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Govt for cut in e-auction of coal to boost power scenario
Hounded by ULFA, 3 of family end life
Plea: Ban use of ‘love jihad’ as poll tool
Keep your spirits high, Ansari tells IMA cadets
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Modi’s ‘secular friends’ jibe shocking, says Cong
Sarees must for primary school teachers in Gujarat’s Mehsana
Cong gears up for internal polls
Scribe held for having ‘links’ with Bodo ultras
Focus on revival, quit blame game: Cong secys to seniors
Ex-Armymen get benefits on par with CRPF martyrs
Nuclear pact key to ties with Japan, says Ashwani Kumar
Govt-appointed panel wants ‘complete ban’ on dance bars
Govt gives Lokpal search panel more freedom, notifies rules
‘Nithyananda can’t avoid potency test’
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Govt for cut in e-auction of coal to boost power scenario
New Delhi, September 3 The government recently told the SC that it had no problem with cancelling all extant coal mine leases among the 218 ones declared illegal by the court. However, it asked for exemption of 46 of these blocks. While 40 of them have already begun production, in the remaining six it is about to commence Coal Minister Piyush Goyal said: “Because of less rains, the hydel production has gone down but the challenge has been met by increasing the thermal power capacity. Promising 24X7 power supply “soon” in states like Delhi, Rajasthan and Andhra Pradesh, he said the aim was to bring down power tariffs by increasing transmission efficiency and domestic coal production and reducing high value imports. Goyal, who also heads the power ministry, said he had sought a cut in the e-auction coal quantity to make more coal available for power projects. He wants the released quantity to be added to the coal pool which is sold at the notified price to power projects. “Last year, around 58 million tonnes was released through e-auction. This amount is more than the coal production in the country. Ideally, it should be reduced to 25 MT, though to begin with I would be satisfied if it is restricted to 30 to 32 MT,” he said. However, the decision to reduce the quantity of coal that Coal India sells through e-auction is believed to come with financial implications along with issues related to allocation. Goyal said the new government had mooted a policy under which the power generation units which were more than 25 years old were being encouraged to replace their equipment with new ones above supercritical capacity threshold with assured coal linkages.
Pvt power firms-states standoff to be resolved soon
Ambala: Following a standoff between power-generating private companies and states, Union Power Minister Piyush Goyal on Tuesday met state power ministers and senior power officials from Haryana Punjab, Rajasthan, Maharashtra and Gujarat in New Delhi. Sources said officials would again meet the minister on Thursday, adding the preference was being given to an out of court solution to the problem. The two power-generating private companies of Tata and Adani Groups, had shut down their plants following SC verdict against power tariff hike, which had been allowed by the Appellate Tribunal for Electricity and the Central Electricity Regulatory Commission. (Inputs Manish
Sirhindi)
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Hounded by ULFA, 3 of family end life
Guwahati, September 3 Bhabani Sharma, his son, Monjul Sharma, and daughter-in-law, Astami Sharma, took the extreme step to escape the wrath of ULFA men who had threatened them with dire consequences if they failed to pay back a huge loan their family had taken some time ago. Disaster response force personnel could retrieve the body of Bhabani Sharma only, while the search is still on to retrieve the two other bodies from the river. Relatives of Astami Sharma informed that they had lodged an FIR with the police against the ULFA men who had coerced the family to take such an extreme step. No arrest has been made so far.
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Plea: Ban use of ‘love jihad’ as poll tool
Lucknow, September 3 The petition filed in the Lucknow Bench of the Allahabad High Court by an advocate, Pankaj Tewari, will be taken up for hearing on Thursday. The petition has urged the state police, Department of Home and Election Commission to take action against Gorakhpur BJP MP Yogi Adityanath and Union minister Kalraj Mishra. “Despite the fact that Yogi Adityanath and Kalraj Mishra have made their intentions clear that they would make ‘love jihad’ an issue in the byelections… the Election Commission has not taken action against them. It has neither restricted their participation in campaign nor prohibited them from making statements in the media on ‘love jihad’,” the petition says.
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Keep your spirits high, Ansari tells IMA cadets
Dehradun, September 3 Ansari was accompanied by IMA Commandant Lt Gen Manvender Singh, Deputy Commandant Maj Gen YS Mahiwal and several other officers from the academy.
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Delhi BJP MLA shot at thrice, escapes unhurt
New Delhi, September 3 Shunty, who escaped unhurt, said the man had arrived outside his residence in Vivek Vihar and asked him to attest a document. A footage of a CCTV camera outside Shunty's residence shows that when he tried to go back inside the house the man caught him by the collar. A scuffle took place between the two, leading to the assailant firing about three rounds at Shunty before fleeing the spot. The police have registered a case of attempt to murder and the Arms Act at the Vivek Vihar police station. Joint Commissioner of Police (Eastern Range) Sanjay Beniwal said they found three empty cartridges from the spot. On the reason behind the attack, the officer replied, “We will analyse the evidence to ascertain the reasons for the attack.” He added that two Punjab police personnel were already deputed with the MLA and his security would further be enhanced.
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Modi’s ‘secular friends’ jibe shocking, says Cong
New Delhi, September 3
Not mincing words, he said Modi was “beating the communal drum-beat in Japan” and the “mocking” of a serious issue of secularism is “ungracious, unacceptable and unexpected”. “The ferocious communal cat is out of the bag, officially! PM Modi ridicules secularists in India in Japan. We must be a laughing stock there,” he tweeted. His tweets drew reactions from twitterati in support of the ruling party. Modi had an audience with Emperor Akihito yesterday at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo on the fourth day of his five-day visit to Japan to strengthen bilateral ties. Addressing the members of the Indian community at a reception there, Modi said he had carried a copy of the Gita to gift to the Emperor. “For gifting I brought a Gita. I do not know what will happen in India after this. There may be a TV debate on this. Our secular friends will create ‘toofan’(storm) that what does Modi think of himself? He has taken a Gita with him that means he has made this one also communal,” the Prime Minister had said. As the remarks were greeted with a round of applause, Modi hastened to add, “Anyway, they should also have their livelihood and if I am not there, then how will they earn their livelihood?” — PTI
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Sarees must for primary school teachers in Gujarat’s Mehsana
Ahmedabad, September 3 Considered a “back-door entry” for a dress code for women in the state, the Mehsana district education committee under the district panchayat has issued an official notification asking all the women teachers in the government primary schools to wear only saree in the schools. The education committee has not given any other option like wearing of salwar-kameez or other suitable dress for women as was recommended by a committee appointed by the state government earlier to recommend a dress code for the primary teachers. Soon after Anandiben Patel took over as the first woman chief minister of the state succeeding Narendra Modi in May this year, the state education department had appointed a committee consisting mostly of the BJP members or its sympathizers to recommend measures for improving the “quality of primary education” in the state. The committee, which submitted its recommendations within a month, recommended, among other things, a dress code for the teachers. The state-appointed committee had also recommended formal trousers for the male teachers putting wearing of jeans in the ban list. The Mehsana district committee, however, has spared male teachers coming down harsh on the female teachers in the district.
Panel recommends trousers for males * The state-appointed committee has also recommended formal trousers for the male teachers, putting wearing of jeans in the ban list for both men and women teachers *
The Mehsana district committee, however, has spared male teachers coming down harsh on the female teachers in the district
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Cong gears up for internal polls
New Delhi, September 3 A tentative agenda for organisational polls sent out to party leaders by Congress general secretary in charge of organisation Janardan Dwivedi sets the date for Congress president’s election between July 5 and 25, 2015 after elections to booth, block, district and state level have been held starting April 1, 2015. The drive for Congress membership (one membership costs Re 5) for next year’s polls ends on December 31 this year and is in full swing. The schedule (a copy is with The Tribune) adds that elections to the Congress Working Committee (CWC), the party’s all powerful decision making body comprising 25 members, will be held during the Plenary Session which the new Congress President will call next year. Schedules out, some seniors are asking if the upcoming organisational elections which happen every five years would indeed be different from the consensus polls they have seen in the past. Though all leaders agree that current Congress president Sonia Gandhi would return as chief in the absence of a contest, they feel elections to the CWC should be held to promote inner democracy.
The schedule * Election to booth committees -- Apr 1-30, 2015 *
Booth committees to elect Block Cong committees (BCCs) * Each BCC to elect one Pradesh Cong Committee member *
One eighth of PCC members to be elected AICC members through proportional representation *
AICC members to elect Cong President, 12 CWC members
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Scribe held for having ‘links’ with Bodo ultras
Guwahati, September 3 The arrest has triggered protests in the state from various quarters, including various media houses. The police said Kokrajhar-based reporter Jaikhnong Brahma of Guwahati-based satellite TV channel News Live was called to the Kokrajhar police station from his residence on Tuesday evening and arrested. The police have seized his laptop.
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Focus on revival, quit blame game: Cong secys to seniors
New Delhi, September 3 These leaders, after two-day deliberations, have said that all Congress general secretaries, many among whom are now targeting individuals (read Rahul), were part of the decision-making process in the Congress over the 10-year UPA rule. In a letter to all general secretaries and some top leaders, Congress secretaries (mostly Rahul appointees) have said three things: "Blame cannot be pinned on individuals when loss was on account of collective decision making; seniors should respect party discipline and air views in party fora such as the Antony committee; seniors should work on the future roadmap for revival instead of indulging in blame game." The move comes after AICC general secretary Digvijay Singh made a series of remarks that did not reflect Rahul in good light. Anil Shastri, another senior leader of the Congress, also tweeted recently: "Sonia & Rahul Gandhi did their best in the last elections and it's wrong to blame them. It was the leadership team created by them which failed them." Though Shastri didn't blame Rahul directly, he questioned the team created to prepare for polls. As leaders voice discontent openly, the unprecedented move by the Congress secretaries to defend Rahul raised a few eyebrows.
A letter to party leaders
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Congress secretaries have issued a letter to all general secretaries and some top leaders
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They said: "Blame cannot be pinned on individuals when loss was on account of collective decision making; seniors should respect party discipline and air views in party fora such as the Antony committee; seniors should work on the future roadmap for revival instead of indulging in blame game."
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Ex-Armymen get benefits on par with CRPF martyrs There is positive step taken by the Ministry of Home Affairs towards former armed forces personnel working on contractual basis with the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF). The government has approved the grant of ex-gratia compensation to the families of two ex-Armymen, Inspector Tilak Raj Singh and Head Constable Lakhbir Singh, who were killed in action while on contractual assignment with the CRPF. The compensation is at par with the CRPF personnel killed in action. The two ex-servicemen ahd been killed along with nine CRPF personnel in an ambush by the Naxalites in Bastar region of Chhattisgarh in March. While the families of the CRPF martyrs were paid Rs 15 lakh each as ex-gratia, the two ex-Servicemen were, however, not entitled to such benefits. On perusal of the case, the MHA approved payment of equal ex-gratia to the families of the ex-servicemen on the grounds that they were performing the same active duties like the CRPF personnel. Two NCC cadets die from snakebite at camp Tragedy struck the National Cadet Corps (NCC) when two cadets died while attending a training camp at Sirohi in Rajasthan last week. According to sources, they were bitten by a snake. The incident had taken place on the first floor of a school building where the camp was being conducted. A court of inquiry to investigate the incident and determine whether there had been any lapses in safety has been ordered. NCC Additional Director General, Maj Gen Sumedh Kumar is the COI’s presiding officer with a brigadier and a colonel as its members. Lions fly past 51st milestone The IAF’s No.31 Squadron turned 51 on September 1. Raised with French Mystere fighters at Pathankot in 1963, the squadron, known as the Lions were tasked to attack enemy armoured columns during Pakistani offensive in the Chhamb Sector in 1965. Rocket attacks were carried out on tank concentrations at Troti and Chhamb, besides straffing Pakistani positions at Jaurian. In the following days, the Lions also conducted recce ops and attacked Pakistani trains ferrying tanks as well as artillery concentrations. The then Commanding Officer, Wing Commander WM Goodman was decorated with the Maha Vir Chakra. The squadron was extensively employed in the ground attack role in support of the Army on the western front in 1971. The Squadron was resurrected on January 1 2009 at Air Force Station, Pune and requipped with the Su-30 MKI. Gunners of 51 Mountain Regiment remember old times
Old timers from the Regiment of Artillery’s 51 Mountain Regiment, now known as 51 Medium Regiment, held their annual get together in Chandigarh this week, reviving old memories and reigniting regimental bonds. The unit was raised in Assam in 1961 and son after saw action in the Twang Sector during the 1962 conflict. Then still without its guns, it was deployed in an infantry outfit and used for recce and observation. After remaining on the eastern frontier during the 1965 Indo-Pak war, it moved west and saw intense action in the 1971 Indo-Pak war along the Uri-Tangdhar axis in Jammu and Kashmir. A number of officers residing in the region attended the event. Among them were Maj Gen KS Bajwa, Col Eshar Singh, Lt Col Jagga and Lt Col Gurdev Singh, who were among the unit’s founding officers. . Air Marshal Sinha takes sortie in Tejas The Deputy Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal SBP Sinha, became the highest ranking IAF officer to get a first hand experience of flying the indigenous Tejas aircraft, when he undertook a sortie in a trainer version at Bangalore this week. The Air Marshal was on a two-day visit to the Aeronautical Development Agency and Hindustan Aeronautics Limited, during which he reviewed various aspects of the Tejas programme. — Vijay Mohan
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Nuclear pact key to ties with Japan, says Ashwani Kumar
New Delhi, September 3 The clenching of rare earth supply agreements would be a forward movement from the Indian side, he said in a statement here while commenting on PM Narendra Modi’s visit to Tokyo. The Rajya Sabha member from Punjab noted that India’s engagement with Japan was based upon intertwined destinies and was a partnership between the two oldest democracies and the two biggest economies. “This engagement has been assiduously cultivated by the leadership of the two countries over the years, particularly since 2000.’’ The important milestones in this relationship were achieved in 2006 during former PM Manmohan Singh’s visit to Japan when a global and strategic partnership was announced and later in 2011 when the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement was signed. The high point in this unique relationship was achieved with the visit to India of the Japanese emperor and the empress followed by Prime Minister Abe’s visit in January 2014.Prime Minister Modi’s visit to Japan, according to Kumar, was expected to build on the edifice already established. He said India’s close engagement with Japan would enable it to play both a significant role in rebalancing the geopolitical architecture of power in Asia and enable it to play a prominent role in ASEAN+2 and eventually to have a presence in the transpacific alliance. The commitment of $ 35 billion worth of Japanese investments in development of India’s infrastructure and the possibility of access of Japanese Green Technologies for our energy and environmental needs could be the other significant benefits for India. “There is potential for the India –Japan trade to reach $ 150 billion by 2025. Japanese investments could grow to $100 billion in the same period and we should aspire for 10 million Japanese tourists to visit India by 2025.”
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Govt-appointed panel wants ‘complete ban’ on dance bars
Mumbai, September 3 These suggestions by the state government-appointed panel are contained in its fourth and fifth interim reports submitted to the Bombay High Court on a PIL seeking measures to ensure safety and security of women. The committee, while recommending a complete ban on bar dance, has noted there was a drop in cases of atrocities against women when the state had banned dance bars. “This committee is of the view that there should be a complete ban on bar dancers in hotels and restaurants. We recommend that a new law many be introduced after considering the suggestions given by the Supreme Court in its judgement.” In 2012, the Supreme had held the ban on dance in bars as unconstitutional. The Maharashtra Assembly had on June 13 this year passed a Bill to extend the ban on dance performances at high-end hotels and a host of other public premises, bringing to end a protracted legal battle over the issue, which had generated a heated debate on moral policing. In 2005, in a controversial decision, dance performances in the bars in the state had been banned, but performances at three-star and higher-standard hotels had been exempted. — PTI
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Govt gives Lokpal search panel more freedom, notifies rules
New Delhi, September 3 Earlier rules, which were formed by the previous UPA government, mandated the search committee to prepare a panel of persons to be considered by Prime Minister-led selection committee for appointment as the chairperson and members of the Lokpal, from amongst the list of persons given by DoPT. In the new rules, the government has omitted restrictions for the search committee to recommend the names for Lokpal through the list provided by the DoPT. “The search committee may, for the purpose of short-listing of persons, adopt such short-listing norms as it may consider appropriate,” said the rules notified by the DoPT. “The words ‘from amongst the list of persons provided by the Central Government in the Department of Personnel and Training’ shall be omitted,” the new rules said. The Central Government shall provide such assistance as may be required by the search committee in efficient discharge of its functions in accordance with the provisions of the Act, they said. The government has also reduced the composition of the search committee to seven members from eight. The search committee will now consist of at least seven persons of standing and having special knowledge in anti-corruption, public administration and vigilance among others, the rules said. Under the earlier rules, an eight-member search panel was tasked to draw up a panel of persons for consideration by the selection committee. With changes in the search committee rules having been notified, the government will go ahead with the process of appointment of chairperson and members of the Lokpal, official sources said. The government has also done away with the time-limit of 30 days given to the search committee for recommending the names, after receiving the list from the DoPT, to the selection committee. — PTI Committee can now go beyond DoPT list * The Lokpal search committee can now recommend names (for chairperson and members) other than those on the list provided by the Department of Personnel and Training * The composition of the search panel has been reduced from eight to seven members. They will now draw up a panel of persons for consideration by the PM-led selection committee * The government has done away with the time limit of 30 days given to the search panel for recommending the names after receiving the list from the DoPT
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Ex-CJI Sathasivam is new Kerala Guv
New Delhi, September 3 “The President has been pleased to appoint Justice (Retd) Palaniswamy Sathasivam, to be the Governor of Kerala with effect from the date he assumes charge of his office vice Sheila Dikshit”, the communique said. Justice Sathasivam has been appointed against the vacancy caused by the resignation of Sheila Dikshit last month. The Congress had objected to the proposed appointment of Justice Sathasivam to the gubernatorial position. Congress ticks off Manish
Tewari for his remarks The Congress ticked off its leader Manish Tewari after he contradicted official party position on former CJI P Sathasivam's appointment as Kerala Governor. While Congress' senior spokesperson Anand Sharma had yesterday slammed the move as "political, unprecedented and motivated", Tewari today said there was no constitutional or legal bar on a former CJI in accepting Governorship. "In early 90s, the Congress had brought a former CJI Ranganath Misra to the Rajya Sabha from Odisha," Tiwari said. Congress spokesperson Shobha Oza said, "These are his personal views. Party's views were expressed by Anand Sharma."
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‘Nithyananda can’t avoid potency test’
New Delhi, September 3 A Bench headed by Justice Ranjana Desai refused to grant any relief, questioning his reluctance to undergo the test. Such examinations had become necessary in view of the spurt in crimes against women, it remarked. On August 1, the HC had stayed the non-bailable warrant issued by the trial court against Nithyananda and four of his followers, but asked him to take the potency test. One of his followers has alleged that he raped her for five years. — TNS
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There is positive step taken by the Ministry of Home Affairs towards former armed forces personnel working on contractual basis with the Central Reserve Police Force
(CRPF). The government has approved the grant of ex-gratia compensation to the families of two
ex-Armymen, Inspector Tilak Raj Singh and Head Constable Lakhbir Singh, who were killed in action while on contractual assignment with the
CRPF. The compensation is at par with the CRPF personnel killed in action.
Besides, the government also appears to be expecting a “favourable” decision regarding its recent plea to the Supreme Court. 
“Shocking and unbecoming of a Prime Minister to mock secularism on foreign soil, when communal temperatures raised by his own party in India,” Congress spokesperson Sanjay Jha said in a tweet.