP legislators imprisoned in Karnataka, at present, has risen to four. This includes former CM BS Yeddyurappa. Former minister Katta Subramanya Naidu and Krishnaiah Shetty are the two other BJP ministers lodged in jail for their alleged involvement in land scams. Mining baron and former BJP minister Janardhana Reddy is in a jail in Hyderabad for his alleged involvement in illegal mining in Andhra Pradesh. Two serving ministers of Karnataka - Home Minister R Ashoka and Industries Minister Murugesh Nirani - have also been booked by the Lokayukta police for involvement in land scams. Sampangi was caught red-handed by the Lokayukta police in January 2009 at the legislators’ hostel here accepting a bribe of Rs 5 lakh from a businessman. He was booked under the Prevention of Corruption Act and charges were framed against him earlier this year.
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Governors’ meet begins today; ragging high on agenda
New Delhi, October 28 PM Manmohan Singh and several Union ministers, Governors of 28 states and three Lt-Governors of union territories will be attending the conference. Also on the agenda will be law and order issues having inter-state dimension, with special focus on Left-wing extremism and border security in states sharing international frontiers, a Rashtrapati Bhawan press release said.
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Changing food habits causing inflation, says Thomas
New Delhi, October 28 "Food habits of people are changing. Their purchasing power is up. This is causing food inflation," Thomas said, as food inflation touched 11.43% yesterday, raising concern within the government. “There is no inflation in foodgrains; it is in items like milk, poultry, meat and vegetables,” Thomas said. Observing there was “scarcity of milk” in the country, the food minister said its price cannot be subsidised. Stating that fluctuation in high prices of essential items was a concern, the minister expressed hope it would soon stablise. Thomas said the hike in the minimum support price (MSP) over the past many years also contributed to food inflation. However, this was unavoidable as the farmers had to be given better prices for their produce. “MSP hikes impact the market prices of foodgrains,” said Thomas. The government recently hiked the MSP for the rabi crop to expand the area under cultivation. Stating that the food subsidy bill is now Rs.63,000 crore, he said subsidised foodgrain was being provided to people under the public distribution system. — IANS
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In UP, monitoring mid-day meal a phone call away
This innovative monitoring practice developed by the state’s Mid-Day Meal Authority
(MDMA) has won the nBillionth Award South Asia 2011. It will now be put to use to monitor a range of other public welfare schemes in the state as well. The state-of-the-art Interactive Voice Response System
(IVRS) based Daily Monitoring System is an automated MIS (Management Information System). In the case of mid-day meal
(MDM) it makes available on a daily basis data of children availing MDM in schools across the state. The system conceived on the basis of an interface between computers and mobile phones helps the MDMA monitor the mammoth task of tracking the programme in the state’s 1.53 lakh primary schools catering to 2.15 crore children. Using an out-bound dialing solution calls are placed on the cell phones of either the headmaster, teacher or assistant teacher
(shiksha mitra) from a virtual number using PRI lines. Through simply pressing keys on their cell phone the teacher gives information of the exact number of students who had eaten MDM on that particular day. In case of no MDM on that particular day “0” is typed. According to Director MDM Parthasarthi Sen Sharma, the chances of the teachers giving false information are almost nil. Firstly because as they are not responsible for providing the MDM they stand to gain nothing by feeding misleading data. Secondly, the information is randomly cross checked with other teachers and the fear of the information provided being counter-checked works at a deterrent, he said. To make the system foolproof a representative of the School Management Committee would also be included in the exercise in the near future, informed Sen Sharma. The data is then fed into a centralised server which immediately compiles it to provide information of the exact number of students who had eaten MDM on that particular day in a certain district or division and those schools who did not supply free meals. The information is available online to all key decision makers in the district and division. The recipient of the mBillionth Award South Asia 2011 this project provides schoolwise information access on real time basis. The mBillionth Award given jointly by the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology and Digital Empowerment Foundation is a dedicated platform to explore the latent potential of mobile and telecom sector across eight countries in South Asia. It is designed as an annual South Asia’s leading mobile and telecom award platform leading to larger regional Mobile Congress in media and policy advocacy. Transmission of real time data in this manner leaves no scope for data manipulation or distortion and availability of exception reports improves efficacy and transparency of the system. Recently the IVRS system was put to use by the Department of Primary Education to track the distribution of free text books to students under the Sarv Shiksha
Abhiyaan.
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Poll setback: Pawar to oversee NCP’s soul-searching
Mumbai, October 28 At a two-day conclave to be organised in Mumbai on November 1 and 2, senior party leaders, including the party’s cabinet ministers in the Maharashtra Government, heads of district units of the NCP and other leaders have been asked to present their perceptions on the causes of the Khadakwasla defeat. “We have been asked to tell the party leadership where we went wrong and how we can take corrective measures ahead of the civic body elections across Maharashtra next year,” says a senior Mumbai-based leader of the party. Sources say the functioning of Ajit Pawar, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister, and nephew of the party supremo, are likely to be discussed at the meeting. Senior leaders opposed to junior Pawar’s style of functioning are expected to speak their minds at the event. Observers say the shrewd Sharad Pawar will try to calm frayed tempers among party men and utilise the occasion to assert his own supremacy within the NCP. Simultaneously, the NCP is pursuing a tie-up with the Congress for the forthcoming elections to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation.
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16 more infants die in WB govt hospitals; toll 29
Burdwan/Kolkata, Oct 28 Though the crib deaths have raised a question mark on the standard of medical care in paediatric hospitals in the state, hospital authorities claimed it was “not unusual”. Twelve babies have died at the Burdwan Medical College and Hospital and four at BC Roy Children’s Hospital here since yesterday, the authorities said. “The one-to-three-day-old babies were underweight and suffering from jaundice, encephalitis and septicemia,” Burdwan Medical College and Hospital Deputy Superintendent Tapas Kumar Ghosh said. Doctors did their best to save lives of babies, but all were born with critical complaints at the hospital where 160 infants were being treated against its capacity of 60 beds, he said. Meanwhile, the hospital superintendent was today asked to explain within 24 hours why action should not be taken against him for newborns’ death at Burdwan hospital. In Kolkata, at BC Roy Children’s Hospital, another four babies died, taking up the toll there to 17 in the past three days. “Four babies, referred to us in a critical condition, died in the hospital in the past 24 hours,” its superintendent D Pal said. There was “nothing abnormal or unusual” in the death of babies, mostly below one month in age, as they were brought to the hospital in extremely critical condition, Pal said. The hospital saw around 300 admissions and five infant deaths daily. Stating that the hospital was overburdened with patients referred from district hospitals, Pal maintained that the best of care was being given to the admitted babies. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who herself looks after the health department, has regretted such large number of infant deaths in government hospitals. She apologised to the parents and family members of the victims for the death of their new born babies. The Health Department yesterday gave a clean chit to the BC Roy Children’s Hospital after an internal inquiry. Director, Medical Education, Sushanta Banerjee said no lapse was found in the treatment of the babies, who were brought there in a moribund state.
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Identity theft bugs Amitabh
Mumbai, October 28 Bachchan who posts on Twitter from his id: SrBachchan clarified he had not made any comment on either Khan or his movie. “ATTENTION !!! Someone using my fake ID and writing rubbish. My ID is @SrBachchan.... the fake ID being disgustingly used is @SrBachhann,” he tweeted. The comment emanating from the fake ID likened Ra One to one of Abhishek Bachchan’s flop shows. “What a WASTE. Even the worst of Abhishek’s like Drona were much better. May be SRK’s mid age crises,” the impostor had tweeted. Bachchan went on to say he was yet to see Ra One.
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Senior AP IPS officer accused in forgery case
Hyderabad, October 28 The main charge against Umesh, who is currently heading Godavari Valley Authority, is that he had colluded with a former journalist T Sunil Reddy and forged the signature of a Rajya Sabha member MA Khan. A letter was sent to the Centre in the name of Khan, making allegations against Dinesh Reddy and seeking a CBI probe into the land deals involving him and his wife. The case, which created a sensation in the police circles, was widely seen as a reflection of the ego clash between two senior IPS officers. It took a curious turn recently when Sunil, a former journalist and now a management consultant, turned an approver in the case. In his confession note, Sunil stated that he had forged Khan’s signature at the behest of Umesh Kumar, who was then the Director General of Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB). Soon after taking over as the DGP recently, Dinesh ordered a CID probe into the forgery case. The CID, which registered a criminal case, has now named Umesh as one of the accused.
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21 devotees killed in Gujarat road mishap
Ahmedabad, October 28 The mishap occurred near Veganpur village of Godhra taluka after midnight when a tractor-trolley carrying devotees returning from a religious function was hit by a truck bearing a Madhya Pradesh registration number, coming from the opposite direction, the police said. — PTI
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Chennai, October 28
Lucknow, October 28
Lucknow, October 28
