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Rejuvenation of Ganga top priority, says Uma Bharti
Sushma’s agenda: Strengthening ties with neighbouring countries
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Govt to set up 100 new cities: Venkaiah
Sena pacified, Geete takes charge
Gujarat CM’s security cover reduced
BJP, RSS leaders meet to finalise party chief
TBRL simulates supersonic flight environment on ground
Hacker-cracker to hawker again
INS Vikrant moved to scrapyard
Andhra Guv gets charge of Telangana
5-year-old child dies for want of medical help; probe ordered
21 killed in UP road mishaps
Class-XII results: JNV schools top Panchkula region Army Chief meets Modi, Jaitley Akash supersonic missiles test-fired successfully
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Rejuvenation of Ganga top priority, says Uma Bharti
New Delhi, May 28 River projects are part of the Environment and Forests Ministry, but with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s focussed attention on the Ganga, a separate ministry has been created for the development of rivers, the charge of which has also been given to Uma Bharti. Sources say the Centre might also bring in legislation to aid the cleaning and development of the river, a demand voiced by many conservationists and environmentalists for introducing strict laws and regulations to fix responsibility for every action and inaction related to the Ganga. Cleaning up the Ganga was also first promise that Prime Minister Narendra Modi made when he visited Varanasi, his Lok Sabha constituency. “Mujhe na kisi ne bheja hai, na mein yahaan aaya hoon, Mujhe toh maa Ganga ne bulaya hai”— was his famous election pitch, promising hope for the dying, gasping Ganga. Bharti said efforts would be made to make the Ganga clean as pious as it was in the past with the theme “Aviral Ganga Nirmal Ganga”— uninterrupted and clean Ganga. She promised to work out a policy initiative for the rejuvenation of Ganga as well as the
cleaning of other rivers in the country.
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Sushma’s agenda: Strengthening ties with neighbouring countries
New Delhi, May 28 “The SAARC leaders yesterday considered whether we can present to the world a SAARC tourism agenda.” She said the Prime Minister had ‘very successful’ talks with each of the visiting leaders. Modi told the SAARC leaders the grouping had not achieved its full potential because member nations had devoted most of their energies to bilateral disputes. He also told them that he was of the view that SAARC countries should settle their disputes with each other bilaterally so that SAARC could emerge as a cohesive and powerful organisation in the world. Asked about her priorities as the Foreign Minister, Swaraj said it would be her endeavour to strengthen India’s ties with all nations and maintain the country’s dignity as a powerful country. Neighbouring countries would obviously be accorded top priority, followed by strategic partners, the extended neighbourhood, Africa, ASEAN, Latin America, Europe and Central Asian Republics. She sought to dispel the impression that Japan would get precedence over the United States in India’s foreign policy thinking. Both countries have their own importance, she added. Meanwhile, the visiting SAARC leaders called on President Pranab Mukherjee at the Rashtrapati Bhavan and exchanged views with him on various issues. The President also told Sharif that India wanted to move forward in its relationship with Pakistan and remove mistrust. This was a historic opportunity for both countries which should not be missed.
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Govt to set up 100 new cities: Venkaiah
He said during the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government, interest rate on home loans was brought down from 11 per cent to 7 per cent. Now, it has gone beyond 10 per cent. Just after assuming the charge, Venkaiah Naidu said he would ensure housing for all by 2020 for which Public Private Partnership (PPP) as well as Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) would be encouraged. The corporates, financial institutions and banks must give easy loans to their employees (existing and retired) to fulfil their housing needs. This must be done as part of their CSR. Announcing to end the UPA Government’s flagship programme JNNURM, Naidu said a new mission would be launched to develop infrastructure in cities. He said by 2050, half of the Indian population would be living in urban areas. Fir this there was a need to develop cities and improve public transport. The ministry would also have to work fast in the areas of twin cities and creating infrastructure for satellite towns. Within cities, it is important to provide drainage, better sanitation, waste management, water recycling and Wi-Fi facilities for public and commercial areas, he added.
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Sena pacified, Geete takes charge
Mumbai, May 28 “The Prime Minister had a telephonic talk with Uddhav and promised to take care of the Shiv Sena’s concerns in the coming days after which it was decided that Geete will take charge of the Heavy Industries ministry,” Sanjay Raut, spokesman and editor of party mouthpiece Saamna, told reporters here today. Geete did not take charge of the “light weight” ministry after the Shiv Sena leadership demanded more important portfolios. Sources say, the Shiv Sena was expecting the power ministry. Sources said the party was expecting at least four berths, including two Cabinet berths, like it did under the NDA government headed by former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. The Shiv Sena leadership is also miffed that the BJP had inducted several of its MPs from Maharashtra in the Union Cbinet. With Assembly elections due later this year, the Shiv Sena is worried about the BJP upstaging it in the coming weeks.
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Gujarat CM’s security cover reduced
The scaling down was implemented after the state Home Department reviewed the threat perception to Patel’s life compared to the threat Modi faced. An official spokesman of the state government said nearly 50 per cent of the police personnel engaged in Modi’s security had returned to their original postings after scaling down Patel’s security. Besides her personal security cover, the security staff at the CM’s office in the secretariat, the ministerial enclave and the Chief Minister’s official residence has been reduced. The black commando cover given to Modi has also been withdrawn from Gandhinagar and taken to Delhi. The security cover for Modi was hiked to Z plus category after the 2002 communal riots in the state, about six months after he took over as the Chief Minister in October, 2001, following intelligence inputs that the terrorists from the Indian Mujahideen and the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Toiba and other terror organisations could target the former Chief Minister to take revenge for the loss of lives of the Muslims in the riots. The threat perception on his life remained alive as the intelligence inputs kept filtering in every now and then that the risk to Modi’s life had not diminished with the passage of time. What Modi could never do because of the heavy security cover, Anandiben did due to reduction of her personal security, she reached a “gram sabha” in Jamiyatpura village in Gandhinagar district yesterday unannounced. The villagers were pleasantly surprised seeing the Chief Minister walking in their village meeting and represented before her the problems facing the people, particularly water supply and bus facilities. She also issued on the spot instructions to the officers to solve their problems. To get Z category security
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BJP, RSS leaders meet to finalise party chief
New Delhi, May 28 The main discussion was about the party leaders who can take over from Rajnath as the new BJP chief. The names doing the rounds include HP leader JP Nadda, Narendra Modi's key man Amit Shah and Om Mathur. Nadda seems to be leading the race. He is Rajnath Singh's choice and also enjoys a good relationship with Modi. But Amit Shah and Om Mathur share a better relationship with the PM. Sources say Modi would like to reward Shah for his excellent work in UP and also Mathur for helping him register consecutive wins in Gujarat. What may go against Shah is that he has still not been cleared of the court cases. Besides, if Shah is elevated to the post, both the PM and the party president would be from the same state. Party general Secretary P Muralidhar Rao is also being considered for the top post. Rajnath is expected to step down from the post as he is now part of the government. Besides, several other key positions in the organisation would also fall vacant if the BJP follows the rule - one man one post. Modi's new Council of Ministers and expansion plans were also discussed along with the names of all those who have been left out. Joshi meets Modi Veteran BJP leader Murli Manohar Joshi on Wednesday met PM Narendra Modi, creating speculation that he could be accommodated in the Union Cabinet. The meeting between the two leaders assumes importance as there could be an expansion of the Cabinet soon and key ministries such as the Defence would have full-time incumbents. Joshi's name is doing the rounds for the post. TNS Parliament session likely from June 4 A brief session of Parliament is proposed to be convened early next month, probably from June 4 to 12, to enable newly elected members to the Lok Sabha to take oath besides election of the Speaker. It would not act petty on the issue of the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha which the Congress is seeking. PTI
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Agri Minister promises better MSP New Delhi, May 28 Among the host of promises he made today was a review of the existing MSP mechanism in the country. Singh said farmers would receive support prices for the ongoing kharif season as per the existing plan but preparations on the proposal of fixing the minimum support price (MSP) at 50 per cent more than the cost of production would be initiated soon. Singh also announced the launch of a nationwide rural irrigation programme and an insurance scheme to protect farmers’ income. Only 44 per cent of the cultivable land is under irrigation and the country’s dependence on the vagaries of the monsoon can only be reduced by improving the irrigation network. For this the government would launch an irrigation scheme, “Pradhan Mantri Grameen Sinchayee Yojana”, on the lines of the Pradhan Mantri Grameen Sadak Yojna — an initiative of the previous NDA government. Promising an insurance scheme to ensure income to farmers, he said the insurance scheme would take into account average income of farmers in the past five to seven years. The Centre will bear the burden of premium for insurance of average income, he added. “Farmers will take interest in agriculture only when their investment is guaranteed,” Singh said. However, he did not give a time frame for the two schemes. Other plans on his agenda include a review of the Agriculture Produce Marketing Committee Act and co-operative laws and increasing the number of central universities to “strengthen
agri-research”.
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TBRL simulates supersonic flight environment on ground
Referred to as the Rail Track Rocket Sled (RTRS), the facility is designed to evaluate the design and ballistic parameters of aerospace components, including warheads and nose cones of missiles, simulate missile interception, analyse the performance of munitions and test structural integrity. The facility, recently upgraded at a cost of about Rs 100 crore, consists of a 4 km-long track comprising five parallel precision-laid seamless rails giving widths of different gauges. Aerodynamic sledges made of aluminum and powered by rockets or jet engines are used as test beds on which the components to be tested are mounted. The rails can withstand a load of 10 tonne. “The length of the rail track has been increased from 2 to 4 km and the speed limits enhanced from 1,800 kmph to 3,600 kmph, which is about Mach 3. Where simulation of missile interception involving an incoming enemy missile and a killer missile is concerned, the relative velocity can be as high as Mach 5,” Dr PK Khosla, group head at the TBRL said. “With the RTRS, we can evaluate some parameters which are not possible with static or actual airborne trials because in that case the projectile disintegrates or is non recoverable,” he added. For example, while testing a particular type of bomb on RTRS recently, it was found that it was an imperfect crew that was resulting in deviations. In actual trails, it would not have been possible to detect the errant screw. TBRL Director Dr Manjit Singh said: “The facility is based on the concept of Captive Flight Testing, which affords us the recovery of the tested items for their post test analysis. Besides missile components and bombs, RTRS will be useful in testing advanced fuses, parachutes and unmanned aerial vehicles, etc.” The facility
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Hacker-cracker to hawker again
Panchkula, May 28 Unfortunately, the new-found status and celebrations were short-lived for 21-year-old Virender Raika of Haryana — a labourer’s son. Raika was crestfallen when he learnt that the offer letter of Rs 4.85 crore made by software giant “Microsoft Corporation” was actually fake and he had been taken for a ride by fradusters. He has now submitted a complaint to Haryana Director General of Police (DGP) SN Vashisht to get the matter probed. The hackers at the “Hyderabad branch office” of the company where Raika appeared for a test through video-conferencing and “chief financial officer Peter Klein”, who make the whopping offer to him, were actually fraudsters. Microsoft Corporation officials said Raika might have fallen victim to fraudsters who falsely claimed to represent Microsoft. “On the face of it, this seems to be a case where he has been misled by a person or group that falsely claimed to represent Microsoft. While this is an unfortunate turn of events, we are aware of other similar instances that have occurred in the past,” stated Dipti Mehra, Microsoft spokesperson. Raika realised the truth when he learnt that the chief financial officer of the Microsoft head office in the United States, Peter Klein, who gave the offer letter under his signature on February 22, 2014, had resigned and left Microsoft long ago in June 2013. “I don’t know how it happened. There was a group of expert hackers sitting and I presented my anti-hacking software technology to them. Now, I have come to know that there was no ‘Peter Klein’ among these experts,” said Raika. The Haryana youth kept checking the offer letter that had the company’s logo and format. He kept calling at the phone numbers given to him by the officials, but the calls were not answered. It has been a week since Raika has been contacting officials who took his test on the phone numbers given on the offer letter but to no avail. Most of the phones were switched off. Raika said with the help of technology, he would ensure the arrest of the group of fraudsters who played with his emotions. “If Delhi Police seek my assistance in cyber cases, it means I have some talent. I will not let it go waste. In the past 15 days, I have met officials in many other companies and soon I will get a good opportunity,” said a broken Raika. This incident has brought the spotlight on the possibility of a well-oiled racket that might be committing fraud with many others like Raika.
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INS Vikrant moved to scrapyard
Mumbai, May 28 A tugboat towed Vikrant away from the naval docks at 9.45 am and relocated it at the ship-breaking yard off South Mumbai a few hours later. The ship has been sold to a private company, IB Commercial Private Ltd, for Rs 60 cr which will break the ship for scrap. The Supreme Court is hearing a petition against the disposal of Vikrant as scrap. The proposal to sell of Vikrant as scrap has come in for severe criticism. The Shiv Sena and BJP are demanding that the Maharashtra Government find the funds to turn Vikrant into a maritime
museum.
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Andhra Guv gets charge of Telangana
Hyderabad, May 28 “Narasimhan will discharge the functions of the Governor of Telangana, in addition to his own duties until a permanent arrangement is made,” said a communiqué from Rashtrapati Bhavan. The appointment will take effect from the date he assumes charge of his office. Prez rule in Telangana to be revoked on June 2 The President's rule imposed in united Andhra Pradesh on June 2 will be revoked to facilitate the swearing-in of TRS chief K Chandrasekhar Rao as Chief Minister of Telangana, but it will continue in Seemandhra till TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu takes charge a week later. — PTI
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Army holds first-ever conclave on leadership
The first-ever Army Commanders’ Conclave at the Shimla-based Army Training Command (ARTRAC) saw several former heads of the command get together earlier this month for a five-day brainstorming session on military leadership and the prerequisite for future military commanders. Two former Army Chiefs, General JJ Singh and General Deepak Kapoor, who had earlier headed the ARTRAC, along with Lieutenant Generals AS Kalkat, the command’s founding GOC-in-C, SK Sharma, Vijay Oberoi, HB Kala, K Nagaraj, KS Jamwal, ML Naidu, BS Jaswal, AS Lamba and the incumbent GOC-in-C, Lt Gen Sanjeev Madhok were among a host of senior officers who attended the event. During the conclave, a number of pertinent issues, especially on training and leadership, were discussed. These will be further analysed and deliberated upon for inclusion in the training curriculum based on their merit. The conclave gave an opportunity to tap the wealth of knowledge, wisdom and experience of the old guard and given the rapid societal, technological and institutional transformations, review training methods will enable the Army to institute mechanisms for further refinement of leadership development. Lt Gen Hooda to head
Northern Command
Lt Gen Deependra Singh Hooda will assume charge as the General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Northern Command at Udhampur, on June 1. He will take over from Lt Gen Sanjiv Chachra who will hang up his boots by the end of this month. Commissioned in 4/4 Gorkha Rifles, Lt Gen Hood had earlier served as the GOC 16 Corps at Nagrota which is part of the same Command. Highly experienced in counter insurgency operations, he had commanded 57 Mountain Division in the east and also served as the Chief logistics officer of the United Nations Mission in Asmara (Ethiopia). He is an alumnus of the Canadian Forces Command and Staff College. COAS and Gorkha link
When Lt Gen Dalbir Singh Suhag takes over as the Chief of Army Staff (COAS) on August 1, he would be the first officer to have been commissioned into a Gorkha Regiment to hold the Army’s top appointment. Lt Gen Dalbir Singh, currently the Vice Chief of Army Staff, was commissioned into the Fourth Battalion of the Fifth Gorkha Rifles in 1974. In the Army’s history, two chiefs, Sam Manekshaw (1969-73) and Gen GG Bewoor (1973-75), have been associated with the Gorkha Brigade, but both were commissioned in other regiments pre-Independence. Featherweights turn 28
The IAF’s only heavy lift helicopter outfit, 126 Helicopter Flight, turned 28 this month. The unit, known as the Featherweights, was raised at Chandigarh on May 15, 1986. Equipped with the Soviet-origin Mi-26, the world’s largest helicopter, the unit has been undertaking regular sorties to the northern sector to airlift vital equipment, vehicles, artillery guns and earth moving equipment in support of military operations.
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5-year-old child dies for want of medical help; probe ordered
Guwahati, May 28 The incident occurred on May 24 when the victim, Maina, a resident of a village under Gandhiagaon panchayat, was taken to Machkhowa Bengenagorha community health centre in Dhemaji district around noon. The child was suffering from high fever. But even after waiting for over an hour, no medical staff turned up at the health centre which ultimately led to his death. The death triggered mass protests in the area against the indifferent attitude of medical staff of the community health centre. Six doctors, seven nurses and two pharmacists were posted at the health centre but none was allegedly present when the child was taken there. Local residents alleged that doctors and nurses hardly showed up at health centres in interior Dhemaji district. Taking suo motu cognisance of the incident, a Division Bench of the AHRC comprising chairperson Justice Aftab Hussain Saikia (retd) and member Tarun Phookan has issued notice to the commissioner and secretary of the state health department, Swapnil Baruah, directing him to conduct an inquiry into the circumstances leading to the death of the child and submit the report to the commission by June 26.
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21 killed in UP road mishaps
Lucknow, May 28 In the first mishap, 12 people were killed and 15 injured when a Delhi-bound bus ferrying nearly 100 people collided with a tree in the Fatehganj Purwi area of Bareilly around 5 am. All injured were admitted to the District Hospital, Bareilly. The condition of a few is said to be critical. In the second accident, nine people, including four women and three girls, were killed when the car in which they were travelling collided with a truck in the Pilkhuwa area of Hapur district. The Chief Minister has asked the district administration to provide free medical treatment to the injured.
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Class-XII results: JNV schools top Panchkula region Chandigarh, May 29 The overall pass percentage of girls in the Panchkula region, comprising Punjab, Haryana, HP, Chandigarh and Jammu and Kashmir, was 89.39 against 80.37 of boys, while the pass percentage of girls from JNV’s was 99.58 and boys was 98.71. Though the private schools often claim that they are better off in terms of infrastructure and academic environment, the pass percentage of JNV schools is likely to challenge the perception. CBSE Regional Officer (Panchkula) RJ Khanderao said JNV schools had been faring better in the past as well. “The academic culture existent in these schools is encouraging and motivating, the faculty of these schools is highly qualified and competent,” Khanderao said. On girls outshining boys once again, the Regional Officer said, “Girls are doing well in all fields these days. They are hard working, focused and determined. They are very clear with their goals and that is the reason that year after year they have been surpassing the boys.” A total of 1,42,385 candidates had appeared in the examination that was held in March and April.
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Army Chief meets Modi, Jaitley New Delhi, May 28 The Army Chief also called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi for 15 minutes. It was a courtesy call, sources said. In the morning, the Defence Secretary had briefed the new Defence Minister on various aspects and immediate requirements. Navy Chief Admiral Robin Dhowan is expected to brief the Defence Minister and the PM in a day or two. The Army and the IAF chief spent 35 minutes with the Defence Minister. Sources said the issues discussed included the location of the force, number of troops, kinds of weapons, shortages, planes, guns and Indian defences along the frontiers with Pakistan and China. — TNS
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Akash supersonic missiles test-fired successfully Balasore (Odisha), May 28 Three Akash missiles were launched from the Integrated Test Range (ITR) at Chandipur, on tow body target of Lakshya pilotless target aircraft moving at "low altitude for boundary" and ripple mode missions. "The missiles intercepted the fast moving and manoeuvring small RCS (radar cross section) targets within small interval of five seconds in ripple mode," said Ravi Kumar Gupta, Director, Directorate of Public Interface, DRDO. Indian Air Force teams operated the deliverable Akash missile system including targets. — PTI
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