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Work for Brand India: Modi to youth
‘Clean Gujarat’ drive only on paper
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New US Secy of State calls up Khurshid
Child health plan rolls out
House committee wants more teeth for Rly safety panel
Aero India-2013 gets off to a flying start
Red Bull’s Zlin 50LX aircraft perform at Aero India show in Bangalore on Wednesday. — PTI
India plans to have UAVs capable of firing missiles
Rahul feels pulse of cadre at party meet
Women unsafe in Delhi: CM
Assam arson
Curb acid attacks, SC tells Centre
Mika detained at Mumbai airport
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Work for Brand India: Modi to youth
New Delhi, February 6 Making best use of the opportunity of addressing students at the prestigious Sriram College of Commerce at the University of Delhi, the BJP leader appeared unfazed by the sharp protests his presence evoked outside where police cane-charged and used water cannon against the agitators. In his hour-long extempore address in Hindi, Modi painted on a canvass contours of his vision for the country drawing upon his work to make Gujarat a front-ranking state during the last three terms as chief minister despite inadequate natural resources and dependency on the vagaries of weather. While underscoring how he turned around the usual fire-fighting methods adopted by governments to solve problems by visualising scenarios and then drawing plans for it in Gujarat, Modi refrained from launching any frontal attack on the Congress or its policies. Aware that the occasion was an annual speech on “Emerging Business Models in a Global Scenario”, to youth drawn from different classes, including the ever-expanding middle, he said there is a sense of despondency in the country with people wanting better opportunities and an improved atmosphere. Using an age-old method to draw a distinction between an optimist and a pessimist by raising a glass and holding the view that it is either half-full or half-empty, he said: “I have a third view. This glass is full -- half with water, half with air,” he said. Attempting to tickle their political senses, he said youth should not be seen as “new age voters but new age power” stressing his philosophy that government's only business should be providing good governance. Recounting that when he was growing up, “Made in Japan” was a brand that stood for quality, he sought to know why “can't we brand Made in India global”? suggesting that instead of the world viewing India as a market, the world should be seen as a market by India. Giving credit to work done by youth in altering the perception of the world of India being a land of snake charmers and black magic, Modi remarked “India's image has today changed, thanks to our youngsters. We are a nation of mouse charmers,” he said in an obvious reference to India's strength in software. Expanding on his three ‘S’ formula, he said while the country needs skill development to keep pace with development, accent should be on the scale of a project and the speed with which it is implemented cautioning that otherwise the world would not wait. He also talked about the work done in Gujarat, including the swiftness with which coaches for Delhi Metro are being produced in his state and of how Nano car shifted its plant from West Bengal.
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‘Clean Gujarat’ drive only on paper
Ahmedabad, February 6 During a recent cleanup operation, the forest authorities with the help of schoolchildren and voluntary organisations recovered over eight tonnes of plastic waste from Nalsarovar lake, the state’s only Ramsar site — a designated wetland of international importance — 60 km from here. Spread over a 120-sq-km area, Nalsarovar is home to over 200 migratory and rare bird species during the winter season. Thousands of birdwatchers assemble at Nalsarovar every day, turning the bird sanctuary into a veritable picnic spot. After objections from the forest department, the state government had desisted from making night stay arrangements for birdwatchers at Nalsarovar. With no arrangements for food at the site, visitors carry along their own supplies, including water bottles, and litter the lake area. Similar problems have been witnessed at other bird and wildlife sanctuaries. In spite of demands for imposing a ban on plastic bags in designated sanctuary areas, the Modi government has so far failed to take corrective step. Even in Ahmedabad, while the BJP-controlled municipal corporation had imposed a ban on the use of thin plastic bags, the order has not been implemented effectively. The forest department also faces shortage of manpower to man the huge lake. Around five forest officials have been deputed at Nalsarovar to protect over 1.5 lakh winged visitors that visit the lake every year. Further, birds often fall prey to poachers who use fishing nets to catch them as they swoop on the lake water.
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New US Secy of State calls up Khurshid
New Delhi, February 6 A week after Khurshid wrote a letter congratulating Kerry on his appointment, the US Secretary of State called up the External Affairs Minister and thanked him for the message soon after he was confirmed to the post. In a conversation that lasted seven minutes, Khurshid said he was looking forward to work with Kerry to take the bilateral relations, already on a "historically unprecedented high", to a further higher level, official sources said here. Kerry requested Khurshid to convey his wishes to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. He recalled his visit to India with a large business delegation when Manmohan Singh was the Finance Minister.
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Child health plan rolls out
Mumbai, February 6 Health department officials said all children under the age of 18 will be eligible to avail of a package of health services under the RBSK. Children will be screened for 30 common ailments/ health conditions so Children will be screened for conditions like Down's Syndrome, congenital cataract, deafness and heart defect, deficiency conditions like anaemia, malnutrition and goitre, developmental delays and disabilities like hearing impairment and vision impairment, said officials. The Maharashtra Government which will be among the first states to roll out the schemes will deploy mobile health teams in every block. The teams will comprise a male and female doctor, a nurse and a pharmacist who will carry out the screening and treatment exercise. While children in the 0-6 age group enrolled in anganwadis will be screened at least twice a year; all children in government schools and in schools aided by the government too will be regularly screened for the conditions. Newborn children will be screened for possible birth defects at health facilities where they are delivered. The government chose Palghar to launch the RBSK initiative because of the large tribal population in the area.
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House committee wants more teeth for Rly safety panel
New Delhi, February 6 Under the present system, safety standards and instructions were not being followed by the Ministry of Railways resulting, the panel said. The department-related parliamentary standing committee on transport, tourism and culture said the prevailing system to go into rail accidents by the CRS was not only “disappointing”, but its mandate was also “greatly restricted”. “A new law is required to empower the CRS for improving its functioning,” said panel Chairman and CPM MP Sitaram Yechury. He was addressing a press conference after submitting the report. The report said the panel was convinced that in the present safety scenario, a separate legislation needs serious consideration for clearly defining the role, powers and jurisdiction of the CRS to ensure its autonomy and effective functioning. “The CRS is not having much say in the monitoring of railway safety presently in the country expect accident investigation and inspection of new lines before they are commissioned. The CRS is not having any power to carry out annual audit of safety parameters of the Indian Railways. The committee emphasises that the CRS should be strengthened with required powers and autonomy for the betterment of railway safety in the country,” the report said. As per the Railways Act, the CRS is under the Ministry of Civil Aviation and can investigate into any accident, notified or otherwise, but it cannot do so in practice as it is dependent on the Railways for technical manpower, infrastructure and other logistical support needed for investigation and inspection. The panel said while the CRS had the powers to probe a rail accident, it did so only after receiving a notice from the General Manager concerned and the accidents for which no notice had been issued, the probe was conducted by the Railways itself. The panel said the CRS should be legally empowered to conduct inspection annually.
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Aero India-2013 gets off to a flying start
Bangalore, February 6 Antony said this after he declared the five-day Aero India 2013, the ninth edition of the exhibition, open at a glittering ceremony marked by some gripping stunt flying by fighter jets, including India’s indigenous light combat aircraft (LCA), spectacular display by the four-member Flying Bull team from the Czech Republic and a cameo by a vintage Tigermoth without a canopy. Besides Antony, Civil Aviation Minister Ajit Singh, Karnataka Chief Minister Jagadish Shettar, IAF chief NAK Browne, DRDO chief VK Saraswat were present at the function which was also attended by a large number of military and Air Force officials and business delegates and others from India and abroad. From a modest beginning in 1996, the Aero India
has become a premier international event now, Antony said. It had become especially important for India and the region around it, he added.
Russian team delayed
Chinese delegation arrives
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India plans to have UAVs capable of firing missiles
Bangalore, February 6 At present, 150 UAVs are operated by the Army, the Navy and the Indian Air Force (IAF). These are Searcher Mark II and Heron I procured from Israel Aerospace Industries over the past one decade. The plan is to upgrade the existing UAVs to fire missiles and equip these to have capabilities to look through clouds, fog and tree foliage. The upgrade, partnered by Israel, could cost up to $1 billion (approx Rs 5,400 crore). The thrust areas would be improved avionics and propulsion. There is also a plan to have around 600 UAVs over the next 3-4 years. The Hindustan Aeronautics Limited ((HAL) is to come with an expression of interest for which leading UAV makers, the Boeing, the Israeli’s, European conglomerate EADS and Swedish Saab have shown interest. The HAL is firming up its requirements and will be looking to have a foreigner partner to co-develop UAVs that would have several variants like helicopter style vertical take-off and landing, one with SAR capacity, one carrying ammunition and another one for maritime patrolling.
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Rahul feels pulse of cadre at party meet
New Delhi, February 6 Rahul Gandhi’s appointment as vice-president and his stirring speech at the Jaipur AICC session have raised expectations of the party rank and file which want him to bring about the promised changes in the organisation at the earliest and spell out his vision on the future of the party. The cadres are particularly anxious because the organisational rejig, expected to bear Rahul Gandhi’s imprint, will give them an insight into his preferences and his style of functioning. “On one hand, this meeting gave Rahul Gandhi a chance to feel the pulse of the party. On the other hand, it was an opportunity for the office-bearers to unburden themselves,” remarked a senior AICC functionary. Though AICC office-bearers are understandably relieved at being given this opportunity to air their grievances, they are also disappointed that Rahul Gandhi did not specify a time-frame for undertaking the long-awaited AICC reshuffle and notifying the pending appointments in the state units. Consequently, the air of uncertainty, as mentioned by AICC general secretary Digvijay Singh during the deliberations, continues to persist in the party. In addition, there is no clarity on the order of reporting in the party. Office-bearers are not sure if they should continue with the old system and report directly to Congress president Sonia Gandhi or they are now expected to approach Rahul Gandhi first. “We re hoping that this matter will be clarified when the AICC reshuffle takes place,” said a Congress functionary. But Rahul Gandhi appears to be in no hurry. On the contrary, he told the meeting that he is not going to rush into taking decisions. As anxiety levels in the party keep mounting, Rahul Gandhi sought to put everybody at ease. He assured the senior leaders that they would not be marginalised and instead sought their guidance in drawing up the party’s future programmes. At the same time, he emphasised that the youth should be given greater representation in the organisation. Rahul Gandhi promised corrective steps at the meeting after he heard the litany of complaints, ranging from the dictatorial attitude of Chief Ministers and increasing influence of money power to the slow decision-making process in the party. He also expressed a desire to extend this exercise to the state, district and block levels, described by some as “grassroots bonding” to enable him to strengthen the organisation on the basis of the feedback he receives from these interactions. Reiterating his resolve to streamline the party organisation, Rahul Gandhi said a proper system would be put in place so that there is greater accountability and willing workers are justly rewarded. “The party has to function on the principle of performance and accountability,” he told the office-bearers.
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Women unsafe in Delhi: CM
New Delhi, February 6 “Women don’t feel safe in Delhi. There is no feeling of security. What had happened yesterday in Lajpat Nagar is shocking. Fears have risen after the incident,” Dikshit said when asked to comment on the incident. An electrician had brutally assaulted a young girl in South Delhi’s Lajpat Nagar when she resisted his attempt to rape her. The girl, a college student, was alone at home when Anil Kumar (26) forced his way into the house and tried to rape her. The police arrested the man on charges of attempted murder and rape while the girl was admitted to a private hospital where her condition was stated to be critical. The incident came less then two months after the December-16 gang rape of a 23-year-old girl. — PTI
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Panel okays blocking of 306 Twitter accounts
New Delhi, February 6 These accounts, according to the committee, had the potential to inflame communal tension in the country and some morphed pictures were uploaded that had led to clashes in some parts of the country. — PTI
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Curb acid attacks, SC tells Centre
New Delhi, February 6 Expressing its dissatisfaction with the steps taken by the government to curb the sale of acids in the open market, a three-member Bench headed by Justice RM Lodha also wanted enactment of a law for providing relief to such victims in the form of treatment and compensation. The Bench, which included Justices J Chelameswar and MB Lokur, was hearing a PIL field in 2006 by Laxmi, an acid attack victim from Delhi, seeking deterrent legal provisions and a compensation mechanism. A minor at the time of attack, Laxmi’s face and other parts were disfigured in the attack by three youths, one of whom she had refused to marry. The trial is still on and two of the accused are on bail. Earlier, the Centre had pleaded its inability to ban the sale of acids as sought in the PIL as states were responsible for taking any such action.
Chief Secys must meet in a week
* The court wants the Centre to convene a meeting of Chief Secretaries of all states and Union Territories within six weeks to finalise a mechanism to check the menace *
A three-member Bench expressed dissatisfaction over the steps taken by the government to curb the sale of acids in the open market
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Mika detained at Mumbai airport Mumbai, February 6 During checking, he was found in possession of $12,000 and Rs 3 lakh in cash, a senior customs official said. Under the Customs norms, Indian passengers carrying over Rs 7,500 and $5,000 from abroad need to make declaration about the same upon arrival, he said. The 35-year-old singer was unable to give a satisfactory answer about the currency in his possession, the official said, adding his statement was being recorded. — PTI
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Defence Minister AK Antony today said the next Aero India exhibition, the biennial air show organised by the Defence Ministry, would be once again be held in Bangalore from February 18 to 22, 2015.
Antony said this after he declared the five-day Aero India 2013, the ninth edition of the exhibition, open at a glittering ceremony marked by some gripping stunt flying by fighter
jets
