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First phase witnesses 62% turnout
Cong not interested in any alliance: Sonia
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Pranab, Pawar express doubts about Food Bill
Checking genuineness of drugs made easier
PM seeks AG’s views on SC verdict
Six Bihar BDOs dismissed for graft
AP minister in dock for accepting kickbacks
AFT vacates stay on ‘tainted’ brigadier’s promotion
Five shortlisted for post of UGC chairman, PU V-C fails to make it
Pilot-less aircraft Lakshya-1
test flown successfully
63 Cavalry’s plaque at Alwar
Anti-talks ULFA faction woos Meghalaya tribal outfit GNLA
INTACH seeks govt help in protecting monuments
Odisha hooch toll mounts to 26
AGE ROW Pak turns Dilip Kumar’s ancestral home into heritage site Jaffri case: SIT submits report
India showcases naval might
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First phase witnesses 62% turnout
Lucknow, February 8 The polling passed off peacefully with no untoward incident reported from the 55 constituencies, which went to polls today. A visibly pleased Chief Election Officer, Umesh Sinha, who had been running a campaign for the registration of voters and awareness about voting, profusely thanked the voters for the 16 per cent increase in voting from the barely 46 per cent registered in 2007. “If the weather would have been favourable, there were chances of higher turnout,” he said, hoping that things would further improve in the coming phases. The districts which registered the highest - 62 to 65 percentage polling - were Sitapur, Faizabad and Barabanki. At the other end, Balrampur (58 per cent) and Basti and Shravasti with 59 per cent polling were the poorest. According to Sinha, the most notable feature in this phase of the 16th Vidhan Sabha polls has been the steep rise in the urban voters. While the rural percentage was 65 per cent, the urban areas registered 55 per cent voting, which was a jump of 15 to 20 per cent from 2007. “Women and first-time voters, even in the urban centres, have come out in large numbers and voted enthusiastically which is a welcome change,” observed Sinha. In 25 places, there were reports of malfunctioning of EVM machines, which were replaced. “A total He, however, confirmed that two villages in Balrampur boycotted the polls due to some “development issues”, but refused to hazard a guess into the exact nature of their grievance, which he said could be commented upon after the matter had been investigated. Heavy downpour since last evening threatened to play the villain the in the first phase of polls today with a mere 13.38 per cent voters exercising their franchise till 11 am. With the rains subsiding and the sun peeping out, the polling gradually picked up ending with a more than satisfactory voting percentage.
Cong not interested in any alliance: Sonia
Allahabad/Unnao, Feb 8 "The Congress is not contesting these elections to forge a coalition with any party, but for forming its government", Sonia said at an election meeting in Unnao this afternoon. "The Congress would establish a relationship of trust with the people and would stand by them in the good and bad times", she said. She alleged that the
BJP, SP and BSP were trying to hoodwink people by pretending to attack each other for electoral gains in Uttar Pradesh though they had all shared power and ruled the state without any sincerity of purpose. "Comparing today's UP with what it used to be 22 years ago brings to one’s notice lots of unwelcome changes," she told an election rally in
Allahabad. "Parties, which had ruled the state during this period, have done so without any sincerity of purpose and they are responsible for the general deterioration, lawlessness and corruption," Sonia said. —
PTI
Poll Snippets
Aloof, imperious and short-tempered, Mayawati is also known for her sharp tongue. But one of her outbursts seem to have drawn the Election Commission’s attention. A recording of her campaign speech at Champa Devi Park in Gorakhpur allegedly has Mayawati abusing a woman, who had jumped the security cordon in a bid to meet the UP CM. Irritated at the disturbance and commotion created by the woman, the CM allegedly used unparliamentary language directed at the woman while asking the crowd not to get distracted. She also blamed a ‘nervous Opposition’ for conspiring to disrupt her meetings. But while security personnel bundled the woman out of the park, she kept screaming that she wanted to meet Mayawati. The CD of the speech will be sent to the Election Commission in Delhi after being examined at the state level, confirmed CEO Umesh
Sinha.
Unable to hold weight of leaders The ‘weighty’ BJP national president Nitin Gadkari, who has undergone surgery to lose weight, had a narrow escape in Ghajipur, when the make-shift stage prepared for him collapsed. He was being felicitated when the floor gave way. But alert BJP leaders and volunteers rushed to offer a helping hand and helped Gadkari escape without any serious injury. But the BJP workers on the dias were not so lucky as they and their chairs crashed. Nor was former film star and MP, Jayaprada, who slipped and stumbled while climbing to a dias at Kushinagar. She is the star campaigner for former SP leader Amar Singh’s ‘Lok Manch’. Haunted by Election Commission Contestants seem to have developed a healthy respect for the Election Commission. Uncertain over what would invite the Commission’s notice, many of them are grudgingly cancelling family functions. The Samajwadi Party candidate from Mirzapur, Kailash Chaurasia, put off a wedding in the family after having distributed invitation cards. He was not sure if the cost would be added to his election expenses. Another SP candidate from Faizabad, Mitrasen Yadav, claims to have deliberately missed attending all weddings in his extended family on similar fears. SP candidate from Mirzapur, Rajendra Prasad Pandey, is in two minds about how to conduct the ‘shraddh’ of his father. The rites are due on February 13. But the polling is due on February 15 and he is anxious that feeding villagers could be interpreted as a poll code violation. (Compiled by Shahira
Naim)
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Pranab, Pawar express doubts about Food Bill
New Delhi, February 8 While Mukherjee’s main worry was the country’s skyrocketing subsidy Bill, Pawar’s concern revolves around whether the existing mechanism was compatible enough to implement the proposed Food Security Act. “I will be failing in my duty if I do not emphasise the fact that the Food Security Act will never succeed in achieving its goal in letter and spirit if we try to push the same through the existing PDS apparatus,” Pawar said speaking at a conference on “Targeted Public Distribution System and Storage” of state Food and Agriculture Ministers convened to iron out differences and objections raised by several states related to the UPA-II’s poll promise. Congress’ key troubleshooter Mukherjee was candid enough to admit that “as Finance Minister when I think of the enormity of the subsidies to be provided, I lose my sleep. There is no doubt”. Even though Mukherjee did not directly refer to the Food Bill per se when he talked of skyrocketing subsidy, the statement at the conference to discuss the Food Bill, and that too just ahead of the annual ritual of the Union Budget, assumes great significance. Reports suggest that the fiscal deficit, estimated at 4.6% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP), is expected to be around 5.6%, mainly on account of issues like subdued revenue collection, poor disinvestment receipts, high global commodity prices and increasing subsidy bill. The government had earlier said that its subsidy bill was likely to increase by over Rs 1 lakh crore, over and above the original estimate of Rs 1.34 lakh crore, mainly on account of higher outlay towards fertiliser, food and oil. The Food Security Bill alone is expected to cost the exchequer more than Rs 1 lakh crore annually, a figure that some experts say may go even higher if all the benefits listed by the Act are made legal. Meanwhile, Food Minister KV Thomas maintained that financial outgo would not be as large as was being feared. According to Thomas, the implementation of the food law would require an additional amount of not more than around Rs 12,000 crore annually. As far as Pawar is concerned, this is not the first time he has voiced concern over the Congress president’s favourite project. The Agriculture Minister said there was no denying the fact that time had come to ensure that each citizen gets two square meals a day but there were serious limitations on fronts like capacities of mandis, financial position of state agencies, manpower, quality control mechanism and storage. “Even at the current level of operation, the Railways are finding it difficult to handle the movement,” he said. The Bill has been criticised by Chief Ministers like J Jayalalithaa (Tamil Nadu), Nitish Kumar (Bihar), Mayawati (Uttar Pradesh) and Mamata Banerjee (West Bengal).
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Checking genuineness of drugs made easier
Hyderabad, February 8 A Bangalore-based Analytics and Technology company, Activecubes, has come up with an IT solution to identify the spurious drugs in the market. Christened as “AuthenticK”, the innovative solution helps the end customers to detect whether the drug they have purchased was authorised or not. “What this IT solution does is to link a specific product to the company's data base to verify whether it is genuine or not. This will empower the consumers to check the genuineness of the medicines,” the company CEO Rajesh Varrier said. How does it work? There are two parts to the solution. First, a Unique Identification Number at Strip/Vial level will be generated. Activecubes will partner with pharmaceutical companies to identify and print a unique alphanumeric number on every strip of the medication it manufactures. The number is generated from a database and will be linked to the specific product. These 8-character numbers cannot be replicated across the strips, products or the company. Second, each strip/vial will have a barcode as an added mechanism for validation of the authenticity. The company has developed a QR Code/2D code-reading mobile application. This application works on all mobile phones across various platforms. “When a customer buys the drug at the counter, he or she can see a message on the strip. All they need to do is to send an SMS with the code to the number given on the strip. The code is received by our system and it crosschecks it with the number in the database. If these two numbers match, an automatic reply with the details of the validity of the drug is sent back to the customer, all in a matter of few seconds,” explained Varrier. The consumer can download the application free of cost. With this application in place, he can read the QR code on his mobile phone. Despite stringent regulatory mechanism being in place, it is estimated that 30 per cent of the drugs sold in the domestic market could be spurious. The counterfeit drug market is said to have crossed $ 75 billion worldwide. “This not only presents a significant health hazard but also spells a major revenue loss to the pharma companies whose credibility and brand value are at stake. The wider the use of a drug, the greater was its chances of ending up as a counterfeit drug,” the CEO said.
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PM seeks AG’s views on SC verdict
New Delhi, February 8 Singh has also sought the AG’s suggestions on the need for taking action against the officials in the PM’s Office (PMO) indicted by the SC for not briefing the PM on time and in a proper manner on the importance and urgency involved in Janata Party president Subramanian Swamy’s plea for prosecuting Raja for the 2G scam. In its February 2 judgment, the SC has directed the government to auction the licences embedded with second generation (2G) Spectrum afresh within three months. The apex court has, however, allowed the existing licences to continue for four months so that the government could complete the auctioning process by then. Holding that the PM was not responsible for the 16-month time taken for responding to Swamy’s plea, the SC had, in a separate verdict on January 31, ruled that officials in the PMO had failed to advise the PM promptly. It is learnt that Manmohan Singh has sought the AG’s views on both the verdicts, specifically the follow-up action required to be taken by him or his office. The PM’s move has come in the wake of criticism from Opposition parties, besides corporate sentiments, particularly of the telecom sector, that cancellation of the licences would adversely affect the flow of foreign direct investment (FDI) and thereby hinder economic growth. Manmohan Singh was keen on sending out a strong message that he would not tolerate complacency or lapses on the part of officials in the PMO, sources said. Seeking the AG’s views was only a prelude to a series of moves that the PM was planning to take to refurbish the PMO’s image.
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Six Bihar BDOs dismissed for graft
Patna, February 8
The officers were posted as Block Development Officer (BDO) in different blocks of Araria district during 2006-2008. The Cabinet also gave its nod to prosecute the then District Magistrate of Araria, Amrendra Narayan Singh in this case. Singh, an IAS officer had already superannuated.
Ravikant, Principal Secretary, Cabinet Coordination, said the state government had earlier terminated the service of another BDO in this case. It had also initiated departmental proceedings against the then Deputy Development Commissioner of Araria Valmiki Prasad. Prasad had also retired from service.
All these officers were charged with keeping the funds meant for the IAY in the bank accounts of Primary Agricultural Cooperative Societies (PACS) on extraneous considerations. The Centre provides funds under the IAY to the states for helping the poor and downtrodden people build their home.
The officers, in utter violation of the financial rules, had deposited more than Rs 25 crore meant for this scheme with the PACS. Subsequent probe by the state administration revealed that they had committed serious financial irregularities in spending the funds as well.In another development related to the ongoing anti-corruption drive in the state, the sleuths of Vigilance department arrested two clerical staff red-handed while they were accepting a graft of Rs 10,000 and Rs 9000 from different blocks under Gaya and East Champaran districts, respectively. They were brought to the state capital and sent to jail after completing the necessary legal formalities.
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AP minister in dock for accepting kickbacks
Hyderabad, February 8 According to a remand report filed by the ACB in a special court, a liquor dealer from Khammam district, Nunna Venkata Ramana had paid the bribe to the minister as his share for allowing the sale of liquor at prices above the MRP (maximum retail price). The syndicate ring leader, who owns 13 wine shops in Khammam besides ‘controlling’ 80 other outlets, had claimed before ACB sleuths that he, along with another wine shop owner, visited the minister at the latter’s official residence in Hyderabad and made the payment as protection money. Ramana, who is now in police custody, gave graphic details of his payments to politicians of all hues, excise officials and journalists on a regular basis to ensure that the liquor sales were not affected adversely. His revelations created a stir since it is the first time that the names of politicians figured in the list of those who received bribes from liquor traders. In his confessional statement, the liquor dealer named two other MLAs belonging to the Congress and the Telugu Desam Party from Khammam and Warangal districts and a few office-bearers of the CPI, the CPM, the TRS and the BJP, local journalists and several police and excise department officials as the recipients of the payoffs from the liquor syndicate. Every single employee of the excise department in the two districts, from the Deputy Commissioner down to a Constable, got their share of the pie regularly, running into a few crores, the ACB report said. Local journalists were also paid bribes for not publishing adverse reports against the liquor business. Vehemently denying the charges, the minister today said he was ready to face any probe to prove his innocence. Amidst speculation that he could be asked to resign, Ramana called on the Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy and explained his version. Later, talking to reporters, he said: "I have requested the Chief Minister to institute a through inquiry into the charges. I will not wait even for a minute to resign if I am found guilty of accepting bribes.”
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AFT vacates stay on ‘tainted’ brigadier’s promotion
Chandigarh, February 8 In December 2011, the Tribunal had restrained the Army from promoting Brig PS Rathore, the senior-most brigadier in the department, after a petition filed by a departmental officer had alleged that brigadier had earlier been indicted by a court of inquiry (COI) for administrative irregularities and harassment. The post of the JAG at Army Headquarters was lying vacant since the earlier incumbent, Maj-Gen BV Nair, retired on January 31. Brigadier Rathore is presently posted as the Deputy Judge Advocate General, South-Western Command. He was considered for promotion by the Special Selection Board in October, 2011. He was the only officer in the reckoning for the department’s top post. He is of 1979 seniority and the next batch of 1980 would have four brigadiers in the race for the JAG’s post. The Army had declassified the board’s result in January, prompting the petitioner, Lt Col Mukul Dev to move a contempt application for alleged violation of the Tribunal’s order. Sources in the Army contended that while the stay was on promoting the officer, there was no bar in simply declaring the results. The contempt plea along with the petition leveling the allegations had come up for hearing before the Tribunal’s bench comprising Justice SK Gupta and Lt Gen NS Brar today.
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Five shortlisted for post of UGC chairman, PU V-C fails to make it
New Delhi, February 8 The hotly-contested selection process is likely to end on February 21 when the search committee, headed by National Research Professor Goverdhan Mehta, draws up the final three-member panel out of which the Ministry of HRD will name the UGC chairman. In all, 83 academicians had been nominated for the position. In the short list, there is no one from the North excepting Prof Ved Prakash, the current Acting Chairman of the University Grants Commission, who has been filling in since former Commission chief Prof Sukhdeo Thorat retired. Among the other four short listed candidates is Prof Syed E Hasnain, the former V-C of Central University, Hyderabad and currently distinguished professor of biological sciences at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Delhi. Also in the race for the first time is a woman academician Prof Surabhi Banerjee who was formerly the Vice Chancellor of Netaji Subhas Open University, Kolkata. She is currently the V-C of Central University, Orissa located at Koraput. The Selection Committee has also shortlisted for the first time a distinguished management expert Prof Pankaj Chandra, the current Director of Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Bangalore and an acclaimed management guru. The fourth short listed academician is Prof A. jaikrishnan, V-C of the University of Kerala, Thiruvananthapuram. The UGC chairman?s position is much coveted considering the Commission regulates and funds 44 central universities, 285 state universities and 130 deemed universities. This is the first time the search committee has decided to ask short listed candidates to share their vision of the UGC considering the role of the UGC chairman would be critical in the wake of imminent establishment of the National Commission for Higher Education and Research, the proposed overarching regulator for higher education in India.
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Pilot-less aircraft Lakshya-1
test flown successfully
Balasore (Odisha), Feb 8 Usually, the flight duration of the micro light aircraft is 30 to 35 minutes. But test is conducted for enhancement of the flight duration and to check other parameters, sources said. ‘Lakshya’ has been inducted into the Indian Air Force (IAF) since 2000. — PTI
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63 Cavalry’s plaque at Alwar
New Delhi, February 8 Minister of State for Home Affairs Jitendra Singh did the honours and unveiled the "Alwar Plaque" to commemorate the association of the Tresath Risala - a name for the 63 Cavalry -- with the town of Alwar, officials said yesterday. Senior serving officers and veterans attended the function. The regiment has the distinction of being the only armoured regiment to be raised at Alwar. Over the years, the regiment has actively participated in the UN peace-keeping missions in Congo during 1961-62. During the 1971 Indo-Pak war, the regiment earned the title of the "Ghost Regiment" when it attacked Bangladesh from five different directions. The regiment was awarded the Battle Honour Bogra and the Theatre Honour East Pakistan during the 1971 war. The regiment was
presented with the colours in 1982 by the then President of India, Neelam
Sanjiva Reddy.
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Anti-talks ULFA faction woos Meghalaya tribal outfit GNLA
Guwahati, February 8
GNLA, branded as a ‘terrorist outfit’ by Government of India, is suspected to be maintaining a close coordination with the anti-talks faction of the ULFA.
Senior members of the proscribed ULFA, including Drishti Rajkhowa, are now believed to be in the hideouts of the GNLA in the jungles of the Garo Hills bordering Bangladesh. Rajkhowa also visits Bangladesh from time to time by taking advantage of the porous international border.
GNLA is being provided with sophisticated weapons by the ULFA in lieu of the cooperation it receives from the Garo tribe outfit that demands a separate state for its brethren. Security sources said senior ULFA cadres were involved in providing training to new recruits of GNLA and, in return, ULFA was getting a major share of funds collected by
GNLA.
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INTACH seeks govt help in protecting monuments
New Delhi, February 8
Maj Gen (retd) LK Gupta, chairman of Indian National Trust For Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH), pointed to the need for intervention in the conservation of numerous heritage structures in the capital which are not being taken care of by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI). —
PTI
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Odisha hooch toll mounts to 26
Cuttack, February 8 While 19 persons
are battling for survival in these two hospitals, sources said, more ailing people were being brought to hospitals
from villages. All the victims drank liquor from a joint in the Mahidharpada area of Cuttack district on Monday and people within
the 5-km radius of Mahidharpada have been affected by the killer drink, District Collector Girish SN said. He, however, rejected it as a case of hooch tragedy saying the people died after consuming spurious medicines and not liquor and a large number
of cough syrup bottles were seized from the liquor joint. Dismissing the Collector's argument, Drug Controller AP Das said, "I am sure, no human being will ever die if he or she drinks concentrated Sinaman Water-BP, which is sold under different brands.”Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has ordered a judicial inquiry into the incident, Chief Secretary BK Patnaik said.
So far eight persons have been arrested in this connection. — PTI
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AGE ROW
New Delhi, February 8 The documents provided by Gen Singh after the SC heard his case on February 3 mostly cited the judgments delivered by the SC in the past on the basis of the Army Act. Gen Singh has indicated his unwillingness to go to the HC or the AFT, citing the fact that he was due to retire on May 31 this year if his date of birth was taken as May 10, 1950 and not as 1951, as claimed by him on the basis of his matriculation certificate.Since the age row would anyway have to be finally adjudicated by the SC, there was no point in agitating the issue either in the AFT or the high court as this would be time-consuming and deny him justice before his retirement, he contended.
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Pak turns Dilip Kumar’s ancestral home into heritage site
Islamabad, February 8 The Culture Department of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province recently purchased the actor’s ancestral home from its current owner for Rs 3 crore and declared it a heritage site, officials were quoted as saying by Geo News channel. Repairs of the three-storey building with six rooms will begin within two months and it will subsequently be opened to the public, officials said. Dilip Kumar’s relatives lived in the house till about eight years ago, when they sold the building to a local resident for Rs 56 lakh. — PTI
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Jaffri case: SIT submits report Ahmedabad, February 8 TV channels reported tonight that Modi got relief in the SIT report which, they said, has not found any evidence of the CM aiding and abetting the riots following a complaint against him and 62 others by Zakia Jaffri demanding his prosecution. There was no official confirmation and no SIT official was available for comment.Zakia's former Congress MP husband Ehsan Jaffri was among the 69 persons killed in the Gulberg Housing Society riots. Around 1,200 people were killed in the communal riots. The report was submitted in a sealed envelope by SIT officials in a magisterial court as directed by Supreme Court, sources said. — PTI
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India showcases naval might
New Delhi, February 8 The missile was launched from a recently upgraded warship — a 'Ranvir class' destroyer. Antony also witnessed the successful interception of a fast, low-flying, surface-to-surface missile. The Defence Minister also witnessed a full-scale air power demonstration from sea-borne aircraft carrier INS Viraat with Seaking choppers and fighter jets Sea Harriers participating. Antony, who spent two days on board the INS Viraat, saw the MARCOS carrying out a precision landing on the flight deck in the middle of the sea using combat free fall technique. The Navy also gave a glimpse of the expansive scope and scale of the Indian Navy's annual Theatre Level Readiness and Operational Exercise (TROPEX).
The naval fleet of more than 40 ships, submarines and aircrafts was completely networked. New platforms, weapons sensors, communication systems and tactics were tested. The exercise had a jointmanship element as IAF aircraft such as AWACS, Sukhois, Mirages and Jaguars also participated.
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Braving hours of incessant downpour, voters of the 10 districts of Awadh region came out in large numbers to cast their vote resulting in 62 per cent average turnout for the first time since Independence.
Congress president Sonia Gandhi today said her party is contesting the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections for forming a government and not for striking a coalition with any party. 
Even as the government is pushing through Congress president Sonia Gandhi’s pet project - the National Food Security Bill - two key members of the Cabinet - Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee and Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar - today voiced their concern over crucial aspects related to the proposed law that aims to make food a legal entitlement.
