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India looks to UAE to meet its energy needs
Krishna to take up minorities’ rights issue with Pak
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Boys outshine girls in IIT-JEE 2012
Super 30 does it again
Founder of Super 30, Anand Kumar, celebrates with his students who have cracked the IIT-JEE, in Patna on Friday. — PTI
Govt to go into austerity mode
Italy wants int’l law to apply to marines
Mob ransacks police post, injures SP in Allahabad
CBI raids premises of 15 Jharkhand MLAs
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India looks to UAE to meet its energy needs
New Delhi, May 18 Addressing a joint press conference with his UAE counterpart Shiekh Abdullah bin Zayed al Nahyan here, External Affairs Minister S M Krishna underlined that ‘’The UAE is our largest trading partner, significant contributor to our energy security and hosts about 1.75 million Indian expatriates.’’ Earlier, the issue of India’s energy security needs is understood to have figured prominently during the talks between the two ministers. They are also learnt to have discussed bilateral and international issues, including maritime security cooperation to tackle piracy and India-Pakistan relations. The two countries decided to set up a high-level joint task force to further explore opportunities in investments. The task force will be headed by Commerce Minister Anand Sharma and Abu Dhabi Investment Authority Managing Director Sheikh Hamad bin Zayed al Nahyan. Krishna said the UAE leadership was keen to address the issue of investments so as to bring them on par with the multi-faceted relationship between the two countries. He said he had discussed with his UAE counterpart the forthcoming third India-Arab Economic Conclave to be hosted in Abu Dhabi on May 21-22 and the proposed road show on investments in Abu Dhabi and Dubai which Indian officials propose to undertake in June so as to exchange information and clarify issues related to the investment climate in India. On the issue of India’s energy needs, Krishna said the need to increase import of oil and other energy sources was of critical importance and in the UAE, India has a dependable supplier. The UAE minister assured India that his country, one of the largest suppliers of crude oil, would like to see more energy exports to India. “We would like to see UAE presence in downstream investments in India, including petrochemicals. The UAE’s assurance to assist India comes at a time when India is looking at alternate sources of energy in view of the difficulties it is facing in doing business with Iran because of the sanctions imposed against the Islamic republic by the UN and the US.
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Krishna to take up minorities’ rights issue with Pak
New Delhi, May 18 “I am going to Pakistan…the visit is on the cards. I will certainly be conveying the sentiments of Parliament to my counterpart on the issue of minorities there,” he said. He was replying to a short-duration discussion on the normalisation of relations with the neighbouring country and human rights violations of minorities there. Krishna is scheduled to visit Pakistan in July-August to review the progress in the second round of the dialogue with Pakistan Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar. He said New Delhi had conveyed its view on the recent abduction and subsequent conversion to Islam of a Hindu girl in Pakistan to a senior official of the Pakistani mission here. India, the minister said, had always desired peaceful and good relations with Pakistan but that objective could only be achieved provided Islamabad also subscribed to it. “For a clap, it needs two hands, there is nothing like one-hand clap,” he said. He said it was imperative for Pakistan to fulfil its commitment not to allow the use of its territory for fomenting terrorism against India. “It (Pakistan) has to take notice of the fact that forces which are hostile to India continue to carry on their ‘Hate-India’ campaign. We have conveyed to them that this would not help in promoting relations,” he said. Krishna said it was the duty of the Pakistan Government to discharge its constitutional obligation towards its citizens, particularly the minority communities and their religious places. Referring to the upcoming talks between the Home/Interior secretaries of India and Pakistan in Islamabad next week, he said the two sides would sign a revised visa agreement to facilitate easy travel between the two countries. The liberalised visa regime entails increase in the number of cities to be visited, granting visa-on-arrival to senior citizens and children.
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fishermen’s killing Ashok Tuteja/TNS
New Delhi, May 18 “In light of the developments in the situation in Kerala and the charges against the two Italian servicemen, Massimiliano Latorre and Salvatore Girone, the Italian Ambassador to New Delhi Giacomo Sanfelice, has been recalled to Rome for consultations with the government,” a statement issued by the Italian Foreign Ministry said. Official sources here confirmed that the Italian envoy had been called back by his government for “consultations”. Earlier in the day, a special investigation team (SIT) of the Kerala Police filed a charge sheet against two Italian marines, Latorre Massimillano and Salvatore Girone, for shooting dead two Indian fishermen from aboard the cargo ship Enrica Lexie on February 15 off the Kerala coast. The fishermen, Ajesh Binki (25) and Gelastine (45), were allegedly mistaken for pirates by the Italian marines. The incident occurred off Alappuzha. The marines were arrested on February 20. One of the charges carries a maximum penalty of life imprisonment, but another can attract death penalty, although the Central Government would have to approve that. The incident led to a stand-off between India and Italy with New Delhi contending that the two Italian marines would be tried under the Indian law. Rome claimed since the incident took place in international waters, the two marines could not be dealt with under Indian laws. Prolonged talks between the two countries have failed to end the stalemate, casting a shadow on bilateral ties. Italy had sent its top officials, including Foreign Minister Giulio Maria Terzi di Sant’ Agata, to seek a resolution to the crisis, but nothing seems to have worked so far. Sources here emphasised that it would be helpful for the two countries to remain engaged, instead of taking any extreme step. Italian Deputy Foreign Minister Staffan De Mistura, currently in India, met the marines yesterday and expressed concern over the lengthy trial in India. He described the killing of the fishermen as “accidental” and insisted that Indian courts did not have jurisdiction over the incident.
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Boys outshine girls in IIT-JEE 2012
New Delhi, May 18 Out of the 1,50,431 girls who appeared for the test held on April 8 for admission to 15 IITs , only 2,886 secured ranks in the merit list announced by the institutes today. This comes to be 1.9 pc only. As against this, 6.2 boys who appeared for the exam secured top ranks. Out of 3,37,917 who took the test, 21,226 were ranked among the top. In the reserved categories, SCs were the best performers: As against 3.5 pc of the OBCs who secured ranks, 7.4 pc SCs, 5.9 pc STs and 7.2 pc physically disabled managed to get ranks, respectively. In all, as many as 4,79,651 candidates sat for the exam in both the papers and out of them 24,112 secured ranks in various categories of admissions. However, 17,462 have been called for counselling. These candidates will now compete for 9647 available seats at the IITs and other top technical institutes of India. The shortlisted students will have to fill their choice of courses up to 5 pm on June 10 and they are not required to report in person to any of the institutes for counselling. Only disabled students will have to appear in person to the institutes for a medical examination by a board constituted for the purpose. Arpit Agarwal who appeared from IIT Delhi Zone topped this year’s all-India list of successful candidates. The highest ranked girl is Inala Jeevana Priya who secured 21st rank from IIT Madras Zone. She is the topper among girls in the general category. Among the shortlisted candidates for counselling, there are 8723 boys and the rest are girls, with the boys taking a lead. THE TOPPERS Name IIT Zone Rank Arpit Agarwal Delhi 1 Bijoy Singh Kochar Roorkee 2 Nishant Koushik Kharagpur 3 Rumandala Nishant Madras 4 Nishit Agarwal Bombay 6 Shubham Chandak Kanpur 15 Rohot Kumar Guwahati 79
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Super 30 does it again
New Delhi, May 18 Director of the Centre, featured in the Times’ last year among the “Best of Asia 2010” list, Anand Kumar said, “It is good news that this year, 27 out of the 30 students made it to the IIT-JEE. It has underlined the fact that with proper opportunity, students from poor families can also reach the prestigious IIT.” The successful candidates include wards of a truck mechanic, a farmer, a daily-wage labourer and vendors. “All of them have managed to successfully chase their IIT JEE dreams at Super 30 with their commitment and hard work," he said. Last year, 24 students of the institute had cleared the IIT-JEE. Super 30 takes up only 30 students a year for free coaching. Students from poor families have to first pass a competitive test to get into Super 30 and then commit themselves to a year of 16 hours a day study routine. Coaching, food and accommodation are free for students. Anand said the institute was supported by income generated from his Ramanujam School of Mathematics, which has students who can afford to pay fees. In 2003, the first year of the institute, 18 students had made it to IITs.
Success story
n Twenty-six out of 30 students clear the exam n
The successful candidates include wards of a truck mechanic, a farmer, a daily-wage labourer and vendors
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Govt to go into austerity mode
New Delhi, May 18
This was indicated by Minister of State for Finance Namo Narain Meena in Parliament today. However, according to Finance Ministry sources, this is a regular exercise initiated by the Expenditure Department to curb non-plan expenditure of different ministries. This is not part of the austerity measures indicated by Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee recently. They are still being finalised and will be announced later.
The belt tightening steps being initiated now include foreign visits of ministers and officials and seminars and workshops at five-star hotels. Purchase of new vehicles may also be deferred. Also on the cards is pruning of allocations made to various schemes, where spending will be insisted on current outlay before asking for additional money.
With finances under stress, Mukherjee had announced on Wednesday in Parliament that government would resort to “unpopular” austerity measures to deal with fiscal problems. “... I am going to take a little bit of unpopular steps. I am going to issue some austerity measures...,” Mukherjee had said. It is likely that the government would announce some curbs in foreign tours by ministers and officials as well as insistence on travel by economy class.
In a bid to reduce wasteful expenditure and containing fiscal deficit, the government had last year cut foreign tours and asked officials to refrain from hosting conferences in five-star hotels.
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Italy wants int’l law to apply to marines
New Delhi, May 18 He said it should be borne in mind that marines on the Italian vessel were operating in a sensitive region. — PTI
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Mob ransacks police post, injures SP in Allahabad
Lucknow, May 18 The incident occurred under the Dhumanganj police station in Allahabad, 201 km from Lucknow, where Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav was taking his first review meeting of the law and order situation. All senior officers, including IGs, DIG and district police chiefs as well as the district magistrates and commissioners, were in Lucknow attending the review meeting while the Allahabad mob went berserk on the streets after policeman Sanjay Singh opened fire from his service revolver injuring one Tufail when he reportedly refused ‘rangdari’. The incident occurred in Madion locality under the Dhumanganj police station around noon. The police firing had an instant reaction. The angry crowd indulged in heavy brick-batting damaging vehicles, setting afire a police motorcycle, on which the policeman had come asking for money. Then they marched to the Bamrauli police post, ransacked it and set afire the vehicles parked there. Even the fire brigade summoned to control the fire was not spared. When SP City Shailesh Yadav rushed to the spot to control the situation, he and his gunner also became the target of the angry crowd. While Shailesh was given first-aid, his gunner had to be admitted to the district hospital. Tufail was rushed to the SRN Hospital where his condition was described as stable. Speaking to a news channel Zahoor, his relative said police regularly harassed the residents of the area demanding rangdari. The Allahabad police has arrested policeman Sanjay Singh, who reportedly opened fire in the morning injuring Tufail and provoking the violence. Meanwhile, at the law and order review meeting the Chief Minister has issued a stern warning to the district-level officers to check the rising crime graph within 15 days.
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RS Horse Trading row
Ranchi, May 18 "Raids were also conducted on the residences of Independent candidate Pawan Kumar Dhoot in Kolkata and former Rajya Sabha member Ajay Maroo in Ranchi," a CBI official said. Dhoot, an industrialist, was one of the independent candidates in the countermanded Rajya Sabha elections. The CBI could not search the house of JMM MLA Sita Soren, daughter-in-law of JMM president Shibu Soren, in Bokaro, as it was found locked. "We have put a seal on her residence and deployed guards there. However, we have conducted raids in another of her houses," the official said. The other MLAs on whose residences raids were conducted are Sanjay Prasad Yadav, Janardhan Paswan, Sanjay Kumar Singh Yadav (all three of RJD), Sudha Choudhary (JDU), Ram Chandra Sahis, Umakant Razzak, Kamal Kishore Bhagat (all three of AJSU Party), Paulis Surin (JMM), Arun Mandal, Ramchandra Baitha (both BJP), Saurav Narayan Singh, Anant Pratap Deo, Sarafaraz Ahmed (all three from the Congress), the official said. Raids were also carried out on the premises of Yakub Ali, a private citizen, he said. On April 21, the CBI had raided the premises of three MLAs, Vishnu Bhaiyya (JMM), KN Tripathy (Congress) and Suresh Paswan of the RJD and independent candidate and industrialist RK Agarwal and his kin. The sleuths had also seized the ballot box which was allegedly used in the March 30 countermanded Rajya Sabha elections, on April 21. The agency has registered a case under section 171F (undue influence) and 188 of the Indian Penal Code (disobedience to an order lawfully promulgated by a public servant), days after the police and the Income Tax department seized Rs 2.15 crore from a vehicle allegedly belonging to a relative of an independent candidate on the outskirts of Ranchi on the day of the poll. — PTI
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With the US continuing to nudge India to reduce its dependence on oil from Iran, India today indicated that it was looking at the possibility of increased oil supplies from the United Arab Emirates
(UAE).
In another huge accomplishment, 27 of the 30 students coaching from Bihar's Super 30, a free coaching centre for underprivileged students, have cracked the highly competitive Indian Institute of Technology-Joint Entrance Examination (IIT-JEE) this year.
