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3-day Khushwant literature fest kicks off at Kasauli
Fans raise a toast to ‘Kasauli peg’
Decontrol sugar sector, says Rangarajan panel
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Accused of abduction,
UP minister resigns
India, Russia join hands to develop new transport jet
3 million fewer girls born in past decade
Kerala ex-Governor SS Kang dead
Wife sentenced to life for killing husband
Apex court to examine Cauvery panel report
BJP slams Cong over power hike, LPG cap
Sedition charge against cartoonist to be dropped
Pune Blasts
India, Lanka begin talks on N-cooperation
Cong MP flashes gun to avoid paying toll
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3-day Khushwant literature fest kicks off at Kasauli
Solan,October 12 His son and senior journalist Rahul Singh read out his message which was penned down by the 97-year-old writer in his own handwriting. While expressing the desire to be physically present at today’s fest Khushwant Singh said he was here in spirit while reminiscing about his old association with the town. The veteran writer, who spends his summers in Raj Villa, a house inherited by his wife, Khushwant expressed concern at the dwindling wildlife of Kasauli, especially the panthers and the golden eagles whose presence was a common phenomenon in the past. He urged the people to restore the old glory of this old cantonment town by preserving its environment, which he said, had inspired him during his most productive time of his career. He said it was a matter of pride that Salima Hashmi had come to attend this festival but added more eminent writers should come here in the future. He expressed concern at the recent happenings in the country and said the growing intolerance and fundamentalism were a matter of concern. The audience, which comprised eminent writers and dignitaries, were treated to a short film, “Till the pen falls” which delved on his early life and his journey as a writer. Khushwant spoke about his first novel, "Train to Pakistan" which he called a traumatic experience and not a novel concerning the people of North Punjab and their hapless plight during the partition. His other popular novel, "Burial at Sea" was based on the country's first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru though the protagonist was transformed into an industrial baron who had a vision for the country. It was basically a collection of short stories which did not fit into the general theme of short stories and was hence published as a novel. With 163 titles having been published, Khushwant says there is still so much work to do and little time in hand. His 164th title, “The freethinkers prayer book” was released today by Rahul Singh. Shobhaa De, who had especially come to attend this festival, while describing Khushwant Singh as a original writer and a trustworthy person, said he has an insatiable curiosity about various subjects, including the environment which appears to be never satiated. Union minister Mani Shankar Aiyer, a close associate of Singh, spoke about his association with the veteran writer and said he has been excessively modest about describing himself in his novel “A train to Pakistan.” Having a first-hand experience of the partition, Aiyer says the book has aptly described the pain of partition. He describes Singh as a good short story writer and appreciated the profiles he has created of various renowned people. Other eminent writers including Bachi Karkaria also threw light on her experiences with Singh.
Solan: Senior journalist and writer Khushwant Singh’s 134th title “The freethinkers prayer book” was released by his son and journalist Rahul Singh at the Kasauli Club during a literature fest being held to pay tribute to his contribution to literature today. The book is an eclectic and a personal collection where Singh brings together precepts, prayers and practical advice by prophets, poets and philosophers and also includes his favourite passages from the seminal texts of the world’s major faiths. In the final section, Khushwant shares some of his own life codes and those of the rebels and mavericks whom he admires the most. In his sparkling, intimate and at times irreverent introduction, Singh discusses how this collection came about. Full of spirit, wit and good sense and as free of humbug as the man himself, this collection is a book of inspiration, comfort and entertainment for every discerning reader, according to publishers Aleph Book Company. — OC
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Fans raise a toast to ‘Kasauli peg’
Chandigarh, October 12 Unfortunately, the man was not there in person, to pay his characteristic The first session began with filming of Suresh Kohli’s documentary ‘Till The Pen Falls’ on the life of the man, born in 1915 at Hadali village in Pakistan and who came as a refugee to break fresh grounds in journalism. Khushwant Singh, in his no-holds-barred manner, speaks candidly to the camera about his work, his family, and assesses his place in literature. It would take only a man like Khushwant alone to say, “ Train to Pakistan is not a novel, it’s a document, it’s unfortunate that it has come to be regarded as a novel.” In his characteristic manner, he regales the audience through his candid confessions on how he makes even plain-looking women feel great with his compliments. Khushwant- the scholar was there too, in the film, who admits, he will be remembered for his scholarly work on the history of the Sikhs, without showing any respect for what he terms the
“overrated virtue called modesty." The author of 163 titles, according to Princeton University, was given fond tributes by his journalist son Rahul Singh, who talked about the lesser-known spiritual side of his father. Shobhaa De complimented on the 'honesty of his spirit' that inspired many authors and regaled the audience in a lighter vein recalling how the man thought of to be a womaniser was in fact scared of his wife all his life. Shobhaa said, he is a part of our DNA, who can believe that he has been writing a column for 70 years. She coined a new phrase ‘Kasauli peg’ to raise a toast to the first Khushwant Singh lit fest. Mani Shankar Aiyyar remembered him as 'a nice man', while Bachi Karkaria, journalist, remembered Khushwant, her first boss, a mentor who laid down the template of journalism, which she said is still followed. “He made journalism
marketable without turning it into a whore," she concluded.
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Decontrol sugar sector, says Rangarajan panel
New Delhi, October 12 The Prime Minister had set up a committee under the chairmanship of C Rangarajan, Chairman, Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister, to look into issues relating to the deregulation of the sugar sector. The industry has welcomed the proposals. Terming the proposals “forward looking”, a statement issued by the ISMA said the move would give a boost to investment in the sector, both at the farm and the factory level. Though the report needs a stamp of approval from the government, it has sparked hope that the sugar sector is in for major reforms. While other sectors of the economy have been freed over the years, the sugar sector continues to be under tight government control, right from production to the distribution stage. The Centre fixes the sugar quota to be sold in the open market and for ration shops supply. Mills are also obliged to sell 10 per cent of their production, called levy sugar, at prices lower than the market rate. This sugar is used by the government for the public distribution system meant for the poor. The government, too, bears a huge subsidy burden for procuring sugar for ration shops. To free the industry from the burden of the government’s welfare programme, the panel has suggested that state governments should buy sugar directly from the open market for ration shops and sell the same at price determined by them. It also said the Centre should give Rs 3,000 crore subsidy to the states to bear procurement expenses. The committee also felt that the removal of the controls would not affect domestic prices and improve the financial health of sugar mills, thereby timely payment of cane arrears to farmers. To prevent piling up of cane arrears and ensuring farmers’ interest, the panel suggested retaining two important controls with some positive changes. It suggested the government to continue with fixing fair and remunerative price (FRP) of sugarcane and also make it mandatory to mills to share 70 per cent of revenue from sugar and other byproducts to farmers. Based on the share so computed, additional payment, net of the FRP already paid, would then be made to the farmer.
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Accused of abduction,
UP minister resigns
Lucknow, October 12 Asked as to why he was stepping down, he said, "I think some people are trying to malign the image of the party taking my name and I don't want this to happen". Asked about his involvement in the abduction of Gonda chief medical officer SP Singh, the minister maintained he was innocent. The state government had yesterday ordered a high-level inquiry into the alleged abduction of the chief medical officer of Gonda, SP Singh. Sources in the government said Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav and SP president Mulayam Singh Yadav had taken strong note of media reports in this regard. —
Agencies
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Kejriwal, activists detained
New Delhi, October 12 Kejriwal along with around 70 activists of the Rashtriya Vikalang Party (RVP) marched from the Janpath to the Prime Minister’s Race Course residence but were stopped at the Rajpath crossing by the police. They were later detained when they
refused to disperse and staged a sit-in. The activist announced that his day-long protest would now continue for an indefinite period. Kejriwal said they would not leave the venue till the Prime Minister met them or
Khurshid resigned from the Cabinet. Kejriwal said it was a fight to finish and “now let’s make this place another Tahrir Square”. Kejriwal-led India Against Corruption has been maintaining that it was a protest programme by the RVP and they were just guests. But after Kejriwal’s protest, the IAC started sending text messages asking people to join the protest. “The IAC in support of disabled people is sitting on protest near the National Archives, Janpath. The Prime Minister refused to meet us. We would sit on a dharna unless the Prime Minister meets us or Salman Khurshid resigns,” an IAC spokesperson said. Kejriwal claimed he had sought time from the Prime Minister but his office refused to give him and the disabled people an appointment. The IAC had alleged financial irregularities in the functioning of Zakir Hussain Memorial Trust run by Khurshid and his wife Louis, a charge denied by both. Khurshid has also threatened to take Kejriwal to court.
— PTI
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India, Russia join hands to develop new transport jet
New Delhi, October 12
This contract is for a joint venture named Multirole Transport Aircraft Ltd (MTAL) and is a follow-on contract of the general contract signed in May 2012. “With this, HAL and UAC-TA will start the preliminary design work immediately at Moscow. The HAL design team consisting of 30 designers will be positioned at UAC-TA”, said RK Tyagi, chairman. An Inter-Governmental agreement was signed between India and Russia on November 12, 2007, to design, develop and produce the multi-role transport aircraft in the 15-20 tonne class. A requirement of 100 aircraft for the Russian Air Force, 45 aircraft for the IAF and 60 for other countries have been projected. The total requirement for the present is 205. The preliminary design phasecontract will be followed up by a detail design phase (DDP) Contract. The aircraft will be designed for cargo and troop transportation, para-dropping troops, air-drop of supplies, including ‘low altitude parachute extraction system’. The Russian export arm Rosoboronexport will also be part of the venture. Through this contract, HAL will carry out the design and development work at Bangalore, while its Transport Aircraft Division (TAD) at Kanpur will manufacture the prototypes and subsequently the serial production will be undertaken at Kanpur where dedicated facilities are being set up. Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd’s other research and development centres and manufacturing divisions will share development of systems and manufacture of components, sub-assemblies and composite structure. Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd will showcase its expertise in design of aircraft as well as systems, manufacturing and flight-testing while jointly working with the Russian team in Moscow as well as in India. Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd’s Kanpur facility has the experience of producing 44-seater HS-748 (Avro) passenger and transport aircraft and also the 19-seater Dornier passenger aircraft.
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3 million fewer girls born in past decade
New Delhi, October 12 This is a grim fact for the government to confront a day after the International Day of the Girl Child (October 11). In absolute numbers, 5.05 million fewer children were born in India between 2001 and 2011. The decline for male children was less steep (2.06 million) as compared to girls (2.99 million). The result: while the share of 0-6-year-olds in the overall population of India today is 13.1 per cent, that of male children is higher at 13.3 per cent as against 12.9 per cent for female children. This is because the decadal decline in female child population was much higher at 3.8 per cent as against male children who saw a 2.4 per cent decline. With the overall child population reducing in India on account of reduced fertility, preference for sons is out in the open. The total number of 0 to 6 year olds in the country fell to 158.79 million in 2011 -- down 3.1 per cent from 163.84 million in 2001. Analysis of data shows Northern states with their higher preference for sons are the biggest drivers of the anti-girl child trend. Except Himachal Pradesh, no other state in the North today has more than 900 girls being born for every 1,000 boys in the 0-6 age group. Jammu and Kashmir has seen the most severe drop of 82 points in its child sex ratio (859) in the 2001-2011 decade making it the third-worst state after Haryana (830) and Punjab (846). Strangely, Jammu and Kashmir’s demographic history shows that in 2001 it had a much better child sex ratio than the all India average of 945. What happened later is a matter of urgent research. Most states of the North are part of the “alarmingly low child sex ratio bracket” of less than 900 girls per 1,000 boys: Delhi (866), Chandigarh (867), Rajasthan (883), Uttarakhand (886) and UP (899). The trend of lack of preference for girls was seen spreading over the last decade to villages. The child sex ratio fell three times in rural areas between 2001 and 2011 as compared to urban.
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Kerala ex-Governor SS Kang dead
Known as a soft-spoken judge, he was keenly interested in literature, especially that in Punjabi and Urdu. Many remember how well, and with what authority he spoke when he presided over literary functions and book releases. Born on May 15, 1931, he studied in Khanna and started his law practice in the District Courts of Ludhiana in 1953, before moving to the Punjab and Haryana High Court in 1964, where he specialised in constitutional law, election law and service law. He was the vice-president of the Punjab and Haryana High Court Bar Association and also served as the Deputy Advocate-General of Punjab. He was elevated to Judge, Punjab and Haryana High Court, in 1979. Ten years later, he became the Chief Justice of the Jammu and Kashmir High Court, a position that he held till 1993. When the National Human Rights Commission was founded in Delhi in 1993, Justice Kang was appointed member. During this period, he helped set the tone and tenor of the commission and contributed to various investigations. He was appointed Governor of Kerala in 1997, a position he held till 2002, when he returned to Chandigarh, and his passion for gardening. He is survived by his widow, Ranbir Kaur Kang, his son Navreet Singh Kang and daughters, Navjot Kaur and Navdeep Kaur. A large number of people from various walks of life and many prominent citizens of Chandigarh attended the cremation at Sector 25.
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Wife sentenced to life for killing husband
Begusarai, October 12 The Additional District and Sessions Judge-II Ravishankar Tiwari passed the order sentencing the woman Rani Devi after finding her guilty of the death of her husband Ashok Malakar. According to prosecution, Malakar died in hospital on June 16, 2006 from multiple injuries after being beaten up by his wife following a quarrel during a train journey from Bokaro to Barauni.
— PTI
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Apex court to examine Cauvery panel report
New Delhi, October 12 A Bench of justices D K Jain and Madan Lokur adjourned till October 19 hearing on the inter-State water dispute to enable Tamil Nadu to place on record the reported directive of the CMC on the issue. The Bench also did not approve Karnataka's argument that it was cumulatively releasing water over a period of time as against the apex court's directive of releasing 9,000 cusecs water to Tamil Nadu. "You are releasing 3,000 cusecs on some days. On other days you are releasing more water. It may have lot of repercussions. Some areas may even be flooded. We do not know," the Bench told senior counsel Fali Nariman appearing for Karnataka.
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BJP slams Cong over power hike, LPG cap
New Delhi, October 12 Calling the thrust of the party on “aam admi” mere rhetoric, Leader of the Opposition in Rajya Sabha Arun Jaitley, while addressing a demonstration by Delhi BJP woman front against price rise, cap on cooking gas cylinders and power tariff, said the government had failed to understand the pains borne by the common man owing to the escalating prices of fuel. “The UPA government came to power with a mandate to serve the common man. Instead, it has been acting against the interests of the people. The government is hiking the prices of petrol, diesel and has put a cap on LPG cylinders to six. This shows that it is a heartless government. There is a conspiracy against the traders and the government has to go,” Jaitley remarked. He lashed out at the UPA government for its justification of reducing power thefts by privatising its distribution eight years ago in Delhi. He also took a dig at Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for his often quoted remark “money doesn’t grow on trees”. If money doesn’t grow on trees, votes, too, do won’t come from trees for the Congress during the forthcoming elections, he said. “Private discoms are allowed to earn profits at the cost of people’s money. In coal block allocation, too, private companies have been granted favours. Every Congress minister is a partner in corruption. The party’s only objective is to safeguard the interests of the party and its family members,” he added. Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj said the UPA coalition was crumbling as its allies, referring to Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee’s exit, are leaving. “The UPA government is surely going to be out of power after the winter session of Parliament,” she said, while referring to irregularities in the conduct of the CWG and the allotment of 2G spectrum and coal blocks. Senior BJP leader Prof VK Malhotra accompanied by Delhi BJP president Vijender Gupta and BJP leader Vijay Goel among others said 18 lakh people in the Capital were yet to get ration and the Chief Minister lacked any explanation for this.
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Sedition charge against cartoonist to be dropped
Mumbai, October 12 "After having a close look at the case, it can be seen that there is clearly no case under section 124(a) of IPC for sedition. Hence the government has decided to drop invocation of the charge against Trivedi," Advocate General Darius Khambata told the court. A division bench of Chief Justice Mohit Shah and Justice N M Jamdar was hearing a PIL filed by a lawyer Sanskar Marathe against the arrest of Trivedi for sedition for drawing cartoons that allegedly insulted national emblem and Parliament. The court had at earlier hearings granted bail to Trivedi and come down heavily on the police for arresting the cartoonist on "frivolous grounds" and "without application of mind". The court had observed that the police action "breached" his "freedom of speech and expression". Khambata, however, told the court that out of the seven cartoons drawn by Trivedi the state had found violations in three cartoons. "Three cartoons we still find are violative of the National Honour Act and Information Technology Act. Proceedings in this will continue against him," Khambata said. —
PTI
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Pune Blasts
New Delhi, October 12 The duo who are on the run are known to have expertise in making IEDs, the police said adding these two are suspected to have trained two of the three arrested men, Imran Khan and Sayed Feroz, alias Hamza, in preparing IED. The third arrested terrorist is Asad Khan. Police sources said they were also given training in terror activities at Saudi Arabia. Imran and Feroz were trained in making IEDs at Saudi Arabia and in Maharashtra. This emphasises the training of Indian citizens by terror outfits abroad and their subsequent use in India. Similarly, members of a Pakistan-based terror outfit, Lashkar-e-Toiba, had allegedly sent 26/11 Mumbai attacks plotter, Syed Zabiuddin, alias Abu Jundal, and LeT commander Fayyaz Ahmed Qagzi, to Nepal for training in making IEDs. They both belong to Beed district in Maharashtra and were traced to Saudi Arabia by intelligence agencies. Jundal who had fled India after the 2006 Aurangabad arms haul case was extradited by Saudi Arabia authorities in June this year. Qagzi who is wanted in the Pune German Bakery bomb blast and the Aurangabad arms haul case is absconding. An IM operative named Fasih Mahmood, was detained in Saudi Arabia. The sources said the two north Indian IM operatives, Shaqir and Ahmed, are probably aliases to conceal true identity. Investigators are also trying to ascertain if they are from Pakistan. "We have not found any records of the two individuals. The three accused revealed that their two associates are very professional. It is possible that the two might have been involved in previous terror attacks," said sources. From 2009 to 2011, Asad, Imran and Feroz were imparted their main training in Saudi Arabia, where they met with Qagzi. Meanwhile, teams from the Anti-Terrorism Squads (ATS) of Mumbai and Pune have reached Delhi to share inputs with the Delhi Police on this year's Pune serial blasts.
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India, Lanka begin talks on N-cooperation
New Delhi, October 12 Harsh Vardhan Shringla, joint Secretary in the External Affairs Ministry, led the Indian delegation at the first round of talks held here while the Lankan team was headed by I Ansar, Secretary in the External Affairs Ministry. A joint press statement said the discussions were held in a warm, friendly and cordial manner with the two sides exchanging views on all aspects of civil nuclear cooperation. They reaffirmed their commitment to strengthen bilateral cooperation in the uses of nuclear technology for peaceful purposes to mutual benefit of the people of the two countries. It was agreed that the two countries would work towards a comprehensive agreement on bilateral civil nuclear cooperation. The discussion included training of officials, nuclear safety and response to nuclear accidents. The next meeting on the issue would be held in the first half of the next year. The talks are obviously aimed at setting at rest Colombo’s apprehensions that the radiation from the Kudankulam plant would affect the people of Sri Lanka because of its proximity to Tamil Nadu. The plant is located just 250 km from Sri Lanka’s North-West coastal town of Mannar. Officials here said India has assured Sri Lanka that it would abide by all international conventions over nuclear safety at Kudankulam. In fact, Colombo has been assured that the safety measures at Kudankulam were of the highest standards. However, anti-India elements in Sri Lanka have launched a campaign in the island nation against the Kudankulam plant, spreading disinformation about how it could affect the people of the country. In fact, a Lankan minister was recently quoted as saying in the media that his country could even approach the IAEA to raise the issue of the safety of the plant.
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Cong MP flashes gun to avoid paying toll Vadodara, Oct 12 Radadia, apparently enraged at the temerity of the toll plaza attendant, who asked for the original I-card after his driver had shown a photocopy, was seen on national TV menacingly flashing his gun while stalking the area in front of the booth and repeatedly tapping the glass enclosure with the barrel. The incident that happened near Karjan on National Highway 8 on the intervening night of October 10-11, was caught on CCTV cameras installed outside the toll plaza. Radadia, considered a 'strongman' in the Saurashtra region, had recently helped the party organise a massive farmers rally in Rajkot. Incidentally, Porbandar is the birth place of the Father of the Nation and apostle of peace Mahatma Gandhi. The CCTV footage has been provided to Vadodara rural police which is in the process of filing of an FIR based on the complaint by the manager of the private company collecting toll tax. "We have received CCTV footage and have identified car number as GJ 3 445. We are trying to identify the persons involved in it," Deputy Superintendent of Police Usha Rada said. In his complaint, the manager has said the driver and occupants of the car had threatened to kill him and other employees. He said one of the occupants took out a gun and created terror, saying they would not pay road toll tax as the car belonged to an MP. — PTI
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The three-day Khushwant Singh literature fest began here this evening at Kasauli Club where eminent writers shared their experience about the senior journalist and the oldest columnist.
The Rangarajan Committee has recommended decontrol of the sugar sector by giving freedom to mills to sell their produce in the open market and dismantling of the levy obligation for sourcing PDS sugar at a price below the market price.
Chandigarh, October 12