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Trust vote in Maharashtra today
Shiv Sena to contest Speaker’s post
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Reply sought from AMU V-C on denying library access to girls
Govt likely to table 30 Bills in winter session
MNREGA can’t be restricted to some areas: Birender
2g spectrum case
Another ceasefire violation in Uri sector
Use digital tools in education: Prez
Now, BJP says its doors open for Kashmir separatists
Cong leaders generating black money, says BJP
Naval mishap: Family awaits diver’s return
Another Bangla militant held
Film fest: India eyes Chinese box office
Modi, Myanmar Prez push for trade ties
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Trust vote in Maharashtra today Tribune News Service
New Delhi, November 11 Answering queries while taking over as Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs along with Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi in Parliament House Rudy said "those who want to come forward for the development of Maharashtra should come. We want to take along all those who want to come forward for the development of Maharashtra. I hope Shiv Sena will turn around". The statement assumes significance as Rudy, who was in-charge of Maharashtra affairs till recently, has indicated that the BJP was not averse to receiving support of all non-Congress parties in the state, including the NCP. This despite former ally Shiv Sena's clear ultimatum on the issue. On a query whether Union Minister Anant Geete, a Shiv Sena leader, would soon resign and whether the the NDA ally will sit in opposition in Maharashtra, he said he was not aware of any such development. "Even prior to elections, we wanted to take Shiv Sena along and post-elections also, wanted it to be part of the government," he said. Notably, even while appearing open to talks with BJP, Sena has been giving signals of sitting in the Opposition in the state Assembly. A day after Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray served an ultimatum to BJP to come clear on the issue of taking support from the NCP, Sena submitted a letter to the Assembly Secretary asking him to accord its Legislature Party leader Eknath Shinde Leader of Opposition status. Hours later Uddhav said the decision to stake claim to LoP's post was taken because Congress wanted the position on the ground that Sena was part of the BJP-led NDA. Had that happend(Congress in LoP post), "we would have been left nowhere," he said After BJP and Sena, Congress is the third largest party in the Assembly with 42 MLAs. With 121 MLAs, BJP is still 24 short of a half-way mark of 144. With the help of 7 independents and few others from smaller parties, it can reduce the gap but may not be able to bridge it completely. Which is why the 41-member NCP holds key to the survival of the Devendra Fadnavis government.
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Shiv Sena to contest Speaker’s post
Mumbai, November 11 Its candidate, Vijay Auti, filed his nomination form today. The BJP has fielded Haribhau Bagade while the Congress has fielded Varsha Gaikwad for the Speaker’s post. The last date for withdrawal of nomination is Wednesday. The election of the Speaker will be held later in the day. Shiv Sena sources said the decision to field a candidate for the post of Speaker was taken by party chief Uddhav Thackeray. Should the Sena arrive at a power sharing arrangement by Wednesday morning, its candidate will withdraw from the fray. The Congress also has indicated that it may support the Shiv Sena candidate should it contest the election for the post of Speaker.
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Reply sought from AMU V-C on denying library access to girls
Aligarh/New Delhi, Nov 11 The AMU cited space constraints and refuted the charge of having a “sexist approach”. Taking serious note of it, the Human Resource Ministry sought an explanation from AMU Vice-Chancellor Zameer Uddin Shah with Minister Smriti Irani asserting that education and constitution rights were same for all. “...There are some reports which hurt you as a woman and also agitates you that when we attained freedom there was a belief that education and constitution rights were same for all....and now we get reports that amounts to insult to daughters," Irani said on the sidelines of a function in Delhi. Smriti also said she had asked the Secretary, Higher Education, to seek a report from the university. “Once we get a detailed report, we would be in a position to respond,” she said. The VC's remarks that allowing women undergraduates will attract “four times more boys” to the library, added fuel to the fire. Minority Affairs Minister Najma Heptullah termed the VC’s remarks as “appalling” and “shocking” while the new MoS in the Ministry Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said such remarks were “not acceptable in a civilised society”. Terming Shah's statement as “regressive and antediluvian”, National Commission for Women chairperson Lalitha Kumaramangalam wondered “Is it legal for them (AMU) to bar any student regardless of gender from accessing such services in a university?” Facing flak, the VC explained that undergraduate girl students studying at the off-campus Wome's College did not have access to facilities of the Maulana Azad Library since it was established in 1960 and there was “no fresh ban”. He said there over 4,000 women undergraduates and the library cannot accommodate them due to space constraints. “There will be no place even to stand (if this is allowed),” he said. Shah rejected allegations of gender bias, terming them "not only erroneous but mischievous and defamatory". — PTI
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Govt likely to table 30 Bills in winter session
New Delhi, November 11 The Modi government plans to showcase the winter session by bringing forth some 30 Bills, including an amendment to the Land Acquisition Act, insurance laws allowing higher FDI in the sector, labour reforms and possibly the Constitutional Amendment Bill to take forward the Land Border Agreement with Bangladesh. Parliamentary Affairs Minister M. Venkaiah Naidu said the government would like to take up substantial legislative proposals and found no reason to be sceptical on the smooth functioning of Parliament. The session is scheduled to start on November 24 and end on December 23. The minister's informal interaction with media came after Rajiv Pratap Rudy and Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi today assumed the charge of Ministers of State for Parliamentary Affairs. It comes at a time when the Congress, which is the largest in the Opposition, is upset with the government on various issues, including denial of the Leader of the Opposition post. Though the Congress does not have the numbers to prevent passage of any Bill in the Lok Sabha, it has the ability to stall any proposed legislation. The ruling coalition got entangled in this tactic when the Congress along with other parties in the Opposition forced the government to refer the Insurance Laws (Amendment) Bill to a select committee in the last session.
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MNREGA can’t be restricted to some areas: Birender
New Delhi, November 11 The top Haryana Jat leader took over as Minister for Rural Development, Panchayati Raj and Drinking Water and Sanitation — his first Cabinet assignment in his four-decade political career, most of which he spent in the Congress. Specifying position on MNREGA, Singh said the Rs 40,000 crore rural job scheme could not be restricted to a specific region. “In this country, there are people who had never seen a Rs-500 note. The poorest of the poor...we have been able to reach them through MNREGA,” he said reacting to questions on his predecessor Nitin Gadkari’s reported plans on restricting the rural job scheme to most backward 200 districts of the country. “Rs 40,000 crore component is for the country and not for any specific region,” Singh said Gadkari had said MNREGA was not required in the areas having higher growth and could be restricted to tribal and backward districts, earning criticism from various quarters.
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Raja, Kanimozhi oppose CBI plea, order reserved
New Delhi, November 11 Special CBI Judge OP Saini fixed November 18 for pronouncing the order after hearing arguments during which some of the high-profile accused questioned the intention of the agency to file the plea at the fag end of the trial. While Raja and Kanimozhi questioned the legality of CBI’s move, some of the businessmen accused said the agency’s intentions were malafide and it was delaying the trial as the evidence in the case has already been closed. — PTI
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Another ceasefire violation in Uri sector
Srinagar, November 11 The Army said Pakistani troops initially targeted three Indian posts with small arms around 8.05 am at Chhota Qazinag in the Kamalokote area of Uri sector, some 120 km from here, and later fired mortar shells for many hours. “The unprovoked firing continued till 1.30 pm and was appropriately responded to,” an Army spokesman said. “There has been no report of any casualty,” he said. Defence sources said the Pakistani troops also fired 82-mm mortar shells on Tuesday. The Uri sector is witnessing tension along the LoC since Saturday. Today’s ceasefire violation took place in the same area where a 17-year-old girl and a soldier were killed when Pakistani troops fired on Indian posts and a village on Saturday. The Army authorities today conveyed to Pakistan troops at Kaman post in Uri that frequent ceasefire violations could escalate tension. “We are proposing to have a flag meeting of local commanders at Kaman to de-escalate the tension,” defence sources said. The area where the exchange of fire took place is manned by troops of 12 Infantry Brigade, which is under the control of Baramulla-based 19 Infantry Division.
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Use digital tools in education: Prez
New Delhi, November 11 "A fast digitalising world holds scope to usher in sweeping changes in pedagogy and teaching-learning structures. Our efforts in harnessing new technology are at a nascent stage. We cannot afford to lose time. We have to leverage our advanced technological institutions and leadership position in Information technology (IT)," the President said. He was speaking at the official function in connection with the National Education Day, which is observed to mark the birth anniversary of Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, country's first Education Minister. The President said the country must remove the wedge between digital "haves" and "have-nots". The Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan, which seeks to bridge the digital divide through computer education, should look for inter-linkages with the "Digital India" programme that envisages provision of digital infrastructure to create a digitally empowered society. Mukherjee said the University Grants Commission, the Indian Institutes of Technology and other bodies owed their origins to Maulana's tireless efforts. The President lauded the improvement in school enrolments. He said, "India has traversed a long path from just one out of four children in school in the early fifties to a school accessible to every child today and almost universal enrolment with gender parity." "In recent times, our expenditure on education has risen from 2.9 per cent of the GDP in 2008-09 to 3.3 per cent in 2013-14," he said. He quoted Maulana Azad's saying: "Schools are the laboratories which produce the future citizens of a state. The quality of the state, therefore, depends upon the quality of such laboratories." The President called for education to be driven by 3 E's—expansion, equity and excellence. He hoped the "Swachh Bharat and Swachh Vidyalaya" campaign of the ministry would ensure water, sanitation and hygiene facilities in all schools. The President launched "Know Your College Portal" and two scholarship schemes — "Saksham" (to promote school education among the differently-abled) and Pragati (to help girls achieve higher education). The Skills Credit Framework developed by the All-India Council for Technical Education was released by Minister of Human Resource Development Smriti Irani.
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Now, BJP says its doors open for Kashmir separatists
Srinagar, November 11 "Instead of talking to Pakistani Prime Minister or Pakistani High Commissioner, the separatists should join the mainstream…..the doors of our Prime Minister are open for them," Madhav told reporters here today. He said the separatists should join the mainstream for the development of the state, in particular Kashmir valley. Maintaining that he was on a two-day visit here purely for electoral purposes and to meet the party candidates and cadres, Madhav said the BJP would welcome "well intentioned" persons to "strengthen the hands" of Modi. "Kashmir’s development is high on Narendra Modi’s agenda…we require all well intentioned people to come forward and join hands with Narendra Modi…..that was my earlier message but remember now I am here purely for electoral purposes," he said. During previous visits, Madhav had met a cross-section of people, including Sajjad Lone and MLA Langate and Awami Ittehad Party head Engineer Rasheed, triggering speculations of post-poll alliance with smaller parties. He, however, denied meeting chairman of the moderate Hurriyat faction Mirwaiz Umar
Farooq.
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Cong leaders generating black money, says BJP
New Delhi, November 11
How many Congress leaders are turning black money into white? The Congress created a lot of black money during the past 10 years of its rule, which saw a lot of corruption and scams. Congress president Sonia Gandhi should clarify," party leader Shrikant Sharma said. Party spokesperson Sambit Patra said it was "a classic case of tax evasion" that showed "how black money is produced within the country by tall leaders of the Congress". "It sermonises on black money and this is what is happening in its own house. You are producing black money in your own house and are evading taxes. The Congress has a lot to answer for. Either you (the Congress) own up that your tall leaders are evading taxes and indulging in generation of black money or you disown Singhvi," he said. Sharma accused the Congress of being the "fountainhead of corruption" and said that was the reason why its MPs did not give an undertaking on black money in Parliament whereas all BJP legislators had done so. Citing details of revelations by the Income Tax Settlement Commission, Patra said there had been a substantial increase in Singhvi's income and in a short span of time between January 15, 2011, and March 31, 2011, there was a considerable jump in payments for his legal assistance.
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Naval mishap: Family awaits diver’s return
Jammu, November 11 "A Navy Captain visited us yesterday and told us that the search for the missing personnel was still on. There is no clue whatsoever about my son. We fail to understand what is going on exactly," said 56-year-old Rajinder Singh of the Chatha area on the outskirts of Jammu city. He said his son, a diver, was rescuing others onboard the ill-fated vessel. "Gurjeet joined the Navy five years ago at the age of 19. All of us including his mother Mahinder Kour, his two sisters and a younger brother have not given up the hope. We desperately want him back," he added. Navy Chief Admiral RK Dhowan yesterday said the chances of finding the missing personnel looked grim. "My son was among the rescuers, who risked his life and saved others, but now he is missing. We appeal to the Union Government to expedite the search operations and get our son back," he said. On November 5 around 10.15 pm, Gurjeet called his family at Chatha and enquired about the well-being of every family member. "He talked to everyone. We had never dreamt that such a tragedy would happen," he said.azGurjeet's younger brother Ramandeep Singh, 22, works as a police constable and is posted in Reasi district police lines.
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Another Bangla militant held
Kolkata, November 11 Amjad's name was on the list of 12 absconding accused released by the NIA on October 31. Only eight of the 12 accused have been arrested so far. Amjad was reportedly an active member of the Jamaat-ul-Muzahideen, Bangladesh. He supplied explosives and other material to the outfit's leaders in Dakha, who had been planning to destabilise the democratic set-up in that country at the instance of the ISI of Pakistan. Amjad was employed with an organisation producing health care equipment in Kolkata. After the incident, Amjad fled to Lucknow where he was given shelter by a police officer, the NIA investigation revealed. The NIA claimed Amjad was arrested after a long chase. His father Sukur Sheikh, however, said he himself handed his son to the NIA officials. An award of Rs 10 lakh was declared on Amjad's head, but his father or any family member did not stake claim for that.
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Film fest: India eyes Chinese box office
New Delhi, November 11 “China is now competing with Hollywood. Chinese films will be screened during the festival and they are also bringing a working group that will engage with Indian filmmakers to discuss collaborations. The two countries have a cooperation treaty. We hope to collaborate on films and release our movies in the Chinese market,” Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore said here, announcing the details of the annual event. He said Chinese filmmaker Wong Kar-Wai would be bestowed with the Life Time Achievement Award and his movie “The Grand Master” would be the closing film of the festival. Chinese actress Zhang Ziyi would be one of the three guests of honour. Besides opening up the Chinese market for Indian movies, he said association with China would benefit the country filmmakers and others associated with the industry since Chinese were technologically advanced in the field. The minister also announced that two of the country’s biggest superstars would be sharing the stage at the opening ceremony, where Amitabh Bachchan would be the chief guest and Rajnikant would be honoured with the Centenary Award for Indian Film Personality of the Year. The event will begin with the screening of “The President” by Iranian filmmaker Mohsen Makhmalbaf. The festival will screen 175 films from 75 countries.
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Modi, Myanmar Prez push for trade ties
Nay Pyi Taw, November 11 Modi met Then Sein at the Presidential Palace shortly after his arrival at the Nay Pyi Taw international airport where he was given a guard of honour and greeted by young boys and girls in traditional costumes. He was welcomed by Myanmar’s Health Minister Than Aung. After his 45-minute meeting, Modi tweeted he had a “very good” meeting with President Thein Sein. “We had extensive discussions covering various aspects of our bilateral relations,” he said. “We talked about strengthening ties in the fields of culture, commerce and enhancing connectivity,” said Modi, who is expected to make a strong pitch to enhance regional connectivity at the one-day 12th annual ASEAN-India summit tomorrow. Ministry of External Affairs spokesman Syed Akbaruddin posted on his Twitter account that the two leaders had “comprehensive” discussions and reviewed all aspects of bilateral ties. “Connectivity, commercial ties and cultural bonds figured in talks with President Thein Sein,” he said, as India seeks deeper economic engagement with South-East Asian nations. The Prime Minister earlier on landing had tweeted: “Landed in Nay Pyi Taw, Myanmar to a very warm welcome! Great being in this beautiful country.” “Our ties with South-East Asia are deep rooted. Strengthening relations with ASEAN nations is an important part of our ‘Act East’ policy,” he had earlier tweeted. Besides participating in the ASEAN-India summit and the East Asia Summit here and at the G20 summit in Brisbane in Australia, Modi is due to have several meetings with world leaders on the sidelines of these international events. — PTI
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Parrikar set to be elected unopposed to RS
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New Delhi, November 11
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