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Haryana ‘tragedy king’ makes it to Union Cabinet
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Once a plumber, Sampla is Punjab BJP’s Dalit face
Cong stays away from ceremony
Backing Modi as BJP face pays Parrikar dividends
LoC firing: India lodges protest with Pak
Govt to reduce stake in PSU banks to 52%
SBI, HDFC Bank, Axis cap free ATM usage
Nuclear-capable Agni-II test-fired
Armed forces to acquire 440 copters
Sunken vessel was in good shape: Dhowan
Black money: SIT seeks info from public
Janata Dal parivar, Left will check resurgent
BJP: Yadav
Ayurveda will one day be embraced as yoga: PM
Burdwan blast: NIA gets 10-day remand of Sajid
IS threat: Tech institute head to be quizzed again
AirAsia India slashes fare
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New Delhi, November 9 Considering the simmering tension between the Shiv Sena and the BJP, many were looking for his Sena colleague Anil Desai who, too, was supposed to be sworn in at the ceremony. It was only after the news of Desai having been summoned back to Mumbai by angry Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray broke, that it became clear that Prabhu was no longer with the Sena. The former Shiv Sena leader had formally joined the BJP before being sworn in as the Cabinet Minister. As the relationship between the two parties turned sour, it was clear that for Modi getting Prabhu in was more important than taking Sena along, which was insisting a Cabinet berth also for Desai at the Centre. However, Modi handed over a Cabinet position to Prabhu, technically a member of the Sena but perceived closer to the BJP and the PM. Thackeray’s reported objections to Prabhu’s induction were ignored by the senior BJP leadership. Sources said Prabhu’s spot in the Cabinet was not from the “quota” entitlement of the NDA’s coalition government. A Chartered Accountant, Prabhu served in the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government when he won appreciation for imparting a new dynamism to the Power Ministry. The 61-year-old banker-politician was in Modi’s good books became evident after he was appointed head of a government panel on power revamp called Advisory Group for Integrated Development of Power, Coal and Renewable Energy. Prabhu was also appointed Modi’s “Sherpa” to assist him in the upcoming G20 summit in Brisbane. Sources say he has been a “margdarshak” (a guide) for Modi when he was the Gujarat CM. What earned him a special place was his decision to call off his visit to Wharton School as a mark of protest against the cancellation of Modi’s keynote address at the Wharton India Economic Forum-2013. During Vajpayee’s tenure from 1998 to 2004, Prabhu was Industry Minister, Minister of Environment and Forests, Minister of Fertilisers and Chemicals, Power, Heavy Industry and Public Enterprises and also Chairman of the Task Force for Interlinking of Rivers.
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Haryana ‘tragedy king’ makes it to Union Cabinet
Chandigarh, November 9 Among the tallest Jat leaders of Haryana, his induction into the Cabinet is even more creditable as he had joined the BJP only two-and-a-half-months ago, ending his four-decade relationship with the Congress. Close to former PM Rajiv Gandhi and sharing a close association with Congress president Sonia Gandhi, Birender was better known as the “tragedy king” of Haryana politics. He missed being the CM in 1991 by a whisker and lost to former CM and his bęte noir Bhupinder Singh Hooda in the race for state unit chief in 2007. An aspirant for the CM post in 2005, he had to be satisfied being the state’s Finance Ministry under Hooda when the Congress came to power. Again, in 2009, he angled for the CM’s chair, openly claiming that he would replace Hooda but lost the polls by a narrow margin. While this grounded his flight, the Congress continued to give him key assignments, including nomination to the Congress Working Committee (CWC), the party’s highest decision-making body. Grandson of Sir Chhotu Ram, he carried forward the legacy of the farmer-leader and carved a niche for himself early in the Congress, contesting his first election in 1972. A five-time MLA and a two-time parliamentarian, Birender’s victory in 1977 from Uchana on the Congress ticket with an impressive margin despite a strong anti-Congress sentiment gave him his first big break. Known to be an in-your-face politician who speaks his mind, Birender “missed” his last date with the swearing-in ceremony during the Congress-led UPA rule following “sabotage” by his own party men. While that caused “irreparable” hurt to him, Birender, nowhere in the picture when the BJP won the parliamentary elections, joined the saffron party in August 2014 after being “disillusioned” by the Congress.
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Once a plumber, Sampla is Punjab BJP’s Dalit face
Jalandhar, November 9 Hailing from a poor family, Sampla, a Dalit, had worked in the Gulf as a plumber to make the ends meet in the past. Two years ago, the party had denied him the Assembly ticket from Jalandhar West constituency from where octogenarian Bhagat Chunni Lal had been picked. Even now most political leaders had been expecting that the party would pick either actor-politician Vinod Khanna or Rajya Sabha member Avinash Rai Khanna from Punjab for the ministerial position. But, being a Dalit favoured him as the party is eyeing the 33 per cent Dalit population in the state. Today, as he went to Delhi to take the oath as the Union Minister of State, he was accompanied by his mentor Avinash Rai Khanna, who had helped him get his parliamentary ticket against other claimants such as Phagwara MLA Som Parkash, and Harjit Singh Grewal, Chairman of the Punjab Khadi and Village Industries Board. Sampla had defeated former PPCC president Mahinder Singh Kaypee from Hoshiarpur by 13,582 votes. An RSS activist, he had started his political career as a Dalit sarpanch of a Jalandhar village in 1998. Sampla’s family currently runs a paint and hardware business in Jalandhar.
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Master strategist Nadda gets his due
Shimla, November 9 With political career spanning over three decades rooted in grass root politics and his capacity to effectively handle organisational affairs and administrative assignments raised his profile to get the post on merit. Nadda, who joined the ABVP during JP movement as a student, held several posts in the organisation and was appointed president of the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha in 1991. He was also elected as the president of the Students Central Association (SCA) of Himachal Pradesh University in 1983-84 and also remained member of Executive Council of the university during 1990-92. He forayed into electoral politics in 1993 and was elected to the Himachal Assembly from Bilaspur. He was elected leader of the BJP in the Assembly. His performance as legislator was remarkable and was awarded as best legislator in 1994.
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Sadhvi only woman among new ministers
New Delhi, November 9 Jyoti, 47, is a religious preacher and won the Lok Sabha polls from Fatehpur constituency. She has been inducted as the Minister of State. Seven women ministers, including six with Cabinet rank, were inducted in the Council of Ministers in May. Women Cabinet Ministers are Sushma Swaraj, Uma Bharti, Najma Heptulla, Maneka Gandhi, Harsimrat Kaur Badal and Smriti Zubin Irani. Nirmala Sitharaman is a Minister of State with independent charge. Incidentally, the youngest and the oldest members in the Modi Cabinet also happens to be women — Smriti Irani and Najma Heptulla. With today's expansion, the number of ministers in the Modi cabinet has gone up to 66. A total of 21 Ministers were inducted today including four Cabinet rank and three Minister of States with Independent charge. — PTI
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Lalu’s ‘Hanuman’ now part of Modi ministry
Patna, November 9 Not only did he defeat Lalu’s daughter Misa Bharti from Patliputra, the 57-year-old leader, who has never been a minister at the Centre or in Bihar, today became part of Modi ministry. His induction in the Union Council of Ministers is seen as a strategy of the BJP to make a dent in Yadav vote bank in the Assembly polls next year in Bihar. Yadavs constitute over 12 per cent votes in Bihar and have been identified with Lalu Prasad. But, the BJP made inroads in this category in the recent Lok Sabha elections, hardselling Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s image as a tea seller and that he belonged to a backward caste. His presence in the Ministry could prove vital in wooing Yadav voters. Yadav, who fell apart from his “guru” Lalu after being denied ticket by the RJD from Patliputra, may be a first-time MP from the BJP, but he is no novice in electoral politics. The May 2014 victory helped him enter the Lok Sabha for the fourth time. The previous three times were on an RJD ticket. He represented Patna constituency before its bifurcation into Patna Sahib and Patliputra seats in 2009.— PTI
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At 43, Supriyo is youngest of all
New Delhi, November 9 The eldest ministers are Secunderabad Bandaru Dattatreya and former Congressman Birender Singh, both aged 68. Besides Dattatreya and Singh, Giriraj Singh, Suresh Prabhu, Mohanbhai Kalyanjibhai Kundariya and Haribhai Parthibhai Choudhary are in their 60s. Olympian shooter-turned-politician Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore, 44, is the second youngest. Supriyo's mother Sumitra Baral said she was happy that her son was sworn in as minister. “Earlier I was known as mother of a singer, then a mother of an MP and now I will be known as a mother of a minister," she said. — IANS
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Cong stays away from ceremony
New Delhi, November 9 There was no official word as to why Congress leaders were not present in the Darbar Hall of the Rashtrapati Bhavan when President Pranab Mukherjee administered oath to 21 new members who joined the five-and-a-half-month old Modi government at the Centre. The underlying tension between the ruling coalition headed by the BJP and the Congress, main party in the Opposition, continues to be accentuated by the denial of the Leader of Opposition post. Sources said in addition to the attitude of the government that has rejected the position to its leader Mallikarjun Kharge, BJP leaders continue to make personal attacks on the Congress leadership. It is unusual for leaders from the Opposition not to be present at such ceremonies although stray incidents of outgoing leaders abstaining from attending such events have occurred. — TNS
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Backing Modi as BJP face pays Parrikar dividends
New Delhi, November 9 The turbulent and dramatic conclave in the picturesque settings of the beach state is remembered for throwing up embarrassing details of the deep internal divide within the senior leadership on the issue of Modi’s elevation. At the time when Modi’s detractors were gleefully watching the open divide in the party, Manohar Parrikar, as then the Goa CM, openly pushed for projecting the former as the saffron face in the General Election. In fact, he was among the first few senior leaders in the party to openly voice the opinion. Besides sharing strong RSS credentials and a personal rapport with Modi, what goes to his credit is his squeaky clean image and capability as an administrator to manage a politically difficult state. The IIT graduate is seen as the saffron party’s most successful CM for having established the party in a state that has a sizable Christian vote-bank. However, there are larger political motives behind Parrikar’s promotion. Taking over a key ministry means the PM trusts him as an able administrator but sources indicate a few equally critical reasons behind the move. Apparently, he is the support provided to Modi by party’s ideological fountainhead, the RSS, in Delhi where the BJP’s political scene has been dominated by leaders such as Rajnath Singh, Arun Jaitley and Sushma Swaraj. The move is also expected to pave the way for Modi’s long-term plans.
A technocrat-turned politician
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No talks if firing continues: India to Pak
New Delhi, November 9 “If repeated ceasefire violations take place, then the environment for dialogue itself suffers,” Defence Minister Arun Jaitley said at the India Global Forum meeting hosted by the International Institute for Strategic Studies. “There should be a dialogue. We will welcome it, but then the environment for dialogue has to be created by both countries. “One of them cannot upset the environment and then say why dialogue is not taking place,” Jaitley said. “When we further the discussions, it was through foreign secretary dialogue (called off in August), this was responded to by an immediate invite to the separatists, particularly keeping in mind elections in J&K at the doorsteps. Now, this we found completely unacceptable,” he added. Pointing out that the situation has by and large been peaceful in the Kashmir Valley, Jaitley said: “We are expecting peaceful elections in the Valley notwithstanding efforts to disturb the environment.” Regarding the border issue with China, Jaitley said India is keen to expedite the process of resolving the longstanding matter. “As far as China is concerned, our economic relationship continues to grow, there are a lot of mutual investments in both countries and there is huge trade between the two countries,” he said. “But then we have a pending issue of settlement of boundary itself and the commission appointed in 2003 for that purpose... we do hope it functions now expeditiously. We continue to have a meaningful dialogue with them,” he added. — IANS
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LoC firing: India lodges protest with Pak
Srinagar, November 9 Sources said Pakistan troops were told on the hotline at Kaman post in Uri, 117 km from Srinagar, that “ceasefire violation was not good for the decade-long ceasefire along the Line of Control (LoC)”. “We lodged a strong protest over the unprovoked firing and shelling through hotline,” said a Defence source. “There has been no response from the Pakistan so far,” he added. There has been no ceasefire violation from Pakistan since Saturday evening. “There was no ceasefire violation since last evening,” Deputy Commissioner Baramulla, Farooq Ahmed Lone told The Tribune. “The situation was calm in the area,” he said after visiting the area on Sunday. On Saturday evening, Pakistan troops fired with heavy machine guns and mortar shells at five Indian posts in Kamalkote sector, 120 km from Srinagar, resulting in the death of a girl, Gulshan, and Havaldar Mayapan of 11 Madras. The exchange of fire had continued for almost two hours and the firing took place in an area spread to nearly 3 km along the LoC. Some of the mortar shells hit the civilian areas, which created panic in the area. The Army sources said it looked as if it was preplanned by the Pak Army to violate the ceasefire in the sector that is manned by the troops of Baramulla-based 19 Infantry Division. “It has been most peaceful sector in Kashmir. We are surprised as to why Pakistani troops fired on our posts,” a source said. The last major ceasefire violation in Uri sector in Kashmir region took place in October 2012, when Pakistani troops fired at Indian posts and a village in Churanda Uri, which left three civilians including a woman dead.
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Govt to reduce stake in PSU banks to 52%
New Delhi, November 9 The Finance Minister also said that the government was planning to bring down its stake in public sector banks to 52 per cent so as to meet the Rs 3 lakh crore capital requirement. Speaking at the India Global Forum summit here, Jaitley said, “Some changes may be necessary to the land acquisition laws. We will first try to reach a consensus and if that is not possible, we will go ahead and take the decision.” The states have openly opposed the new Land Acquisition Act, complaining that it hurts the process of acquiring land for infrastructure projects. Commerce Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had also last month suggested that amendments to the Bill may be brought in the Winter Session of the Parliament which starts on November 24. The Rural Development Ministry has already suggested a number of amendments to the Act that will water down provisions such as mandatory consent of at least 70 per cent locals for acquiring land for PPP projects, and 80 per cent for private projects. The Act, which was passed last year, may undergo drastic changes if Prime Minister Narendra Modi gives his approval to the proposals moved by the ministry. These also include dilution of a key clause of the Social Impact Assessment study, criticised by states as time-consuming for the industrialisation process. Jaitley said that the government was looking at bringing down its equity in banks to about 52 per cent so that a large amount of capital, almost close to Rs 3 lakh crore, could be introduced into banks itself, so that they have more resources for financial inclusion. In 2010, the then Cabinet had approved a proposal to keep the minimum shareholding of government to 58 per cent in public sector banks in order to provide buffer for the future. As per law, government holding at any moment must not come below 51 per cent to maintain the public sector character of PSU banks. At present, government shareholding in various banks varies between 56.26 per cent (Bank of Baroda) and 88.63 per cent (Central Bank of India). Public sector banks require equity capital of Rs 2.4 lakh crore by 2018 to meet Basel III norms. For the current fiscal, the government has allocated Rs 11,200 crore for bank capitalisation. The government had infused an amount of Rs 58,600 crore between 2011 and 2014. Jaitley also reiterated that the long-pending Insurance Laws Amendment Bill, which seeks to raise the foreign direct investment cap in the sector to 49 per cent, would get Parliament approval in the upcoming session. “We have opened up investments in various sectors. I do hope that in this session, I will be able to pass the Insurance Bill,” he said. FDI in insurance is currently limited to 26 per cent. The much-delayed Insurance Bill has been referred to the select committee of Parliament after nine political parties made the demand in the last session. The reform, according to experts, could increase the flow of foreign investment to the tune of Rs 25,000 crore into private insurance companies. Jaitley also said that amendments to the Goods and Services Tax (GST) may be introduced in the Winter Session and that the Centre was in the final stages of talks with states on the issue. “I am in the last stage of my discussion with the states before the introduction of amendments to the GST law in Parliament,” he said. “I do hope that my friends in the Opposition parties, particularly the principal Opposition, after a wasted opportunity when they were in government, spend a more fruitful tenure when they are in Opposition,” Jaitley said.
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SBI, HDFC Bank, Axis cap free ATM usage
Mumbai, November 9 The capping and additional fees on excess usage come following the recent Reserve Bank circular allowing banks to limit the number of free ATM transactions to five — three in the largest six cities and two elsewhere — a month. Under the new norms, which have been accepted by the RBI, a customer can do just three free ATM transactions in the six largest cities at own-bank machines and two elsewhere. The new limits and rates by SBI, HDFC Bank and Axis will be applicable to transactions done in Mumbai, New Delhi, Chennai, Kolkata, Bangalore and Hyderabad. The SBI, which had reported close to Rs 400 crore loss by way of paying other banks as inter-bank ATM usage in FY14, was the first one to cap ATM transactions at three and impose fees of Rs 20 per subsequent transaction. Since November 1, the new norms are effective at SBI. However, the bank has allowed more free ATM transactions to those who avoid visiting its branches, and unlimited transactions for those with large balances. The second and the third largest private sector players HDFC Bank and Axis Bank have also followed suit and said effective December 1, they too will be charging Rs 20 per transaction above five a month. While HDFC Bank will charge Rs 20 for cash withdrawals and Rs 8.5 (excluding taxes) for balance enquiry, mini statement, etc, Axis Bank will also charge Rs 20 and taxes for financial transactions and Rs 9.5 for non-financial ones. At the third-party ATMs, HDFC and Axis will charge for more than three transactions, down from the earlier five free transactions, the banks said in separate customer notifications. Axis Bank, which with a little over 12,000 ATMs is the no. 2 player after SBI, however, is offering 10 free transactions for its Prime Plus savings account and Prime salary account holders. But both these account-holders need to have a minimum opening balance of Rs 1 lakh and they can have first five free transactions at non-home bank ATMs. — PTI
Applicable to 6 metros
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Nuclear-capable Agni-II test-fired
Balasore (Odisha), November 9 “The trial of the surface-to-surface missile was conducted from a mobile launcher from the Launch Complex-4 of Integrated Test Range at around 9.40 am,” a Defence official said. Describing the test of the state-of-the-art missile as successful, ITR Director MVKV Prasad said: “It was a user trial conducted by the Army.” Agni-II Intermediate Range Ballistic Missile (IRBM) has already been inducted into the services and today’s test was carried out by the specially formed Strategic Forces Command of the Army as part of training exercise with logistic support provided by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), the officials said. The two-stage sophisticated missile equipped with advanced high accuracy navigation system, guided by a novel scheme of state of the earth command and control system was propelled by solid rocket propellant system, they said. “The entire trajectory of the trial was tracked by a battery of sophisticated radars, telemetry observation stations, electro-optic instruments and naval ships located near the impact point in the down range area of the sea,” said a DRDO scientist. The 20m-long Agni-II is a two-stage, solid-propelled ballistic missile. It has a launch weight of 17 tonne and can carry a payload of 1,000 kg over a distance of more than 2,000 km. — PTI
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Armed forces to acquire 440 copters
New Delhi, November 9 “Almost 440 helicopters between three services have to be acquired some will be acquired from abroad and most of them have to be domestically manufactured... we have also announced Indian entities can apply and even public sector (firms can apply) so as to have capacity building in India,” he said. The government decision is expected to generate business worth over Rs 40,000 crore for the local industry in the Defence sector. Besides, India also intends to purchase 56 transport aircraft for which only private sector Indian companies are eligible. “This time we cancelled the earlier decision and said they will be manufactured in India and Indian companies should apply and only Indian companies should apply which means Indian companies with joint ventures can apply,” he said. The armed forces had projected their requirements to the Defence Ministry before the government scrapped a Rs 6,000 crore tender to procure 197 such helicopters for the Army and the Air Force. Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd has already started a project in Tumkur, Karnataka, for building light helicopters, which will have a capacity to lift 2.5 tonnes payload. Jaitley further said the Defence Acquisition Council of India now meets every month. “I am sure it will continue to happen because the mechanism has been institutionalised,” he said. — PTI Bulk purchase from Indian companies
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Sunken vessel was in good shape: Dhowan
Visakhapatnam, November 9 Admiral Dhowan, who was here this evening to meet the family members of the sailor James Jacob who died after the vessel sank off the Visakhapatnam coast on Thursday night, told reporters, “before a vessel sails out, all its aspects are checked. The ship concerned was in absolutely good condition.” He said the Navy was doing all to search for the missing four Navy personnel. "The Navy has already launched a full-scale Search and Rescue (SAR) operation and we will do whatever we can to trace the missing four naval personnel. A board of inquiry headed by a captain is in progress to investigate the circumstances that led to the mishap," Dhowan added. Replying to a query whether the vessel was carrying crew members beyond its capacity that could have led to the mishap, Dhowan said the vessel was in completely "correct state". — PTI
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Black money: SIT seeks info from public
New Delhi, November 9 The SIT, headed by retd Supreme Court Judge MB Shah with Justice Arijit Pasayat (retd) as its vice-chairman, had promised to create such a public window sometime back and it has now given an assurance that the name of the information provider will be kept confidential. “Persons (individuals, associations, NGOs or any other entity) having specific information about any “Resident” of India (Individual, HUF, Association of Persons, Company, Trust, Body of individuals, Firm, etc) having illegal and/or undisclosed bank accounts/assets located in foreign countries and/or undisclosed bank accounts/assets located in foreign countries and/or any interest in such assets/accounts in any manner may furnish such information to the SIT in the attached proforma,” the high-powered panel said. The panel said it requests the public at large to send “precise information in a crisp manner and mere allegations without specific details be avoided.” Justice (retd) Pasayat had earlier told PTI that the panel will take action in all such cases which have “specific” information about illegal assets stashed abroad. The SIT, in today’s notice, has also asked the public to make “concrete suggestions to bring unaccounted money stashed abroad back to India.” — PTI
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Janata Dal parivar, Left will check resurgent
BJP: Yadav
New Delhi, November 9 Yadav said the Left had always been a pillar of strength for secular forces in the country. “The anti-BJP consolidation cannot be conceived without the Left. It will be always with us. There will be no problem,” Yadav said. The immediate target is to unite the splinter groups of the Janata Dal. “The success of the saffron party has been due to the fragmentation of the socialist forces,” the Janata Dal (U) president said. The Left apparently remaining out of the frame in the fresh drive to consolidate anti-BJP forces had sparked off speculations in political circles, especially after recent meeting of leaders of splinter groups of the JD, including the ruling parties in Bihar and UP, the JD (U) and Samajwadi Party, respectively, and the JD(S) of former Prime Minister HD Devegowda. A couple of senior Left leaders had publicly expressed ignorance about the meeting. The party, which once led the National Front alliance at the Centre at the fag end of eighties, disintegrated into nine separate groups. Elaborating on the need to unite the Janata Parivar, he cited the recent Assembly byelections in Bihar in which the BJP had to suffer reverses on account of the ruling JD (U) and the RJD coming together. The Bihar experiment will be replicated in the country. It is in this context that the JD(U) supported the INLD in the recent Assembly elections in Haryana. It has decided to support the PDP in forthcoming elections in Jammu and Kashmir.
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Ayurveda will one day be embraced as yoga: PM
New Delhi, November 9 Recalling the significance of Ayurveda in Indian scriptures, which refer to it as the “Pancham Veda”, Modi said hundreds and thousands of Ayurveda practitioners had no reason to lose heart over whether their chosen vocation will sustain them financially. “We remained distant from yoga while the world embraced it. Just like that ayurveda has a huge potential for global acceptance. Ayurveda is a way of life,” he said, delivering the valedictory address at the conclusion of the two-day World Ayurveda Congress at Pragati Maidan here. Mentioning the world’s return to the concept of holistic health the Prime Minister reminded the people how they had outsourced health and squandered traditional knowledge of herbal medicines. “Even today when we travel in a bus or train and our chid starts crying, we find people offering indigenous solutions to bring relief to the child. Yet today we have outsourced all our health issues. We trust consultancies for relief,” Modi said, underscoring the need to repackage Ayurveda in a language which the modern world understands. “You have to repackage ayurveda to promote it. Medical journals across the world should devote 10 per cent space to ayurveda research which practitioners must write in the modern idiom,” he said. An important point the PM made was the need for practitioners of Ayurveda to end their sense of conflict with allopathy. “We must stop seeing these two streams of medicine as mutual enemies. Let us remember that ayurveda is a proven medium for physical detoxification of the body, while allopathy can take care of emerging diseases management. Nothing beats ayurveda as the best preventive
health medium,” the Prime Minister said in a well-applauded speech. He also urged practitioners to conduct research on the available herbal plants which form the basis of ayurveda. We need to know whether all herbal plants associated with ayurveda in our scriptures actually exist today, he said.
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Burdwan blast: NIA gets 10-day remand of Sajid
Kolkata, November 9 The officiating judge allowed NIA’s demand for 10-day custody after the accused was produced in the court this afternoon. The National Investigating Agency team wants to interrogate Sajid to arrest others involved in the conspiracy by the Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh
(JMB). Sajid was yesterday arrested from the Calcutta airport area in northern suburb by the Bidhannagar police and was handed over to the
NIA. Sajid told the court that he had fled Bangladesh and sneaked into West Bengal a year ago to evade arrest by the Bangladesh police. The NIA investigations revealed Sajid and his wife Fatema Bibi were actively involved in the terrorist activities of the
JMB, which planned to destabilise the democratic setup of Bangladesh. They were planning to assassinate Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh
Hasina, Opposition leader Khaleda Zia and others in the country. They conspiracy was being hatched at their hideout at Khagraghar in Burdwan district. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee denied involvement of TMC leaders or workers in any terror-related activity. The TMC leader whose house at Khagraghar was rented to the Bangladeshi terrorists is, however, still at large. It was also alleged that a TMC minority cell leader who was close to Mamata and Mukul Roy was connected to Bangladesh terrorists.
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IS threat: Tech institute head to be quizzed again Mumbai, November 9 “The principal of a technical institute in Panvel had been questioned earlier after he was suspected to have brainwashed a group of four young men, who disappeared from Kalyan and were believed to have joined the ISIS. We suspect that he might have propagated about ISIS among other youngsters too,” the official said. “Some teachers of the institute were also questioned before,” he said. The principal has again been summoned and is expected to turn up before the investigators in a day or two, he said. In May, four youths — Arif Majeed, Shaheen Tanki, Fahad Shaikh and Aman — from neighbouring Kalyan town had left India to visit holy places in the Middle East, but disappeared thereafter. They were suspected to have joined the ISIS. On August 26, Majeed was reportedly killed in bombing. — PTI
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AirAsia India slashes fare
New Delhi, November 9 The move came as part of its Malaysian parent company AirAsia presenting a ‘Big Sale’ with three million promotional seats on its network from Kuala Lumpur, with a starting fare of Rs 2,599 for international flights operated by AirAsia Berhad and Thai AirAsia, the airline said in a release. The Indian carrier is offering “an all inclusive one way fare” starting from as low as Rs 699 for flights from Bengaluru to Chennai, Kochi, Goa, Jaipur and Chandigarh and vice versa. The Malaysian parent company’s offer of Rs 2,599 would be available on flights from Chennai, Kochi, Kolkata, Bengaluru, Tiruchirappalli and Hyderabad to Kuala Lumpur operated by AirAsia Berhad and Chennai to Bangkok flown by Thai AirAsia, the release said. The tickets can be booked on Airasia’s website from tonight till November 16, for travel period from June 10 next year to January 17, 2016, it said. AirAsia India CEO Mittu Chandilya said “it is our constant endeavor to make air travel affordable for every Indian.” He said the ‘Big Sale’ offer would “allow our guests to plan their travel early with extremely low fares.” All Indian airlines have been competing with each other to fill up vacant seats, especially during the lean seasons, by offering low fares throughout the year. — PTI
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Roadside tea for Supriyo
Bollywood’s singing sensation Babul Supriyo celebrated the occasion savouring a cup of tea and a cream roll from a roadside tea stall. “I had a great cup of tea during the swearing-in ceremony but nothing can match sipping tea from a paper cup under the open sky,” Supriyo said. IANS
Dress code strictly traditional
Most of the ministers who were sworn-in on Sunday were dressed in traditional kurta pyjama except Manohar Parrikar, Suresh Prabhu and Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore. Parrikar and Prabhu were dressed in shirt and trousers, while Rathore donned a ‘bandhgala’ with a colourful Rajasthani turban. PTI
All except 2 take oath in Hindi
Barring TDP's YS Chowdary and BJP MP from West Bengal's Asansol seat Babul Supriyo, all 19 inductees in Modi ministry took oath in Hindi. Chowdhary, who is from Hyderabad, and Supriyo took oath in English. Except Birender Singh, who said he affirms solemnly to protect the prestige of his position and office, all others took oath in the name of God. PTI
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As former Shiv Sena leader Suresh Prabhu took the oath of office and secrecy at
Rashtrapati Bhavan today, not many knew that he had already joined the
BJP.
Chandigarh, November 9
Jalandhar, November 9
A day after Pakistan troops killed a soldier and civilian in Uri sector of north Kashmir, Indian Army today lodged a strong protest with Pakistan over “unprovoked” shelling.
Sources said Pakistan troops were told on the hotline at Kaman post in Uri, 117 km from Srinagar, that “ceasefire violation was not good for the decade-long ceasefire along the Line of Control (LoC)”.
Setting the tone for the forthcoming Winter Session of Parliament, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley today said that the government would push amendments to the Land Acquisition Act even if the Opposition did not support it.
Janata Dal (U) president Sharad Yadav today said the Left would be taken on board by the “Janata parivar” to build a robust political axis against the resurgent BJP.
Yadav said the Left had always been a pillar of strength for secular forces in the country.
“The anti-BJP consolidation cannot be conceived without the Left. It will be always with us. There will be no problem,” Yadav said.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi today made a strong pitch for ayurveda as a complete medical science, saying it will one day be embraced by the world just like yoga.
Banking consumers will have to pay more if they are prolific with ATM transactions as largest lender SBI and its private sector peers HDFC Bank and Axis Bank have capped the free-usage at three in six metros.
