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Gujarat
votes 2012
Antony firm on war memorial at India Gate
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Once a rebel, she now guards Andhra ex-CM Naidu
I have put my violent ideology firmly behind me and want to lead a normal life. I am discharging my duty as a Home Guard with utmost commitment and dedication. — Vala Ramadevi
Petroleum Ministry told to crack whip on telcos
Italian minister visits marines on trial
Italian Defence Minister Giampaolo Di Paola (C) at a press conference with Italian sailors Salvatore Girone (R) and Massimiliano Latorre in Kochi on Sunday. — Reuters
Kerala to track school kids with Aadhaar card
Samjhauta Blast arrest
AFT recommends action against Army’s law chief
US-made Apache copters will be for
IAF: Browne
‘Saint Dracula 3D’ gets Oscar call
Indo-ASEAN car rally reaches Guwahati
Pot-bellied AP policemen told to get back in shape
Jantar Mantar
3 years on, bunkers near
Jammu border unused
SP: Congress conspiring to trap Mulayam
Rs 600 enough to feed family of five, says Sheila; Oppn slams her
Yeddyurappa dares BJP to sack 13 loyalist MLAs
Dhanbad’s ISM may be an IIT soon
Three held with explosives
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Gujarat
votes 2012
Gujarat has several times in the past written history of the country. The "navnirman agitation" in the early seventies showed to the country the power of the people to overthrow a constitutionally elected government. In the mid-seventies, the first experiment of conglomeration of anti-Congress forces under the stewardship of former Prime Minister Morarji Desai was tried in Gujarat which turned out to be the fore-runner of the future Janata Party that emerged as an alternative to the Congress before the birth of the BJP in the eighties. Gujarat had also shown to the nation how total destruction from the killer earthquake of January 2001, could be converted into an opportunity to develop the border district of Kutch as a modern industrial hub. The communal massacre of 2002 shattered the social fabric not only in Gujarat, but also in many other parts of the country. It led to development of an unfounded distrust between the two communities. The outcome of the Assembly elections was expected to decide whether Chief Minister Narendra Modi would stake claim for the prime ministerial berth during the next General Election. Though Modi himself has never said in so many words about his prime ministerial aspirations, the people who know him from close quarters concluded the coterie around him, which first raised the issue of he being "prime minister material", would not have dared to do so without his express consent. This forced even the BJP high command to concede later that Modi was "one of the many candidates" for the prime minister's post if the NDA was voted to power. Both Modi and the state BJP leadership agree that even a seat less than 117, the party's tally in 2007 elections, would weaken Modi's stake for the national ambitions as it would be viewed as his "declining" popularity among the people of the state. Modi has targeted to win at least a clear three-fourth majority in the 182-member state Assembly, which will also be a record by any party. However, even 120 seats or more would help strengthen his claim for projection as the NDA's prime ministerial candidate. However, his staking the claim as the prime ministerial candidate would not only hurt the BJP central leadership where more than one aspirant is waiting in the wings to don the mantle, it would also hit the unity of the NDA, as already indicated by Bihar Chief Minister and his arch rival Nitish Kumar. Some more desertions from the NDA can also not be ruled out if Modi is projected as the prime minister, which in turn can again help rejuvenate the Congress. A rout of the BJP in the Assembly elections in Gujarat would shatter Modi's prime ministerial ambition and the possibility of a political upheaval in the country. It would also mean the first non-BJP government in the state in 17 years, excepting the 15-month rule by Shankarsinh Vaghela and Dillip Parikh of the Rashtriya Janata Party, a breakaway group of the BJP, with the outside support of the Congress in 1997-98. None of the present political assessment, however, indicates that the BJP could go down the magic figure of 92 seats, though each differed on the possible final tally. The Gujarat Parivartan Party floated by former Chief Minister and sworn enemy of Modi Keshubhai Patel with the help of the former disgruntled elements of the BJP who quit the parent organisation because of personal differences with Modi, however, has emerged as a dark horse. The political pundits are still not sure what role the GPP could play in the elections, whether it would emerge as the alternative to the BJP or would be doomed in the first election as most of the other regional parties floated by dissidents of either the Congress or the BJP have suffered in the past. This included the Rashtriya Congress formed by once Congress stalwart Ratubhai Adani, the Kisan Mazdoor Lok Paksha of former Chief Minister Chimanbhai Patel or even the RJP floated by Vaghela. Many other regional parties have come and gone, but Gujarat so far has never supported a triangular contest and every time the third party, after the BJP or the Congress, has been reduced to the level of no existence. Though the GPP is unlikely to stake a serious claim for a majority on its own, its share of 15 to 20 seats could cause a downslide of the BJP's tally and in case neither of the two parties emerged a clear winner, Patel's party would play the role of king-maker. According to present indications, however, the GPP would cut into the votes of both the BJP and the Congress, and not of the ruling party alone. While Modi said he visualised not just a wave but a "pro-BJP storm" sweeping the elections in the state, the Congress leaders are rather subdued in claiming that the party would get a "clear majority". The counting of votes will be held on December 20 when Gujarat will decide its own and the country's future political course.
BJP hopes to better its performance NEW DELHI:
A day before Gujarat goes through the final test of Chief Minister Narendra Modi's strength, the BJP has expressed confidence of doing even better than last time and accused the rival Congress of relying on "confusing data" to woo the voters. Claiming that the ruling party at the Centre lacked issues, senior BJP leader Arun Jaitley on Sunday accused the Congress of trying to "create some complex confusing data which was inaccurate" and contesting elections on that strength.
— TNS
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Antony firm on war memorial at India Gate
New Delhi, December 16 The Delhi Chief Minister has opposed the construction of a war memorial at India Gate. In letters to Antony, Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde and Urban Development Minister Kamal Nath, she has said an alternative site should be found for the memorial. She says India Gate is the only popular hangout for the people of the city and the war memorial will restrict their movement in the area due to security reasons. The memorial will also affect the ambience of the area. Antony stuck to his guns indicating that he was in no mood to yield, saying “after long years of efforts, a Group of Ministers set up by the Prime Minister and the three Services chiefs had agreed to set up the war memorial here. Before taking the proposal to the Cabinet (for approval), the Urban Development Ministry has written to all stakeholders to seek their comments and views. But I am sure that we will be able to clinch the issue”. The Armed Forces have been demanding a war memorial in the National Capital to honour their men who made supreme sacrifice in various wars, conflicts and militancy-related incidents in Jammu and Kashmir and the North-East. On the issue of Kargil martyr Capt Saurabh Kalia, Antony said India was pursuing the case with Pakistan. The officer was tortured and killed by Pakistan troops after being captured in the Kargil sector in May 1999. “We will pursue it and we are pursuing it with Pakistan,” he said. Captain Kalia’s father NK Kalia, in conjunction with Rajya Sabha MP Rajeev Chandra, has taken up the case with the United Nations Human Rights Commission seeking directions to Pakistan for a probe into the officer’s death. He has also filed a plea in the Supreme Court to direct the government to take up the case of his son’s torture at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) at The Hague.
For and against
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Once a rebel, she now guards Andhra ex-CM Naidu
Hyderabad, December 16 Swarnakka, who has left her violent past to join the social mainstream, is among the personnel providing security cover to Naidu, a former Chief Minister and a “Z plus” category protectee. After surrendering before the police, along with her Maoist husband, Swarnakka has been rehabilitated “I have put my violent ideology firmly behind me and want to lead a normal life. I am discharging my duty as a home guard with utmost commitment and dedication,” she says, walking briskly a few steps ahead of Naidu during the walkathon near Bhainsa in Adilabad district, while keeping a close eye on the crowds gathered on either of the road. Ironically, Naidu had survived an assassination bid by Maoists in October 2003 when he was the Chief Minister. The extremists had triggered a landmine blast at Alipiri, the Tirumala foothills, targeting Naidu’s convoy. He escaped the attempt on his life with minor injuries. Joining the Naxalite movement at a tender age of 11, Swarnakka operated in the Telangana region in the 1990s. A native of Edagattu village in Adilabad district, she worked with J Ganganna alias Ramanna who was the then PWG commander of the Chennur “Dalam” (Armed wing). She later married him and the couple surrendered in 1993. As part of the government’s rehabilitation policy, she was given the job of a home guard. “For a surrendered Naxalite couple, life is not easy. The people used to look down upon us with deep suspicion. So, I decided to take up the job of home guard to complete my transformation to the social mainstream,” Swarnakka says. With TDP chief touring the Maoist infested areas of the district, the police have summoned some surrendered Maoists for information on the movement of extremists in the area.
Role reversal
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Petroleum Ministry told to crack whip on telcos
Growing tendency to switch over to diesel cars to take advantage of the subsidised fuel and no action on implementation of its earlier recommendations to check the practice has prompted an upset Parliamentary panel to ask the nodal ministry, the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas (MoPNG), to collect facts and figures and convince the Finance Ministry on why it was important to impose additional excise duty on diesel vehicles. In its report to Parliament last week, the Standing Committee on Petroleum and Natural Gas expressed dissatisfaction that no progress had been made by the MoPNG on its recommendation to take up the matter of levying cess on purchase of diesel cars used for private purpose with the Finance Ministry and discourage “dieselisation of economy and also bring in additional revenues for meeting the under-recoveries on the Oil Marketing Companies”. Giving the reference of its letter dated June 7, the MoPGN, in the action taken replies, stated it had again “requested” the Finance Ministry to reconsider the proposal. However, seeing no further action on the issue thereafter, the panel has now asked the MoPNG to “marshal facts and figures to substantiate their contention about the growing dieselisation of the economy which impacts the pollution levels in cities to the Ministry of Finance and impress upon it to levy additional burden on the purchase of diesel cars”. Observing that the telecom sector was also consuming diesel in a big way for operation of mobile towers through diesel generators, it also pointed out that the subsidised fuel was not meant for such commercial purposes and asked the ministry to take serious note of the phenomenon and put in place appropriate mechanism to charge these entities the actual cost of the fuel. The panel in its ninth report had asked the government to consider levying additional tax on diesel vehicles.
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Italian minister visits marines on trial
Kochi, December 16 Paolo also made an appeal for allowing Massimiliano Latore and Salvatore Girone to return to Italy for Christmas. “We respect and I do respect the Supreme Court of India. We are confident that the case will be solved according to national laws, international justice,” Paolo, who arrived here last night to meet the marines, told reporters. Italy had summoned the Indian Ambassador in Rome a couple of days ago to insist that the apex court should pass a decision on the two marines at the earliest. The minister, who was flanked by the two marines dressed in suits, said “I came here to meet the two Italian marines. They are in active duty. It is my responsibility to come here. They are still on a mission. They are supporting a mission,” the minister said. Di Paolo, who arrived by a chartered aircraft from Herat, a province in Afghanistan, said, “I came here from Afghanistan where I met other (Italian) soldiers. In the same way, I came here to say hello (to the marines).” Asked if he was confident that the marines would be able to visit Italy for Christmas, Paolo said, “Nobody more than India understands the value of celebrating Christmas. For us Christmas is the festivity. So you understand how much we want them to go back, to be with their families and parents. I am confident that Indian people will understand,” he said. The marines have moved a petition in the Kerala High Court seeking relaxation of their bail conditions to enable them to visit their families. The plea will come up for hearing on Tuesday. The Supreme Court had reserved its verdict on the Italian government’s plea challenging the jurisdiction of Indian courts to try the
marines. — PTI
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Kerala to track school kids with Aadhaar card
New Delhi, December 16 “We have not yet heard from the state,” Chairperson of the commission Shanta Sinha told The Tribune, disagreeing with the use of Aadhaar cards for schoolchildren. The state, however, is clear about what it wants to do. In a circular detailing the issuance of Aadhaar cards to schoolchildren, the state government directed its Public Education Department to deploy online school management software called Sampoorna in schools across Kerala and to bring the same in line with UID. Issued by Director, Public Education, Kerala, the circular states, “We have been tasked with providing Central Government’s UID to school students. Hence, schools should provide mechanisms to implement UID and Sampoorna in conjunction. “Details of all the students in the school should be collected in the forms on the basis of their class and division. Headmasters should ensure that all students have filled in these forms. Education officers are directed to monitor these explicitly. Details of monetary compensation for teachers who conduct UID verification would be notified separately.” The Aadhaar cards are sought to be issued to as many as 60 lakh students from Class I to XII spanning close to 15,000 schools in the state. “When all schoolchildren have UIDs, their movements in educational institutions can be tracked so also their academic performance. The circular is coercive and violates the privacy of children,” said Usha Ramanathan, a Delhi-based lawyer who has complained to NCPCR against Kerala. The concerns stem from the challenges of UID verification in case of children. Collecting and de-duplicating the biometrics of children is a challenge, admits Unique Identification Authority of India’s own “Working paper on UID and iris”. “Children’s face and fingerprints are not stable until the age of 16 years. The lack of de-duplication of a child’s biometrics would require that a child’s UID be linked to the parents’ UID in the database and the child’s ID is not issued on the basis of de-duplication of his own biometrics. This increases the risk of fakes among UIDs for children,” Ramanathan told The Tribune. Activists further argue that UIDs don’t have parliamentary mandate as the UID Bill has not been passed by the House. “There are no protocols about who can access UID information, how UID number may be used, what will happen if there is identity loss and theft. There is no protection against tracking and profiling,” the complaint to NCPCR says. Experts say that iris presents a potential means to issue the majority of children a unique number linked to their biometrics because the iris stabilises at a very young age. “But the limitation on iris capture is the child’s inability to follow instructions to keep eyes open before the camera. Normally, children understand such instructions after the age of four. Moreover, what is the purpose in tracking kids?” Ramanathan said.
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Bomb planter’s hand in Mecca blast suspected
Chaudhary, who is in his mid-30s, was arrested by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) last night from Nagda, 50 km from Ujjain, where he was living under an assumed name, they said. Also known as Samundar Singh among right-wing extremists, Chaudhary had changed his identity and had been living under the assumed name for the last three years after NIA had announced a cash reward of Rs 5 lakh for his arrest, sources said. They alleged that he was also involved in planting a bomb at Mecca-Masjid in Hyderabad on May 18, 2007 in which nine persons were killed. Five more died thereafter in clashes with the police. A cell phone-controlled pipe bomb had gone off at the historical Masjid during Friday prayers. The NIA was handed over the case in 2011 after which the agency chargesheeted five persons -- Assemanand, Lokesh Sharma and Davinder Gupta (all under arrest) and Ramji Kalsangre and Sandeep Dange (both absconding). Chaudhary would be questioned about his role in the blast cases as the probe has indicated that the planter of the bombs in Samjhauta Express and Mecca Masjid was the same, the sources in the probe agency said. The breakthrough came after intense investigation being carried out in the case by the NIA which was handed over the Samjhauta probe in 2010 as they had mounted the surveillance on the accused after getting a tip off from informers that he was living under assumed name, the sources said. It is the fourth arrest in the case. The NIA has already arrested Kamal Chauhan, Aseemanand and Lokesh Sharma for their alleged involvement in the blast. An explosion ripped apart the Samjhauta Express near Panipat in Haryana on February 18, 2007 and the consequent fire in the train coaches had resulted in the loss of 68 lives and injuries to 12 train passengers, including women and children. The NIA had on June 20, 2011, filed a charge-sheet before the special court under various sections of the Indian Penal Code and Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act against five accused — Naba Kumar Sarkar, alias Swami Aseemanand, Sunil Joshi (now dead), Lokesh Sharma, Sandeep Dange and Ramchandra Kalasangra, alias Ramji. The agency had in August filed a supplementary chargesheet in the case against disgruntled RSS worker Kamal Chauhan and his associate Amit charging them with murder, conspiracy and other offences. Lokesh Sharma, a close associate of late Sunil Joshi, had sent Chauhan and Chaudhary for the recee in December 2006. Later, Old Delhi railway station was selected (for planting bomb) from where the train originates, the sources said. — PTI
The missing link?
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AFT recommends action against Army’s law chief
Chandigarh, December 16 Disposing of a petition filed by Lt Col Mukul Dev, alleging that he was transferred from the JAG branch to a branch dealing with land records, which had adversely affected his career, the tribunal in its order yesterday held that the transfer was made through an illegal order from within the Command Headquarters which had no authority to do so as it was the prerogative of Army Headquarters. “We find that the applicant was indeed transferred, though illegally, from JAG Branch to Q Branch which was inappropriately made and he functioned in Q Branch under the Brigadier who headed Q Branch and not under the Deputy-JAG who headed the JAG Branch,” the tribunal observed. Consequently, two of the officer’s annual confidential reports (ACRs) pertaining to the aforementioned period have been set aside, with directions to the Army to hold a selection board to consider his promotion to the rank of Colonel as a fresh case. The two ACRs were initiated after the Lieutenant Colonel had moved court against his transfer. In his petition, Lt Col Dev had challenged the legality and validity of the ACRs which had been initiated by Maj Gen PS Rathore, when he was heading the JAG Branch at Command Headquarters as a Brigadier. He had alleged that Maj Gen Rathore, now posted at Army Headquarters, was responsible for his “illegal” transfer and subsequent harassment. He had also sought initiation of disciplinary actions against all the officers involved in the matter. The plea:
In his petition, Lt Col Mukul Dev had challenged the legality and validity of two ACRs initiated by Maj Gen PS Rathore, when he was heading the JAG Branch at Command Headquarters as a Brigadier
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US-made Apache copters will be for
IAF: Browne
New Delhi, December 16 The Defence Ministry had recently allowed the Army to have combat choppers and said that all future acquisitions will be for it. "The government has decided to let the Army to have its own heavy duty attack helicopters. The decision to vest the future inductions of attack helicopters with the Army has been taken keeping in view the operational requirements in the field," Defence Minister AK Antony had told Parliament. He had also said that the IAF was procuring 22 AH-64D Block-III Apache helicopters from Boeing Company of USA. Browne said the Apaches are not just for taking out enemy tanks or for air-to-ground operations but they can be used for multiple tasks such as taking out enemy radar stations and for air-to-air missions. The Army had said recently that it was planning to send a proposal to the Defence Ministry for seeking transfer of attack helicopters from the Air Force at the earliest. Sources said the Army had also suggested that the proposal would also include transfer of the Apache helicopters which are being procured. The IAF and the Army in the recent past have been involved in a battle of sorts for controlling the attack helicopter fleet and the Defence Ministry has decided in favour of the Army. The Army already has an aviation wing but the Defence Minister has approved a long-pending demand of the 1.3 million-strong force for attack helicopters, overruling stiff opposition from the Air Force. The Army had been demanding attack helicopters, saying these are mainly used for operations by it. The IAF had been strongly resisting it, with Browne saying the country cannot afford to have "small air forces". The IAF is in final stages of completing the acquisition process of 22 Apache choppers from the US after the American machine edged out the Russian Mi-28 Havoc in the tender.
— PTI
Army too wants Apache
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‘Saint Dracula 3D’ gets Oscar call
Today he has other reasons to be boastful. For his directorial venture, a Hollywood film 'Saint Dracula 3D', has made it to the contender list of the prestigious Oscar awards in not one but three categories. While the film has already made it to the nomination list for best song and best background score, on the morning of December 14 came the big news that the film also figures in the Best Feature Film list that comprises of 282 films. Yet the director from Kerala while excited is also a wee bit dismayed. Hoping the film would be selected in the screenplay category, he understands that the best film category is bigger but then far more competitive too where it will be competing with the likes of 'The Hobbit', 'Skyfall' and 'Paranormal Activity 4'. No wonder he avers: "I believe we stood a better chance if nominated for the screenplay." In fact, he reasons that the screenplay of Saint Dracula that looks at the legendary figure as an ardent lover rather than a vampire is original and more historically accurate. Set in the current century, it is a mix of romance, suspense and action. Though the film's treatment, he assures, is unique as well as vastly different from a regular horror film, he is more hopeful about the film making it in the final five in the background score. Come to think of it when he decided to go with the music composer Sreevalsan J Menon, he was dissuaded by many in the Hollywood. But Paul had great faith in the carnatic musician who has given music in his first film 'My Mother's Laptop' and also for the upcoming film 'Kamasutra 3D'. He gushes, "Saint Dracula's music is both original and innovative and despite the Indian sound, it has a universal appeal." On India's appeal in the Hollywood, he opines that though Hollywood is aware of India's talent it is a trifle wary for they don't think we are professional enough. To elucidate their exemplary professionalism, he reveals how the main lead of the film Mitch Powell was present all through nine days when they were auditioning for the part of female actor which ultimately went to Brazilian Patricia Duarte. Actually all auditions took place along with Powell. He quips, "Can you imagine Salman Khan doing that?" Similarly he can't imagine that the official entry of India for Oscars will ever be truly based on merit. Without any political connections he is happy that 'Saint Dracula 3D' has made it on its own steam that too in the mainstream category. Indeed, he has a long way to go and he is not being over optimistic either about winning the Oscar race or even about figuring in the final five which is an award in itself. Nevertheless he has no hesitation in stating that this achievement is a tag that he is only too glad to be wearing on his neck and will at least open doors in Bollywood. Right now, however, eyes are set westwards and whether Paul's Dracula will strike blood at the 85th Annual Academy Awards. And even if it doesn't and in case you are curious to know what made it a film in contention, it releases worldwide sometime in February after making a presence at the Berlin Film Festival.
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Indo-ASEAN car rally reaches Guwahati
Guwahati, December 16 The car rally is being held to celebrate the 20 years of dialogue partnership of India with Southeast Asian bloc ASEAN. Assam Industries and Commerce Minister Pradyut Bardoloi said here that the 31-car rally was part of the series of events celebrating 20th anniversary of ASEAN-India relations. The fleet of SUVs covered more than 8,000 km touching eight of the ASEAN nations by the time it reached Guwahati this afternoon. The flag down ceremony will be graced by Union Minister of State for Industries and Commerce Dr D Purandeswari besides industries and commerce ministers and Ambassadors of some of the ASEAN countries. Bardoloi termed it the return trip of the Indo-ASEAN car rally that was flagged off in Guwahati way back in 2004 with an aim to boost bilateral ties in trade and commerce, culture among ASEAN countries. "As part of its Look East Policy, Government of India hopes to have closer ties in various sectors with ASEAN nations and Northeast India being the closest India mass to South East Asia hopes to reap the benefit of it," Bardoloi said. He said since the last Indo-ASEAN Car Rally that was flagged off in 2004, the volume of trade between India and ASEAN nations increased from $21 billion to $57 billion.
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Pot-bellied AP policemen told to get back in shape
Hyderabad, December 16 Pot-bellied policemen, struggling to perform their field duties, are a common sight in the state. According to an official survey, nearly 40 per cent of 1.2 lakh police personnel - mostly in the law-and-order wing - are obese. “This is an alarming trend and does not enhance the image of the police in any manner,” a top police official said. The fitness circular was recently sent to the police heads in all the district headquarters, asking them to impart special physical training to the law-enforcing personnel to improve their agility and fitness. “A majority of the policemen - from constables to the rank of sub-inspectors - have been found to be overweight with pot-bellies. It has created an impression that they are unfit for protection of the public and safeguarding of law and order. That is why the department has called for extensive physical training to reduce their weight on a war footing,” an official said. After check-up, the overweight policemen will be told to run at least 2 km every morning, besides doing yoga and meditation. It has been proposed to deploy weighing machines at all police stations to enable policemen to keep a watch on their weight. The department is also planning to link annual increments and promotions to the improvement they make in their fitness in a specific time frame. Sedentary lifestyle, growing stress, untimely eating habits and in some cases, excessive consumption of alcohol are some of the factors contributing to the obesity among policemen. Director General of Police V Dinesh Reddy has instructed police canteens not to sell liquor. The DGP, who inaugurated the first police canteen in Hyderabad recently, said that instructions had been given to discourage the cops from boozing. As many as 25 police canteens - on the lines of military canteens - are coming up in different parts of the state where various commodities and provisions, except liquor, will be made available to the police staff at subsidised rates.
Prescribed drill
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Jantar Mantar
BJP election campaign in Gujarat is a one-man show
The Maya fear factor
No enemies in politics
Despite their confrontations and bitter exchange of words, leaders of political parties in India are known to put aside their differences and extend all curtsies to each other on social occasions. So, it was no surprise when a phalanx of senior UPA ministers, including P Chidambaram, Sushilkumar Shinde and AK Antony along with a host of Congress leaders, braved a two-hour traffic jam to attend the marriage of senior BJP leader Rajnath Singh’s son in a far-off corner of the Capital. BJP patriarch LK Advani reciprocated the gesture when he spent over an hour at the wedding reception of UPA minister Rajeev Shukla’s nephew and left after partaking of the dinner. Similarly, the Congress top brass, led by Prime Minister Mannohan Singh and Nehru-Gandhi scion Rahul Gandhi, was present at the wedding of BJP leader Vijay Goel’s daughter last week. Though the BJP never misses an opportunity to poke fun at Rahul Gandhi, the young Congress general secretary was much in demand as virtually everybody present there wanted to be photographed with him.
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3 years on, bunkers near
Jammu border unused
Chandigarh, December 16 Constructed at a cost of Rs 7.6 crore by a private contractor, these bunkers - meant for storing ammunition - continue to remain unfit for use even three years after these were built The repair work is estimated to cost another Rs 5 crore. A court of inquiry (CoI) convened to investigate the lapses brought out inadequate soil investigation and lack of proper supervision by the executing engineers and inspecting officers of the Military Engineer Services (MES). The CoI also revealed hasty issue of completion certificate by the Garrison Engineer concerned while clearly ignoring various defects that had been repeatedly pointed out by the user ordnance unit. Some portions of the structures collapsed just about a year after construction. A Technical Board of Officers assembled to investigate the defects held improper soil investigation, less foundation depth, foundation resting on filled-up soil, inadequate drainage and improper waterproofing as the reasons for the collapse. The board also observed that the contractor had not complied with the site orders given by the MES representatives. Last year, the board recommended demolition and reconstruction of the damaged portions after proper soil investigation and redesigning the structure along with associated works, waterproofing and improving the drainage around the bunkers. The work, pegged at Rs 4.9 crore, is yet to be sanctioned. While the CoI had pinpointed the responsibility on the officers concerned, who are now facing the music, the case also underscored the ineptness of internal controls in the MES. The checks to be exercised at multiple levels proved to be ineffective in preventing lapses despite red flags being raised.
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SP: Congress conspiring to trap Mulayam
Lucknow/New Delhi, Dec 16 After days of continuous disruption and unruly scenes in Parliament, the Rajya Sabha is likely to vote on the Bill
tomorrow. Alvi also said the Congress would issue a whip to its MPs in the Rajya Sabha to support the Constitution (117th Amendment) Bill, 2012, on the SC/ST quota for job promotions. The BJP dubbed as "mere political posturing" the threat of the SP to review its outside support to the UPA if the Bill was passed. To deal with
Mulayam, the Centre had adopted a policy to "blackmail" him, alleged SP spokesman Rajendra
Chowdhury. "Come what may, the SP will not change its stand. The conspiracy is to trap the SP supremo in the CBI net for not supporting FDI and a Bill on quota in promotions," he claimed in a statement in
Lucknow. The government is caught in a bind on the stand taken by its two key outside supporters. The SP stuck to its stand to oppose the Bill while the BSP is relentlessly pushing for its quick passage in Parliament. — PTI
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Rs 600 enough to feed family of five, says Sheila; Oppn slams her
New Delhi, December 16 The Chief Minister had made the comment on Saturday during the launch of the Delhi Government's ambitious food security programme, the Dilli Annashree Yojna, under which a monthly cash subsidy of Rs 600 will be transferred directly into Aadhaar-linked bank accounts of the senior-most female members of two lakh poor families. “In Rs 600, he would get dal, rice and wheat...A family of five can easily complete their needs,” Dikshit said at the launch of the scheme that was unveiled by Congress president Sonia Gandhi. Today, she said her comments were taken out of context as she was explaining about broad contours of the scheme. "Those who are criticising me have not been able to understand the concept of the scheme," she said. In her address at the launch of 'Dilli Anna Shri Yojna' yesterday, Dikshit had explained various aspects of the scheme and said people can buy anything they require with the help of the financial assistance. Attacking Dikshit for her comment, BJP leader Vijay Goel said the Chief Minister had no idea of the cost of flour and pulses.
— PTI
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Yeddyurappa dares BJP to sack 13 loyalist MLAs
Belgaum, December 16 "I dare BJP to sack the 13 MLAs who defied the party and attended the launch of my Karnataka Janata Party at Haveri on December 9," he told reporters at the airport here. Fearing loss of numbers, BJP's state core meeting here on December 12 had refrained from taking any action against the MLAs. Yeddyurappa had stated that day that his supporters would resign en masse if the situation so warranted.
— PTI
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Dhanbad’s ISM may be an IIT soon
New Delhi, December 16 Minister of State for Human Resource Development Shashi Tharoor said the ISM had forwarded the proposal for its conversion into an IIT. "The Planning Commission has recommended that ISM Dhanbad may be converted into an IIT while ensuring that its core competency in mining and geology would be central to the institution and would not be diluted," he said.
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New Delhi, December 16
Hyderabad, December 16
Kochi, December 16
Ahmedabad, December 16
New Delhi, December 16
The apex body monitoring child rights — National Commission for Protection of Child Rights — agrees with these fears and has put the state on notice over the issue asking it to explain “what measures it would be taking to safeguard children’s right to privacy and dignity in the use of Unique Identification (UID)”.
New Delhi, December 16
Chandigarh, December 16
Senior BJP leaders from Delhi who travelled to Gujarat for the Assembly election campaign were a trifle put off as they were literally relegated to the margins by the domineering Chief Minister Narendra Modi who ran one-man show in the poll-bound state. In fact, Modi did not encourage party leaders from Delhi or other state units to help out in the campaign as he already had a well-oiled machinery in place. The Gujarat strongman, however, did go out of his way to seek help from feisty members of the party’s women’s brigade, including Nirmala Sitharaman, Meenakshi Lekhi, Vani Tripathi and Shaina NC from Mumbai. Nirmala worked as a spokesperson in Ahmedabad for the entire duration of the campaign while others were kept gainfully employed in voter outreach programmes. Besides them, V Satheesh, an RSS pointsperson in the Central BJP office, was the only other leader who was extended all help by the Modi team and also allotted a room in the party office. Considering his strained relations with the RSS, Modi obviously wanted to keep the Sangh emissary in good humour.
After creating ripples with her critical remarks about Rajya Sabha Chairman Hamid Ansari, BSP chief Mayawati eventually backed off the next day but the development was preceded by a high drama. Shortly after Mayawati’s remarks, leaders of all political parties, led by Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kamal Nath, went into a huddle. The minister drafted an apology to the Chairman and it was agreed to by others that it would be read out in the House the next day. However, Kamal Nath was not prepared for the tongue-lashing he received when he approached Mayawati with the draft. The otherwise confident minister promptly retreated, stating that the draft had actually been prepared by CPM leader Sitaram Yechury. The angry BSP chief then confronted Yechury about the draft. After offering some excuse to her, the Left leader made a quick dash to the chairman’s office and looked for a way out so that he would not have to confront the tough-talking Mayawati.