Your World Connected

Vol. 2 Issue 32 10.00 24 Pages RNI Reg. No.: PUNMUL/2012/45041 Postal Reg. No. PB/JL-047/2013-15

Page 24

SUNDAY 11 AUGUST 2013

www.facebook.com/uconnectt

Weekly Newspaper
Leisure 17

Lifestyle 4

-Reserve Bank of India Gets New Governor -Hear Us Prime Minister!

Editorial

National 10

Celebrity 14

International 18

Business 20

Sports 22

Page 6

Grunge (sometimes referred to as the Seattle sound) is a subgenre of alternative rock that emerged during the mid1980s in the American state of Washington, particularly in the Seattle area. Inspired by hardcore punk, heavy metal, and indie rock, grunge is generally characterized by heavily distorted electric guitars, Page 4

Peace At All Costs

Any disorderly conduct whether by words spoken or written or by an act which has effect of teasing, treatRagging ingSeniors or handling with rudeness any junior and Raging student, indulging in Juniors tough or indisciplined Page 12
Anger over the killing of five Indian soldiers in Jammu and Kashmir gripped parliament Tuesday as members across political divide condemned the incident and sought strong action, while the government said Last Monsoon of the army ready to uphold 15thwas Lok Sabha the sanctity of the Line of Page 13 (LoC). Control

P.V. Sindhu assured India of at least a bronze medal in the World Badminton Championships Friday defeating former World No.1 World Shixian Wang in the womChampionships: ens singles quarterfinals Sindhu assures event here. India Bronze The Worldof No.12 beat the Page 23 seventh seeded Chinese

Even as killings continue on the LOC, Government of India is loathe to accept Pakistani deceit and treachery. Full coverage of the martyrdom of Indian soldiers inside. Page 2

Peace At All Costs?

COVER STORY

CHANDIGARH SUNDAY 11 August 2013

Bihar mourns soldiers killed in Kashmir

India needs to review battle preparedness at LoC

New Delhi With frequent border incursions being reported this year, many Indians have raised questions about the level and extent of border vigilance by the Indian Army at the LoC with experts suggesting that the rules of engagement and the existing patrol procedures may need to be reviewed. These concerns were revived in wake of the audacious raid by Pakistani intruders Tuesday night that resulted in the death of five Indian soldiers. Commodore (retd) C. Uday Bhaskar, former deputy director of the Institue of Defence Studies and Analyses, said the incident certainly raises concerns about our border vigilance and preparedness. This intrusion into Indian territory by any adversary who can actually kill or behead Indian troops is cause for concern, Bhaskar told IANS. Bhaskar said it was time for the Indian Army to review its existing preparedness level at the 730 km-long LoC, the de facto border. The Indian Army will have to review its existing procedures/inventory/infrastructure/intelligence and plug the gaps. The LoC is very long and the topography does not allow for minute patrolling, he said. He said the Indian Army should be given the political support to raise the costs to the adversary in limited sectors. But he cautioned that Indians response should not be impulsive. ..India must not be impulsive and driven by emotive nationalism. Long term objectives and the cost-benefit analysis must be kept in mind. And the language in public discourse must not be intemperate, he added. A senior defence officer who spoke to IANS on condition of anonymity said he was convinced that to an extent there was intelligence failure that led to the attack. To some extent there was intelligence failure. Such a large number of terrorists cant infiltrate. Also, I am convinced that the infiltration was aided by the Pakistan regulars. It is not possible for 20 heavily armed terrorists to attack our patrol team. It was a planned incursion. And they knew about the patrol, said the officer, who has commanded a brigade on the LoC. I also feel that there should be a retaliation to this killing. The morale of the soldiers is shaken. As they know our weak points, we know their weak points too. We need to give them a strong message, the officer added. Colonel (retd) P.N. Khera, editor of Asian Defence News International (ADNI), heartily agreed, saying that battalion commanders needed greater flexibility to react. It had happened when 16 Corps, in whose operational area the incident occurred, was commanded by Gen. K.V. Krishna Rao, who later rose to army chief. When Gen. Krishna Rao questioned a local commander as to why there had been no retaliation, the reply he received was that permission had to come from the top and by the time this came, the intruders would have retreated, Khera said. Well, as your corps commander I am authorising you to retaliate if the situation so warrants, Khera recalled Gen. Rao as saying. After this had happened twice or thrice, the Pakistanis themselves asked for a flag meeting and it was all quiet after that, Khera added. The incident was neither the first nor will be the last, said a former diplomatic official who also did not like to be named. In fact, the Indian nation is well advised to prepare itself for an increase rather than decrease of terrorist activities in foreseeable future, given clear trends in our neighbourhood, especially Afghanistan, he said. He said legitimate questions may, however, be raised about the preparedness of our army and the rules of engagement under which it operates. People may wonder how the Army will protect the country when it cannot defend itself. The latest incident was the worst border clash in Kashmir after January when two Indian soldiers were killed in Mendhar sector of the LoC. One of the soldiers was then beheaded while the body of the other was mutilated. Since 2003, when India and Pakistan declared a ceasefire, the guns have mostly been silent on the LoC. But troops of the two countries sometimes exchange fire across a live border with tens of thousands of soldiers massed on either side where retaliatory firefights are common over trivial incidents.
IANS

Ara/Danapur (Bihar) Shambu Saran Rai, one of the five soldiers killed in Kashmir, was to come home on a holiday in Bihars Ara town this week. Now, his griefstricken family awaits his body. A pall of gloom has descended on Rais house at Anaitha in Ara, 60 km from Patna, with hundreds of people thronging it to voice their solidarity with the family -- plus anger and anguish. Rais wife Sapna Devi and mother Kusum Devi fainted several times when they were told about the death. Both were inconsolable. Shambu Rais father Vansidhar Rai struggles to control his tears. We were waiting for his arrival as his holiday had been approved. He would have been here Thursday or Friday. But destiny had something else in store. Now his body will arrive, not him, Rai senior told IANS. Sapna Devi married Rai 12 years ago. They have three daughters and a son. She is shattered. Her world has crashed. She is unable to say anything except cry, said Rai. The sorrow apart, the father is proud of his son. It is a rare thing that my son died for India. We are proud of him, he said. A Non-Commissioned Officer and four soldiers were killed when the attackers, including men in Pakistani military uniform, sneaked into Indian territory and ambushed an army patrol near the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir early Tues-

day. One soldier was injured. Equally distraught is Pushpa Devi, wife of another Martyr soldier Vijay Kumar Rai. She is unable to come to terms that her husband is no more. Vijay Rai had left her at their house in Danapur near Patna July 27 to report for duty in Poonch in Jammu and Kashmir. After TVs reported that five soldiers had been killed in the border, she tried several times to call him on his phone but failed to get a response. She was not ready to accept anything negative till Vijays brother, who is with the army too, gave her the bad news, said Vijays brother Rajkishore Rai, a resident of Anandpur Thehka village. Vijays uncle Ramji Singh told IANS that Vijay Rai would be remembered for his bravery for the country. He is now an icon of sacrifice. Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has announced a state funeral for all four soldiers of the 21 Bihar Regiment who were killed and a compensation of Rs.10 lakh for their families. Besides, Sambhu and Vijay, the other slain soldiers are Prem Nath and Raghunandan Prasad, both from Bihars Saran district, and Naik Pundalik Mane from Maharashtra. The killings have impacted ties between India and Pakistan, whose prime ministers are widely expected to meet on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly next month.

People join police, armed forces to die: Bihar minister, Reacting to comments Nitish Kumar apologised
Patna In a disgraceful and insensitive remark, Bihars Rural Works Department Minister Bhim Singh on Thursday said that people join police and armed forces only to die. Jawans (soldiers) are born to be martyred. Why else do people join Army and the police force?, he told reporters. After being snubbed by Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar for his insensitive comments, Singh later apologized. Nitish Kumar had reportedly asked Singh to immediately tender an unconditional apology to the families of the martyred soldiers hailing from Bihar, withdraw the remark and not to repeat such statements in the future. At a time when the whole nation is numb over the killing of five Indian soldiers, out of which four belonged to Bihar, Singhs thoughtless remarks have drawn huge flak. His comments came on a day when the bodies of the five soldiers killed in Jammu and Kashmir by the Pakistani Army were cremated with full state honours in Bihar and Maharashtra. When asked why his party, Janata Dal (United), was not represented at the arrival of bodies of martyrs at Patna airport, Singh asked the reporter if his father or mother went to the airport to receive martyrs. Reacting to Singhs comment, Kumar said it was sad that his Cabinet minister gave such a comment and apologised. The whole country is indebted to the soldiers; to giver respect to the martyrs is our duty, he said

CHANDIGARH SUNDAY 11 August 2013

Chennai Express a typical sambar and sandalwood creation

zombie, shes unbelievably goofy. Its not just Shah Rukh who gets a kick out of that scene. Would Rohit Shetty please do a full-fledged outand-out comedy with Deepika? That, Chennai Express is not. It is a halfhearted but laugh-hearted effort that makes the fatal error of taking itself too seriously. Towards the end when the utterly shammed climactic fight ensues, we even have a long speech by Shah Rukh on the social status of the girl child. Not now, please! As we squirm at the attempt to turn comedy into a serious business we look back at the rest of the film with some amount of warmth and affection. Some of the long shots of the train winding through green acres is breathtaking. And Shah Rukhs first meeting with Deepikas father over a bridge over a fast-flowing river is shot with amazing brio. Theres a wonderfully-shot sequence where Shah Rukh has to carry Deepika to a temple over hundreds of steps. Deepika here goes from amusement and mockery to a sense of belonging and pride in her mans arms. Its a moment built with care and love. But then, such tender affection really has no place in this comedy of cultural dispossession where the Punjabi boy Rahul gets embroiled in Tamil girl Meenas family affairs and comes out... well not quite wiser. But filled with self-mocking laughter. Shah Rukh pokes a whole lot of good-natured fun at his now-aging lover-boy persona. There are tongue-in-cheek references to Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge and several other Shah Rukh Khan films and songs including the introductory South Indian lines from the Jiya jale song in Dil Se. All these self-tributes work better than what Puri Jagganath did with the Bachchan persona Buddha... Hoga Tera Baap.Rohit Shetty is more in command of his canvas here than in his last comedy Bol Bachchan. But

REVIEW

Film: Chennai Express, Cast: Shah Rukh Khan, Deepika Padukone, Director: Rohit Shetty, Rating: *** Dammit! No out-takes!! Is this really a Rohit Shetty film? Every film of the Gol Maal director has so far ended with out-takes giving us entertaining glimpses from during the making of the film. Here those trademark Shetty out-takes are replaced by a Honey Singh track which celebrates Rajnikanth and the lungi.The rest of the film resembles those typical sambar-and-sandalwood creations by K. Raghvendra Rao, and worse still, Raj Kanwars Dhai Akshar Prem Ke where Aishwarya to escape her parental wrath at her elopement, introduces to her family a man she has just met as her soul-mate. Of course, there are the flying cars exploding in the air to make sure we know that all said and drummed, this

is a Rohit Shetty presentation. Packaged with pickled precision, peppered with just the right doses of naughty jokes and precocious pranks that go well with Shah Rukhs 40-year-old brats act, Chennai Express is the kind of non-toxic comic entertainer where the most damaging double-entendres youd get is a Tamil word that sounds like Angelina Jolies name. Come again? That brings me to another major hurdle in the heap of hilarity that Shetty builds so meticulously in the first-half. The generous outflow of Tamil that seems initially engaging (more so, since Shah Rukh shares our non-comprehension of the rapidfire Tamilian cloudburst that accompanies Deepikas quicksilver character) begins to come in the way as the narration grows older and runs out of energy. But then there is the

sprightly Deepika as the runaway Tamilian girl who piles on to the North Indian mithaiwala stranger to escape marrying the boorish fiancee back home in her village in Tamil Nadu.Weve seen Kareena Kapoor do the chirpy runaway train traveller in Jab We Met. Deepika brings a special filtered-coffee flavour to her chirpy character. Even that broad hammy accent grows on us. Yes, we like! Here she is is the only Rohit Shetty team member (and I use the term team since Shetty generously credits the direction to himself and his team) who seems to have a firm grip over her rudderless dithering character. Deepika plays Meena Amma with flavourful flourish. She is specially delightful in three key sequences, two of them comic and the other unexpectedly sombre. In the sequence where her character turns into a sleeping, kicking and convulsive

the self-deprecatory laughter is still not good enough. Somewhere you feel the one-line plot (okay, if not one then two-line plot) is stretched into an unwelcome second-half where nothing really happens. Even the humour tracks stops short beyond a point. But there is some genuine steam and spark in the early part of Chennai Express. Towards the beginning of the train journey when Deepika and Shah Rukh play a kind of antakshari of Hindi film songs to put the goons off her trail, Deepika completely overshadows her kingly co-star, who should be okay with being upstaged by his female co-star. After all he has given Deepika priority over his own name in the credit titles. And Deepika takes the lead very seriously. She has never looked better and never been funnier on screen without even trying too hard. But then the plot and the situations let her down. The antakshari-speak that was amusing in the beginning recurs during a stale fight sequence in the second-half. We are no longer laughing. Not when Shah Rukhs purported big chase sequences end in embarrassing deadends. Not when an item song with incoherent words and even more misguided logistics pops up like a joke whose punchline has gone missing.Through all of this, Shah Rukh Khan braves it with a delicious sense of self-mockery bordering almost on a masochistic absence of heroic pride. Yes, he likes it when the joke is on him. But that happens once too often here. So its finally here. The film that all Shah Rukh Khan fans (which covers half the hemisphere) has been waiting for. The good news first. Chennai Express is a pleasant and likable film in parts. The bad news is, it does nothing for Shah Rukh Khans imdomitable star power except to tell us he can still play a 40-year Rahul without faltering. That we already know.

For Advertisement and Circulation Contact : sales@rajpandit.com 0172-4647726

LIFESTYLE

CHANDIGARH SUNDAY 11 August 2013

History
Grunges sound partly results from Seattles isolation from other music scenes. As Sub Pops Jonathan Poneman noted, Seattle was a perfect example of a secondary city with an active music scene that was completely ignored by an American media fixated on Los Angeles and New York. Mark Arm claimed that the isolation meant, this one corner of the map was being really inbred and ripping off each others ideas. Grunge evolved from the local punk rock scene, and was inspired by bands such as The Fartz, The U-Men, 10 Minute Warning, The Accsed, and the Fastbacks. Additionally, the slow, heavy, and sludgy style of the Melvins was a significant influence on the grunge sound.

GRUNGE

Mainstream success
Grunge
(sometimes referred to as the Seattle sound) is a subgenre of alternative rock that emerged during the mid-1980s in the American state of Washington, particularly in the Seattle area. Inspired by hardcore punk, heavy metal, and indie rock, grunge is generally characterized by heavily distorted electric guitars, contrasting song dynamics, growling vocals and apathetic or angst-filled lyrics. The early grunge movement coalesced around Seattle independent record label Sub Pop in the late 1980s. Grunge became commercially successful in the first half of the 1990s mainly to the release of Nirvanas Nevermind and Pearl Jams Ten. The success of these bands boosted the popularity of alternative rock and made grunge the most popular form of hard rock music at the time. Although most grunge bands had disbanded or faded from view by the late 1990s, their influence continues to affect modern rock music. In the late 1980s , Soundgarden was the first grunge band to sign to a major label when they joined the roster of A&M Records in 1989. A number of factors contributed to grunges decline in prominence. During the latter half of the 1990s, grunge was supplanted by post-grunge, which remained commercially viable into the start of the 21st century. During the mid-1990s many grunge bands broke up or became less visible. Nirvanas Kurt Cobain, labeled by Time as the John Lennon of the swinging Northwest, appeared unusually tortured by success and struggled with an addiction to heroin. Grunge bands had made inroads to the musical mainstream in the late 1980s. Soundgarden was the first grunge band to sign to a major label when they joined the roster of A&M Records in 1989. Soundgarden, along with other major label signings Alice in Chains and Screaming Trees, performed okay with their initial major label releases, according to Jack Endino. Nirvana, originally from Aberdeen, Washington, was also courted by major labels, finally signing with Geffen Records in 1990. In September 1991, the band released its major label debut, Nevermind. The album was at best hoped to be a minor success on par with Sonic YouthsGoo, which Geffen had released a year earlier. It was the release of the albums first single Smells Like Teen Spirit that marked the instigation of the grunge music phenomenon.

Decline of mainstream popularity

A number of factors contributed to grunges decline in prominence. During the latter half of the 1990s, grunge was supplanted by postgrunge, which remained commercially viable into the start of the 21st century. Post-grunge bands such as Candlebox and Bush emerged soon after grunges breakthrough. These artists lacked the underground roots of grunge and were largely influenced by what grunge had become, namely a wildly popular form of inward-looking, serious-minded hard rock. Post-grunge was a more commercially viable genre that tempered the distorted guitars of grunge with polished, radio-ready production.

Grunge is generally characterized by a sludgy guitar sound that uses a high level of distortion, fuzz and feedback effects. Grunge fuses elements of hardcore punk and heavy metal, although some bands performed with more emphasis on one or the other. The music shares with punk a raw sound and similar lyrical concerns. However, it also involves much slower tempos, dissonant harmonies, and more complex instrumentationwhich is reminiscent of heavy metal. Some individuals associated with the development of grunge, including Sub Pop producer Jack Endino and the Melvins, explained grunges incorporation of heavy rock influences such as Kiss as musical provocation. In the early 1990s, Nirvanas signature stop-start song format became a genre convention. All music calls grunge a hybrid of heavy metal and punk.

s c i t s i r e t c a r a h C
Lyrics are typically angst-filled, often addressing themes such as social alienation, apathy, confinement, and a desire for freedom. Many grunge musicians displayed a general disenchantment with the state of society, as well as a discomfort with social prejudices. Music critic Simon Reynolds said in 1992 that theres a feeling of burnout in the culture at large. Kids are depressed about the future. Humor in grunge often satirized glam metalfor example, Soundgardens Big Dumb Sex and other forms of popular rock music during the 1980s. Grunge concerts were known for being straightforward, high-energy performances. Grunge bands rejected the complex and high budget presentations of many musical genres, including the use of complex light arrays, pyrotechnics, and other visual effects unrelated to playing the

the middle of the cide in 1994. In 21st century, The first decade of the d ue in e note of grunges have cont Seattle Times mad Some grunge band s, es cc su emerging in Seating with influenced groups recording and tour l ar Pe m Depres, tly nifican cluding Post Stardo in , tle including, most sig ns. 06 Rolling Stone sion, The Valley, and The Weapo Jam. While in 20 d rte described Pearl Similarly, The Guardian repo writer Brian Hiatt m fro e oups pent much of th unge-influenced gr Jam as having s g of gr rin saur Piletea no Di ly ng ate di er lib clu Yorkshire, in past decade de e th antic Killer Band, me, he noted Up, The Old Rom apart their own fa lfo t er e Them, Pulled loyal conc The Tempus, Abov band developed a l fu ate Gr and Wonderswan. at of the Apart by Horses, lowing akin to th e th , ise m de New York Times anas Also, in 2003 The Dead. Despite Nirv l sfu es unge fashcc su be d to a resurgence in gr ted no band has continue 2010 e to the high sales ion. Soundgarden re-formed in posthumously. Du ars ye e o th imal tw Journals and d released King An an for Kurt Cobains of e a fiv an p d the to mpilation Nirv later which reache bands best-of co nDe e in Th , ts s char s in 2002 the national album upon their release d ite a Un an e rv th Ni d nd an music. Stage acting was generally New York Times argued mark, New Zeala an th w no avoided. Instead the bands presented are having more success States. ins suithemselves as no different from mi- at any point since Mr. Coba nor local bands. Jack Endino said in the 1996 documentary Hype! that Seattle bands were inconsistent live performers, since their primary objective was not to be entertainers, but simply to rock out. Clothing commonly worn by grunge musicians in Washington consisted of thrift store items and the typical outdoor clothing (most notably flannel shirts) of the region, as well as a generally unkempt appearance. The style did not evolve out of a conscious attempt to create an appealing fashion; music journalist Charles R. Cross said, [Nirvana frontman] Kurt Cobain was just too lazy to shampoo, and Sub Pops Jonathan Poneman said, This [clothing] is cheap, its durable, and its kind of timeless. It also runs against the grain of the whole flashy aesthetic that existed in the 80s.

y r u t n e c t s 1

CHANDIGARH SUNDAY 11 August 2013

REGION
who have not fought even panchayat elections are ruling the country. Without any knowledge of ground level situation, they are framing policies from air-conditioned rooms in Delhi. Badal was addressing a gathering at Fatehgarh Sahib, 60 km from here, after administering oath to newly elected village representatives. Taking a dig at the Congress leadership, Badal said: Indira Gandhi gave the slogan of Garibi Hatao (Remove Poverty), and now her grandson (Rahul Gandhi) is bent on removing the poor from the country. He said the Akali Dal government introduced several welfare schemes for the poor but the Congress leadership tried to scuttle these. Badal said it was laughable that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who decried Punjabs Atta-Dal scheme a wasteful expenditure, was copying the scheme in the food security ordinance.

Sukhbir Badal calls Rahul alien

Curfew in J&K town after 35 kg heroin seized communal clashes in Punjab

Jammu Curfew was imposed and two columns of the army were deployed in Kishtwar town in Jammu region Friday on Eid-ul-Fitr after about 500 villagers raised pro-independence slogans that led to clashes between two communities. A police officer told IANS a procession of around 500 people from Hullar, Bandna, Punoo and Bhata villages took out a procession in Kishtwar town, 220 km from winter capital Jammu, raising pro-independence slogans.

Chandigarh Punjab Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal Wednesday described Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi an alien who is oblivious about the ground level situation in villages. Slamming Gandhi for saying that poverty is state of mind, Badal said: It is surprising that leaders

Chandigarh Nearly 35 kg of heroin, worth around Rs.175 crore in the international market, was seized Wednesday from a smuggler in Punjabs border Tarn Taran district, officials said. Based on a tip-off, Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) officials had set up a barrier at Buchhar Kalan village in Tarn Taran district, 280 km from here, and stopped a car being driven by Gurcharan Singh. He tried to escape but was intercepted. A search of the vehicle led to the recovery of the heroin, the officials said.

Following this, stone-pelting clashes broke out between the two communities at Kulid chowk in Kishtwar, the officer said. As the news of the clashes spread to the Eidgah grounds where people had gathered to offer Eid-ul-Fitr prayers, many of them joined in the violence, he added. The mob torched four shops, a truck and a scooter. Police used tear gas and batons to control the situation and fired warning shots to disperse the mob, the officer said.

Depressed with sons illness, property dealer kills family, self

Chandigarh Depressed over the condition of his mentally retarded son, a wellto-do Kapurthala property dealer shot dead three members of his family before committing suicide, police said Wednesday. Avtar Singh (43) ended his life early Wednesday in his house after killing his wife Roopinder (40), son Gaurav Prateek (13) and daughter Amanat (8). The incident took place around 6 a.m. Avtar used his licensed .12bore rifle to eliminate his family and himself. Police said that after killing his wife and children, Avtar called up his cousin Karamjit and told him that he had killed his family and was going to take his own life. He also called up his brother-in-law Sukhraj and told him the same thing. Both rushed to his house and had to scale the wall to get inside. They found the family lying in a pool of blood inside a bedroom. The police were called immediately. Avtar was related to former Punjab finance minister Upinderjit Kaur. Kapurthala district police chief Inderbir Singh said investigations were on.

Man arrested for wifes murder in Kashmir

Jammu Police in Jammu and Kashmirs Udhampur Wednesday arrested a man on charges of having murdered his wife, whose semi-decomposed body was found in a rented accommodation in the town. A senior police officer told IANS here Ram Kumar was arrested after the inquest proceedings and post mortem report was received on suspicion of having murdered his wife after a domestic quarrel. During sustained interrogation the accused broke down and admitted having killed his wife. He claimed his wife would often quarrel with him over petty issues and his drinking habits, the officer said. On one such occasion, Ram Kumar hit his wife on the head with an agricultural tool and ran away. It was only after a few days when a bad smell started coming out of the couples rented accommodation that the body of the victim was discovered, the official said. The post mortem report confirmed the victim had died because of a fatal head injury. Independent witnesses also told the police the couple would often engage in domestic quarrels, the officer said. Police have also recovered the agricultural tool which is believed to be the murder weapon.

Mountain bikers hit the road in the Himachal hills

Shimla Aiming to woo cycling enthusiasts in the big cities, a local club has been organising adventure events in the Shmila hills to promote mountain biking, which is big in the West. The latest event saw nearly 20 intrepid bikers, mainly from Punjab, Chandigarh and the hill state, participate in the two-day MTB (mountain biking) Himalaya 2013 Training Camp which concluded Sunday. The aim of the event, a first for the country, was to popularise mountain biking, especially among white-collar workers in big cities, Mohit Sood, president of the Himalayan Adventure Sports and Tourism Promotion Association (HASTPA) which organised the event, told IANS. Sood said the training session involved audio-video sessions, theory sessions and practical demonstrations. The riders were guided on to some jeep tracks and single tracks around Kufri, a picturesque resort some 13 km from here, he said. The Shimla-based HASTPA every year also organises the Hercules MTB Himachal Expedition, considered one of toughest in the world. This year, it is holding the ninth edition of the off-road event from Sep 27 to Oct 3. Sood said in the mountain biking training camp the bikers were told about safety tips, use of machines and maintenance of their cycles during the expedition. Portuguese rider Luis Canto Moniz, who is the Ferrari India general manager, and local riders Devender Thakur and Gurman Reen gave tips to the bikers about the sport. I am happy that such events are picking up speed in India. Its quite popular in Europe, North America around 29 km from here, are the best cycling spots. Hatu Hotel in Narkanda, run by the Himachal Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation, provides mountain bikes. The slopes of Jalori Pass (at an altitude of 3,223 metres) in Kullu are one of the finest in the world, says Cycling Federation of India member Rakesh Mohindra. Cyclists can test their endurance, skill and luck on these vertical climbs, he said. The 320-km Shimla-Reckong PeoSumdoh-Kaza route also offers a lot of thrills with mild, tough and extremely rugged slopes. But it is strictly for professionals riding bikes of titanium carbon fibre priced between Rs.100,000 and Rs.200,000.

and Canada. Himachals terrain offers the most challenging environment in the Himalayas, Moniz told IANS. During the training, participants, both men and women, passed through forest trails, village backtracks and unmetalled and metalled single-lane rural roads, winding through the hills surrounding Shimla. For us it was more of an adventure weekend. The boulder-riddled terrain was challenging. Overall it was a unique experience, said Prabhjit Singh, a cyclist from Chandigarh. Sood said cyclists from Himachal were trained for free to enable them start their own ventures. The growing enthusiasm among Indians for mountain biking has also meant growing business for the adventure tourism industry. Those in the industry, mainly in

Kullu and Manali, said the best time to pedal in the hills, especially in the higher reaches, was from June till November when the snowfall begins. The 475-km Manali-Leh road linking the tourist hill town of Manali to Ladakh attracts the most number of cyclists. The route is tough and the pressure on cyclists is extreme since they have to cycle through the cold deserts of Lahaul and Spiti and Ladakh. The Manali-Leh expedition is for 14 days, including three days of acclimatisation, said Prithvi Raj Sharma of Magic Mountain, a travel agent in Manali. He said the fee per cyclist ranges between Rs.40,000 and Rs.50,000 depending upon the kits sought. For newcomers and families, the hills surrounding Narkanda, 65 km from Shimla, and Kasauli in Solan,

By Vishal Gulati

OPINION
EDITORIAL DESK
Manu Sharma
Chief Economist of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), he brings formidable knowledge of academia and policy making to the Reserve Bank in todays turbulent times. Rajan faces two fold pressure of stabilizing the inflation levels, particularly the food inflation and alleviating the downward pressure on the exchange rate of Rupee. His work as the head of Planning Commissions Committee on Financial Reforms does inspire much confidence but his lack of interface with Indian political landscape may be a cause of concern. On the face of it Reserve Bank of India stands as an apolitical institution, however this being an election year all public institutions will be brought into play by the government and the opposition. A dismal economic scenario and external pressure on the Indian economy may yield questions that could at best be handled by technocrats like Dr. Rajan. All this however bears one caveat, will the system cooperate with an outsider to deliver the best? Remains to be seen. Nevertheless all the best to Dr. Rajan.

CHANDIGARH SUNDAY 11 August 2013

Hear Us Prime Minister!

Failure and under-performance are the bywords one would normally associate with initiatives of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. But none has been as spectacular as the so called Indo-Pak peace process being pursued at proverbial all costs by the Prime Minister. Ever since the Lahore thaw pioneered by then PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Pakistan has not scaled down or reverted its policy of proxy war against India. Parliament attack, Mumbai bomb blasts, 26/11 Mumbai attacks and sundry other incidents have gone unpunished and their perpetrators

Reserve Bank of India, the central bank of India is all set to get its new Governor, Dr. Raghuram Rajan. Dr. Rajan is an illustrious economist with several awards and accolades to this credit. Born in a diplomats family, he did his undergraduate degree from IIT-Delhi and subsequent did a stint at IIM-Ahmedabad. Moving on to a PhD degree in Economics he was awarded the same in 1991 for the topic Essays on Banking. A recipient of the Fischer Black prize for Young Economist under 40 and having been appointed as youngest ever

Reserve Bank of India Gets New Governor Will Telengana live up to its peoples expectations?
Parthasarathy Chaganty At 66, Mother India gets ready for the 29th baby - so ran the headline in a national daily, highlighting the Congress partys decision to carve Telengana out of Andhra Pradesh which will be the 29th state of the Indian Union in the 66th year of Independence. The modalities need to be worked out, which could take about four months, before the new state comes into being, but no difficulty is envisaged as the move has wide support across the political spectrum. The demand for a separate Telengana state is about half a century old with periodic agitations of varying intensity in its support. And it is more than three years since the government announced in December 2009 its firm resolve to address the issue. The Justice Srikrishna Commission, constituted in its wake, was not categorical with its recommendations but its report viewed bifurcation with disfavour, its preference being greater autonomy and increased resource allocation for the region within the ambit of the existing unified state. However, the government had not acted on the report and continued to dither, bedevilled as it was with multiple corruption scandals, apart from other preoccupations. With the general elections looming (due in May 2014), and fearing a rapid erosion of its electoral base, the Congress was probably desperate to get a move on and hence the sudden urge to grant statehood to Telengana. The party seems to have struck a deal with TRS (Telengana Rashtra Samithi), the force behind the latest agitation for a separate state. Even if the two parties do not merge immediately, they are sure to fight on a common platform and are expected to sweep the polls, capturing most of the 17 Lok Sabha seats and 119 assembly seats that the region offers. It is a foregone conclusion that there will be a backlash against the party in the rest of the state, comprising coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema, which account for no fewer than 25 Lok Sabha seats, besides 175 assembly seats. That the Congress has virtually given up on this larger area, being content with its prospective hold on Telengana, appears to be indicative of the partys low morale rather than any well thoughtout strategy. In such a scenario, the clear winner appears to be Jagan (moniker for Jaganmohan Reddy), chief of the YSR Congress, the party named after his late father and former Andhra Pradesh chief minister Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddy. Jagan has the advantge of being consistent in his opposition to the formation of Telengana, unlike the major regional party, TDP (Telugu Desam Party), and the major national party, BJP. Jagan has been embroiled in corruption cases and may not even be able to contest elections as per a recent Supreme Court order, but that is not likely to come in his way. Notwithstanding the grandstanding of duly hurt Congress MPs and MLAs from this area, some of whom could in fact be resigning their seats, the Congress will have no alternative but to come to terms with him. He will acquire the kind of clout now enjoyed by Mulayam Singh Yadav and Mayawati by virtue of their outside support to the government. If the Congress had been more accommodative of Jagan in the wake of his fathers death and not driven him away from its fold, the party may not have had to concede Telengana, but history is not about counterfactuals. Arguments like smaller states being more amenable to effective administration are just academic. Issues like division of states will almost invariably be based on political considerations in a democracy. Thus, it is futile to deride the Congress decision on Telengana as political opportunism. But a major concern here is that the main protagonist, K. Chandrasekhara Rao, chief of TRS, who is sure to wield enormous influence in running the fledgling state, at least in the initial years, is not known for his integrity or administrative experience. And his party seems to have thrived on extortion during the past few years, hence the nuanced agitation, which permitted the Congress to sit on the issue for years. People from Telengana have often complained about loss of jobs. It is not that people from the region are at present discriminated against: what they want is a distinct preference for sons of the soil - and this is where the rub lies. A major national party like the Congress owes it to itself to check the parochial tendencies of its ally and ensure peace and harmony. Considering that Hyderabad, which will serve as a joint capital for the two states for the first 10 years and that the city is not even going to be a union territory in the interim period, people from Andhra could suddenly find themselves reduced to the status of second class citizens in the megalopolis, which has been home to millions of them. Every care should, therefore, be taken to ensure that Andhras do not feel alienated and there is no flight of capital or business from the city. The first few years are bound to be marked by turmoil, but it is to be hoped that Telengana, which is well-endowed in terms of natural resources, will eventually come to occupy a proud place among states and prove that the sacrifices made by thousands to realize the dream have not been in vain.

continue to live happily under Pakistani state patronage. A corollary to calibrated raising of the threshold of violence by Pakistan is the continued diffidence and hesitation of Indian camp to call Pakistans bluff and point out the obvious. The malefic intent of Pakistani state cannot be cloaked by copious amounts of mushairas, trackII, US prodding or PMOs blatant interventions. The recent killings of 5 jawans at the LOC in Kashmir valley have once again raised the same set of questions to which the Prime Minister and a merry band of peace-

niks are loathe to answer. Washington DC, the weathercock of global diplomacy is rife with speculation of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh trying to leave behind a legacy of peace in Indian subcontinent to mark his premiership. While peace as an end is laudable but peace at all costs tantamount to violence. Violence against our republics ideals, brave souls defending it and the people who believe in the idea of justice and fair play. Wanton killings of Indian nationals cannot be condoned to serve the agenda of peace.

Will customer centricity ever come to the fore?

Sanjiv Kataria As one among thousands of newspaper readers who spotted headline Nirmalaya Kumar to join Tata Sons, I felt happy for the Indian consumer as the news announcing the appointment of celebrated marketing professor and author said that he was expected to bring Customer Centricity to the fore across the Tata group companies. As consumers in a scarcity-hit nation until a few decade ago, Indians are transitioning from queuing to being served as consumers. However, the sales and marketing managers are still striving to understand Customer Centricity as the following anecdotes exemplify. * Which Indian hasnt faced service issues with her mobile service provider? From no network to excess billing, from being served valued added services that she never subscribed to a barrage of unsolicited calls despite registering on do not call registry. * Who hasnt experienced slow computer networks that bring down the bank branches to a grinding halt as you keep staring at the service delivery norms signage in the branch? * Why must a customer get groped by clumsy security persons in full public view on entering a mall or wriggle through a 18-inch wide grill door to her favourite bank branch just because they cant install modern security systems? * How often do we need to get welcome back notes from companies one has discontinued services or stopped using their products? All these examples are a telling account of how Indian firms love to chase the customer for her money but shy away from addressing real customer issues. Companies come up with innovative ideas to enhance market access, often going a long distance to make it easy for her to buy. The product managers too love making changes to the product and invest in proactively offering new product designs and variants to suit changing customer needs. Who owns customer centricity? When it comes to enhancing customer centricity and addressing customer pain, the enthusiasm of the perky product managers wanes. The head of a large outsourced customer care centre said this is because Indians are culturally averse valuing people in general. And the business leaders dont realize that the customer is a subset of the same group of people that it chooses to ignore. This attitude rules when these companies buy customer services. While they hire the best sales and marketing teams, engage with the best advertising and branding agencies to look good in public spaces they engage the cheapest service providers for customer support thus damaging the brand. How else would you explain multiple tele-callers from the same firm calling you for the same product on the same day. And 3 out of 4 times the tele-callers dont even know the name and age of the person at the other end. Will Tata initiative spur a customercentricity movement in India? The optimist in me tells me it will, provided the group commits itself to the consumer needs of today. Tatas have a good record of customer centricity through its hospitality business. Can they bring this experience to the services and commodity business? Nirmalaya Kumar in a recent interview with Mint newpaper said that companies make liberal budget allocations for advertising and promotions as it is easy see the impact in rising sales. However, it is tough for them to commit marketing expenditures which are long-termoriented-customer service, investing in the brand. It is precisely the reason why customer centricity suffers. It is no use advertising a 1-800 number, a Twitter handle or a Facebook page or anointing a highly respected ombudsman or appointing a marketing legend as an independent director if the idea is solely to dress up your marketing show window. Likewise there is little point in getting a marketing head reporting directly to the CEO if she is still going to be measured on revenue per enquiry, billing per guest, revenue per passenger, or average revenue per user. The challenge for Nirmalaya Kumar would be to scrap the current job description for all the Tata group marketing heads to one single goal around Customer Centricity. And follow this up with two simple steps. Firstly, encourage every marketing head to mandatorily listen to the pain of the customer each time she calls a call centre, tweets or walks into a Tata store. Secondly, sensitize all Tata employees on customer care and empower them to address customer issues at the first point of contact and resolve them on the spot. A marketing heads success should be measured not by the absolute number of complaints but by the percentage of customer complaints addressed at the first point of contact. If Nirmalaya Kumar can help his boss Cyrus Mistry to agree to an entirely new global framework for bringing customer centricity to the Tata Group, he would have resurrected the revolution - for Indian firms to see Customer as the King!

LETTER TO THE EDITOR Letters may be emailed to the editoruconnect@gmail.com ,with full postal address and the full name or the name with initials.

CHANDIGARH SUNDAY 11 August 2013

SCIENCE AND TECH

way back to the cargo area, and the hatchback complements the front with the same, fluid curves. The stance is low, as the Jetta Sportwagen is not trying to be a crossover. It is an attractive and modern body design. Despite what would seem to be a niche vehicle appreciated primarily by automotive journalists, Volkswagen offers the Jetta Sportwagen TDI in a number of configurations. First, you get to decide between the sixspeed manual or DSG automated manual transmission. Then there is the base model, the sunroof model, or the model with navigation and sunroof. I reviewed the middle version, which lacked navigation but still featured a decent LCD in the dashboard for audio and phone screens.

2013 Volkswagen Jetta Sportwagen TDI

Some years ago, colleagues and I had an informal discussion about what would be the perfect car from an automotive journalists perspective. It would have to be a wagon, because we all appreciate utility combined with carlike maneuverability. A diesel engine made the requirements list for superior fuel economy. And it would also need a manual transmission, because we all liked the engagement of driving stick. Well, our dream car is made real in the 2013 Volkswagen Jetta Sportwagen TDI. Volkswagens Jetta Sportwagen TDI holds a rare place in the U.S. market, being only one of two diesel wagons available. BMW claims the other spot with its new 328d Sports Wagon. The Jetta Sportwagen shows similar lines to the Jetta sedan update Volkwagen launched in 2011. Headlights nicely bookend a narrow grille, and the hood drops low toward the front in a graceful curve from the windshield. A large graphic holds the side windows in a continuous flow all the

LG gets its mini-Galaxy Reversing brain drain? Better research facilities see Indian scientists return S4 with G2
pression that the G2 belongs among the big boys in the smartphone industry. The company positioned it as the ideal phone designed for the user. Technology without empathy can no longer be considered innovation, LG mobile CEO JongSeok Park said during the event on Wednesday. Innovation for the sake of innovation is old school. LG, which has long lived in the shadow of larger rival Samsung Electronics, desperately wants its G2 to be uttered in the same breath as the GS4 or Apples iPhone 5. The company has a reputation for building affordable and solid -- if unspectacular -- smartphones, but wants more. Its not enough that LG is the brand customers go to because it offers a nice value; it wants to be the brand customers aspire to own. Such is the dilemma for every smartphone vendor not named Apple or Samsung. While the two leaders benefit from a certain level of built-in hype, the other players continue to clamor for the constantly shifting attention of the consumer. For many, the quest for smartphone relevancy has resulted in continued losses, but its here that LG differs. In the second quarter, the company saw a 34.5 percent increase in revenue as it swung back into profitability. LG is looking for a fresh start with the G2. The company said in July that it was dropping the Optimus name, instead relying on the simpler G2 as the follow-up to its flagship Optimus Gfrom last year. (The Optimus name remains as its brand for mass-market smartphones.) Whereas the Optimus G was an exclusive smartphone at AT&T, the G2 will get broader support from multiple carriers. LG is the latest to hop aboard the trend of offering a single flagship device across multiple carrier partners, a strategy that has been successfully employed by Samsung, Apple, and HTC. New Delhi Finally, the brain drain appears to be reversing. Better research opportunities in India, passion to do something for their native country and family obligations have started to lure back Indian scientists working abroad. Around 500 scientists have come back in the last seven years - and only six have gone back. Going by the figures maintained by the union science and technology ministry, the majority of the reverse brain drain has happened from the US, Germany and Britain. Recently, scientists have also started coming from South Korea and Japan. About 500 scientists have come back from abroad and are working in various institutions across the country. Of these only six have gone back for various reasons, T. Ramasami, Secretary, Department of Science and Technology, told IANS. Credit must also be given to the several schemes run by the Indian government to encourage scientists and engineers of Indian origin from all over the world to take up scientific research positions in India, especially those scientists who want to return to India from abroad. The Ramanujan Fellowship, Innovation in Science Pursuit for Inspired Research (INSPIRE) Programme and the Ramalingaswamy Fellowship are among those that provide a platform to scientists willing to return and work in India. An internal analysis by the ministry of the reasons for the reverse brain drain revealed that tough competition abroad, better research opportunities in India, love of work for the motherland and aiming to contribute to science were some of the major factors that drew Indian scientists to their homeland. Family obligations was another reason that attracted them back home. Sheeba Vasu, who was doing her post-doctoral research at the University of Massachusetts Medical School, said she came back as she always wanted to work in India. I wanted to come back and start my work in India after getting trained in the US. Moreover, it is not easy to get a job as a faculty in any of the universities in the US as there is a tough competition, Vasu, who is a Ramanujan Fellow since 2008, told IANS. She was in the US for six years. Vasu, who is now doing her research in the Evolutionary and Organismal Biology Unit of Bangalores Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research, says there are more research opportunities in Indian universities and elite institutions like the Indian Institutes of Technology, Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bangalore, and Indian Institutes of Science Education and Research (IISERs), among others. Echoing similar views, another Ramanujan fellow, Vidya T.N.C., said competition is much higher abroad as compared to India, where there is a shortage of experts and qualified faculties. There are issues with research facilities in India. Here, we do not have many advanced research laboratories. We also face a funds crunch. But overall its a good platform that gives you a kind of startup when you return to India, Vidya, who worked at Columbia University, told IANS. Some scientists feel conducting research in India is more relaxed while there is a rat race in the advanced countries. I think academic work outside India is stressful and it is a bit more relaxed in India and I am saying that in a positive way, Ashwin Srinivasan, a professor at Delhis Indraprastha Institute of Information Technology, told IANS. Srinivasan, who had worked at Oxford University, said there is an economic crunch in the academic setup abroad and it is tough to get research grants. The research setup is better in India and the opportunity to work in science in India is not as bad as it being said. Yes, there are things like most of the big science ideas are explored in institutes abroad and lack of op-

LG certainly hopes so and has banked heavily on its latest super smartphone to finally give the company a global blockbuster it is so desperately seeking. The Korean electronics giant has been steadily building up the hype for the device, releasing videos, promoting the event through digital ads (including on this site), and making it known that its next flagship smartphone is just around the corner. The event today -- which thankfully omitted the overly dramatic theatrics of Samsungs GS4 debut, but did feature a curious spotlight on a single Vienna Boys choir singer at the end -- was designed to convey the im-

tions to do inter-disciplinary research that hurts, said Srinivasan, who has been abroad for 15 years and took a four-fold cut in salary when he returned to India. The figures show that the majority of researchers prefer to work in Karnataka, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and West Bengal. The reason is that these states have the largest number of good research institutions. Through various schemes, we provide a platform under which scientists in the age-group of 30-45 years can work in any of the scientific institutions and universities in India and would be eligible for receiving regular research grants and a monthly remuneration, he said. Srinivasan, who is a US citizen, suggests some changes - for instance, schemes should be flexible to ensure people of Indian origin who are not Indian citizens can also take up jobs at central government universities and institutions. Some more inititiatives are needed to make India a very attractive destination for scientists wanting to work for their motherland, he said.
IANS

POLITICS
tor early Tuesday. The BJP talking about killing of soldiers... should also remember the muted response and killing of 16 BSF soldiers at Bangladesh border in April 2001, Maken said in a comment on Twitter. Maken said the number of civilians killed in Jammu and Kashmir during 1998-2004 -- the tenure of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government -- was 6,115, an average of 874 per year. He said during the UPA regime, the number of deaths in firing was the lowest in the last two decades, with 15 civilians being killed in 2012. NDA 1998-2004 - In J&K one of the highest number of terror incidents 23,603. Average 3,372. In UPA, lowest in last two decades 220 last year (sic), he added. It shows our strong resolve. BJP policies led to failed Agra summit, Lahore Declaration, Kargil infiltration, Maken said. BJP leader M. Venkaiah Naidu retorted: In our tenure, we made then Pakistan president Pervez Musharraf say that Pakistan would not allow its soil to be used for terror activities. IANS

CHANDIGARH SUNDAY 11 August 2013

Congress blames NDA for rise in cross-border terrorism

New Delhi Blaming the erstwhile NDA regime for its muted response to the countrys security needs and killings of troopers and civilians, Congress leader Ajay Maken Wednesday said the BJP should remember how many armed forces personnel were killed during its tenure. Maken was responding to the main opposition partys demand that Defence Minister A.K. Antony apologise for a statement on the killing of five Indian soldiers by terrorists, dressed like Pakistani soldiers, in Jammu and Kashmirs Poonch sec-

Modi to meet BJP workers in Vrindavan

BJP withdraws from Karnataka parliamentary bypolls

Bangalore The Bharatiya Janata Party Wednesday withdrew its candidates from the Aug 21 bypolls to two Lok Sabha seats from Karnataka, saying it did not want a split in anti-Congress votes. Now it will be a straight contest for the Bangalore Rural and Mandya seats between the ruling Congress and the Janata Dal-Secular. We have withdrawn our candidates as our aim is to defeat the Congress and we did not want a split in antiCongress votes, Bharatiya Janata Party spokesperson C. T. Ravi told reporters here. Wednesday was the last day for withdrawal of nominations. Vote count is on Aug 24. The bypolls follow as H.D. Kumaraswamy and N. Cheluvarayaswamy, both JD-S, quit the Lok Sabha seats after winning the May 5 elections to the Karnataka assembly. Bangalore Rural seat was held by

Lucknow Gujarat Chief Minister and head of the BJPs campaign committee for the 2014 Lok Sabha polls Narendra Modi will interact with workers of the Uttar Pradesh unit in Vrindavan in September. Uttar Pradesh BJP president Laxmikant Bajpayi told IANS that Modi will address and interact with 15,000 workers of the party at the state executive meet in Vrindavan Sep 25, the death anniversary of Deen Dayal Upadhyaya, the founder and idealogue of BJP parent Jana Sangh. BJP Rajnath Singh will also attend the meeting, in which BJP workers will be trained in booth management and other strategies for the elections, party office bearers said. Apart from conventional political strategies, the workers would also be

Kumaraswamy and Mandya, about 80km from Bangalore, by Cheluvarayaswamy. The two constituencies are considered JD-S strongholds. The JDS has fielded Kumarawamys wife Anita from Bangalore Rural and former legislator C. S. Puttaraju from Mandya. Kumaraswamy is the son of JD-S president and former prime minister H.D. Deve Gowda. The Congress has pitted D. K. Suresh, brother of party legislator

and former minister D. K. Shivakumar, against Anita Kumaraswamy and popular actress Ramya is taking on Puttaraju in Mandya. Through there are 11 independents in Bangalore Rural and seven in Mandya, the fight is between the Congress and JD-S nominees. This is the first bypoll the Congress is facing after returning to power in Karnataka on its own after nine years defeating BJP in the May 5 assembly election.

Political parties are not public authority: CPI-M

trained in modern technologies and platforms like social media, party leaders said. Bajpayi said the BJP was inclined to keep up the momentum and convert the groundswell of anger against the Congress-led UPA government into pro-BJP votes. For this, several committees have been formed and state BJP vice president Ashok Kataria has been entrusted with coordinating issues concerning the public. State leaders Rajbeer Singh has been tasked to rake up issues concerning farmers and villages, while corruption charges against the union and state governments would be handled by Shiv Pratap Shukla. Daya Shankar Singh will handle the youth wing and Haridwar Dubey will cordinate with women cells.

New Delhi The CPI-M Tuesday backed the governments decision to amend the Right to Information law to ensure political parties do not come under it. Political parties are not public authorities, the decision taken by political parties do not affect the public, Communist Party of India-Marxist

UPA doesnt want to impose Maneka Gandhi writes to Akhilesh Yadav about poor any model on media quality of mid-day meal
New Delhi The government doesnt want to impose any model on the media and its policy is based on persuasion rather than regulation, Information and Broadcasting Minister Manish Tewari said Tuesday. Taking part in a seminar on need for media regulation, he said: The question we need to ask ourselves is that do we refine the existing model for media regulation or we look for a new model. Government doesnt want to impose any model. Our (UPA governments) philosophy is that our relationship with the media must not be regulated, Tewari said at the discussion organised by the Observer Research Foundation. When I came to this job, my prime minister told me one thing very clearly. The philosophy of UPA is that our relationship with the media must be an essay in persuasion and never an essay in regulation. Speaking in the context of self-regulation mechanisms with statutory backing, Tewari said it had to be assessed whether such mechanisms were sufficient. Press Council of India chairperson Markandey Katju sought a statutory peer review with a power to punish. He said he always stood for freedom of the press and his views were often misunderstood. He said he had suggested a media council of which 80Lucknow Senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Maneka Gandhi has written to Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav seeking improvement in the quality of mid-day meals served to school children in the state. In a letter received by the state secretariat Wednesday, a copy of which was received by IANS, the member of parliament from Aonla in Uttar Pradesh said the meals served to children under the mid-day meal scheme were sorry affairs, with worms, lizards and insects being discovered in them. Citing a union ministry of human resource development (HRD) report, Gandhi wrote that the health of children was at risk. The letter comes in the wake of the Bihar tragedy of July 16, in which 23 children of Saran district died after eating a poisonous meal. Maneka Gandhi urged the chief minister to ensure that food was cooked in hygienic conditions and served to children under proper supervision. In the last one month, the quality of the mid-day meals served in different parts of the state had come under a shroud after a lizard, insects and a tadpole were recovered at different schools. The state government has asked prin-

leader Sitaram Yechury said. Following a petition by RTI activist S.C. Agrawal, the Central Information Commission (CIC) ruled that political parties were public authorities who now need to respond to RTI queries within six weeks. Six national parties: the Congress, the Bharatiya Janata Party, the Nationalist Congress Party , the CPIM, the Communist Party of India and the Bahujan Samaj Party, would come under RTI, according to CIC decision. The union cabinet has approved introduction of a bill in the monsoon session of parliament that began Monday to amend the Right to Information Act, 2005, to exclude political parties from the definition of a public authority for the purpose of the act.

Congress messed up creation of Telangana: BJP

New Delhi The BJP Tuesday slammed the government for messing up the creation of Telangana. The government has mishandled and messed up the issue, BJP leader M. Venkaiah Naidu said. The Congress is behaving irresponsibly, in an immature manner, arousing regional feelings. Congress leaders in Telangana are distributing sweets, and those in Seemandhra are protesting, he said. They are also telling people in Seemandhra that they were forced to create Telangana by BJP and TDP, and in Rayalseem region they are telling people that TRS will be merged with Congress, he added. He said he could not believe this was the same Congress party that fought for Indias independence.
IANS

90 percent members would be from the media. Broadcasting Content Complaints Council (BCCC) chairman Justice A.P. Shah said a way to ensure freedom of the media was to have a mechanism which would not allow the government to get an excuse to step in. I would suggest statutory creation of a self-regulatory body by a statute, in which all the appointments should be through a very independent mechanism, including the chairperson of such a self-regulatory body. The selfregulatory body should frame the IANS norms, he said.

cipals to keep a vigil on meals served to children. Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav, during a surprise visit to Rain village in Rae Bareli district Wednesday was confronted by students at a primary school who complained of the poor quality of food. Yadav tasted the food and transferred a basic education official. Basic Education Minister Ram Govind Chaudhary has issued an advisory to all school principals and district education officials to ensure that food served to school children was nutritious and hygienically cooked.

CHANDIGARH SUNDAY 11 August 2013

POLITICS QUOTE FIRE

9
Who said what on Indian soldiers killings

Congress President Sonia Gandhi India cannot be cowed down by such blatant acts of deceit. The entire Congress, as indeed the entire country, stands by them (the killed soldiers). Government should take appropriate action.

Defence Minister A.K. Antony The chief of army staff visited the area and it is now clear that specialist troops of Pakistan Army were involved in this attack when a group from Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (PoK) crossed the Line of Control (LoC) and killed our brave jawans.

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah These incidents dont help efforts to normalise or even improve relations with Pak and call in to question the Pak Govts recent overtures.

Information and Broadcasting Minister Manish Tewari I think it is extremely unfortunate, it is reprehensible. But I would like to appeal to everybody not to play partisan politics with it.

Leader of BJP in the Rajya Sabha Arun Jaitley Todays incident is condemnable. We join the defence minister in saluting the families of the deceased. We cant make a spectacle of ourselves in front of the world, we must give a befitting message to Pakistan.

BJP leader Shahnawaz Hussain Talks with Pakistan should not be held if even one bullet is fired at the border... You cant have ... our soldiers being killed and then hold talks side by side. The government should say there will be no talks, which will act as pressure on Pakistan.

Defence expert Major General (Retired) G.D. Bakshi For the sake of peace talks, we cannot go on sacrificing our national interest. ... Additionally, do these five lives martyred have no worth? What motivation is it for the soldiers if they are placed at the border like deaf and dumb dolls who dont retaliate to such incidents?

CAMP UPA

POLITICAL CAMP NEWS

Delhi Congress to popularise food scheme
New Delhi Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit Wednesday called a meeting of Congress legislators and councillors to popularise the UPAs food security scheme among the people in the election year. The purpose of this meeting was to brief all Congress legislators about the implementation of the scheme, Food and Supplies Minister Haroon Yusuf told IANS. The Delhi government is set to roll out the scheme Aug 20. The benefits of the scheme will only be availed from Sep 1. The beneficiaries will get wheat at Rs.2 per kg, rice at Rs.3 per kg and coarse grain at Re.1 per kg. Yusuf said that the legislators were also told to convey to people that food security is the flagship scheme of the UPA. Opposition Bharatiya Janata Party legislators would invited at the launch of the scheme. They will be invited on the formal launch of the scheme on Aug 20, he said. The Congress-led government will bank on the central government sponsored scheme for success in the assembly elections due later this year. The programme has also been dubbed as a game changer for UPA II. Below poverty line families, above poverty line card holders and Jhughi Ration Card holders and beneficiaries under Antodaya Anna Yojna will be included in the scheme in the first phase. More families would be included in the second phase that revolves around the senior-most woman in a household. Homeless people, daily wage earners, rag pickers, people living in resettlement colonies and slum clusters will be eligible for the benefit under the scheme.

CAMP NDA

Dont hold talks with Pakistan: Yashwant Sinha

New Delhi Demanding that there should be no talks with Pakistan, BJP leader Yashwant Sinha Thursday expressed satisfaction over Defence Minister A.K. Antonys fresh statement on the killing of five Indian soldiers on the LoC in Jammu and Kashmir two days ago. Antony Thursday said specialist troops of the Pakistan Army were involved in the attack and killing of five Indian soldiers on the Line of Control in the Poonch sector of Jammu and Kashmir Tuesday. We are happy that government has rectified its mistake. He said that Pakistans army was involved in the killing, Sinha told reporters. While stating that the minister covered all points raised by the opposition, he added that the BJP still maintains that there should be no talks with Pakistan. Our demand to end talks with Pakistan still holds. We also want a debate on the broader issue of terror and intrusions, Sinha said. Asked if the government has been soft on Pakistan, Sinha said: There is no government in India, soft or hard. Antony was under attack from the opposition for his earlier statement where he had told parliament that 20 heavily armed terrorists along with persons in Pakistan Army uniform were responsible for the killings. The Indian and Pakistani prime ministers are scheduled to meet on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York September.

Sri Lanka shooting Indian fishermen unnerves Karunanidhi

Chennai DMK president and the leader of Tamil Eelam Supporters Organisation (TESO) M. Karunanidhi Thursday wondered how long the government would remain silent as Indian fishermen are being shot daily by the Sri Lankan Navy. Addressing a TESO rally here, Karunanidhi said: Everyday, the Indian fishermen are being shot at; abducted, their boats are damaged and their catch confiscated by the Sri Lankan Navy. How long can the fishermen and the people of Tamil Nadu tolerate this? He said the rulers should realise that there is a limit for patience. Urging the central government not to remain deaf, Karunanidhi added it would be an insult to Tamils if India participates in the Nov 15-17, 2013 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Colombo. Referring to the resolutions passed at the July 2013 TESO meeting, Karunanidhi said Sri Lanka should implement the 13th amendment to its Constitution in full and not in parts.

The 13th amendment in the Sri Lankan constitution was carried out with Indian backing in 1987. It created Provincial Councils and made Tamil an official language and English a link language. But the regime of President Mahinda Rajapaksa has threatened to dilute its provisions, causing dismay in India.

AAP leader injured in accident is dead

Aam Admi Party (AAP) leader Santosh Koli, critically injured in a hit-and-run accident 38 days ago, succumbed to her injuries here Wednesday, a hospital official said. The 28-year-old candidate from Delhis Seemapuri constituency in the coming assembly polls was injured when a speeding car hit a motorcycle she was pillion riding in Ghaziabads Kaushambi area June 30. Koli was going to the party office with party member Kuldeep Panwar when the car rammed the two-wheeler from behind and sped away. Koli succumbed to her injuries Wednesday. She had been brought to the Fortis Memorial Hospital in a state of coma following serious head injuries and never regained consciousness, a hospital spokesperson told IANS. AAP leaders including Arvind Kejriwal, Manish Sisodia and Kumar Vishwas along with party activists and family members of the deceased received her body and took it to Delhi for cremation, said a police officer. Kejriwal said on Twitter: Santosh passes away. May her soul rest in peace. We resolve we will not let her sacrifice go in vain. We have to take her struggle forward, he said in another tweet. Ghaziabad Police have failed to identify the car driver. Koli and her colleague were rushed to a Ghaziabad hospital June 30. When Koli did not respond to treatment, she was shifted to Fortis Hospital in Noida and then to Gurgaon where she died. She was murdered due to her political profile in her constituency, AAP leader Sisodia said. Koli, who came from a lower middle class family in northeast Delhis Sunder Nagri area, was associated with anti-corruption activist Kejriwal for more than 10 years. According to one report, Koli had earlier been attacked twice - once with blades and surgical knives.
IANS

10

NATIONAL NEWS

CHANDIGARH SUNDAY 11 August 2013

Pakistan Army troops killed Indian Raghuram Rajan appointed RBI Governor soldiers: Antony
New Delhi pecialist troops of the Pakistan Army were involved in the attack and killing of five Indian soldiers in Jammu and Kashmir two days ago, Defence Minister A.K. Antony informed parliament Thursday. Antony said that based on an on-thespot assessment by Army Chief General Bikram Singh, it is now clear that the attack was carried out by Pakistani army regulars. The chief of army staff visited the area and it is now clear that specialist troops of Pakistan Army were involved in this attack when a group from Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (PoK) crossed the Line of Control (LoC) and killed our brave jawans, Antony said in a statement. We all know that nothing happens from Pakistan side of the LoC without the support, assistance, facilitation and often direct involvement of the Pakistan Army, added Antony. He called upon Pakistan to punish those responsible for this attack and the one early this year when one soldier was beheaded and the body of the other was mutilated. Those in Pakistan who are responsible for this tragedy, (and) brutal killing of our two soldiers earlier this year should not go unpunished, he said. Pakistan should also show determined action to dismantle the terrorist networks, organisations and infrastructure and do tangible movement on bringing those responsible for Mumbai terrorist attack in November 2008 to justice quickly, he said. He said the incident will impact relations between the two countries. Naturally this incident will have consequences on our behaviour on the LoC and for our relations with Pakistan. Our restraint should not be taken for granted nor should the capacity of armed forces and resolve of the government to uphold the sanctity of the LoC ever be doubted, he added. The defence minister was making a fresh statement in parliament on Tuesdays incident in which five Indian army soldiers were killed on the LoC in Jammu and Kashmir by intruders from the Pakistani side. Antony was under attack from the opposition for his earlier statement where he had told parliament that 20 heavily armed terrorists along with persons in Pakistan Army uni-

form were responsible for the killings. An earlier defence ministry statement - which was withdrawn later - stated that the ambush was carried out by a Pakistani Border Action Team. It also said that the Pakistan Army was involved in the attack. Pakistani Border Action Teams comprise Pakistani Army regulars and militants.

Woman jumps to death in mall, injures man below

New Delhi A woman suffering from jaundice committed suicide by jumping off the 12th floor of a west Delhi mall Wednesday, seriously injuring a man on whom she landed, police said. The incident happened around 11 a.m. at Westend Mall in Janakpuri. Police identified her as Chanchal Sharma, 24. The man was a mall employee, Sunil Kumar, 28. Both were rushed to a hospital where the woman was declared dead, a police officer said. Kumar, who suffered head injuries, was later shifted to the Mata Chanan Devi Hospital. His condition was said to be critical but stable. Chanchals father told us that his daughter was sick and tired of jaundice for a month but that could not have been the reason she killed herself, the officer said.

For NRIs, Jayalalithaa is the Durga Shakti Heavy rains pile up problems Nagpal case: for Taj city best PM contender SC to hear PIL Monday
Agra Several spells of heavy showers in the past two days have exposed the Agra Municipal Corporations lack of preparedness to tackle waterlogging on roads and in low-lying areas, residents have lamented. The whole city is in a shambles, mohallas and colonies cut off from the main roads and with drains overflowing, motorists have to sail through or get stranded, said insurance agent Sudhier Gupta, after somehow pulling his vehicle out from the waterlogged Nagar Nigam crossing. The entire M.G. Road, the lifeline of the city, is under water at six places, said Vishal, a photo studio owner at the St Johns College crossing. However, K.P. Tripathi, deputy commissioner of the municipal corpora-

New Delhi Raghuram Govind Rajan, chief economic advisor in the finance ministry, will be the next governor of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), the government announced Tuesday. At 50, Rajan will also be among the youngest to occupy the high office at Mint Street in Mumbai, where he takes over from incumbent Duvvuri Subbarao Sep 5. Prime Minister (Manmohan Singh) has approved the appointment of Raghuram Rajan as the Governor of Reserve Bank of India (RBI) for a term of three years, finance ministry said in a statement. Before joining the Indian government, Rajan had served as chief economist at the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and professor at the University of Chicago. He joined as advisor in the finance ministry last year in August. His appointment comes at a time when the Indian economy is passing through rough weather and the government and the central bank are not particularly seen to be in sync on

ways to handle the situation. The RBI is struggling to control the slide in the value of the rupee that hit a record low of 61.86 against a dollar Tuesday. These are challenging times for the Indian economy, though no one can have any doubt about the countrys promise, he said after being named governor, adding that the government and the central bank were working together on this. The Reserve Bank is a great institution with a tradition of integrity, independence and professionalism, he said, honoured by the new responsibilities rested on him. The RBI has also been under pressure from the industry and a section of the government to cut policy rates to revive growth. Rajan has also been advocating a rate cut. In the first quarter review of the monetary policy announced July 30, the central bank has left key policy rates unchanged and lowered the growth forecast for the current financial year to 5.5 percent from its earlier projection of 5.7 percent.

tion, said: We are doing our best and have pumps installed for siphoning off rain water. Teams are responding to calls. Dalit colonies and those along the drains have had a rough time these last few days that the city got heavy showers, said ex-corporator Deepak. Even tourist vehicles got stuck up on the Yamuna Kinara road coming via the Yamuna Expressway, due to water-logging under the Strachey Bridge, he said. The Yamuna water level continues to rise after copious discharges from Hathini Kund and Gokul Barrages. The river is flowing full but fear of its breaching the danger mark appears remote at the moment, a district official said.

New Delhi Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa is the most qualified to become Indias next prime minister, followed closely by Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi, a survey conducted among NRIs and released here Wednesday has revealed. With a score of 86 out of 100, Jayalalithaa ruled the roost and Modi got 81 marks. Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi came in third with a score of 53 while other leaders like Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and BJP leader L.K. Advani could not even secure the basic score to enter the survey. We asked 10 basic questions to shortlist the contenders and only Modi, Jayalalithaa and Rahul Gandhi were able to secure the basic score to enter the survey, Pon Mohaideen

Pitchai, a non-resident Indian (NRI) and one of the researchers told IANS. Around 5,000 NRIs from eight countries including Saudi Arabia, Australia, Britain, Canada and Singapore were interviewed for the NRI Political research Report and evaluated the leaders on 10 criterions like education, experience, mass support, world network and leadership skills. The 2002 communal riots in Gujarat and the internal bickering of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) over Modi seemed to affect the opinions of the NRIs too as Modi lost out to Jayalalithaa in areas like faith in secular democracy and party influence. She (Jayalalithaa) has an influence over her part whereas its the other way round when it comes to Modi. Not everyone in his party supports his PM dream, said Pitchai.

New Delhi The Supreme Court will hear Monday a PIL seeking the stay of the suspension and consequent issuance of charge sheet to IAS officer Durga Shakti Nagpal. The apex court bench headed by Chief Justice P. Sathasivam said this when PIL petitioner advocate M.L. Sharma mentioned the matter before the court. Nagpal was suspended last month ostensibly for breaking down a wall of a mosque, an action the Uttar Pradesh government said could have communal tension. But the widespread belief -- strengthened by a Samajwadi Party leaders public claim -- is that action was taken against her because she took on a mafia extracting sand illegally from the river bed in Noida.

New Delhi The CBI Wednesday arrested three municipal corporation employees and a Delhi Development Authority official here for taking a Rs.30 lakh bribe from a private firms owner for regularisation of a banquet hall, said an official. The accused were arrested from north Delhis Pitampura area, police said. Rajesh Aggarwal and Manish Tuli, partners of Gurgaon-based private firm Micromax Informatics, have also been arrested for offering the bribe. The bribe was for granting regularisation in an improper manner to a banquet hall at Wazirpur Industrial area in north Delhi.

CBI arrests four for taking Rs.30 lakh bribe

At least 15 places were raided. During the search at the house of a junior engineer of municipal corporation, Rs.40 lakh was recovered. During the search at the residence of one of the arrested accused, Rs.30 lakh and jewellery was recovered, said the official. Two of the arrested employees of the municipal corporation were working beldars. The DDA official was identified as Rajesh Gupta. It was alleged that the employees of municipal corporation were taking the bribe on behalf of a superintendent engineer, executive engineer, assistant engineer and junior engineer, all of the municipal corporation, said the offiIANS cial.

CHANDIGARH SUNDAY 11 August 2013

NATIONAL NEWS
Five Indian soldiers killed in Kashmir, India-Pakistan ties hit
New Delhi Two months after Nawaz Sharif took charge in Islamabad, India-Pakistan relations took a new hit Tuesday after heavily armed terrorists ambushed an Indian army patrol in Jammu and Kashmir, killing five soldiers and triggering angry reactions in New Delhi. While Pakistan denied any involvement in the post-midnight attack in Poonch sector, Indian leaders used tough language to denounce the killings with Congress president Sonia Gandhi saying India wont be cowed down by such blatant acts of deceit. The entire Congress as indeed the entire country stands by them (soldiers), she said in a statement, and asked the government to take appropriate action. Five soldiers were killed when the attackers, including men in Pakistani military uniform, barged into Indian territory and ambushed an army patrol at Chakan-da-Bagh sector of the Line of Control (LoC), which divides Kashmir between India and Pakistan. One soldier was injured. The slain soldiers are Naik Prem Nath, Lance Naik Shambu Saran, Sepoy Vijay Kumar Ray, Sepoy Raghunandan Prasad and Naik Pundalik Mane. Their bodies will be brought to Jammu Wednesday and then flown to their respective hometowns. Army chief General Bikram Singh will visit Poonch Wednesday to review the security situation there in the wake of the ambush. Defence Minister A.K. Antony told parliament that about 20 heavily armed terrorists and others in Pakistani military uniform were involved in the bloody ambush. He condemned the unprovoked incident and said the army was ready to take all steps to uphold the sanctity of the LoC. The attack took place around 400 metres inside Indian territory. A wounded soldier was airlifted to Jammu for specialised treatment.

11
Gorkhaland stir threatens Darjeeling tea industry
New Delhi/Darjeeling The reverberations of the decision to creat a separate Telangana are being felt far away in the industry that produces your morning cuppa. A three-day shutdown July 29-31 in support of a movement for the creation of a separate Gorkhaland state out of West Bengal saw the Darjeeling tea industry losing Rs.10 crore and the fuel and coal inventory of factories are about to hit rock bottom, according to industry insiders. Everything has come to a standstill and input-output cannot move from the gardens. It is a critical situation. We are hoping the strike will be lifted for a day or two in between, which will help us with some movement, Darjeeling Tea Association (DTA) chairman S.S. Bagaria told IANS from Darjeeling. The Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) agitators again called an indefinite strike from Aug 3. Since then, Darjeeling has been on the boil. The tea gardens have been exempted but industry stakeholders are apprehensive and keeping their fingers crossed. This is the time for the monsoon flush (plucking season) in the Darjeeling tea gardens, which account for 30-35 percent of the total exports of the industry. They also account for 15 percent of the annual production of Darjeeling tea. There are four such plucking seasons - first flush, second flush, monsoon flush and autumn flush. Darjeeling has a total of 87 tea gardens, employing 50,000 permanent workers and 20,000 seasonal workers. It is a million dollar question when they will lift the bandh. Now each day is critical. With every passing day factories are exhausting stocks of coal and petroleum to run their machines (that process the plucked tea leaves), Sanjay Bansal, chairman of the Ambootia Tea Garden, told IANS on phone. The permanent tea workers stay within the estates and their ration is also at stake, Bansal added. Last year the industry suffered with a 20 percent loss of production due to drought. This year the weather was good but the political weather seems to vitiate the industrys operations, he said. The stir in Darjeeling was expected after the Telangana statehood issue, Bansal said. The question now is how the state government handles the situation and how the central government tackles it. Bagaria said the industry players were in talks with the West Bengal government and the local leaders to find a solution to the impasse and help the industry rebound. Bansal said the stir has pressed the panic button among the international buyers as the industry stakeholders could not give them any assurance regarding the timeframe for dispatching orders. This turmoil is going to impact fund flow into the industry, he said. DTA secretary general Kaushik Basu said the total production of Darjeeling tea last year was nine million kg, of which around 70 percent was exported and the rest was consumed domestically. This niche tea is exported to Germany, Britain, Europe, the US and Japan.
IANS

CBI probes death of Gurgaon judges wife

New Delhi/Gurgaon The CBI Thursday registered a case and team made a video recording at the spot where the body of Geetanjali Garg, wife of Gurgaons Chief Judicial Magistrate Ravneet Garg, was found last month. Geetanjali was found dead in a park in Gurgaon police lines area July 17. She had received three bullet injuries and police have recovered four bullet shells from the spot. Gargs licensed firearm was found near the body. An 11-member CBI team headed by Deputy Inspector General Vinita Rathore, along with Superintendent of Police Rakesh Rathi, visited the police lines area and made a video, a police official said. The team first reached Police Commissioner Alok Mittals office around 12.15 p.m. and met members of the Special Investigation Team (SIT) which was probing the case till now, the official said. The federal agency has taken up the investigation of the case after a request of the Haryana government was notified by the central government. Earlier, a case was registered by Gurgaon police against Garg and his parents on the complaint of Geetanjalis brother Pradeep Aggarwal, accusing them of murder. Geetanjalis family also alleged dowry harassment. The friends and relatives of Geetanjali Sunday blocked the Delhi-Jaipur national highway on Gurgaons Rajiv Chowk demanding immediate suspension of Garg and his arrest along with his parents.

Inmate suicide sparks UP prison riots

Lucknow Riots broke out in Kannauj prison in Uttar Pradesh Thursday after a prisoner committed suicide after being allegedly beaten up by a jail guard, officials said. Kamlesh Kumar, 48, was allegedly beaten up Wednesday night after which he hung himself in the toilet. As news of the death spread, prisoners went on the rampage and pelted stones at the guards and officials. They got on to the roof of the prison from where they raised anti-administration slogans. Police reinforcements were rushed to the prison and the prisoners were brought under control. Senior district officials are camping in the prison to ensure the violence does not escalate. District Magistrate Rupesh Kumar told IANS that a probe had been ordered into the rioting. Home department officials later said that based on preliminary findings, deputy jailor Om Prakash had been attached to the the prison headquarters in Lucknow. Five guards have been attached to the Fatehgarh prison. Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav represented Kannauj for a long time in the Lok Sabha. The seat is currently held by his wife Dimple.
IANS

A source in Jammu told IANS that the Pakistanis withdrew after the killings. It was the worst border clash in Kashmir after January when two Indian soldiers were killed in Mendhar sector of the LoC. One of the soldiers was then beheaded while the body of the other was mutilated. The latest killings sparked off angry responses in India, where there have been high expectations from a possible meeting between Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Nawaz Sharif on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in September. Even before the Pakistani foreign ministry denied involvement in the incident, India summoned Pakistans Deputy High Commissioner Mansoor Ahmad Khan in New Delhi and lodged a strong protest. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) asked the government not to talk with Pakistan. BJP leader Arun Jaitley said India should give a befitting reply. His colleague M. Venkaiah Naidu accused the government of being very soft on Pakistan. Samajwadi Party leader Mulayam Singh Yadav, a former defence minister, said both Pakistan and China were not to be trusted. Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah warned that such incidents dont help efforts to normalise or even improve relations with Pakistan. External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid said India will take steps

necessary in its national interest in the wake of the ambush. Whatever we feel is necessary in the national interest, those steps will be taken, Khurshid said. Activists of Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha protested outside Antonys residence following the attack. In Islamabad, the military denied killing the Indian soldiers. No such incident has taken place on the LoC, an official with the armys Inter-Services Public Relations said. Later, the foreign office came out with a strong denial of Pakistani officials complicity in the ambush. Pakistan rejects allegations of an attack across the LoC in Poonch sector in which five Indian soldiers were claimed to have been killed, it said. These are baseless and unfounded allegations. Our military authorities have confirmed there had been no exchange of fire that could have resulted in such an incident, it said. Pakistan remains committed to the ceasefire agreement of 2003 which is an important Confidence Building Measure and should be respected in letter and spirit. Pakistan is committed to a constructive, sustained and result-oriented process of engagement with India, and looks forward to an early resumption of the dialogue process. Since 2003, when India and Pakistan declared a ceasefire, guns have mostly been silent on the LoC. But troops of the two countries sometimes exchange fire. IANS

Pakistan Army troops killed Indian soldiers: Antony

New Delhi Specialist troops of the Pakistan Army were involved in the attack and killing of five Indian soldiers in Jammu and Kashmir two days ago, Defence Minister A.K. Antony informed parliament Thursday. Antony said that based on an on-thespot assessment by Army Chief General Bikram Singh, it is now clear that the attack was carried out by Pakistani army regulars. The chief of army staff visited the area and it is now clear that specialist troops of Pakistan Army were involved in this attack when a group from Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (PoK) crossed the Line of Control (LoC) and killed our brave jawans, Antony said in a statement. We all know that nothing happens from Pakistan side of the LoC without the support, assistance, facilitation and often direct involvement of the Pakistan Army, added Antony. He called upon Pakistan to punish those responsible for this attack and the one early this year when one soldier was beheaded and the body of the other was mutilated. Those in Pakistan who are responsible for this tragedy, (and) brutal killing of our two soldiers earlier this year should not go unpunished, he said. Pakistan should also show determined action to dismantle the terrorist networks, organisations and infrastructure and do tangible movement on bringing those responsible for Mumbai terrorist attack in November 2008 to justice quickly, he said. He said the incident will impact relations between the two countries. Naturally this incident will have consequences on our behaviour on the LoC and for our relations with Pakistan. Our restraint should not be taken for granted nor should the capacity of armed forces and resolve of the government to uphold the sanctity of the LoC ever be doubted, he added. The defence minister was making a fresh statement in parliament on Tuesdays incident in which five Indian army soldiers were killed on the LoC in Jammu and Kashmir by intruders from the Pakistani side. Antony was under attack from the opposition for his earlier statement where he had told parliament that

20 heavily armed terrorists along with persons in Pakistan Army uniform were responsible for the killings. An earlier defence ministry statement - which was withdrawn later - stated that the ambush was carried out by a Pakistani Border Action Team. It also said that the Pakistan Army was involved in the attack. Pakistani Border Action Teams comprise Pakistani Army regulars and militants.

12

CHANDIGARH SUNDAY 11 August 2013

Ragging Seniors and Raging Juniors

Ragging perhaps began as a friendly gesture of introducing new comers to college seniors but this warm welcome ceremony strangely turned into a brutal outlet of aggression, ego and intolerance. Every year the joy and triumph of nearly 5 lac students upon admission is turned into fear and anxiety. It starts from something as small as missing college on the first day out of fear of ragging to committing suicide.

Allegedly ragged by four girls, faculty member, Bhopal student commits suicide
A girl student of a pharmacy college allegedly committed suicide after being ragged by her seniors and a faculty member in Bhopal. Police said four of her seniors, all girls, and the faculty member have been arrested. A note, reportedly written by Anita, blamed her four seniors and the faculty member for the suicide, police said. According to the note, the girls seniors had been allegedly ragging since her admission in the college. They allegedly forced the victim to write their mid-semester copies. According to police she complained against this to one of the faculty members Manish but was allegedly threatened to remain quiet on the issue. According to the note recovered the seniors started threatening her with acid attack and rape after they came to know about her complaint. Based on the note all four seniors namely Nidhi, Dipti, Divyanshi and Preeti - and faculty member Manish had been arrested, Additional Superintendent of Police (ASP) Dilip Singh Tomar told reporters. They were arrested on the charge of abetment to suicide, he added.

What is Ragging?

A coward is incapable of exhibiting love, it is the prerogative of the brave. Mahatma Gandhi
So, be brave and confront the manace of ragging

Rules & Regulations for Prevention and Prohibition of Ragging

Various Types of Ragging
The Honble Supreme Court has, inter-alia, mentioned the following types of ragging:1. Ragging has several aspects with, among others, psychological, social, political, economic, cultural, and academic dimensions. 2. Any act that prevents, disrupts or disturbs the regular academic activity of a student should be considered with in the academics related aspect of ragging; similarly, exploiting the services of a junior student for completing the academic tasks assigned to an individual or a group of seniors is also an aspect of academics related ragging prevalent in many institutions, particularly in the technical institutions. 3. Any act of financial extortion or forceful expenditure burden put on a junior student by senior students should be considered an aspect of ragging for ragging economic dimensions. 4. Any act of physical abuse including all variants of it: sexual abuse, homosexual assaults, stripping, forcing obscene and lewd acts, gestured, causing bodily harm or any other danger to health or person can be put in the category of ragging with criminal dimensions. 5. Any act or abuse by spoken words, emails, snail-mails, blogs, public insults should be considered with in the psychological aspects of ragging. This aspect would also include deriving perverted pleasure, vicarious or sadistic thrill from actively or passively participating in the discomfiture to others; the absence of preparing freshers in the run up to their admission to higher education and life in hostels also can be ascribed as a psychological aspect of ragging Any act that affects the mental health and self-confidence of students also can be described in terms of the psychological aspects of ragging. 6. The human rights perspective of ragging involves the injury caused to the fundamental right to human dignity through humiliation heaped on junior students by seniors; often resulting in the extreme step of suicide by the victims. guilty of ragging at the institution level shall be any one or any combination of the following. (i) Cancellation of admission (ii) Suspension from attending classes (iii) Withholding/withdrawing scholarship/fellowship and other benefits (iv) Debarring from appearing in any test/examination or other evaluation process (v) Withholding results (vi) Debarring from representing the institution in any regional, national or international meet, tournament, youth festival, etc. (vii) Suspension/expulsion from the hostel (viii) Rustication from the institution for period ranging from 1 to 4 semesters (ix) Expulsion from the institution and consequent debarring from admission to any other institution. (x) Fine of Rupees 25,000/(xi) Collective punishment: when the persons committing or abetting the crime of ragging are not identified, the institution shall resort to collective punishment as a deterrent to ensure community pressure on the potential raggers. 4. The institutional authority shall intimate the incidents of ragging occurred in their premises along with actions taken to the Council immediately after occurrence of such incident and inform the status of the case from time to time. 5. Courts should make an effort to ensure that cases involving ragging are taken up on priority basis to send the correct message that ragging is not only to be discouraged but also to be dealt with sternness.

Any disorderly conduct whether by words spoken or written or by an act which has effect of teasing, treating or handling with rudeness any junior student, indulging in tough or indisciplined activities which causes or is likely to cause irritation, hardship or psychological harm or to raise fear. Or asking the student to do any act or perform something which the student will not do in any ordinary course which generate a sense of shame in the mind of the junior student. The cause of indulging in ragging is deriving a sadistic pleasure or showing off power, authority or superiority by the seniors over their juniors or freshers. Ragging in India is a damaging

form of interaction of the seniors in college or school with the juniors, newcomers or first years. It is similar to but not same as hazing in the United States, it is not an initiation. It involves insults (simple or suggestive sexual, sarcastic and even physical), running errands for seniors, and many other complex activities. Highly reputed Indian colleges have a wistful history of ragging especially Medical colleges. It has become increasingly unpopular due to several complaints of serious injury to the victims and strict laws regarding ragging. Ragging is now defined as an act that violates or is perceived to violate an individual students dignity.

This is how the unending bond is estabished between seniors and juniors

Actions to be taken against students for indulging and abetting in Ragging

1. The punishment to be meted out to the persons indulged in ragging has to be exemplary and justifiably harsh to act as a deterrent against recurrence of such incidents. 2. Every single incident of ragging a First Information Report (FIR) must be filed without exception by the institutional authorities with the local police authorities. 3. Depending upon the nature and gravity of the offence as established by the Anti-Ragging Committee of the institution, the possible punishments for those found

CHANDIGARH SUNDAY 11 August 2013

13

Anger in parliament Sonias food bill dream to come over soldiers killing true: Congress
New Delhi A day after the government introduced the food security bill in the Lok Sabha, the Congress Thursday said the dream of party chief Sonia Gandhi was about to come true. Sonia Gandhis dream is near completion. The food security bill will be taken up in the Lok Sabha Monday, Congress spokesperson Raj Babbar told reporters. The bill, he said would not only give right to nutritious food to around 82 crore people but also to pregnant women. Food Minister K.V. Thomas first withdrew the food security bill that had been introduced in the house in 2011 and then introduced the new measure, based on the ordinance which had been tabled for approval in the house Monday. The bill does not impinge on the rights of states. There is nothing against the federal structure. The bill aims at giving food as a matter of right, Thomas said in the house. Getting the food security bill passed is a top priority for the United Progressive Alliance (UPA). The bill could not be passed in the previous budget session of parliament. The bill, expected to be a game changer for the ruling Congress ahead of five assembly polls this year-end and the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, aims to provide 5 kg of foodgrains every month at Rs.1-3 per kg to around 67 percent of Indias 1.2 billion people, numbering around 800 million. The bill costing Rs.124,723 crore to the government initially, will bring an additional burden of only Rs.23,800 crore, the Congress has said. The bill, part of Congress manifesto in the 2009 polls, is expected to bring electoral benefits just as the rural job plan - the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme - brought in the 2009 general elections. Several Congress-ruled states, in-

Last Monsoon of 15th Lok Sabha

New Delhi Anger over the killing of five Indian soldiers in Jammu and Kashmir gripped parliament Tuesday as members across political divide condemned the incident and sought strong action, while the government said the army was ready to uphold the sanctity of the Line of Control (LoC). Both houses of parliament were repeatedly disrupted over the killings of soldiers. Defence Minister A.K. Antony assured the Lok Sabha the army was ready to protect the sanctity of the Line of Control (LoC) and said a strong protest through diplomatic channels had been lodged with Pakistan. The ambush was carried out by approximately 20 heavily armed terrorists along with persons dressed as in Pakistan Army uniform, Antony said in his statement. I assure the house that our army is ready to take all necessary steps to uphold the sanctity of the Line of Control, Antony said. The proceedings were put off till the next day soon after Antonys statement. Congress spokesperson Bhakta Charan Das said party president Sonia Gandhi and vice president Rahul Gandhi were concerned over the issue. India cannot be cowed down by such blatant acts of deceit, said Sonia Gandhi, urging the government to take appropriate measures. In the Lok Sabha, Bharatiya Janata Partys leader Yashwant Sinhas speech was drowned out by the protesting Seemandhra MPs. An angry Sinha asked why his speech was being drowned out when Samajwadi Party leader Mulayam Singh who spoke before him was allowed to speak uninterrupted. Who are these people who are not allowing me to speak...they are all under the Congress, not allowing me to speak, and when I am speaking they are disrupting me, said Sinha. BJP leaders M. Venkaiah Naidu and Shahnawaz Hussain wanted India to harden its stand vis-a-vis Pakistan. The government has been very soft on Pakistan. They are being violent, and our government is silent, Naidu said. It is a state policy of Pakistan... to cripple India. India should immediately stop all

talks with Pakistan. Relations with neighbours cannot be maintained from one side only, he added. Samajwadi Party leader Mulayam Singh wanted to know what action the government planned to take to thwart violations of LoC. Yadav said there were frequent incidents of intrusions by China across the Line of Actual Control and ceasefire violations by Pakistan on the LoC as well as killings of Indian soldiers. We want to know what the government is doing to thwart such attacks, he demanded. The Rajya Sabha also debated the issue. The BJP asked the government to give Pakistan a befitting reply. These incidents are not taking place in isolation. We had incidents of soldiers being beheaded, we had Sarabjit (Singh, who died in a Pakistan prison)...we have a series of incidents of cross border terrorism, leader of opposition in the Rajya Sabha Arun Jaitley. India needs to modulate its foreign policy to tell Pakistan this will not be accepted. The time has come to give a befitting reply, Jaitley said. Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati said: We need to take firm steps. A lot of soldiers have died, we need to take it seriously and take special steps. In his reply, Antony said he had spoken to Army chief Gen. Bikram Singh who said the army was confident to handle the situation. When the question of nation comes, India is one. That is the strongest answer to our enemy according to me, he said. The issues of Telangana and Bodoland also saw disruptions in both the houses. In a post midnight attack in Kashmir, a Non-Commissioned Officer and four soldiers were killed when the attackers, including men in Pakistani military uniform, barged into Indian territory and ambushed an army patrol at Chakan-da-Bagh sector of the LoC, which divides Kashmir between India and Pakistan. The attack took place around 400 metres inside Indian territory. A wounded soldier was airlifted to Jammu for specialised treatment. A source in Jammu told IANS that the Pakistanis withdrew after the killings.

cluding poll-bound Delhi, Haryana and Assam have said they would launch the scheme Aug 20, the birth anniversary of former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi. Thomas said the government had already procured an average 60.2 million tonnes (mt) of grains in the past four years and would have no difficulty in managing the 61.2 mt needed.

NRIs join campaign to keep political parties under RTI

Mumbai Trust Indias honourable Members of Parliament to save their skin when confronted with uncomfortable questions on the proposed amendments to the Right To Information (RTI) Act. This was the experience of scores of NRIs settled in the US who last week initiated a unique Call-A-Thon to Indian MPs, requesting them to save the RTI Act - which is sought to be diluted by the new amendments to keep political parties out of the ambit of its questioning - and urge them to ensure that, in public interest, political parties be covered by the RTI Act. The activist NRIs, perturbed by the amendments to the RTI Act, decided to take some direct action and attempt to stall the tinkering of the law that has brought so much transparency into government functioning and empowered the common man, said its main initiator Suresh Ediga, a software engineer from New Jersey. Last week, a few of us decided to directly call up the MPs and personally request them to vote against the proposed amendments which could make the RTI Act virtually toothless, Ediga told IANS on the phone. He said that ever since the amendments were announced, RTI activists across India have been making frantic attempts to get the amendments democratically stalled through parliament. Our initiative had two prime concerns - to complement the activities of the ground activists in India, and register our concerns as ordinary citizens with the MPs and urge them not to accord parliamentary sanction for the RTI amendments, Ediga said. After running a brief pre-event on social networking site Facebook, Ediga managed to garner the support of around five-dozen NRIs who expressed similar concerns and joined the case. Renowned RTI activist and former chief information commissioner Shailesh Gandhi was impressed by the NRIs zeal. Its a very innovative initiative, he said in a Facebook post. Ediga went a step ahead and posted on his blog some basic instructions and phone numbers of as many MPs he could lay his hands on to enable the NRIs launch the Call-A-Thon. The response was truly enthusiastic and the participants vigorously started dialing the MPs in India, working late hours after returning home from work (in the US). On the other side of the globe, activists and friends in India kept up the tempo by making their own phone calls to the MPs, notching negligible success. According to Ediga, last week, around 300 MPs got calls from NRIs in the US and a majority of the responses were eye-openers for the long-distance callers. I dont have any opinion (on this issue). The party will decide, was the terse response of a few Congress and Bharatiya Janata Party MPs. A vast majority were furious at receiving direct calls from concerned citizens, even though they were NRIs, Ediga said. A handful of Shiv Sena, CPI-M, MDMK and Trinamol Congress MPs expressed plans to vote against the RTI amendments, but did not appear fully committed. By and large, the NRI callers were stonewalled by the MPs aides, who asked them many suspicious questions, demanding to know what their interest was in asking such questions when they were not living in India. A few dismissed the calls by asking them to send emails to the MPs concerned - which the callers did, but again with negligible success. A sample conversation with an MPs secretary: Secretary (suspicious): Who are you? Caller: I am a concerned citizen and want to request the MP not to vote for these RTI amendments. Secretary : Ive never received or heard of a concerned citizen calling an MP. I cannot tell my opinion but will relay your message to the MP. (Bangs down the phone). Around four dozen MPs from across the country spoke to one of us calling them, but their responses were guarded and most preferred to excuse their stand citing the party directives on the issue, Ediga said. Besides the NRIs, volunteers from AID INDIA, People for Loksatta and other smaller groups, NGOs and RTI activists also took part in the Call-AThon. Among those who spoke were Rajya Sabha MPs, Shantaram Naik, Trinamool Congress MP S.S. Roy, JD-Us Sharad Yadav, TDPs K.N. Rao and N.M. Rao. Senior BJP leader L.K. Advani was not available, cabinet ministers were impossible to approach due to the bureaucratic ring around them and many others ignored repeated calls and emails. For all of us, it has been a great learning experience since we believed that we could never speak with any MP directly. To that extent, we appreciate all the MPs who actually took out calls, but that is not enough. They are expected to work for the people and the main question still remains: Why dont the political parties want to come under the RTI Acts ambit though the public demands it, Ediga said.

14

My Hollywood role should make Indians proud: Shah Rukh Khan

New Delhi Not interested in taking up a stereotypical role created for Asians in Hollywood, Bollywoods superstar Shah Rukh Khan says to get a role not specific to my colour or the way I speak or act is very difficult. He has been active in Hindi films for over two decades, has featured in more than 80 films and won the tag of superstar, but the 47-year-old has yet to find a suitable role in international films. A hugely popular actor in many countries, one whose face has become synonymous with the huge draw of the Indian film industry, particularly the Mumbai-based Hindi film industry, King Khan feels he doesnt have the USP to work in Hollywood. Asked what made him think so, he said: I didnt talk in terms of fan following. I think the kind of role I would want to do in a Hollywood film is one that makes India proud. To get a role like that is not specific to my colour, or the way I speak, look or act or my age, its very difficult, SRK told. I mean you cant go to a big filmmaking world and say write a role for a 47-year-old actor who is brown, has hair like this, acts this way, dances a bit... the role should be something that Indians should be proud of. Its too specific for me to have a USP. He however appreciated Indian faces who are doing well on the international arena. There are a few young boys and girls, who are doing really well internationally, and I pray they make it big, he said. Shah Rukh relishes and cherishes all the love and attention showered on him on the home turf and is set

CELEB
Fame made us grow up fast: Kendall Jenner
Los Angeles TV personality-model Kendall Jenner says being in the public eye made her and her sister Kylie Jenner grow up faster. The teenagers star in their familys reality TV show Keeping Up With The Kardashians and admit that being in the spotlight hasnt been easy. Im going to be 18 in four months. Im growing up and so is my little sister. We may be growing up a little faster than other people, but we have older sisters our entire lives who are in their 30s, radaronline.com quoted Kendall as saying. We are a little more mature than someone our age but I dont think were growing up too fast in any way. I think were doing it right for the situation weve been put in. Weve had to grow up fast just being in the public eye you kind of have to grow up fast, she added. It was recently reported that their mother, Kris Jenner, and sister Kim want to end their reality TV show in the near future. Both Kim and Kris want to make sure they end on a high note, leaving fans wanting more, rather than try and stretch the show on for another few seasons and watch it die a death. Plus, they are now moving on in their lives... exploring new options and opportunities, said a source.

CHANDIGARH SUNDAY 11 August 2013

to woo his fans with Chennai Express. In fact, he is right now busy driving the buzz around the comedy drama, coming out Friday, his first film with new age master of comedies Rohit Shetty. Sharing his experience of working with Shetty, Shah Rukh said: Rohit is fantastically organised. The best part about him is that he has a group of 200 trained people working under him. Rohit knows what he wants. He

always delivers the best. Chennai Express, Shah Rukhs second film with Deepika Padukone after the 2007 super duper hit Om Shanti Om, has a popular train scene from his Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (DDLJ). Interestingly, in Chennai Express the name of Shah Rukhs character is Rahul, a screen title he has donned in a string of hits. He confesses to being a directors actor. Im a directors actor. I belong to a world which directors create. I enjoy being with them in their world. I want the world to see me as an actor who moulds himself according to the character his director creates for him, said Shah Rukh. The Hindi film industry, which is celebrating its 100 years this year, has evolved with new filmmakers enlivening the silver screen with new subjects, Shah Rukh said, adding its not a new trend. Theres Gangs of Wasseypur, Barfi!... all kinds of films are being made, which is good, said Shah Rukh. There have always been all kinds of filmmakers who make films like Iron Man, Batman and Chak De! India. Its always parallel. When I did DDLJ, there was Maya Memsaab too. I always try to work on a different genre. I feel the industry has given me name, fame and money and I wont ever forgive myself if I wont do anything beneficial for Indian cinema and my fans. From romantic to villainous and from action to superhero - SRK has delved into a variety of roles. Asked how he is in real life, Shah Rukh said: I am a little like all of them. There are parts and portions of me that you see in my characters also. If I play a father, I do it the way I would do it with my kids. If I play a lover, I behave the same way I am in real life. I would say I am a funny person but also gentle and kind.

IANS

Did Miley Cyrus get another tattoo?

Audiences find me most suitable for action flicks: John Abraham

Im doing Welcome Back and Dostana 2. But, Im also doing an action film with director Nishikanth of Force again and it will be ten times more powerful than our last film. I try to do different cinema because we are commercial actors at the end of the day, he said. John says he doesnt hesitate to take risks. I guess Im the only actor who takes risk. I mean I do a Kabul Express in Afghanistan or I do a Madras Cafe or I do a No Smoking, which nobody understood, but I enjoy that space and if some needs to take risks then it might as well be John Abraham. Im happy about it, he added. He was speaking at the promotional event of Madras Cafe, which is being dubbing in Tamil as well with same name. Both versions of the film are set to hit the screens on Aug 23. In the upcoming film, he plays a RAW agent, who goes on a covert operation in Sri Lanka during the civil war. The film, which is directed by Shoojit Sircar, also features Nargis Fakhri and Prosenjit Chaterjee in important roles.

Los Angeles It seems singer Miley Cyrus has got herself another tattoo as she was spotted leaving artists Kat Von Ds parlour in Hollywood. The 20-year-old, who apparently has 17 tattoos on her body, was accompanied by several male friends during the session on Aug 4, reports aceshowbiz.com. Cyrus wore a cropped white top teamed it with white shorts, and a pair of gold sneakers. A black bandage was taped to her upper right arm. The 31-year-old tattoo artist wrote - Tattoo time, on Instagram and though Cyrus retweeted the post, she did not give any detail of the tattoo. Von D has previously made two tattoos for the singer. The artist inked two crossed arrows on her right elbow in January 2013 and two months later, she got a mini copy of Leonardo da Vincis drawing of heart anatomy inked on her forearm.
IANS

Chennai Even though actor-producer John Abraham personally likes doing films in different genres, he strongly believes audiences find him most suitable in the action space. Back home, Im called action Abraham. I love that phrase audiences have coined for me. The rom-com space didnt work for me. I worked really hard in Jhoota Hi Sahi, but it didnt work because audiences mostly perceive me in the action space, John told. I also enjoy comedy and thats why

CHANDIGARH SUNDAY 11 August 2013

Im getting ready to come Abhishek wants Aamir to play back: Sushmita Sen good guy in Dhoom 4
Mumbai For actor Abhishek Bachchan, it was an honour to work with Aamir Khan, who plays a villain in Dhoom 3. He hopes to work with Aamir again in the fourth instalment of the franchise, and says he could play the good guy. Dhoom is Dhoom and its the third time round. Jai and Ali are back and this time we have Aamir with us! What an honour for any actor to get the opportunity to work with Aamir. You just get to learn so much by just observing him, the 37-year-old said here at the unveiling of the Mandate magazine cover, featuring him and his megastar father Amitabh Bachchan. Abhishek only has a string of praises for Aamir. He (Aamir) is so helpful and so caring and giving as an actor that I am honoured to have

CELEB

15

Beyonce flaunts pixie look

Mumbai Sushmita Sen has lost oodles of weight, and she looks wonderful. The former Miss Universe and actress admits she is readying herself for a comeback to showbiz. On the silver screen, Sushmita was last seen in the 2010 film No Problem. During the three-year hiatus, she was busy taking care of her second adopted daughter, Alisah. She had first adopted Renee in 2000. I will definitly come back with a film, the 37-year-old said here on the sidelines of the India International Jewellery Week Tuesday. Without giving out too much details, she added: I will wait for the producers to officially announce it. I had to take a three-year break to spend time with my daughter Alisah. She is now three years old, so I am back to films, back to that life. Yes, Sushmita Sen is getting ready! In the past, the 37-year-old has been a part of movies like Biwi No.1, Kyo Kii... Main Jhuth Nahin Bolta, Main Hoon Na and Maine Pyaar Kyun Kiya?.

worked with him. Lets see, well try and convince him to come back in Dhoom 4 as a good guy, he added. Asked about the trend of heroes playing the bad guy in films, Abhishek said its nothing new. We have had our mainstream heroes doing villain roles for very long. I did it in Yuva in 2004, my dad did it in Parwana (1971). I think heroes have always done it and its got to do with the character, its not about being a good guy or a bad guy, Abhishek said. Superstar Shah Rukh Khan played negative roles in movies Darr (1993), Baazigar (1993), Anjaam (1994) and the recent Don franchise. Akshay Kumar will be seen as a baddie in Once Upon Ay Time in Mumbai Dobaara!. Ajay Devgn played a negative character in Deewangee (2002).

Los Angeles Singer Beyonce Knowles has got her long locks chopped and she now sports a new short, blonde hairdo. The 31-year-old flaunted her brand new blonde cropped pixie cut through a photograph on her Instagram page. The Single ladies singer got the new look just two days after wrapping up the summer leg of her Mrs. Carter Tour. From the looks it seems she is absolutely loving it.

Excited Superstitious Kim wont get Anushka married in 2013 Sharma looking forward to Bombay Velvet
New Delhi Actress Anushka Sharma will join the cast of upcoming movie Bombay Velvet in Sri Lanka and is looking forward to the experience. Directed by filmmaker Anurag Kashyap, Bombay Velvet brings actor Ranbir Kapoor and Anushka together on the silver screen for the first time. Last seen in director Vishal Bhardwajs Matru Ki Bijlee Ka Mandola, Anushka said: I am really excited and looking forward to joining the crew of Bombay Velvet in Sri Lanka. I have always wanted to work with Anurag and I am glad that I am going to be a part of his biggest celluloid dream yet. I am sure it is going to be an unforgettable experience. Fingers crossed, she said in a statement. Anushka will be shooting for 40 days in Sri Lanka to complete her first schedule. Co-produced by Fox Star Studios and Phantom Films, Bombay Velvet is set in Mumbai and the story covers 1950s to 1970s. It is the first film of a trilogy on how the city became a metropolis.

Los Angeles Socialite Kim Kardashian reportedly does not want to get married this year because she feels the year 2013 is unlucky. Kim gave birth to her first child with rapper boyfriend Kanye West in July. Even though Kanye has already popped the big question, she wants to wait, reports dailystar.co.uk. Kanye asked Kim to marry him straight after the birth of their baby daughter North West. He didnt want any fuss, he just wanted to go and get hitched within the month, a source

said. Kim, who was married to baskteball player Kris Humphries for 72 days and went through a nasty divorce, feels her marriage to Kanye wont work out if they wed this year. But Kim is far too superstitious. Shes crazy and irrational about superstitions and is not having any of it, a source said. Kim thinks its bound to end in disaster if they get married in 2013 because she believes the number 13 is unlucky, the source added.
IANS

IANS

16

KIDS

CHANDIGARH SUNDAY 11 August 2013

Interesting Rain Facts

Activity Sun-catcher Aquarium

Here we are giving your child an opportunity to enjoy our funny tongue twisters for kids and have fun trying to say some of the most difficult sentences . To get the full effect of a tongue twister you should try to repeat it several times, as quickly as possible, without stumbling. Strict strong stringy Stephen Stretch slickly snared six sickly silky snakes. Three gray geese in the green grass grazing. Gray were the geese and green was the grass. The owner of the inside inn was inside his inside inn with his inside outside his inside inn. A skunk sat on a stump and thunk the stump stunk,but the stump thunk the skunk stunk.

In honor of National Week of the Ocean , invite your child to set up an aquarium filled with paper fish that are a cinch to keep particularly since they never get hungry. What youll need: Construction paper Scissors Plastic wrap Cardboard Tape White glue Tissue paper (blue and other colors) Googly eyes, small seashells, and sand (optional) How to make it 1. Cut out an 11- by 8-1/2-inch aquarium shape from construction paper, angling the upper corners as shown. Then cut out the front and top panels, leaving a 1/2-inch border to serve as a frame. 2. Next, place a piece of plastic wrap (slightly bigger than your frame) on a sheet of cardboard and tape down the edges. 3. Create a watery background by painting a solution of 2 parts white glue and 1 part water onto the plastic and then pressing on strips of blue tissue paper. Use the same method to layer on tissue paper seaweed, fish, and any other sea creatures your child desires. 4. Glue the construction paper frame on top. For a fun finishing touch, you can even add googly eyes and small seashells and sand. 5. Allow the assembly to dry completely, then carefully peel the plastic from the glued paper. Trim the tissue paper edges flush with the frame, and the aquarium is ready to tape to a sunny window.

The city wetted with heavy rainfall this week. So we come up with some rain facts for our kids and interesting information about rain. Enjoy! Did you know that rain occurs on other planets? Or that Antarctica is the driest continent on Earth? Understand how rain works and why it so important to life here on Earth. Rain falls from clouds in the sky in the form of water droplets, this is called precipitation. Water can also fall from the sky in the form of hail, sleet or snow. Rain is an important part of the water cycle. Rain occurs on other planets in our Solar System but it is dif

ferent to the rain we experience here on Earth. For example, rain on Venus is made of sulfuric acid and due to the intense heat it evaporates before it even reaches the surface! Weather radar is used to detect and monitor rain. Rain gauges are use to measure the amount of rain over a certain period of time. The highest amount of rainfall ever recorded in 24 hours is 182.5 centimetres (71.9 inches) in Foc-Foc, La Runion Islands in the southwest Indian Ocean. This occurred during tropical cyclone Denise on January 8, 1966. The highest amount of rainfall ever recorded in one year is 25.4

meters (1000 inches) in Cherrapunji, India. Antarctica is the driest continent on Earth. Heavy rain can cause flooding and landslides. Rain allows us to create electricity through hydropower. Plants need water in order to survive, they receive much of this water from rain. Forests that experience high levels of rainfall are called rainforests. Rain with high levels of acid (a low pH) is called acid rain. Caused by the release of sulphur dioxide and nitrogen oxides into the air (often from factories and power stations), it can be harmful to plants and animals.

CBSE students learning solutions to go online

Always remember where you came from because you can help others that came from the exact same place.

Put your puzzle solving skills to the test with our emotions word scramble. Look carefully at the jumbled words and try unscrambling as many words related to Computer SMEUO PLTPAO IPUNT EAYBDOKR MEMYRO OPSOESRCR

Color Me......

APATHETIC

MEANING : not showing any emotion or not having any feelings EXAMPLE: His attitude was increasingly apathetic towards his brother. BONA FIDE

MOUSE , LAPTOP , INPUT , KEYBOARD , MEMORY , PROCESSOR

Answers to Word Scramble :

New Delhi The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) would soon launch its personalised online learning solutions to help students learn on their own, said an official. The content can be accessed anytime online. As every student has a different pace of learning, the personalised solution will allow the students to learn at their level, CBSE spokesperson Rama Sharma told. The online learning solutions will cater to 11 million students. The e-content would be available in interactive 2D and 3D animations, live lectures, virtual labs and simulations. Children find animations interesting and can grasp concepts faster if taught using these. About 3,000 animations for classes IX and X and 1,500 for classes I to VIII will be

available, added Sharma. The live lectures would be the recordings of teachers who will summarise the complete course of a particular class and subjects within the allotted time. She said: The live lectures will be of 80 hours for classes IX and 40 hours per class for VI, VII and VIII. However, the board has still to finalise on the distribution of the elearning content. CBSE is the board of education for public and private schools and conducts final examinations for classes X and XII. It also annually conducts the All India Engineering Entrance and All India Pre-Medical Test examinations for admission to undergraduate courses in engineering, architecture and medical colleges, respectively.

MEANING : a gesture made in good faith EXAMPLE: She made a bona fide deal to help him with his studies. CONTRABAND

MEANING : goods that are prohibited or illegal EXAMPLE: The mafia is heavily involved in contraband of all kinds.

CHANDIGARH SUNDAY 11 August 2013

LEISURE
E K L Y H O R O S C O P E
Is it time to buck your ideas up? After all, you do have a reality to adjust to, dont you? There is a fact to face, a burden to TAURUS shoulder and a responApr 20 - May 20 sibility to uphold, isnt there? Well, actually, there may be... but it need not stop you from enjoying life. Venus brings you this weeks astrological gift. Its all about making more room for joy in your world. It seems now, that you need to find the courage to write off an old investment of time, emotion or money and then channel your resources SCORPIO in a different direction. Oct 23 - Nov 21 It may not be easy to do the latter but it may help to remember that just as we need to exercise our muscles if we want to keep in shape, we need to make use of our brains and hearts. The art of prevarication is no trivial accomplishment. Whilst it may take little skill to keep things just as they GEMINI are for a short while, May 21 - Jun 20 it requires considerable determination to indefinitely postpone a change - or a decision. Prevarication, in itself, is no sin. You now suspect that you may be able to follow just such a policy to good effect now. Roll up your sleeves and prepare for a match. Get ready for a test of strength, a trial of endurance, a war of nerves, a SAGITTARIUS battle of brains, a tussle, Nov 22 - Dec 21 a scuffle, a showdown. Not PHYSICALLY, Mentally, Emotionally. Psychologically. Whats really going on now is a conflict between two strong wills. One is your own. The Sun backs Jupiter in its opposition to Mars this week. Have you ever found yourself staring at an untidy room, wondering just how to begin the process of putting in order? If so, youll CANCER it know that ultimately, Jun 21 - Jul 22 it really doesnt make much difference. You can start in a corner or the middle, on the floor or the surfaces. Something seems very difficult. The moment you get to grips with it, it will become easy. Cartoon characters are sometimes granted superhuman powers such as the ability to move at many times the speed of normal CAPRICORN people. They can Dec 22 - Jan 19 spy a burglary taking place in the next street, race off, foil the robbery and return before the person they were talking to has even noticed their absence. Psychologically you now seem to have a similar ability. All will be fine - in the end When all the worlds swords have been made into ploughshares, when every nation has become a prosperous democracy, when all sickness Jul 23 - Aug. 22 has been cured, all suffering removed. You are finding it hard to settle now, for anything less than total perfection. Let yourself off the hook. By anyone elses standards, you are doing brilliantly.

17
Many believe this world would be a better place if only people would say three little words to each other more often. Ah yes. But which three? Yet VIRGO most of prefer to make Aug. 23 - Sep 22 assertions. We never dare admit to ignorance. All you need this week is to recognise what you do not know - and what others dont know - regardless of what they may be saying! Two titans stand poised, at opposite sides of the city. Their arms are folded in mutual defiance. Neither will rest till the is vanquished. PISCES other Feb 19 - Mar 20 Pity those who are caught in the crossfire. Unless, that is, they recognise that these mighty warriors are shooting golden arrows at one another. Then maybe, just maybe, the curse becomes a blessing.

It is likely to be a bit of a tense week. Mars and Jupiter are in opposition. You can expect to find yourself struggling ARIES with a powerful force Mar 21-Apr 19 that does not agree with you - and yet which you cannot ignore. You may well soon have to let something go, put something down, change an idea and adapt a plan. Here in the western world, people have odd priorities. We applaud the folk who take action and critiLIBRA cise those who dont Sep 23 - Oct 22 - even though sometimes its both harder and wiser to do nothing than it is to leap blindly into an ill considered move. Remember; what counts is what you actually accomplish, not how much noise you make about trying.

LEO

Inside every human, no matter how sophisticated they may seem, theres a tiny child. A part of us just wants to be loved and looked afAQUARIUS ter. We often disguise Jan 20 - Feb. 18 this need behind complex ideas and justifications. Sometimes, we do it so successfully, we fool ourselves. If you follow your conscience, youll feel comfortable and all will work out surprisingly well.

ACROSS

1. Hosiery shade 4. October birthstones 9. Scan 12. Summer refresher 13. Lease again 14. Corn unit 15. Spanish waterway 16. Designer Oscar____ (3 wrds) 18. Mail friend (2 wrds) 20. Response 21. Fish delicacy 22. Scoffed 25. Foot part 27. Alias letters 28. Chem e.g. 31. That woman 32. Was ahead 33. Male cat 34. Wiped clean 37. Navy VIP 39. Hospital employee 43. Old West lawman 45. Pacifist Christian Branch 48. Robertos two 49. That things 50. Happen again 51. Memorable period 52. Fighter pilot 53. Winter toys 54. Sows home

1 12 15 18 21

4 13 16 19

8 17

9 14

10 11

20 22 23 24 27 32 35 36 39 44 47 50 53 48 51 54 40 41 42 26 31 34

25 28 29 30 33 37 43 45 46 49 52 38

DOWN 1. Canvas cover 2. French farewell 3. Broadway lights 4. Decree 5. Rind 6. Everybody 7. Students 8. Actress Merzl____ 9. In the middle 10. Cereal grain 11. 2nd amendment Lobby 17. Compass dir. 19. Greek letter 22. Swipe 23. Supplement 24. Moms counterpart 26. Artillery shell fragents 28. depot (abbr.) 29. Food fish 30. Enormous 34. Baseball blunders 35. Goes inside 36. Payable 38. Actor _____ Mckellen 40. Goes by bus 41. Scornful sound 42. Writing assignment 44. Small earring 45. Soccers _____ Hamm 46. List-ending (abbr.) 47. _____ cream

Crossword Solution 04 Aug, 2013

1 R 12 O 15 A 18 R 21 S 2 A N G E L 3 N A I V E 16 T E E 4 S 13 T A R T 25 S 5 H A T E 22 T 26 C 32 A 35 S A N O V A 49 L E G A L O N 45 R A R E 6 A M I 7 R E O 19 P E N E D 36 S 39 N O R T S 40 E B B 41 S E E 52 M 55 S 42 T R A I L 43 S T R A Y 8 E R N I E G N 27 A 33 W 9 C 14 A 17 S S A V A 23 G O D 24 E W E 10 A T A 11 W E T

28 O 34 D 37 D

29 V I E

30 E N A 44 M E L S

31 R E D O 38 P A 48 P 51 A 54 S

46 D 50 I 53 D

47 O L E

Canshala : A school of hope for kids with cancer

Mumbai Its called Canshala and is an island of peace and learning for a group of ailing children for whom education had, at one stage, become a distant dream due to their treatment for lifethreatening cancer. The children mingle with normal children in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) school in south Mumbais Parel area, where they are taught by regular teachers, two of whom are provided by the civic agency and the remaining by NGO CanKids. This formal education helps them make up the time lost due to staying away from school or dropping out

for treatment. This special school has come about thanks to a public-private partnership between the BMC and CanKids, which also has a family support

Sudoku 11 AUGUST, 2013

group for children with cancer. Four rooms in the Jagannath Bhatankar Municipal School have been provided by the civic agency for the special school. Two of these serve as classrooms for the brave hearts, one as a therapy room and another as an office. Now, with continuity of education, the children not only get a feeling of normalcy but they can carry on with education in their regular school after treatment, reducing chances of their becoming dropouts, Kakar added. Corporation employee Neelima Vijaykumar Rawler, who teaches the

children with cancer, said: Sudoku Solution 04 Aug, 2013 They are all hardworking students...after coming to school they forget about their painful brush with cancer. Of the 80 cancer patients registered with Canshala, at least 20 attend classes daily. Free books, meals, uniforms and school bags provided by the civic agency add to the attempt to make them feel at par with other normal children in the school. Another BMC teacher, Suvidya Ramchandra Shinde, says theres not kins lymphoma that weakens the much difference between the two immune system, is happy with her groups of children. sons exposure at the school. He is a talented artist and got the first prize in an inter-school BMC art competition in Mumbai, she said proudly. Gaurav is always eager to head to the school. Interaction with the other kids has made him forget his trauma and he is no more an introvert, she added. Niyali D. Chaurasiya, 11, who hails from Madhya Pradesh and is undergoing treatment for bone tissue cancer, acknowledged the gains from Canshala. On completion of the course, we give them a certificate of But the hunger for learning in chil- our own depending on the standard dren with cancer has to be seen to be they have achieved. We are trying believed, said Shinde, who teaches for an arrangement under which the Marathi, Hindi, English and Math- certificate would be awarded by the ematics to the brave hearts. BMC, she said. A majority of the cancer-afflicted While most of the students afflicted students of the school hail from Ma- with cancer are at the primary level, harashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Chhattis- there is one at the Class 7 and anothgarh and Madhya Pradesh. er at the Class 9 level, Kerr said. We contact parents in hospitals or Shinde said that as a teacher, she has dharamshalas meant for patients been experimenting with the curricufamilies and motivate them to send lums content. We need a different their kids to our school when they approach. The students come after are not required at the OPDs, Kerr long breaks from formal schooling added. and need a lot of background mateShuba Devi Singh, mother of Gaurav rial to cover the lost time. Kumar Singh, 12, a patient of HodgRahul Chhabra

18

INTERNATIONAL
sents the best opportunity for years for forging a durable peace. In the Middle East and North Africa, the UN and the League of Arab States (LAS) are working to support inclusive political processes in Tunisia, Libya and Yemen, and they continue to search for a political solution to the crisis in Syria, including through the deployment of the UNArab League joint envoy, Lakhdar Brahimi. Of course, we sometimes face challenges when working together. Our organizations do not always have the same approach to a given crisis. Our diverse mandates and membership can lead to different perspectives, Mr. Ban said, adding that the open debate is a welcome opportunity to explore the nature of these challenges and consider how to improve cooperation. In a statement agreed on by the 15-member body, the Council committed to promote closer and more operational cooperation between the UN and regional and sub-regional organizations in the fields of conflict early warning, prevention, peacemaking, peacekeeping and peacebuilding. It also recognized the need to enhance the coordination of efforts to strengthen the global response to current threats to international peace and security posed by illegal trafficking, terrorism, and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, among others. In addition, the Council reiterated its commitment to continue to cooperate with international, regional and sub-regional organizations and establish arrangements to share experiences and lessons learned. The meeting is expected to hear from around 60 speakers today, including a number of foreign ministers, as well as representatives of the AU, the European Union, the LAS, the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC), the Union of South American Nations (UNASUR), the Southern Common Market (MERCOSUR), and the OAS. Cairo Egypts presidency announced Wednesday that foreign mediation has failed to persuade the Muslim Brotherhood to find a peaceful solution to the political deadlock in the country, state-run al-Ahram Online said. Today, the diplomatic efforts phase ended, the presidency said in a statement, Xinhua reported. The presidency blamed the Muslim Brotherhood for the failure of the talks. Muslim Brotherhood group is fully responsible for foiling the efforts, and it is also accountable for any resulted developments related to law violation or social peace threat, the statement said. In the frame of the states keenness to give a chance for all diplomatic efforts... the Egyptian government allowed visits of the US and UN envoys as well as officials from UAE and Qatar to urge the Brotherhood to respect the public will represented in

CHANDIGARH SUNDAY 11 August 2013

Regional organizations must expand Foreign mediation fails to cooperation to tackle global challenges resolve Egypt crisis
demonstrations of June 30 and July 26, the statement read. Such efforts have not fulfilled the prospective success despite full support of the interim administration, it added. Egypt has turned into a destination for Arab and Western diplomats over the ongoing political crisis that hit the country since Morsis popular-backed overthrow by the army July 3. Pro-Morsi Islamist leaders have joined an open-ended sit-in for over a month calling for Morsis reinstatement. US Republican senators John McCain and Lindsey Graham arrived here Monday on a two-day official visit to meet Egyptian interim rulers and members of the Muslim Brotherhood, including those from its Freedom and Justice Party. The US officials visit overlapped another one of US Deputy Secretary of State William Burns to Egypt.

Regional organizations must find ways to expand their cooperation and dialogue to address increasingly interconnected global challenges, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon told a high-level debate in the Security Council today. Regional and sub-regional organizations have deep knowledge, unique insights and strong local networks. These elements are critical for mediation, planning a peacekeeping operation or helping a country to build lasting peace, Mr. Ban told the meeting on cooperation between the UN and regional and sub-regional organizations in maintaining international peace and security. We are better at sharing information and analysis on brewing crises, but we have to work harder on swift response and long-term prevention, he noted, asking countries to examine how they can expand their cooperation in pursuit of international peace and security. We need to learn from the lessons of our collaborations to build ever more innovative and flexible partnership arrangements that draw on our respective strengths, he said. Only through cooperation will we meet our shared aspirations for a more peaceful world. The debate, presided over by President Cristina Fernndez de Kirchner of Argentina, which holds the Councils presidency this month,

seeks to further strengthen dialogue and exchange of information among regional and sub-regional organizations and the UN on issues such as conflict prevention, peaceful settlement of disputes, peacekeeping and post-conflict peacebuilding. In his remarks, Mr. Ban highlighted examples of valuable cooperation between the UN and regional and sub-regional organizations across the globe. In Latin America and the Caribbean, he pointed to the joint missions the UN had carried out with the Organization of American States (OAS) to combat illicit trafficking. In Africa, he noted that the UN is working with the African Union (AU) in joint peacekeeping and mediation efforts in Sudans Darfur region and in facilitating the political transition in Somalia. In addition, the UN and the AU have also worked with the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) in Cte dIvoire and Mali. The Peace, Security and Cooperation Framework for the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is also an example of regional cooperation, as it is supported by 11 African leaders, the AU, the Southern African Development Community (SADC), the International Conference for the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR) and the UN. This effort, Mr. Ban stressed repre-

15 killed in Iraq violence

Baghdad As many as 15 people were killed and 11 injured in a string of bombing and shooting incidents that mainly targetted security forces in Iraq, police said Wednesday. In northern Iraq, a booby-trapped car struck a police patrol in Mosul city, some 400 km from Baghdad, killing four policemen and two passers-by and wounding another policeman, reported Xinhua citing a police source. In a separate incident, a policeman shot dead two gunmen who were caught planting a roadside bomb in Mosul, the source said. In another incident, a child was killed and three policemen were injured in Mosul when a roadside bomb went off near a police patrol. Elsewhere, three policemen were killed and another was wounded in a roadside bomb near their patrol near the Duluiyah cityy, some 90 km from Baghdad, a police source said. In Iraqs eastern province of Diyala, a civilian was killed while six people were wounded in a bomb explosion late Tuesday outside a mosque, a police source said. In the morning, two civilians were killed in separate attacks by gunmen near Baquba city, some 65 km from Baghdad, the source added. In addition, bomb experts defused a car bomb loaded with about 200 kg of explosives on a main road used by security forces near Bani Saad town, some 20 km from Baquba, the source said.

On anniversary of hiroshima atomic bombing, UN officials urge nuclear disarmament

True security is based on peoples welfare and not on military annihilation, senior United Nations officials said today, marking the 68th anniversary of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and later Nagasaki, and honouring the survivors of the bombings known as hibakusha. We are united in countering the erroneous view that security is achieved through the pursuit of military dominance and threats of mutual annihilation, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said in his message to the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Ceremony. He added that security is based on a thriving economy, strong public health and education programmes, and on fundamental respect for our common humanity, and not on military prowess. I appeal for universal adherence to the United Nations Charter, which emphasizes peace, disarmament, a prohibition on threats or use of force, and social and economic development, he said in the message, which was delivered by Noeleen Heyzer, Executive Secretary of the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP). Around 50,000 people reportedly gathered in front of the Hiroshima Peace City Memorial Monument to mark a minute of silence, light incense and paper lanterns, and pray near the epicentre of the explosion that took place on 6 August, 1945. The bombing, along with the attack on Nagasaki three days later, killed more than 400,000 people. Sachiko Matsuo was in fifth grade when her home in Nagasaki was hit. Suddenly, a very strong, yellowishwhitish light flashed up over there and I was thrown back, she said in an interview given to the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO). When I came to, I realized I was standing on bare soil with nothing on it, not even grass. My oldest sister was only 700 metres away and was buried under the house. When we found her, all that was left of her was white ash. The President of the General Assembly, Vuk Jeremic, who attended this years Peace Memorial Ceremony in Hiroshima, said he felt privileged to be organizing the first-ever high-

level meeting of the Assembly on nuclear disarmament to be held on 26 September. I hope this will be a significant step forward in fulfilling our goal to excise atomic weapons, so that the sufferings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki of sixty-eight years ago may never repeat, Mr. Jeremic said at the ceremony. Mr. Ban said there is a surge of new interest in nuclear disarmament based largely on an increasing awareness of the horrific humanitarian consequences of nuclear weapons.

Mr. Ban put forward in 2008 a five-point plan that includes recommendations on increasing security, verification, establishing a legal framework for nuclear disarmament, transparency and conventional weapons. In Geneva, the UN Conference on Disarmament today heard a statement by Japan marking the anniversary of the atomic bombings. Established in 1979 and with a current membership of 65 countries, the Conference has produced landmark disarmament instruments such as the

Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), the Chemical Weapons Convention and the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT). The Executive Secretary of the CTBTO, Lassina Zerbo, said the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki are a reminder of what horrors nuclear weapons can inflict. He added that while nuclear testing allows countries to develop even more powerful nuclear weapons, the Comprehensive Test-Ban Treaty makes it difficult for countries to proceed with such an endeavour. The CTBT bans all nuclear explosions in all environments, for military or civilian purposes. It was adopted by the General Assembly in September 1996 but has not yet entered into force. Out of a total listed number of 195 States, 183 have so far signed the CTBT and 159 have ratified it. For the treaty to enter into force, ratification is required from the so-called Annex 2 States. Of these, China, the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea, Egypt, India, Iran, Israel, Pakistan and the United States have yet to ratify it.

CHANDIGARH SUNDAY 11 August 2013

INTERNATIONAL
Washington Miffed over Moscows decision to grant asylum to classified leaker Edward Snowden, President Barack Obama has cancelled talks next month with Russian President Vladimir Putin ahead of the G-20 summit in St. Petersburg. A White House statement Wednesday announcing the cancellation of Obamas Moscow visit cited Russias disappointing decision to grant Edward Snowden temporary asylum as a factor. Russia last week granted asylum to Snowden, a former CIA contractor who had been holed up for weeks in the international transit zone of Moscows airport since fleeing the US for Hong Kong and then Russia after leaking details of several top-secret US and British government mass surveillance programmes. The president looked forward to the G-20 summit on Sep 5-6, the White House said, and a separate statement announced Obama president would visit Sweden before the summit instead of going to Moscow. Following a careful review begun in July, we have reached the conclusion that there is not enough recent progress in our bilateral agenda with Russia to hold a US-Russia Summit in early September, a White House statement said.

19

Benazir murder: Musharraf Obama cancels talks with Putin before to face charges Aug 20 G-20 summit
Islamabad A Rawalpindi court Tuesday ruled that former Pakistan president Pervez Musharraf would be indicted for the murder of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto Aug 20 after he failed to appear before it due to security concerns, a leading Pakistani daily said. Musharraf had been summoned to face charges of criminal conspiracy and the murder of Bhutto, according to The Dawn. Police and Musharrafs lawyer told the court in Rawalpindi, the city where Bhutto was assassinated, that it was not safe to escort him to the court due to threats on his life. Judge Chaudhry Habibur Rehman adjourned the indictment until Aug 20 and ordered Musharraf to appear then. Musharraf has been under house arrest at his plush villa here since April 19. Earlier July 30, he had appeared before the court in person. Bhutto was assassinated in a gun and bombing Dec 27, 2007. Musharrafs

government had blamed Pakistani Taliban chief Baitullah Mehsud for the murder. However, Mehsud denied the charges. He was killed in a US drone attack in 2009. The Benazir Bhutto case is one in a series of court battles that Musharraf has faced over allegations dating back to his 1999-2008 rule, since he returned in March from four years of self-imposed exile.

Foreign mediation fails to resolve Egypt crisis

Cairo Egypts presidency announced Wednesday that foreign mediation has failed to persuade the Muslim Brotherhood to find a peaceful solution to the political deadlock in the country, state-run al-Ahram Online said. Today, the diplomatic efforts phase ended, the presidency said in a statement, Xinhua reported. The presidency blamed the Muslim Brotherhood for the failure of the talks. Muslim Brotherhood group is fully responsible for foiling the efforts, and it is also accountable for any resulted developments related to law violation or social peace threat, the statement said. In the frame of the states keenness to give a chance for all diplomatic efforts... the Egyptian government allowed visits of the US and UN envoys as well as officials from UAE and Qatar to urge the Brotherhood to respect the public will represented in demonstrations of June 30 and July 26, the statement read. Such efforts have not fulfilled the prospective success despite full support of the interim administration, it added. Egypt has turned into a destination for Arab and Western diplomats over the ongoing political crisis that hit the country since Morsis popular-backed overthrow by the army July 3. Pro-Morsi Islamist leaders have joined an open-ended sit-in for over a month calling for Morsis reinstatement. US Republican senators John McCain and Lindsey Graham arrived here Monday on a two-day official visit to meet Egyptian interim rulers and members of the Muslim Brotherhood, including those from its Freedom and Justice Party. The US officials visit overlapped another one of US Deputy Secretary of State William Burns to Egypt. IANS

Given our lack of progress on issues such as missile defence and arms control, trade and commercial relations, global security issues, and human rights and civil society in the last twelve months, we have informed the Russian government that we believe it would be more constructive to postpone the summit until we have more results from our shared agenda, it added. Obama confirmed Tuesday night that he still plans to attend the G-20 summit early September, despite calls from some lawmakers for the US to

Bill Clinton, Oprah Winfrey to receive Medal of Freedom

Washington Former president Bill Clinton, TV personality Oprah Winfrey and jazz musician Arturo Sandoval are among the 16 people who will receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom at a ceremony later this year, the White House said. The Presidential Medal of Freedom goes to men and women who have dedicated their own lives to enriching ours, President Barack Obama said in a statement Thursday. This years honourees have been blessed with extraordinary talent, but what sets them apart is their gift for sharing that talent with the world, he said. This year marks the 50th anniversary

boycott the gathering. However, the White House also has said it was reconsidering the utility of separate talks with Putin in Moscow that were to take place before the G-20 gathering. On NBCs Tonight Show Tuesday night, Obama said he was disappointed Russia had granted asylum to the former government contractor. Russias leaders have a proclivity for slipping into a Cold War mindset, Obama said, adding that it is essential that cooperation between the two nations continues. IANS

Gandhi to King concert to mark US civil rights march

Washington The American capital is set to begin the 50th anniversary celebrations of Martin Luther Kings famous civil rights march on Washington with a concert named Reflections on peace: from Gandhi to King. Inspired by Mahatma Gandhi, the US civil rights leader led a March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom on Aug 28, 1963 and delivered his iconic I Have A Dream speech from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. Love for Gandhi was a potent instrument for social and collective transformation, King wrote in his first book Stride Toward Freedom, an account of the Montgomery Bus Boycott, the first successful largescale application of nonviolence resistance in America. It was in this Gandhian emphasis on love and nonviolence that I discovered the method for social reform that I had been seeking for so many months, he wrote in his chronicle of the struggle against the policy of racial segregation on the public transit system of Montgomery, Alabama. Saturday nights candlelight programme on Independence Avenue, which is free and open to the public, will feature sacred songs from the Indian, African, and African American traditions. The evening headline performers include Grammy Award winning singer Donnie McClurkin, and internationally renowned Sri Lankan pianist Soundarie David Rodrigo joined by Reverend Nolan Williams, Jr. and the Voices of Inspiration. Other artists joining this tribute include Vidya and Vandan Iyer; Shankar Tucker with Jonathan Batiste; POEM-CEES, Christylez Bacon and Nistha Raj. Reflections on Peace from Gandhi to King honours two peace and justice leaders through the arts and celebrates their legacies in a new way, said Judith Terra, Chair of the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities. Washington, DC is the national destination for activism and a global destination for expression through the arts, she said. Explaining the significance of Gandhi and King, Indian ambassador Nirupama Rao, said: The spirit of the peoples of India and the United States is joined by the inspirational call of freedom, peace and non violence. It is a powerful bond that unites us and we should forever hold it sacred in our thoughts and deeds. Reflections on Peace represents an important cultural collaboration between the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities and the Indian Embassy, according to a media release. Reflections is created and produced by NEWorks Productions and DESHO Productions.

of the presentation of these awards, a yearly event started by president John F. Kennedy. Also receiving the prestigious honour will be baseball great Ernie Banks; former Washington Post editor Ben Bradlee; country music legend Loretta Lynn; and Mexican-born

scientist Mario Molina, winner of the Nobel Prize for chemistry. In addition, Sally Ride, the first US woman to travel in space, civil rights activist Bayard Rustin and Hawaii Senator Daniel Inouye will be honoured posthumously.

9 killed, 22 injured in firing in Pakistan

Islamabad Nine people were killed and 22 others injured Friday when gunmen sprayed bullets at people pouring out of a mosque in Pakistans southwest provincial capital of Quetta, media reports said. Superintendent of Police Saryaab Bashir said the incident took place at around 7.20 a.m. Friday when some gunmen opened fire at people as they were coming out of a mosque after offering Eid prayers in Satellite Town of Quetta, reported Xinhua. Bashir said that around eight terrorists opened fire at people from two different sides and they fled after the attack. The shooting took place just a day after at least 38 people, including three senior police officers, were killed in a blast at the funeral of a slain police officer in the same city. Local media quoted hospital sources as saying that the toll rose to nine after five of the injured died while undergoing treatment, adding that at least 22 injured were still in the hospital. Hospital sources said the toll may rise further as at least three injured were still in critical condition. Security forces, police and rescue teams rushed to the site and shifted the bodies and injured to the hospital. Local media said the incident was the result of personal enmity and the main target of the assailants was former provincial minister Ali Madad Jattak who remained unhurt in the attack but there was no official confirmation about it yet. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack. At the time of the attack, the city was on high alert as Pakistanis are celebrating Eid.
IANS

20 Tata firm to set up 1,000 ATMs across Karnataka

BUSINESS

CHANDIGARH SUNDAY 11 August 2013

Parliament okays new Companies Bill, makes CSR mandatory

New Delhi Parliament Thursday gave its nod to the new Companies Bill that seeks to enhance compliance and transparency, make corporate social responsibility mandatory and protects the interest of employees and small investors. The provisions of the bill would ensure prevention of a Satyam-like fraud, the biggest in Indias corporate history running into $1.5 billion detected in 2009. The Rajya Sabha passed the bill Thursday. The Lok Sabha had done so on Dec 18, 2012. The bill will now go to President Pranab Mukherjee for his assent. The new legislation will come into effect with notification by the corporate affairs ministry after the presidential assent. The new law will replace the nearly six-decade-old Companies Act of 1956. Replying to the debate on the bill in the Rajya Sabha, Corporate Affairs Minister Sachin Pilot said it sought to bring Indias corporate governance in sync with the changing business environment of the 21st century. Pilot said the bill was progressive and the main focus was on enhancing transparency and compliance and it would help growth of the economy. For the next two to three decades, this (new legislation) will bring positivity in the economy, said Pilot adding that the views of all the stakeholders, including industry chambers, have been taken into consideration. The focus of the bill is to enhance transparency and ensure fewer regulations, self-reporting and disclosure, Pilot said. The bill was first introduced in the Lok Sabha in August 2009. It was referred to the standing committee on

Bangalore Leading banking solutions provider Tata Communications Payment Solutions Ltd plans to deploy about 1,000 white-label Indicash ATMs across Karnataka, a top company official said Thursday. Customers of any bank holding a debit card or credit card can withdraw cash from the Tatas ATMs as per the banking regulations. As Karnataka lags behind other states in per capita ATM penetration, we plan to install about 1,000 ATMs across the state in phases as part of our national plan to rollout 5,000 ATMs by 2016, TCPSL chief executive Sanjeev Patel told reporters here. The Tata group firm, first in the private sector to obtain a license from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to disperse cash through its white-label ATM network, launched its service at Chandrapada village in Maharashtras Thane district June 27, keeping in view the central banks vision to improve ATM penetration across the country. As part of our strategy to financially empower users, especially in tiertwo and tier-three towns, we will roll out 150 Indicash ATMs across the state covering Bangalore, Mysore, Hubli-Dharwad and Belgaum in the northern region by September, Patel said.

The company plans to install about 40 ATMs in urban and rural Bangalore covering Jigani, Bannerghatta, Devanahalli, Vijayapura, Anekal and Magadi. Karnataka is a key market for us, as it offers options to drive ATM reach in IT, industrial, educational, commercial and tourist zones. We also plan to reach areas where no such facility is available to ensure financial inclusion, Patel said. Indicash ATMs have been designed to guard against problems customers face when withdrawing cash from ATM networks of banks. Our ATMs ensure cards are not swallowed unlike other ATMs. An interface has been designed to be intuitive and simple with multi-lingual messaging. Privacy screen filters, key pad shields and electronic surveillance enable secure transactions, Patel said. Besides regular services such as cash withdrawals, balance enquiries, mini-statements and PIN changes, Indicash plans to offer value-added and utility services to customers with offers and third party promotions in the second phase of its roll-out. As a market leader in managed ATM services with an order book of over 27,000 ATMs, the company manages around 55 percent of point of sales (PoS) traffic across the country.
IANS

Jet Airways net loss in Q1 Rs.355 crore

Mumbai Jet Airways Thursday reported a net loss of Rs.355.38 crore in the first quarter of the current fiscal from a net profit of Rs.24.70 crore in the same period of 2012-13. The devaluation of rupee versus dollar, steep increase in landing and navigation charges at key metros and high fuel prices has impacted the industrys profitability, Captain Hameed Ali, the airlines acting chief executive, said in a statement. This (sluggish demand) coupled with the airlines inability to pass on high input costs fully to the passengers, have caused financial strain on airlines. Going forward, we expect the demand scenario to improve in second half of the fiscal. The companys total income in the period under review decreased by 13.73 percent to Rs.4,064.3 crore, from Rs.4,711.6 crore in the corresponding quarter of last fiscal. However, the companys fuel cost in the first quarter decreased by 21.55 percent and stood at Rs.1,543.39 crore from Rs.1,967.41 crore in the corresponding period of 2012-2013. While, the aircraft rentals in the quarter under review went up by 31.90 percent at Rs.363.48 crore from Rs.275.57 crore in the like period of last fiscal. The companys domestic operations

finance a month later. It was brought back to the Lok Sabha as Companies Bill 2011, but again referred to the standing committee. The bill was cleared by the Lok Sabha after the standing committee submitted its report in June 2012. This legislation is indeed a milestone in the history of company law and will revolutionise the administration and management of businesses in the times to come, said Naina Lal Kidwai, president, Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI). Kidwai said the Bill had introduced several changes and concepts which would simplify regulations and bring greater clarity and transparency in managing businesses. The global environment calls for economic laws and regulations that are effective and efficient, have a reasonable compliance cost and keep Indian businesses competitive. Now that the law is ready, it is time to focus and work on the practical aspects of complying with its provisions, said Chandrajit Banerjee, director general, Confederation of Indian Industry (CII). Banerjee said the new Companies Bill is commensurate with global standards vis--vis disclosure requirements, increased democratic rights for shareholders, self-regulation and accountability. At the same time, it also sought to restrain the management powers of promoters, who nurture the company during its initial stages and provide the seed capital. In a country where 75-80 percent of the businesses are family-run/promoter-driven, we hope that the new law would be able to achieve the fine balancing between ownership and management, which is crucial for success of any enterprise and also fostering the spirit of entrepreneurship, he said.

Salient features of the new Companies Bill

Companies are required to spend at least two percent of their net profit on Corporate Social Responsibility * To help in curbing a major source of corporate delinquency, introduces punishment for falsely inducing a person to enter into any agreement with a bank or financial institution to obtain credit facilities. * The limit of the maximum number of companies in which a person may be appointed as auditor has been pegged at 20. * Appointment of auditors for 5 years shall be subject to ratification at every Annual General Meeting * Independent directors to be excluded for the purpose of computing one-third of retiring directors * Whole-time director has been included in the definition of the term key managerial personnel. * Maximum number of directors in a private company increased from 12 to 15 which can be further increased by a special resolution. * The term private placement has been defined to bring clarity. * Financial year of any company can only end on March 31. The only exception is for companies which are a holding/subsidiary of a foreign entity requiring consolidation outside India.
IANS

accounted for 43 percent of total revenues and garnered Rs.1,763.5 crore. The earnings from international operations accounted for 57 percent of total revenues of Rs.2,300.9 crore. The company is currently looking forward to attract foreign investments from Abu Dhabi-based Etihad Airways through a stake sale deal. The Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) last month cleared the proposed stake sale in Jet Airways. A final decision on this is now pending with the cabinet. The deal is expected to garner around Rs.2,058 crore ($379 million) for Jet Airways, which will enable the company to service its debts and provide

passengers better connectivity. The proposed equity infusion by Etihad Airways will significantly change the landscape of the business not only in terms of deleveraging the balance sheet but also reduction in costs due to better bargaining ability as well as higher revenues due to improved connectivity and network reach, Ali added. The companys scrip at the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) closed higher by 1.90 points and 0.59 percent at Rs.325.60 per share from its previous close of Rs.325.60 after the company announced positive demand outlook for the second half of the fiscal.
IANS

Power shortage projected at 6.7 percent for 2013-14

New Delhi India is projected to see an electricity supply shortfall of 6.7 percent in the current fiscal and the southern states are expected to have energy shortage of as much as 19.1 percent during 2013-14, Power Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia informed parliament Thursday. In view of the latest projections from the Central Electricity Authority, the steps taken and on-going to overcome power shortage include accelerating generating capacity addition during the 12th Plan (2012-16) with a proposed target of 88,537 MW, rigorous monitoring of on-going capacity addition and development of Ultra Mega Power Projects of 4000 MW, the minister said in a written reply. Scindia added that to meet the shortfall in coal supplies to thermal power stations from indigenous sources, the power utilities have been advised to import coal. The capacity addition in the current fiscal would be 18,432 MW with majority contribution coming from coal-based power.

CHANDIGARH SUNDAY 11 August 2013

BUSINESS
New Delhi Raghuram Govind Rajan, chief economic adviser in the finance ministry, who was Tuesday named the next governor of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), brings with him wide experience as a banker, academician and technocrat, having served institutions such as the International Monetary Fund and taught at the University of Chicago. At 50, Rajan will also be among the youngest to occupy the high office at Mint Street in Mumbai, where he takes over from incumbent Duvvuri Subbarao on Sep 5. But holding high positions at young age is not new for this Bhopal-born financial economist. An alumnus of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) in New Delhi, the Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Ahmedabad, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and a gold medallist all through, Rajan was the youngest economic-counsellor and chief economist at the IMF from October 2003 to December 2006. His peers, in a poll conducted by The Economist, called him an economist with the most important ideas for a post-crisis world, which was a rare distinction for a person of Rajans age. He was all of 48 then. He shot to global fame when his prediction of a looming global financial crisis way back in 2005, eventually became a reality three years later even though, in the interim, he had to face ridicule of such luminaries as then Federal Reserve chief Alan Greenspan and Nobel laureate Paul

21

Hero to make 12 mn units, Rajan: Man who predicted the 2008 enter 50 markets by 2020 economic crisis

Gurgaon Two-wheeler major Hero MotoCorp Thursday announced its long-term growth plans till 2020, which envision an annual production capacity of 12 million units per year manufactured in over 20 facilities spanning the globe. We have become the first Indian two-wheeler company to reach the historic milestone of 50 million units production, and today is also the day when we embark on a new journey, Pawan Munjal, managing director and chief executive, Hero MotoCorp said on the sidelines of an event to mark the production of the companys 50-millionth two-wheeler here at its Gurgaon plant. New Hero will now operate at a scale never seen before - footprints in 50 countries with 20 manufacturing facilities across the globe and 100 million cumulative two-wheelers sold by 2020. According to Munjal, By 2020, the company will manufacture 12 million units from the current 6.9 million installed production capacity. The company also aims to have a turnover of Rs.60,000 crore per annum from last fiscals turnover of around Rs.25,000 crore. Further, the company is aiming to achieve an EBITDA (Earnings before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation, and Amortization) margin of 20 percent. The production of 12 million units per annum will take place in over 20 manufacturing and assembly plants within and outside India. Currently, Hero MotoCorp has three manufacturing facilities at Gurgaon and Daruhera, both in Haryana, and Haridwar in Uttarakhand. While two new plants will come up at Neemrana in Rajasthan and in Gujarat, as part of a Rs. 2,500 crore investment plan for increase in production and research and development (R&D) capability. In July, the company launched its operations in Kenya, where it has set up its first international assembly unit. It also does assembly of completely knocked-down (CKD) units through distributors in Bangladesh and Colombia In the short-term, the company plans to launch its brand of products in 10 more international markets by the end of this year. By next year, it plans to have six assembly facilities spread across three continents. In a weeks time we will enter Peru and next month Ecuador. We plan to enter one or two countries every month. During October-December, 2013, we will enter four more markets most of them in African countries, Munjal said. During January-March, 2014, we will enter more markets in Africa, Caribbean and Central America, Munjal said, adding that the company is aiming for 10 percent of its

sales to come from export markets by 2017. Last fiscal the company shipped out 161,043 units which accounted for about three percent of its overall sales. The company currently assembles or exports its products to Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Colombia, Kenya, Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Nepal. On product offensive, the company is set to introduce over a dozen product offerings to shore up its market share which has come down to under 43 percent in 2012-13 from around 49 percent in 2008-09. For customers, we have lined up 12 new products of variants and upgrades during the course of this financial year, Munjal said. On the indigenous technology development, Munjal said the company recently tested three new engines which were wholly developed in India. Three new designed, developed engines were fired up recently for the first time last week. Research and development was all done here and there is a huge excitement about these engines. They are in a range between 100-250 cc, Munjal added. Hero is trying to spur-up its in-house technology development at its R&D centre and has also tied-up with three international companies for technology alliances. Hero MotoCorp can use erstwhile partner Hondas technology inputs till 2014. Both the companies ended there 27-year old joint venture two years ago.

Krugman. What started as a paper titled Has Financial Development Made the World Riskier?, resulted in an Academy Award-winning documentary called Inside Job bringing Rajan into global limelight, as also the sights of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh who made him honorary economic advisor. During that tenure, Rajan chaired a panel appointed by the Planning Commission, and his paper is the document which is guiding policy makers on the current financial sector reforms, as also issues like financial inclusion and direct cash transfer of subsidies. His appointment comes at a time when the Indian economy is passing through rough weather and the government and the central bank are not particularly seen to be in sync on ways to handle the situation. But Ra-

jan feels the worst will be overcome. These are challenging times for the Indian economy, though no one can have any doubt about the countrys promise, he said after being named Governor-elect, adding that the government and the central bank were working together on this. The Reserve Bank is a great institution with a tradition of integrity, independence and professionalism, he said, honoured by the new responsibilities rested on him. Chairman of the Prime Ministers economic advisory council C Rangarajan said Rajan is an excellent choice for the central bank governor position. Rajan is now familiar with the Indian economy, expect him to handle all issues in a mature manner, Rangarajan, also a former RBI governor, said while reacting on new appointment.
IANS

India, Morocco ink double taxation avoidance pact

New Delhi India and Morocco Thursday signed a protocol amending the Double Taxation Avoidance Convention between the two countries and to ensure effective exchange of information on tax matters. The protocol was signed by Sudha Sharma, chairperson, Central Board of Direct Taxes, on behalf of the Indian government and ambassador Larbi Reffouh on behalf Moroccan government. The protocol is based on international standards of transparency and exchange of information, the finance ministry said in a statement after its signing. It provides for effective exchange of information including banking information between tax authorities of the two countries. It also provides that each treaty partner shall use its information gathering measures to obtain the requested information even though it may not need such information for its own domestic tax purposes, it said. The agreement will enhance mutual co-operation between the two countries by having effective exchange of information in tax matters, the IANS statement added.

SPORTS Snooker: India receive Star Sports appoint Dhoni as six wild card entries brand ambassador
22
New Delhi Star Sports Thursday appointed Indian cricket team captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni as brand ambassador to promote Premier League football in India. A Manchester United fan, Dhoni will invite fans to Join the Game in a new campaign which will be launched early next week. This news comes on the back of the sports broadcaster announcing the launch of Hindi commentary for the first time on Premier League. The Hindi commentary will be in addition to the English commentary and will be available for over 100 live matches across the season. Speaking on the occasion, ESPN Software India Pvt. Ltd. chief operating officer Vijay Rajput said: We are delighted to have M.S. Dhoni come on board as the brand ambassador for Premier League in the country. We are targeting to expand the fan base of the football league in India by leveraging the iconic power and fan following of Dhoni to attract cricket fans to sample Premier

CHANDIGARH SUNDAY 11 August 2013

Bangalore India has received six wild card entries who will join the top 64 in the World Ranking snooker tournament to be held in New Delhi from Oct 14 to 18, offering a prize-money of 300,000 pounds. According to a Billiards and Snooker Federation of lndia press release here Wednesday, qualifying rounds to decide the six Indian entries will be played in New Delhi and Bangalore from Aug 22

Will the medal change our lives, ask Tevez quits Argentina hockey girls national team
New Delhi An Olympic or a World Cup medal normally changes the fortunes of an athlete. Will it for the bronze medal winning hockey girls? They are not so sure, and worried about their livelihood. The historic bronze from the Monchengladbach junior World Cup has definitely brought them under the spotlight, but they wonder how long will they be basking under it. For most, the Rs.1 lakh cash award will mean little as eight members of the squad dont even have a job and they shudder thinking of the grind to make ends meet. We are happy with what we have achieved. People want to talk to us, interview us, take photos. All this is fine, but unless the success changes our life for the better, the Rs.1 lakh doesnt mean much for us, Manjeet Kaur, whose father is a farmer in Shahbad, Kurukshetra, told . Already, Rs.10,000 has already been cut as tax and much of the remaining Rs.90,000 would be utilised for buying better equipment and gear. I hope I can save some for my father, who has worked so hard to support my brother and me, she said. The winning Indian mens team of the cricket U-19 World Cup 2012 each received Rs.20 lakh. Not taking anything away from their performance, it should be remembered that they have won it a third time. The divide between cricket and hockey and more importantly men and women, in this case boys and girls is so huge that some of the girls resent it. Most of these girls have faced hardships that many other sportspersons may not have experienced. They Rome Former Manchester United striker Carlos Tevez has decided to retire from Argentina international duty. Tevez, who played for Manchester City last season and has scored 13 goals for the national side, chose not to elaborate on his decision Wednesday, reports Xinhua. Its over, he said. I have nothing more to add. I have said what I feel and thats the end of the matter. If I say anything else then it would seem as if Im asking for a recall. Since Alejandro Sabello took over the Argentina squad in the summer of 2011, Tevez has always been dropped. Tevez also revealed he could have quit football altogether if he had not been signed by Juventus. There comes a moment where you get tired, you get tired of football, he said. I wanted to leave football but then Juventus, one of the biggest teams in Europe, arrived. I had always said that I would retire at the age of 28 and I was close to retiring after the row with Roberto Mancini, he said.

and Sep 1, respectively. The top four from each venue will be involved in a play-off to decide the six who will make it to the main tournament. Meanwhile, Indias top two cueists, Pankaj Advani and Aditya Mehta will be taking part in the qualifiers to be played at Doncaster (Britain) Aug 11. Advani is scheduled to meet Mathew Selt and Mehta takes on Guo Dung.

League. Speaking on the association, Dhoni said: I am an avid Premier League fan and I just played out a real situation in front of the camera. If I am not busy with cricket, I am always busy with Premier League during weekends. Football is extremely exciting and very close to my heart. I was a goalkeeper during my school days. Even today, I play football as a warm-up game ahead of key cricket

matches. I feel that Indian sports fans should consume different types of sports. I want them to be passionate about cricket but at the same time one needs to give respect to other disciplines as well. It is critical to spread the message of overall sports development and promotion in the country.

play with borrowed shoes and sticks from their seniors and in most cases the equipment is either torn or worn. My parents told me that our villagers told them that they are really proud of our achievement, and we are thrilled at that. And then, why is it that achievements of the girls are never equated with those of the boys, Navneet Kaur, 17, one of the youngest lot, told. When the boys team finished third in the Asia Cup and failed to qualify for the World Cup, they were each given a Tab (Tablet/Computers). While we finished second and hence managed to qualify for the World Cup, we were given a souvenir cup made for the 2010 Commonwealth Games, she said. Navneet, whose father is an AC mechanic, said the familys financial position is making her think whether she should continue playing hockey or think of securing her future by doing something else.

Im still without a job and I badly want to support my family. I know what my father has done for me to get me to this level and I want to return the favour. Hockey has done a lot for me, but if things carry on like this I might have quit and start looking at other avenues, she lamented. Not too different is the case of the World Cups MVP (Most Valuable Player), Rani Rampal. At least the 18-year-old has a job, even if it is a clerks in the Railways. Things are certainly a lot better for me since I have a job. I no longer have to worry about buying shoes or sticks. Even now our shoes only last about two months, so every other month we have to get shoes worth Rs.8,000, the basic synthetic turf shoes. My salary is Rs.10,000, but now I hope to get a better job with the Haryana government, said Rani, whose father is a cart-puller.

IBL: Malaysias Liew replaces Wong in Delhi Smashers

New Delhi The $1 million Indian Badminton League (IBL) Thursday announced that mens singles World No.16 Daren Liew of Malaysia has replaced Hong Kong shuttler Wong Wing Ki in the Delhi Smashers franchise. Wong got injured at the ongoing World Championships in Guangzhou, China. The IBL governing council approved the request from the Smashers after his unfortunate layoff was conveyed to them by the Hong Kong Badminton Association. Daren Liew is one of the most exciting players to watch in the sport and we hope to benefit enormously with this association. We also wish

Sports minister awards junior hockey girls with Rs.50,000 each

New Delhi Sports Minister Jitendra Singh Wednesday awarded Rs.50,000 to each member of the junior women's hockey team for winning a bronze medal in the World Cup. The 18-member squad led by skipper Sushila Chanu met the minister at his office and shared their experience about the tournament. Coach Neil Hawgood will also get Rs.25,000. "You have made the country proud by winning the bronze medal in the event. The ministry stand committed to supporting your endeavour to bring laurels to India in future," Jitendra Singh told the girls. The minister along with the girls cut a cake to celebrate the occasion. The team presented Jitendra Singh with a t-shirt and a hockey stick, signed by all the members of the squad.

the injured Wong Wing Ki speedy recovery, said Delhi Smashers chief executive Kartikeya Rao. On getting selected, Liew said: Its a great feeling to be part of the IBL and Im looking forward to join my teammates at Delhi Smashers.

CHANDIGARH SUNDAY 11 August 2013

World Championships: Sindhu Skipping 2014 Indian GP Juventus assures India of Bronze manager hurts countrys image: happy with Jackie Stewart New Delhi new signings Avowed Indophile and three-time world champion Sir Jackie Stewart progress feels India skipping its 2014 Grand
Prix round -- ostensibly to enable the Formula One organisers to tweak the calendar, clubbing it with rest of Asia the following year -- will hurt the countrys image in the motorsports world. Stewart, whose connection with India dates back to his forays into the car market with his employers Ford Motor Company, gets emotional talking about the Buddh International Circuit (BIC) missing the date in 2014. The Flying Scotsman is closely associated with Indian motorsports, having cut the first turf of the race track in Madras over two decades ago and he should know what it means to take a race away and how difficult it is to recapture the imagination of racing fans. It is certainly not a good message the Indian Grand Prix is sending out to the motorsports world, and is not positive for Indias image when questions are raised about it. But as I am not aware of the implications involved, so it would be inappropriate for me to comment further, Stewart told IANS from his Buckinghamshire base. F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone and race promoters Jaypee have confirmed that the India-round will now take place in the first half of 2015, amid growing speculations that teams are not comfortable with customs and tax issues in the country. Stewart says all issues must be sorted out to keep India on the F1 calendar. F1 is now one of the largest sports in the world, simply because from March until the end of November, there is a race almost every two weeks with large car makers involved and a lot of major multi-national corporations joining it. So, I think it would be good and beneficial for India to have a Grand Prix, attracting the worlds attention for that weekend. I dont know much about the tax issues and as for the customs, F1 has been able to handle the issue in every other country we go to -- whether its

SPORTS

23

Guangzhou P.V. Sindhu assured India of at least a bronze medal in the World Badminton Championships Friday defeating former World No.1 Shixian Wang in the womens singles quarterfinals event here. The World No.12 beat the seventh seeded Chinese 21-18, 21-17 in 55 minutes at Tianhe Indoor Stadium.

This will be only the third instance that an Indian will bring home a medal at the Worlds. Prakash Padukone won the mens singles bronze in 1983 at Copenhagen while Jwala Gutta and Ashwini Ponnappa won another bronze in the womens doubles event in the last edition at London in 2011.

Ukraines Shakhtar signs promising Brazilian midfielder

Kiev Ukrainian champions Shakhtar Donetsk Thursday finalised the transfer of 20-year-old Brazil in-

ternational Bernard from Atletico Miniero. The Brazilian side accepted an offer of 25 million euros for the attacking midfielder, who joins Shakhtar on a five-year contract, reports. Bernard has been playing for Atletico Miniero in Brazilian Serie A since 2011, and has scored 22 goals in 100 appearances. Bernard, who had attracted interest from Englands Arsenal, Tottenham and Liverpool, as well as from Portuguese Porto, was named among 20-players in the Brazil national squad for the friendly match against Switzerland Aug 14. Bernard is seen in Shakhtar as a replacement for Henrikh Mkhitaryan, who left the Ukrainian club in the early July. IANS

Hungary, Korea, Singapore, Malaysia or China. This is something that your government should, perhaps, study, by visiting one of the Grand Prix races in Europe, to see how their authorities go through the process, says the 74-year-old, who has been associated with the Lotus F1 team. Among his several visits to India, the champion of 1969, 1971 and 1973 seasons fondly recalls the inaugural race at the $400 million BIC. The race track was unquestionably built at a very large cost and there is no doubt in my mind that F1 brought a new interest to the outside world in seeing India developing into an arena of a global sport. I was enormously impressed. Its an impressive layout and the drivers enjoy the challenge. A few eyebrows were raised when the spectator turnout dropped from 95,000 to 60,000 last year. To add to that, Bernie said 2013 would tell a lot about the popularity of the sport. For Stewart, it is a cultural issue and he sees the sport surviving in India. It will take some time before the culture of motorsport is fully understood in India. We have experienced the same issues in Bahrain, China, Korea, Malaysia, Abu Dhabi and even in America, where Grand Prix race did not take place for many years. This years race is crucial and if the race in 2015 gets right promotion, theres no reason why it shouldnt again attract large crowds.

Rome Juventus manager Antonio Conte has said he was delighted with the progress of his new signings Angelo Ogbonna, Carlos Tevez and Fernando Llorente. Though the Serie A champions journey in America ended in disappointment, Conte saw positive signs from the new arrivals, reports. Carlos (Tevez) is improving game by game, he said Thursday. But it is obvious that he, Ogbonna and Llorente need to get to grips with the way we play. Ive liked what I have seen of Ogbonna, Ive liked that a lot. Llorente too who, once he has recovered from the hard pre-season, will deliver his best, he said. Conte has warned his side against any complacency as the new season is upcoming. The point is that this season will be very difficult, he added. Ive told that to the players and myself, seeing as I never won three Scudetti in a row. We need to remain focused and determined. People on the outside will say that weve already won, that it is a formality, that we are the best, he said. IANS

Saina drops to World No.4

Parvez Ghulam Rasool Zargar, to give his full name, is a decent offspinner and handy batsman to be considered a bowling all-rounder. It is immaterial whether he came from Kashmir or Kerala, he will play for India if he is good enough to earn his cap. A cap cant be handed out for sentimental reasons. Parvez not being handed his India cap on the Zimbabwe tour of onedayers, which ended Saturday, has unnecessarily become the talking point, thanks to his state Chief Minister Omar Abdullah going to town criticising his non-selection even when his father Farooq Abdullah, who is the president of the Jammu and Kashmir Cricket Association, did not react so vehemently. When has Omar Abdullah started taking such keen interest in cricket and what is this specious argument that if 14 players got to play why not the 15th. If only he had shown the same alacrity in unravelling the mystery of over Rs.50 crores vanishing from the books of the Jammu and Kashmir Cricket Association, the states cricketers like Parvez would have

Why this hullabaloo about Parvez Rasool?

benefited more. His pleading tweets, Come on BCCI give the young man a chance to prove himself, and Did you have to take him all the way to Zim to demoralise him? Wouldnt it have been cheaper to do it at home? may have given him politically a kick, but it is in poor taste, unless he wants to take credit for the young mans exploits on cricket field. Omar should have also taken to task some people in the valley who make no secret of their dislike of Parvez playing for India and their statements that they would support their cricketer but not India. Worse, they said they would not even support the lad from Bijbehara, a small town in Anantnag district, if he plays a key role in India beating Pakistan! Not to be left behind, Union Minister Shashi Tharoor joined with his percussion: Bizarre selection. Could easily have rested Jadeja & Raina for Rasool & Rahane, he tweeted. Whats the point leading 4-0 if you cant give every member of the touring team a chance to play at least once now by reshuffling the deck? Not taking away their right to express their views, do they at least concede that the national selectors, coach and captain are competent enough to pick the squad and the playing eleven? Whatever may be their compulsions, political or otherwise, they have trod a dangerous path, though they are not the pioneers of the indiscretion. There have been instances where politicians jumped in to back players from their states and luckily they confined themselves to making only puerile statements. What is more bizarre in this case is that captain Virat Kohli chose to defend the selection when there was no need for him to do so and saying that he was not bothered by the criticism. Kohli tried to justify Parvez sitting out, saying Amit Mishra was cooling his heels for the last two months and he had to be played and that the Kashmiri young man will get his opportunity when he goes with the India A team to South Africa from Zimbabwe. Surely, Parvez himself may not be complaining too much about not getting to play in Zimbabwe since he did not fit into Kohlis scheme of things. Coming back to Omars

concern for Parvez, he and his father should have taken interest in cleaning up the states cricket administration instead of acquiescing in carrying out the obnoxious quota system whereby the valley and Jammu get equal representation in the states Ranji Trophy squad And then if Omar is so fond of Parvez, he should have given the 24-year-old a job in the state government, though he may not need one if he has a long run as an international cricketer. What is so special about Parvez? The list of people who waited for the India cap despite their enormous talent is long. Why go far, his own teammate Ambati Rayudu, who was hailed as the closest to Sachin Tendulkar in class when he was first spotted a decade ago, made his international debut in the fourth one-dayer at 27, though for no fault of his. For the record, Rasool made his firstclass debut for J&K in 2008-09 and has played 17 first-class matches, scoring 1,003 runs and taking 46 wickets. Playing against Australia for India A he took seven wickets for 41. He also played for Pune Warriors last season. Veturi Srivatsa

New Delhi Indias top shuttler Saina Nehwal dropped a place to No.4 in the Badminton World Federation (BWF) rankings released Thursday. Saina, who advanced to the womens singles quarterfinal at the World Championships in Guangzhou, was overtaken by Thailands Ratchanok Intanon. Sainas city mate P.V. Sindhu retained her No.12 position. In the mens singles, Parupalli Kashyap slipped four places to No.17 while R.M.V. Gurusaidutt jumped a place to a career-high No.20. Mumbais Ajay Jayaram was static at No.24. Sourabh Verma, B. Sai Praneeth, K. Srikanth, Anand Pawar are ranked No.36-39 while H.S. Prannoy jumped five places to be ranked at No.46, making him the eighth Indian shuttler in the top-50 of mens singles rankings. No Indian features in the top-25 of the doubles rankings in any category.

24
EID Celebrated across Country and World with full fervour and gaiety

CHANDIGARH SUNDAY 11 August 2013

EID MUBARAK

Long years ago we made a tryst with destiny, and now the time comes when we shall redeem our pledge, not wholly or in full measure, but very substantially. At the stroke of the midnight hour, when the world sleeps, India will awake to life and freedom. A moment comes, which comes but rarely in history, when we step out from the old to the new, when an age ends, and when the soul of a nation, long suppressed, finds utterance. It is fitting that at this solemn moment, we take the pledge of dedication to the service of India and her people and to the still larger cause of humanity. accompanied by violent riots and
mass casualties.The flagship event in Independence Day celebrations takes place in Delhi, where the prime minister hoists the national flag at the Red Fort and delivers from its ramparts a speech. The holiday is observed throughout India with flaghoisting ceremonies, parades and cultural events. Indians celebrate the day by displaying the national flag on their attire, accessories, homes and vehicles; by listening to patriotic songs, watching patriotic movies; and bonding with family and friends. Books and films feature the independence and partition in their narrative. Separatist and militant organisations have often carried out terrorist attacks on and around 15 August, and others have declared strikes and used black flags to boycott the celebration.

Independence Day

President Pranab Mukherjee being greeted by Muslims on the occasion of Eid ul-Fitr at Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi

Independence Day, observed annually on 15 August, is a national holiday in India commemorating the nations independence from British rule on 15 August 1947. India attained freedom following an independence movement noted for largely nonviolent

Muslims offer prayers on the occasion of Eid-ul-Fitr in Bandra Mumbai on August

Independence Day, one of the three national holidays in India (the other two being the Republic Day on 26 January and Mohandas Gandhis birthday on 2 October), is observed in all Indian states and union territories. On the eve of Independence Day, the President of India delivers the Address to the Nation. On 15 August, the prime minister hoists the Indian flag on the ramparts of the historical site Red Fort in Delhi. Twenty-one gun shots are fired in honour of the solemn occasion. In his speech, the prime minister highlights the past years achievements, raises important issues and calls for further develop-

Celebration
ment. He pays tribute to the leaders of the freedom struggle. The Indian national anthem, Jana Gana Mana is sung. The speech is followed by march past of divisions of the Indian Army and paramilitary forces. Parades and pageants showcase scenes from the freedom struggle and Indias diverse cultural traditions. Similar events take place in state capitals where the Chief Ministers of individual states unfurl the national flag, followed by parades and pageants. A child holding a small sized flag A child holding the Indian national flag. Flag hoisting ceremonies and cultural programmes take place in

resistance and civil disobedience led by the Indian National Congress. Independence coincided with the partition of India, in which the British Indian Empire was divided along religious lines into the Dominions of India and Pakistan; the partition was

governmental and non-governmental institutions throughout the country. Schools and colleges conduct flag hoisting ceremonies and cultural events. Major government buildings are often adorned with strings of lights. In Delhi and some other cities, kite flying adds to the occasion.National flags of different sizes are used abundantly to symbolise allegiance to the country. Citizens adorn their clothing, wristbands, cars, household accessories with replicas of the tricolour. Over a period of time, the celebration has changed emphasis from nationalism to a broader celebration of all things India.

Muslim women offer prayers on the occasionof Eid ul-Fitr in Chennai

Muslims hug each other after Eid ulFitr prayer at the Nakhoda Mosque in Kolkata

One Bedroom Super Area 734.36 Sqft

(Approx.)

Two Bedroom Super Area 1237.52 Sqft

(Approx.)

ThreeBedroom Super Area 1550 Sqft

(Approx.)

FLATS AT SUNNY HEIGHTS AND NRI RETREATS

Bajwa Developers Limited

For more details please contact

Muslims offer prayer and hug each other on the occasion of Eid ul-Fitr in Patna on August

Corporate Office: SCO 17-18,Desu Majra, Sunny Enclave, Kharar, Sector 125, Mohali,140 301 (Punjab) Phone: 0160-5009525-26,9914328235,9914328327,9914328827 Chandigarh Office: SCO 6 & 7, 2nd Floor,8 C Phone: 0172-2713222,9914328235 Email: js_bajwadevelopers@yahoo.com

Printer, Owner and Publisher: Manu Sharma, Editor: Manu Sharma, RNI Reg. No.: PUNMUL/2012/45041 Postal Reg. No. PB/JL-047/2013-15. Published at Central Town, Jalandhar Printed at: Tej Mohan Nagar Jalandhar