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UP riot victims want ‘killers’ behind bars
AAP effect: Haryana cuts power tariff
Cong backs PM; says he won’t quit
Lalu a Cong sycophant, says Mulayam
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LS polls: NCP to go it alone in Gujarat
news analysis
Coal scam: CBI to register more FIRs
gujarat riots
105 more districts under LPG cash subsidy from today
pravasi bharati divas
M’rashtra to free veggies, fruits from marketing committees
New land Act effective from today
Maldivian President in India today
Rape victim dies a week after suicide bid
Communal tension grips Assam hills
RJD chief meets Sonia
CBSE exams to start on March 1
Fake degree: Annamalai varsity official sacked
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UP riot victims want ‘killers’ behind bars
Lucknow, December 31 This was one of the concerns that the Joint Citizens’ Initiative (JCI), a group of NGOs and independent individuals working in the riot-hit relief camps, put before the National Commission for Minorities’ (NCM) member Farida Khan during her visit to Muzaffarnagar on December 26. In its report shared with the NCM member, the JCI pointed out that maternal welfare, safe conditions for delivery and immediate post-natal care must be the top priority of the local administration. Condemning the pressure being exerted on the internally displaced persons (IDPs) to return to villages, the JCI report points out that the main issue was lack of arrests. “Many victims had told the NCM member that how they could think of returning when those who had killed their kin were roaming free. Just compensating them is not
justice,” said a man at the camp. “Those named in the FIRs should be immediately arrested,” the JCI report said. Demanding that no relief camp should be forcibly closed by the state administration, the JCI estimated that more than 15,000 riot-affected homeless people were still living in Muzaffarnagar and Shamli. The number includes many of those to whom the state government has given Rs 5 lakh as compensation for being “permanently displaced”. “Having announced the compensation, the state government has declared the ‘relief camp’ these people lived in as closed and forced these people to vacate the space where the camp stood. As a result, many of them have been forced to scatter into small neighboring settlements, spend a large part of their compensation in purchasing small plots at coercive rates in and around minority-concentrated villages. Today, these IDPs are living in small tents on these plots of land with no money left to build houses to guard themselves against cold,” the JCI statement said. The JCI demanded that these people should be counted among the IDPs and all relief supplies should be given to them. The JCI urged the local administration to provide large quantity of firewood regularly to the inhabitants. 483 families move out of relief camp Muzaffarnagar: Hounded by biting cold and urgings by senior district officials, as many as 483 riot-hit families camping in Loi village on Tuesday left for "safer places". There are no more relief camps left in Muzaffarnagar district, while neighbouring Shamli has four camps. District Magistrate Koshal Raj Sharma said 420 families were shifted during the day while remaining 63 left in evening to safer places.
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AAP effect: Haryana cuts power tariff
Chandigarh, December 31 Hooda also announced that there would be no increase in electricity tariff for the next financial year (2014-15) in the state. “The Discoms will file the Annual Revenue Requirement (ARR) petition before the Haryana Electricity Regulatory Commission to seek no power hike,” he said. The decision, which has been taken ahead of the forthcoming parliamentary and assembly elections and apparently to contain the growing influence of the Aam Aadmi Party, is expected to benefit nearly 40 lakh small consumers. In fact, recently there have been widespread protests across state against “inflated” bills. Observers felt the populist decision would affect the financial restructuring plan of the discoms recently announced by the central government. Only recently, the Hooda government accepted the Centre's bailout package for discoms by taking over 50 per cent of the liabilities (Rs 8162.09 crore), calculated by March 31, 2012, to set the stage for their restructuring. Besides, the arrears of the power bills in the state are pegged at nearly Rs 4,155 crore. Since April 1, 2012, the discoms had affected six power tariff hikes, the last being Rs 0.34 hike on account of fuel surcharge adjustment with effect from October 1 last year. The subsidy
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Cong backs PM; says he won’t quit New Delhi, December 31 Tewari was accompanied by Pankaj Pachauri, the PM’s Media Adviser, when he put a lid on media reports that the PM could hint at stepping down from the top post on January 3 when he addresses a press conference. Answering a question at press conference after releasing the annual calendar of the Directorate of Audio Visual Publicity (DAVP), Tewari termed the media reports as “unnecessary speculation” and added, "This is absolutely baseless and without facts. “I don’t want to lend any decorum to such questions by reacting to them.” Hinting at the possible origin of the news, Tewari said, “I know that on December 31, there is little news. But this does not mean that absurd, baseless and incorrect news stories should be run. This shows that there is a need for accountability in media.” On being asked if the Congress was preparing to project Rahul Gandhi as its prime ministerial candidate, Tewari, who is an MP from Ludhiana, said the party vice-president is its “natural leader”. Tewari said the PM, UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi are the “trinity” of the Congress. On being asked about the possibility of Rahul Gandhi being projected as the Congress’ prime ministerial candidate, he said, “Rahul Gandhi is the natural leader of the Congress. There is no dearth of leaders in the Congress.” On the timing of the announcement of a prime ministerial nominee, he said that Sonia Gandhi has already said that if there was a need to declare a candidate, it would be done at a proper time and that there was no need for any hurry. His remarks came a day after senior Congress leader and Finance Minister P Chidambaram said the party should declare its prime ministerial candidate. He put the Assembly results in perspective saying “out of 29 states which went to the polls in the past five years, the Congress won 12 of those states, the BJP and its allies won nine and others won eight.” To a question about Narendra Modi likening Rahul Gandhi to ‘akashvani’, Tewari said the BJP leader says so many things every day and it was not possible to respond to everything. The Congress responds whenever Modi says something too “irresponsible or concrete”, he said. The trigger
PM will complete his tenure: PMO New Delhi: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has no intention of stepping down ahead of the 2014 Lok Sabha poll, his office said on Tuesday, rejecting the speculation in this regard. "The Prime Minister will complete his tenure," the PMO said, rubbishing a report of his stepping down before the polls. — PTI
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Lalu a Cong sycophant, says Mulayam
“Despite all help to riot victims by the SP government, everyone is trying to play politics on the issue. Some persons (Lalu) reached there immediately after being released from jail. He had said in the past that he would not allow Mulayam to become the Prime Minister. He has said the same thing now. What’s new in it?” he said while addressing party workers on the death anniversary of SP leader Rajnarain. “Wo Congress ke talve chaat rahe hain. Uski chaploosi kar rahe hain” (He is licking feet of the Congress. He is behaving like a sycophant),” Mulayam said. He accused Lalu of siding with different parties to grab power. On the Muzaffarnagar riots issue, he said the SP government had tried its best to compensate all those who suffered due to the riots. “After Independence, so many riots have taken place. No government has ever helped riot victims the way the SP government has helped Muzaffarnagar riot victims. We have distributed Rs 90 crore...The Opposition parties know this, but are playing politics on the issue,” he said. Asserting that there were good chances of catapulting the party to power at the Centre in the coming Lok Sabha elections, Mulayam asked party workers to reach out to the people. “You all should go to the people, who have the supreme power. By ignoring them, you cannot make me the Prime Minister. In politics, power is worshipped. No heed is paid to the weak. So, try to increase power of the party,” he said. Observing that the BJP would make some gains in the LS polls due to Narendra Modi, Mulayam said despite this, it would not be able to form government as no party stood with it. “Modi will help the BJP win more seats..but it will not be able to form the next government at the Centre,” he said. — PTI
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LS polls: NCP to go it alone in Gujarat
Ahmedabad, December 31 NCP state unit president Jayant Patel told mediapersons here today that the decision to go alone in the Lok Sabha elections in Gujarat was taken in consultation with party’s founder president Sharad Pawar, the union agriculture minister. He said Pawar had authorised him to take a decision on the number of seats the party should contest depending on the political situation prevailing in the state without bothering about the present alliance partner. He said his party had already decided its candidates on some of the Parliamentary seats and the final list of the party for all the seats would be announced by the middle of January to allow the candidates enough time to begin the ground work. He also announced the candidature of Kandhal Jadeja, the son of the deceased mafia ‘godmother’ Santokben Jadeja, for the Porbandar seat in the Saurashtra region. While BJP spokesman Vijay Rupani welcomed the NCP’s decision to go alone claiming that it would benefit the BJP by dividing the pro-Congress votes, the Congress deplored the move as its arm-twisting tactics to secure “more seats than it deserved” to continue the electoral alliance. Congress spokesman Manish Doshi said the NCP before making such unilateral announcement should have studied the “ground realities” and its popular base among people. In the 2009 Parliamentary elections also the NCP had made similar unilateral announcement but later agreed to sit on the negotiation table. Sources in the NCP, which has three seats in the state Assembly, said the NCP this time would bargain for at least 12 seats if the Congress was keen to keep the alliance alive. It already had set its eyes on Porbandar, Banaskantha and Ahmedabad West parliamentary seats which it would not agree to give up under any circumstances, the sources said. Cong unhappy
The Congress has deplored the move as its arm-twisting tactics to secure "more seats than it deserved" to continue the electoral alliance. Congress spokesman Manish Doshi said the NCP before making such unilateral announcement should have studied the "ground realities" and its popular base among people
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To counter AAP, Cong woos Anna Hazare
Aditi Tandon Tribune News Service
New Delhi, December 31 Though not pushing the strategy itself, the grand old party has got its students’ wing to rope in Hazare for building up the momentum in favour of the anti-corruption framework that Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi has lately been stressing. The National Students’ Union of India (NSUI), which held celebrations in the Capital today to mark the passage of the Lokpal Bill, is learnt to have extended a special invitation to Hazare to support the anti-graft movement of Rahul. In his letter to Hazare, NSUI national president Rohit Choudhary credited Rahul for the recent anti-graft developments and said: “Rahul’s fight against corruption is inspired by Mahatma Gandhi’s quote - Be the change you want to see. Even you have appreciated the stand of Rahulji for his fight against corruption. He has played a pivotal role in passage of the much-awaited Lokpal Bill and has stated several times that the UPA has built an anti-corruption framework of eight laws. Unfortunately, six of these laws are still pending and we are trying to build a movement in favour of these laws.” The NSUI’s open invitation to Hazare is significant at a time when AAP’s Arvind Kejriwal has become a symbol of transparency, having recently refused security as well as a sprawling government bungalow for his residence. The Congress is trying to build an alternative anti-corruption plank in whatever “little political space” is left for it. The idea is to corner the Opposition BJP by projecting that while the Congress is ready with its anti-corruption code, the BJP is preventing its passage. The NSUI in its invitation to Hazare has said: “We would be honoured to have an anti-corruption crusader like you among us. Kindly spare some time and inspire us further on our fight against corruption.” The Congress through its students’ wing also seeks to reclaim the credit of the Lokpal Bill from Kejriwal and for itself and Hazare. No wonder the NSUI letter to Hazare clearly mentions: “You have unified the country against corruption and initiated the Lokpal movement and we, as an organisation, stand behind you.” It would be interesting to watch whether Hazare warms up further to the Congress. He had, in the wake of the Lokpal Bill passage, written a letter to Rahul praising his commitment to the law and Rahul had duly replied thanking the social activist and seeking his encouragement for the future. The Congress understands that if there is anyone who can firmly help it counter Kejriwal’s influence in the Lok Sabha polls, it is Anna Hazare; hence the overtures.
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Coal scam: CBI to register more FIRs
New Delhi, December 31 The agency has registered 14 FIRs and three preliminary enquiries (PEs) to probe coal blocks allocation scam. The CBI is looking into allocation made between 2006 and 2009. The CBI is in the process of closing one of the PEs, in which it was probing alleged irregularities in Anil Ambani's ADAG group run Ulta Mega Power Project (UMPP) in Sasan, Madhya Pradesh citing a policy decision vetted by empowered Group of Ministers (eGoM). No further PE in the matter is likely to be closed, the official said. The PE was registered on the directions of Supreme Court that had asked the CBI to probe
14 issues, including supply of low floor buses by Tata motors to Tamil Nadu Government, grant of spectrum and alleged market manipulations and hammering of stocks by Unitech. CBI sources said it had come to the light that use of surplus coal from the Sasan UMPP was approved on two separate occasions by two EGoMs. They said since it was a policy decision, the CBI was not likely to question it.
— PTI 14 FIRs, 3 PEs already
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Nanavati panel gets 6-month extension
Ahmedabad, December 31 The commission comprises retired Justices GT Nanavati and Akshay Mehta. In June, the state government had extended the term of the commission by six months (till December 31, 2013). “The state government has extended the term by six months up to June 30, 2014,” commission secretary GC Patel said today. Sources in the government said the commission was in the final stages of preparing the report and had not held any hearing for the past one year. In 2008, the inquiry panel had submitted one part of its finding with regard to the Godhra train burning incident, in which it had concluded that the burning of S-6 coach of Sabarmati Express near Godhra railway station was a "planned conspiracy". The panel had been constituted by the state government on March 3, 2002, under the Commission of Inquiry Act comprising Justice KG Shah in the wake of the Godhra train carnage on February 27, 2002 and the subsequent communal riots across the state. Initially, the Terms of Reference (TOR) of the commission were to inquire into the facts, circumstances and course of events that led to the burning of the S-6 coach of Sabarmati Express. In May 2002, the state government appointed retired Supreme Court Justice GT Nanavati as the chairman of the commission and the TOR were further amended in June 2002 as per which the panel was also asked to inquire the incidents of violence that took place after the Godhra incident. In 2008, after death of Justice KG Shah, ex-HC Justice Akshay Mehta was appointed to commission. — PTI
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Arup Raha takes over as IAF Chief
New Delhi, December 31 “The IAF is on a trajectory of modernisation and is transforming into a strategic aerospace power with full spectrum capability,” he said. Raha, a fighter pilot who commanded the MiG-29 squadron at Bathinda Punjab during Operation Parakaram in 2002 lauded the IAF for “exceptional dedication and commitment during” flood rescue efforts in Uttarakhand in June 2013. A record 3,702 sorties were flown, while 24,260 people were airlifted to safety during the operation. “Our professionalism and grit has earned accolades from all quarters, not only in India but from abroad as well,” the new IAF Chief said. Commissioned into the Flying Branch of the IAF in December 1974, Air Chief Marshal Raha graduated from the National Defence Academy (NDA) in Pune with the President’s Gold Medal in 1973. In his career spanning nearly 39 years, he has commanded the vital Western Air Command, which is tasked with the responsibility of Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana and parts of Rajasthan. He was also the Air Officer Commanding at the IAF base at Adampur, near Jalandhar, and Advance Headquarters, Western Air Command, at
Chandimandir.
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105 more districts under LPG cash subsidy from today
New Delhi, December 31 Under the scheme, which till now has been rolled out in 184 districts in 18 states, cooking gas consumers will get Rs 435 advance money in their bank accounts so as to help them purchase a 14.2-kg LPG cylinder at market price. The subsidised LPG cylinder currently costs Rs 414 while the market price per bottle comes to Rs 1,021. The moment the refill is bought, the subsidy prevalent on that day will be credited to Aadhaar-linked bank account of LPG consumer for another cylinder. In all, cash subsidy is provided for nine refills in a year under the DBTL scheme. Official sources said in the last phase of the DBTL rollout from tomorrow, 105 districts, including nine in Delhi, Ahmedabad in Gujarat, Gurgaon in Haryana, Belgaum in Karnataka, Gwalior in Madhya Pradesh, Mumbai, Jodhpur in Rajasthan, Thanjavur in Tamil Nadu, Lucknow in Uttar Pradesh and Murshidabad in West Bengal, would be covered. So far, 40 million cash transfers to consumer's bank accounts have taken place since the launch of the scheme in June this year. Over Rs 2,000 crore have been transfered in 184 districts in 18 states providing direct benefits in hands of the consumers.
— PTI
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Rahul Gandhi to interact with NRI achievers
KV Prasad Tribune News Service
New Delhi, December 31 The PBD, which since 2003 is held each January, will open in the National Capital this year with the Congress leader scheduled to address the gathering at the Youth Pravasi Bharati Divas that will be followed by a session on “Aspirations of Diaspora Youth”. The PBD event will offer an opportunity to Rahul Gandhi to interact with young aspiring leaders and achievers of Indian origin from different parts of the world on issues of contemporary relevance. The move also comes after BJP’s prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi addressed non-resident Indians residing in the United States this September through a tele-conference as there are some groups that protested against Modi getting an American visa. Over the past few weeks, the Congress vice-president has been more active in reaching out to different sections of society and increased his interaction with them. Unlike the reluctance he exhibited during his nearly 10 years as a parliamentarian, Rahul took part in the Lokpal debate this month when the Lok Sabha passed the Bill, addressed the Chambers of Commerce and held a strategy session with Chief Ministers of Congress-ruled states.
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M’rashtra to free veggies, fruits from marketing committees
The state government had last year issued a notification which was to allow wholesalers, malls and big stores to source fruits and vegetables directly from farmers. The measure also proposed allowing farmers to sell their produce directly to customers in the cities. However, the powerful traders' lobby at the APMCs ensured that move was stillborn. "The removal of fruits and vegetables from the APMCs will surely help the farmers. They won't be exploited by unscrupulous traders," Sadabhau Khot, secretary, Swabhimani Shetkari Sanghatana (SSS), a farmer's political party, said. The SSS has been agitating to allow farmers to sell directly to customers. The move is unlikely to go ahead without opposition from traders at the 295 APMCs across Maharashtra. Some of them handle huge amounts of vegetables like the Vashi APMC in Navi Mumbai, one of the biggest suppliers of vegetables, handles more than 1,800 tonnes of veggies daily. Traders at APMCs allege that such measures are being taken at the behest of big retail chains. "The government wants to shut down APMCs and bring foreign investors in retail," Sanjay Pansare, market director, Vashi APMC, said.
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New land Act effective from today
New Delhi, December 31 "The Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act" stipulates mandatory consent of at least 70 per cent of affected people for acquiring land for Public Private Partnership (PPP) projects and 80 per cent for acquiring land for private companies. With the Act coming into force, state governments will have to set up at least six bodies including the state-level Land Acquisition Rehabilitation and Resettlement Authority in each state to hear disputes arising out of projects where land acquisition has been initiated by the state or its agencies. Under the rules, the state governments should take immediate steps to create and establish the State Social Impact Assessment Unit, the office of the Commissioner Rehabilitation and Resettlement and the State Level Monitoring Committee.
— PTI Fair compensation
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Maldivian President in India today
New
Delhi, December 31 The four-day visit will provide an opportunity to both the countries to strengthen the close-bilateral relations that extend in key areas such as economy and defence. The visiting leader will hold delegation-level talks led by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and will call on President Pranab Mukherjee who is also hosting a banquet in honour of the dignitary. Both sides are expected to conclude bilateral agreements in areas of Health and Visa Facilitation. — TNS
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Rape victim dies a week after suicide bid
Kolkata, December 31 The victim was admitted to the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital after she attempted self-immolation in her house near Dum Dum, where her family had shifted after the rape incidents at Madhyamgram. On October 25, the girl was allegedly gang-raped near her house in Madhyamgram and was found by local residents in a field. When she was returning home along with her father, a taxi driver, and her mother after lodging a complaint with the local police, she was again abducted by the same gang and raped, the police said.
— PTI
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Communal tension grips Assam hills
Guwahati, December 31 Over 1,500 Rengma Naga villagers have already taken shelter in relief camps set up by the administration. Additional forces have been deployed and curfew remained clamped in Rengma Naga-dominated Chokihola and Barpathar areas. Trouble had been brewing in these areas since June this year when KPLT ultras put Rengma Naga villagers on notice, asking them to either leave Karbi Anglong areas or adopt Karbi culture. The militants had been extorting money from orange producers in the area. A Rengma Naga community leader said oranges could not be taken for sale this year because of the “tax” imposed by KPLT ultras.
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RJD chief meets Sonia
New Delhi, December 31 He said he can say with full confidence that an alliance of the Congress-RJD-LJP will happen this time and will halt the march of "communal forces" in Bihar, Jharkhand and elsewhere. "I will not allow communal forces to occupy power at any cost..that is my dream....," Prasad told reporters.
— PTI
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CBSE exams to start on March 1
New Delhi, December 31 While March 19 will be the last day for Class X exams, Class XII exams will continue till April 17, 2014. Candidates appearing in the Classes X and XII exams can download the date sheet from the CBSE official portal www.cbse.nic.in.
— TNS
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Fake degree: Annamalai varsity official sacked
Chidambaram (TN), December 31 University Administrator Shivdass Meena today directed the Registrar to cancel the appointment order given to Senthil Kumar and dismiss him from service, officials said. Meena, who had ordered for verification of certificates of all the staff in the university, found Kumar had given a fake degree certificate as if he underwent BE (Electronics and Communications) course in 2004-08 in the same university. The verification revealed that he did not undergo the course and his degree was fake. — PTI
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