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Bring Mumbai attackers to justice: UN
Maritime body a must, says Navy ex-Chief
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sexual
harassment at workplace
SC notice to states on Aadhaar
with
general election 2014 only a few months away...
In Alwar, Cong faces tough task
Cong take on land Act irks landholders in Rajasthan
Sriganganagar: Tempers fly high over poll survey
Reputation of many bigwigs at stake in MP
Copter deal: Agusta files reply, denies wrongdoing
50% recruitments in Army religion, caste-based: PIL
Blast in village near Kudankulam plant; 6 dead
Snooping
row Life, health insurance for HIV+ from April Biocon gets nod to market breast cancer drug
Assam drafts law to impose ban on bandhs
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Washington, November 26 "Lashkar-e-Toiba is stronger today than ever. It has a secure stronghold in Pakistan, networks in the Gulf for fundraising and cells in the Pakistani diaspora in the UK, UK and elsewhere. It is a major threat to India, America and others," Bruce Riedel, the former CIA analyst and a top American expert on South Asian counter-terrorism issues said. Experts and ex-administration officials reiterated the ISI of Pakistan continues to support the LeT, which they warned now poses an equal threat to the US and India. Anish Goel, who served as senior director for South Asia in National Security Council (NSC) of the White House in President Barack Obama's first term, said, "To my knowledge, the LeT has not been significantly weakened in recent years, so it undoubtedly still poses a significant threat to India," he said. "The group has historically focused on India so the direct threat to the United States is likely not as great. At the same time, many of the militant organisations in Pakistan work with one another so the United States cannot ignore the LeT, or any militant group in the region," he said. Describing the LeT is an armed wing of the Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD) Arif Jamal, a Pakistan scholar and author of forthcoming book 'Call for Transitional Jihad: Lashkar-e-Toiba 1985-2014' said that JuD has grown tremendously stronger in the last five years. "The JuD/LeT is literally the biggest threat to the world peace. It is one of the biggest terrorist groups in the history with more than half a million armed and trained members. Roughly half of them are within the fighting age range," Jamal said. And instead of taking any effective acting against LeT and its leaders, the Pakistani establishment, in particular the ISI continues to provide its support to the terrorist outfit. "The LeT remains the favoured instrument of the ISI. The Sharif government is even less inclined than the Zardari government to take on the LeT given its strength in the Punjab in general and Lahore in particular," said Riedel, who is now at the Brookings Institute, when asked about the links between the ISI and the LeT. — PTI
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Bring Mumbai attackers to justice: UN
United Nations, November 26 The 26/11 terror attacks, in which 166 persons were killed, was a "terrible crime, an awful terrorist attack," said Ban's spokesperson Martin Nesirky. "Certainly, it is important that those who were responsible are brought to justice. There has already been some action in that regard," he said. A commemorative event marking the fifth anniversary of the Mumbai attacks has been organised in New York today by the American India Public Affairs Committee along with the American Jewish Committee Asia Pacific Region. Five years ago, 10 Lashkar-e-Toiba terrorists launched coordinated attacks across key locations in Mumbai killing 166 persons. — PTI
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Maritime body a must, says Navy ex-Chief
New Delhi, November 26 Admiral Prakash was delivering the fourth YB Chavan Memorial Lecture at the Ministry of Defence-backed think-tank, Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses (IDSA) here today. YB Chavan was appointed Defence Minister after the 1962 war debacle with China. “A nation with India’s maritime assets, challenges and opportunities urgently needs a multi-disciplinary maritime advisory body”, said the former Navy Chief. “The first task of such a body should be to craft an overarching maritime security policy and, thereafter, to undertake its integration with India’s maritime strategy” he said, adding it should “ensure that we draw the maximum advantage from the maritime sector to benefit our economy and also reinforce maritime security”. Speaking about India’s maritime security policy in terms of the Sino-Indian strategic equation, Admiral Prakash said the rapid growth of both economies had led to increasing reliance on energy and raw materials to be transported by sea. This has focused sharp attention on the criticality, for both economies, of uninterrupted use of the sea lanes for trade and energy transportation. “Thus, while the PLA Navy makes forays into the Indian Ocean, the Indian Navy has new-found commitments in the South China Sea,” said the Admiral. The Navy alone is not responsible for maritime security. There is an urgent need to focus on the other aspects, many of which belong to the civil sector, he pointed out. With almost 97 per cent of the Indian trade being carried out through the sea route, the focus has to be on the civil maritime sector. This includes port operations, merchant fleet, the shipbuilding industry and trained human resources.
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At CST, Rlys avoids setting up victims’ memorial
Mumbai, November 26 Five years after the terror attacks at several prominent places like the Chatrapati Shivaji Terminus train station, Taj and Oberoi Hotels, Cafe Leopold and the Chabad House in Colaba, life appeared normal everywhere. Small ceremonies were held by those who survived the ghastly attack and the kin of the dead. At the CST station, where Ajmal Kasab and his associate rained death and destruction, most people went about their work even as authorities decided against putting up any memorial to mark the dead and wounded. Railway officials said there was no point in reminding
the people of the tragedy. Elsewhere, the official functions were more elaborate. Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan accompanied by his Cabinet colleagues and senior police officials joined the families of 26/11 victims in paying homage at the memorial built at Police Gymkhana at Chowpatty. Similar events were organised at the Taj Mahal Palace and Tower and Oberoi Trident hotels, the Leopold Cafe and the Chabad House. The tragedy, however, hung heavy in the minds of the kin of the dead and injured. Most newspapers carried elaborate tributes the relatives of people who lost their lives in the attacks. Authorities, however, insisted that they were better equipped to combat terror. "The Mumbai police is far better equipped to handle terror," Police Commissioner Satyapal Singh said. He, however, admitted that coastal security had several shortcomings and needed improvement.
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sexual
harassment at workplace Aditi Tandon Tribune News Service
New Delhi, November 26 A high-level inquiry that the National Commission for Women conducted into the charges of sexual misconduct against a top Prasar Bharati official has concluded that their were had been violations of the prevention of sexual harassment at workplace law and the apex court guidelines in the Vishakha judgment of 1997. “When we went to inquire into the charges against Additional DG Raj Shekhar Vyas recently, we found he had women targets other than the complainant. These women had, however, never complained. Upon being asked why, they said they had no clue where to complain. That’s the state of Prasar Bharti, the public broadcaster, which is supposed to disseminate information about the anti-sexual harassment law,” NCW member Charu Wali Khanna told The Tribune today. NCW’s suo motu inquiry (the report of which was submitted to the government last month) was necessitated after the Prasar Bharti management failed to take action against Vyas despite an internal inquiry establishing a case. “When we visited DD and Prasar Bharati, the respondent had not even been suspended despite proven charges against him. The excuse given was-the programme service of Prasar Bharati has only seven ADG-rank officers against the required strength of 30. Prasar Bharati said they were in a very tight position. It was only after we rejected excuses that the official was suspended. He tried to influence us; even exploited caste equations in the NCW, but we denied him a meeting,” Khanna said. The NCW probe shows Vyas was suspended nearly eight years after he began stalking the victim, a casual worker. “The government’s policy of hiring casual workers is putting women in vulnerable situations. Casual presenters at the All India Radio have also alleged sexual harassment at the station. That case is on. In Prasar Bharati also, we found several casual women workers vulnerable,” said Khanna who was part of the inquiry committee with NCW chief Mamata Sharma. In its report to the government, the NCW has taken exception to the fact that Prasar Bharati has “women cells” that most women know nothing about. “Prasar Bharati has women cells. That’s not the nomenclature the SC guidelines stipulate. Complaint committees must be set up. But nothing such was observed during interaction with women employees. There was lack of support systems,” the inquiry says.
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SC notice to states on Aadhaar
New Delhi, November 26 Appearing for the PIL petitioner, Justice (retired) KS Puttaswamy, senior counsel Shyam Divan contended that even if the Centre enacted a law in Parliament making the Aadhaar card a legal document, it would be against the right to privacy guaranteed under the Constitution. On September 23, the SC had directed the government not to insist on the card for offering any service. Subsequently, the Centre tried to convince the court on the importance of the card in checking corruption in the sale of subsidised LPG cylinders and essential commodities under the Public Distribution System (PDS). However, it has not got any relief. Divan contended that the procedure adopted by the government for the issue of the card was arbitrary and violated Article 21 as the there was no informed consent and the people were not told about the potential misuse of the biometric information. “Assuming that the Constitution permits the state to collect and store biometric data of all residents, the Constitutional scheme requires that dominion over biometrics of Indian citizens and residents is a core, non-delegable function of the state that cannot be privatised,” he pleaded.
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with
general election 2014 only a few months away...  Fight for Delhi’s 4 Sikh seats gets tough Cong moves EC against SAD for ‘misusing’ Punjab police to influence voters Aditi Tandon Tribune News Service
The Congress further alleged that several vehicles bearing Punjab numbers and those registered in Akali Dal-ruled Punjab were also in operation in Delhi for electioneering. Some vehicles were learnt to have been impounded this evening after the Congress petitioned the EC in the matter. Desperate for a fourth term in the state, the Congress said Akali Dal-BJP combined was resorting to activities which were in gross violation of the EC’s election code of conduct and its expenditure norms. The Congress has alleged the above misuse in the following Sikh-dominated assembly constituencies of Delhi - Hari Nagar (a seat BJP vacated for Akali Dal this time), Rajouri Garden, Shahadra, Kalkaji and Tilak Nagar. In the first four of these five segments, the Akali Dal has this time fielded its candidates with the Congress and the Akali-BJP combine locked in a bitter fight. Speaking to The Tribune today, Congress general secretary in charge of Delhi and Punjab Shakeel Ahmed, who moved the EC, said: “Punjab police personnel are being blatantly used by the Akali Dal to influence the electorate in the Sikh and Punjabi-dominated areas of the capital. We have given evidence to the EC of this misuse in all four seats which Akalis are contesting this time.” Importantly, the BJP denied a ticket to its four-term MLA from Hari Nagar Harsharan Singh Balli to vacate the segment for Akalis. Balli later joined the Congress in protest and is now giving a tough fight to Akali Dal’s Shyamalal Sharma in the seat. For the BJP-Akali combine and the Congress, Hari Nagar seat has turned into a virtual battleground with prestige of both at stake. So much so the Congress annoyed its top candidate hopefuls from Hari Nagar to accommodate Balli, an outsider, in the seat at the last moment despite explicit instructions from party vice-president Rahul Gandhi to prefer Congress workers over outsiders in ticket selection. For the record, Akali Dal had in 2008 contested three seats, Jangpura, Shahdara and Rajouri Garden, and lost all of them. But this time they believe their convincing victory in the Delhi Shiromani Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee elections will help them ride home to victory in some if not all of the chosen seats.
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In Alwar, Cong faces tough task
While the current joke within the Vasundhara Raje-led and main opposition party BJP is that Rahul Gandhi should be petitioned to tour every constituency in Rajasthan, his inability raise specific issues and hopes of the people with concrete solutions has repeatedly seen crowds walking out of his rallies all across the state. Voters are not enthused with Rahul Gandhi and they openly say that the Gandhi family scion has no hope for them and would rather hear the BJP prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi than go for the Congress vice-president’s show. Whether it was this dusty town or the rallies in Churu, Jodhpur or in other parts of the state, the result have been the same. Quite like the rally in Delhi, where people started walking out even before Rahul arrived, his rallies in Rajasthan have been no different. Crowds walk half through even though the organisers try to hold them back. Thus, the mood is upbeat in the BJP camp and the open barb for Rahul, “yeh dil maange more”. The BJP leaders are convinced that the more Rahul speaks, the greater damage he will inflict on the Congress. The election debate is being dominated by: Will Modi help the BJP win? Will the anger against the UPA government hurt the Congress? Mood within the Congress is not of celebration. Survey after survey has revealed that the people are unhappy with rising inflation and corruption, both attributed to Delhi and also to some extent to the state government. What has compounded the problem for the ruling party is that the voters are not ready to listen to its version and the anger against the Congress is high. As a result, people go back from Congress rallies either disappointed and disillusioned or regaled by Rahul’s never-ending gaffes.
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Cong take on land Act irks landholders in Rajasthan
Sriganganagar, November 26 While the candidates are playing down this aspect at this junction to gain the sympathy and votes of those who do not own land, but if the Congress gets another term, the prospect of this becoming a reality is giving sleepless nights to thousands of families in this region. The landowners, cutting across caste lines, do not begrudge empowering the poor by giving them land, but they are wary of being dispossessed from their lands which had been made cultivable by dint of hard labour over the decades by their ancestors. There was plenty of land available in the state and this could be easily allotted to the beneficiaries. As per the proposal, the land holding will be reduced to 33 bighas from 62 bighas in the areas irrigated by the Bhakra Canal, 23 bighas from 45 bighas in the area fed by the Gang Canal and just 18 bighas from 45 bighas in the Rajasthan Canal area. Amardeep Singh of 14 Q village said ever since this was announced there was not only panic among the families settled here but a sense of being targeted. Our ancestors settled here in the 1920s and it has been a long and constant struggle ever since and now when the time had come to enjoy the fruits of their labour, there are loaded statements questioning the right to retain land over the ceiling, he pointed out. How can we sustain our families with just 18 bighas and what about the investments made in the form of labour, inputs and creating the necessary infrastructure to run a farm viably, he questioned.
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Sriganganagar: Tempers fly high over poll survey
Abohar, November 26 As per information, BJP and Congress workers suspected foul play as only five days were left for polling for the Vidhan Sabha elections. Targeting the national president of a political party, the mob started shouting slogans. The police agreed to search all the rooms inside the temple in the presence of some BJP and Congress leader. As rumours spread like wildfire suggesting that money was to be distributed to influence electorates, more and more people thronged the complex and stalled entry and exit points. RK Raina, in charge of the flying squad, told the media that it has to be investigated whether any private player can be engaged in the last phase of the electioneering to conduct survey among voters.
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BJP promises lower power tariff in Delhi
New Delhi, November 26 Nearly five days after AAP and the ruling Congress spelt out their poll promises, the top brass of the BJP including Leaders of the Opposition in Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha, Arun Jaitley and Sushma Swaraj, former BJP chief Nitin Gadkari, and party’s chief ministerial candidate Harsh Vardhan released the manifesto for December 4 elections today. Vardhan said once the BJP is voted to power, his government would work toward full statehood for Delhi, as many development projects hang in limbo because the national capital does not have a right on the use of land. The party had invited suggestions from people of Delhi. In the manifesto containing 16 pages, Vardhan also promised good governance, justice to 1984 riot victims, setting up of a price commission to curb price rise, improve public distribution system, introducing competition in power distribution and encouraging use of alternative sources of power. “We will reduce the power tariff by 30 per cent by promoting competition among the distribution companies and bringing them under CAG audit and the RTI,” Vardhan said. Emphasising on taking steps for safety of women, the BJP said 24 hours call centres and a dedicated 'Women Security Force' would be set up under the direct supervision of the CM.
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Reputation of many bigwigs at stake in MP
Bhopal, November 26 While some faced tough times from the Opposition, for others problems within the House gave them sleepless nights. For BJP ministers in particular, voters’ discontent on unfulfilled promises, allegations of corruption, factionalism, rebels and adverse caste equations proved troublesome. Times remained so testing for some that they failed to step away from the confines of the constituencies either they or their relative was contesting from. In the Congress, the prime example was that of Suresh Pachauri, who more or less remained put in Bhojpur to counter Surendra Patwa, nephew of former chief minister Sunderlal Patwa. The contest in Bhojpur was prestigious for both the sides. So while Pachauri’s colleagues from Congress- Digvijaya Singh, Jyotiraditya Scindia, Kamal Nath and Kantilal Bhuria-toured the state extensively, the last-minute choice of the party for Bhojpur struggled to achieve what may come as his first major electoral victory, provided he defeats Patwa. Apart from Pachauri, none of the Congress’ national-level leaders contested these elections. In any case, for Jaivardhan Singh, Digvijaya’s son who made news when he filed nomination for Raghogarh without waiting for the official nomination, it was considered an easy seat because of his family’s hold in the area. So his father could breathe easy and concentrate elsewhere. But for Arun Yadav, Lok Sabha member from Khandwa whose brother Sachin was contesting Kasrawad in the Nimar region, the caste factor became a big issue. Kasrawad holds a substantial number of votes from the Yadav community of which Sachin’s opponent, BJP candidate Atmaram Patel, was also a claimant.
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Copter deal: Agusta files reply, denies wrongdoing
New Delhi, November 26 The ministry will forward it to the Law Ministry before a final decision is taken on the future of the Rs 3,600-crore deal to supply 12 helicopters for VVIPs. The company had supplied its AW101 helicopters to India after these were selected as part of the deal. In February, charges surfaced suggesting middlemen had paid bribes to tweak tenders to help AgustaWestland clinch the deal. The Defence Ministry issued the show-cause notice based on the documents collected by the CBI from a court in Italy, where former CEO of Finmeccanica Giuseppe Orsi is facing a corruption trial. Finmeccanica is the mother company of AgustaWestland. The CBI has already registered a case and named former IAF Chief Air Chief Marshal SP Tyagi as one of the accused. Tyagi was the IAF Chief when the tender was finalised. The others named in the CBI’s FIR include Tyagi’s three cousins - Julie, Dosca and Sandeep. “The Tyagi brothers received unquantified sum of money from the middlemen (Guido Haschke and Carlo Gerosa),” it claimed. The Defence Ministry will go through the reply before taking a final decision on the contract, which is most likely to be scrapped by Defence Minister AK Antony. Antony has already stated that the firm has violated the contract and refused to be drawn in a legal battle with the firm. “Our stand is clear that there is no issue of arbitration. We have already given them a show-cause notice. We will take a decision after they (file a) reply,” he had said yesterday. Antony has asserted that the firm had violated contractual obligations, for which the government had initiated action.
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50% recruitments in Army religion, caste-based: PIL
New Delhi, November 26 These five regiments-Infantry, Artillery, Armoured Corpse, Bengal Engineer Group and Grenadiers-accounted for more than half of the recruitments, the petitioner IS Yadav said in an affidavit filed in the SC, countering the contentions of the Centre and the Army. The petitioner has pleaded with the SC to declare the classification-based recruitments as unconstitutional. Taking exception to the government’s refusal to disclose the details of caste-wise strength of these regiments on the premise that these were classified, the petitioner said the SC should summon the records for scrutiny. Rejecting the government’s contention that such recruitments were followed even by India’s neighbours for optimising operational efficiency, the petitioner said Pakistan
had also inherited British legacy. The Chinese Army had no such classification-based policy, he argued. “A soldier is a soldier, he has to fight in all conditions...American soldiers have fought in the thickest jungles of Vietnam, the mountainous terrain of Afghanistan and the desert of Iraq and Kuwait” without relying on any such policy, the petitioner averred. “Therefore, this plea of the respondents does not hold logic and it is constitutionally invalid too.” Further, the Navy and the Air Force did not have caste or religion-based recruitments to enhance their combat capabilities, the petitioner pleaded. “No Indian should be denied his constitutional right to get enrolled in the Army on the basis of his caste, region or religion. Then only the Indian Army will become true representative of the Indian population,” the 53-page affidavit said.
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Blast in village near Kudankulam plant; 6 dead
Tirunelveli (TN) Nov 26 A senior official of the Department of Atomic Energy said the plant is running fine and is safe. Two houses were razed under the impact of the blast, they said, adding rescue teams rushed to the pot to clear the debris and extricate people believed trapped under it. Bomb disposal squad and investigation teams rushed to the spot, along with DIG of Police Sumith Saran and Superintendent of Police Vijendra Bidari. People of Idinthakarai, the hub of protests against KNPP, backed by People's Movement Against Nuclear Energy, have been agitating for more than two years, demanding its closure. — PTI
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Snooping
row Tribune News Service
New Delhi, November 26 “This panel is mere an eyewash. One of its members is a former chairperson of the Gujarat Backward Class Commission and the other is a retired Additional Home Secretary who worked under Amit Shah, the former state home minister who is equally charged in the matter of snooping on a young woman,” said PC Chacko, Congress spokesperson. He reiterated that evidence had emerged to show 93000 interceptions were ordered by Modi and Amit Shah in seven months over a year recently. “This is a matter involving grave violations of people’s fundamental rights. We reject the Gujarat Government’s move of setting up its own probe. Modi has to reply for himself,” Chacko said.
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Life, health insurance for HIV+ from April New Delhi, November 26 The insurance regulator has come out with a draft policy that would roll out from April 1 and will extend to PLHIVs life insurance products and health insurance products offered by life insurance companies. The IRDA has asked all life insurance firms to formulate guidelines for the same. Importantly, no directions have been issued to general insurance companies that offer major part of health insurance in India-something to which the National AIDS Control Organization has raised serious objections.
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Biocon gets nod to market breast cancer drug Bangalore, November 26 According to Biocon, it is the world's first biosimilar version of herceptin to be introduced in the market. "The biosimilar trastuzumab will be marketed in India under the brand name “Canmab” and is expected to be available to Indian patients in Q4 FY14", a Biocon statement issued here said. Over 1 lakh new breast cancer patients are diagnosed with this disease every year in India.
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Assam drafts law to impose ban on bandhs
Guwahati, November 26 A draft law, “The Assam Prevention of Unconstitutional Bandh Act 2013”, prepared by the state government will be tabled in the next Assembly session for enactment. The provisions of the draft legislation term a “bandh” as unconstitutional and an offence as
no organisation or individual has the right to paralyse educational institutions, economic and industrial activities. “Such a claim or exercise will be wholly unlawful and cannot be judged as a legitimate exercise or fundamental right of any person or group, and any violator thereof shall be liable to be dealt with under the provisions of this Act,” the draft says. The legislation proposes imprisonment up to two years and a fine of Rs 10,000 per day, failing which the offender will have to undergo another two years in jail for violating its provisions by calling and observing bandhs. Blockades causing partial closure of economic activities will be liable to punishment with one year imprisonment and a fine of Rs 5,000 per day, with further jail of six months for default. The draft says the government, if it deems necessary, may direct printers, publishers or editors of publications, including newspaper or another media, to prohibit any writing or display supporting bandhs or organisers’ cause. Violation of such orders may invite imprisonment between one and two years and fines.
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AAP moves EC to stop TV channels airing political
CDs Bajwa star campaigner for Congress in Delhi AAP drops Rajouri Garden candidate Saluja
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New Delhi, November 26
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Deadly militant outfit
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Alwar, November 26
