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Khurshid’s interference in 2G probe
Ailing Anna not to campaign in poll-bound states
99th Indian Science Congress |
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More women in science, but few at the top: Rao
Tech might on display
World Sanskrit Conference begins
Row over move to rename Chandni Chowk
Fog blinds Delhi, 200 flights, 150 trains affected
BSF resource planning project goes live
Mulayam sacks party spokesman
Nitish flays BJP for inducting Maya’s tainted ministers
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Khurshid’s interference in 2G probe
New Delhi, January 5 A Bench comprising Justices GS Singhvi and AK Ganguly sought the response of the CBI and the Centre within 10 days and posted the petition, filed by the Centre for PIL (CPIL), for next hearing on January 20. The petition has also alleged that the CBI “is deliberately going slow” in investigating the case of corruption and misuse of official position against former Telecom Minister Dayanidhi Maran. Arguing for the petitioner, counsel Prashant Bhushan contended that the Law Ministry, at the behest of the minister, had stated that the case against Loop did not warrant filing of a criminal chargesheet. The CBI officers who investigated the case against the company had recommended filing of a chargesheet against its officials as well as some government servants under the Prevention of Corruption Act. The Telecom Ministry had issued licence to the company ignoring the fact that Loop, controlled by Essar, was not entitled to it as Essar already had taken the licence. The report of the investigating officers was, however, rejected by CBI Director (Prosecution) Abdul Aziz, observing that the case merely involved “contractual violation.” This opinion was “factored in decision making” despite the fact that Aziz’s son was employed in Essar-Loop group, Bhushan said. The CBI Director AP Singh then partially differed with Aziz’s opinion, stating that a case of cheating and conspiracy was made out against the company, their promoters and private people, but agreed that there was no case under the Prevention of Corruption Act against public servants. Ultimately, the CBI filed a third supplementary chargesheet in the trial court recently, booking the company officials, ignoring the alleged role of government officials, the PIL said.
Unlawful interference?
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Ailing Anna not to campaign in poll-bound states
New Delhi, January 5 Anna has been in the hospital since December 31 after he developed health complications due to acute chest congestion. While there are indications that Anna is keen to get rid of his anti-Congress image after the Mumbai fiasco, which is being blamed to some extent on a rift between his Mumbai and Delhi followers, it seems the social activist first wants the team to regroup so that the anti-corruption front does not fall on its face. Team’s core group is scheduled to meet in Delhi on Saturday to devise further strategy for the anti-corruption movement, which is suddenly appearing scattered much to the delight of Congress managers. Anna, however, will not be participating as Bedi said he had been advised complete rest by doctors. “Anna needs complete rest. Doctors have advised him not to travel. My opinion is also that Anna should be taking rest. So he won't be travelling or campaigning,” she said. Team Anna had threatened to campaign against the Congress in Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Goa and Manipur to protest against the party’s “inability to bring strong Lokpal Bill in Winter Session”. Team members argued since only the Congress was in a position to bring a strong Lokpal Bill their campaign would naturally be against it. “The same would have been the fate of any other party in power,” they contended when asked why they were targeting the Congress.
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99th Indian Science Congress
Bhubaneswar, January 5 At present, as many 620 institutes of higher learning are connected by the network consisting of ultra-high-speed core that is in multiples of 10 giga bits per second. “By the end of this month, over 1,000 institutes will come under its umbrella. Our idea is to foster knowledge sharing by connecting all the universities and national laboratories to the superhighway,” he said while addressing the ongoing 99th Indian Science Congress here. In the next step, the country-wide classrooms of the universities would be linked up through NKN to create virtual and joint classrooms, the scientist said. Efforts were also on to forge collaboration with foreign universities and research organisations for sharing research knowledge and expertise. The Centre had approved the establishment of NKN in March last year to integrate 1,500 knowledge institutions across the country. The main focus areas
of the project are education, health, agriculture and e-governance. “The NKN is a multi-gigabit pan-India network for providing a unified high-speed network backbone for all knowledge-related institutions in the country. It will enable scientists, researchers and students from different backgrounds and diverse geographies to work closely for advancing human development in critical and emerging areas,” Dr Raghavan said.
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More women in science, but few at the top: Rao
Bhubaneswar, January 5 “We have to encourage participation and retention of women scientists in science and technology which is very important for national development and the success of other
programmes,” she said after inaugurating the Women’s Science Congress on the sidelines of the 99th Indian Science Congress. This is the first time that an exclusive women’s congress is being organised in the 99-year-old history of the Indian Science Congress. The theme of the five-day Congress, being attended by nearly 15,000 delegates, is 'Science and Technology for Inclusive Innovation - Role of Women'.
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Tech might on display
Bhubaneswar, January 5 From the outdoor models of majestic missiles like
Agni, Prithvi and Akash to the intricate electronic warfare systems, new materials and battlefield-support kits, the prowess of the country’s defence scientists has been showcased at the ‘Pride of India-Science Expo’. A large number of visitors, particularly students, have been thronging the venue to have a glimpse of the scientific advances made by the Defence Research and Development Organisation
(DRDO). The star attractions among the outdoor models are strategic and tactical missiles Agni and
Prithvi, Nag, Akash, BrahMos and Astra. Nearly 50 DRDO laboratories from across the country have put up their stalls to showcase their research projects. The scientists from various laboratories explained to the visitors, particularly the enthusiastic batches of student delegates, the work being done at their labs. The objective of the expo is to present the technology in the strategic sector for national security and the excitement of scientific challenge to young creative minds. — TNS
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CBI officials inspect spot where Bhanwari was burnt
Jodhpur, January 5 The incident, which triggered a political turmoil in Rajasthan leading to sacking of minister Mahipal Maderna, posed a challenge for the CBI in the absence of leads and destruction of evidences. CBI Director A P Singh and Additional Director Salim Ali, accompanied by forensic experts, inspected the spot where the 36-year-old nurse was allegedly burnt after being kidnapped. "We have picked up some samples of soil for examination. We are draining the nearby canal to search for her watch which one of the accused claimed to have been dumped along with the ashes," a senior CBI official said. The CBI brought Bishna Ram Bishnoi, one of the main accused arrested by police in Pune, here on a transit remand. Bishnoi was arrested last evening, a day after the arrest of Kailash Jakhar, another suspect. The duo are prime suspect in the case and allegedly played a key role in disposing of Bhanwari's body after the killing, sources said, adding both have been remanded in CBI custody till January 16. Bishnoi, who hails from Jaloda village, after taking possession of the body from his brother and gangster Om Prakash near Nevra Road had headed back in the direction of Phalodi to dispose it of. The CBI team, which is camping in Jaloda, had even used a UAV mounted with a digital camera to collect evidence. Bhanwari had gone missing from Bilara area here on September 1 last year. The probe agency has identified the area based on the statements of all the suspects alleged to have been involved in her disappearance.
— PTI
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World Sanskrit Conference begins
New Delhi, January 5 “Sanskrit is the soul of India,” he said, going on to say how it is often misunderstood as only a language of religious hymns and rituals. “This understanding does injustice to the genius of the language and betrays ignorance of the works of thinkers like Kautilya, Charaka, Sushruta, Aryabhata. Sanskrit is indeed much more than a language, a complete knowledge system. It represents a culture that is not narrow and sectarian but open, tolerant and all-embracing,” the PM said as delegates saluted the spirit of his statement, agreeing that Sanskrit is a language of peace which best symbolises the concept of “Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam”. Prapandvidya couldn’t agree less. His love for Sanskrit may have begun as an accident (when he went to study archaeology at Silpakorn University, Bangkok and discovered that he must study Sanskrit first) but it has endured the test of time and has made him write his finest works - Thai translations of Sanskrit texts like Kalidasa’s Meghdootam, part of Budhacharita and precious inscriptions of India, Cambodia and Thailand. “The world must look to India for peace for you have Sanskrit,” says Prapandvidya, 70, an Assistant Professor and Adviser to the Sanskrit Studies Centre at Silpakorn University, which will host the next World Sanskrit Conference in 2015. This Centre is among the finest Sanskrit teaching departments in the world, though Prapandvidya admits that Sanskrit is less preferred than other foreign languages. “It is difficult and it offers few employment avenues. Only those come who love the language,” he says, recalling his days at MS University, Baroda, where he did his MA and PhD in Sanskrit, his subject of research being the Puranas. “Without the knowledge of Puranas, you cannot understand the history of South Asia or how Sanskrit connects the region,” he says.
when a Chinese sang Sanskrit hymns
HRD Minister Kapil Sibal talked of how other countries were promoting Sanskrit. "Sanskrit rock band Shanti Shanti in the US has released its sixth album ‘Veda’ and recently a renowned pop singer in China sang hymns in Sanskrit. These developments augur well for the rejuvenation of Sanskrit," he said, also mentioning Mauritius which recently passed a bill for spoken Sanskrit and some schools in England and New Zealand which included Sanskrit in their curriculum.
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Row over move to rename Chandni Chowk
New Delhi, January 5 Raising the issue, the Sikhs have pointed out that ninth Sikh Guru Teg Bahadur was martyred here at Chandni Chowk in 1675. So, any change in name of Chandni Chowk should reflect the Guru’s martyrdom. Manjit Singh, president of the Delhi unit of the Shiromani Akali Dal, today led a delegation to meet Rajni Abbi, the MCD mayor. He said, “We have great respect for Sachin Tendulkar, who is a national hero. We, the Sikhs and the citizens of the area, are upset at the proposal to rename Chandni Chowk after the cricket maestro. It is suggested that some other road may kindly be earmarked for the purpose. If at all the Chandni Chowk road is to be renamed, it should be renamed as Guru Teg Bahadur Sahib Road.” Gurdwara Sis Ganj was built in the Chandni Chowk area to commemorate the martyrdom of the Guru. The gurdwara is built where the Guru was beheaded on the orders of the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb, the Sikh delegation maintained. Sis Ganj is one of the most revered places for the Sikhs. Meanwhile, Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit has intervened in the matter after reports that the MCD may consider renaming the historic Chandni Chowk, built during Mughal emperor Shahjahan's reign.
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Fog blinds Delhi, 200 flights, 150 trains affected
New Delhi, January 5 The Indian Meteorological Department today said these weather conditions would continue across North India for the next few days. “For tomorrow, we expect thundershowers in the Capital. Fog is likely to play hide and seek over the next few days. Visibility levels are also bound to remain low during wee hours, that mainly affect the rail and air traffic,” said a senior IMD official. Almost 150 flights had to operate under minimum visibility procedure at the Indira Gandhi International Airport. Fifteen flights were cancelled this morning, while 30 took off behind schedule. Ten flights were cancelled due to bad weather at destination airports. The maximum temperature here today was 21°C, while the minimum settled at 8.1°C.
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BSF resource planning project goes live
New Delhi, January 5 Termed as Intranet Prahari Project (IPP) and executed by NIIT technologies, it will connect some 237 locations of the central police force.
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Mulayam sacks party spokesman
Lucknow, January 5 "On the direction of Mulayam Singh Yadav, Mohan Singh has been removed from the post of party's national spokesman. Professor Ram Gopal Yadav has been given his charge," Samajwadi Party spokesman Rajendra Chowdhury said. The development came after Mohan Singh gave a statement in favour of DP Yadav's induction into the SP after he met party leader Mohammand Azam Khan in Rampur in late December. Mulayam's son and state party president Akhilesh Yadav, however, said that DP Yadav and those with dubious record would not be taken in the party.
— PTI
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Nitish flays BJP for inducting Maya’s tainted ministers
Patna, January 5 Bihar Chief Minister and senior JD(U) leader Nitish Kumar who is heading a coalition government in Bihar with the BJP for the past six years has criticised its ally for this act. Replying to mediapersons query, Nitish said that no one could justify such actions by any political party. “The entire nation is observing the actions and stand taken by different political parties on the anti-corruption front and the people will not tolerate such double standards,” Nitish said. Reiterating his government's and party's 'zero tolerance policy against corruption' he said that there would be no compromise on this issue. Nitish also endorsed his party’s national president Sharad Yadav’s decision not to have any alliance with the BJP in the UP elections.
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The Supreme Court today issued notice to the CBI and the Centre on a petition alleging that Law Minister Salman Khurshid had tried to influence the CBI investigation in the 2G scam case by “publicly giving a clean chit” to telecom company Loop Telecom.
Over 1,000 educational institutions across the country would be linked by the National Knowledge Network
(NKN), a high-speed, state-of-the-art communication backbone, by the end of
this month.
