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US Senator McCain meets Modi, stresses strategic ties
FB can be used for governance: PM
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Free jabs for polio, rotavirus, rubella vaccines for children
news
analysis
Helicopter flights to Kedarnath suspended after heavy rains
Bombay HC transfers Jiah Khan suicide case to CBI
Cong steps up efforts for Leader of Oppn post in LS
Sunanda post-mortem: AIIMS forensic head sticks to stand
Up to investigators to sort it out: Tharoor
Army Chief holds talks with Chinese military
Demand
for HSGPC
BJP man ‘slaps’ woman councillor
Sahara liable to pay tax on Rs 20,000 cr: I-T dept
31 ACs were installed at Dikshit's house as CM
Supreme Court declines bail to Asaram in rape case
Congress in damage control mode in N-E
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US Senator McCain meets Modi, stresses strategic ties
New Delhi, July 3 The two leaders also discussed the situation in Iraq and Afghanistan as Modi expressed concern over the increased threat of terrorism across the world. He reiterated that the fight against terror should be a global priority for humanitarian forces. The PM also said he looked forward to a result-oriented visit to the US in September to take the relationship to a new level. Senator McCain conveyed the high-level expectations in the US about a new momentum in India’s economic growth and all-round progress under the new government. He wished the PM success in this endeavour. He also conveyed the keen desire of Washington to work with Modi to revitalise the Indo-US strategic partnership. Meanwhile, Foreign Secretary Sujatha Singh attended a function to mark the 238th Independence Day of the US.
US hopes NSA snooping won’t affect relations
Washington: The US hopes its NSA surveillance on the BJP won’t have an adverse impact on bilateral ties between the two countries. “I am not going to have any more details I can lay out for you, other than to convey that we have a deep partnership with India. We will discuss all concerns through our private diplomatic channels," said Jen Psaki, state department spokesperson. — PTI
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FB can be used for governance: PM
New Delhi, July 3 After a meeting with Facebook Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg here, Modi, on his Facebook page, wrote he talked about how the networking site could also be used to bring more tourists to India. The prime minister wanted to know whether Facebook could assist India in commemorating Mahatma Gandhi's 150th birth anniversary with a special focus on cleanliness. In his message on his Facebook page, Modi said, "Had a very fruitful meeting with Sheryl Sandberg. She pointed out that India is an important country for Facebook, considering the high number of active Facebook users here." "Being an avid user of social media myself, I talked about ways through which a platform such as Facebook could be used for governance and better interaction between the people and governments. I also talked about how Facebook could be used for bringing more tourists to India," wrote Modi, while adding, "We intend to commemorate Mahatma Gandhi's 150th birth anniversary with a special focus on cleanliness and I discussed with Sandberg how Facebook could assist us in this endeavour." Sandberg later had a meeting with Telecommunication and Information Technology (IT) Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad. After his meeting, Prasad said Facebook had an enormous potential to grow in India in areas such as education, healthcare and other sectors. "We wish to work together. Facebook is operating in nine languages in India and I have requested them to add more languages to it," Prasad told mediapersons here after meeting Sandberg, who is currently visiting India. Sandberg said, "We tend to work together in e-governance, education and other basic services through which people can connect to each other and to the world economy."
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Now, Agra to Delhi in 90 minutes
New Delhi, July 3 Equipped with an electric locomotive of 5400 HP, the train ran at speed at times touching 160 km per hour, successfully reaching Agra in 100 minutes. The trial run of the semi-high speed train is a precursor to the Railways eventually introducing the high speed trains like those in China, Japan and some of the European countries. The semi-high speed train was flagged off from platform no. 6 of the New Delhi railway station this morning and reached Agra at around 1 pm. The train, however, took 100 minutes to cover the distance today as against the targeted 90 minutes. After the Delhi to Agra service, the Railways will run similar trains for Kanpur and Chandigarh from the national capital. Commissioner Railway Safety PK Vajpayee, Divisional Railway Managers (DRM) of Delhi and Agra Divisions and other senior officials involved with the semi-high speed project were on board the train. With a successful trial run, the semi high-speed train service is likely to start in November. There are about 16 speed restriction areas and curves on the Delhi-Agra route which are being upgraded to improve the speed, said an official. At present, the Bhopal Shatabdi runs at speed of up to a maximum of 150 kmph on that route. The train will come as a boon for tourists visiting Taj Mahal, as the travel time between Delhi and Agra is expected to come down to 90 minutes from the current 120 minutes. Anurag Sachaan, DRM of Delhi Division, said the special train would have 10 coaches and would make the return journey today itself. “It’s like the Shatabdi train... coaches are same too, but it will be faster,” Sachan said. To ensure a smooth test run, the Railways had deployed RPF personnel along the route. The state transporter is making the semi-high speed train, the first of its kind in the Railways, operational using its own resources. It is estimated that Rs 15 crore would be incurred to ready the track for the semi-high speed train, said a senior Railway Ministry official. There will be fencing for a stretch of 27 km along the track.
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Free jabs for polio, rotavirus, rubella vaccines for children
New Delhi, July 3 The idea is to expedite India’s progress on meeting the Millennium Development Goal 4 targets to reducing child mortality by two-thirds by 2015 and meet global polio eradication targets. In addition, an adult vaccine against Japanese encephalitis will be introduced in districts with high levels of the disease. Recently the government has included the pentavalent vaccine under UIP. Today’s decision has the potential of preventing at least 1 lakh infant deaths, deaths of adults in working age group and up to 10 lakhs hospitalizations each year. “With these new vaccines, India’s UIP will provide free vaccines against 13 life threatening diseases, to 27 million children annually, the largest birth cohort in the world,” the PM said. Modi also said that the introduction of four new lifesaving vaccines will help reduce childhood and infant mortality and morbidity. Many of these vaccines are already available through private practitioners to those who can afford them but the government will now ensure that the benefits of vaccination reach all sections of the society, regardless of social and economic status, Modi said. Diarrhoea caused by rotavirus kills nearly 80,000 children each year, results in up to 10 lakh hospitalizations, pushing many families below poverty line. It imposes the burden of over Rs 300 crore each year to the country, the PM said. He said India had developed and licensed the first indigenous rotavirus vaccine under a PPP between the Ministry of Science and Ministry of Health and will introduce this vaccine gradually. A vaccine against rubella will prevent severe congenital defects in newborns, like blindness, deafness and heart defects. It is estimated that 2 lakh babies are born with congenital defects each year in the country, Modi said. UIP will also introduce adult vaccine against JE in 179 endemic districts in nine states, he said.
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news
analysis R Sedhuraman Legal Correspondent
New Delhi, July 3 In the judgment, the Bench of Justices CK Prasad and PC Ghose has clearly stated that the “directions shall not only apply to the cases under Section 498-A of the IPC or Section 4 of the Dowry Prohibition Act, but also such cases where the offence is punishable with imprisonment for seven years or less.” Former Additional Solicitor General Mohan Jain said the ruling “will have a salutary effect” and deter any disgruntled woman from making false allegations of dowry harassment against her husband and his family members. “At present, the moment a woman says there is a dowry demand, the persons named by her are thrown behind the bars. It will no longer be so,” he remarked. Expressing similar views, senior advocate Nidhesh Gupta said the SC ruling “is bound to curtail the widespread misuse of the powers available with police officers as they have been directed to give reasons for their actions. The verdict also protects the right to personal liberty and freedom guaranteed under the Constitution to every citizen. “In sum and substance, the directives will have far reaching consequences in matters concerning not only dowry, but also other offences such as cheating, theft and perjury,” Gupta said. Another senior advocate JS Attri said the verdict “was the need of the hour” as the number of false cases was growing at a rapid pace putting unnecessary burden on the already overworked judiciary and pushing up the number of pending cases. Pointing out official statistics, the SC noted that the number of arrests under Section 498-A was 1.97 lakh in 2012 alone – a rise of 9.4 per cent over the previous year’s figure. But the conviction rate in such cases was a mere 15 per cent, the lowest across all heads of crimes. Legal experts agreed that arrests in a routine manner would become a thing of the past as police officers would now have to specify the reasons for making the arrests in each and every case and the magistrates have to carefully verify these before authorising the detentions. Police officers and magistrates who did not follow the directives would be subjected to departmental action, while the erring cops would be punished, in addition, for committing contempt of court, the SC has warned.
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Helicopter flights to Kedarnath suspended after heavy rains
Dehradun, July 3 It has been a practice for the last several years that private companies suspend their flights to Kedarnath from June 22, only to resume these again in September. “It is a routine exercise, as the ensuing rains prevent regular flights. Hence the companies usually suspend services around June 22 or 24. This year, as the monsoon was delayed, the private companies stayed on for a bit longer. They will now resume services from September 16,” said Sachin Kurve, Additional Secretary, Civil Aviation. Since May 20, six private companies, namely Aryan Aviation, Pinnacle Aviation, Prabhatam Aviation, Pawan Hans, Himalayan Aviation and UT Air Aviation, have been operating their helicopters from Fata to Gupkashi in Rudraprayag district. “On an average, these companies conduct around 9 to 10 flights a day and ferry around 200 to 250 pilgrims. The suspension of flights is a routine exercise and most of the pilgrims stop making enquiries once the companies suspended services,” said PA Seetaiah, Chief Engineer, Civil Aviation.
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Bombay HC transfers Jiah Khan suicide case to CBI
Mumbai, July 3 Jiah was found dead at her home in suburban Juhu in June last year. Acting on the basis of a letter written by her, the police arrested actor Suraj Pancholi with whom she was in a relationship. Pancholi is the son of actors Aditya Pancholi and Zarina Wahab. Suraj is at present out on bail. Jiah’s mother, Rabiya, moved the Bombay High Court in October last year seeking a CBI investigation. In her plea, Rabiya alleged that her daughter was murdered and that she had not committed suicide as claimed by the police. Jiah had acted in a few films like Nishabd and Ghajini in her short career.
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Haryana, Punjab, J&K back Centre’s move to implement GST
New Delhi, July 3 Taking part in a discussion at a meeting of the Empowered Committee of state finance ministers, Haryana Excise and Taxation Minister Kiran Choudhary said the state had been continuously supporting the concept of GST and its actual implementation. However, she said there were apprehensions expressed by several states, including Haryana, during different meetings of the Empowered Committee in the past. They must be addressed for successful implementation of the GST. The Empowered Committee, presently chaired by Jammu and Kashmir Finance Minister Abdul Rahim Rather, has been instituted to synthesise and harmonise views of the Centre and the states on the GST regime. It has been assigned to do spade-work to prepare a draft Constitutional Amendment Bill for legislation by Parliament on the issue. The GST will be implemented post enactment of a law by Parliament through a constitutional amendment. One of the concerns of the states is regarding the adequate protection of fiscal autonomy provided to them under the Constitution. Secondly, they are wary of the fall out of “destination based IGST model” of inter-state supply of goods and services on the exporting states. Also, there is a concern regarding loss of revenue post GST, which may not be compensated fully by the Centre in view of the experience of CST (Central Sales Tax) compensation. Chaudhary appreciated the GST as “path-breaking” reform in indirect taxation concept and said it was a matter of satisfaction that the Empowered Committee and the Centre were collaborating on it. She hoped that post GST, leakage of revenues would go down and compliance costs of trade and industry would also decrease. She urged the Union Finance Ministry to release Haryana’s pending CST claim of
Rs 750 crore pertaining to the fiscal 2010-11 at the earliest.
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Cong steps up efforts for Leader of Oppn post in LS
New Delhi, July 3 Top sources in the party admitted today that the party had been informally pushing its case for the position of LoP in the Lower House and said it had a fit case to be given the same. In a series of events to this effect, leader of Congress in the Lok Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge today met Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan. Although Kharge termed the meeting as "courtesy call" ahead of the upcoming Budget session, sources in the party didn't rule out the possibility of discussions in today's meeting on the LoP issue. It is learnt that the matter of seating in the House was also discussed amid reports that the Congress is getting only two seats in the front row (for party chief Sonia and Kharge) and Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi may have to again sit in the back benches though the Congress wants him placed in front. That apart, on the LoP issue, a senior Congress leader privy to legal aspects of the matter said, "We have a case and will fight for it." The Congress is seeking the post on four grounds. The first - the Salaries and Allowances of Leaders of Opposition Act, 1977, later amended in 2003, doesn't make any mention of 55 MPs being the minimum requirement for any party to stake claim on the LoP's post in the LS. The 55 MP mark equals quorum of the LS and makes up 10 per cent strength of the House. Though the BJP has been saying the Congress doesn't have the numbers for LoP's post, the Congress says the parent act does not mandate the numbers. All it says is that the LoP will be the leader of the single largest party in opposition to the government and recognised by the Speaker as such. Secondly, the Congress is arguing that it fought the last elections as a pre-poll UPA alliance which easily crosses the 55 MP mark that was the argument. Thirdly, Congress says it cannot be denied the LoP post with 19 per cent vote share in the 16th Lok Sabha elections when the BJP was given the same post in 2009 with just 18 per cent vote share.
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Sunanda post-mortem: AIIMS forensic head sticks to stand
New Delhi, July 3 Speaking to reporters today, Gupta, who headed the three-member team which conducted autopsy on Sunanda's body after his death on January 17 this year, said he had written to AIIMS Director MC Mishra for permission to talk to the media about his part of the story. Gupta wrote the letter a day after AIIMS issued a statement saying no pressure was brought on Gupta in Sunanda's case. Livid at AIIMS' stand, Gupta asked today, "Who were they to say no pressure was brought on me? How do they know? I know what happened and I want permission from the Director to make it public through the media." "Not only the post-mortem of Sunanda Pushkar, but in a number of cases post-mortem reports were finalised by me as per the principle and practise of medicine and as per its ethical and legal norm. I have never succumbed to any pressure in my life," Gupta told PTI. He said all his reports are bonafide. Sunanda (52) was found dead in a 5-star hotel in South Delhi on the night of January 17, a day after her twitter spat with Pakistani journalist Mehr Tarar over an alleged affair with Tharoor. The autopsy report had mentioned more than a dozen injury marks on Sunanda's both hands and an abrasion on her cheek which suggests a "use of blunt force", besides a "deep teeth bite" on the edge of her left palm. Viscera samples were preserved after the autopsy at AIIMS and were sent to CFSL for further tests.
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Up to investigators to sort it out: Tharoor
New Delhi, July 3 Asked what he would say on AIIMS’ forensic department’s head Dr Sudhir Gupta’s allegations, Tharoor only said, “Nothing to say about anything about that person.” Meanwhile, Delhi Police Commissioner BS Bassi today said they want that investigations in the case should be completed as soon as possible while reiterating that if needed they will examine Tharoor and Dr Gupta. “The Delhi Police want investigations in this case to be completed as soon as possible. If it is necessary, both Dr Gupta and Tharoor will be questioned,” Bassi told reporters here. — PTI
Swamy writes to PM seeking CBI probe
New Delhi: Senior BJP leader Subramanian Swamy on Thursday shot off a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking a CBI probe into the matter. “I have written to the prime minister seeking a CBI probe into Sunanda Pushkar's death,” Swami told
IANS.
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Army Chief holds talks with Chinese military
Beijing, July 3 Singh, who is the first Indian Army Chief to visit China in nine years, held a number of meetings, starting with Chief of General Staff of People's Liberation Army (PLA) General Fang Fenghui. Singh held wide-ranging talks with Fang, discussing increasing military to military contacts, implementation of last year's Border Defence Cooperation Agreement (BDCA) and stepping up high-level exchanges between the two militaries, Indian officials said. Singh exchanged views with Feng on a wide range of issues, including the maintenance of peace on the border, maritime cooperation, interactions between the armed forces and issues relating to global security, the state-run Xinhua news agency reported. This year is the "Year of Friendly Exchanges" between China and India. — PTI
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Demand
for HSGPC Tribune News Service
Ludhiana, July 3 He said as such it was the subject which was under the domain and power of the state legislature. “This power cannot be taken away from the state Assembly. It will be against the very purpose of the reorganisation of the states. This is further made clear under Section 72 of the Punjab Reorganisation Act, 1966, which clearly mentions that till the provision is made by law, the Centre will issue directions from time to time. This position is further clarified by the Supreme Court in its judgment Kashmir Singh vs Union of India reported as (2008) 7 SCC 259,” he said. “The 1966 Act has an extraterritorial application. It is not in dispute that no law has been enacted either by the State of Haryana or by the State of Himachal Pradesh. In the absence of any law having enacted to the contrary, the functions under the 1966 Act must be performed by some authority. The Centre, with the consent of the State of Haryana, has merely nominated the State of Punjab to do so,” he said. This makes it amply clear that the Haryana Assembly is competent to pass its own law. However, the Bill so passed by the Haryana Assembly would need the assent of the President. “This is the legal position that I am clarifying in view of a lot of controversy going around on the subject. This is my view in my capacity as a lawyer and not as member of the Aam Aadmi Party,” added Phoolka.
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BJP man ‘slaps’ woman councillor
Ahmedabad, July 3 The incident is believed to be a manifestation of a group rivalry within the Rajkot BJP, which had come to the fore during the recent Lok Sabha poll when one group had locked the party office for several days, forcing the state party leadership, including the then chief minister Narendra Modi, to intervene to get the party office opened for the election preparations. Sources admitted that complaints had been made against BJP councillor Anil Rathod for his alleged high-handed behaviour with others, but being close to BJP state spokesman Vijay Rupani, a close confidant of Modi, no action was taken against him. He had a running battle with woman councillor Jayashriben Dodiya, also from the BJP, and following a minor argument, Rathod slapped the woman on both her cheeks. — TNS
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Sahara liable to pay tax on Rs 20,000 cr: I-T dept
New Delhi, July 3 In an application filed in the SC, the department pleaded for joining the investment scam case against the group being heard by the court so that it could press its demand for tax from the companies of the group. The I-T department had served the demand notice on the group, but Sahara questioned its legality. Meanwhile, Sahara chief Subrata Roy told the SC that he had deposited Rs 3,117 crore so far in response to the court’s order for payment of Rs 10,000 crore – in cash and bank guarantee in equal measure – for taking bail. He and two of his directors are in Tihar Jail here for the group’s failure to return the deposits collected under the fully convertible debenture scheme, declared illegal by market regulator SEBI and SC. Senior advocate Rajiv Dhavan said the group was hopeful of mobilising the remaining bail amount by selling its hotels in New York and London. The valuation of the hotels and the consent of the Chinese bank, which had given loans for buying them, for selling the properties had already been submitted to the court, he said. The arguments on the bail plea would continue tomorrow.
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Flashpoint in Cong-NCP ties?
Mumbai, July 3 The NCP has been vociferous in demanding the removal of Chavan, blaming his policies for the huge defeat in the Lok Sabha election. The party also received the support of several disgruntled MLAs from the Congress. However, observers say Chavan managed to buy time and went on to introduce quotas in jobs and education sector for Making the Marathas eligible for quotas is a big boost for the Congress if it has to confront the NCP in the near future. Seen as a party of the Maratha community, the party will have to share the glory with the Congress, whose leadership also hail from the community. Congress leaders are now asking their supporters in their constituencies to prepare for going it alone in the Assembly elections due later this year. For the record, however, NCP president Sharad Pawar has denied rumours that the NCP was looking to break away from the alliance.
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31 ACs were installed at Dikshit's house as CM
New Delhi, July 3 An official response to an RTI query said Dikshit's residence on 3-Motilal Nehru
Marg, which has now been allotted to former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, had at least 31 air conditioners, 15 desert coolers, 25 heaters, 16 air purifiers, 12 geysers among others. An expense of Rs 16.81 lakh was incurred on the electrical renovation of the bungalow that time to customise it according to the needs of then CM. CPWD said. CPWD has said these equipment were being partially utilised in various government offices as per need. — PTI
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Supreme Court declines bail to Asaram in rape case
New Delhi, July 3 A Bench headed by Justice TS Thakur also agreed to hear his plea for directing the Jodhpur trial court to allow him to place evidence showing that the alleged victim was not a minor. In the Gujarat case, the apex court directed him to approach state high court with his bail plea. The case has been filed by a Surat-based woman, naming Asaram’s wife Lakshmi, daughter Bharti and his four women followers as well as accused. According to the victim, she was sexually assaulted for ten years when she was living in his ashram, from 1997 to 2006, on the outskirts of Ahmedabad. Entertaining the bail plea in the Rajasthan case, the apex court issued notice asking the state government to file its response within a month. The case would come up for next hearing in August. The girl has alleged that Asaram had raped her when she was studying in a school in his ashram. The Rajasthan police has booked him under various provisions of the Indian Penal Code (Sections 376, 342, 506 and 509) dealing with rape and sexual harassment, besides Section 8 of the Prevention of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO) and Sections 23 and 26 of the Juvenile Justice Act.
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Congress in damage control mode in N-E
Guwahati, July 3 For the first time in the region’s electoral history, the Congress’ citadel in the northeast was breached by the Narendra Modi-led NDA in the recent Lok Sabha election. The region with its eight states – Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Manipur, Nagaland, Tripura and Sikkim – has 25 Lok Sabha seats and 13 Rajya Sabha berths, but the AICC has only two general secretaries assigned to look after the party affairs of the entire region, a senior party leader said. Of the 25 seats in the northeast, the BJP has won seven in Assam, one in Arunachal Pradesh and its allies secured one each in Meghalaya and Nagaland even as the Sikkim Democratic Front extended its support to the BJP-led NDA. In Assam, which has 14 Lok Sabha seats, the Congress tally came down to three seats compared to seven in the 2009 elections, while the BJP’s tally went up to seven from four in 2009. Assam saw a definite rise of the BJP and the All-India United Democratic Front in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections. Only in Manipur, the Congress could resist the saffron surge under the leadership of three-time Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh by retaining both the Lok Sabha seats.
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New Delhi, July 3
