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Inviting SAARC leaders right move: Modi
Uddhav under pressure after Raj says he is CM nominee
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Cong MLA suspended for criticising Rahul
Soon after Lankan PM’s visit, 33 fishermen held
Sreedharan to advise Rlys on expansion
Jaishankar ahead in race for foreign policy adviser’s post
PMO India FB page gets over million ‘likes’
Relevance of death penalty
Cong may not get Leader of Oppn post in Lok Sabha
Pay panel starts online survey on salary revision
Modi ministers hold joint meetings to fast-track projects
Scrap land swap deal with B’desh: AGP to Modi govt
Mayawati demands Prez rule in UP
Mumbai MPs want civic projects on fast track
Civil services aspirants to get 2 more attempts
Sena protests over FB posts, one booked
Ex-ACP’s son held for bid to abduct Afghan
Now Congress targets Munde on educational qualification
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Inviting SAARC leaders right move: Modi
New Delhi, June 1 He also used the occasion to tell how his first major foreign policy initiative sent out a message to the world about India’s strength. Speaking for the first time about his initiative which got all-round praise, he said the world was still talking about it. The world, he said, should realise the strength of India’s democracy so that the country gets its due respect and status. “We have never thought beyond the country’s frontiers. We are a big country, we are an old country, we are a big power. We should make the world realise it. Once we do it, the world will not shy away from giving us the due respect and status,” the Prime Minister told a gathering of party cadres. Then referring to his invitation to SAARC leaders for the May 26-ceremony at the Rashtrapati Bhavan, he said: “The entire world got a message and they are still talking about it...what happened? How it happened? It shows how effective a right decision taken at the right time can be”. The invitation to the SAARC leaders, including Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, provided an opportunity for Modi to establish contact with them. With Pakistan particularly, it was perceived as an ice-breaker and a step in the right direction. Home Minister Rajnath Singh, Health Minister Harshvardhan and other leaders of the party, including general secretaries JP Nadda and Ramlal (organisation), were present on the occasion. He also talked about how dedicated people who worked behind the scene often went unsung. He recalled how he was among those who arranged chairs for a function when Atal Behari Vajpayee visited the party headquarters after becoming the Prime Minister. He told party workers today to uphold people’s expectations. “The hope they (people) have entrusted in us should be maintained at all costs. We have to do our duty with purity and selflessness,” he said. Meanwhile, Modi will hold a meeting with his entire Council of Ministers tomorrow.
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Uddhav under pressure after Raj says he is CM nominee
The demand comes one day after Thackeray’s estranged cousin Raj Thackeray who heads Maharashtra Navnirman Sena announced at a rally here that he would contest the forthcoming elections and was the party’s CM candidate. With his announcement, Raj Thackeray has indicated that he was the first Thackeray to actually contest an election. Shiv Sena founder Bal Thackeray refused to contest any election and chose to remain a ‘remote control’ when his party was in power in Maharashtra from 1994 to 1999. Uddhav and even Raj during his stay in the Shiv Sena refrained from electoral battles. However, it was Uddhav who indicated that things were changing. Earlier this month, Uddhav told reporters that his party workers wanted him to enter the electoral fray as the Shiv Sena’s chief ministerial candidate. However, his cousin Raj Thackeray lost no time in upstaging Uddhav and organised a rally on Saturday where he announced his intention to bid for the top job in Maharashtra. Shiv Sena’s ally, the BJP has already tried to pre-empt any move by Uddhav to portray himself as the CM candidate of the NDA in Maharashtra. BJP leaders over the weekend reiterated their stand that the chief minister would be chosen from the bigger of the two parties if the alliance is elected to power. However, Shiv Sena workers feel that Uddhav should be portrayed as the CM candidate in the same way Narendra Modi was named the PM candidate for the recently-concluded LS poll. Uddhav upstaged
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Cong MLA suspended for criticising Rahul
“Sharma has been suspended by the Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) chief on a direction by AICC General Secretary in-charge Gurudas Kamat,” PCC spokesperson Archna Sharma said. TH Mustafa, a Congress leader from Kerala, was suspended on Thursday. Sharma had yesterday attacked the leadership of Rahul, saying he was directionless and surrounded by advisers who lack political understanding. Calling Rahul an “MD of the Congressi circus”, Sharma had said party president Sonia Gandhi should shift her focus towards strengthening and restructuring the party in a democratic manner instead of showing affection for Rahul. “The people who are around him (Rahul) are jokers. He is the MD of a team of jokers,” Sharma told reporters. “Rahul Gandhi is directionless and has no policy. He and his advisers are responsible for the party’s embarrassment and defeat in the elections as there is no mass support for him,” Sharma had told PTI. When contacted, Sharma today said he was not aware whether he was suspended, but said he did not care about the action. “I am not bothered about the action. I was right in saying that Rahul is surrounded by such advisers who have no ground, no support and they all were responsible for the party’s defeat. The way the party is functioning now is unfortunate,” he said.
— PTI
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Soon after Lankan PM’s visit, 33 fishermen held
Rameswaram, June 1 The arrest comes days after Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa ordered the release of all detained Indian fishermen in a goodwill gesture ahead of his visit to the swearing in of Prime Minister Narendra Modi on May 26. Sri Lankan Navy personnel arrested four fishermen of Rameswaram on Sunday morning after they got stranded near Katchatheevu when their boat developed a technical snag, ‘Q’ branch police inspector Kennedy and Pamban fishermen organisation functionary U Arulanandam said. The fishermen and the boat have been taken to Talaimannar. On Saturday night, 29 fishermen were arrested by the Lankan navy near the same area. The Lankan Navy also seized six mechanised boats, M Gopinath, Rameswaram fisheries assistant director said. They were part of a group of fishermen, who set out in 727 boats from here on Saturday night and while they were fishing near Katchatheevu, the Lankan Navy personnel came in four boats and arrested the 29 fishermen. They allegedly damaged the fishing nets of about 20 boats and threw them into the sea, he said. The naval personnel asked them not to fish in the area, Sesuraja, Rameswaram fishermen president claimed, adding, other fishermen returned to shore. Talks between India and Sri Lanka on the fishermen issue had ended in deadlock early last month and negotiators are scheduled to meet again this month. Sri Lanka had shot down a request from Tamil Nadu fishermen to allow fishing in Lankan waters for 70 days a year and to allow bottom trawling. Katchatheevu, an islet in the Palk Straits, was ceded to Sri Lanka by India in 1974.
— PTI Bonhomie over?
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Sreedharan to advise Rlys on expansion
Bangalore, June 1 Sreedharan, the 81-year-old retired Indian Engineering Service officer, served as managing director of Delhi Metro Rail Corporation and spearheaded its construction in the national capital region during his 17-year tenure. “As I am new to the ministry and know very little about its functioning, it is imperative I have an expert committee to advise me on how to improve its working and make it achieve the 4-S mantra — safety, security, service and speed — I had thought of,” Gowda asserted after a meeting with officials and state lawmakers. Sreedharan, who came into national limelight during the ‘90s, is also the architect of the Konkan Railway project on the west coast straddling Karnataka, Goa and Maharashtra. “With the proposed committee’s help and in consultation with the prime minister, I will prepare the railway budget for this fiscal (2014-15), to be presented in July. It is going to be a 24x7 job for me on all the 356 days in a year,” Gowda noted. Admitting that expectations from people are very high, Gowda said he will need time to study the working of the railways, its resources, financial health and challenges in various departments across its network.
— PTI
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Jaishankar ahead in race for foreign policy adviser’s post
New Delhi, June 1 The need to appoint a foreign policy adviser has been felt since Doval is an acknowledged security expert with little experience of dealing with foreign policy issues. It is understood that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is keen to appoint a full-time adviser on foreign affairs, keeping in mind the global challenges India is faced with. Implicitly, he also wants to convey a clear message that he is the overall boss both on strategic issues as well as foreign affairs. The attempt would be to name someone who is acceptable to Doval also so that both the NSA and the Adviser on foreign policy work in tandem and not at cross-purposes. The names doing rounds for the coveted post are those of S Jaishankar, currently India’s Ambassador to the USA, former foreign secretaries Kanwal Sibal and Shyam Saran and India’s former permanent representative to the UN Hardeep Singh
Puri. Source say that Jaishankar was far ahead of others in the race because of his reasonably good personal equation with Modi and the fact that the new government would give a major thrust to India’s "Look East" policy. "Jaishankar was the right person in the right place at the right time in various important East Asian capitals," the source added. With a four-and-a-half-year term, Jaishankar was India’s longest-serving Ambassador to China. It was during his term that Modi as Gujarat CM visited China in November 2011. Like Modi, Jaishankar has advocated deeper cooperation with China as long as India’s core interests are respected. Jaishankar has also served as deputy chief of mission at the Indian embassy in Tokyo and high commissioner to Singapore. Foreign Office insiders say that it was Jaishankar who had introduced Shinzo Abe, the current Japanese Prime Minister and a great admirer of India, to former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. Sibal, who retired as foreign secretary in 2003, is acclaimed as one of contemporary India's foremost strategic minds, an influential columnist and voice in shaping the country's foreign policy. Saran is considered one of the architects of the Indo-US civil nuclear deal. He also played a key role in drafting the country’s environment-related policies. Puri, who has served the country in some of the most prestigious diplomatic assignments, formally joined the BJP in January admiring the party’s approach to national security. He provided valuable foreign policy inputs to the saffron party during the election campaign.
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PMO India FB page gets over million ‘likes’ New Delhi, June 1 He is an avid user of the social media. In the account, the PMO has posted several pictures, including those of the prominent visitors greeting the new PM. Apart from the pictures, the PM’s message on the occasion of World No Tobacco Day is uploaded on the page. It has got thousands of ‘likes’, besdies hundreds of comments and suggestions. While one of Facebook users in his comments in response to the PM’s message requests that the prices of tobacco products be increased by levying high taxes to reduce consumption, another person suggests that consumption of tobacco products should be banned in public places. “The official Facebook page of the Prime Minister’s Office has crossed a million likes in 4 days of being launched,” the PMO said on Twitter. The PMO's twitter account also has nearly 1.4 million followers. Modi has been actively utilising the social media to connect with the people and expects his ministerial colleagues to do the same. — PTI
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Law panel to assess terror, 40 other aspects
R Sedhuraman Legal Correspondent
New Delhi, June 1 The commission said it had undertaken the fresh exercise in the light of the “international decline” of death penalty as a form of punishment since its 35th report given to the government in 1967, recommending retention of death sentence as “India cannot risk the experiment” of abolishing the provision. There had been several other developments over the years, with the Supreme Court laying down the principle of “rarest of rare cases” for handing out death sentence and issuing guidelines for deciding the aggravating and mitigating circumstances. Despite all this, capital punishment had continued to remain subjective and “is sometimes unduly influenced by public opinion,” the commission said. Further, contemporary judicial developments had brought to the fore fairness norms, while the apex court had in the last five years repeatedly expressed anxiety over uneven application of death penalty norms and miscarriages occasioned in such cases, the commission noted. “Against this backdrop, it is evident that the issue of death penalty, its place in a modern criminal justice system, alternatives to the same and the socio-legal costs implicit in retaining the penalty need urgent examination,” the commission explained while floating its ideas on the 40-odd aspects to elicit the views of legal experts and the public. The commission would assess the utility of death penalty as a deterrent against future crimes and the feasibility of restricting it to cases involving terrorism and a set of other brutal crimes, and in the alternative the need for moving away from retributive justice. Changing scenario
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Cong may not get Leader of Oppn post in Lok Sabha
New Delhi, June 1 While the first session of the 16th Lok Sabha starts on Wednesday, the only significant aspect of the session will be the address of President Pranab Mukherjee to the joint session on Monday, which will lay down priorities and policies of the new government allowing the Opposition get a sense of how the odds are stacked against it. Having lost its pre-eminent position in the Lok Sabha, the Congress in the House faces the possibility of not being accorded the status as the Leader of the Opposition, a position that comes attended with perks equal to that of a Cabinet Minister. Congress president Sonia Gandhi, who has been elected the chairperson of the Congress in Parliament, is authorised to nominate the leaders of the party in the House. She will also nominate the deputy leader and chief whip. The jury is still out whether Amethi MP Rahul Gandhi would take up the onerous responsibility as the main challenger from among the Opposition, or prefer to let the opportunity go by citing preference to build the organisation in his capacity as its vice-president. Sonia Gandhi had performed the task during the Vajpayee-led NDA government (1998-2004). Madhavrao Scindia was the deputy leader in the House followed by Shivraj Patil. Claimants for the leadership position are Kamal Nath, Veerappa Moily and Mallikarjun Kharge. With just 44 MPs to choose from, it will not be a difficult exercise. The Congress has an impressive line-up in the Rajya Sabha. Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is expected to play the role of an elder statesman. Former Defence Minister AK Antony may be mentioned as the Leader of the Opposition. Number shock
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Pay panel starts online survey on salary revision
Chandigarh, June 1 A link to the survey has been set up on the commission’s website and those desiring to participate in the survey would first have to fill in their personal, service and contact details before they can proceed to the questionnaire. The survey would be open up to June 15. The survey consists of 42 questions categorised under 15 sections that include pay scales, allowances, increments, performance, attracting talent, pension, training, regulatory bodies and system of governance. Participants would have to give detailed answers for each question, though there is a word limit. There is a separate section for the defence forces that seeks opinions on the considerations for fixing their salaries and the kind of parity that needs to be evolved with the civil services, rationalising or streamlining the present types of allowances and the manner in which concessions and facilities should be taken into account for determining the salary structure. This section also seeks to elicit views on the option available for addressing the increasing expenditure on defence pensions, reviewing the present benefits for disabled soldiers and war widows as a measure of special recognition. In fact, the college of Defence Management at Secundrabad, is undertaking a holistic study on pay, allowances and service conditions of armed forces personnel, that would be used by the Service Headquarters to give their inputs and opinions to the Commission. The College had earlier circulated a questionnaire and serving and retired personnel in this regard. The commission, constituted in February, is headed by Justice AK Mathur, former judge of the Supreme Court and Chairman of the Armed Forces Tribunal and has been mandated to submit its report within 18 months. A large number of employees associations and unions have already submitted numerous memorandums and demands to the commission regarding pay revision.
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Modi ministers hold joint meetings to fast-track projects
New Delhi, June 1 Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar and Coal and Power Minister Piyush Goyal and senior officials of their ministries met to discuss pending power projects soon after Javadekar took over the charge of the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF). The meeting holds significance considering the worsening power situation in the country, especially in Uttar Pradesh that gave the BJP an unprecedented mandate in the recently concluded General Elections. The state has been witnessing “power riots” due to severe electricity outages. Experts say the power situation may further deteriorate if the monsoon is not normal, as are the fears,
this season. Officials say not just UP but many other states are suffering primarily due to a stringent approach adopted by the MoEF in granting go-ahead to projects. The situation worsened during the tenure of Jayanthi Natarajan in the UPA-II. After Veerappa Moily took over the charge of the ministry from Natarjan, he cleared several pending projects, including a nuclear power plant in Fatehabad district of Haryana and a 2x800 MW power plant in Tamil Nadu The clearances granted by Moily in the fag phase of the UPA-II also included two coal mining projects – each in Jharkhand and Madhya Pradesh.
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Scrap land swap deal with B’desh: AGP to Modi govt
Guwahati, June 1 The regional Asom Gana Parishad (AGP), which has been vocal against the deal, has called upon the Central government to trash the pact that provides for handing over a portion of Assam’s land to Bangladesh. AGP’s working president Atul Bora said besides scrapping the land swap deal with Bangladesh, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, should effectively resolve the problem of illegal migration from Bangladesh to Assam. “When Assam has been facing a silent demographic invasion from Bangladesh, we should not part with even an inch of our land,” said Bora. State BJP general secretary Santanu Bharali said since the BJP had opposed the land swap deal, the Bill would never get enacted with the party coming to power at the Centre. There are as many as 25 points along the 4,156-km boundary, of which India adversely possesses 1,165.49 acres of Bangladesh land, while Bangladesh 1,880.81 acres on the Indian side. According to data available, Bangladesh is in possession of 665 acres of land in Assam. This includes about 160 acres in Dhubri district, and two plots of 360 acres and 145 acres in Karimganj district.
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Mayawati demands Prez rule in UP
Lucknow, June 1 The families on Saturday refused to accept the compensation by the state government. Coming down heavily on the Akhilesh Yadav government, she said: “Transferring and suspending officers will not help and it needs to tighten the noose around SP members.” Reiterating her demand for the imposition of President’s rule in the state, she said: “If the government is unable to control the situation, it should relinquish power.” Mayawati also threatened to sit on a dharna under the tree where the bodies of two girls were found if the authorities continued to harass the victims’ families. UP Govt suspends Badaun's Labour Officer
Lucknow: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav on Sunday night suspended Labour Enforcement Officer, Badaun, RP Yadav, with immediate effect and a departmental enquiry has been initiated against him. Though government officials cited no specific reason behind Yadav's suspension, sources said the action was taken after television grabs showed that children were engaged to prepare helipad for landing of the helicopter of BSP supremo Mayawati BJP seeks CM’s resignation
BJP state presidenLaxmikant Bajpai today demanded Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav’s resignation on moral grounds. Addressing the media, he said the administration had failed to check crime against women in Badaun, Etawah and Azamgarh. Presenting reports of the three committees formed by the state BJP to probe the recent rape cases in these places, Bajpai said, “In all cases, the victims were Dalits or from the poor and deprived sections of society. They were all abducted and raped and the police dragged its feet under political pressure,” he alleged.
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Mumbai MPs want civic projects on fast track
Mumbai, June 1 “All these projects are crucial for the development of Mumbai and need to be cleared expeditiously,” Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray told the party’’s MPs elected from the city. Among these include deepening the Mithi river and clearing the redevelopment of the Dharavi slums apart from road widening projects which entail cutting down of mangroves. “Government officials have been sitting on these files for years,” officials told
Thackeray. The MPs have also been asked to follow up with other departments such as the railways and defence whose approvals are required for the clearance of several projects. Incidentally, elected representatives of the NDA and the ruling UPA in Maharashtra are all united in speeding up the proposed airport at Navi
Mumbai. The newly elected MPs have extended support to the state government to ensure that no clearances are stuck with officials in Delhi.
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Civil services aspirants to get 2 more attempts
New Delhi, June 1 “Every candidate appearing for the examination, who is otherwise eligible, shall be permitted six attempts (two more than earlier four),” said a notification issued by the UPSC for the Civil Services Examination, 2014. There is, however, no restriction on the number of attempts by candidates belonging to the Scheduled Caste (SC) and Scheduled Tribe (ST) categories. There will also be consequential age relaxations from this year onwards. A candidate between the age group of 21 and 32 years as on August 1, 2014, can take the examination. According to the notification, a candidate “must have been born not earlier than August, 2, 1982, and not later than August 1, 1993,” to take the examination. The Civil Services (preliminary) Examination, 2014 will be held on August 24. The examination is conducted in three stages — preliminary, main and interview. The number of vacancies to be filled through the examination is expected to be approximately 1,291, which includes 26 seats reserved for the physically handicapped category, the notification said. There has been no other change in the format and syllabi of examinations.
— PTI
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Sena protests over FB posts, one booked
Mumbai, June 1 Irked over the Facebook posts, Shiv Sainiks staged protests in Pune and damaged eight buses. After spotting the Facebook posts which contained the alleged derogatory references, Shiv Sena activist Avinash Bagal registered a complaint at the police station yesterday. The FIR was registered against the person last night under Section 295A of the IPC and relevant sections of the IT Act, an official at the Mulund police station said. Sources said the Cyber Cell of the Mumbai police had, with the help of Facebook, blocked accounts which contained objectionable pictures last night.
— PTI
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Ex-ACP’s son held for bid to abduct Afghan New Delhi, June 1 The incident took place near a flyover in south Delhi's Ashram area May 27 night when the woman, in her 20s, and her husband were going to a medicine store in Lajpat Nagar market, police said. "When the couple were crossing the road, Singh asked the woman to sit in his car. He tried to abduct the woman after the couple ignored him. He also beat up the woman's husband when he resisted," a police official said. — IANS
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Now Congress targets Munde on educational qualification New Delhi, June 1 "Social media is discussing the big achievement of BJP leader & RD Minister Mr Munde? He graduated in 1976 from a college established in 1978," Congress general secretary Shakeel Ahmad tweeted. Munde's affidavit for the 2014 Lok Sabha polls available on the Election Commission website mentions that he did his BJL degree from New Law College, Pune in 1976. Pune's New Law College, as per its own website was established in 1978. — PTI
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Mumbai, June
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Jaipur, June 1
Shares good equation with Modi