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8 Pages Rs: 1.00 Jammu Edition www.thestudentage.com

STUdenT aGe
TUESDAY, MARCH 5, 2013

JKENG/2012/41612 Vol. 2 No: 59

Raja Bhaiya booked for murder, quits as UP minister

Brand Modi cannot be ignored

Kerry Criticizes Iran and Russia for Shipping Arms to Syria

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LC launches its official website

IN BRIEF

JAMMU, MARCH 04: The Jammu & Kashmir Legislative Council has launched official website www.jklegislativecouncil.nic. in. It will contain all the information regarding Legislative Council members and day to day functioning. The day to day business of the House, Calendar and questions listed for the day and other related business can be accessed by logging in to the Council's official website. All the members, officers and concerned departments are requested to visit the above mentioned website to get the latest information about the business to be transacted contd on page 2

Omar lashes out at PDP terms Guru's hanging not politically motivated
JAMMU, MARCH 04: Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Monday lashed out at main opposition party PDP and said that the hanging of Afzal Guru was not politically motivated. Reiterating his assertion about the need of clearing doubts in the minds of people and answering the question that Afzal Guru's hanging was not selective and political, which he (CM) believes is not, Chief Minister, Omar Abdullah onMonday said that the course of action regarding similar cases would determine it. "Let us wait and watch what action is being taken against others convicted in similar cases",

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Chopper scam forces Govt to have a new Defence procurement policy

NEW DELHI,MAR 4: Facing severe criticism over the Agusta Westland Chopper scam the government on Monday that a new defence procurement policy will be put in place within a few months. The Defence Minister, A K Antony said ,"Within a few months we are going to change the defence procurement procedure again," in the Lok Sabha during Question Hour. The defence procurement policy was revised as recently as 2011. The Minister was replying to questions on the allegations of kickbacks to the tune of Rs 362 crore in the Rs 3,600 crore deal to procure 12 VVIP choppers from AgustaWestland. His statement assumes significance as the government has come under sharp attack over the chopper scam, with allegations that former Air Chief S P Tyagi was a beneficiary in the kickbacks. Antony said the government has to import defence equipment because the Services require the most modern equipment to meet their operational necessity. "Because of the operational necessity of the Services, on the request that they need the most modern equipment to meet the operational necessity, government moves to import any high value equipment from foreign contd on page 2

Parliament attack convict Guru is 'sahib' for Omar

JAMMU: Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Monday described Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru, who was hanged to death Feb 9, in respectful terms in the State Legislative Assembly suffixing his name with "sahib". The suffix "sahib" is usually reserved for men held in respect. Afzal Guru was convicted and sentenced to death by the Supreme Court for plotting the December 2001 attack on Parliament. Omar Abdullah's anger was palpable Monday, as he spoke in broken Urdu, miffed by the opposition charge that he failed to save the life of Afzal Guru. Speaking on the adjournment motion on Afzal Guru, Omar Abdullah said: "It is being made out here as if I was responsible for his death. It appears from their (opposition's) narrative that I put the noose around his neck and hanged him to death." In his speech, peppered with praise for his government's handling of the situation in the Kashmir Valley in the wake of the execution of Afzal Guru, Omar Abdullah said Guru's hanging was "political". contd on page 2

Kejriwal to begin indefinite fast from Mar 23

NEW DELHI, MAR 4:Aam Admi Party founder Arvind Kejriwal Monday announced to sit on an indefinite fast later this month as part of his ongoing "civil disobedience movement" over rising electricity and water prices in Delhi. "I will sit on an indefinite fast from March 23. I appeal to the people not to pay their electricity bills from March 23 onwards. I will not pay my electricity bill either," Kejriwal said at a press conference here.Alleging "match fixing" contd on page 2

he added and lambasted PDP and separatists for doing politics on human blood. "Yes, my government imposed restriction, people have to face difficulties, newspapers did not hit stalls but we saved the bloodshed and safeguarded the lives

which was of prime concern and main objective before me after the hanging of Afzal Guru", he said elaborating that on 8th February 2013 at about 8 p.m. he was informed by the Union Home Minister that the mercy petition moved contd on page 2

Fuel price hike rocks Parliament CM is an insult to State: Beigh

NEW DELHI, MAR 4 : The issue of fuel price hike rocked Parliament on Monday with opposition members in the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha disrupting proceedings, demanding an immediate roll back. Several parties protested against the price hike with SP, Left, Trinamul Congress and AIADMK storming the Well of the Lok Sabha, while BJP members were on their feet. In the Rajya Sabha, the entire NDA - BJP, JD-U, SAD and Shiv Sena protested as also the Left parties along with AGP and BSP. SP members were in the aisle raising slogans. "Roll back price hike in petrol," the opposition members chanted in both the Houses. While the Lok Sabha witnessed two adjournments, the Rajya Sabha saw three. Ravi Shankar Prasad (BJP) accused the government of insulting Parliament by announcing the decision of petrol hike outside when the House was in session. "This is insult to your dignity. This relates to the dignity of Parliament. Can you take Parliament so lightly?" Prasad asked in the Upper House pointing towards the Chair and the treasury benches. Supporting the BJP member, Naresh Agarwal (SP) raised a point of order saying it has been an established practice that if the government has to make any policy announcement it has to be contd on page 2 SRINAGAR: Terming the execution of Afzal Guroo as cold blooded murder, senior Peoples Democratic Party leader and former Deputy Chief Minister, Muzaffar Hussain Beigh on Monday said that the Afzal Guru was made a scapegoat as he was arrested on the basis of suspicion. While speaking on the adjournment motion on the hanging of Guru he said that on the behest of Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, Legislative Assembly Speaker didn't permit him to speak on adjourn motion on Afzal Guroo because the CM had come to know that Beigh is going to pose him some difficult questions. "I was mulling to ask Chief Minister so bitter questions about the execution of Afzal Guroo but it was preplanned not to allow me to speak on the adjourn motion," Beigh told reporters outside the Assembly in Jammu. He said even PDP president Mehbooba Mufti was given only 20 minutes which clearly depicts the view point of the Government on this issue. Beigh said that PDP will pitch for the return of mortal remains of Afzal Guroo and it will not act as a mute spectator. "Discussion on the adjourn motion should have gone beyond 2 hours but the Speaker on the behest of Chief Minister shrunk it and didn't allow desired member to speak on the issue," he said adding that he firmly believes that Afzal Guroo was not involved in Parliament attack and he was picked up merely on suspicion. By his execution Kashmiri youth were pushed again to wall. "Let us assume that Afzal was culprit they why the Government is silent and not letting people know about his role in the attack and why he was not given an opportunity to defend himself," Beigh said. He said Omar Abdullah was trying to save his position by behaving like someone who is working on daily wage basis. "He is an insult to the State of Jammu and Kashmir and has brought Chief Minister's position into disrepute", he said. No Chief Minister other than someone belonging to Sheikh Family would have contd on page 2

Par panel applauds new bill to eliminate manual scavenging

NEW DELHI, MAR 4 : A Parliamentary committee has applauded a new bill that seeks to eliminate manual scavenging and insanitary latrines while providing for rehabilitation of people involved in the practice. "The committee welcomes the laudable objects of the new bill. The committee is optimistic that the new act and rules to be framed thereunder would be implemented with utmost sincerity and with a sense of purpose so that the new legislation attains its intended objectives within the given time frame," the contd on page 2

House takes up discussion on Governors address

JAMMU, MARCH 04: Legislative Council today took up the discussion on the Governor's address in which several members participated. Starting the discussion, Mr. Bashir Ahmed Magray appreciated the efforts of the government in improving service delivery to the public in a time bound manner and initiating several people friendly and landmark steps towards strengthening the democratic roots in the state. Elaborating on several landmark steps like SKEWPY, PSGA, Right to Information Act, Vigilance Act, Accountability Commission, Panchayat elections and e-governance initiatives etc, he said all these steps have strengthened the confidence of the people in the government. He said that people have been made aware about their rights and their grievances are recorded and addressed through the Chief Minister's Public Grievance Cell. Mr. Magray also highlighted the significance of several important road projects including Mughal road, Narbal-Tangmarg road, four lanning of national highway etc. taken up by the government for providing better connectivity and boosting economic growth and exploiting tourism potential of contd on page 2

Debate on Guru in Assembly witness repeated adjournments

JAMMU: The Jammu and Kashmir Assembly was on Monday adjourned twice as agitating opposition members sought to corner the government over a host of issues, including the hanging of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru. As the proceedings started, Members of the PDP led by Leader of Opposition Mehbooba Mufti sought a discussion on the issue of Afzal's hanging. It was followed by an adjournment motion by the Panthers Party, which demanded discussions on recent killing of two policemen by militants in north Kashmir and the death of Indian prisoner Chamel contd on page 2

Mukesh Ambani India's richest for 6th year; networth $21.5 bn

NEW YORK: With networth of USD 21.5 billion, Mukesh Ambani has retained his title as India's richest person for sixth year in a row, while Mexican business tycoon Carlos Slim has emerged as wealthiest in the world for the fourth consecutive year. In the overall rich list of world's billionaires, as per an annual ranking published on Monday by business magazine Forbes, Mukesh Ambani is ranked 22nd, while the

second-richest Indian Lakshmi Mittal is at 41st position with a networth of USD 16.5 billion. Slim has topped the rankings with a contd on page 2

SC notice to centre on PIL over beheading of Indian soldiers

NEW DELHI, MAR 4: The Supreme Court Monday issued notice to the central government on a petition asking for the issue of the beheading of two Indian soldiers near the Line of Control (LOC) by the Pakistani army to be raised in the International Criminal Court. The apex court bench of Justices P. Sathasivam and J.S. Khehar issued notice as a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) by Sarwa Mitter contended that the brutal and inhuman beheading of the Indian soldiers by Pakistani army was contrary to the Geneva contd on page 2

Bomb explodes outside Modi disinvite casts shadow on Wharton India forum Mukherjee's Dhaka hotel
DHAKA, MAR 4: A crude cocktail bomb was hurled Monday by two motorcycle borne youths at the hotel where Indian President Pranab Mukherjee is staying. No one was injured in the "minor explosion". The minor explosion took place on the second day of Mukherjee's Bangladesh visit as three more people were killed in clashes between protesting Islamists and the police on day two of a strike called by the Jamaat-eIslami. The small cocktail bomb explosion took place outside the Hotel Pan Pacific Sonargaon where Mukherjee is staying. Indian officials described it as a "minor explosion" and said it was a common occurrence during hartals. Officials said a small cocktail bomb was flung by two motorcycle borne men outside the hotel. Mukherjee had returned for lunch to the hotel after a convocation ceremony at the WASHINGTON,MAR 4 : The bizarre cancellation of an invitation to speak to Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi has cast a long shadow over the prestigious Wharton India Economic Forum's March 23 conclave. The abrupt cancellation Sunday of the invitation to Modi to speak via live videoconference at the annual studentrun India-centric conference in Philadelphia came after a war of words between Modi supporters and detractors even as corporate America is making a beeline for his state. Modi may have been denied a US visa for his alleged role in the 2002 Gujarat riots, but foreign dignitaries lavished praise on the third term chief minister at the Vibrant Gujarat 2013 Summit in Gandhinagar in January. Among them was Ron Somers, president of the US-India Business Council (USIBC), an advocacy group of 300 top American and a score Indian companies seeking stronger commercial relations with India. Modi has "created a magnet for investment,"said Somers, who is among the other keynote speakers at the forum, hosted by the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, which has emerged as one of the largest and most prestigious India-focused business conferences since its inception in 1996. Other speakers listed for this year's forum are Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia and Minister of State for IT & Communications Milind Deora In explanation of its abrupt cancellation of the invitation to Modi, the organizers said: "Our team felt that the potential polarising reactions from sub-segments of the alumni base, student body, and our supporters, might put Mr. Modi in a compromising position, which we

Dhaka University. In a statement, the press secretary to the president said that "life in and around the hotel in Dhaka where the president is staying is completely normal.None of the delegation members heard any explosion nor knew of any such incident. "The Bangladesh authorities informed the Indian delegation of the crude cocktail that was found and a probe is on," the statement said. contd on page 2

would like to avoid at all costs, especially in the spirit of our conference's purpose." The student body which runs the annual forum said it was "extremely impressed with Modi's credentials, governance, ideologies and leadership, which was the primary reason for his invitation". However, as a responsible student body within the University of Pennsylvania, "we must consider the impact on multiple stakeholders stake holders in our ecosystem". The surprise move Sunday came following a strongly-worded letter from a group of Wharton's professors and students saying they were outraged to learn that the forum had invited Modi as a keynote speaker. "This is the same politician who was refused a diplomatic visa by the United States State Department contd on page 2

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allowed to meet his family when he was hanged in Tihar Jail. "I as a lawyer had got permission from the Supreme Court to let Maqbool Bhat meet his brother. When I informed the brother of Maqbool but that on the orders of then Chief Minister of J&K State, his brother was detained at Srinagar Airport," Beigh said adding that the execution of Afzal would have serious repercussion. adamant on discussion over the issues raised by them. They subsequently staged a walkout from the Assembly after the Speaker refused to entertain their demands. The Chief Minister then rose to respond over Afzal's hanging during the debate on the issue initiated by Mehbooba Mufti, but PDP members demanded time for party member Muzafar Hussain Baig to present his views on the matter, which was rejected by the Speaker. Omar, in his reply, alleged that the sole motive behind demands of discussion on Afzal issue was to "blame and target" him. "Sole motive to hold discussion over the (hanging) was to target me, blame me for it as if I have hanged him or announced the judgement or rejected the mercy plea," he said. This sparked protests by PDP members, who trooped into the well of the House against the CM's statement, forcing the Speaker to adjourn the proceedings again for 30 minutes. Venugopal Dhoot, Rakesh Jhunjhunwala, Yusuf Hamied, Baba Kalyani, G M Rao and Joy Alukkas. track with high pressure water jet cleaning system, instead of doing manually, it added. On allocation of money, the committee noted that funds for environment friendly toilets during the last five years was "either nil of very low" with an allocation of only Rs 2,53,13,480 in 2011-12. "Ministry of Railways should seek more allocation of funds for conversion of all toilets into biotoilets in the 12th Five Year Plan itself for completely eliminating all direct discharge toilets to escape penalty under the Act," it said. Noting that funds under various scheme should be allocated by the Planning Commission in 2013-14, the committee said the state governments should also be sensitised about the schemes since manual cleaning of septic tanks and sewers is banned in the bill. The committee also strongly opined that the central government should finance the entire project of demolition of insanitary latrines and construction of sanitary ones. "Money should not be a constraint for eradicating such a pernicious practise which is a blot of human dignity and a matter of shame for the entire nation," the report said.

Contd. from page 1...

Omar lashes out....
by the family of Afzal Guru has been rejected by the President of India and the Union Government has decided to hang Guru on 9thFebruary 2013 morning. "I was asked to make necessary preparations regarding controlling the situation in the State", he said adding that the prime concern at that point in time and that hour of emergency before me was to save the lives of people and avoid any use of force", he said maintaining that the imposition of curfew in the Valley was only resort in that situation. He said in 2006 the Supreme Court gave death sentence to Guru the then government imposed curfew for 21 days. Castigating PDP for playing politics on blood and shedding crocodile tears over the hanging of Afzal Guru, the Chief Minister said that PDP only wants to utilize such incidents for their vested interests otherwise they do not have any concern either for the family of Afzal Guru or the people of the State."You want to play dirty politics over blood and shed crocodile tears to astray people otherwise your whole record is before the public", he said informing the House that other than the statement made by Mufti Sayeed regarding Afzal Guru some days back, Mufti Sayeed has never talked about this issue right from 2006 when the Supreme Court upheld the death sentence to Guru up to 2013. He said describing it nothing but politics and opportunism to utilize situations for party benefits. "Everyone in the State and the Country is aware that I had told the Centre repeatedly that the death sentence of Afzal Guru should be converted into life term. I had also conveyed the law and order and security apprehensions of Afzal Guru hanging to the Centre time and again. I held the same position both when I was not in the government and as the Chief Minister of the State", Omar told the House while widening up the debate in Legislative Assembly on the aftermath situation of Afzal Guru's hanging. "I was waiting that leader of single largest party in Legislative Assembly (Mehboob Mufti) during her speech on the subject would raise some pertinent points and identify the provisions of law, but she had only one objective in her mind to willy-nilly reel me in the incident of Afzal Guru's hanging as if I had ordered his death sentence, rejected his mercy and moved the lever of hangman's noose", he said and castigated PDP for its dirty politics on human blood to gain benefits out of it. "You have no concern either for Afzal Guru or his family, neither you were concerned about people facing difficulties under curfew, you only wanted the situation go out of control, precious human lives are lost and you had an open field to play politics", he told the PDP leadership in the House. "I have deprived you of this chance. Safeguarding people was my only concern and I am highly thankful to the people that they understood your tricks and those of separatists and refused to fall in your political game", he said adding that the controlling of situation and safeguarding the life and property could not have been possible without the active support of the people for which he congratulated them and express his gratitude. "You want to play politics on blood but not me, you want to see people bleed but not me, you want to gain benefits out of bloodshed but not me and your trait is to utilize these situations for your interests but I am not of that grain, human life is above everything to me, I cannot tolerate that the blood of my people sheds, their safeguarding is my politics and I will continue to do the same", he lamented and criticised both PDP and separatists for this kind of politics. "You have become the traders of death, and you want human blood to shed; you will not change your trait", he told PDP.

Mir directs companies to ensure adequate stock of fertilizers

JAMMU, MARCH 04: Minister for Agriculture, Ghulam Hassan Mir, today directed all the fertilizer companies to stock adequate fertilizer in both the provinces within a weeks' time to meet the requirement of farmers for horticulture crops. The Minister gave these directions at a high level meeting convened to review the progress of availability of fertilizer in the state. Minister of state for Agriculture, Nazir Ahmad Gurezi, was also present in the meeting. The Minister asked the officers to be prepared for meeting the demand of urea, DAP and MOP in valley which is expected to be increased by the next week as soon as the weather condition improves. At present, there is no shortage of fertilizer in both the provinces but we have to be ready to full fill the demand of horticulture farmers in coming days. In this regard, the department should take every step to meet the demand of farmers in advance. He directed all fertilizer companies to dispatch their respective consignments to AGRO, JKFED, Cooperatives and other dealers at the earliest so that the farmers of the state could not face any problem in this regard. The Minister was assured by NFL, Chambal, IPL and IFICO fertilizer companies that they would dispatch their consignments to the respective destinations at the earliest. It was told in the meeting that, till date, the state has received 60000 MT of urea against the requirement of 78000 MT, 32000 MT DAP against 45000MT while 9800 MT MOP has been receives so far against the requirement of 25000 MT. Commissioner Secretary, Shaleen Kabra , Director Agriculture Jammu, Ajay Khujaria, Director Law and Enforcement, M. S Kutoo, MD AGRO industries, MR Abdul Majeed Bhat, MD JKFED, Dr. Akram, Registrar Cooperatives, Sudarshan Sharma and representatives of NFL, IFCO, CHAMBAL, IPL were present in the meeting.

Bomb explodes....
"Indian security officials have expressed the view that this was a minor explosion. Bursting of such cocktails are common in Bangladesh during hartals and cannot be described as a bomb." Dhaka Metropolitan Police official Chowdhury Mozurul Kabir told Indian newspersons that it was a small firecracker, aimed to create panic and enforce the hartal. "It was a small (fire) cracker. The explosion took place at 2 p.m., on the middle of the road away from the hotel," said Kabir. The Jamaat-e-Islami has called a two-day strike from Sunday to protest the death sentence to Jamaat chief Delwar Hossain Sayedee for the 1971 war crimes, including rape and genocide. Over 70 people have been killed in clashes since the Thursday sentence handed down by a war crimes tribunal. Three more people died in fresh clashes in Shatkheera and in Sirazganj by protesting Jamaat members Monday, taking the toll since last Thursday to over 70. The incident comes a day after opposition leader Khaleda Zia, in an apparent snub, called off a meeting with Mukherjee. The Bangladesh National Party chief and former chief minister was to meet Mukherjee Monday evening. She had met him last year during her India visit. Her party is in alliance with the Jamaat.

Parliament attack convict ...

"There are questions which need to be answered. And the answers will come in the future, as there are other convicts facing the death sentence. We will see what kind of treatment is meted out to them," the chief minister said. Omar Abduallah pointed out that Afzal Guru's family was not allowed to meet him one last time, and his body was not handed over to the family either. Justifying the massive restrictions imposed by the administration after news of Afzal Guru's hanging spread, the chief minister said: "Yes, my government imposed restrictions. People had to face difficulties, newspapers did not hit the stalls, but we safeguarded lives, which was of prime concern." He said that in 2006, when the Supreme Court awarded Guru the death sentence, the then government of the state imposed curfew for 21 days. Castigating the PDP for playing politics and shedding crocodile tears over the hanging of Afzal Guru, the chief minister said: "PDP only wants to utilize such incidents for their vested interests otherwise they do not have any concern either for the family of Afzal Guru or the people of the state. They want to play dirty politics over blood and shed crocodile tears to lead people astray; otherwise, their whole record is before the public."

House takes up ....

several scenic spots falling along these roads. Sheikh Ghulam Rasool while speaking on the Governors address lauded the efforts of the government in introducing efficiency and transparency in the delivery of public services. He called for establishing a separate department to look into the aspects of improving efficiency, training and capabilities of government functionaries for better results on ground. While congratulating the government on successful panchayat elections, he cautioned the government that powers to the panchayats should be devolved in a phased manner so that gradual transition of functions and funds takes place effectively. He said that both internal and external political dimensions of J&K need to be addressed and peace process needs to be sustained and continued. Mr. Sham Lal Bhagat appreciated the government on establishing panchayat raj institutions in the state to strengthen the grass root level democracy. He said that although government has taken several initiatives to upgrade school infrastructure in Doda district however, there is shortage of adequate staff in these schools. He said that Doda being among the least connected districts, government should provide extra focus to provide connectivity to the district including building motorable and foot bridges. He said that horticulture and livestock rearing should be supported and introduced in water deficit areas of the state. He also called for a special package and support to the farmers of agricultural region in Assar block of district Doda. Mr. Narboo Gialchan appreciated the role of the coalition government in restoring peace and normalcy in the state adding that people have adopted peace and taken the path of development and economic growth. He called on political parties to work together along with the people to strengthen the state and avoid un-necessary politicising trivial issues and exploiting the sentiments of the people. He lauded the state government on improving the power scenario in Ladakh region and said that the steps initiated by the government to commission several power projects and connecting Ladakh region with the Northern Grid will go a long way in utilizing the power potential of Ladakh region and transferring the same to Jammu and Kashmir and other regions of the country. He also thanked the state and the Union government for Zojila tunnel project and other projects meant for maintaining all year road connectivity of Ladakh region with the rest of the state.

Mukesh Ambani ....

networth of USD 73 billion, followed by Bill Gates (USD 67 billion), Spain's Amancio Ortega (USD 57 billion), Warren Buffett (USD 53.5 billion) and Larry Ellison (USD 43 billion) in top five. There are a total 55 billionaires from India on the list of 1,426 persons from across the world having a minimum networth of USD 1 billion. Among the Indians, Mukesh Ambani and Lakshmi Mittal are followed by Azim Premji, Dilip Shanghvi, Shashi & Ravi Ruia, Kumar Mangalam Birla, Savitri Jindal, Sunil Mittal, Shiv Nadar, K P Singh and Anil Ambani. Globally, Anil Ambani is ranked 233rd (USD 5.2 billion), while the global top-100 list has only three Indians -- Mukesh Ambani, Lakshmi Mittal and Azim Premji (91st position). About Mukesh Ambani, Forbes said that his fortune has dropped by USD one billion over the past one year, but he "remains India's richest person and his Reliance Industries remains country's most valuable company". On the other hand, his younger brother Anil Ambani saw his networth drop by USD 2.6 billion in the past one year, "continuing a three-year decline in his fortune." Globally, Forbes said, the world's billionaire club has reached a record high level, with 1,426 persons and an aggregate net worth of USD 5.4 trillion (up from USD 4.6 trillion a year ago). The US leads the list 442 billionaires, followed by Asia-Pacific (386), Europe (366), the Americas (129) and the Middle East & Africa (103). Carlos Slim and Bill Gates have retained their top two positions, while Amancio Ortega of Spanish retailer Zara has moved up to the third position for the first time with the biggest gain of USD 19.5 billion to his fortune in year. As a result, Buffett has slipped to the fourth rank, despite an increase of USD 9.5 billion in his networth. Forbes said this is the first year since 2000 that Buffett has not been among the top three. Forbes said that it has included the fortunes of family members wherever one one person is the founder and in control of the business. The figures are based on stock prices and exchange rates as on February 14, 2013, it added. Those from India also include Uday Kotak, Micky Jagtiani, Cyrus Poonawalla, Adi Godrej, Jamshyd Godrej, Anil Agarwal, Kalanithi Maran, Gautam Adani, Malvinder and Shivinder Singh, Subhash Chandra and Desh Bandhu Gupta. Other Indians include B L Munjal, Rahul Bajaj, Rajan Raheja, Habil Khorakiwala, N R Narayana Murthy, K Anji Reddy, MA Yusuff Ali, Vikas Oberoi, S Gopalakrishnan, Murali Divi, Nandan Nilekani, Ranjan Pai,

SC notice to centre....
Convention. The PIL has also sought direction to government to ask Pakistan to return the head of martyr soldier Hemraj. The petition has also sought the termination of trade and cultural relations with Pakistan if the latter fails to return Hemraj's head. The court, while issuing the notice to the centre, tagged the PIL with another petition relating to the Pakistani army returning the mutilated body of Capt. Saurav Kalia that is pending for hearing before the court. Pakistani soldiers had Jan 8 intruded into the Indian side in Jammu and Kashmir's Poonch district, killed two Indian soldiers and beheaded one of them. This led to escalation of tension between the two countries, but the situation eased after a flag meeting between the two sides Jan 14.

Modi disinvite casts....

on March 18, 2005 on the ground that he, as chief minister, did nothing to prevent a series of orchestrated riots that targeted Muslims in Gujarat," it said. "Modi still does not have a US visa to enter the US, but Wharton plans to present him on Skype to the audience. Recently there have been efforts to whitewash Modi's grim record and to grant him respectability. Wharton's invitation lends itself to doing just that," the letter added.

Chopper scam forces...

sources," Antony said. Dubbing indigenisation as the "ultimate solution to the scourge of corruption", Antony said the government would give "more priority to indigenisation so that Indian public sector and private sector can play a major role in producing state-of-the-art equipment for the Indian forces." Referring to the CBI investigation in the VVIP chopper deal, Antony said it would be early to opine on the extent to which this case was likely to affect other defence deals in the pipeline.

LC launches....
by the Legislative Council or for accessing any other information that may be required by the users.

Rs 1078 Cr advanced by Banks in Anantnag district

ANANTNAG, MARCH 04: The District Level Review Cum Consultative Committee meeting was held under the Chairmanship of District Development Commissioner, Anantnag, Farooq Ahmed Shah at Dak Bungalow Khanabal today. It was revealed in the meeting that 49 percent achievement was recorded in the Priority sector advances by disbursement of an amount of Rs 185.55 crores in the district. Out of the various sectors of the advances the Agriculture, Micro credit and Housing recorded performance of 60 percent, 56 percent and 126 percent respectively. In Housing sector alone against the set target, an amount of Rs. 25 crores were disbursed among various beneficiaries of the district. During the review, it was given out that under SGSY, as many as 1555 cases were sponsored while Handicrafts Department has sponsored 877 cases, the Handloom Department 161 and the District Industries Centre 44 cases out of which 23 cases have been sanctioned till date. In the case of SC/ST/OBC 38 cases have been sanctioned by various banks. Under JKSES the departments have sponsored 534 cases and an amount of Rs 9.21 crore stand sanctioned till now. The Agriculture and Horticulture departments have sponsored 37191 cases of KCC out of which 30943 cases amounting to Rs. 131 crore have been sanctioned. Under SJSRY Scheme, 78 cases have been sponsored by Urban Development Agency and an amount of Rs. 68 lakhs has been sanctioned so far to the beneficiaries.

Fuel price hike ....

in Parliament when the session is on. "The Chair has given ruling many a time that a minister should not make any announcement outside Parliament when the session is on. This is an insult of the House. The government announced outside Parliament that petrol prices have been raised....," he said. The members were not satisfied with the response of Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Rajiv Shukla that there was no violation of the parliamentary tradition as the hike is being done by petroleum companies since the prices are de-regulated. In the Lok Sabha, Speaker Meira Kumar ordered the tabling of papers listed for the day in the din before adjourning the House till 2 pm.

Kejriwal to....
between Delhi government, private discoms and Delhi Electricity Regulatory Commission (DERC), he said: "The increase in water and electricity prices is nothing but corruption of the government." The activist-turned-politician urged people to extend their support for his movement against "injustice."

ADMISSION BOOKING 2013

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Par panel applauds...

Parliamentary Standing on Social Justice and Empowerment said in its report. The Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Bill 2012 was introduced in Lok Sabha on September 9, 2012. The committee also noted that while some state governments have reportedly filed affidavits in the Supreme Court claiming that there were no insanitary latrines or manual scavengers in their state, the 2011 Census has reported 26 lakh such toilets in the country. It also noted that under the new legislation, a "great responsibility" devolves on the Ministry of Railways so far as manual scavenging is concerned. "There are reportedly about 7114 mail/express/ordinary trains which have direct discharge or controlled discharge system type of toilets," the report said. The Committee has been informed that the Railways have started constructing concrete washable aprons under the railway tracks at important stations so that the safai karamcharis can clean the

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Debate on Guru ....

Singh, who died in a Pakistan jail. A PDP member also demanded debate on the death of a J&K student in Hyderabad. With Speaker Mubarak Gul announcing to hold discussion on the Afzal issue first, noisy scenes prevailed as members of Panthers Party, BJP and Jammu State Morcha stormed into the well in protest against the decision. With demands of discussions over various issues echoing at the same time in the House amid noisy scenes, the Speaker decided to adjourn the proceedings. When the House reassembled, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah sought to respond to the queries on the death of the Kashmiri student in Hyderabad, but the JKNPP, BJP and JSM members remained

CM is an insult ....
allowed the execution of Afzal Guru in view of its tremendous fallout on the political and psychological fronts of Kashmir. "The Sheikh family has been given the job of hangman exclusively as is established by the execution of Afzal and before him Maqbool Bhat", Beigh said. Beigh said, the Chief Minister in reply to the debate on the Adjournment Motion ironically claimed credit for clamping curfew, banning news papers and unleashing repression in Kashmir. "As if he has done a favour to all us, it looks", Beigh added. Beigh said that like Afzal Guroo, Maqbool Bhat was not

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Shiv Khori Mela from March 09
Div Com takes stock of Shiv Khori Mela arrangements at Ransoo
RANSOO (REASI), MARCH 04: The Divisional Commissioner, Jammu, Mr. Pardeep Gupta who is also the Chairman of Shri Shiv Khori Cave Shrine Board (SSKCSB) today convened a meeting of officers to take stock of arrangements put in place for the smooth conduct of the three-day Shiv Khori Mela commencing at Ransoo, the base camp of the Shiv Khori Shrine from March 09. Deputy Commissioner Reasi, Nirmal Sharma, Senior Superintendent of Police, Joint Director Tourism, Jammu, Executive Engineers of PWD, PDD, RDD &Tourism, Executive Officer SSKSB and other senior officers were present in the meeting. During the meeting threadbare discussions were held with regard to various necessary arrangements for the ensuing mela which include security, law & order, parking of vehicles, face lifting at Ransoo and at Holy Cave area, traffic control, barricading, drinking water, interrupted power supply, maintenance of road from Kanda to Ransoo, medicare facilities, sanitation, special checking drive for ensuring quality of eatable during the mela days, exhibition of stalls by different departments etc. Divisional Commissioner issued instructions to the concerned department to give festive look to the mela by ensuring facilities to the visiting pilgrims for their comfortable pilgrimage. Mr. Pardeep instructed the officers of all concerned departments to make coordinated efforts for making all the arrangements pertaining to their respective department well in advance. While reviewing the developmental works at the base camp, the Divisional Commissioner stressed the need for developing Ransoo in a planned manner to cater to needs of ever increasing rush of pilgrims to the shrine. Regarding the construction work of helipad and approach road linking the cave site, Gupta instructed the Executive Engineer R&B to speed up work on approach road so that pilgrims do not face any difficulty to reach the holy cave. He also directed the concerned officers for proper fencing and maintenance of path enroute the cave. He asked the concerned officers to make the already constructed toilet block functional for the pilgrims.

Efforts afoot to trace missing cows: Sadhotra

JAMMU, MARCH 04: The Minister for Planning, Ajay Kumar Sadhotra while replying on the behalf of Minister incharge Home stated that the efforts are afoot to trace the stolen cows and nab the culprits involved. The Minister was replying to a Calling Attention Notice by Syed Mohammad Rafiq Shah in Legislative Council today on the account of the situation arisen among the people of Charaligund (Rafiabad) for which FIR has been lodged in Police Station Dangiwacha in Baramulla district. The Minister further informed the House that as per the details furnished by police headquarters a case FIR No. 1/2013 u/s 379 RPC stands registered in police station Dangiwacha and investigation has been taken up. During the course of investigation, site plan was prepared and the statements of prosecution witnesses were recorded.

NEWS IN BOX

PDP demands probe into Kashmiri student's suicide in Hyderabad

JAMMU: The Opposition PDP in Jammu and Kashmir on Monday demanded a probe into the suicide of a Kashmiri student in Hyderabad. Raising the issue in the state Assembly, PDP member Khalil Bandh said, "His (Kamran Mudasir) death has resulted in disturbances in South Kashmir and the government must ensure measures in this regard...A thorough probe should be conducted." He also accused the state government of ignoring the issue. Chief Minister Omar Abdullah informed the House that the details of investigation conducted by the police in the case have been shared with the family of the deceased. Intervening on a point raised by some legislators regarding the death, he said there are some elements in the report, which cannot be made public unless the family gives consent in this regard. "So, the government is not in a position to reveal the report in the House...If the family wants more probe or wants to reveal the details, I have no objections," Omar said. 29-year-old Mudasir, a PhD student of English and Foreign Languages University, had committed suicide by hanging himself in his hostel room in the campus of Hyderabad-based Osmania University, which is housing EFLU, on March 2. The proctor of EFLU, professor HK Vizra, was booked today for allegedly abetting the suicide of the student, said inspector P Ashok attached to Osmania University police station in Hyderabad. Police said Mudasir was issued a memo by Vizra on January 29 to explain his "misbehaviour" with a roommate and another PhD student Vasim Salim, who had earlier complained to the authorities about "repeated physical and mental harassment" meted out to him by Mudasir.

Handing over the body of Guru already taken up with Centre: Sadhotra
JAMMU, MARCH 04: Minister for Planning and Development, Ajay Kumar Sadhotra while replying to the adjournment motions moved by Syed Asgar Ali, Khalid Najeeb Suhrawardhy and Syed Rafiq Shah in Legislative Council today said that the Chief Minister tackled the tense situation arisen in the valley after the hanging of Afzal Guru in a very good manner avoiding loss of precious lives adding that the Chief Minister has already taken up the matter with the Prime Minister regarding handing over the body of Afzal Guru to the family.

Normal life hit due to strike by separatists in J&K

SRINAGAR: Normal life was affected today due to a strike call by a group of separatists over the death of a Kashmiri student, who was found hanging in his hostel room in Hyderabad. Shops, banks, petrol pumps and other business establishments remained closed today due to the strike called by Majlis Mashawarat (Consultation Committee), of the separatist group. While most public transport remained off roads, private cars, cabs and autorickshaws were plying in the Valley. Schools and colleges remained closed on account of the ongoing winter vacations. Although the educational institutions in Kashmir open on March 1 every year after three months of winter vacations, the authorities this year extended the vacations till March 11 due to cold conditions. Kamran (25) was found hanging from the ceiling of his hostel room on March 2. He was rushed to a nearby hospital by other students at the campus, but reportedly died on the way. In a statement here, the Majlis yesterday called for a complete shutdown in the Valley to protest the death of Kamran. "Kamran was murdered for leading funeral prayers for Guru," the statement said alleging the police were misleading the people about the circumstances of his death. The amalgamation, as part of its weekly protest calendar, has called for a march to Kamran's native village Parigam in south Kashmir Pulwama district on Tuesday for expressing solidarity with the bereaved family. During the march, the demand for return of mortal remains of Guru and JKLF founder Mohammad Maqbool Bhat will be reiterated, they said. Bhat was hanged and buried inside Tihar Jail on February 11, 1984 after he was convicted for murdering a police officer. Both factions of Hurriyat Conference, JKLF, Kashmir Bar Association and Dukhtaran-eMillat are constituents of the Majlis which was formed in the wake of Guru's execution inside Tihar Jail on February 9. The main demand of the Majlis is to seek return of mortal remains of Guru and Bhat.

Bhat briefs Governor about activities of J&K Peace Foundation

JAMMU, MARCH 4: Fayaz Ahmad Bhat, Chairman, Jammu and Kashmir Peace Foundation, met N. N. Vohra, Governor, here today and up-dated him about the various activities of the Foundation, all of which are aimed at promoting peace and strengthening communal harmony in the State. Bhat gave details of the programmes organized by the Foundation in the recent past and those planned for the coming months to secure the objectives of peace and normalcy. The Governor complimented Bhat and his colleagues for the laudable initiatives being taken by the Foundation which would contribute towards ushering the State into an era of lasting peace and harmony.

Body of Minister for Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs takes a dig on Beigh Chambail Singh
SRINAGAR: Minutes after PDP leader Muzafar Hussain Beigh came down heavily on Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and called him a 'dailywager', Minister for Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Mir Saifullah reacted by saying that the comments were humiliating and he had not expected this form a qualified lawyer cum Politician. Casting doubt on the qualifications of Muzafar Hussain beigh he said that Chief Minister deserves respect and once Chief Minister talks inside House all the members including opposition are bound to remain silent and alert. He said it was disgusting on his part and this way he has not humiliated Chief Minister but himself. "The Speaker permitted the discussion inside the House and all the parties got time to talk on the issue, On their behalf Mehbooba Mufti spoke, then they should not have propelled Beigh to speak," he said and added that there was no content and meaning in the speech of Mehbooba Mufti so that Beigh should be allowed to speak. He said PDP was not interested in running the House, as they did not find any content inside Mehboob Mufti's speech and they feared of failure. "I am surprised to see where PDP was then when Afzal was sentenced to death, why they remembered Afzal only after his execution. It was national conference which talked about the issue," he said adding that NC is not blood thirsty. "We do not want people to die; it is they who want to play with the blood of the people. People are now conscious; they will not come under their fake propaganda unlike in 1984 after Maqbool Bhat's execution," he said.

Abdul Gani Vakil calls on Governor

JAMMU, MARCH 4: Abdul Gani Vakil, former Minister, called on N. N. Vohra, Governor, at Raj Bhavan here today. Vakil discussed with the Governor various matters relating to the functioning of the administrative apparatus, measures need to be taken for the resolution of problems being faced by the public and issues relating to the speedy economic development of the State.

to be handed over by Pak soon: Kichloo

Promotion of Law Officers

SRINAGAR, MARCH 04: The Officers and Officials of department of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs has expressed their gratitude to the Minister for Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs, Mir Saifullah for fulfilling the long pending demands of the employees. As per a communiqu, the officials are highly indebted and thankful to the Mir Saifullah for ensuring promotions in different cadres of the department. They also hailed the efforts of Minister of State for Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs, Vikar Rasool, besides Secretary to Government, Department of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs, G.H. Tantray for effecting the long awaited promotions. Pertinently, 11 Public Law Officers were promoted by the Government recently as Senior Law Officers.

2nd Phase of NPR begins in Ramgarh

SAMBA, MARCH 04:The Directorate of Census Operations Jammu & Kashmir and District Administration Samba in collaboration with Electronic Corporation of India Ltd. (ECIL) and Comtech Info. Solutions Pvt. Ltd. J&K started the process of 2nd Phase of National Population Register (NPR) in Municipal Committee, Ramgarh.The camp for registration of NPR Smart Card which was inaugurated by Deputy Commissioner, Samba - Mubarak Singh was informed that the 1st Phase of the Census Houselisting was conducted in the year 2010-11 and Phase 2nd has been taken up in District Samba and Doda in the first instance. The Deputy Commissioner highlighted the objectives of NPR Smart Card and said that this will create a comprehensive identity database in the country with full identification and other details by registering each resident; helping better targeting of the benefits and services under various Government Schemes/Programmes, improve planning and prevent Identity Fraud. He also emphasized that NPR Smart Card is must even if one already has Aadhar Number. A large number of persons earlier enlisted in NPR turned up enthusiastically and in view of the response from the public, it is expected that registration would be completed by Census Department in stipulated time.

Awareness camps organized

JAMMU, MARCH 04: To create awareness among the masses regarding various I.C.D.S Schemes, CDPO Akhnoor, Surinder Paul Sharma organised a series of awareness camps at various places in ICDS project Akhnoor under the scheme SABLA and also under IEC. Under scheme SABLA, threedays camps were organized in the months of December, 2012 and January 2013 in Akhnoor in which in which adolescent girls were provided an access to the existing public services like police station, bank, post office and CHC, Akhnoor. Kishori Diwas was also celebrated on February 21 at Akhnoor besides a mega awareness camp was organised at Kabir Sabha,Akhnoor under scheme SABLA on February 23. Program Officer, ICDS, Jammu, Veerji Hagloo, SDM Akhnoor Naginder Singh Jamwal and BMO Akhnoor also delivered their lectures on empowerment of adolescent girls and Nutrition & Health Education.

JAMMU, MARCH 04: Minister of State for Home, Sajjad Ahmed Kichloo in reply to an adjournment motion by Harsh Dev Singh on Chambail Singh said that as per fax message received from Union Ministry of Home Affairs, the Indian High Commission in Islamabad has been formally told by the Pakistan authorities that postmortem of the body of one Chambail Singh who died on 15 January 2013 at Lahore has been conducted and body will be handed over shortly. The Minister said that the High Commission of India is also in touch with one of the sons of the deceased about the status of the case. He said that the High Commission of India will bear the expenses of transportation of the body as an when it is handed over by the Pakistan. Kichloo said that Chambail Singh was reportedly detained in Pakistan in early 2010. He was sentenced to five years rigorous imprisonment starting August, 18 2010. MLAs, Harsh Dev Singh, Balwant Singh Mankotia, Jugal Kishore and Chaman Lal Gupta took part in the discussion on motion and demanded that State Government should take up this issue with union Government so that they can persuade Government of Pakistan to hand over the body of Chambail Singh to his family at the earliest for last rites.

Full restoration work of Poonch transmission line to be completed soon: Vikar

JAMMU, MARCH 04: The Government has already initiated action on the preliminary investigation report given by the Committee constituted to assess the situation arisen due to the loss / damage and the failure of the entire electricity system in the Poonch district because of the recent heavy snowfall. The information was given by the Minister of state for Power Mr. Vikar Rasool while replying to a Calling Attention Notice by Dr. Shehnaz Gania in Legislative Council today. The Minister said that restoration work will be completed fully in one and a half month and Power Grid Corporation of India has been assigned work, which has already placed order for supply of stubs, tower material with one company for tower material as well as execution of work on ground i.e repairing of foundations recasting of foundations and erection / stringing etc. He further stated that the action has already been initiated against several senior officers of the PDD department.

Jora reviews functioning of Urban Bodies of Jammu region

JAMMU, MARCH 4: Minister for Urban Development and Local Bodies, Mr. Nawang Rigzin Jora, today reviewed the functioning of the urban local bodies of Jammu province . The meeting was attended by Commissioner Secretary, Housing and Urban Development, Mr. Jeet Lal Gupta, Commissioner, Municipal Corporation, Mr. Kuldeep Khajuria, Director Urban Local Bodies, Mr. F.C. Bhagat, all the Executive Officers of the Municipal Committees of the State and other officers and officials of the concern agencies. Mr. Jora asked the concerned officers to work with zeal and dedication and do justice to their job, while providing basic amenities to the people. He emphasized for speedy disposal

Rs. 70.73 cr advanced under Credit Action Plan

BANDIPORA, MARCH 04: In order to establish 5076 income generating units, an amount of Rs. 70.73 crore have been advanced by various financial institutions in Bandipora district during current financial year, achieving 60 percent of the Credit Action Plan. This was disclosed during a District Level Review Committee (DLRC) meeting held here today under the Chairmanship of District Development Commissioner, Bandipora, Manzoor Ahmad Lone. It was given out that Rs. 25.78 crore were disbursed under Agriculture sector, Rs. 37.62 crore under Small Enterprises and Rs. 7.33 crore provided under Service sector to the beneficiaries in the district. The District Development Commissioner on this occasion said that the objective of the Action Plan was to address the problem of unemployment, so that the officers and bankers should explore the potential of Agriculture, Animal Husbandry, Sheep, Fisheries, Handloom etc. available in the district. He also impressed upon the participants for organizing awareness camps in collaboration to acquaint the unemployed educated youth with the schemes being launched for setting up of their income generating units.

Sufi Saint & Poet "Lassa Khan Fida'' remembered on at Anchidoora Anantnag
ANANTNAG, MARCH 04: Sufi Saint & Poet ''Lassa Khan Fida'' was remembered on his annual day by organizing cultural programme at Anchidoora Anantnag by District Information Centre, Anantnag in collaboration with Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR), Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India. On the occasion, Regional Director, ICCR, Government of India, Mr. Ayaz Rasool Nazki was the chief guest while Deputy Director AIR, Srinagar, Mr. Bashir Aarif also attended as guest of honour. The cultural event was also attended by famous poets, social workers, media personalities which included Mr. Zahid Mukhtar Raja Yousuf, Mr. Maqbool Veeri besides a huge number of people of the area. Speakers on the occasion described the spiritual life of the Sufi Saint and lauded his contribution towards Kashmir poetry and cultural contribution of the saint. A cultural programme was also presented by the Cultural Wing of District Information Centre, Anantnag on the occasion.

Minister for Urban Development and Local Bodies, Nawang Rigzin Jora chairing a meeting of officials of the urban local bodies of Jammu province at Jammu. of the files regarding building permission in strict adherence to the rules and regulations. He said the basic work of the Municipal committees, councils and corporations was to provide all kind of basic amenities to the people and also raise revenue for the municipal works. Referring to the elections of Municipal committees, the Minister directed all Executive Officers to guide Chief Electoral Officers in setting right the electoral rolls. He said that people of urban areas have great expectation with the urban bodies with regard to maintaining better sanitation and construction of lanes and drains in their localities. Earlier, the Minister interacted with all Executive Officers of the 36 Municipal Committees of Jammu division and discussed with them the functioning of the Committees. He reminded the officers of their responsibilities and directed them to work hard and deliver the services to the people in an effective manner. He also said that officers who would work with dedication and honesty would be encouraged, while those found negligent towards their duties would be dealt according to the law.

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BJYM Protests against govt. for not providing facilities to the stranded passengers
JAMMU: A week long protest was held under the leadership of Baratiya Janta Yuva Morcha J&K State regarding no proper facilities by the Govt. to its people and flight for the stranded passengers of Kargil from JammuSrinagar to Kargil. Hundreds of passengers were participated and roused slogans against the failure systems of the NC-Congress Governance and lack of leadership in the Kargil Representatives. While speaking to media and masses, State Spokesperson Jamyang Tsering Namgyal, "In this globalized world of global village where people travel from one part of the world to another in less than one hour. But for the people of Kargil and Zanskar it is still the old days of stranded", lamented by Namgyal. "it would be their small contribution and giant step to help the people of Kargil towards greater progress and awaken society", further added by Namgyal. He further expressed sadly that the Kargil administration is not concerned about the Kargil passengers stranded in Jammu and Kargil passengers stranded in Leh since last for months while the VIP or their families are travelling to Kargil everyday. On the other hands the common people of Kargil who are in real need to travel to their home are ignored at the same time. Ticket has been issued to people since one month ago but not even deported to their homes even after a gap of one month, we travel from Jammu to Kargil HouseAirport daily but every-time in vain", complaint by passenger. "After struggling for one month finally some passengers were departed to their homes on 4th Mar., 2013 but they are selective and few who got some political background or who were leading the protest movement but it is the struggle of BJYM who has been leading the protest in favour of common people of Kargil", an awaiting passenger said that the protest will continue till the last passenger is departed to their homes", replied by Namgyal. State VicePresident Sanjay Kumar, State Secretary Makson Bharti, State Media Secretary Tarun Sharma, State Publicity Secretary Kr. Rajeshwar Singh and others were took part in the protest demonstration.

Details of death of Kashmiri boy given to his family: Omar

'Cannot be made public unless family consents' JAMMU, MARCH 04: Intervening in the Legislative Assembly on a point raised by some legislators regarding the death of a Kashmiri student in Hyderabad, Chief Minister, Omar Abdullah today informed the House that the details about the investigations in this regard conducted by the Police have been shared with the family of the deceased. The Chief Minister said that there are some elements in the report which cannot be made public unless the family gives consent in this regard, as such, the government is not in a position to reveal the report in the House.

Rural Women Cultural and Sports Meet held at Nagrota

First Lady stresses on education of girl child, empowerment of women
is enormous talent among the women and children of the rural areas, which needs to be adequately channelised. She appreciated the participants of the cultural and sports events for presenting a captivating programme. She stressed the importance of the education of all children, particularly the education of the girl child, adding that this is the key to progress and economic empowerment. On behalf of the Governor, the First Lady announced a support of rupees one lakh to the management of the Viraj Kala Kendra as a contribution for providing education to the children from the less advantaged families. Vohra gave away prizes to those who presented the cultural programme and the participants adjudged best in the races organized as part of this event. Earlier, the First Lady inaugurated the newly constructed Hall at the Viraj Bal Bhawan, Khanpur, Nagrota, a school run by the Viraj Kala Kendra, for the education of children from the slum areas. Vohra also witnessed the exhibition of the various crafts prepared by the children of this school and appreciated their creative talents. Raj Bharti, President, Viraj Kala Kendra, presented a detailed report on the activities and functioning of the Kendra. She thanked the Governor and the First Lady for taking keen interest in the activities of Viraj Kala Kendra and supporting its initiatives. She said that the Governor had provided a significant support for construction of the Hall in the school which was inaugurated today. Dr. Nahed Soz, Managing Director, J&K Women Development Corporation, thanked the Governor, who is Chairman of the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board, for associating Women Development Corporation sponsored Women Self Help Groups JAMMU, MARCH 4: The Viraj Kala Kendra, Jammu, a local NGO, organized a Rural Women Cultural and Sports Meet at Youth Hostel, Khanpur, Nagrota near here today. Usha Vohra, First Lady, was the Chief Guest on the occasion. Speaking on the occasion, the First Lady lauded the efforts of the Viraj Kala Kendra for the socio-economic upliftment of the rural women, educational advancement of the children of slum areas and the promotion of rural arts. Lauding the various sports activities and the cultural programme presented on the occasion, Vohra observed that there for preparing jute Prashad Bags for the Board which has percolated tremendous economic benefits to these women. Ms. Sarla Kohli, Vice President, Viraj Kala Kendra, presented a Vote of Thanks. Among those who also spoke on the occasion included Ms. Susham Sharma, General Secretary of the Viraj Kala Kendra, and Prof. Rita Jatendra, former President and Advisor of the Kendra. Members of the Viraj Kala Kendra, prominent women, senior officers, a large number of women of the area and the children of the Viraj Bal Bhawan were present on the occasion.

Handing over of mortal remains of Afzal taken up with centre: Saifullah

JAMMU, MARCH 04: Minister for Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Mir Saifullah has said that the State Government has already requested the Union Government for handing over the mortal remains of late Afzal Guru, so that his family could perform his last rites. The Minister was speaking at a Press Conference here today. Saifullah said that the present Government has tackled the situation in a very efficient manner in the aftermath of Afzal Guru's hanging. He said instead of appreciating the Government for tackling the situation carefully, the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) was busy in blame game. The Minister said that PDP is misleading the people over the death of Afzal Guru and playing merely a drama in media. He said that the PDP leader in the house who was stressing on holding discussion on the return of mortal remains of Guru did not make a mention of this during the discussion on the adjournment motion today. Mir Saifullah suggested the PDP not to play politics at the cost of people's lives, adding that they should collectively work for the welfare of the people. The Minister said that the people of the State are knowledgeable enough to differentiate between right and wrong and identify the ones who are trying to mislead them and disturb the peaceful environs of the state.

Gulmarag land scam case

DB directs removal of DC Srinagar by 6th of March

SRINAGAR, FEB 04: The hearing of the much publicized Public Interest Litigation (PIL) seeking sanctions for prosecution of senior IAS/IPS/IFS officers allegedly involved in different corruption cases has been deferred till Monday next. According to CNS, the Division Bench of State High Court comprising Chief Justice M.M.Kumar and Justice Hasnean Masoodi deferred the hearing of the much publicized PIL seeking sanctions for prosecution of senior IAS/IPS/IFS officers allegedly involved in different corruption cases in which on the last date of hearing the Division Bench treated a complaint against Deputy Commissioner Srinagar as CMA (Civil Miscellaneous Application) in which serious allegations of corruption and abuse of power and involvement in infamous Gulmarag Land Scam had been made. A senior Advocate told CNS that when petition came up for hearing on Monday before the Division Bench, Senior Additional Advocate General, Gagan Basotra requested and sought adjournment of the hearing on the ground that due to frequent state holidays, the reply could not be furnished and the Civil Secretariat opened only today. Senior Additional Advocate General, Gagan Basotra requested the Division Bench to allow sometime to respond to the CMA where in allegations have been leveled against the present Deputy Commissioner Srinagar, Baseer Ahmed Khan. The Division Bench after considering the submissions of Gagan Basotra deferred the hearing of PIL till Monday next with a directive to the state to respond to the CMA in question. The Division Bench was also informed by the Counsel for the petitioner Advocate Shiekh Shakeel Ahmed that as per provisions and on the directions of the Court, entire records of FIR no. 37/1987 VOJ (pertaining to Gulmarg Land Scam) been filed in the instant PIL and the same has been taken on record. The Division Bench observed that this matter will also be considered on the next hearing along with CMA filed against Deputy Commissioner, Srinagar, Baseer Ahmed Khan. Pertinently during the last hearing of this PIL, the Division Bench had observed that at least in capital cities, the Government should appoint those District Magistrates and other officers who possess clean reputation and image. PIL has been filed by two social activists of Jammu, Shiekh Mohammad Shafi s/o Shiekh Abdul Rehman, former Member of Parliament and Professor S.K.Bhalla, a retired college principal and RTI activist, seeking prosecution of all those officers against whom the Vigilance Organization has established prima facie cases of corruption but sanction is being delayed by the state government.

Sagar launches Watershed works worth Rs. 7.34 crore at Dansal

JAMMU, MARCH 04Minister for Rural Development and Panchayati Raj Ali Mohammad Sagar today launched Integrated Watershed Management Programme in Block Dansal in Jammu District by laying the foundation of Entry Point Activities at village Sukhetar (Domail) in Dansal, here today. The Ministers of State for Rural Development, Panchayati Raj and Technical Education, Vikar Rasool and MLC, Devender Singh Rana were also present on the occasion. representatives to extend their whole hearted support in implementing the project plan so that the objectives of rain harvesting conservation and socio-economic upliftment of the small and marginal farmers are met. Sagar also exhorted upon the officers to work in close coordination to facilitate the execution of the project works in a convergence mode with MGNERGA, NBA and other schemes. He said this would help in creating dependable infrastructure to make various farming in the area a profitable activity. He disclosed that the Government was looking forward to start IWMP project in all the rain fed areas of the state in a phased manner adding that the areas with least drinking water/irrigation potential besides high percentage of BPL and SC/ST population and degraded areas have been taken in the first instance. The Rs 2300 crore IWMP project for the state to be implemented over a period of three years, targets treatment of all the rain fed areas in a phased manner, he informed.

NPHS celebrates World Science Day

JAMMU, MARCH 04: National Public High School, Shiv Nagar celebrated World Science Day. On the occasion, a Science Exhibition was also organized in which students of the school prepared science models depicting various aspects showcasing importance of science in the present era. Speaking on the occasion, Principal of the School, Vaishno Verma said that real art deserves appreciation adding that art and artist have long time relation and it is the one of vital medium which expresses nature and other activities of daily life. Describing the youth as the future leaders, Verma said that extra-curricular activities are an essential component of the education process, for preparing the students to effectively face future challenges. She said that the aim of education is not merely passing examinations but to also produce balanced personalities. She said that alongside academic pursuit science, painting exhibitions and similar other activities provide an excellent opportunity for the youth to exhibit there hidden talent besides, acquire meaningful understandings which would help them to lead harmonious lives. She lauded the role of faculty members who worked hard to organize such innovative event. Later, the Principal of the school distributed prizes among the students who participated in the science exhibition.

Minister for Rural Development and Panchayati Raj Ali Mohammad Sagar launching Integrated Watershed Management Programme in Block Dansal in Jammu District. The IWMP Project for the Dansal has been sanctioned at an estimated cost of Rs 7.34 crore. Sagar complimented the people of Dansal on getting this prestigious watershed Development project and enjoined upon the Panchayat

Kichloo replies to adjournment motion on killing of two police men at Handwara

JAMMU, MARCH 04: Minister of State for Home, Sajjad Ahmad Kichloo today informed the House that on March 2, 2013 a law and order platoon of IRP 16thBn with nonlethal equipment was deployed near Bus Stand Handwara which is a very crowded place. The public and vehicular movement at this place was very heavy and militant taking advantage of the crowded and busy place fired upon the two constables namely Azad Chand No. 199/16th Bn and Santosh Singh No. 285/16th Bn IRP from very close range. The enforcement was deployed swiftly but before the enforcement could reach the spot, the militants mixed up with civilian population and fled away from the spot. The firing resulted into the instant death of these two Jawans. The area was immediately cordoned off and search operation was launched. The Nakas on all the outgoing routes were immediately activated but the culprits could not be traced so far. Meanwhile, the dead bodies of both the martyred jawans were shifted to District Hospital Handwara, where the medico legal formalities were completed and bodies handed over to their relatives for performing the last rites, said the Minister. The Minister further informed that the case FIR No. 29/2013/ 302 RPC. 7/27 I.A Act was registered at Police Station Handwara and investigation taken up. The Minister was replying to the Adjournment motion moved by Prof. Chaman Lal Gupta, which was also supported by Harsh Dev Singh, Ashok Khajuria, Jugal Kishore and Krishan Chander Bhagat.

137 Bn CRPF assists to establish computer center

UDHAMPUR, MARCH 04: To generate employment for women belonging to the socially and economically weaker section of the society, the 137 Battalion Centre Reserve Police Force (CRPF), Udhampur distributed desktop Computers with accessories and furniture amounting to Rs 1.5 Lacs for the establishment of a computer center under CPG Action Plan for the year 2012-13 here today. About five computers along with required accessories UPS and furniture was given to an unemployed women of the Town for the establishment of a Internet Computer Center at PTC road Udhampur under the CPG Action plan. Senior Superintendent of Police, Udhampur, Ashkoor Wani who was the Chief Guest on the occasion inaugurated the Computer Center.

Cheaters/Fraudsters booked by Crime Branch, Jammu

JAMMU: Crime Branch, Jammu has registered a case FIR No. 08/2013 u/s 420,465, 467,468,471, 120-B RPC against accused persons namely 1. K.S. Padwal, Chairman Co-Operative House Building Society, Sainik Colony, Jammu, 2. Col. (Retd.) L.S. Jamwal Secretary, CoOperative House Building Society, Sainik Colony, Jammu and 3. Sarojni Kotwal W/o Nirmal Kotwal R/o Bhaderwah A/P Goushalla Ambphalla, Jammu for transfer of plot by resorting to fraudulent means. Brief facts of the case are that a written complaint was lodged by Kirpal Singh R/o H. No. 68 Sector-C Sainik Colony, Jammu before Registrar, Co-operative Societies, J&K, Jammu alleging therein that a Plot No.C-347under Registration No. 5305 measuring 10 Marlas situated at Sainik Colony, Jammu allotted to one Babu Ram R/o Nanak Nagar, Jammu by the Co-operative House Building Society, Sainik Colony, Jammu had been transferred in favour of Sarojni Kotwal W/o Nirmal Kotwal, Advocate R/o Bhaderwah A/P Goushalla Ambphalla, Jammu. It was further alleged that through this allotment, not only transfer Fee of Rs. 50,000/- and development charges payable to the Society, have been waived off resulting in loss to the tune of lacs of rupees to the Society, but the interest of armed force personnel has also been overlooked as only retired Army/Air Force/ Navy personnel are entitled to get Plots in the Sanik Colony. The complaint was referred to State Vigilance Organization for necessary action under law whereupon an enquiry was initiated, during the course of which it transpired that the lease deed in favour of Sarojni Kotwal W/o Nirmal Kotwal was registered in the Hon'ble Court on 18.05.2011 whereas, the transfer was shown entered in the records of Registrar, Co-operative Societies, J&K on 24.02.1999, showing her as the nominee of Babu Ram, which she was not, thus exposing the nexus between the allottee and the management of the Society. It was also found that the Society had charged the rates existing on 24.02.1999 as against the rates chargeable at the time of registration of the lease deed, thus causing approximate loss of Rs. 39,500/- to the House Building Society. It was also revealed during enquiry that in the year 1974, Plot No. C-347 was initially allotted to Narinder Pal Suri of MES vide Reg. No. 3418, but the lease deed was not executed in respect of said Registration number. Again, in the year 1989 the Sainik Co-operative House Building Society allotted the same Plot to Babu Ram vide Reg. No. 5305, but no lease deed was registered in his favour too. On the completion of enquiry by the State Vigilance Organization, the matter was referred to the State Crime Branch for initiation of necessary action against the accused persons under law. On this, a formal case has been registered under the relevant sections of law against the above mentioned accused persons and investigation of the case is in progress.

Ajay Sadhotra meets Governor

JAMMU, MARCH 4: Ajay Sadhotra, Minister for Planning and Development, called on N. N. Vohra, Governor, at Raj Bhavan here today. During their meeting, the Governor and the Minister discussed issues relating to the timely and effective implementation of major development projects and schemes. Implementation of projects under the Prime Minister's Reconstruction Plan was also discussed. The Governor stressed the high importance of regular monitoring and review of the various Centrally Sponsored Schemes being executed in the State.

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EDITORIAL

Brand Modi cannot be ignored

he cancellation of the Wharton university lecture of Narendra Modi is not only sad but it is also reflective of the intensity of anti -India lobby working in the only super power of the world. The lecture of Modi was scheduled for 23rd March but according to the Wharton university authorities it was notified that the Star speaker Narendra Modi's lecture has been cancelled. It was cited that some professors and students had written to the Wharton authorities recommending the cancellation of his lecture. It is not important whether Modi could deliver his lecture to Wharton students or not what is important are the reasons cited for the cancellation of his guest lecture. Wharton or no Wharton the success story of India despite recession cannot be taken away. It is fact that India has survived the worldwide recession better than many other countries. And states like Gujarat have contributed significantly in that direction. Gujarat model is discussed and debated all over the world. After all we have a state in the country which has two things to its credit. One is no major communal clash took place after 2002 which unfortunately was instigated post Godhra. Secondly, the continuous success story of growth under Modi. He has won four successive elections and it is no mean an achievement. The reasons are not difficult to surmise. After all we have now a Chief Minister who has a no-nonsense approach to the issues of providing good governance to the people. Modi has delivered where others have failed. He may have some follies too as no person is without his fallacies and he is no exception. Some say that he is arrogant but if he makes the system work his arrogance has no meaning for the poor and common man. Today Gujarat contributes significantly to the national GDP as all big industrial houses have shifted their manufacturing to Gujarat. No businessman worth his salt will be influenced by the emotive and stage managed issues of human rights or discrimination. He will see the congenial climate where his industry can grow without the routine red tape for which we Indians have earned a bad name internationally. It is heartening to note that people have started raising voices against the Wharton decision .Suresh Prabhu, the former Minister has also cancelled his visit to Wharton. People on twitter, blogs and on the facebook and other social networking sites are raising their pitch in favour of Modi. The Modi phenomena cannot be wished away or belittled as is being done by the UPA. They have their compulsions as their main Prime ministerial candidate for the 2014 elections has not shown signs of promise. He seems a weak choice but the UPA has no option. Their politics has unfortunately revolved round one political family. Modi made a scathing comment on UPA regarding this issue and it has hurt Congress. But in political system of the country some moments arrive when we all Indians should have been making one voice in criticizing Wharton decision but that is not to happen. The narrow political gains are important for us than the prestige of the country. Modi is the democratically elected representative of an important State of India which has made a success story. All eyes of the world are on the Gujarat model of development. Leave that apart, at least, we as a nation cannot allow some persons of anti India traits dishonor our duly elected representative no matter on which side of political fence we stand. It definitely assumes importance to see and ascertain which anti India lobbies are working against our interest in different parts of the world. The current US Secretary of Defence made anti India remarks regarding our peaceful role in Afghanistan. And still no official condemnation has come from the Obama administration in this regard. The possible PM candidate in Modi has energized the youth and poor people of this country. They are now tired of scams, corruption and politics of polarization. They want peace, development and an environment which is accountable and terror free. Modi has shown them a bright glimmer of hope. He is being seen as a man of action who has grass root level understanding of developmental problems of India. These attributes makes him a formidable opponent of UPA. But the word of caution for Modi is that he should not be carried away by the response he is getting. But for now Modi is a force and cannot be ignored. He has become a global name you like it or not with Wharton or without it.

Hit, only if you must. But never hit soft

T
By Joginder Singh he Jammu & Kashmir Government cannot even pay the salaries of its employees without Central aid. Yet, the Centre does not push these advantages. It continues to appease divisive elements. The beauty of democracy is that even the devil can cite the scriptures and get away with it. Furthermore, all kindness flows for the devil who appears in society in the form of criminals, murderers and, yes, terrorists. And then there are those, whose full-time job is to support such people who have committed crimes against society and the nation. According to the National Crime Records Bureau, a total of 1,455 convicts were given the death penalty between 2001 and 2011 that is, an average of 132.27 convicts who were sentenced to death every year in those 10 years. During this period, Uttar Pradesh, handed down 370 death sentences followed by Bihar (132), Maharashtra (125), Karnataka and Tamil Nadu (95 each), Madhya Pradesh (87), Jharkhand (81), West Bengal (79), Delhi (71), Gujarat (57), Rajasthan (38), Kerala (34), Odisha (33) and Haryana (31). But not even a handful of these convicts were actually hanged. In fact, the hangman's noose has only been put around eight criminals since 1992. Also, between 2001 and 2011, the death sentences of 4,321 convicts were commuted to life imprisonment. The highest number of commutations was in Delhi (2,462) followed by Uttar Pradesh (458) and then Bihar (343). The manner in which death sentences are carried out (if at all) or overturned leads to a mockery of the law. It also sends the message to criminals and terrorists that India is a soft state, where you can commit any crime and then live off the tax payers' money. Our leaders make bold speeches calling for stern action to be taken against terrorists. However, all actions are ultimately seen through the prism of vote-bank politics. Consequently, it takes years to punish those who commit antinational activities. India has been following a policy of laissez faire and hoping that all problems, be it jihadi terror or crimes against women, will solve themselves. India's leaders may claim that this country is a superpower in the making, but the fact is that it is still one that can be pushed around. ing unpaid advisers to the Government. Such people seem to work on the basis of the assumption that victims have no rights while all the rights are preserved for criminals alone. The Government has given numerous con-

The State cannot even pay the salaries of its employees, without Central aid. Yet, the Centre does not push such advantages. It want s to appease. The Government should bear in mind that history does not for long entrust freedom to the weak and the timid.
Theodore Roosevelt had rightly said: "Don't hit at all, if it is honourably possible, to avoid hitting, but never hit soft." The basic problem here is that India is willing to strike but it is afraid to wound. A terrorist is hanged 13 years after he planned an attack on Parliament and in response, Kashmir Valley, which has been ethnically cleansed of minorities, goes on a strike to express its sympathy for the convict. So-called human rights activists, most ensconced in the safe environments of Government commissions and committees in the national capital, scream their lungs out against the death penalty. But they forget that human rights is not the reserved property of terrorists. What about the many innocent victims of that same terrorist? Did they not have any human rights? What kind of a perverted sense of justice is this? A father kills his son in a fit of rage, a rapist rapes a helpless girl and then kills her, a husband kills his wife, cuts her into pieces and then roasts the remains in a tandoor. Does anybody really believe that the death penalty in their cases is not more than justified? I wonder if so-called human rights activists lose a loved one at the hands of the terrorist, would they still maintain the same stand on such issues? The country is engaged in a lifeand-death battle with the terrorists, and we still have such human rights activists becomcessions to those who had migrated from Kashmir to Pakistan between 1988 and 1989 to train as terrorists and then spread anarchy in their home State. The Government has allowed some of these trained terrorists to return to their homes in Kashmir on the ground that they have had a 'change of heart'. Yet, no gadget has been invented in the world so far, that can assess such a 'change of heart'. Consequently, today, not only has violence become a way of life in Kashmir but it has also turned the Valley into a theocratic region with bans on music, cinemas, videos and beauty parlours. Both the State and the Union Government are mute spectators. India, being a secular state, does not subscribe to any particular religion or mode of living. Everybody is guaranteed the same Fundamental Rights under the Constitution. Only Kashmir valley has been allowed to turn into a theocratic state where the writ of the Government hardly runs. What can be more disastrous than the fact that terrorists have abducted many sarpanches in Kashmir and killed some of them? Yet, this is not entirely surprising, given that those who sympathise with separatists are given state security which they do not deserve by any stretch of imagination. Further, the terrorists and their sympathisers are reportedly often called upon by their Pakistani patrons to

receive instructions on how to better promote their devious agenda. However, this has not changed the Government's strategy of doling out one concession after another, be they in the name of development or supposedly for the sake of creating jobs. Now, contrast this to what the Chief Minister of Jammu & Kashmir recently said in the State Assembly. Mr Omar Abdullah stated: "Kashmir is an issue between two neighbours. It is an international issue It is a political issue and cannot be addressed through development, employment or good governance." Clearly, for the State regime, only Kashmir valley (minus the minorities) matters. Terrorists and their supporters have hijacked governance in that State, as can be seen from the response to Afzal Guru's hanging. Also, let us not forget that, as subversive elements went on a rampage following Afzal Guru's hanging, police and paramilitary were prohibited from opening fire to rein in the mobs, rendering the former as easy targets. Having been the head of the paramilitary force in Kashmir, I know how easy it is to mobilise mobs in a place like Srinagar, where nearly a 1,000-odd mosques, have been connected through loud- speakers. During my posting in the valley, only one Governor had the courage to disconnect all loud- speakers to bring peace to the city. But, since then, the situation has gone back to being business as usual. The separatists now even release calenders that announce the days on which there would be protests and shops have to be shut. Unfortunately, mainstream politicians in the valley are playing into the hands of the terrorists, as Mr Abdullah's statement that Kashmir has 'acceded', not merged, with India, makes clear. The State cannot even pay the salaries of its employees, without Central aid. Yet, the Centre does not push such advantages. It want s to appease. The Government should bear in mind that history does not for long entrust freedom to the weak and the timid.

Budget for women: They need real help not gender apartheid

By Harini Calamur n the last budget before the next general elections, finance minister P Chidambaram could not rock any boat. Nor could he undertake the kind of massive spending cuts that were required to bring down the deficit. What he did do was to announce a plethora of schemes, aimed at women, the youth and the poor, which - it is hoped - will have an impetus on the economy and propel it into growth. Some of these were good: Such as including as CSR a company's incubation of a project in an academic environment; some were 'about time' - such as index linking investment in government bonds (so that the value of your investment does not get eroded with inflation)or a focus on skills development; some were business as usual - welfare spending that needs to be undertaken to stave off revolution. There weren't too many shocks insofar as taxation was concerned - a 10% surcharge for a year on tax for the richest 42,800 people who have declared earnings of over Rs 1 crore a year, a 5% increase in surcharge for companies, and that was pretty much it. It was a budget designed with an eye on the polls. It wasn't the Pranab Mukherjee kind of spend-today-figure-tomorrow budget. At the same time, it was also not the kind of budget that took steps at either increasing the tax base or radical steps in terms of cutting spending. It was a budget that hoped that

Good intentions are a great idea. And, it is reassuring to know that the government is thinking of women and their welfare. But what is needed is real equity, real equality, and real inclusion. And these may not be possible if we instead of fixing what is wrong with the system, we create new spaces exclusively for women. Inclusion cannot happen through exclusion.
investments in key areas would pay off and the multiplier would kick in. What's interesting about this budget is its focus on women as a separate segment of the population, not just as part of the household, but as an individual with her own needs and requirements. There were two specific initiatives that looked at women as people who step out of the house and go out - to study, to work. The intentions behind both these have been to help make the situation of women in India better. But would they? The first initiative, which Chidambaram has tentatively named the Nirbhaya fund, andhas a Rs1,000 crore allocation is aimed at keeping woman safe and secure. What could be possibly be wrong with this? The primary role of the state is to provide security to all its citizens, including women. While one appreciates that something needs to be seen to be done, one cannot but help wonder, if a separate fund mandated by the budget is the solution. And questions arise - what happens when the fund runs out? Is this a ready-made excuse for politicians, bureaucrats and police - 'we could not do anything because we did not get funds allocated from the Nirbhaya fund'. Security has to be an integral part of the services provided by the state. You can increase the budget for security at large, with an emphasis on keeping women safe. But, is it prudent to have a fund exclusive aimed at "safety and security" of women? The second initiative is India's first women's bank, with a Rs1,000 crore capital, staffed predominantly by women for a mainly female clientele. The existing system, despite having a number of women in command positions, has not been very women-friendly, even in urban areas. Go into villages, and you will

see this compounded, many times over. Women don't get loans because their husbands have defaulted. There is harassment, financial jargon, and general lack of service. Lack of literacy, and financial literacy, keeps women from accessing credit. These issues exist and are very real. But, is the solution to get the existing banking system to treat women as a priority sector, incentivise the opening of womenonly branches, women-only officers in existing branches to serve women entering the banking system for the first time - or is it dealing with women as 'separate but equal'? A sort of gender apartheid. Also, there are other issues such as access to credit from the rest of the financial sector. Would women curtail their dreams based on the women's bank financial capacity? There are those who believe that this sort of a bank will help women from traditional households to access credit. But so will a women-only branch of an existing bank. Many PSU banks (SBI, Syndicate Bank, Indian Bank) already run women-only branches. Good intentions are a great idea. And, it is reassuring to know that the government is thinking of women and their welfare. But what is needed is real equity, real equality, and real inclusion. And these may not be possible if we instead of fixing what is wrong with the system, we create new spaces exclusively for women. Inclusion cannot happen through exclusion.

READERS SPACE
Burning city
Dear Sir The devastating pre-dawn fire near the Sealdah railway station, which has claimed quite a few lives, points yet again to the state's poor infrastructure and administrative set-up ("19 lives and an all-party mask", Feb 28). The state government seems to have learnt nothing from the fires that occurred at Stephen Court, Charu Market and the AMRI Hospitals. Instead of taking necessary measures to prevent such catastrophes, the government has merely turned a deaf ear to the pleas of citizens. It is a matter of great shame that as many as eight calls to the Central Avenue fire station went unanswered. The fire brigade's tardiness - local residents had to send men in a cab to go and alert the fire station - resulted in deaths and injuries that could have been avoided. Such irresponsible behaviour is not expected from officials who are entrusted

with important tasks. Safety precautions have to be put in place by the government too. The fire started in an illegal mezzanine floor which was connected to the rest of the building by only one stairway. Many people died of asphyxiation after inhaling carbon monoxide fumes. This highlights the abominable condition of these old buildings. The buildings need to be renovated and fire extinguishing measures installed. A regular inspection ought to be conducted of fire-prone areas in the city. Yours etc Mir Arif Chenani,Udhampur

Need care for Juvenile delinquents

Dear Sir We are all aware of the physical and sexual harassment of inmates in most of the private and government owned juve-

nile homes, childcare centres and centres for destitutes and for women. Instead of giving them a home-like environment, the inmates mostly are subjected to bad, sometimes cruel and inhuman treatment. There is almost no transparency in the working of such homes. Nobody checks the working of the homes regularly. It is only after some inmates who escape from such homes relate their stories of unnatural ways of harassment, that we get a peek into the living conditions in such organisations. Some arrests are made but the malady remains. No concrete arrangements are made to avoid repetition of the misdeeds. NGOs which run such homes get financial assistance from the government. As such a regular inspection and audit of these homes by reliable officers is a must. Otherwise instead of improvement, there will be a downgradation in human living. Yours etc. Neha Jamwal Panjtirthi,Jammu

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NATIONAL

Slain cop's widow refuses to bury hubby

LUCKNOW, MAR 4:The Akhilesh Yadav government in Uttar Pradesh found itself in a piquant situation Monday as the widow of slain police officer Zia-ulHaq refused to conduct his funeral unless the "chief minister personally came over to assure justice". Food and civil supplies minister Raghuraj Pratap Singh alias Raja Bhaiyya had earlier resigned after a first information report in the case named him in connection with the murder of the police officer. Parveen, wife of the deceased and a medical student, said that she would not allow the family to proceed with the 'supurd-ekhakh' (funeral) until a CBI probe is ordered into her husband's killing, which she alleged was the handiwork of a "sharp shooter". Talking on phone from Juafar in Deoria, she also threatened to consume poison and commit suicide outside the chief minister's residence if her demands were not met. "I live in Lucknow only. If my demands are not met, I will not hesitate to give up my life for justice for my late husband," she said, recalling that her husband had often shared with her the "stress and pressures" he had to face ever since his posting five months ago to Pratapgarh. "He would often tell me how the job came with a lot of unwarranted pressure," she said, between sobs. She said her husband feared suspension for work, for not kowtowing to "political bosses." Referring to her late husband as the "best husband in the world", who "would drop her to college for her studies and never get angry," the student of dentistry accused the legislator from Kunda, Raja Bhaiyya, saying he conspired to kill her husband. "He is the only king there, the rest are his subjects. He did not like the fact that my husband did not go to his 'durbaar'". "This is the work of a sharp shooter. My husband was beaten up, dragged some distance and then shot at point blank range," Parveen said, pointing out that Zia-ul-Haq had been hit on the tibia bone to prevent him from running away and then shot in his right side, near the liver. She also said that her husband would often tell her how the area was very backward and wished he had the power to transform the area, and provide roads, electricity and potable water. "He never had any animosity with anyone, he had no grudges even against Raja Bhaiyya, but he also did not flatter anyone. I guess that was the problem," she said. Shams-ul-Haq, 62-yearold father of the slain police officer, refusing to be drawn into the details of the gruesome incident, said he could not fathom how his son's colleagues could have left him to fend for himself when the mob attacked. Zia-ul-Haq had stood 22nd in the provincial police service (PPS) examination in 2008. When he became a circle officer in 2010, there was much jubilation in the family and the village. Haq was known as a "sober, kind and judicious official," say officials in the Pratapgarh area. He had applied for four days' leave on the ill-fated Saturday, and was to proceed on leave Sunday. Zia-ul-Haq led the policemen who went late Saturday night into the village. The policemen were gheraoed by angry mobs and chased away. The station house officer of Hathganwa, Sarvesh Kumar and senior subinspector Vinay Kumar fled the crime scene, leaving Zia-ul-Haq alone to deal with the violent mob. His gunner Mohd Imran too fled, and hid in a nearby field to escape the wrath of the mob. Haq was beaten up and shot. His body bore three bullet wounds. Police reinforcements from neighbouring areas arrived only three hours later, to return with the body of Haq. Three policemen who fled instead of coming to Haq's aid were suspended. Superintendent of Police Anil Rai was transferred. Five-time independent MLA from Kunda, Raja Bhaiyya, once referred to as "Kunda ka Gunda", who was earlier jail minister in the Akhilesh Yadav government and held the food and civil supplies portfolio, resigned after his name featured in the first information report lodged in connection with Haq's murder. Raja Bhaiyya had earlier taken part in the cremation of villages headman Nanhe Yadav and his brother Suresh. He has refused to interact with the media, claiming that he would speak on the matter in the state assembly.

Sharmila charged with attempting suicide during 2006 fast

NEW DELHI, MARCH 4:A Delhi court today framed charges against Irom Sharmila Chanu, who has been on fast for about 12 years demanding repeal of controversial AFSPA, for allegedly attempting to commit suicide during her 'fast until death' here in 2006. Metropolitan Magistrate (MM) Akash Jain framed charges against 40-year-old Chanu under section 309 (attempting to commit suicide) of the IPC after she refused to plead guilty, saying that her's was a non-violent protest. Putting her on trial, the court has now listed the matter for May 22 for recording of prosecution evidence in the case relating to her fast until death which started on October 4, 2006 at Jantar Mantar here demanding revocation of Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA). Amid protest outside the court premises, Chanu appeared before the judge and said, "I do not want to commit suicide. Mine is only a non-violent protest. It is my demand to live as a human being." She also told the court, "I love life. I do not want to take my life but I want justice and peace". The magistrate, however, told her that she has been accused of attempting to commit suicide and prima facie the charge is there against her.

12 children, school van driver killed in accident

JALANDHAR, MAR 4: Twelve children were among 13 killed and ten other students injured when a brickladen truck collided with their school van in the district this morning. The children, students of a private school, were headed for the school when the mishap occurred near Jaheera village in Lambhra, close to Nakodar, a senior police official said. The driver of the school van was also killed in the mishap. "The mishap took place at 8:AM in Jaheera village when the bus of Akal Academy was taking stu-

Priyanka Gandhi Vadra undergoes gall stone surgery

underwent surgery at a city hospital here to remove gall stones. "During a routine checkup, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra was found to have stones in the gall bladder and elective (planned) gall bladder surgery was done this morning successfully," said D.S. Rana, chairman of Sir Gangaram hospital, where the surgery was done. Priyanka, 41, was admitted to the hospital Sunday and is stable now, said informed sources.

On being asked by the court "Do you plead guilty?", Chanu said no and claimed trial. "I respect you but the law of the land does not permit you to take your life," the judge said, asking her counsel to make her understand the process. Even after discussions with her counsel, Chanu said, "If AFSPA will be repealed by the government then only I will take food and will throw the food pipe" through which she is fed. The court, however, told her, "This is a political process. Here I am concerned with this case only." Chanu had launched her fast unto death in 2000 after 10 civilians were killed by Assam Rifles personnel at Malom area near Imphal airport.She is now in judicial custody and is being fed through her nose. Chanu was flown in here

from Manipur yesterday evening for the court proceedings. Her lawyer told the court that her client has been protesting for the last 12 years in the most non-violent way like Mahatma Gandhi. The lawyer said she is fasting for the people of Manipur as they are being "neglected" by the government. Citing her medical condition, the lawyer requested the judge that she should not be asked to appear in court again and again. The lawyer also said that she has already undergone the one year sentence which is the maximum sentence for the offence under section 309 of the IPC under which she has been charged. She had earlier said she was confident that the government will listen to her and concede to her demand to revoke AFSPA.

1 arrested in connection with Hyderabad blasts

HYDERABAD,MAR 4:A man has been arrested here in connection with the February 21 Hyderabad blasts, police said today. "A man identified as Manzar Imam has been arrested," Superintendent of Police Vipul Shukla said However, he refused to give details. The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has been searching for him for the last two years in connection with the Ahmedabad blast incident too and had

Raja Bhaiya booked for Thane bandh: HC asks Sena to file murder, quits as UP minister reply on PIL seeking damages
Thane bandh on March 4 last year after one of their corporators Suhasini Lokhande had gone missing before the election of Mayor's post of Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC). Shekhar Bhise, advocate for the petitioner, argued that the bandh called by the party had inconvenienced commoners who could not go about their normal daily routine. He further argued that the party leaders and their members gave hints and threats that violence would follow if the bandh was not supported. "In order to enforce the bandh, several members of the political party indulged in breaking of windshields of public buses belonging to the Thane civic body. They even threatened and assaulted citizens who attempted to travel to their work places," the PIL alleged. The petition has sought for the bandh to be declared illegal and the damages be recovered from the political party. The High Court today directed the Sena to file its reply by March 13.

dents to the school," Jalandhar Rural SP (D) Rajinder Singh said. Around 30 children were stated to be travelling in the van when the truck laden

with bricks collided with it. The area where the mishap occurred is said to be prone to accidents. The injured students were rushed to a local hospital.

NEW DELHI, MAR 4:UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi's daughter Priyanka Gandhi Vadra Monday successfully

MUMBAI, MAR 4 :The Bombay High Court today directed Shiv Sena to reply to a public interest litigation seeking damages from the party for inconvenience caused to the people of neighbouring Thane district during the call for a bandh in 2012 after one of their corporators had gone missing. A division bench of Justices A M Khanwilkar and A P Bhangale asked the petitioners Vikrant Karnik and three other social activists from Thane to send a copy of the PIL to the Shiv Sena. Shiv Sena had called for

Andhra govt decides to hand over Hyderabad blast case to NIA

HYDERABAD, MARCH 4:With no breakthrough in February 21 twin blasts at Dilsukhnagar here that left 16 dead and 117 injured, the Andhra Pradesh government today decided to hand over the investigation to NIA. The decision to hand over the probe to the National Investigation Agency was taken at a review meeting chaired by Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy, state's Home Minister P Sabita Reddy told reporters. The move comes three days after the Union Home Ministry wrote to the state government to shift the probe to the Central anti-terror agency. The state police had not been able to make any head way in the case though "special teams" were constituted in the aftermath of the blasts and it was claimed they had obtained "vital clues". The NIA has brought two alleged Indian Mujahideen operatives Syed Maqbool and Imran Khan to Hyderabad from Tihar jail and subjected them to sustained interrogation for four days after the modus operandi in the blasts pointed the needle of suspicion towards the home-grown terror outfit with strong links to Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Toiba. Maqbool and Khan were claimed to have recede several places in Hyderabad including the crowded Dilsukhnagar, allegedly under instructions from IM founder Riyaz Bhatkal. State government sources said the Chief Minister reviewed the progress of the investigation at a high-level meeting and decided to handover the investigation to NIA as it had "wider reach and expertise". Two powerful Improvised Explosive Devices (IED) packed in aluminium containers with ammonium nitrate and shrapnels had exploded near Konark and Venkatadiri theatres in Dilsukhnagar on the evening of February 21 and involvement of IM was suspected as the group had carried out similar strikes elsewhere in the country in the past.

LUKHNOW, MAR 4:Uttar Pradesh minister Raghuraj Pratap Singh alias Raja Bhaiya quit Monday, a day after he was booked for the murder of a senior police officer. "Raja Bhaiya has tendered his resignation and it has been accepted. The investigation is on and law will take its own course," Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav told reporters outside parliament in the national capital. The food and civil supplies minister was charged with conspiracy to kill Deputy Superintendent of Police Zia-ul Haq. Zia-ul Haq was killed with two others in Balipur village in Pratapgarh district, over 100 km from Lucknow Saturday night, during violence that followed the murder of the village head Nanhe Yadav. Besides Raja Bhaiya, seven of his associates were also booked. Parveen, the wife of the slain officer, has accused the minister of conspiring to kill her husband as he was investigating a "sensitive matter". Zia-ul Haq was first attacked by an angry mob and then shot in the leg and chest from a point blank range, an official said.

The case was registered Sunday evening after Zia-ul Haq's family refused to allow his funeral until a case was registered against the controversial minister. The minister's close associates who have been booked in the case include panchayat head Gulshan Yadav and driver Rohit Singh. They have been charged with murder. Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav has announced ex-gratia payment of Rs.20 lakh to the family of the deceased police official and transferred Pratapgarh Superintendent of Police (SP) Anil Rai and posted L.R. Kumar as the new district police chief. The incident is set to create fresh trouble for the Akhilesh Yadav government, which completes a year in office March 15. Law and order has become a bane for the state government with a spurt in crime in recent times, even against police officials. With the state assembly session under way, political parties are set to corner the chief minister Monday in the state assembly. Congress leader and former Uttar Pradesh chief minister Narayan Dutt Tiwari has blamed "administrative failure" for the "tragic event". Senior Congress leader Rita Bahuguna Joshi also slammed the government for its "inefficiency" and "lack of administrative acumen" and said such an incident was reflective of the situation in Uttar Pradesh.

come twice to Ranchi's Bariatu area looking for him in the past.

The twin blasts in Hyderabad's Dilsukhnagar had left 16 people dead.

Failure to pay excise, service tax may lead to arrest: FinBill

NEW DELHI, MAR 4: Failure to pay excise duty and service tax could lead to arrest of defaulters, as per the provisions proposed in the Finance Bill 2013 introduced by Finance Minister P Chidambaram in the Lok Sabha. As per the provisions, offences relating to excise and customs duty evasion of over Rs 50 lakh would be made cognisable and nonbailable. Similarly in case of service tax, the failure to deposit the tax amount exceeding Rs 50 lakh with the government would result in imprisonment up to seven years. The Finance Bill has proposed to introduce Section 91 to provide for power to arrest a person for specified offences, particularly nonpayment of collected service tax, by an officer not below the rank of Superintendent of Central Excise. It has also proposed to make at least four offences non- bailable under Section 135 of the Customs Act. This would include import or export of any goods which have not been declared in accordance with the provisions of this Act and the market price of which exceeds Rs 1 crore. Also, if a person fraudulently attempts to avail of drawback or any exemption from duty provided under Customs Act, if the amount of drawback or exemption from duty exceeds Rs 50 lakh, it would be non-bailable offence. The move comes against the backdrop of lower than budgeted collections of excise and customs duties. As per the Budget papers, the Customs collection during 2012-13 is estimated at Rs 1.65 lakh crore, as against the target of Rs 1.87 lakh crore. In case of excise duty the realisation is likely to be Rs 1.72 lakh crore, compared to the target of Rs 1.94 lakh crore. However, on the positive side, the Service Tax collection is estimated to be Rs 1.33 lakh crore, as against the budget estimate of Rs 1.24 lakh crore.

1988 pistol deal: Court to hear arguments on charge sheet

NEW DELHI, MAR 4:A Delhi court has fixed March 30 to hear arguments on framing of charges against former Union Minister Arun Nehru for his alleged involvement in the 1988 pistol purchase deal scam. Directing the Investigating Officer to supply complete copy of the charge sheet to the accused, Special CBI Judge Dinesh Kumar Sharma said that the agency should do it by March 30 so that it can begin hearing arguments on framing charges in the case. It was alleged in the FIR that Nehru, former Minister of State for Home, along with ex-bureaucrat B P Singhal and then Director A K Verma had caused a loss of Rs 25 lakh to the exchequer in the pistol deal with Czechoslovakia in 1988. The court in August 2012 rejected the probe agency's closure report observing that some of the documents reflected involvement of the accused in the conspiracy and had summoned Nehru and Singhal. However, proceedings against Singhal and Verma are abated as they are already dead. The Delhi High Court has exempted Nehru from personal appearance. During 1985-86, Singhal and Verma allegedly conspired with Nehru to execute the deal by ignoring the guidelines for conducting the evaluation of 9 mm pistols to be procured for army. The CBI allegedly found that a policy decision to replace .38 mm revolvers with 9 mm ones was taken on February 21, 1986, following which global tenders were invited.

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4 Egyptians killed in Port Said clashes Kerry Criticizes Iran and Russia for Shipping Arms to Syria
CAIRO: Four people including two policemen were killed in overnight clashes between security forces and protesters in Egypt's restive canal city of Port Said, the interior ministry said on Monday. At least 420 people were also injured in the clashes which began on Sunday after authorities decided to move prisoners awaiting a verdict over alleged involvement in a deadly football riot last year. The two policemen died from gunshots to the head and neck, an interior ministry official said. A security official said earlier that protesters threw petrol bombs and stones at the police station in Port Said, where a general strike entered its third week. Police responded with tear gas. The interior ministry said it decided to move prisoners from Port Said, starting with the 39 remaining defendants over the February 2012 football violence, because it mostly supporters of a visiting Cairo team, exacerbated RIYADH: Secretary of State John Kerry criticized Russia and Iran on Monday for continuing to ship arms to President Bashar al-Assad of Syria. Mr. Kerry has sought to enlist Russia's cooperation for a political solution to the war in Syria and met last week with Foreign Minister Sergey V. Lavrov. But Mr. Kerry said in Riyadh that Russia had continued to send weapons to forces loyal to Mr. Assad. "Believe me, the bad actors, regrettably, have no shortage of their ability to get arms - from Iran, from Hezbollah, from Russia, unfortunately," Mr. Kerry said in a joint news conference with the Saudi foreign minister, Prince Saud alFaisal. "There is no guarantee that one weapon or another might not, at some point in time, flow into the wrong hands," he said. "But I will tell you this: there is a very clear ability now in the Syrian opposition to make certain that what goes to the moderate, legitimate opposition is in fact getting to them, and the indication is that they are increasing their pressure as a result of that." "Morally, we have a duty," the Saudi foreign minister said, alluding to efforts to provide military support. tary assistance, like vehicles. On Iran, Mr. Kerry repeated the American refrain that time was running out for a diplomatic solution regarding Iran's refusal to accept internationally verified limits on its nuclear program. He reiterated the argument that allowing Iran to develop nuclear weapons w o u l d encourage nuclear proliferation and heighten tensions in the region. "But talks will not go on for the sake of talks, and talks cannot become an instrument of delay that will make the situation more dangerous," Mr. Kerry said. "So there is a finite amount of time." Saudi Arabia was the seventh stop on Mr. Kerry's nine-nation tour. His next are the United Arab Emirates and Qatar, nations that are very concerned about Iran and the situation in Syria.

Musharraf will be arrested as soon as he returns: Prosecutor

ISLAMABAD: A top Pakistani prosecutor has said that former military ruler Pervez Musharraf will be arrested as soon as he returns to Pakistan from self-exile as an anti-terrorism court has issued "perpetual warrants" for him. Chaudhry Zulfiqar Ali, a special prosecutor for the Federal Investigation Agency, said Musharraf would be arrested irrespective of whether he returned to Pakistan before or after the formation of a caretaker government to oversee the next general election. Musharraf had announced last week that he intends to return to Pakistan a week after the installation of the interim administration to lead his party in the polls. The Pakistan People's Party-led government will complete its term on March 16 and the caretaker set-up is expected to be formed the same day. Ali told the media that the anti-terrorism court had issued perpetual warrants for Musharraf and he could not evade the Criminal Procedure Code, which demanded his immediate arrest. The court issued the warrants and declared Musharraf a "proclaimed offender" or fugitive after he refused to cooperate with investigators probing the assassination of former premier Benazir Bhutto. Prosecutors have accused Musharraf of failing to provide adequate security to Bhutto when she returned to Pakistan from self-exile in 2007. As a fugitive, Musharraf will not be entitled to any relief unless he surrenders to a court of competent jurisdiction.Musharraf will be treated in accordance with relevant sections of the AntiTerrorism Act of 1997 and produced in the anti-terrorism court after his arrest, Ali said.

wanted to avoid unrest. The court verdict, expected next Saturday, is for the 39 defendants in a case which resulted in death sentences in January for 21 other defendants, sparking clashes that killed at least 40 people. Residents of Port Said and other canal cities have long complained that Cairo marginalises them. Last year's football riot which killed 74 people,

Port Said's isolation, residents of the city say. Overnight clashes also erupted in Cairo between police and protesters near Tahrir Square. Police fired tear gas to disperse the crowd as they approached a luxury hotel on the banks of the Nile which was damaged in clashes last month, a security official said. Officials say calm has been restored to the area.

Polls open in Kenya elections after gun attacks

NAIROBI: Long lines of Kenyans queued from far before dawn as polls opened Monday for hard-fought elections; hours after several policemen were killed in an ambush in the port city of Mombasa. The elections are the first since bloody post-poll violence five years ago in which over 1,100 people were killed, and observers have repeatedly warned of the risk of renewed conflict. However, voters stand in line several hundreds of meters (yards) long and several people thick crowded peacefully outside polling stations including in the capital Nairobi, the port city of Mombasa and the western town of Kisumu. People started lining up outside polling stations from as early as 4:00am to cast their vote in the historic election, with polls officially opening at 6:00am, although there were short delays reported in some areas. Voters packed side streets as they queued in long lines in Mombasa, despite the gun attacks hours earlier blamed on a coastal separatist movement in which several police officers had been killed. Kenyan police chief David Kimaiyo said there had been "casualties from both sides" when an armed gang ambushed police officers in Kenya's second city. "There was a clash between people we suspect are MRC attackers," Kimaiyo said, referring to the Mombasa Republican Council (MRC), a group seeking the secession of the popular tourist coastal region. Police sources said at least five officers had been killed, but officials could not immediately confirm the toll. In Nairobi's shanty town Kibera, scene of some of the worst ethnic clashes during the heavily contested 2007 elections, thousands waited to vote.

He added that the Assad regime was firing missiles at population centers in Syria at times of the day when civilians were concentrated. "Nobody who has done that to his citizens can claim a right to lead a country," he said. While it has decided not to send arms, the Obama administration said that it would send food and medical supplies to the armed wing of the Syrian opposition. Britain is expected to soon announce a package of nonlethal mili-

Biden marches with US Civil Rights leaders in Alabama

WASHINGTON: VicePresident Joe Biden marched with black civil rights leaders in Selma, Alabama to commemorate the "Bloody Sunday" beating of voting rights marchers 48 years ago. The annual gathering took on added importance this year among civil liberties groups concerned with a voting rights case in the US Supreme Court. On Wednesday, the top court appeared ready to overturn, at least in part, the 1965 Voting Rights Act that guards against racial discrimination in US states with a segregationist past. State Police assaulted the original marchers in 1965, who were urging Congress to pass the law, which struck down rules that barred African Americans from voting and ended white majority rule in the US South. Remembering that day, Vice-President Biden said his consciousness was shaped by television footage of the beatings by state troopers. "We saw in stark relief the rank hatred, discrimination and violence that still existed in large parts of the nation," he said at the event, highlighting the area's importance during the US Civil Rights era. Biden marched arm-inarm with Democratic lawmaker Terri Sewell, a Selma native and the first black woman elected to the US Congress from Alabama. She has been re-elected to a second term. The case follows January's re-election of the first black US President, Barack Obama, which critics call evidence that the Law is unnecessary.

ECONOMY

Videocon 4G services by year end, SEBI to convene meeting of FIIs: Chidambaram ties up with Nokia Siemens
NEW DELHI: Telecom operator Videocon Mobile Services ON Monday said it has inked an in-principle agreement with Nokia Siemens Network for 4G services roll out across six telecom circles by end of this year. "We will be using FDDLTE technology which will be deployed by Nokia Siemens Network across six circles where we have liberalized spectrum. Our plan is to start services by end of this year," Videocon Mobile Services Director and CEO Arvind Bali said. Videocon in November 2012 won spectrum in six telecom circles Bihar, Gujarat, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh East and West -- for Rs 2,221.44 crore. As per rules, the company can use the 5 megahertz of spectrum allocated to it through auction in each circle for deployment of any technology. Videocon has operations in Punjab but it can provide only 2G services using the buy more spectrum when need arises," Bali said. Videocon will provide 4G service using dongles and the company expects 4G mobile devices will also be in place. "Seeing the pace of development, I expect that mobile and other devices supporting this technology should also be in place by year end," Bali said. Nokia Siemens Network in a statement said 45 per cent of all LTE subscribers across the world use a network where it is one of the suppliers. "We will be happy to bring some of these cutting edge technologies to the country through Videocon Mobile Services", Nokia Siemens Networks' Head of India Region Sandeep Girotra said. The financial details of the deal are yet to be worked out, Bali said. NEW DELHI: The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) will soon convene a meeting of foreign institutional investors to discuss outstanding issues. This was stated by the Finance Minister, P. Chidambaram, at a postBudget interaction with industry on Monday. Chidambaram also said that he intends to travel to the US, Canada and Japan in April and May to meet and engage with foreign investors. He said that the current account deficit is more worParliament. Stating that the 3 per cent increase in duty will not dampen demand for SUVs, he said the demand was down now because of interest rates. The tax increase on SUVs is small and buyers get huge benefit in terms of subsidized diesel, he added. The Finance Minister said he hoped the interest rate will come down. "The RBI Governor will have to take a call," he said.

Sensex ends flat; Metal, realty stocks major losers

MUMBAI: The Sensex and the Nifty ended the session marginally in the red on Monday due to profit-taking by funds and retail investors amid a weak trend in the global markets. The 30-share BSE index Sensex was down 26.83 points (0.14 per cent) at 18,891.69 and the 50-share NSE index Nifty were down 18.55 points (0.32 per cent) at 5,701.15. Except Banking, all other BSE sectoral indices were trading in the red. Among them, Metal index was down 2.54 per cent, followed by Realty 2.25 per cent and Consumer Durables 2.15 per cent. On the other hand, banking index was up 0.27 per cent. European and Asian stocks were down after China tightened its mortgage rules to cool its residential property market. The Chinese Government has announced fresh measures to take the heat out of the nation's property sector, including higher down-payments and mortgage rates. Also, the global sentiment was dampened as US lawmakers failed to prevent the imposition of $85 billion in spending cuts that kicked in at the end of last week.

airwaves allocated to it in the state. Bali said the company will use part of spectrum for mobile call service using 2G technologies and rest for high speed mobile broadband services using 4G technology. The company will look for buying extra spectrum based on acceptance of the service and market demand. "Getting more spectrum is not going to be any problem. It can be bought now. We will

rying than fiscal deficit and the Government is considering announcing various measures during the course of debate on Budget in

EPFO to use IT-based monitoring of private PF trusts

NEW DELHI: Tightening the noose around private PF trusts, retirement fund body EPFO has decided to use ITdriven monitoring mechanism to ensure improved compliance of EPF scheme by them. "It is proposed to take measures to effect an ITdriven monitoring mechanism for the exempted establishment," an Employees' Provident Fund Organization's (EPFO) order for the field staff said. These private provident fund trusts or exempted establishments are formed by firms which manage their employees' EPF accounts and funds. The subscribers of these trusts and employers managing those also enjoy income tax benefits at par with the EPFO subscribers and firms maintaining their PF accounts with regional officers of the body. According to the order, the annual report for the year 2011-2012, the total number of such exempted establishments or PPFT is 2,750 whereas, as per establishment master (other records) of regional officers, there are 4,417 such trusts. EPFO has asked its field staff to ensure whether the exempted trusts or establishments or PPFTs have been submitting the prescribed returns. The field staff has been asked to find out and ensure that all the eligible employees are enrolled under the Board of Trustees (BOT) of the PPFTs and their PF contributions are paid in time. The regional offices have also been directed to ensure that contributions are being paid at the rate of 12 per cent (of basic pay and dearness allowance) over the years. Employers as well as employees are required to contribute 12 of the basic pay and dearness allowance towards the provident fund accounts every month. Under the scheme, the PPFTs have to maintain the rate of interest on PF deposits announced by the FPFO for a fiscal year. They cannot lower than the prescribed rate. However they can pay more than what EPFO prescribes. EPFO headquarter also asked the field staff to provide it a comparative statement of employment strength, enrolments, the quantum of PF contributions paid to the BOT (under EPF) as well EPF office (under Employees Pension Scheme) over the last 3 years in order to find out whether there is any perceptible fall in either enrolment and PF contribution by these PPFT.

Fin inclusion plan key criteria for new bank licence: RBI
NEW DELHI: The Reserve Bank on Monday said financial inclusion plan will be an important criterion for getting new bank licenses in the private sector. The RBI came out with new bank license guidelines last month wherein it said the important criterion for processing application would be business model of the applicants and it should provide for financial inclusion. As per the new norms, the RBI has prescribed private corporate and public sector entities with 10 years experience to be eligible to apply for new license. The initial paid up capital for new banks has been set at Rs 500 crore. Subbarao said: "A part, indeed an important part of the mandate of central banks is financial stability and an essential prerequisite for financial stability is financial literacy and central bank has a unique leverage in providing financial literacy". Listing the various challenges for financial inclusion, Subbarao said a liberalized Know Your Customer (KYC) norm and having the unique identity number would help simplify the process. He said banks still see financial inclusion as an obligation and not as business opportunity and hence the reach of inclusion was less. He asked banks to take up financial inclusion as business opportunity to help poor come under the banking operation.

Hindustan Copper to invest Rs 533cr in Khetri Copper Complex

NEW DELHI: Hindustan Copper (HCL) will spend about Rs 533 crore to treble production capacity at its Khetri Copper Complex (KCC) in the next five years, Parliament was informed today. "The company (HCL) has taken steps to enhance the ore production of KCC mines from current 1 million tonnes (MT) to 3.1 MT with modern equipment and technology in next five years at an estimated cost of Rs 533 crore," MT in 2008-09, but its production cost was on the rise. The cost of production in KCC is the highest for HCL among all operating mines of the company. It got adversely impacted due to falling ore grade, increase in wage due to pay revision and rise in cost of power and fuel in recent times, Patel said. HCL's mines and plants are spread across four operating units, one each in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand and Maharashtra.

Mines Minister Dinsha Patel said. Rajasthan-based KCC's production had come down to 1 MT in 2011-12 from 1.5

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Banday is new Chairman of J&K Bank Sports Board
JAMMU: Senior officer, Abdul Hameed Banday has been made new Chairman of the Sports Board of Jammu and Kashmir Bank Limited by the management of the financial institution. Banday has replaced outgoing Executive President, Tafazul Hussain, who retired after attaining the age of superannuation. Meanwhile, the executive committee of the Jammu and Kashmir Football Association (JKFA) welcomed the appointment of Abdul Hameed Banday as new Chairman of the Board. The Association also expressed its gratitude to the outgoing Chairman, Tafazul Hussain for being helpful in promotion during all these years. Speaking to the members, Association president, ZA Thakur hoped that Tafazul Hussain shall continue to be a guiding force in future too.

India on course for victory in Hyderabad Test

H Y D E R A B A D : Cheteshwar Pujara struck his second Test double century to ensure a huge first-innings lead as hosts India took a stranglehold of the second cricket Test against a hapless Australia on Monday. Pujara's masterly knock of 204 and his record 370run partnership with Murali Vijay (167) helped India pile up a commanding 503, giving the hosts a lead of 266 runs on the third day at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium. Such was the impact of the Pujara-Vijay effort that India managed to cross the 500-run mark despite losing their last nine wickets for only 116 runs. With a huge cushion under their belt, off-spinner out all guns blazing, dismissing David Warner (26) and Phillip Hughes (0) in quick succession as Australia finished the day at a shaky 74 for two in their second innings. Australia required another 192 runs to avoid an innings While the second day totally belonged to Vijay and Pujara, the duo did its bit on the third day as they frustrated a lacklustre Australian attack which looked clueless and waiting for the batsmen to make mistakes. While Vijay hit 23 boundaries and two sixes in his 361-ball knock, Team India's newest 'run-machine', Pujara's magnificent knock, spanning 341 balls, was laced with 30 boundaries and a six.

Somdev moves 65 places to 250

Pujara's double ton puts India on top Ravichandran Ashwin came out all guns blazing, dismissing David Warner (26) and Phillip Hughes (0) in quick succession as Australia finished the day at a shaky 74 for two in their second innings. Both Warner and Hughes were guilty of trying to sweep Ashwin deliveries, which pitched on the legstump before disturbing their stumps. At the close of play, Ravichandran Ashwin came

Saina to Lead Indian Challenge at all England

women's singles is rising star P.V. Sindhu, who will be facing another Thai Busanan Ongbumrungpan in the opening round. Sindhu, 17, also from Hyderabad, has beaten Busanan in the the only match they have played till date. In the men's singles, Mumbai lad Ajay Jayaram starts his campaign against World No.19 Zhengming Wang of China. Jayaram has a 1-0 head-to-head record against the Chinese. London Olympics quarterfinalist Parupalli Kashyap will take on Hsu Jen Hao of Chinese Taipei for the first time. World No.11 Kashyap has been drawn into a tough lower half of the main draw and could face Danish Viktor Axelsen, seventh seed Kenichi Tago of Japan and second seed Chen Long of China. Kashyap will have a tough time achieving his childhood dream of winning the title which his mentor and national coach Pullela Gopichand won more than a decade ago. In the mixed doubles, Jwala Gutta will be making a comeback since the London Games with V. Diju while her old-time women's doubles partner Ashwini Ponnappa will team up with Kerala shuttler Tarun Kona.

Gulbis wins Delray Beach ATP title

NEW DELHI: Continuing to reclaim lost ground in the ATP rankings, Somdev Devvarman on Monday jumped 65 places to 250th to be India's best-placed singles player in the list issued today. Somdev was ranked 62nd in the world in 2011 before poor form combined with a shoulder surgery kept him out of action for the better part of the 2012 season. The Indian's ranking took a severe beating in this period. He last week beat Russian world number 167 Igor Kunitsyn to earn 45 ranking points and climb up the ladder. Yuki Bhanabri is the next

best Indian in the singles list at 266, down 15 places. Also sliding in the list was Sanam Singh, who now finds himself at 216 after losing 21 places. In the doubles rankings, Leader Paes continued to be the best Indian at number 8, followed by Mahesh Bhupathi (11), who whose position was unchanged after defending his title at the Dubai Tennis Championships. Rohan Bopanna dropped out of top-10, losing two positions to be at number 12. In the WTA rankings, Sania Mirza was unmoved at number 14.

Vijay Club blanks Sainik Colony in Rajiv Gold Cup

JAMMU: Vijay Club on Monday blanked fighting Sainik Colony Football Club making it 2-0 to advance in the ongoing 3rd Rajiv Gandhi Gold Cup Football Tournament at GGM Science College ground. Taking an early lead with Vishal Sodhi netting the ball for first goal in the very fifth minute, Vijay Club dominated the field afterwards. Their strategy to continue with the attacking game yielded results and Vijay Club scored their second in the 22nd minute. Tanpreet Singh Bagga made the second goal to help the side take invincible 2-0 lead in the first half of the play. The second half of the play remained barren with Vijay Club slowed down the game and concentrated most on holding the opponent beyond the striking area. The strategy was to keep the lead intact while maintaining a strong defence. Meanwhile, in another match of the day, Young Rovers trounced Mussa Club by three goals to one. Varun Sharma scored the first goal for the winners in 10th minute, followed by two goals netted by Avinash in 34th and 61st minute of the match. From Mussa Club, Honey reduced the margin scoring in 59th minute. Earlier, two yellow cards were shown to Ali Khan and Sahil Choudhary of the Young Rovers.

Hunger strike to protest wrestling's Olympic removal

FLORIDA: Latvia's Ernests Gulbis has won the ATP 250 tennis tournament in Delray Beach here, propelling him up the new rankings published Monday. Gulbis defeated France's Edouard RogerVasselin 7-6(3), 6-3 in the first ATP final since 2007 to be contested between two players outside the top 100, and as a result rises 42 places to world No.67. "I'm really happy. I worked hard," qualifier Gulbis said, after winning in Delray Beach for the second time, following his first victory in 2010. "These last nine days were tough. I had a match almost every day, except one day when it rained, so I'm exhausted now. It's my favourite tournament. It's the only tournament in the world I am winning." Roger-Vasselin, in his first Tour final, missed set point in the first set and was gracious in defeat. The highest-ranked player to move is Spain's Nicolas Almagro, up one place to 11th, displacing Croatia's Marin Cilic. Further down, Canada's Milos Raonic pushes past Stanislas Wawrinka to take 17th following the Swiss No.2's first-round exit in Acapulco last week. SOFIA: Bulgarian wrestling coach and two-times Olympic champion Armen Nazaryan has started a hunger strike to protest the sport being dumped from the 2 0 2 0 Olympics, the count r y ' s wrestling federation said. "The two times Olympic champion will not eat until the start of the European Championship on March 22 in Tbilisi, Georgia and will only take juices," an official said. "Wrestling has always been on the Olympics programme and it is not right to take it out. I sincerely hope that my action will convince the IOC (International Olympic Committee) to review its decision," Nazaryan said. The IOC executive panel decided last month to exclude wrestling from the 2020 Games programme, prompting protests from other figures in the sport as well as creating an unlikely common cause for geopolitical foes Iran and the United States. Nazaryan, 38, was an Olympic champion for Armenia in the Greco-Roman style at the 1996 Games in Atlanta and also won gold and bronze for Bulgaria at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney and the 2004 Athens Games. He is currently chief coach of Bulgaria's GrecoRoman wrestling team. Bulgaria's women wrestling coach, two times World and four t i m e s European freestyle champion Serafim B a r z a k o v, was also ready to go on hunger strike to support Nazaryan, the federation added. Wrestling has been Bulgaria's most successful Olympic sport with its athletes winning a total of 16 titles. The country's wrestling federation Chief Valentin Yordanov has already protested the IOC's decision to remove the ancient sport from the 2020 Olympic schedule by returning his 1996 Olympic gold medal to IOC's headquarters in Lausanne, Switzerland.

BIRMINGHAM: World No.2 Saina Nehwal will lead the Indian challenge at the All England Open Badminton Championships starting Wednesday at the National Indoor Arena here. Saina, seeded second, will face World No.20 Sapsiree Taerattanachai in the first round. Saina has beaten the Thai on all the four occasions they have met in the past. The Olympic bronze medalist will try to better her performance in the prestigious Premier Super Series tournament. Saina's best at the $350,000 tournament was the semi-final appearance in 2010. The Hyderabadi may face some real challenge from quarters, where she could be up against former World No.1 Shixian Wang. Saina has a 3-1 head-to-head record against the Chinese. Giving Saina Company in the

Sri Lanka pay row ends, players available for Bangla series
COLOMBO: A pay dispute between Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) and its 23 centrally contracted players ended on Monday with the cricketers signing new contracts and making themselves available for the two-test series against Bangladesh starting on Friday. The SLC and Sri Lankan sports minister M a h i n d a n a n d a Aluthgamage had threatened to drop the 23 senior players if did not sign the new contracts by Monday. "Twenty two out of 23 players have signed the contracts which make them available for the selection for Bangladesh test series," SLC chief executive officer Ajith Jayasekera said. Former captain Mahela Jayawardene, who is abroad, was the only player who did not sign his contract. "The selection committee met (on Monday) and the team is in the process of approval," Jayasekera added. The contracts expired at the end of February but the players refused to sign a new contract by Saturday's deadline. The SLC extended the deadline to Monday. SLC officials and Aluthgamage have said the players were demanding a pay of 75 percent of the board's total earnings, while a senior cricketer said they were merely opposing SLC's move to cut their terms. A similar pay dispute threatened to derail last year's Sri Lanka Premier League after the players said they would pull out of the tournament.

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