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Uproar over Assam violence in LS
Tendulkar begins Rajya Sabha innings
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UPA coordination panel meets
Bogus Chinese parts in defence equipment?
Fresh case against arms dealer Abhishek Verma
Bandra-Worli Sea Link: Mumbai’s ‘suicide point’
Assets case: Gowda’s son lands in the soup
AFT slams MoD for not implementing orders
Anti-talk ULFA
faction removes Rajkhowa as chairman
Yamuna Expressway to open today
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Uproar over Assam violence in LS
New Delhi, August 8 The issue was discussed in the Lok Sabha through an adjournment motion moved by BJP leader LK Advani, which was negated by a voice vote. Replying to the five-hour-long debate, newly appointed Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde gave details of the violent incidents and the steps taken by the Centre and the state government to restore normalcy in the affected areas. “The Army has been kept on alert,” he told the Lok Sabha, adding that the government will not hesitate to deploy it whenever it was required. Shinde also told the House that a comprehensive security plan has been chalked out to provide foolproof security to the affected population while relief and rehabilitation measures are in full swing. Initiating the discussion on Assam violence, BJP veteran LK Advani said the violence was reflective not of ethnic clashes but of issues involving the rights of Indians vis-à-vis foreigners. Blaming the Centre for its inability to implement the 2005 Supreme Court judgment that sought the removal of illegal Bangladeshi immigrants from Assam, Advani warned that continued illegal immigration could jeopardise India’s security. Pawan Singh Ghatwar, MoS, Parliamentary Affairs, warned the Centre against harassing Indian citizens in the name of deporting illegal immigrants. CPM leader Basudeb Acharia agreed with the Congress when he said illegal Bangladeshis were not at the root of the recent violence. “You can’t call these Muslims Bangladeshis. They have settled in Assam since 1940s. The issue is the Bodo urge to increase their population from 27 per cent to 50 per cent so that they can stake claim for a separate state.” JDU’s Sharad Yadav asked the Centre what the scale of displacement in Assam was. “Some say it is 4 lakh. That scale of displacement didn’t even happen during the Partition. You must tell us the reality - how many Muslims, Bodos and Santhals have been displaced. You must also hold an all-party meeting to find a solution to the problem and should implement the SC order to remove foreigners from Assam,” Yadav said. 4 more bodies found, toll 77
Guwahati: Four more bodies were recovered on Wednesday in lower Assam, which witnessed fresh incidents of violence, taking the toll to 77, police said. "Two bodies, that of a male and a female from the minority community, were recovered from Kokrajhar district, and one each from Baksa and Chirang districts," Assam IGP (law and order) LR Bishnoi said. He said of the two bodies found from Kokrajhar, one was fished out from Champa river and another was recovered from Gossaigaon area.
— PTI
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Tendulkar begins Rajya Sabha innings
New Delhi, August 8 Tendulkar was nominated as a Rajya Sabha MP in April. Speaking to reporters, while mobbed by the crowd, Tendulkar said, "It is a new experience for me. When I'm ready to speak, I'll tell you. Thank you.” He had voted in the
Vice-Presidential election on Tuesday. Actor Rekha, another nominated MP, was also present in the Rajya
Sabha as the new monsoon session began. Rekha had attended parliament's budget session when she took her oath as member. Both Tendulkar and Rekha had also voted in the vice-presidential election yesterday.
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UPA coordination panel meets New Delhi, August 8 The committee was constituted recently at the insistence of the NCP chief and Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar after he threatened to quit the government in protest against the Congress’ style of functioning and the “raw deal” given to UPA allies. The inaugural meeting did not discuss specific subjects but laid down procedures for the future and dwelt on the general political and economic situation. It decided to meet on the last Friday of every month. However, it could also meet more frequently if there are any urgent issues which need to be sorted, it has been maintained. Finance Minister P Chidambaram, who has been designated as spokesperson for these meetings, later said there was overall agreement that it was useful to have such a coordination mechanism which would provide a forum for informal discussions among the allies and coming to some conclusion. With the country in the throes of an economic crisis, the PM and Finance Minister have been stressing the urgent need to liberalise FDI rules to attract more investments and take tough measures like reducing subsidies. There has been strong resistance to these from the allies in the past but the government hopes this consultative mechanism will help in quick decision-making. The committee, which is headed by UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi, comprises leaders of parties which are members of the UPA. Trinamool Congress Chief and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee did not attend the meeting but her aides in Kolkata dismissed reports that she had boycotted meeting, stating that she was busy with a pre-scheduled programme. Appeasing allies The committee was constituted recently at the insistence of the NCP chief and Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar after he threatened to quit the government in protest against the Congress' style of functioning and the "raw deal" given to UPA allies
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Bogus Chinese parts in defence equipment?
This comes just months after a US Senate investigation found 1,800 incidents of bogus parts in the US Department of Defence supply chain in 2009 and 2010. The year-long probe by the Senate Armed Services Committee found counterfeit electronic parts from China in the Air Force's C-130J cargo plane, in the assemblies for special operations helicopters and in the Navy's Poseidon surveillance plane, the US Senate panel had said in its report released in May this year. India has purchased six C-130J aircraft from the US manufacturer Lockheed Martin. The planes have joined the IAF fleet and are based at Hindon near Delhi. Also, New Delhi is contracted to purchase Poseidon (named P8I) surveillance plane from Boeing. “The government is verifying reports claiming that a large number of faulty Chinese spare parts have been used in the defence equipment sold by the US,” Defence Minister A K Antony replied in Rajya Sabha today. The minister said this in reply to a question raised by Motilal Vora of the Congress asking whether the government was aware that a large number of faulty Chinese spare parts have been used in the defence equipment that were being sold by the US. Antony tabled a list of defence equipment purchased from the USA during the last five years. The list included Indian Naval Ship Jalashwa, UH-3H helicopters, Harpoon missiles, Long Range Acoustic Devices, modern hull penetrating periscopes, side scan sonar, C I30J aircraft, sensor fused weapons, C-17 Globemaster-III, P-8I maritime reconnaissance aircraft, Quick Reaction Team (QRT) boats, etc. Replying to a question on the acquisition of 126 fighter aircraft for the Indian Air Force, Antony said, "The proposal for procurement of the Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA) is currently at the stage of commercial discussions." The proposal will be considered further after the Contract Negotiations Committee (CNC) concludes its deliberations and submits its report, he added.
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Fresh case against arms dealer Abhishek Verma
In 2009, Ajay Maken was Union Minister of State for Home Affairs. The CBI said it registered a case against the arms dealer under Section 8 of Prevention of Corruption Act, Section 65 A (b and c) of Information Technology Act and under Section 469 of the IPC which relates to forgery for purpose of harming reputation. The agency also slapped charges of violation of Information Technology Act
and Prevention of Corruption Act in the fresh case, the CBI said. Verma and his wife were arrested on June 8. They are in judicial custody. After his arrest, a few other people were questioned, but their names were not disclosed by the CBI, sources said. Verma has moved for bail before a special court here as CBI has failed to file a chargesheet in a case against him for allegedly receiving $5,30,000 from Rheinmetall Air Defence AG (RAD) for using his influence to stall blacklisting proceedings initiated by Indian authorities. The letter written by Verma on forged letterhead of Ajay Maken came to light when his estranged business associate, C Edmond Allen in the US, had sent a tranche of documents to the CBI and the Defence Ministry. The documents send by Edmond consisted of a letter allegedly written on the forged letterhead of Maken. The letter did not bear Maken’s signature. During investigation, the CBI found that Verma committed the forgery to show off his connections in the government. The tranche received by CBI also has a letter from one of its then Superintendents of Police, which was also found to be forged, CBI sources said. The letter on Maken’s forged letterhead was part of alleged dealings between Verma’s front company Ganton and a Chinese telecom company working closely with MTNL and
BSNL.
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Bandra-Worli Sea Link: Mumbai’s ‘suicide point’
Two suicide cases were reported in this month alone sending shock waves to the city's security establishment. "The security on the Bandra-Worli Sea Link has always been tight because of the threat of terror attacks. Now, we have increased patrolling to deter pedestrians on the bridge," says Deputy Commissioner of Police Dhananjay Kulkarni. "We are trying to identify the man who dodged security personnel, climbed on the barrier and jumped into the sea," says a police official. The security guard, who tried to stop him, jumped into the sea as well but failed to save the victim. The security guard is hospitalised. Last week, Lalit Seth, owner of the troubled Raj Travels, asked his driver to halt the car ostensibly to make a phone call before jumping into the sea. Seth's body was recovered from the water a few hours later. A suicide note hinted at financial problems as a cause for Seth's desperate step. Earlier this year, an alert constable pulled out a woman, who tried to commit suicide by jumping into the sea. The woman who entered the sea link on a taxi told the driver that she wanted to take a look at the city from the bridge moments before she took the plunge. However the cabbie's alarms alerted a constable, who rescued her. As per the rules formulated by the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC), a toll plaza at the Bandra end of the sea link allows only vehicles to enter the bridge. But this does not deter people from stopping their vehicles and standing on the bridge to take in the scene. "We will install five CCTVs on the sea link for effective monitoring," an MSRDC spokesman said. There are six CCTVs already installed which monitor traffic on the bridge apart from fishing boats approaching the structure from the sea. Deadly Link
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31 die in Meghalaya bus mishap
The incident took place sometime between 3 am and 5 am at Tamseng village near the
Meghalaya-Assam border. Superintendent of Police, East Jaintia Hills district, MK Dkhar said the injured were shifted to Silchar Medical College Hospital in South Assam and government hospital at
Khlietriat. He said all the bodies had been recovered. Rash driving might be the reason behind the mishap. The bus driver was also killed in the accident. The ill-fated bus (AS 01 Y 7379) started journey from Guwahati last night and was scheduled to reach Agartala this evening. Meanwhile, the Tripura Government rushed medical and rescue teams to East Jaintia hills district. District Magistrate of Unakoti district Avishek Chandra rushed to the scene along with medical and rescue teams as many of the passengers were from
Tripura. The Tripura government has opened three control rooms, one in the state capital and the two others in Unakoti and North Tripura district which were providing information to the kin of the deceased or the injured. Sources said the state government would also make arrangements for the kin to visit the scene of the
accident. Tripura Transport Minister Manik Dey expressed his sympathy with the relatives of the
victims. (With PTI inputs)
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Assets case: Gowda’s son lands in the soup
Bangalore, August 8 A private petitioner had alleged in his complaint that the former KAS officer had amassed wealth disproportionate to his known sources of income and had purchased a number of properties after he took voluntary retirement in 2005. The illegal assets, which were valued at Rs 70 crore then, was now valued Rs 500 crore, he had claimed. In its report, the Lokayukta Police said that Gowda was found in possession of assets worth Rs 17.5 crore, which was 43 per cent more than what he had declared when he was retiring from service in 2005. The report also stated that the accused had purchased 21 different properties in his and other family members’ names while in service. After retirement, he purchased another 30 properties. Following the directives by the Lokayukta Court to conduct investigations into the complaint and file a report, Lokayukta Police had raided the residences and offices of Balakrishna Gowda in Bangalore and Mysore in October last year. The court yesterday issued summons to the Lokayukta ADGP directing him to appear personally before the court today after the police failed to submit the final report yesterday. Police previously submitted that the final report on the investigation was complete and it would be submitted on Monday. When the case was called on Monday, the police sought more time for the report. This infuriated the judge who asked the ADGP to be present at the court today.
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AFT slams MoD for not implementing orders
Chandigarh, August 8 In an order passed in one of the petitions, the tribunal also pointed out that delayed or non-implementation of orders was resulting in imposition of costs on the government, which was ultimately a burden on the taxpayers. It was also pointed out that the court work was held up because of the non-implementation of orders and it also resulted in other expenses, including payments to counsel. The Ministry of Defence is known to challenge most of the verdicts passed in favour of military and disability pensioners. Lawyers dealing with the subject admit that almost every verdict is challenged in the Supreme Court by the government on the ground that it is “against government policy”. The service community has repeatedly raised the issue of non-implementation of court orders with the ministries of defence and law. Despite in-principle assent to it and statements made before the Supreme Court, the AFT has not yet been provided with powers of civil contempt and orders can be sought to be implemented only through execution petitions. Rather than implementing judgments, the MoD and the Army HQ are also known to be writing back to affected personnel whose cases have been allowed by the AFT that their cases are against the government policy and hence will be challenged in the Supreme Court by government agencies. This is in spite of the fact that judgments rendered by all courts have to be implemented unless their operation is specifically stayed by a higher judicial forum. Military veterans have long protested the fact that the Defence Ministry forces litigation on its poor and disabled veterans and makes them litigate up to the Supreme Court, where the litigation cost is high and becomes unaffordable for most pensioners of lower ranks. JUSTICE DELAYED
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Anti-talk ULFA
faction removes Rajkhowa as chairman
Guwahati, August 8 "We are confident that under the leadership of the new chairman, the outfit will make great strides and help in fulfilling the aspirations of the people of Assam,"anti-talk faction's publicity in-charge Arunodoy Asom said in a statement e-mailed to media organisations in the state. We had made a sincere appeal to Rajkhowa to return to the outfit and give up his alliance with the government forces... but there was no response from his side," he said. The outfit had fixed a July 29 deadline for Rajkhowa to return to the outfit. Rajkhowa along with several top leaders of the outfit had participated in negotiations with the Centre to bring peace to Assam that was opposed by the anti-talk faction led Paresh Barua. The pro-talks faction of the ULFA led by Arabinda Rajkhowa termed the decision to remove Rajkhowa as "a violation of the provisions of the ULFA’s constitution".
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Yamuna Expressway to open today
Greater Noida, August 8 At present, the NCR residents use the NH2 via Faridabad to reach Agra. At several stretches on the NH2, commuters face traffic jams and it takes more than 4 hours to reach Agra. Through the Yamuna Expressway, Delhi residents will be able to reach Agra in two and a half hours. Greater Noida residents will take one and a half hour to reach Agra. It will take less than 2 hours for Noida residents to reach Agra. The Uttar Pradesh Government has given approval to the toll rates, which are around Rs 2.10 per km for cars and LMVs. Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav will tomorrow unveil the ceremonial plaque of the Yamuna Expressway from Lucknow at 11 am. SP leader Ram Gopal Yadav will flag off vehicles at the Yamuna Expressway from here. Akhilesh will address the gathering at zero mile through video conferencing. The expressway will be thrown open to public at 4 pm tomorrow. In the Fast Lane
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New Delhi, August 8
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