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7 pilgrims killed as train rams into truck at railway crossing
Kwatra might have been
active in porn films
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Are states really free to decide on FDI in retail, BJP asks Centre
state leader vs national leader
No takers for 1 lakh engineering seats in Andhra
Action recommended against 2 more coal firms
Rape-murder of BPO staffer
SC quashes gag order against media
Nupur Talwar gets bail, to
spend 1 more week in jail
Gorshkov boilers malfunction during trials, delivery delayed
Climate-controlled hatcheries for Ladakh
Aarakshan ban: Director seeks compensation from Punjab
No permanent status for women in combat areas, Centre tells SC
5 killed in mishap
GSAT-10 launch postponed
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7 pilgrims killed as train rams into truck at railway crossing
Abohar, September 17 Later, an irate mob of pilgrims intercepted a medical relief train half a km away, pelted the staff with stones and set the train ablaze. The staff escaped unhurt, but the operation theatre coach was reduced to ashes. The incident resulted in suspension of rail traffic even when the damaged truck had been promptly removed from the track using cranes. Divisional Commercial Manager Rajneesh Kumar said that the goods train was going from Lalgarh to Jaisalmer when it hit the rear portion of a truck resulting in the death of three passengers on the spot. Four others died as they were being shifted by ambulances to Bikaner. Fourteen injured passengers have been shifted to the PBM Hospital at Bikaner. The driver of the truck fled from the spot. Scores of pilgrims had left Chak 7 KND and 2 KD villages for pilgrimage to Ramdevra, located near Pokaran in Jaisalmer district. Six of those killed have been identified as Gurjant Singh, Nathi Devi, Deep Chand, Sanjay Shastri, Mohit and Mohinder Kumar. The officials identified the injured pilgrims as Anju (7), Paramjeet Kaur (14), Shrawan Singh (10), Gurudev Singh (45), Manoj (16), Vinod (12), Usha (10), Mukesh (8), Madan Lal (15), Ram Kumar (19), and Dolly Meghwal (8). Dolly has been put on ventilator as her condition is critical. The GRP has registered a case against the persons who damaged the relief train. The railway authorities have said that it was the duty of the truck driver to ensure that his vehicle crossed the unmanned level crossing only after the goods train had passed.
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Kwatra might have been
active in porn films
Mumbai, September 17 Investigators searching Kwatra's office-cum-studio have found video footage of pornographic scenes that may have been shot within the premises, sources said. CCTVs were installed in the bedroom and bathroom of the flat, police said. In addition, a stash of condoms, viagra and sex toys have also been recovered. The victim was portraying himself as a model coordinator, but may have been luring Bollywood aspirants into the blue film trade, says the police. Some of the videos and photographs recovered from Kwatra's premises feature some upcoming actors and models. One of them may have hired hit-men to bump off Kwatra over a deal gone wrong, says the police. According to Deputy Commissioner of Police Mahesh Patil, the investigators have seized a number of CDs and other items. Patil added that four teams of police personnel were questioning the models and actors who featured in portfolios and video footage found at Kwatra's residence. Some of those questioned by the police told investigators that Kwatra used to pay models and actresses for small roles and for featuring in video albums. Among those being questioned include a few former bar girls whose pictures were found at Kwatra's flat, police said.
Deal gone wrong?
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Are states really free to decide on FDI in retail, BJP asks Centre
New Delhi, September 17 It also asked some of the key UPA allies to ‘walk the talk’ instead of issuing ‘empty’ threats that they would withdraw support to the government if did not take back its decisions to allow the FDI in retail, ration LPG cylinders and increase the price of diesel. Addressing a media conference, BJP spokesman Prakash Javadekar explained that India had entered into bilateral investment protection agreements with as many as 82 countries. One of the basic provisions of these agreements was that foreign investors would be treated on a par with Indian nationals. “The effect of this provision is that the Centre cannot put any condition on foreign investors which are not applicable to domestic investors. The Congress needs to explain whether the states would have the right to reject the entry of FDI retail chains,” he said. Javadekar wondered why the government was in a tearing hurry to allow FDI in retail considering the fact that even many cities in the US were not allowing Walmart like chains to open their outlets because of the fear of losing existing jobs. “Have the adverse comments in the Western media against the Prime Minister done the trick?” he asked. Similarly, the government has no convincing reasons to hike the price of diesel. “Why is the government talking about international crude prices instead of citing the price of the Indian crude basket which is the relevant parameter?” According to the BJP spokesperson, diesel would be available at a cost of Rs 30 per litre and petrol at Rs 35 per litre in Delhi without taxes. “The government is not reducing its part of the taxation like excise but expects the states to reduce their taxes.” Javadekar said the NDA was gearing up to ensure the success of its nationwide bandh on September 20 against the measures announced by the government last week. Asked if there was any tacit understanding between the NDA and the Left parties and some other outfits which too had given a call for a bandh on the same day, he said, “You can read between the lines.” He mocked at key UPA allies like the Trinamool Congress and the Samajwadi Party for claiming that they were not consulted by the government while deciding on some of the economic measures announced last week. “Don’t try to fool the people by making empty threats. Why don’t you withdraw support if you are really serious,” he told the UPA constituents.
Bjp’s point
India has entered into bilateral investment protection pacts with 82 nations according to which the Centre cannot put any condition on foreign investors which are not applicable to domestic investors. In this scenario, can states reject the entry of FDI retail chains?
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state leader vs national leader
Rajkot/Patna, September 17 Raking up the issue of foreign origin of Congress president Sonia Gandhi again, the BJP stalwart, who spent his 62nd birthday today continuing his month-long campaign in poll-bound Gujarat, also said he was proud to be a regional leader of the state. Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, who has steadfastly opposed making Modi a prime ministerial candidate in the next Lok Sabha elections, also greeted his Gujarat counterpart and wished him a long life. The forthcoming Assembly polls is expected to be a new arena for a Modi-Nitish faceoff. “Recently, a Congress leader made a statement that Rahul Gandhi is a national leader of Congress and I am a regional leader. I am happy to be a leader of Gujarat but I do not agree to consider Rahul as national leader,” Modi said, addressing Swami Vivekananda Youth Convention in Rajkot. “I am proud to be a regional leader of Gujarat. Rahul is not a national leader but an international leader and he can contest elections in India as well as in Italy,” Modi said, once again targeting the Gandhi family over the foreign origin of Rahul’s mother. Congress spokesperson Rashid Alvi had last week made the comment when he was asked whether the forthcoming election in Gujarat will be a “Modi vs Rahul” battle. He had said comparison cannot be made as Rahul is Congress’ national leader while Modi is a regional leader. Party general secretary Digvijay Singh yesterday described Modi as a regional leader and Rahul a national one. — PTI
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No takers for 1 lakh engineering seats in Andhra
Hyderabad, September 17 Out of the 2.34 lakh seats available for admission into B.Tech courses this year across 667 engineering colleges, only 1.37 lakh candidates attended certificate verification of which 1,34,373 lakh students were allotted seats. Still worse, six private engineering colleges had zero admissions while 24 colleges had less than 10 admissions. While the managements of the private colleges say that they would be economically viable if 35 per cent of the seats were filled, 253 colleges could not cross that figure this year. Only 262 colleges could get more than 200 admissions. In 53 colleges, admissions were between 500 and 800 and these are considered to be viable and standard institutions. Last year, 76,310 seats were vacant while 40,273 seats went vacant in 2010. While all the government colleges reported 100 per cent admissions, only 114 private colleges could reach that goal. This is because the state government’s fee reimbursement scheme is applicable to all the students enrolled in government engineering colleges, irrespective of their merit rank. Not long ago, Andhra Pradesh had a reputation of being a leading educational hub in the country with a string of professional colleges dotting the state capital and other cities. It was a hot destination for students seeking a wide array of undergraduate courses covering engineering, medicine, pharmacy and computer sciences. However, the scenario has changed dramatically. Several private engineering colleges are now facing the risk of closure following poor response from students. A combination of factors has led to this glut. Indiscriminate sanction of colleges in the private sector, poor infrastructure, faculty, laboratory and other facilities and falling standards in the new colleges are among the factors that contributed to the declining demand. Adding to this was the government’s flip-flop over the fee reimbursement policy. The political unrest over the Telangana statehood issue has further compounded the problem. There has been a large-scale migration of students to neighbouring states of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.
Reasons for poor response
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Action recommended against 2 more coal firms
New Delhi, September 17 The IMG has recommended the encashing of bank guarantees of the Tubed coal block belonging to Tata Power Limited and Hindalco Industries Limited. The panel, which resumed its review of the presentations made by private companies this evening, took up just two more blocks and later recommended encashing of the bank guarantees for one of these. Tubed, a block in Jharkhand, was allocated to the two companies jointly in August 2007. The IMG, however, did not make any more recommendations for de-allocation of the coal blocks. The meeting would resume tomorrow when a new set of companies would come under review. The IMG had on Saturday asked the government to de-allocate three coal blocks allotted to SKS Ispat and Power Limited (Rawanwara North); and Bhushan Steel Limited (New Patrapara); and Gourangdih ABC block allocated to Sajjan Jindal-promoted JSW Steel Limited and Himachal EMTA Power Limited, a joint venture. While the Gourangdih ABC block was de-allocated on Saturday itself, the notification as regards Rawanwara North and New Patrapara coal blocks was issued today. Coal Minister Sriprakash Jaiswal also gave nod to forfeit bank guarantee in respect of Nerad Malegaon block in Wardha Maharashtra. The block was awarded to Gupta Metallics and Power Limited and Gupta Coalfields and Washeries Limited in January 13, 2006. The block has estimated geological reserves of 19.5 million tonnes. With the latest round of action and advice from the IMG, a total of seven blocks have been de-allocated, while another nine face punitive action..
Arvind Jayaswal quizzed
New Delhi: The CBI on Monday questioned Director of the AMR Iron and Steel Private Limited Arvind Jayaswal in connection with the alleged irregularities in the allocation of Bander coal block in Maharashtra. During six hours of questioning, senior officers of the CBI wanted to know from Jayaswal how he got the coal block allotted to his company. Officials also wanted to know his political affiliations. Arvind left the CBI headquarters in the evening. Jayaswal has been named by the CBI in its FIR in which it has alleged that the company concealed and misrepresented facts that its group firms had already been allocated coal blocks. Jayaswal is the first person of the AMR Iron and Steel Private Limited to be questioned in connection with coal block allocation. Other Directors of the company would also be questioned soon, including his brother Manoj and son of Congress MP Vijay Darda, Devendra. — TNS
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HC confirms death to 2
Mumbai, September 17 A Division Bench of Justices VM Kanade and PD Kode confirmed the death sentence of the two accused — Purushottam Borate and Pradeep Kokade — for kidnapping, raping and murdering the victim, an employee with Wipro BPO in Pune on November 1, 2007. "We are confirming the death sentence awarded to the duo by the sessions court. The manner is which the offence was committed and the deep impact it has had on society have been considered by us. Any woman will now think twice before taking a cab alone," Justice Kanade said. After the Bench pronounced its verdict, the two accused broke down in the court room. According to the prosecution, the victim had boarded the regular cab contracted to ply employees by the company to report for the night shift. Cab driver Borate, who was accompanied by his friend Kokade, however, changed the route and took the victim to a remote place where she was raped by the duo. — PTI
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SC quashes gag order against media
New Delhi, September 17 The high court had slapped the blanket ban on a petition pleading for an inquiry into media reports of troop movements from Agra to Delhi in January. The reports, carried by a section of the media, had assumed significance in the light of a raging controversy over the age of then Army chief Gen VK Singh who had confronted the government on the issue. Arguing for the Press Council of India
(PCI), which had challenged the high court verdict along with the Indian Newspapers Society (INS), senior counsel PP Rao pleaded only for a stay, pending disposal of the appeal in the Supreme
Court. Rao said the high court had passed the order without hearing the newspapers concerned or the rest of the media and went beyond the petitioner’s prayer, which was only for an inquiry into the reports. Citing a recent judgment by a five-member Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court, Rao said media could be asked only to postpone publication of some news reports and not stay away altogether. Further, there was no logic behind banning publication of troop movements during peace times, he contended. Arguing for the INS, advocate Madhavi Divan contended that the media reports could have in fact helped the government to quell the rebellion if the troop movement was really meant for this. Hearing the appeal, a Bench comprising Justices HL Dattu and CK Prasad asked Additional Solicitor General
(ASG) Indira Jaisingh about the government’s views on the petitioners’ plea for a stay. At this, the ASG said, “I will even go further.” There was no need even for asking the government and the Supreme Court was free to set aside the high court order by doing away with detailed arguments, she said. The Bench then quashed the high court order, pointing out that the high court had gone beyond the prayer made in the petition.
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Nupur Talwar gets bail, to
spend 1 more week in jail
New Delhi, September 17 A Bench comprising Justices AK Patnaik and JS Khehar directed the Ghaziabad trial court to order the release of Nupur by September 25 on the terms it deemed fit. Nupur and her husband Rajesh, who is already on bail, are the main accused in the murder case. Both of them are dentists. The SC passed the order after CBI said it had completed examination of nine of the 14 crucial witnesses. Of the remaining four, two were not traceable and the questioning of two would be completed in a week. Nupur, who has been in jail for 139 days since her surrender before the Ghaziabad court on April 30, had moved the apex court challenging the Allahabad High Court's order which had on May 31 dismissed her plea for bail. The trial court had on May 2 rejected Nupur's bail plea. Arguing for Nupur, senior counsel Harish Salve and KV Viswanathan said their client could not be kept in jail until the completion of the trial which was likely to take about two more years.
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Gorshkov boilers malfunction during trials, delivery delayed
The warship is now expected to be handed over to India at least six months behind schedule. Crew from the Russian navy's northern fleet and a team of the Indian Navy began pre-delivery trials of the warship in July this year. A 500-member strong Indian Navy team onboard the Admiral Gorshkov has reported to the Navy headquarters about the problems with the warship's boilers, especially when it hits top speeds nearing 30 knots (around 55 kmph). Problems have been reported with insulation system of the boilers (eight of them powering four engine shafts). The ship, rechristened INS Vikramaditya, was scheduled for commissioning into the Indian Navy by December 4 this year. India and Russia had signed a $2.3-billion (around Rs 12,650 crore at today's rates) contract for refitting an aircraft carrier of the erstwhile Soviet Navy. The first contract was signed in 2005 when no other country was ready to sell such technology to India. The mishap comes as a major embarrassment for President Vladimir Putin as he prepares to pay an official visit to India next month. The insulation system comprises a special kind of ceramic called "fire-brick". It helps in maintaining optimum temperature in boilers. The malfunction was noticed when the warship was being made to run full throttle at sea over the past 10 days. The warship has so far undertaken around 40 successful landings of MiG-29-K fighter jets on its deck, the radars have been tested and the ship has been sailing non-stop for the past 80 days. The malfunction in the boiler lining has not hit the warship severely. It continues to sail on its own and is conducting tests. Indian Navy sources denied Russian media reports that the boilers had stooped functioning, saying their teams had reported the problem only when the ship hit a speed of 28 knots and above. Correcting such an error in the insulation is a task that can be completed within the grace period of the contract, around four months, or till April 2013. This does not require any external work. Changing of boiler insulation is a routine re-fit carried out by the Navy workmen in Indian shipyards. For this task, the shipyard does not need to take out the boilers by cutting through the hull of the 44,550-tonne warship.
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Climate-controlled hatcheries for Ladakh
Chandigarh, September 17 Some time ago, a facility for hatching poultry eggs in the region by using solar energy was set up, but the hatchability rate was poor and not economical due to low pressure, humidity and hypoxic (low oxygen) conditions. The new normobaric (having atmospheric pressure similar to that at sea level) hatchery will have facilities to monitor and regulate oxygen and carbon dioxide levels, relative humidity and temperature. The DRDO expects that this would enhance hatchability in high altitude areas. The move is aimed at developing poultry farming in the region with the twin benefits of easy availability of fresh poultry products to troops based in Ladakh and to provide a socio-economic spin-off to the local populace. A hatchery unit in Ladakh is a prerequisite to expand poultry farming and to develop a locally adapted breed for the region that is known for its harsh climatic conditions. Unavailability of day-old chicks is a major bottleneck for development of poultry in the region. Similarly, in the absence of a hatchery, hatching eggs produced by local and exotic breeds of chicken is impossible and hence the development of a local breed become non-feasible. The DRDO has also developed a solar-powered poultry house for keeping chicks that overcomes the drawbacks of poor ventilation and low temperature. DRDO’s new initiative
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Aarakshan ban: Director seeks compensation from Punjab
A Bench comprising Justices RM Lodha and AK Dave passed an order as senior counsel Harish Salve, appearing for the director, pleaded that his client should at least be paid a token compensation of one rupee. Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and a few other states had banned the move, apprehending it would create a law and order problem. The move, featuring Amitabh Bachchan, Saif Ali Khan and Deepika Padukone, had been released on August 12, highlighting the pros and cons of the reservation provision in educational institutions. The SC had quashed the ban orders on August 19, holding that the restriction was against the right to free speech and expression guaranteed under the Constitution. The court had also pointed out that no security problem had cropped up in the states where the film was screened.
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No permanent status for women in combat areas, Centre tells SC
New Delhi, September 17 In an additional affidavit filed before the apex court, the defence ministry has said that combat support arms/ services have to sustain prolonged conflict hazards and hence, there is no question of grant of permanent status to women officer either now or in the future. The ministry has filed the affidavit in connection with the appeal filed by it challenging the Delhi High Court's March 12, 2010, judgement directing the Centre to grant permanent commission status to women short service commissioned officers in the Air force and the Army. The Centre while agreeing to implement the direction with regard to the Air Force has however, expressed its opposition to extending the benefit to women in the Army combat and its support units. "That the grant of permanent commission to women officers in combat arms like infantry, mechanised infantry and armoured corps, which are involved in direct combat with the enemy is ruled out because of their close proximity with the enemy and attendant hazards of battle. "As regard granting permanent commission to women officers in combat support arms like engineers, signals, army air defence, intelligence and services like electronics mechanical engineers, army service corps and army ordnance corps, the issue has been examined at length," the Centre said justifying its stance. Interestingly, the government said that the army's junior commissioned officers & other ranks hail from rural India and it will take them much more time to accept woman as leaders in combat situations. "The interface between the leaders and the led must be without any reserve or preconceived notions especially in battle conditions where jawans repose full faith in the decisions/orders of the leader who is their role model and are prepared to make supreme sacrifices in the line of duty," the ministry said. It was a misconception to construe that combat arms/ services are not required to move in the conflict zone and they are immune to the trauma of actual battle conditions, the ministry contended. It said the combat support arms/services are required to extend combat, logistics and communication support to the front line troops and therefore, they also bear the brunt of the war. "It will not be far fetched to state that combat support arms/services are sucked into actual battle conditions during a war and have to sustain similar prolonged conflict hazards as being faced by the combat arms. Women officers being inducted into combat support arms/services as short service commission officers are not exposed in front line duties that includes perations, ambushes, conflict zone and isolated posts, it said. The affidavit said the fact that no women officer has been killed in conflict zone so far bears testimony to their protected employment. "That in view of the factual position....it will not be feasible to grant permanent commission to women officers in combat support arms/services," it said. — PTI |
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5 killed in mishap
Muzaffarnagar, September 17 The mishap took place this morning on the Delhi-Dehradun national highway, about 20 km from here, they said. The deceased were later identified as Vishal, Akhtar Narender, Pawan Kumar and Nishad. The injured were admitted to a nearby hospital. — PTI
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GSAT-10 launch postponed Bangalore, September 17 Addressing a press conference here, Radhakrishnan said they were all set for the launch of GSAT-10 on September 22. However, following the discovery of the snag on September 15, it has been decided to postpone the flight for at least a week. He said the preparedness of the flight would be reviewed again on September 19 and in all likelihood the launch would take place on September 29. European space consortium Arianespace’s Ariane-5 rocket is slated to put the GSAT-10 in orbit along with the communication satellite Astra 2F which is to provide free-to-air and encrypted DTH digital TV and satellite broadband services for Europe and Africa.
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New Delhi, September 17
New Delhi, September 17