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CBI may seek Tatra papers from Britain
ULFA doves pin hopes on talks with Centre
Indian high-fliers head for Italy
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Driver clicks Anna, holds exhibition
Jantar Mantar
Probe Radhakrishnan’s role in scrapping Devas deal: Nair
Dhubri Sahib gears up for Guru’s birth anniversary
Chouhan a coward, says Digvijay
Akhilesh begins with a bang
CBI probing fund transfer charges against Jagan
Delhi court says sexual abuse law being misused
MP BJP not in favour of Bundelkhand
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CBI may seek Tatra papers from Britain
The agency suspects that payments from BEML were actually going to a tax haven, CBI sources said, adding that they are probing into it but added that the investigations are in preliminary stage. The sources said at present they are likely to send Letters Rogatory to the UK seeking information on financial transactions of Tatra Sipox UK in which Vectra chairman Ravinder Rishi has been a Director, owning substantial shares. The agency will also demand details of Tatra Sipox UK's association with Czech-republic based Tatra, they said. Rishi has refuted allegations of any wrong doing and is said to be co-operating with the agency during his questioning sessions during last week, the sources said. The CBI is now focusing on the role of officials of Defence Ministry, BEML and army and may question them in connection with the case soon, they said. The sources said it was in 1997 that Tatra Sipox UK signed the truck supply deal with BEML which was in alleged violation of defence procurement rules which say that procurement should be done directly from original equipment manufacturer only. The CBI has alleged that since Tatra Sipox UK was not the original manufacturer of these all terrain trucks, the rule that defence procurements should be made from original manufacturer was violated. Meanwhile, Czech Republic-based Tatra a.s. had said in a statement that it supplies for India various truck components ("CKDs") that make up approximately 30 to 35 per cent of a complete vehicle. "The remaining components are made or supplied by other manufacturers or by BEML, an Indian government controlled company that also assembles the Tatra branded vehicles and then sells and delivers them to customers within India under license agreement for Tatra a.s," it had said in a statement. It had also stated that neither Ravi Rishi nor his investment company Vectra Limited, control or have controlled — directly or indirectly — Tatra a.s. "The British company Vectra Limited is a minority stakeholder in Tatra holdings and in principle holds one of the four votes. "Nonetheless, Tatra will request from Mr Rishi and Vectra Limited an explanation of the information about any initiated investigation of him and Vectra Ltd by Indian Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) as it relates to sales of products branded with the 'Tatra' name," it had said in a statement. — PTI
Deal under scanner
n Letters Rogatory would be sent to the UK seeking information on financial transactions of Tatra Sipox UK in which Vectra chairman Ravinder Rishi has been a Director n
The agency will also demand details of Tatra Sipox UK's association with Czech-republic based Tatra
a.s. n Rishi has refuted allegations of any wrongdoing and is said to be co-operating with the agency n
The CBI is now focusing on the role of officials of Defence Ministry, BEML and army and may question them in connection with the case soon
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ULFA doves pin hopes on talks with Centre
Guwahati, April 8 Vice-chairman of the ULFA (pro-talks) Pradip Gogoi said the next round of talks with Government of India officials who would be led by the Union Home Secretary, was expected to begin discussion on the charter of demands submitted earlier to the Centre. The talks will also facilitate review of the progress so far in the ongoing negotiation with the Centre’s peace interlocutor, former IB Chief PC Haldar. The ULFA leaders expects that key issues mentioned in its charter of demands that was submitted to the Centre in August last year would also come up for discussion as they want the peace process to progress as fast as possible to the final solution sans delay or procrastination. Demands of the ULFA ‘doves’, among others, include amendment in the Constitution of India for finding “meaningful” ways to protect the rights and identity of natives of Assam.
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Indian high-fliers head for Italy
Shetty is a member of Team Mangalore, the only organisation in India dedicated to kite flying. “There are nine of us. Two are CAs, some are engineers. The average age of the members of the group is 40,” Shetty said. “We are the only group from India which gets invited to various international kite festivals. We have to bear the expenditure of our travels and the rest is looked after by our hosts,” he said. Having coloured the skies of various countries with their unique kites, these kite enthusiasts will be now leaving for Italy to take part in “Art Evento” international kite festival being held at Cervia from April 21 to May 2. The festival is one of the most prestigious kite festivals in the world and is expected to see participation from 38 countries. The event is organised by Claudio Capelli, an artist who prefers to see his art in the sky rather than in a gallery. An artist has been also included in Team Mangalore to paint kites on the spot. The team has also been invited to the Uiseong International Kite Festival to be held from April 11 to April 17 at Uiseong, South Korea. This event is organised by the Korean Kite Flyers Association. A different team from Team Mangalore will go to South Korea to take part in the festival. Enthusiasts from 21 countries are expected to participate in that event. Team Mangalore will showcase a variety of kites which include Kathakali, said to be the largest kite in India, and various other kites such as Yakshagaana, Durga, Charlie, Owl, Gajaraja, Pushpakavimana, Bird, Bat Series, Bharathnatyam, Avatar Bird, etc. “Since we are from the South, most of our kites have southern designs. But we are open to incorporating designs from other parts of India as well,” Shetty said. He said team Mangalore had earlier participated in kite festivals held at France, Canada, the UK, Thailand, Sri Lanka, Dubai, Qatar, South Korea and won accolades.
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Driver clicks Anna, holds exhibition
Mumbai, April 8 Vishal Yadav, driver of an outdoor broadcast van belonging to Aaj Tak news channel, is holding an exhibition of Anna Hazare's photographs at the Mumbai Marathi Patrakar Sangh here. The exhibition themed "Anna Hazare - From Ralegan Siddhi to Delhi" has 67 photographs of Anna. These photographs were taken by Yadav while on assignment driving the OB van from Hazare's village to Delhi. "I feel humble that a great man like Hazare has come here to inaugurate the exhibition," Yadav told reporters. He said the photographs spanned a year when Hazare kicked off his protest against corruption. Inaugurating the exhibition, Anna exhorted the people to continue the crusade against corruption. "People should begin by carrying out a clean-up in their own neighbourhood before looking at other parts of the country," he said. "Clean up the streets near your house before embarking on to clean up the entire country," he said. The people of Ralegan Siddhi did not have enough food or water, but they went on to change things for themselves, he said. "The most important thing we must look for is development. At the same time, we should work hard to root out corruption. Both have to happen at the same time. They are two sides of the same coin," he added.
SNAPSHOTS
n Vishal Yadav clicked Anna Hazare while driving an OB van for a news channel from Ralegan Siddhi to New Delhi n
He is now holding an exhibition of Anna's 67 photographs at the Mumbai Marathi Patrakar Sangh
n The exhibition is titled: Anna Hazare - From Ralegan Siddhi to Delhi
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Jantar Mantar
VP poll: Najma warms up to Cong
Mediamen watch as dignitaries eat
The Ministry of External Affairs has conveyed its displeasure to Rashtrapati Bhawan about its treatment of the official media delegation which accompanied the leaders who attended the recent BRICS Summit held in New Delhi. The visiting official media delegation went to cover the banquet hosted by President Pratibha Patil but came back hungry and tired as its members were confined to a separate enclosures and had to do with tea and small snacks even as the dignitaries were served a sumptuous meal. The visitors are said to have conveyed their indignation to the foreign office which, in turn, has drawn the Rashtrapati Bhawan's attention to this unhappy incident.
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Probe Radhakrishnan’s role in scrapping Devas deal: Nair
Bangalore, April 8 "They (the government) must look at what's Radhakrishnan's role in cancelling the contract. What is his interest in cancelling the contract? Was he under pressure from any quarter? Or was it his own making? That's what is to be investigated. He (Radhakrishnan) had done a lot of damage to the government in the process. He has to answer these things," he said. On the affidavit filed by the Department of Space (DoS) before the Central Administrative Tribunal, Kochi, Nair said there was nothing new in that. "They have told the same story they have put out earlier," he said. Nair said the DoS kept on harping that Devas sold its shares at a high value but pointed out that "that's not in the purview of the DoS at all. Unnecessarily, they (DoS) are trying to bark at the wrong tree". He said the Antrix-Devas deal was signed in 2004-05, while Nair was a Secretary in the DoS and ISRO Chairman. The sale of shares of Devas took place in 2010 when Radhakrishnan was in charge (as the DoS Secretary and ISRO Chairman). "And he (Radhakrishnan) is answerable for these things. Not me. If the Department of Space has come to know that there was a share sale at a higher price in 2010, they kept quiet until 2011 and now, in 2012, they are taking some action against Devas. It's a problem of Devas and not anyone of us," the former ISRO chief said. — PTI
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Dhubri Sahib gears up for Guru’s birth anniversary
Guwahati, April 8 Secretary of Dhubri Sahib Gurdwara committee Kulwant Singh informed that a huge gathering of devotees was expected given that it was for the first time the birth anniversary of Guru Tegh Bahadur was being celebrated at the historic gurdwara. Guru Nanak came to Assam in 1505 via Dhanpur near Dacca and stayed with Shrimanta Shankardeva, the greatest Vaishnavite reformer of Assam at Dhubri Sahib. Guru Tegh Bahadur also spent time at Dhubri Sahib Gurdwara during his visit to this part of the land. “We are making arrangement to accommodate a large number of devotees from both within and outside the country for the occasion. We are getting help from the devotees in foreign countries who have paid obeisance at Dhubri Sahib earlier,” he said.
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Chouhan a coward, says Digvijay
Bhopal, April 8 "I am convinced that as far as media is concerned, Chouhan is a coward, for he has not mustered the courage to address even a single official press conference during his rule," Digvijay Singh told PTI. An official press conference is the one, which is held at the state secretariat, he explained. Digvijay added that it was difficult to understand Chouhan's reluctance to talk to the media, despite making a number of "tall claims" about ensuring development and turning Madhya Pradesh into a Golden state. "I think Chouhan shies away from media, as he himself knows that his claims are hollow," Digvijay said adding that had there been any truth in the claims, there was no reason for him to avoid the media. The senior Congress leader said that during his own 10-year long tenure as the chief minister of Madhya Pradesh he used to hold an official press conference almost every month. "By keeping away from the media, Chouhan has proved conclusively that he does not have the courage to face even a single uncomfortable question," Digvijay said. He further said he was amused to read the chief minister's statement, in which he said that he could not understand how a corrupt man could sleep peacefully at night. — PTI
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Akhilesh begins with a bang
Lucknow, April 8 Accompanied by uncle and Irrigation Minister Shivpal Yadav and Revenue Minister Ambika Chaudhury, Akhilesh had visited Khiri to inspect the Sharda canal which causes perennial floods in the region every year. Clearly in an effort to hoodwink the high-level team, Irrigation Department officials flooded the canal overnight to camouflage the highly silted riverbed. However, the matter could not remain hidden for long as Ravi Prakash Verma, a national-level SP office-bearer from the district, met the CM and his team and showed them photographs of the silted canal before it was hurriedly flooded leaving the CM fuming. Verma also pointed out how the engineers and contractors connive to misappropriate huge de-silting funds every year.
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CBI probing fund transfer charges against Jagan
New Delhi/Hyderabad, April 8 The letter of request, sent through diplomatic channel, alleged that between 2004 and 2009 when Y S Rajashekar Reddy was the Chief Minister, his son Jagan and his family allegedly defrauded the public exchequer by way of obtaining several favours from the state government in matters related to issuance of licences and permissions. .Jagan and his family have also been charged in the letter with obtaining favours in matters related to allotment of lands for special economic zones and mining leases to companies which made huge investments in companies floated by younger Reddy at abnormally high rates of premium. Denying all the charges, Reddy in a statement to PTI said, "All the investments into my companies have been of sound commerce and have always been complying with the law of the land. The companies, which invested into my companies, have also invested into other blue chip companies in the country." "There has been no wrongdoing by Jagan Mohan Reddy. So there's nothing to be concerned about. We are sure he is going to come out clean in the end," a statement from the party said and accused the CBI of working overtime with a single-minded agenda to implicate the Kadapa MP in some case or the other. The Letters Rogatory sent under the signatures of the Special Judge of CBI in Hyderabad has requested the British Virgin Island to ascertain the details of the owners and authorised signatories of and bank account details of a firm incorporated in that country besides ascertaining whether funds from companies based in Mauritius had been routed to India through there. It also requests for ascertaining the genuineness of the shareholders of the firm and their relationship if any with Y S Rajshekar Reddy or Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy, it said.While forwarding the request under the "Assurance of Reciprocity" as no treaty of mutual legal assistance exists between the two countries of India and British Virgin Island, the CBI requested that the statement of witnesses may be recorded as per the requirement of law and procedure in vogue there. The Letters Rogatory have also been sent to Luxembourg, Singapore, Hong Kong, Mauritius and the UK. In Mauritius, the Letters Rogatory have sought details about two companies besides furnishing original or certified copies besides details of bank accounts with three international bankers to ascertain whether any funds were received or transferred into Sandur Power Company owned by Jagan Reddy. The CBI, in a request to Financial Services Authority (FSA), has asked whether any probe was conducted into activities of UBS Bank London wherein the bank had allegedly floated subsidiary funds to divert money to their clients into India in the form of investments. "Whether the FSA London has found out the beneficiaries of these funds and if so the names thereof, if the beneficiary are Indian Nationals," the request said. The statement of Jagan Reddy's party also said from the beginning it has been a wild goose chase for the CBI. "The Congress has used CBI to settle political scores. The defiant Jagan Mohan Reddy has not succumbed to any such pressures and his party YSR Congress will continue to be a political force to reckon with," he said. — PTI |
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Delhi court says sexual abuse law being misused
New Delhi, April 8 Additional Sessions Judge (ASJ) Kamini Lau let off Model Town resident Nikunj Ahuja, who was charged for raping his domestic maid in October 2010 while she was sleeping in the house's drawing room, saying the 18-year-old girl's statement was "highly vague" and it was not reliable and trust worthy. "It has been observed by the court that it is in those cases where either the domestic worker is underpaid or where they have been detained by the employer for an unusually long period that these workers have unfortunately resorted to invoke the laws relating to sexual abuse for achieving their goal, being ill-advised as has happened in the present case," the court said. It said that recently there has been a spurt of cases being registered on allegations made by the migrant domestic workers regarding rape and sexual abuse either by the persons of the placement agency or by the employers as in this case. "In many cases these young girls from backward areas are being rampantly exploited by those running the placement agencies who use them (the girls) as pawns to settle their personal scores with their professional rivals and customers who seek employment of such domestic workers from their agencies," Lau said. According to police, the girl was employed by a placement agency in Ahuja's house as maid in 2008 and on October 16, 2010, when she was sleeping in the drawing room of the house, the accused came and dragged her to his house and allegedly raped her. — PTI
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MP BJP not in favour of Bundelkhand
Orchha (MP), April 8 The party has also demanded a package of Rs 25,000 crore from the Centre for the holistic development of Bundelkhand region in the state, which is described as "country's one of the most backward regions". "Creation of a separate Bundelkhand state is not economically viable, as the present contribution of the region to the state exchequer is just nine per cent, while its expenses are 36 per cent," Sagar MP and BJP state unit vice president Bhupendra Singh told reporters here on the last day of party's two-day long state executive meet her. He was briefing reporters about the resolution passed at the meeting on the issue of development of Bundelkhand. Blaming Congress for the region's backwardness Bhupendra said, even those, who contested the Uttar Pradesh assembly polls on the issue of statehood to Bundelkhand, including film actor Raja Bundela, had lost their deposits. The area is rich in mineral resources like diamond, rock phosphate, iron, dolomite and granite, among others and therefore, if the Centre is really serious about developing the region, then it should set up beneficiation plants to improve the quality of minerals found in the region to generate employment, the BJP MP said. The resolution also criticised Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi for "making fun of the poverty of the people of Bundelkhand region, by visiting their houses and making tall promises." BJP also alleged that Congress is not giving approval to various educational institutes. The party has also demanded to de-nationalise the National Highway- 86 as the Union Surface Transport Ministry is not heeding to the state's request of developing it, which has forced people to travel on the road, full of potholes. — PTI
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Mumbai, April 8
New Delhi, April 8
Bangalore, April 8
Trinamool Congress (TMC) chief and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's aversion to the Left parties, their leaders and their ideology is well known. After successfully dislodging the 34-year-old Left rule in West Bengal, Mamata has gone out of her way to erase what she perceives to be a legacy of the previous regime. Last week, she faced flak for doctoring history after her government recommended that Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, recognised as founders of Marxism, be kept out of the history syllabus in the state's government schools. While Kolkata is rife with such stories, New Delhi has not remained untouched by this "anti-Left" campaign unleashed by the Mamata government. The state government-run Bangla Bhawan on Hailey Road, used by visiting West Bengal politicians and officials, had a plaque saying that the building was inaugurated by West Bengal Chief Minister Jyoti Basu and his PWD Minister Yatin Chakrovarty. However, it has now come to the notice of regular visitors that this plaque has mysteriously disappeared. And so far, nobody has been able to provide a satisfactory answer to this unusual occurrence.
Finance Minister and UPA government's troubleshooter Pranab Mukherjee had an unusual visitor at his Talkatora Road residence recently. It was none other than former Congress and now BJP MP Najma Heptulla, who was inducted into the Rajya Sabha last month by her newly-adopted party after a two-year wait. The Tribune had reported that the BJP was planning to field her as a Vice-Presidential candidate when elections are held later this year. This story has gained further credence after Najma met Pranab Mukherjee. The meeting is being seen as a preliminary attempt by the former Congress leader to seek support for her candidature from her old party. Given the present line-up in the state Assemblies, the Congress and the BJP have to necessarily forge a consensus on the nominees for the President and Vice-President's posts. Given this situation, it is possible that the BJP-led NDA will agree to the UPA's Presidential candidate if it is able to get its own nominee elected as the Vice-President. In that case, there could be an agreement on Najma Heptulla.
