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Uphill task for UPA in RS
Relieved ruling combine to go ahead with its reforms agenda When Harsimrat, Bajwa sparred
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BSP, SP force Rajya Sabha adjournment
Telangana issue: UPA convenes all-party meeting on Dec 28
SC endorses Pranab’s election as President
Potato trouble for Hooda Junior
Ammo worth Rs 408 cr defective, Rs 279 cr spent on import substitute
Sena, govt harden stance on Thackeray memorial
Involve IIT experts in Yamuna clean-up: SC
Ambedkar memorial to come up on Mumbai’s prime mill land
Manual Scavenging
N-submarine set for sea trials, says Navy Chief
Army lost half of its firing ranges in 3 yrs
Weather satellite INSAT-3D set for 2013 launch
M’rashtra asks schools to implement RTE
Jagan’s judicial remand extended
SC gives Sahara 2 months to refund money to investors
Cauvery Row
Defamation case hearing against Mamata tomorrow
Students will have to wait for Aakash-2
Sugarcane farmers protest
Drug Smuggling
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Uphill task for UPA in RS
With the debate on FDI in multi-brand retail scheduled for Thursday in the Rajya Sabha, the Opposition BJP has raised doubts about the discussion being allowed, alleging that the government is using supporting parties to disrupt the House since it does not have the numbers there. The Rajya Sabha today saw yet another day of adjournment after disruptions over quota in promotion for SC/STs in government jobs and the buzz is that a similar situation may prevail in the House tomorrow because of the opposite goal posts that the rivals BSP and SP have adopted on the Constitution Amendment Bill providing for promotions for SC/STs in government jobs. As the Lok Sabha debated the issue of the FDI in retail on Tuesday and Wednesday, the Rajya Sabha was adjourned after protests by SP and BSP members over the quota bill. Sources say since the government has already managed to send the message across on the basis of vote in its favour from the House of elected representatives, it is not so worried about the outcome of the Upper House. While UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi is understood to have indicated that she was not worried about the fate of the voting on the FDI in the Upper House, the BJP has voiced suspicion over the government intention to run the Upper House, saying that the acrimony between the BSP and the SP may be used to let the status quo prevail there. Senior BJP leader Arun Jaitley accused the government and “outside” allies — SP and BSP (which today strategically bailed the UPA out in the Lower House) — of allowing disruption of the Rajya Sabha proceedings as the government was “unsure of its figures” in the Upper House. “The government is unsure of its figures in the Upper House. Both the government and its allies, including the outside supporters, are disrupting the House everyday,” Jaitley said after the House ended with another no-show. Voicing suspicion over the government intention to run the House, the BJP also sought a response from Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. Jaitley said the party had requested Rajya Sabha Chairman Hamid Ansari to call the Leader of the House (the PM) asking him to make a candid statement whether the government wants the Rajya Sabha to conduct its business or not. In the Rajya Sabha, every vote counts, including that of 10 nominated members like film star Rekha and cricketer Sachin Tendulkar who is busy playing the five-day Test match in Kolkata. The Congress with its allies along with supporting parties will take the total to 96. Among the seven Independents, three-four may support the government but to touch the half-way mark at 123, it needs both Mayawati and Mulayam Singh Yadav to vote alongside it on the FDI issue. The UPA be able to save the day only if the nine SP members abstain and Mayawati’s 15 members back the government. Rajya Sabha challenge
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Relieved ruling combine to go ahead with its reforms agenda New Delhi, December 5 The ruling combine now plans to vigorously pursue the contentious insurance, banking and pension Bills that have been on the agenda for several years, but were stalled because of compulsions of running a coalition government. Finance Minister P Chidambaram and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kamal Nath have held several rounds of consultations with the BJP, the support of which is crucial for the passage of these legislations as the UPA is in a minority in the Rajya Sabha. Having crossed the first hurdle in pursuit of its reform measures, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was quick to point out: "The FDI policy we have put in place has the approval of this House." Virtually resigned to a possible defeat in the Rajya Sabha, where it does not have the numbers, UPA ministers repeatedly maintained that the Lok Sabha win was more crucial and as it was the House of Representatives. The government, they said, would not be obliged to reverse its policy in case of a defeat in the Upper House. Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar told The Tribune, "A defeat in the Rajya Sabha will have no impact on the implementation of the FDI policy. This is only a motion, not a Bill." Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Rajeev Shukla spoke in the same vein. "The Lok Sabha is the House of the People. The win here is important," he said. Having been at the receiving end of a sustained campaign against its new reform measures, the government promptly hailed the Lok Sabha victory as an endorsement of its policies. Power Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia and Information and Broadcasting Minister Manish Tewari stated emphatically, "This is a message to go ahead with reforms." The UPA's success in today's vote was a personal victory for Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kamal Nath who had been confabulating with their outside supporters - the SP (22) and the BSP (21) - till the last minute as it was critical that they did not vote against the government as it would have tilted the balance in favour of the Opposition. Eventually, everything went according to the script. Both the SP and the BSP walked out, bringing down the strength of the House and ensuring a win for the
UPA. What next Next to be taken up will be the contentious insurance, banking and pension Bills that have been on the agenda for several years, but were stalled because of compulsions of running a coalition government
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When Harsimrat, Bajwa sparred New Delhi, December 5 Bajwa remained on his feet throughout Badal’s speech, waving a letter written by Punjab Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal last year in support of the Centre’s move to allow the FDI. “What happened to your stand? Here is the letter that your husband wrote last year supporting the FDI. Don’t you consult each other at home?” Bajwa needled Badal who hooted him down saying he was speaking simply to impress UPA chief Sonia Gandhi and get her to appoint him as the Punjab Pradesh Congress chief. “You lost power in Punjab and you are not going to get the presidency of the state Congress also. This is not the way to win presidency,” she said as the BJP-Akali benches interrupted Bajwa’s attempts to read out Sukhbir’s letter. Badal argued that initially when the Centre had announced the FDI decision, the Akalis had hoped it would boost infrastructure, export, jobs and employment but it turned out to be an anti-people policy. “The FDI is nothing short of bartering away the interests of your own country and people. It’s your ploy to entice a disgusted voter. It will create joblessness,” she said, as Bajwa interrupted her repeatedly only to be prevented by the Chair (Deputy Speaker Kaira Munda) from making his point. Badal spoke of how Pepsi, which had set up a factory in Punjab in 1988, shut down its food processing unit soon after, leaving farmers in the lurch. “Pepsi first promised it would buy tomatoes from local farmers to produce sauce. Farmers diversified and made new investments. But Pepsi shut down its unit. Who will guarantee returns to farmers if their produce gets spoilt in natural calamities? In a system where prices are pre-fixed, farmers are bound to suffer,” she said. Badal also pointed out that the Walton family that owned Walmart, world’s largest retail store, had personal assets worth $ 100 bn. “How did they make so much money? Obviously by squeezing the farmers,” she said. Bajwa's charge What happened to your stand? Here is the letter that your husband wrote last year supporting the FDI. Don't you consult each other at home? Harsimrat's response You lost power in Punjab and you are not going to get the presidency of the state Congress also. This is not the way to win presidency
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US enjoying Bikaneri sweets! Commerce Minister Kamal Nath, while defending FDI in multi-brand retail, said today that despite the opening up of India’s markets to McDonald’s and KFC, local food chains like Haldirams, Bikanerwala and Nirulas had not lost business. Today Haldiram has 34 stores in Europe and three in London; Bikanerwala has 100 stores worldwide. Today, an American is enjoying Indian sweets. So when our food chains can set up businesses abroad, why can’t Walmart set up business in India? It was the BJP which allowed KFC and McDonald into India, he said. Sushma takes on Kapil Sibal BJP leader Sushma Swaraj today pointed out certain contradictions in the speech which Telecom Minister and Chandni Chowk MP made supporting FDI yesterday. Sibal had said foreign retailers would have no space in Delhi to set up shop here and would have to go to NCR instead. He had also said only big car owners and not two-wheeler owners would go to Walmart to shop. “Delhi CM Sheila Dikshit says she will set up the first Walmart store in Delhi but you say there is no space for the store in Delhi. And if only car owners will shop in Walmart, how can you say FDI is pro-consumer and pro-poor,” she asked. Lalu Yadav eats his words RJD leader Lalu Yadav had to eat his words after Opposition MPs slammed him for calling one of their members a “jamoora”. Not yielding at first, Lalu said the word he used only meant “player’ by the dictionary. The Opposition was, however, not impressed and the House had to be briefly adjourned following the ruckus caused by Lalu’s un-parliamentary utterance. He returned to the House to withdraw the word. But BJP’s Sushma Swaraj later needled him with her couplet: “Aapko gaanthein kholna nahi aata…aur maskhari ke alawa kuchh bolnaa nahi aata…”
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BSP, SP force Rajya Sabha adjournment
Repeated obstructions by the two parties, which abstained from the crucial vote on the FDI in the Lok Sabha later in the day, prompted the BJP to accuse the government of not allowing the House
to run because of its “number game”. As the House met at 12 noon, after an adjournment over issues raised by the BSP, Leader of Opposition Arun Jaitley got up to raise the issue of the suspension of the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) but the SP members trooped into the well of the House, raising slogans against reservation in promotions, forcing Deputy Chairman PJ Kurien to adjourn the House for the day. Amidst the din over quota in promotion for SC/STs in government jobs, Jaitley demanded that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who is the Leader of the House, should come and clarify whether or not the government wanted to run the House. But the SP continued to raise slogans against reservation, which was countered by Congress members, leading to the adjournment of the House. As soon as the House assembled in the morning, BSP leader Mayawati insisted on suspending the Question Hour to discuss the issue of construction of a memorial to Dr BR Ambedkar in Mumbai. While Chairman Hamid Ansari said a statement by the government was listed in the agenda and the announcement would be made at noon, Mayawati insisted that the issue be taken up right away as the government had been avoiding the matter. As Mayawati continued to demand the suspension of the Question Hour, the Chairman adjourned the House till noon. When the House reassembled, Minister of State of Parliamentary Affairs Rajiv Shukla made the announcement regarding the memorial. Mayawati then insisted for details of the memorial plan. While the issue was resolved with an assurance that Textile Minister Anand Sharma would give a detailed reply, SP members trooped into the well of the House, raising slogans against the quota in promotion for SC/STs in government jobs. the stalling
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Telangana issue: UPA convenes all-party meeting on Dec 28
Hyderabad, December 5 The Telangana MPs, who have been abstaining from the Parliament session, had threatened to boycott the voting in the Lok Sabha on FDI policy if the Centre failed to give an assurance on the Telangana issue. This forced the Centre to make a climb-down and placate the sulking MPs by promising to hold the all-party meet. However, the announcement raises more questions than it seeks to answer. None of the mainstream parties, including the Congress, has been able to formulate a policy so far on the question of the Telangana issue. They are divided on regional lines with leaders from the Telangana region firmly rooting for a separate state while their counterparts from Rayalaseema and coastal Andhra regions opposing the bifurcation. Barring Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS), which is in the forefront of the statehood movement, the BJP and the CPI, the major parties, have been allowing their leaders to speak in different voices on the issue in tune with their regional compulsions. “The announcement on all-party meet appears to be yet another gimmick on the part of the Congress just to keep its flock together ahead of the FDI vote. If it is sincere, then it should spell out its stand at the all-party meeting,” TRS leader and senior legislator T Harish Rao said. The earlier rounds of all-party meetings on Telangana, held in 2010 and 2011, turned out to be damp squibs. On the first occasion, the Congress and TDP had two representatives at the meeting, articulating divergent views, while the second round was a dampener with major parties boycotting the meet. As a result, the Telangana issue is back to square one. The Centre has been delaying a decision on the statehood demand in view of the strong, divergent views across the political spectrum. The decision to convene the all-party meet comes in the wake of reports that several Congress MPs from the region were planning to quit the party and join TRS if the Centre failed to carve out a separate state. the divide
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SC endorses Pranab’s election as President
In a 3-2 split verdict, the SC Bench headed by Chief Justice Altamas Kabir rejected Sangma’s election petition at the preliminary stage, ruling that the plea was not maintainable and as such did not deserve a full and regular hearing. Sangma had pleaded for setting aside Mukherjee’s election, contending that the UPA nominee had held offices of profit in his capacity as the Leader of the House in the Lok Sabha and as Chairman of the Indian Statistical Institute, Calcutta, at the time of filing his nomination as well during the scrutiny on July 3, 2012, and had thus attracted disqualification under Article 132 of the Constitution. Delivering the majority verdict, the CJI and Justices P Sathasivam and SS Nijjar ruled that the materials on record showed that Mukherjee “was not holding any office of profit either under the government or otherwise at the time of filing his nomination papers for the Presidential election.” “It is quite clear” that Mukherjee had tendered his resignation from the membership of the Lok Sabha before filing his nomination, while the provisions of the Parliament (Prevention of Disqualification) Act, 1959, as amended in 2006 “excluded the post of Chairman of the Institute as a disqualification,” the CJI and the two judges held. “We are not convinced that in the facts and circumstances of the case, the election petition deserves a full and regular hearing as contemplated” under SC rules 1966, they explained. Further, the SC had repeatedly cautioned against interfering with the election of a winning candidate “unless circumstances so warrant,” they pointed out. The other two members of the Bench - Justices Ranjan Gogoi and J Chelameswar - delivered separate judgments, dissenting with the views of the majority. Justice Gogoi ruled that the 1959 disqualification Act “has no application insofar as election to the office of the President is concerned.” Sangma had pleaded for setting aside Pranab Mukherjee’s election as President, contending that the UPA nominee had held offices of profit in his capacity as the Leader of the House in the Lok Sabha and as Chairman of the Indian Statistical Institute, Calcutta, at the time of filing his nomination The verdict
The Supreme Court ruled that the materials on record showed that Mukherjee “was not holding any office of profit either under the government or otherwise at the time of filing his nomination papers for the Presidential election” |
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Potato trouble for Hooda Junior
He, however, also invited the Opposition wrath for stating in his pro-FDI zeal that Haryana farmers could produce 24-inch potatoes and so McDonald’s could count on Haryana for their French fries! Speaking in favour of FDI in the Lok Sabha today, Hooda recounted how the BJP had opposed everything big that ever happened. “You opposed the Bhakra dam which Nehruji brought. Today because of Bhakra dam, Punjab and Haryana are called the food bowls of India. You opposed computers but today India is the IT giant in the world. If you continue to profess a politics of opposition, India will show you that it is still with the Congress in 2014 elections,” he said, as AICC general secretary Rahul Gandhi listened attentively. Punching holes in the BJP opposition of the FDI, Hooda said Sushma Swaraj was wrongly rejecting FDI on the grounds that Mc Donald’s and Pepsi were procuring raw materials from abroad. “Sushma ji does not know the maximum McDonald outlets are in Gujarat. If Mc Donald’s has problems in Gujarat they are welcome to come to Haryana. We will show them how to produce 24-inch potatoes for their French fries,” said Hooda only to be mocked later by Sushma Swaraj who said, “You call yourself the son of a farmer. Do you even know the difference between a ‘lauki and an aalo’. Who can produce two-foot-long potato?” he asked he during the FDI debate. Hooda, however, ruffled many a feather on the Opposition side when he pointed out that even the Purti Group headed by BJP president Nitin Gadkari had supermarkets in India. “Reliance Fresh, Big Bazaar, Purti superstores started during your regime. And now you are opposing the FDI. And you say moneylenders are very good because they lend money to farmers. But you forget that they lend money on huge interests which lead to farmers’ suicides,” Hooda said.
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Ammo worth Rs 408 cr defective, Rs 279 cr spent on import substitute
Chandigarh, December 5 This type of ammunition was being developed by the Ordnance Factory Board (OFB) on the basis of design developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) since 1997 and since then several lakh rounds were procured by the Army. Inspections of ammunition holding depots by Army Headquarters revealed critical defects such as cracks in the cartridge case, flimsy propellant material and sticking cartridge of cases in packing containers, which rendered the ammunition unsafe for firing. Audit scrutiny revealed that on the basis of these inspections, 1.36 lakh rounds were declared unserviceable, out of which 1.02 lakh rounds had not completed their prescribed shelf life. This resulted in a slugging match between the stakeholders. While the Army attributed the defects to insufficient quality control during manufacture, the OFB passed on the buck to the DRDO claiming design deficiencies. DRDO argued that if the ammunition suffered from design defects, then the entire quantity of ammunition produced since 1997, valued at Rs 1,400 crore ought to have manifested similar defects and not just the lots in question. A task force comprising representatives from the Army, the OFB, the DRDO and the Directorate General of Quality Assurance to look into the issue concluded that the ammunition was beyond repairs as the procedure was hazardous, costly and reliability of the repaired ammunition could not be guaranteed. It has also been revealed that contrary to prescribed procedure, no serious investigation was conducted to ascertain the reasons for defects in the ammunition and to fix responsibility for such failure. blame game
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Sena, govt harden stance on Thackeray memorial
Mumbai, December 5 While the Shiv Sena is insistent that a memorial to their leader be built at the place where he was cremated, Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan is in no mood to oblige the regional party. “The permission given for the funeral at Shivaji Park was conditional,” Chavan told reporters here today. He added that the process to clear the premises of the makeshift memorial erected by the Shiv Sena workers had begun. The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation has issued notices to city mayor Sunil Prabhu who belongs to the Shiv Sena and party Member of Parliament Sanjay Raut who had sought the original permission to hold Thackeray's funeral at the spot. Meanwhile, the Shiv Sena, which was founded at this park in 1966, has warned that any attempt by the BMC to demolish the structure would result in a law and order problem. At the same time, Raut told reporters that the party would move the Bombay High Court so that a memorial for Thackeray is allowed at the spot. Senior police officers in Mumbai are worried about the law and order situation since Thackeray's cremation spot falls a few hundred metres from Chaityabhoomi, the resting place of Babasaheb Ambedkar. Tens of thousands of people are expected to land at Shivaji Park which offers access to Chaityabhoomi. The Shiv Sena, however, denies that there would be any law and order problem on Thursday. “Thousands of people coming to Chaityabhoomi have already come here to pay their respects to Balasaheb,” party MP Sanjay Raut told reporters here today. the controversy
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Involve IIT experts in Yamuna clean-up: SC
New Delhi, December 5 A bench comprising Justices Swatanter Kumar and Madan B Lokur asked the Directors of IITs in Delhi and Roorkie to be present in the court on December 11, the next date of hearing on the issue. The bench passed the order after senior counsel Ranjit Kumar, amicus curiae in the case, informed the court that the Yamuna water in Delhi was nothing but filth with zero per cent oxygen. The 1994 agreement was signed by Delhi, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana and the undivided Uttar Pradesh under which the national capital is supposed to get 310 MGD of water. The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), which conducted a joint inspection of the sewer treatment plants (STPs) meant for treating sewer water before letting it into the Yamuna river, submitted its report to the bench today stating that the civic bodies in Delhi had failed to implement most of the STP and drain construction projects. As the counsel for the civic bodies blamed one another for the slow progress in the execution of the projects, the Bench noted in its order that “there is no coordination, cooperation and compatibility between the public authorities. As a result, the court is unable to proceed with the matter effectively.” Going by the reports filed in the SC, the Bench said “things appeared to have gone from bad to worse” as the authorities were “daggers drawn” at each other. Instead of confronting each other, the authorities of various civic bodies should put their heads together and ensure speedy implementation, it said. Pointing out that the Delhi Jal Board (DJB) had not signed the CPCB report, the Bench asked the DJB to file its comments on the report within four days. It also asked the Yamuna Project Committee headed by the Delhi Lieutenant Governor to file a status report on the work done by it so far. The Bench made it clear that it would not allow anyone to stall the projects and would rather take the “matter to its logical end.” During the arguments, Justice Lokur said it was not sufficient to deal with the problem only in Delhi. There was need for ensuring that Delhi got sufficient flow of fresh water from the upstream under the 1994 Yamuna River Water Agreement. Unless this was done, operating over 100 STPs in the city would be of no use. Justice Kumar asked all the parties involved in the effort to explore the possibility taking all the sewer water generated in Delhi to some place 30-40 km away from the city for treatment before letting it into the Yamuna.
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Ambedkar memorial to come up on Mumbai’s prime mill land
Mumbai, December 5 The memorial will come up on a plot measuring 12.5 acres on which India United (Indu) Mills currently stands. The mill is now shut and the National Textile Corporation, which owns the property, will be compensated with additional floor space in its other properties in Central Mumbai, sources said. “The Maharashtra Government will bear the cost of the project. A separate authority will be set up and an architect appointed to prepare a blueprint for the memorial,” Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan told reporters here today. He added that the memorial to Ambedkar would be on the lines of Mahatma Gandhi’s samadhi at Rajghat. Chavan added that the authority would comprise seven officials, three of whom will be from the state government. The property will now pass into the hands of the Maharashtra Government, Chavan added. Union Textiles Minister Anand Sharma today said in New Delhi that the land belonging to Indu Mills would be allotted for the Ambedkar memorial. The green signal from the Central government comes on the eve of Ambedkar’s death anniversary. The state government officials here noted that the project site, located along the city’s coast, would necessitate an amendment to the Coastal Regulation Zone rules before construction could begin. “It will require a clearance from the Ministry of Environment and Forests,” an official said. Every year, tens of thousands of Ambedkar’s followers flock to Chaityabhoomi at Dadar to pay homage to their leader. Dalit organisations in Maharashtra had warned that they would lead thousands of people to the Indu Mills property to forcibly take control of the land. The project
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Manual Scavenging
New Delhi, December 5 A Bench comprising Justices Swatanter Kumar and Madan Lokur passed the order today after the PIL petitioners on the issue contended that the district had at least 174 manual scavengers and 937 dry latrines despite the abolition of the practice through a Central law. It was clear that either the petitioners — Safai Karamchari Andolan (NGO) and others — or the district administration was wrong and whoever had tried to mislead the highest court of the country would have to “go to jail”, the Bench said. The court will initiate contempt proceedings against those who have filed wrong affidavits on the issue, the Bench clarified. “It is atrocious that the litigants are doing this in the Supreme Court,” it observed. The Bench noted that the petitioners had given the names of the scavengers and the owners of dry latrines with their addresses. “If the petitioners are correct, let the administration face the music,” the Bench noted. Clearing muck
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N-submarine set for sea trials, says Navy Chief
On the status of the submarine, Indian Navy Chief Admiral DK Joshi yesterday said: “We expect to have good news for the nation very soon.” The harbour acceptance trials of the submarine are satisfactorily over. “A vast majority of our harbour acceptance trials are over and once that has happened, trials at sea will begin,” the Navy Chief said. The Navy expects to complete the trials
within a year. India has already announced that the nuclear-powered submarine will be used for “deterrent patrol” aimed at providing the ability of a retaliatory “second strike” in case of a nuclear attack. The submarine, when on patrol, will carry its full load of nuclear-tipped missiles that can be launched from under the sea and hit targets hundreds of miles away. Arihant was launched in July 2009 at Viskahapatnam. Two types of N-tipped missiles are being developed for Arihant. The first is a submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM), K-15 Sagarika, with a range of 700 km. This has been tested several times using a pressurised canister submerged under water to mimic a submarine-style launch. The second, a longer range 3,500-km missile, is under test and one such test has already been conducted. On if the follow on vessel of Arihant will have a more powerful propulsion system, Admiral Joshi said “the effort will be bring out a better system than the older one”. The Navy is concurrently evaluating the propulsion of Arihant and Russian vessel INS Chakra to work out the power system for the next N-sub. INS Chakra, a nuclear-powered vessel leased from Russia, had joined its home base at Vishakhapatnam in April. On the conventional diesel-electric submarine plan, the Navy Chief said a request for proposal for the next lot of submarines would be issued soon. These will have air independent propulsion (AIP), allowing the submarines to be submerged for 15 days without surfacing. The submarine
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Army lost half of its firing ranges in 3 yrs
Chandigarh, December 5 “Out of the total 104 firing ranges held by the Army till 2009, 38 were deleted from the list of firing ranges in 2009 due to these being not available for use by the Army or not re-notified by the state governments concerned in spite of concerted efforts,” Defence Minister AK Antony said in Parliament. “Out of the remaining 66 firing ranges, 15 have been de-notified by various state governments,” he added. The non-availability of ranges has adversely affected training and operational preparedness of the Army as it not only restricts mechanised manoeuvres under simulated battle conditions, but also prevents live firing by tanks and artillery which is essential for battle inoculation of troops and testing equipment. Another reason behind dwindling number of ranges is said to be the clearances required to be obtained from the Ministry of Environment and Forests for use of forest land for non-forest activities in accordance with the Forest Conservation Act, 1980. “Due to urbanisation, encroachment, unauthorised occupation and land rights resting with the state governments, the firing range land for armed forces is shrinking year after year,” Antony rued. Pointing out that concerted efforts were being made at all levels to ensure early re-notification of the de-notified ranges with the Army Commands also taking up the issue at Civil Military Liaison Conferences, Antony said efforts were on to impress upon the state governments and the Ministry of Environment and Forest for re- notification/acquisition of field firing ranges. The issue of non-availability of firing ranges was also taken up by Parliament’s Standing Committee on Defence, which observed that while the Ministry of Defence had launched a process of consultations with all stakeholders in order to find a mutually acceptable solution to the problem, it was high time that the ministry initiated “expeditious and concrete steps” to resolve the issue in a time-bound manner. In fact, a recent report by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) had revealed that inadequate infrastructure and facilities, including firing ranges and simulators, had compromised the training standards of recruits. These deficiencies, CAG observed, resulted in poor standards of firing of troops and non-achievement of excellence in battle efficiency tests and physical proficiency tests. DWINDLING NUMBERS
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Weather satellite INSAT-3D set for 2013 launch
New Delhi, December 5 ISRO’s INSAT-3D is a weather satellite and will carry forecasting payloads, along with a search and rescue function. The 2100-kg satellite is designed to give the Indian Meteorological Department better understanding of weather patterns like monsoon and forecast them accurately. The satellite was earlier designated to be launched by 2012-end, a date that was later delayed to second quarter of the 2013. “The satellite is planned to be launched by a procured launcher during the third quarter of 2013,” Narayansamy said responding to a query by Congress MP Anto Anthony in Parliament. Around Rs 225 crore has been spent so far in building the INSAT-3D and Rs 221 crore as 50 per cent advance payment for procuring launch services. Commercial launch services provider Arianespace has been chosen to launch INSAT-3D and the multi-band telecommunications satellite GSAT 7 following an international call for tenders. The aim of the meteorological satellite is to improve understanding of the weather system, especially monsoon that often stumps Indian meteorologists with erratic behaviour leading to flawed predictions. The phenomenon of monsoon depends on several diverse factors related to ocean and atmosphere dynamics. Meteorologists will derive information about the climatic condition using data obtained from this satellite along with ground-based observations. The weather satellite will carry two instruments, a six-channel imager having one visible and five infrared channels and a 19-channel sounder with one visible and 18 infrared channels. While the imager will generate images of the earth and provide information on various parameters like outgoing-long wave radiation, quantitative precipitation estimation, surface temperature of seas, snow cover and cloud motion winds, the sounder will provide information on various meteorological parameters like vertical profiles of humidity and temperature and total precipitable water.
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M’rashtra asks schools to implement RTE
Mumbai, December 5 School managements have been asked to equip themselves to confirm to the provisions of the RTE over the next few months. According to sources, the education department has planned seminars and workshops for school principals across the state. “We are working hard to ensure that there are no problems in implementing provisions of the Right to Education Act from the next academic year,” Shridhar Salunkhe, Director of Education said. Last year, many schools were unable to implement provisions of the RTE because the directives issued by the government came after the commencement of the academic year. The state government has ordered school managements not to open admissions to KG classes before April 1. Many schools in Mumbai which traditionally open admissions to KG and nurseries from November and December for the academic year beginning the following June have been asked to suspend the process. Most schools usually complete the admission process by January. However, a circular issued recently by the education department said the admission process if started at present should be stopped immediately.
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Jagan’s judicial remand extended
Jaganmohan Reddy, arrested by CBI on corruption charges and presently lodged in Chanchalguda prison here, was produced under heavy security before the First Additional Special Judge for CBI cases, along with former AP minister Mopidevi Venkata Ramana Rao, industrialist Nimmagadda Prasad and others. The court extended their judicial custody by another fourteen days. AP minister Dhramana Prasad Rao, who is also an accused in the case, appeared before the court. The CBI court had yesterday dismissed the bail application of Jaganmohan Reddy. He has moved another bail plea in the Andhra Pradesh High Court, which will come up for hearing on December 11.
— PTI
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SC gives Sahara 2 months to refund money to investors
New Delhi, December 5 A three-member bench headed by Chief Justice Altamas Kabir directed the group to pay Rs 5,120 crore to market regulator SEBI immediately, Rs 10,000 crore by the first week of January 2013 and the remaining amount a month thereafter. The bench, which included Justices SS Nijjar and J Chelameswar, has thus effectively stayed the recovery procedure ordered by another bench on August 31. A bench comprising Justices KS Radhakrishnan and JS Khehar had set November 30 as the deadline for returning the funds and ordered attachment of Sahara group’s properties if the companies had failed to comply with its order. The three-member bench passed today’s order, brushing aside SEBI’s pleadings for referring Sahara’s request for extending the deadline to the Bench which had heard the case and delivered the August 31 verdict. The bench also rejected another plea by an investors’ association that it should be heard before passing any order. Arguing for the association, senior advocate Vikas Singh said “you are saying you are passing the order in the guise of protecting the investors, but what is there for them if investors are not heard. It is not fair.” Vikas Singh said his plea should not be disposed of along with Sahara’s petition for getting the deadline extended, but the CJI dismissed it stating “No, sorry.” The CJI also rejected the plea of SEBI’s senior counsel Arvind Dattar for recording his objections in the order. “We will record what we feel to record. We cannot record what you say.” The funds had been raised by the Sahara India Real Estate Corporation Ltd (SIRECL) and Sahara Housing Investment Corporation Ltd (SHICL). The two companies had collected Rs 17,400 crore but the liability had gone up to over Rs 24,000 crore taking into account the interest component. In today’s order, the SC also clarified that the total amount to be deposited with SEBI by Sahara would depend on how much the group would have returned to the investors directly. Earlier, SEBI and the Securities Appellate Tribunal had ruled that the bonds, known as optionally fully convertible debentures (OFCD), issued by unlisted Sahara were illegal and directed the group to refund the amount to the investors. Sahara had come to the SC challenging the ruling. |
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Cauvery Row
New Delhi, December 5 A Bench comprising Justices DK Jain and Madan B Lokur asked Karnataka to immediately release 10,000 cusecs every day against the present release of a little over 3,000 cusecs. One cusec is equivalent to a flow of 28.317 litres per second. The higher release would continue for five days, pending the next hearing on November 10, the Bench clarified. The Bench also asked the Cauvery Monitoring Committee (CMC) to hold its meeting within the next two days to finalise the water requirements of both Tamil Nadu and Karnakata for December. The SC also asked the Centre as to how much time it would take to notify the final decision taken by the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal on the issue. The Bench is hearing Tamil Nadu's plea for increased water allocation.
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Defamation case hearing against Mamata tomorrow
Kolkata, December 5 The Chief Minister recently attacked the judiciary by alleging that judgments and judges at the court could be “bought with money”. Accordingly, a suo moto case was initiated in court in November and the case would resume on Friday. The acting Chief Justice, in a statement, observed it was highly objectionable that a person in such a position could make some highly derogatory and objectionable remarks against judges and the judicial system that the court could not ignore. If needed, the Chief Minister would be summoned to court to explain her conduct. The Division Bench has already summoned West Bengal Minister of State for Agriculture Becharam Manna on December 18.
— TNS |
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Students will have to wait for Aakash-2
New Delhi, December 5 In a written reply, Union Human Resource Development Minister M M Pallam Raju said, “Presently there is no proposal in this regard... In the first phase one lakh tablets are for the purpose of testing and teacher empowerment. They would not be distributed to students in the first phase.” The advanced version of low cost access device Aakash-2 tablet was launched by President Pranab Mukherjee on November 11.
— PTI
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Sugarcane farmers protest
Lucknow, December 5 The Opposition created a ruckus, barged into the well of the House and raised slogans against the government for its reportedly anti-farmer policies. Activists of the Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) put together a huge bonfire of sugarcane and set it ablaze. The Opposition called upon the government to immediately announce the support price for sugarcane for the present crushing season.
— TNS |
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Drug Smuggling New Delhi, December 5 Drugs are smuggled into India mainly through Punjab. One of the biggest seizures of drugs in India this year has been the 105-kg haul at the Attari-Wagah rail section on October 8. The goods train had arrived from Pakistan. Besides focusing on increasing vigilance at the Punjab border, the NCB and the ANF also discussed sharing intelligence on drug trafficking and the modus operandi of drug smugglers. Addressing a joint press conference, Major General Malik Zafar Iqbal, ANF Director General (DG), said, "The Indo-Pak border in Punjab has been under debate (between the two countries) due to smuggling of narcotics. We worked for curbing the menace in the Punjab area this year and have had certain successes (in Pakistan)." Ajay Chadha, NCB Director General, cited a United Nations report saying about 90 per cent of the opium used to manufacture heroin is produced in Afghanistan. "Some of the heroin comes to India through Pakistan," he said.
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New Delhi, December 5
New Delhi, December 5
New Delhi, December 5
New Delhi, December
5
New Delhi, December 5
Hyderabad, December 5