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

STUdenT aGe
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 20, 2012

JKENG/2012/41612 Vol. 1 No: 172

NEW ASSAULT RIFLES TO REPLACE INSAS, SAYS ANTONY

HANG GUILTY IN 30 DAYS, SAYS SUSHMA SWARAJ

INDIA-ASEAN SUMMIT BEGINS THURSDAY, PRESIDENT TO RECEIVE ASEAN LEADERSHIP

IN BRIEF
IGNOU to collaborate with Pakistani university
NEW DELHI: The Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) Wednesday said that it would soon be signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with a Pakistani university to increase cooperation in education between the two nations. A task force of faculty contd on page 2

Gujarat polls outcome will not affect 2014 General elections: Omar
BARAMULLA, DEC 19: Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Wednesday said the outcome of Gujarat State Assembly elections should not be seen as a reflection on the forthcoming Lok Sabha polls scheduled to be held in 2014. "The state election is a state election and it should not be seen as a reflection of parliament polls," Omar told reporters on the sidelines of a function here. He said a classic example of this was the outcome of last Assembly and Lok Sabha elections in Uttar Pradesh. "Congress did better in terms of the number of seats

GOVT TO LAUNCH CHARACTER-BUILDING

SCHEME FOR BOYS
NEW DELHI: Against the brutal gangrape case in the city, the government on Wednesday decided to launch a new scheme aimed at building character of adolescent boys and changing their mindset towards women. Women and Child Development Minister Krishna Tirath said that a proposal in this regard would be brought soon in the Union Cabinet and it would be in line with the Centre's Rajiv Gandhi Scheme for Empowerment of Adolescent Girls (RGSEAG). The government believes that such an education is necessary for boys during their significant phase of transition from childhood to adulthood to position themselves in this phase of life. After attending a meeting of women MPs in the chamber of Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar, Tirath expressed hope that such a scheme Rajiv Gandhi Scheme For Empowerment of Adolescent Boys - targeting boys aged between 11 and 18 would help bring down the contd on page 2

Omar praises security forces for Sopore encounter

C
in the Lok Sabha elections in Uttar Pradesh but did not do as well when the same people voted in the Assembly polls. Parliament election is a different chapter because the elections are held at national level," he said. The chief minister refused to comment on the contd on page 2

Lokayukta raids premises of 7 govt officials in Karnataka

BANGALORE: Lokayukta sleuths on Wednesday raided the premises of seven government officials across the state, a top official of the Lokayukta said. Raids were conducted on 22 premises spread over Bangalore city, Bangalore Rural, Chikkaballapura, contd on page 2

hief Minister, Omar Abdullah Wednesday said that excellent police-public relation holds key to maintain law and order and curb crimes in the society. He said credibility of police gets rooted by the humane approach of men in uniform towards general public and their delivery of justice on merits. Addressing the attestation cum passing out parade at Police STC Centre, Sheeri, the Chief Minister said that Jammu and Kashmir Police is emerging as one of the best forces in the country. He said bravery and sacrifices of Jammu and Kashmir Police for the State and its people are laudable. He said while performing their service Jammu and Kashmir Police force has never back tracked but contd on page 2 exhibited velour and courage.

Will ensure universal girls' education under RTE: MoS Edu Tharoor
NEW DELHI: The Government Wednesday assured the Lok Sabha that steps will be taken to ensure universal girls' education under the Right to Education Act. Replying to supplementaries during Question Hour, Minister of State for Human Resources Development, Shashi contd on page 2

Lok Sabha adjourned following Srinagar-Jammu highway closed yet again due to landslides uproar over quota bill
'SP MP snatches Quota Bill from Narayanasamy'
NEW DELHI: The Lok Sabha Wednesday adjourned following an uproar over quota in promotions in government jobs. The face-off between the government and the Samajwadi Party over the quota in promotion bill reached a flashpoint today when a SP member snatched a copy of the bill from the hands of MoS V Narayanasamy and tore it to register his protest. Complete pandemonium was witnessed in the Lok Sabha. As soon as Narayanasamy rose to put the bill up for consideration, Samajwadi Party MPs stormed into the well of house raising slogans against the bill. The SP members raised slogans like "promotion mein aarakshan, nahi chalega, nahi chalega (we do not want reservation in promotions)". Amid heated exchange of words between opposition and treasury benches, Samajwadi Party MP Yashveer Singh snatched the bill form the hands of Narayanasamy and tore it. Congress leaders including party president Sonia Gandhi were seen pacifying the agitated MPs, who are resolute to not allow the Lok Sabha to pass the Constitution (117th Amendment) Bill, which provides for quota in promotions for SCs and STs in government jobs. However, owing to the continuous disruption of the contd on page 2 JAMMU, DEC 19 : Kashmir has been cut off from the rest of the country as a landslide has forced closure of the 300-km JammuSrinagar National Highway No.1-A, the only lifeline to the valley. According to traffic police, a massive landslide near Ramban, around 150 km from Jammu, has resulted in the closure of the highway. Nearly 2,000 vehicle, including 400 passenger vehicles, are stranded on the road following the landslide, said an official. The landslide was trig-

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Special Tribunals for all districts after inter-ministerial consultation: MoS Home
NEW DELHI: The government Wednesday said that it will take a decision on creation of Special Tribunals in all 640 districts in the country after thorough examination. Replying to supplementaries in the Rajya Sabha, Minister of state for Home, contd on page 2

gered by rain which lashed the area for two days. The Border Road Organisation (BRO) has put its men and machines on the road to clear the debris and open the crucial road link to the valley. But a BRO official said it would take long time since the landslide was a massive one. Traffic is not being allowed from Jammu to Srinagar or vice-versa. "We will first clear the stranded vehicles and then allow traffic to resume," said a traffic official. Rains and snow contd on page 2

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New Delhi, world's fifth most 650 panchayats to be taken under NBA: Sagar expensive office market
MUMBAI,DEC 19: New Delhi is the fifth most expensive office marketin the world, a survey released here Wednesday said. New Delhi (Connaught Place) now ranks fifth in the world with an overall occupancy cost of $183.30 per square feet per annum, according to CBRE Global Research & Consulting's semi-annual Prime Office Occupancy Costs Survey. In contrast, Mumbai's Nariman Point fell from 20th position in July to 25th rank in September this year, while the newly-developed BandraKurla Complex stood 11th, the survey said. Hong Kong Central remains the world's most expensive office market, followed by London West End, Tokyo and Beijing in the top four slots. The latest survey provides data on office rents and occupancy costs as of September 30, 2012. "In prime central business district locations, the supply of space is extremely limited with almost no new supply expected in the near future. This is especially true for quality office space which has led to occupancy cost remaining contd on page 2

Subhash Joshi takes over as new BSF chief

NEW DELHI: Senior IPS officer Subhash Joshi on Wednesday took over as Director General of the Border Security Force (BSF). Joshi, a 1976 batch officer of Uttarakhand cadre, has earlier served as Director General of elite commando force National Security Guard. The 1.8 lakh personnel strong BSF guards country's frontier with Pakistan and Bangladesh, besides carrying out internal security-related jobs. Joshi has also served as Special Director General in CRPF, DGP in Uttarakhand and Deputy Director in National Police Academy, Hyderabad among other important assignments. He has been decorated with Police Medal for Meritorious Service and President Police Medal for distinguished service in 1994 and 2000, respectively. Meanwhile, senior IPS officer Ajay Chadha has taken over as Director General of Indo-Tibetan Border Police force. Chadha, a 1977 batch officer of AGMUT cadre, was previously working as Special Secretary (Internal Security) in the Union Home Ministry. He will have tenure till August next year. The post had fallen vacant after Ranjit Sinha was appointed as Director of CBI.

Amidst shutdown, gunfight resumes in north Kashmir's Sopore

SRINAGAR, DEC 19: Exchange of fire restarted Wednesday in a Kashmir village as security forces tried to clear the site where five guerrillas were killed in gun battle a day earlier, police said. They said that as security forces approached the encounter site in Saidapora village near Sopore town in Baramulla district to clear the debris, a surviving guerrilla fired contd on page 2

Minister for Rural Development, Law, Justice, Parliamentary Affairs and Panchayati Raj, Ali Mohammad Sagar addressing a meeting of officer of the Rural Development Department at Jammu. JAMMU, DEC 19: Around 650 panchayats would be identified for taking up under Nirmal Bharat Abhiyan (NBA) for ensuring defecation free environment in villages. The information was given in a review meeting of the Rural Development Department convened under the chairmanship of the Minister for Rural Development, Law, Justice, Parliamentary Affairs and Panchayati Raj, Mr. Ali Mohammad Sagar. Commissioner Secretary, Rural Development, Mr. Farooq Ahmed Peer, Director Rural Development, Mr. Shafiq Raina, Director Rural Sanitation, Mr. Tufail Matoo, Member contd on page 2

IAF airlifts stranded passengers from Leh

SRINAGAR,DEC 19: Indian Air Force (IAF) on Wednesday airlifted about 200 passengers from Leh in frontier region of Ladakh to Srinagar, an official spokesman said. "As many as 183 passengers were airlifted from Leh to Srinagar in IL-76 Air Force plane," the spokesman said. The closure of 434-km Srinagar-Leh National highway, the only road linking frontier region of Ladakh with Jammu and Kashmir, for winter had prompted contd on page 2

Lokpal Bill delayed further, to be brought in next session

NEW DELHI: The muchhyped Lokpal Bill will be delayed further with the government on Wednesday saying it will bring the measure in the Rajya Sabha in the Budget Session with required amendments in the light of the report of the Select Committee. Minister of State for Personnel V Narayanasamy said in the Upper House that the Bill will be brought in the next session after the Opposition protested over the nontabling of the report of the Select Committee. "Government has to take Cabinet into confidence. Government will bring it (Lokpal Bill) in the Budget Session with required amendments as given by the Select Committee. Then the House can consider it," he said. The statement came after Leader of the Opposition Arun Jaitley supported the protest by K N Balagopal and P Rajeeve (both CPI-M) for not placing the report of the Select Committee before the House for discussion. The Lokpal Bill was referred to the Select Committee of the House and not Standing Committee. The report has come... It is the property of the House. Fixing a time contd on page 2

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STUDENT AGE THURSDAY, DECEMBER 20, 2012

New assault rifles to replace INSAS, says Antony

State govt inventing lame excuses to delay and deny urban local Bodies elections
JAMMU,DEC 19: Harsh Dev Singh NPP MLA and its chairman today lambasted the state govt. for announcing yet another postponement of urban local Bodies Elections in the state and for its callous approach with respect to democratic decentralization at grass root level. He said that the coalition govt. was persistently playing truant on holding the said elections and resorting to lame excuses for depriving the urban areas of their democratic rights on one pretext or the other. He said that there was no justification in postponing the elections year after year as the revision of voter lists had been regularly conducted year after year along with delimitation of wards. He said that the latest delimitation of wards was issued vide SRO 288 in Sept 2012 in Srinagar

NC is people's movement: Slathia

'Omar has a clear vision about transformations of J&K'
JAMMU, DEC 19: Highlighting the historic role of National conference (NC) in the political horizon of Jammu and Kashmir and the freedom movement, the senior NC leader and Minister for Industries and Commerce, Mr. S. S. Slathia today called for strengthening the hands of Chief Minister, Mr. Omar Abdullah adding that he has a clear vision about the socio-economic emancipation of the state. Addressing a public gathering at Meen Charkan in Vijaypur Jammu, Mr. Slathia said that Omar Abdullah, being young and dynamic has all qualities of head and heart to transform the blue print of "Naya Kashmir", as envisioned by the visionary leader, Sher-i-Kashmir, Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah, into reality adding that the day is not far off, when the J&K State emerges as a model state in the country under his leadership. Mr. Slathia said that the coalition government lead by Chief Minister, Mr. Omar Abdullah has taken several revolutionary steps to bring speedy development in the nook and corner of the state and to bring much needed transparency and accountability in the administration. "Right to Information Act, Accountability Commission and Public Services Guarantee (PSGA) are landmark milestones of the present dispensation which have no parallels and have been acclaimed and appreciated by the centre and other states of the country.

Hundreds of youth join NPP

and vide SRO 333 in Oct. 2012 in Jammu. Questioning the repeated postponements, he regretted that it was the fifth announcement made by the govt. for conducting the said Election process which had not been honoured. He said that the state Govt. adopted similar approach with regard to Elections of Block Development Councils as well with regard to constitution of Panchayati Adhalats which were delayed by around two years after the formation of Panchayats. Addressing a large no of youth who joined the party at NPP head quarters today, Mr. Harsh Dev Singh that the govt.'s persistent policy of delay and deny in the matter of holding of Urban Local Bodies Elections in the State was indicative of its political bankruptcy and lack of accountability. He said that the Elections to Urban Local Bodies were due in early 2010 but had been inordinately and inexplicably delayed by more than three years only due to reluctance of the coalition Partners to face a hostile electorate who were disappointed due to govt.'s non performance. He said that non holding of Elections has deprived the state of central funding worth hundreds of crores which has been declined by the Union Govt. on account of failure of state govt. to constitute the said Municipal bodies. Mr. Harsh Dev Singh said that the state govt. has not only

NEW DELHI,DEC 19: India is in the process of procuring new assault rifles to replace the indigenously-designed 'INSAS' (Indian Small Arms System) rifles, Defence Minister AK Antony said Wednesday. "The proposal had been made last year, and technical evaluation of bids is in process," the minister said in a written reply to the Rajya Sabha. "The procuring will be done through a global route, with the transfer of technology to the Ordinance Factory Board," Antony said. "The INSAS rifle has been used by the Indian Army since 1994-95. Over the years, with technological advancement, superior assault rifles are now available," Antony said.

Terrorists using 'most modern means of communication'

NEW DELHI, DEC 19 : Terrorists are "now using adopting the most modern means of communication", Minister of State for Home R.P.N. Singh said Wednesday. Terrorist groups were also making rampant use of cyber space and social networking sites to carry out terror attacks, the minister told the Rajya Sabha. "Various methods are being used by cyber terrorists such as email for communications, posting and hosting of provocative clips, photographs, morphed images and content on social networking sites for inciting violence, disturbing public order and malicious propaganda," he said. He said the cyber terrorists also took to phishing and identity theft for financial frauds, attacks on online services and creation of malicious code to compromise computers. "However, the basic infrastructure, including use of explosive substances for fabrication of bombs, largely remains the same," the minister said in a statement. He said the government had taken a series of measures to train police personnel and enforcement agencies to deal with cyber terrorism.

been apathetic and negligent in ensuring time bound elections to the said bodies but has committed violations of legal provisions of Municipal Act and Municipal Corporation Acts in the process. He pointed out that Sec. 14 of Municipal Act categorically provides that elections to constitute a municipality shall be completed before the expiry of its duration of five years. He said "Sec 14 further States that the period of five years shall be reckoned from the date appointed for its first meeting". He said that first meetings of all municipal bodies having been held in March-April 2005, the Elections ought to be have been completed prior to March 2010 which has not been done by the govt. thus creating a legal infirmity in exercise of its powers under the said laws.

Contd. from page 1...

IGNOU to....
members from the IGNOU and the Allama Iqbal Open University (AIOU) from Pakistan will be constituted soon to "map out a comprehensive scheme of collaboration". AIOU Vice Chancellor Nazir A. Sangi met IGNOU Vice Chancellor Gopinath Pradhan and discussed using information, communication and technology (ICT) applications to serve the needs of students in rural areas. "It was agreed that faculty and student exchange programmes should be started between the two universities cooperation in the education sector will go a long way in strengthening the relations between the two countries," the statement said.

Omar praises....
Omar Abdullah said that police force in Jammu and Kashmir has to perform twin duties of tackling militancy and rendering normal policing to ensure order and restrict crimes. "The two are of different nature requiring different methodologies to address", he said appreciating Jammu and Kashmir Police force for handling the different situations with capacity. The Chief Minister said that challenges before Jammu and Kashmir Police force are varied and they have to be fully trained and equipped to face these challenges in a befitting manner. He said that the best service to people is determined by the personal attitude and delivery of justice. He said his government is taking all measures to train police force in the best way possible and equip it with all modern police requirements. He said modernization of Police Department is continuously going on besides upgrading and improving their service conditions. Congratulating the passing out cadets, the Chief Minister advised them to make justice, honesty and public friendly attitude benchmark in service delivery. "You have joined a new family. Your challenges are huge and you will be tested differently", he told them adding that their inner conscience, clear vision, sincerity and honesty should guide them while dealing with crime doers and curbing the crimes in the society. He told them that they have also to deal with order situations often created by vested interests for their gains. "You have to apply your mind rightfully and use least force while dealing with public in the cases of maintenance of law and order", he said. The Chief Minister told the cadets to prove worthy of the uniform by rendering meritorious and praiseworthy service for the department and the State. He said, "you have to abide by your oath you have been administered while entering police service and uphold the principles of rule of law and justice". The Chief Minister also praised the Principal and his team for imparting training to the cadets and making them capable of handling different situations with capability and capacity. Minister of State for Home, Nasir Aslam Wani, Director General Police, Ashok Prasad, Additional Director General Police, Law and Order, K. Rajindra and Principal Police STC Sheeri, Fareed Ahmad also spoke on the occasion. The Director General Police said that 6 Police Training Centres and Police Academy in the State are being upgraded to impart best trainings to the State police force to make it one of the best forces in the country. He said police is the guardian of law and order and Jammu and Kashmir Police has rich tradition of exhibiting bravery and commitment to their duty. As many as 897 cadets after took part in the passing out parade. Constable Mohammad Iqbal who was adjudged all round best cadet in the 9 months training programme was granted one rank promotion. Various awards were also given to the cadets showing excellence in different disciplines.

MPs, the government will think over it and if women MPs demand death penalty for culprits, it was willing to incorporate it in the legislation. Condemning the brutal gangrape incident, the minister said she would write to the Prime Minister requesting him to spend money from the Prime Minister's Relief Fund for the treatment of the victim.

Lok Sabha....
house, Lok Sabha was adjourned for the day. Meanwhile, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kamal Nath said, "We will ask the Speaker to take the severest action." The government managed to pass the quota in promotions bill in the Rajya Sabha on Monday. Despite strong opposition from the Samajwadi Party, the bill finally got the backing of 206 members while 10 voted against the legislation in Rajya Sabha which has strength of 245. The quota in promotions bill has put the Congress-led UPA government in a tight spot with its outside supporters - SP and BSP - taking diametrically opposite positions on the bill. While BSP chief Mayawati had made a strong case for it, the Samajwadi Party was isolated in its opposition. The Samajwadi Party is opposed to the bill mainly because it would upset the party's core vote bank that comprises backward castes and Muslims. The Samajwadi Party has nine Rajya Sabha MPs, all of whom voted against the bill. The bill's biggest advocate has been Mr Yadav's rival from Uttar Pradesh, Mayawati, who heads the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP). Her party has 15 Rajya Sabha MPs. Both Mr Yadav and Mayawati do not participate in the ruling UPA coalition, but provide external support to the minority government; both are crucial to its survival. Over the weekend, Mr Yadav had hinted that he may reconsider his support to Dr Manmohan Singh's government if the "quota bill" is cleared. He said on Monday, "We will decide whether or not withdraw support when the time comes." His party has also alleged blackmail - a spokesperson said on Sunday that the government is using a CBI investigation against Mr Yadav and his sons for alleged corruption to force the Samajwadi Party to support the quota bill. The party suggested similar pressure tactics had been used to get Mr Yadav to back the contentious reforms in retail which were cleared by Parliament earlier this month and allow the entry of foreign super-markets like Wal-Mart. Article 335 of the Constitution provides that the claims of Scheduled Castes and Tribes have to be balanced with maintaining efficiency in administration. The Bill introduced in the Rajya Sabha last week would override Article 335. The BJP shared it concern over this; the government has reportedly agreed to remove this reference through an official amendment to the bill. There was much chaos in the Upper House all of last week because of protests by Mayawati and Mr Yadav's parliamentarians. The government is worried about squandering more time because it wants Parliament to take up important reforms in the pension and insurance sectors. It has also promised to ensure that the Lok Sabha too approves the quota in promotions Bill before this session of Parliament ends on Thursday, December 20.

Pacific in the top 10 "most expensive" business locations worldwide continued, led by Hong Kong-Central, which has an overall occupancy costs of $246.30 per sq. ft. per annum. The economic slowdown notwithstanding, occupancy costs increased by an average of 2.1 percent worldwide over the past year, led by the Americas with a 5.2 percent annual rise and AsiaPacific with a 2.6 percent rise, Magazine said. Overall, the prime office occupancy costs increased in 74 markets worldwide, dropped in 37 and remained unchanged in 22 markets.

650 panchayats ....

Secretary MGNREGA, Mr. Pawan Rathore, CEOs of IWMP and other senior officers of the department were present. Mr. Sagar while impressing upon the officers said that they have to ensure that the NBA gets underway in a big manner so that the defecation free environment is ensured in different places across the state. He said that several panchayats would be identified for taking up the scheme. Asking the officers to ensure the maximum utilization of funds earmarked under MGNREGA and other schemes of the department, the Minister said that care should be taken so that the benefit of these reaches the targeted and genuine beneficiaries. The Minister directed the officers to identify the model districts for taking up the newly launched National Rural Livelihood Mission (NRLM) so that the youth of the rural areas can get new avenues of earning their livelihood. He said that we have to ensure that the people get the maximum benefit of the schemes of the department and in this regard a concentrative effort is to be made so that awareness is created about these welfare programmes. The meeting was told that an amount of Rs. 400 crore has been spent under MGNREGA till date. It was also given out that an amount of Rs. 74 crore has been spent under IAY by taking up 32000 dwelling units in the state.

Lokayukta raids....
Chikmagalur and Hassan, Additional Director General of Police-Lokayukta Satyanarayana Rao said. "Raids are continuing", the ADGP added.

Will ensure universal...

Tharoor said, steps to contain dropouts as part of the Sarva Siksha Abhiyan programme. He said, three thousand rupees are being deposited in the accounts of the girl students who pass eighth standard and returned along with interest after they pass 10th class. He said, 5 lakh girl students have benefitted so far under the scheme. Conceding that there is shortage of teachers in primary schools, the Minister said large number of teachers are being recruited to improve the teacher-student ratio.On the provision of toilets, Mr Tharoor said, about 69 per cent schools have the facility at present and the efforts are on to construct more toilets every year.

Rather inaugurates 49th Branch of HDFC Bank

JAMMU, DEC 19: The HDFC Bank has registered highest ever deposits to the tune of Rs.909 crore so far during the current fiscal,out of the which Rs.365 crore have been advanced as credit to the people of the State.. The bank has recorded 37% Credit Deposit Ration (CDR) up to November 2012 against an assigned target of 40% CDR. This was stated at the launching ceremony of 49th Branch of the HDFC Bank at Narwal, Jammu today. The Bank has opened 130 ATMs in various parts of the J&K for the facility and convenience of the customers. The bank has a plan to open 10 more branches and 30 ATMs up to coming March 2013. The Minister for Finance and Ladakh Affairs, Mr. Ab. Rahim Rather, who was chief guest on the occasion, after inaugurating the Bank Branch at narwal today appreciated the Bank Management for providing better Banking service to the people of the State, adding that it has provided employment to a considerable number of educated youth of the State and has also given rise to a stiff competition to other Banking Institutions which is in the larger interests of the general people. Due to competition among Banks the customers get better banking services and facilities, Mr. Rather added. He assured all possible assistance to the Bank and asked its management to bring remote and rural areas also under its ambit. The State Head, Jammu and Kashmir and Vice President of the HDFC, Bank Mr. Zubar Iqbal on this occasion, assured that the Bank would achieve its assigned target of 40% CDR by the end of current financial year. He said more than 1000 educated un-employment youth of the State have been recruited in various branches of the Bank so far. He said HDFC Bank, Branch Narwal Jammu is the 6th Branch opened during last two days. Yesterday adding that yesterday two branches, one each at Rajouri and Poonch districts were commissioned whereas 4 new branches were inaugurated at Satwar, Doda, Bhaderwah and Narwal today. MR. Zubair said HDFC, Bank is the second largest private bank in the country which has a countrywide network of 2,620 branches and 10,316 ATMs. He said, as a leading bank of the country, "We are committed to taking world class banking to the hinterland. He said the new branches will provide the customers all the modern banking facilities under one roof.

Special Tribunals....
Mullappally Ramachandran said, this needs to be examined in consultation with other Ministries. Mr Ramachandran informed the House that while dealing with the case of Uphaar fire tragedy victims, the Apex Court had suggested that the government may consider bringing in legislation to deal with manmade disasters.

Lokpal Bill...
for the Select Committee report to be taken up for debate and consideration of the House is prerogative of the Chair, Jaitley said. Explaining the government's position, Narayanasamy said, "The Select Committee had submitted its report after the Parliament session had started. It was sent to the Law Ministry for consideration and it has given its approval. We are taking the report to the Cabinet for getting the amendments approved." The controversial Bill, which was passed by Lok Sabha last year, faced opposition hurdle in the Rajya Sabha on various provisions, including the one making it mandatory for states to set up Lokayuktas. In view of the sharp divide, the bill was referred to the Select Committee. Narayanasamy was interrupted by Jaitley, who said, "The Select Committee has given its report under Rule 93 and it is the property of the Rajya Sabha. You cannot start acting on it unilaterally. "You do not consider your prerogative to alter the report. This report is here and the report must be taken up for amendments," he said. Earlier, Balagopal and Rajeeve protested as to why the government had not placed the report of the Select Committee before the House for discussion. As agitating members came into the aisle over the issue, Deputy Chairman P J Kurien asked them to go back saying it was indiscipline and questioned why they did not raise the issue in the Business Advisory Committee meeting. "You should have raised it in the BAC, which you did not do and now you are disrupting. Those parties who are represented in the BAC should raise it there and not here. BAC allocates time. It is very easy to raise it there and get time," he said.

Amidst shutdown...
at them. "Firing has again started. We are busy neutralising the militant," a senior police officer said. Five Lashkar-e-Taiba guerrillas were killed in the protracted gun battle Tuesday when security forces surrounded two houses in the village where a group of guerrillas was hiding. A house and a cow shed were destroyed in the exchange of fire.

IAF airlifts stranded.....

the government to seek the services of the IAF to airlift stranded passengers. The spokesman said the aircraft developed some technical fault due to which the flight got delayed from Chandigarh. "As a result of the delay, the Srinagar-Leh flight got cancelled," the spokesman said adding IAF has assured that the passengers of cancelled flight would be airlifted in IL-76 aircraft on December 20 between Leh and Srinagar. AN-32 Kargil Courier will also operate sorties between Kargil and Jammu on the same day, subject to fair weather, the spokesman said.

Govt to....
crime against women in the country. "It is aimed at changing mindset of men. In the male dominated society such incidents are taking place frequently. So awareness programme should start at adolescent age. It is to ensure the character building of boys so that they respect women - be it mother or sister," she said. On the question of awarding death penalty to rapists, the minister said a Bill amending rape laws suggesting a maximum of life imprisonment for the guilty is pending in Parliament and if the

Gujarat polls....
exit polls which have predicted a hat-trick of wins for BJP in Gujarat. "Opinion polls as we know can be wrong at times. We will see when the results are declared," Omar said in response to a question about the performance of Congress in Gujarat.

Srinagar-Jammu ....
usually cause the highway to be shut down for days together in winters.

New Delhi.....
high," said CBRE South Asia Pvt Ltd Chairman Anshuman Magazine. Similarly, he said, the dominance of Asia-

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STUDENT AGE WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 19, 2012

STATE
NAGROTA, DEC 19: Political Advisor to the Chief Minister Devender Singh Rana said that Omar Abdullah is synonymous with peace, progress and prosperity of Jammu and Kashmir. He said PDP who have been raving and ranting and indulging in rhetoric to malign the image of Omar Abdullah and his government, have miserably failed because truth always triumphs over falsehood and people's rejection of them has frustrated them. Rana said the efforts of the present government under the leadership of Omar Abdullah have brought peace to the state, progress through unprecedented development and prosperity among people through economic resurgence which has increased the per-capita earnings. Rana who was addressing workers meeting in Dansal and Jhajjar Kotli here today said one is surprised at the

PoK returnee arrested

SRINAGAR,DEC 19: A man, who recently returned from Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), has been arrested in Kupwara district of north Kashmir, a police spokesman said on Wednesday. Abdul Hamid Sheikh was arrested yesterday by a police team in Sheikhpora village in Handwara, some 90km from here, he said. Sheikh had illegally exfiltrated to PoK in 1998, the spokesman said without divulging further details.

NEWS IN BOX

Omar synonymous with peace, progress and prosperity : Rana

CITU activists court arrest in Jammu

JAMMU, DEC 19: Central of Indian Trade Union (CITU) activists courted arrest after staging a demonstration here today in favour of its ten point charter of demands including efforts to check price rise and enforcement of labour laws. Led by their state president MY Tarigami, over 400 CITU workers, as a part of its 'Jail Bharo' protest, took out a rally from Vikram Chowk and after traversing through various city areas courted arrest at Indira Chowk. In the protest, over 90 CITU activists including Tarigami courted arrest, sources said. CITU activists held the Centre and the state government responsible for the problems faced by the people. Tarigami said the govt should curb the price rise and universalise the public distribution system and impose complete ban on speculation and future trading in commodity market which alone can contain the rising prices. More than 93 per cent of countrys work force is in the unorganised sector but they have been kept outside the purview of most of the labour laws and do not have any protection in respect of working hours, minimum wages, social security and job security despite contributing around 65 per cent to the nation's GDP, he said. Tarigami demanded complete stoppage of disinvestment of shares in profit making state and central PSUs.

Political Advisor to the Chief Minister Devender Singh Rana addressing workers meeting at Dansal on Wednesday. way the PDP conducts itself. "They lie, they lie to cover the first lie, then they finally come out with a lie to take away the attention from all the lies of the past", Rana said adding that first they (PDP) said that government is not keen in conducting panchayat elections but when elections to the panchayats were announced they said people will not participate and when people participated in the elections and voted enthusiastically in great numbers and elected their panchs and sarpanchs, the PDP created bogey that most of the Sarpanchs and Panchs belong to PDP but finally, recently when they had a miserable defeat in the Legislative Council elections they said these elections do not matter knowing fully well that they have lost their ground in the state and people have voted for the politics of good governance, peace, progress and prosperity - a politics of ideology based on principles being nurtured by Omar Abdullah and rejected the divisive politics laced with lies, falsehood, deceit and petty political machinations being perpetuated by parties like the PDP. He said all agree that the establishment of Panchayati Raj despite the false propaganda indulged in by the PDP and canards spread by the PDP, has been one of the greatest achievements of the Omar led coalition and Omar Abdullah's vision for a transparent, accountable governance at the grassroot level. He said it is sad that PDP rather than gracefully accepting defeat is advancing false alibis. He said the myth called PDP will end in 2014 when they will face their waterloo at the hustings. He said the recent elections have proved that the people of the state who are masters in democracy can decipher and make a clean distinction between the right and the wrong, the truth and the myth, the baseless rhetoric and the factual ground reality and have taken the right decision like always. Rana said history teaches you a lot. He said people have not forgotten the history of 1984, 1986, 1990 and 2008 and shall never let a repeat happen. Rana said during the last four years of the Omar led coalition government the state has seen an era of unprecedented, overall, all round development unparallel in the history of the state and which has brought in an economic resurgence and has opened new vistas of employment opportunities for the unemployed youth of the state.

PDP to launch drive against 'failures' of J&K govt

SRINAGAR,DEC 19: Alleging that the coalition government in Jammu and Kashmir has failed on all fronts, the opposition PDP on Thursday said it will soon launch a statewide campaign to aware people of shortcomings of the present rule. "The National Conference-led government has established its anti-people credentials beyond any doubt and no respite from mounting miseries was expected till its exit," PDP president Mehbooba Mufti said. She said her party will soon organise demonstrations to highlight issues like power crisis, non-availability of cooking gas and ration, price rise and unemployment. "The people of the state now realise the difference that a state government can make to their lives, and would surely respond to this through the democratic weapon of vote," she said, addressing a party meeting here. Mehbooba alleged that those in the government remained busy to cater their own interests, and said she the NC-led government can no longer escape public scrutiny and they will face public wrath in elections no matter when. "It is the people of the state who will decide about who forms the next government, and no manipulations or mind games would succeed before people's power," Mehbooba said, accusing Chief Minister Omar Abdullah of coming with a "new slogan every day" instead of solving people's problems.

Newly developed infrastructure at Peer Kho temple ready to inaugurate

JAMMU, DEC19: The revered Peer Kho Temple on the banks of River Tawi in Jammu have been developed as a major pilgrim tourist attraction by spending a whopping Rs 3.50 crore as part of the state government's initiative to promote religious tourism in the city of temples, said Tourism and Culture Minister, Mr. Nawang Rigzin Jora on Wednesday during his visit to the site. The development of Peer kho temple shrine was taken up by the Tourism Department, Jammu during last fiscal under Mega Tourism Destination Scheme, funded by Central Government. The project, which includes TRC complex, dormitory, Amphitheater and parks, walkways, shelter-sheds, bathing ghat, Parking lot and public convenience, besides view decks on the banks of river Tawi created to enable the pilgrims to enjoy the splendorous beauty of Bhag-i-Bahu and historical Bahu fort, is nearing completion and is likely to be inaugurated by early next year. The Tourism Minister said that development of pilgrim places in the State was getting focused attention, adding that massive infrastructure development programme have been initiated to provide added facilities to the pilgrim tourists coming from within and outside State to such places. The Member Legislative Assembly Jammu East, Mr. Ashok Khajuria, Director Tourism Jammu, Mr. R. S. Mehta, besides senior officers and engineers of tourism department accompanied the Minister during the visit. The Peer Kho cave temple, overlooking the Tawi River, is well known Shiva Temple in Jammu. It is located on the banks of river Tawi and is widely believed that Ramayan character Jamvant (the bear God) meditated in this cave. The Shiva lingam inside, which is believed to have been formed naturally, is one of the major attractions of J&K pilgrim tourism. It reflects the natural wonders of the State.

Regional training camp on 70th Round of NSS commences at JU

JAMMU, DEC 19:The National Sample Survey Office (NSSO) (Field Operations Division), Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation, Government of India in collaboration with Directorate of Economics and Statistics Department, Jammu is organizing four day Regional Training Camp on 70th Round of NSS from today in Post Graduate Department of Computer Sciences and Information Technology at Jammu University. Deputy Director General, NSSO (FOD), Government of India, Jammu, Mr. Sher Singh who was the chief guest on the occasion inaugurated the training camp. The training camp was attended by officers and field staff of Regional Office, NSSO (FOD), Jammu, Sub-regional office Udhampur and Directorate of Economics and Statistics. Director Economics and Statistics, Mr. B.R. Lachotra laid emphasis on the generation of authentic and reliable data so that policies and flagship programmes of state government and centre government would be implemented at grass root level so that the benefit of such flagship programmes could reach to the targeted lot. He urged the field functionaries who are engaged in 70th Round SE Survey at central and state level to make concerted efforts to provide qualitative and accurate inputs so that the department can work in a well planned manner. He informed that the Jammu and Kashmir state will collect data for double samples than that of centre in the 70th Round and asked the field staff to avail maximum benefit of this four days training programme besides clear their doubts and queries which are relevant with concepts, objectives and definitions of the survey. Deputy Director General, NSSO (FOD), GOI, Mr. Sher Singh highlighted the aims and objectives of 70th Round of Socio-economic survey on Land and Livestock Holdings, Debt and Investment and Situation Survey of Agricultural Households. He said that main objective of the survey is to generate basic quantitative information on the agrarian structure of the country which is relevant to land policy in rural areas of the country. He appealed the people to cooperate with the field functionaries of NSSO and DES, Jammu by providing them accurate information. He urged the members of panchayats and municipalities to extend their full cooperation to the field teams by arranging accommodation and other basic amenities for them in hilly and rural pockets adding that the objectives of the Survey on situation Assessment Survey of Agricultural Households is to have a comprehensive picture of the farming community and to analyze the impact of the transformation inducted by public policy, investments and technological change on the farmers access to resources and income as well as well being of the farmer households. In this survey detailed information would be collected on receipts and expenses of household's farm and non-farm business to arrive at their income from these sources. Income from other sources would also be ascertained and so would be the consumption expenditure of the households.

Mir warns of strict action against fertilizer adulteration

JAMMU, DEC 19: Minister for Agriculture, Ghulam Hassan Mir, today called upon the Law Enforcement Directorate to ensure intensive checking so that distribution of adulterated fertilizer and pesticides is stopped across the state. While reviewing the working of Law Enforcement Directorate here this morning, the Minister cautioned strict action against any distributer or dealer found in malpractices as per law. The meeting was attended by Commissioner Secretary, Agriculture Production, Mr. Shaleen Kabra, Director Agriculture, Jammu Mr. Ajay Khujaria, Director Law Enforcement J&K, Mr M.S Kutoo and other senior officers of the department. The Minister further directed that only those fertilizer and pesticide brands be allowed in the state which has been recommended by the Government of India and SKUAST. He also directed the Agriculture Directors to ensure that their field functionaries work in a close coordination so that the malpractices of spurious fertilizer and pesticides are checked in time before it could damage the farmers crop.

Dr Sunil Kotwal to head ENT Deptt of SMGS hospital

JAMMU, DEC 19:Minister for Health and Medical Education, R S Chib convened a meeting with Commissioner/Secretary, Health & Medical Education, M K Dwivedi and other senior officers of administrative department to discuss matter relating to the complaint against functioning of ENT Department of GMC Jammu. Magisterial inquiry has been ordered to probe the facts pertaining to the recent death of an infant in SMGS Hospital. Beside this FA/CAO of Health and Medical Education, Yaqoob Ittoo has been directed to submit a factual report regarding various allegation made against Dr Aniece Choudhary. In order to conduct free and fair inquiry regarding the functioning of ENT Department, the Minister directed the removal of Dr Aniece Choudhary from the HoD ship of ENT Department. He designated Dr Prof Sunil Kotwal, who is next senior most in the ENT Department as Head of Department. The order to this effect has been issued by Commissioner/Secretary, Health & Medical Education, M K Dwivedi.

Extension lecture on Linguistics organized

JAMMU, DEC 19: Department of Punjabi, GCW, Gandhi Nagar, Jammu organized an extension lecture on Linguistics. On this occasion Dr. Kiran Bakshi Principal of the College was the Chief Guest whereas Dr. Updesh Kaur, Former HOD, Punjabi Department, University of Jammu was the Resource Person. The programme started with the introduction of topic by Prof. Surjeet Kaur, HOD Punjabi about the importance of Linguistics in learning language. Dr. Kiran Bakshi stressed upon the need of knowing the basic structures of language and learning the perfect pronunciation by knowing the involvement of various organs of speech like tongue, lower jaw, upper jaw, nasal etc. Dr. Updesh Kaur expert in phonetics and linguistics familiarized the students with the morphology of language and the importance of the development of language skills like speaking and writing. All the students of Punjabi of B.A Part I, II and III respectively attended the lecture. Vote of thanks was presented by Ms. Harmeet and programme was compeered by Ms. Manjeet and Ms. Mandeep of B.A Part III.

2 groups of JK Tribal farmers to attend training at New Delhi

SRINAGAR, DEC 19: The SKUAST-Kashmir is sending two groups of Tribal farmers to attend a training programme being conducted by the Ministry of Agriculture, Government of India under Tribal Development Programme, in New Delhi. The tribal farmers would leave for New Delhi in two groups on 20th December 2012 and 25th December 2012 to attend two national level training programmes organized by Directorate of Maize Research, New Delhi in collaboration with SKUAST-Kashmir. The SKUAST-Kashmir has identified 20 tribal farmers from various districts through the University KVKs, who shall participate in the training programme to be held at Directorate of Maize Research, Pusa Campus New Delhi. The training programme will cover several extension activities viz demonstrations at farmers field, filed visits exhibitions of different crops and crop varieties,. Director Resident Instructions cum Dean PG, Prof Bardrul Hassan, Associate Director Research, Dryland Agriculture Research Station, SKUAST-Kashmir, Dr. B. A. Khanday and the senior scientific staff gave a warm send off to the participants for participating in the training programme.

Altaf inaugurates eco tourism hut at Mansar

JAMMU, DEC 19: The Minister for Forests and Environment, Mian Altaf Ahmad today inaugurated an eco tourism hut at Mansar constructed under CAPMA scheme at a cost of Rs. 39.90 lakh. The hut is equipped with all facilities, including lodging and boarding. The MLA, Ramnagar Mr. Hareshdev Singh, Chief Wildlife Warden Mr. A.K Singh and other senior officers of wildlife department were present on the occasion. The Minister said that the Government has initiated several measures for promotion of tourism sector in the State as creation of tourism related infrastructure at tourist places has become imperative to meet the needs of the tourists. Mian Altaf said that Chief Minister, Omar and on other hand it helps in meeting the accommodation needs for the tourists. He asked the people to offer paying guest services to the tourists to create a viable source of income. The Minister said that the people living near the forests have to play their role in the protection of forests, which in other words will ensure safety of forests. He said encroachment on forests has been contained to a large extent with active support of the people. Mian Altaf said that Mansar was emerging one of the best tourist spot in eco tourism sector and asked the officers to work for conservations of forests and the development of Mansar. The MLA, Harshdev Singh and Chief Wild Life Warden also spoke on the occasion.

183 passengers airlifted in IL-76

SRINAGAR, DEC 19: As many as 183 passengers were airlifted from Leh to Srinagar in IL-76 Air Force plane. The aircraft developed some technical fault due to which the flight got delayed from Chandigarh. As a result of the delay the Srinagar-Leh flight got cancelled. Indian Air Force has assured that the passengers of cancelled flight would be airlifted in IL-76 aircraft on December 20, 2012 between Leh and Srinagar. Moreover, AN32 Kargil Courier will operate sorties between Kargil and Jammu on 20thDec, subject to fair weather.

Minister for Forests and Environment, Mian Altaf Ahmad inaugurating an eco tourism hut at Mansar on Wednesday Abdullah was keen to tap the tourism potential in the State, adding that a massive campaign has been launched at Government level to woo the foreign as well as domestic tourists to the State. Describing tourism as back bone of the economy of the State, the Minister said that a large population of the State was associated with this lucrative industry. He said the people have to play their role in the promotion of tourism by way of extending all possible assistance to the tourists during their stay in the state. Terming tourism a viable economic activity, the minister said that 70 percent households in Ladakh are offering paying guest facilities and were earning well. He said on the one hand it generates income for locals

Power shut down on Dec 22

JAMMU, DEC 19: In order to carry out repair and maintenance work of tower No.128 of 132 KV Udhampur-Kishtwar transmission line near Ramgarh, the power supply to District Doda, District Kishtwar, Thathri and Bhalessa areas shall remain affected on December 22, 2012 from 9 a m to 5 p m.

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EDITORIAL & STATE WATCH

BY GIFTY SAWHNEY ither Narendra Modi is completely clueless about how countries negotiate territorial disputes, which is worrying because he has prime ministerial ambitions and India has bigger boundary problems than Sir Creek; or, equally worryingly, he was being deliberately misleading about the facts in a cynical vote-catching attempt, with no thought to the larger consequences. In a letter to Manmohan Singh, made public before it even reached the addressee, the Gujarat Chief Minister accused the Prime Minister of planning to "hand over" Sir Creek to Pakistan. In subsequent explanations about the timing of the letter, Mr. Modi said he believed the handing-over was to happen during the visit of Pakistani Interior Minister Rehman Malik. First, the no-brainer: the Interior Ministry does not handle territorial issues with India; even assuming the "handover" of Sir Creek to Pakistan was a done deal, it would have hardly been kept a secret in that country, and someone far above Mr. Malik's pay-grade would have arrived to do the handshaking in New Delhi. The facts about that 99km estuary in the Rann of Kutch are these: Pakistan claims the entire width of the creek, right up to its eastern coast, while India says the boundary must be drawn down its middle; it was one

Freedom of Speech
BY: NAGRAJ A oday when most of the news agencies are becoming increasingly biased and are part of political parties, the only hope that is left for citizens of any country is the new media, (internet). In the last two decades it has made a difference in the way we share and exchange our information and knowledge with others. But we see an increasing demand to curtail the liberty of internet that it offers to the individuals, by the nations around the world. Today the biased reporting and paid news and propaganda are countered to a larger extent by the internet. People are able to counter the propaganda and paid news through their Blogs, on Facebook, twitter, and other sites, when the paid news is increasingly becoming part of print and television media. In December 3rd an important conference has happened in Dubai, this international conference is going to formulate new telecommunication laws that are going to be implemented by all the countries who are part of the I n t e r n a t i o n a l Telecommunication Union (ITU). The World Conference on International Te l e c o m m u n i c a t i o n s (WCIT) held in Dubai will dictate the future of the millions of citizens who are using the internet for various purposes. The existing laws which were in place for more then two decades are been

Muddy waters, make muddier

reviewed by 193 members form all the participating countries, which also include the private sector participants, civil society organizations, press and public. What is more important and interesting is this is not a closed door consultations with the member groups. The countries representatives and participating members are all requested to put forward their suggestions and opinions. Talking about the importance of conference and the participation by the countries the SecretaryGeneral of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), Dr Hamadoun I. Toure says the ITU has strived for a Multi-stakeholder approach starting from 2003 and in 2005 at the world summit on Information Society. He wants the internet to be kept open not only for business but also for everyone. He also adds that the I n t e r n a t i o n a l Te l e c o m m u n i c a t i o n Regulations (ITRs) must conform to the ITU Constitution, and nothing in

the revised treaty can diminish that fundamental right to free speech. But we see the opposite happening in few countries where the internet freedom is to a large extent curtailed by few nations. In the African and Middle East countries the internet access is been controlled and monitored by the governments. Few countries have gone to the extent of banning few sites in order to stop the information flow. In the recent conflicts of Middle East and other nations many unheard stories are brought to light though the internet. Many countries and politicians around the world are afraid of Internet then their political opponents. The telecommunications have improved the connectivity with each other and made information accessible to common man. The penetration of mobile connectivity and internet has not only increased the connectivity, but also made individuals aware of events and issues. People are able to share their pain and jubilations around the world with fellow human

beings. Today the support of an individual reaches too far of places during the times of disasters and humanitarian crises. The cries of the victims and the poor are heard throughout the world through the internet, even when the mainstream media fails to report or ignores it. Today many movements around the world are becoming success because of the improved access to communication tools and communication network. The Anna Hazara movement in the country against the rampant corruption was successful because of the various communication technologies available with the citizens, the internet has also played it role in making the movement successful. People were very vocal in expressing their views and opinions through internet. When ever and where ever if citizens of a country raise their voice against the governments, the regimes try to suppress or impose restrictions, especially on media. Today many countries are enacting some stringent laws in order to curb the internet freedom. More than anyone the authoritarian regimes which have never been challenged by its citizens are more worried about the internet freedom, the only way to challenge these regimes is through internet. I am saying that we don't need laws, we need but these laws should me more in protecting and in favor of those who speak the

truth and stand for the others. One of the founding fathers of the internet Vinton Cerf who is also associated with Google is worried about the decreasing internet freedom to citizens around the world. Vinton Cerf in one of the article to the CNN refers to the study conducted by the Open New Initiative which has found that, out of 72 countries studied 42 countries filter and censors the internet content. Vinton is more worried about the backdoor meetings and some proposals that have been leaked to the WICITLeaks website one of the proposals was to Justify censorship of legitimate speech or even justify cutting of internet access under the International Te l e c o m m u n i c a t i o n s Regulations (ITRs). Today if we are able to see a change in the Middle East or elsewhere, it is mainly because of the internet freedom that we have. If this freedom is curbed then, we as citizens of the world are going to suffer under the various governments around the world. Finally the outcome of these meetings held in Dubai will be deciding the freedom of speech not for one nation citizens but for the whole world. The outcome would definitely be challenged by few nations and the corporations like Google if they propose to curb the internet freedom. Let us pray for the only Hope Freedom of Speech on Internet that is left to citizens is not taken away.

What is truly puzzling about Mr. Modi's fantastic claims on the disposal of Sir Creek is that such ploys are more typically associated with losing candidates, whereas he is supposed to be poised at the edge of one more victory. That anomaly aside, what his allegations have done is to poison the ground for a breakthrough. It is hardly a secret that the resolution of any territorial dispute requires give and take; this is true for Sir Creek too. Mr. 0Modi's posturing and the UPA's response have politicised the issue, making such compromise even more difficult than it is now, not just for India, but Pakistan too.
of the subjects in the IndiaPakistan composite dialogue that resumed under Atal Bihari Vajpayee's prime ministership in 2004. Six rounds of talks have taken place, the two sides have conducted a joint survey of the creek and exchanged maps showing their respective positions. Despite the conviction that the two countries are tantalisingly close to resolving the issue, there is no agreement yet. Scheduled talks in December 2008 did not take place because of the postMumbai attacks freeze on dialogue. The momentum towards resolution, under pressure of a May 2009 deadline by the U.N. Convention on Law of the Sea for signatories to claim maritime rights over territorial waters, contiguous zones, EEZs and the continental shelf, evaporated. Since last year, the two sides have made attempts to pick up the threads of the negotiations. What is truly puzzling about Mr. Modi's fantastic claims on the disposal of Sir Creek is that such ploys are more typically associated with losing candidates, whereas he is supposed to be poised at the edge of one more victory. That anomaly aside, what his allegations have done is to poison the ground for a breakthrough. It is hardly a secret that the resolution of any territorial dispute requires give and take; this is true for Sir Creek too. Mr. 0Modi's posturing and the UPA's response have politicised the issue, making such compromise even more difficult than it is now, not just for India, but Pakistan too.

STATE WATCH

Haryana inks deal with Bhutan for power project

CHANDIGARH: Faced with severe power shortage, the Haryana government announced forging alliance with Bhutan for setting up a 1,500-2,000 MW hydel power project in the neighbouring country. The state government is eyeing 1,500-2000 megawatt power from Bhutan, which would be available over the next 4-5 years from a new joint venture project to be set up there, Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda said in Chandigarh. Bhutan has agreed inprinciple to partner with the State of Haryana in harnessing its hydro power potential, he added. "The hydel power will be economical as compared to the thermal power," he told reporters in Chandigarh, adding that each MW approximately costs around Rs 6-7 crore depending on the terrain where the project is set up. "The per megawatt costs also depends on whether you get the project on run-offthe-river or from the reservoir," he said. Hooda, who led a delegation to Bhutan on a two-day visit from December 14, said the nation had a potential of 14,000 MW more which can be exploited, out of which Haryana was eyeing 1,5002,000 MW for its requirements in future. Describing his Bhutanese visit as very fruitful, Hooda said Haryana and the Royal Kingdom of Bhutan have reached an understanding on pursuing a mutually beneficial economic collaboration across a number of sectors, especially power. "Thus, Haryana has become the first state in the country to have traversed beyond the national frontiers and signed a mutually collaborative understanding with an independent nation state," he said. He said Haryana would also be engaging with Bhutan in agriculture, horticulture, animal husbandry and livestock, industrial development, urban planning and infrastructure development sectors keeping in view the historical excellent relations between India and Bhutan. "This has been possible on account of a very long and friendly relationship between India and Bhutan," Hooda said. Elaborating more about the power sector, "It has been my government's priority to make Haryana self reliant for meeting its power requirements and steps have been taken to create additional power generation capacity from a mere 4,033.60 MW in 2005 to 8,497.40 MW during a period of last seven years. "However, finding that there have been problems associated with availability of sufficient coal for uninterrupted operations of our newly established power plants, and in view of the ever increasing need for additional power for the state's development initiatives, we started looking at alternative measures."

HARYANA

Guj firing case: BJP MLA escapes from detention

AHMEDABAD: Gujarat BJP MLA Jetha Bharwad, who was detained in connection with the firing incident at a polling station in which four persons were injured, is absconding, a top police official said. Bharwad allegedly absconded from a private hospital here in the wee hours today where he was admitted yesterday for head injuries and the authorities are contemplating action against eight policemen who were on the escort duty. "He was brought at the Apollo hospital here for the CT scan, which was referred by the doctors who were treating him in Godhra. From there, at around 3 AM today, he ran away while his police escort team were outside the CT scan room," state DGP Chitranjan Singh said. "We are taking action against eight policemen who were in the escort team who brought MLA Jetha Bharwad here while he was under detention," Singh added. Bharwad had also sustained head injuries in stone pelting. The MLA from Sahera in Panchmahal district is seeking a re-election. Bharwad, along with 10 others, has been charged with attempt to murder. "We have registered an FIR against MLA Jetha Bharwad and four others under different sections of Indian Penal Code (IPC) which also include section 307 (attempt to murder)," said Sehara police sub-inspector P S Bhatt. However, Takhatsingh Solanki, a Congress candidate against him in Sahera constituency, had alleged Bharwad had come with his supporters in two vehicles, with the intention of bogus voting and had staged the stone pelting. "It was pre-planned by Jetha Bharwad so that he can frighten the voters of my village and resort to bogus voting. Otherwise he has no business to enter in my village at the time of voting," Solanki had alleged.

GUJARAT

ASSAM UTTAR PRADESH PUNJAB 379 kg of Pakistani heroin Quality of education in govt schools not at par: Akhilesh Yadav Expenditure limit for Assam panMeanwhile, women wing not satisfactory and Uttar seized in Punjab in 2012 LUCKNOW: AkhileshPradesh cation is the government will the state besides infrastructure of BJP took outtheprotest march chayat poll candidates announced a development. Chief Minister Yadav therefore
CHANDIGARH: At least 379 kg of heroin originating from Pakistan has been seized in Punjab this year, parliament was told. "There has been reporting of smuggling/trafficking of South West Asian heroin from across the border. This year, 378.785 kilograms of heroin sourced from across the border has been seized in Punjab. This is greater than what was seized in 2009 (97.177 kg), 2010 (171.150 kg) and 2011 (180.244 kg)," Union Minister of State for Home M. Ramachandran told the Lok Sabha. Ramachandran was responding to a question by Akali Dal leader Harsimrat Kaur Badal on whether Punjab has become a hub for cross-border drugs smuggling. The minister also told the house that 209.89 kg of opium, 19.22 kg of hashish (charas) and 1,310.67 kg of marijuana (ganja) has been seized in Punjab this year. The minister said that steps were being taken to curb the drug menace in the state. The issue of drug smuggling and addiction in Punjab attracted political controversy when Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi recently said that 70 percent of the state's population was into drugs. His statement was strongly criticised by the state's ruling Shiromani Akali Dal, especially Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Badal. acknowledged that the level of education imparted in state government schools is not satisfactory, and said he will soon initiate steps to improve the academic standard in these institutions. "Despite talent in government schools, the level of edusoon take steps for improving it," Akhilesh said. Akhilesh, who was speaking after distributing cheques to girls from minority community under a state-sponsored scheme, termed education a key parameter for all-round development of Noting that women in the state, especially those belonging to the minority community, were lagging behind in the field education, Akhilesh said government's newly-launched scheme is aimed at addressing the problem. against the state government for its decision to cover only girls from minority community under the scheme. The activists also tried to gherao the Chief Minister's residence, but were detained and later released by police. GUWAHATI: The Assam State Election Commission has fixed the maximum limit of expenditure to be incurred by any candidate contesting the upcoming panchayat polls in the state. The maximum expenditure limit for a candidate contesting for the post of Zila Parishad member has been fixed at Rs four lakh, an official statement said today. For elections to the post of Anchalik Panchayat member, the maximum expenditure a candidate can incur is Rs one lakh. Similarly, Rs one lakh has been fixed as the maximum limit for candidates for the post of Gaon Panchayat president. For those contesting for the post of Gaon Panchayat member, the ceiling has been fixed at Rs 10,000. The candidates contesting the election have to submit the statement of expenditures to the State Election Commission through the Deputy Commissioner or SubDivisional Officer within 60 days from the date of declaration of results. Any violation or non-submission of expenditure statement on time will attract legal action, the statement said. The upcoming panchayat elections in Assam will be held in three phases on January 30, February 6 and February 12, 2013. During the last panchayat polls in January-February, 2008, the maximum expenditure allowed for candidates was Rs 40,000 for those contesting for post of Zila Parishad member and Rs 20,000 for those contesting for post of Anchalik Panchayat member. The expenditure ceiling for candidates Rs 20,000 for Gaon Panchayat president and Rs 2,000 for Gaon Panchayat member in the 2008 polls.

GUJARAT IIT-Gandhinagar to promote research

AHMEDABAD: Authorities of the Indian Institute of Technology, Gandhinagar (IITGn) have decided to act upon a suggestion made by its academic advisory council on Tuesday to reward excellence in research and scholarship, innovation and entrepreneurship with social relevance. IIT-Gn intends to raise Rs50 crore in next three years to be used to encourage students and faculty members to take up significant research work, said director of the institute, Dr Sudhir K Jain. The suggestion was one of the many discussed at the 3rd leadership conclave at IIT-Gn. At the conclave, Dr Nitish Thakore of SINAPSE Institute, National University of Singapore, said the institute must come up with the DNA to develop a social conscience among educators, entrepreneurs and leaders.

ANDHRA PRADESH Goods train derails in AP

VISAKHAPATNAM: The movement of trains on the Kothavalasa-Kirandul line in Visakhapatnam division of East Coast railway was disrupted after a goods train derailed this morning. Fifteen bogies of an empty goods train proceeding from Visakhapatnam to Kirandul derailed in a tunnel at Gorapur on the AndhraOrissa border, disrupting the movement of trains on the section. It would take four to five days to clear the track, sources said. The only passenger train between Visakhapatnam and Kirandul would run upto Araku till the line clears, they said. Kothavalasa-Kirandul line of the East Coast railway is a major section for movement of iron ore from the mines at Kirandul and Bailadilla in Chhattisgarh state.

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Education
nce upon a time... there lived an unhappy young girl. Unhappy she was, for h e r mothe r w a s dead, h e r father had married another woman, a widow with two daughters, and her stepmother didn't like her one little bit. All the nice things, kind thoughts and loving touches were for her own daughters. And not just the kind thoughts and love, but also dresses, shoes, shawls, delicious food, comfy beds, as well as every home comfort. All this was laid on for her daughters. But, for the poor unhappy girl, there was nothing at all. No dresses, only her stepsisters' hand-me-downs. No lovely dishes, nothing but scraps. No nice rests and comfort. For she had to work hard all day, and only when evening came was she allowed to sit for a while by

Computer work at Home

CINDERELLA
the fire, near the cinders. That is how she got her nickname, for everybody called her Cinderella. Cinderella used to spend long hours all alone talking to the cat. The cat said, "Miaow", which really meant, "Cheer up! You have something neither of your stepsisters have and that is beauty." It was quite true. Cindaralla, even dressed in rags with a dusty gray face from the cinders, was a lovely girl. While her stepsisters, no matter how splendid and elegant their clothes, were still clumsy, lumpy and ugly and always would be. One day, beautiful new dresses arrived at the house. A ball was to be held at Court and the stepsisters were getting ready to go to it. Cinderella, didn't even dare ask, "What about me?" for she knew very well what the answer to that would be: "You? My dear girl, you're staying at home to wash the dishes, scrub the floors and turn down the beds for your stepsisters. They will come home tired and very sleepy." Cinderella sighed at the cat. "Oh dear, I'm so unhappy!" and the cat murmured "Miaow". Suddenly something amazing happened. In the kitchen, where Cinderella was sitting all by herself, there was a burst of light and a fairy appeared. "Don't be alarmed, Cinderella," said the fairy. "The wind blew me your sighs. I know you would love to go to the ball. And so you shall!" "How can I, dressed in rags?" Cinderella replied. "The servants will turn me away!" The fairy smiled. With a flick of her magic wand... Cinderella found herself wearing the most beautiful dress, the loveliest ever seen in the realm. "Now that we have settled the matter of the dress," said the fairy, "we'll need to get you a coach. A real lady would never go to a ball on foot!" "Quick! Get me a pumpkin!" she ordered. "Oh of course," said Cinderella, rushing away. Then the fairy turned to the cat. "You, bring me seven mice!" "Seven mice!" said the cat. "I didn't know fairies ate mice too!" "They're not for eating, silly! Do as you are told!... and, remember they must be alive!" Cinderella soon returned with a fine pumpkin and the cat with seven mice he had caught in the cellar. "Good!" exclaimed the fairy. With a flick of her magic wand... wonder of wonders! The pumpkin turned into a sparkling coach and the mice became six white horses, while the seventh mouse turned into a coachman, in a smart uniform and carrying a whip. Cinderella could hardly believe her eyes. Contd....

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FAMOUS LEADERS: Veer Savarkar

Savarkar was a born rebel. He organized a gang of kids ,Vanarsena when he was just eleven. During his high school days, Veer Savarkar used to organize Shivaji Utsav and Ganesh Utsav, started by Bal Gangadhar Tilak (whom Savarkar considered as his Guru) and used these occasions to put up plays on nationalistic themes. Savarkar lost his father during the plague of 1899. In March 1901, he married Yamunabai. Post marriage, in 1902, Veer Savarkar joined Fergusson College in Pune. In Pune, Savarkar founded the "Abhinav Bharat Society". He was also involved in the Swadeshi movement and later joined Tilak's Swaraj Party. His instigating patriotic speeches and activities incensed the British Government. As a result the British Government withdrew his B.A. degree. In June 1906, Veer Savarkar, left for London to become Barrister. However, once in London, he united and inflamed the Indian students in England against British rule in India. He founded the Free India Society. The Society celebrated important dates on the Indian calendar including festivals, freedom movement landmarks, and was dedicated to furthering discussion about Indian freedom. He believed and advocated the use of arms to free India from the British and created a network of Indians in England, equipped with weapons. In 1908, brought out an authentic informative researched work on The Great Indian Revolt, which the British termed as "Sepoy Mutiny" of 1857. The book was called "The Indian War of Independence 1857". The British government immediately enforced a ban on the publication in both Britain and India. Later, it was published by Madame Bhikaiji Cama in Holland, and was smuggled into India to reach revolutionaries working across the country against British rule. In 1909, Madanlal Dhingra, a keen follower of Savarkar shot Sir Wyllie after a failed assassination attempt on the then Viceroy, Lord Curzon. Savarkar conspicuously did not condemn the act. When the then British Collector of Nasik, A.M.T. Jackson was shot by a youth, Veer Savarkar finally fell under the net of the British authorities. He was implicated in the murder citing his connections with India House. Savarkar was arrested in London on March 13, 1910 and sent to India. After a formal trial, Savarkar was charged with serious offences of illegal transportation of weapons, provocative speeches and sedition and was sentenced to 50 years' of jail and deported to the Kalapani (Blackwaters) at Andaman cellular jail. In 1920, many prominent freedom fighters including Vithalbhai Patel, Mahatma Gandhi and Bal Gangadhar Tilak demanded the release of Savarkar. On May 2, 1921, Savarkar was moved to Ratnagiri jail, and from there to the Yeravada jail. In Ratnagiri jail Savarkar wrote the book 'Hindutva'. On January 6, 1924 he was h freed under the condition that he would not leave Ratnagiri district and abstain from political activity for the next five years. On his release, Veer Savarkar founded the Ratnagiri Hindu Sabha on January 23, 1924 that aimed to preserve India's ancient culture and work for social welfare. Later Savarkar joined Tilak's Swaraj Party and founded the Hindu Mahasabha as a separate political party. He was elected President of the Mahasabha and toiled for building Hindu Nationalism and later joined the Quit India movement. The Hindu Mahasabha opposed creation of Pakistan, and took exception to Gandhi's continued Muslim appeasement stances. Nathuram Godse, a volunteer of the Hindu Mahasabha, assassinated Gandhi in 1948 and upheld his actions till his hanging. Veer Savarkar was arrested and indicted by the Government of India in the Mahatma Gandhi assassination case. But he was acquitted by the Supreme Court of India, for reasons of lack of evidence. Veer Savarkar died on February 26, 1966 at the age of 83.

Magic For Kids: Dancing Coin

Note: To perform this trick, you only need a large coin. The effect: To make a coin appear to be somersaulting over your fingers. The secret: To perform this trick effectively, you require a lot of practice. Place a large coin between your index and middle fingers. Raise your index finger to tilt the coin and roll it over to the space between your middle and ring fingers. Continue to raise your middle finger to tilt the coin and roll it over to the space between the ring and little fingers. Continue to raise your ring finger and then the little finger tilting the coin to somersault until it drops off your hand. Then, catch the coin

RHYME: CEILING TO THE STARS

Up in the sky, where the stars shine bright, That's where I will be; Enjoying the thrills of outer space, And all there is to see.

Born: May 28, 1883 Died: February 26, 1966 Achievements: Founded the Abhinav Bharat Society and Free India Society; brought out an authentic informative researched work on The Great Indian Revolt of 1857 called "The Indian War of Independence 1857"; founded Hindu Mahasabha. Veer Savarkar occupies a unique place in the history of Indian freedom struggle. His name evokes controversy. While some consider him as one of the greatest revolutionaries in the Indian freedom struggle, others consider him a communalist and Machiavellian manipulator. Vir Savarkar was also a great orator, prolific writer, historian, poet, philosopher and social worker. He was an extraordinary Hindu scholar. He coined Indian words for telephone, photography, the parliament, among others. Veer Savarkar's original name was Vinayak Damodar Savarkar. He was born on May 28, 1883 in the village of Bhagur near Nasik. He was one among four children born to Damodarpant Savarkar and Radhabai. Veer Savarkar had his initial education at the Shivaji School, Nasik. He lost his mother when he was only nine.

and put it back to the starting position with the same hand. Repeat the trick again. Tip: You can also reverse the motions when the coin is at the space between the ring and little finger.

FUN TIME
1. Ek din adaalat mein judge ne ek mujrim ko sajaa sunaate huye kaha, "Iske dono kaan kaat liye jaye." Mujrim ne bahoot bhaye ke saath kaha, "Rahem karo my baap, kaan kaat lenge toh main andha ho jaonga." Judge ne ascharya se poocha kaan kaatne se andhe kaise hoge, mujrim ne kaha "My baap kaan kaat lenge toh main chashma kahan lagaunga."

A quick trip to Mars, Is the first place I will go! Then it's off to see Saturn's rings, And after that, who knows.

2. Ek aurat apne beta ko doctor ke pass le jaati hai aur bolti hai mera beta bike se gir gaya. DOCTOR: I don't know hindi. Tell me in English AURAT: My londa gironda from hero honda. 3. WIFE: Why are you waiting here? HUSBAND: Sher ka shikar karne ja raha hoon!

For now though, I'll stay put; Mom said lunch is at noon. But after that, I'll take-off; My ship is in my room.

WIFE: Toh jao naa khade kyu ho! HUSBAND: Kaise jaau.. Bahar kutta jo khada hai!

4. ONE: Oye tera ek daant neela kyun ho gaya? TWO: Yaar maine ink lagayi hai. ONE: Woh kyun.? TWO: Kyun ke aaj kal "bluetooth" ka zamana hai yaar

FAST FACTS
1. Swift pigeons can fly at a speed of 145 km per hour. They are used in racing as well. 2.ASTRONAUTS in orbit age more slowly than people on earth! 3. Guinea pigs don't require vaccinations. They are not attacked with diseases often. 4. It is observed that the seeds of an Indian Lotus tree would remain viable approximately for 300 to 400 years. 5. The smaller a scorpion is, it will be more venomous. 7. Donkeys have a life span of 30 to 50 years. They would serve for a long time as your pet. 6. Goats get irritated if someone touches their ears.

IMAGE TO COLOUR

FIND THE DIFFERENCE

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STUDENT AGE THURSDAY, DECEMBER 20, 2012

NATIONAL

6 Hang me till death: Delhi gang-rape accused tells court

NEW DELHI: In a crucial development in the Delhi gang-rape case, three of the four arrested accused Mukesh Singh, Pawan Gupta and Vinay Sharma - were produced before a city court on Wednesday, where two of them confessed to their crime. The three were produced before a court in Saket. The court remanded Pawan and Vinay to four-day police custody, while Mukesh was sent to judicial custody for 14 days. Vinay Sharma confessed to beating up the victim's male friend and demanded that he be hanged. "I have committed a horrible crime. I had beaten up the boy. I should be hanged," Vinay told the court. Pawan also said he had committed a "heinous act" and was ashamed of himself, but refused to undergo an identification parade. The third accused, Mukesh - who is the brother of main accused Ram Singh did not confess to the crime but agreed to undergo identification test by the victim's male friend. The court said Mukesh would undergo identification test tomorrow at Tihar Jail. Ram Singh, the driver of the bus, was yesterday sent to five-day police custody. In a related development one of the two absconding accused, Akshay Thakur, has been detained in Aurangabad, Bihar. He is being brought to Delhi. Police teams are also looking out for the last accused, Raju. While Vinay Sharma, a gym instructor, was arrested yesterday morning, Ram Singh, his brother Mukesh and Pawan Gupta alias Kalu, a fruit seller, were arrested from Ravidas Camp slum in RK Puram area of South Delhi earlier.

Hang guilty in 30 days, says Sushma Swaraj

NEW DELHI: Senior BJP leader Sushma Swaraj on Wednesday demanded that the Delhi gang-rape case should be tried in a fast-track court and come to a conclusion in a month. "This case should be held in fast track court and come to decision to hang the guilty in 30 days," Swaraj was reported as saying. Swaraj, the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, further said that instead of promising action Congress president Sonia Gandhi should act. "Headline should read Sushma demands action, Sonia Gandhi promises action," Swaraj said. front of Father of the Nation Mahatma Gandhi's statue here holding banners in their hands. Both Houses of Parliament had earlier on Tuesday expressed shock and outrage over the incident. In a statement in the Rajya Sabha, Home Minister Shinde said he would ask for the case to be fast-tracked with daily court hearings and announced a special committee to come up with guidelines to offer better protection for women. "More policemen would patrol the roads at night," he said. Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit has also urged the Chief Justice of the Delhi High Court to open five special fast track courts for cases of rape and assault against women. Four of the six men who allegedly raped the student have been arrested. One, the driver of the bus in which she was gang-raped and tortured, has been remanded to police custody for five days as the cops attempt to arrest the two men who are still absconding. The National Human Rights Commission has also issued notices to Home Ministry and Delhi Police and sought a report on the incident within two weeks.

Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar also stressed on the need to have a strict law. "Such incidents put a question mark on our society," the Speaker said. Meanwhile, women MPs belonging to the

BJP-led NDA staged a protest inside the premises of the Parliament today to raise the issue of safety of the feminine gender in the national capital. The women Parliamentarians stood in

HP elections: Virbhadra Singh indicates CM aspirations

NEW DELHI: On the eve of the poll results in H i m a c h a l P r a d e s h , Congress veteran Virbhadra Singh on We d n e s d a y exuded confidence that his party will return to power and gave more than subtle signals that he would like to become the next chief minister. With the exit polls projecting a majority for Congress in the hill state, Singh, who is the state party chief, remarked, "I have done my duty which was assigned to me, that was to fight the election and bring the party back to power. That I hope I will be able to perform successfully. "As to who will lead the state...at present I am leading state as PCC President. And who will be the chief minister that will be decided by Soniaji." He said this when asked who will become the chief minister of Himachal Pradesh if the Congress party gets majority. Singh also saw no possibility of the Congress high command imposing an

Ireland to amend abortion laws two months after death of Savita

DUBLIN: Ireland Wednesday announced it will legalise abortions when the mother's life is at risk, weeks after the death of Indian dentist Savita Halappanavar, who died after being refused an abortion in the European country. The decision comes after a huge public outcry over the death of the 31-year-old, who died on October 28 at Galway University Hospital. She had been 17-week pregnant and was found to be miscarrying. Savita's husband said she asked repeatedly for a termination of the pregnancy but was refused and was told the foetal heartbeat was still Telegraph newspaper reported. Irish health minister Dr James Reilly said that the government was aware of the controversy surrounding abortion. "I know that most people have personal views on this matter. However, the government is committed to ensuring that the safety of pregnant women in Ireland is maintained and strengthened. We must fulfil our duty of care towards them," the paper quoted Dr Reilly as saying. "For that purpose, we will clarify in legislation and regulation what is available by way of treatment to a woman when a pregnancy gives rise to a threat to a woman's life. We will also clarify what is legal for the professionals who must provide that care while at all times taking full account of the equal right to life of the unborn child." Irish Prime Minister Enda Kenny said the draft legislation would be published in the New Year with a timetable of having the legislation ready by Easter. To ensure the law is passed the government whip would be applied to MPs in the ruling Fine Gael party which is deeply divided over the proposals, the paper said. "There will be no free vote on this," Kenny said. Under current Irish law abortion is criminal unless it occurs as the result of a medical intervention performed to save the life of the mother. The Irish cabinet's decision follows pressure from the European Court of human rights, which ruled that abortions should be allowed in cases where a woman's life was at risk. Ireland's abortion laws are the strictest in Europe and any proposed legislation to decriminalise abortion will stoke furious debate in the country, which remains a staunchly Roman Catholic country.

Social security benefits to unorganised sector workers: Govt

outsider as the Himachal chief minister. "I can only say I don't expect this will happen," he said when asked whether a person from outside could lead the government of Congress if the party comes to power. Singh was also dismissive of suggestions that Union Minister Anand Sharma, his known detractor in state politics, stands a chance to become the chief minister. "Whether he (Sharma) is a contender or not, I don't know, but he will not be there," he said when asked whether Sharma is a contender for the chief minister's post. Himachal Pradesh election saw a keen tussle between ruling BJP and Congress. Singh has been seen as a prominent challenger to Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal.

present and "this is a Catholic country". The Irish government has decided to repeal legislation that makes abortion a criminal act and to introduce regulations setting out when doctors can perform an abortion when a woman's life is regarded as being at risk, including by suicide, the

Dirty corruption in lower levels of governance: Parrikar Rahul to meet Goa Congress leaders Thursday
NEW DELHI: Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi will visit Goa Thursday and interact with party leaders in the state to boost their morale, party sources said Wednesday. The Congress lost the Goa assembly elections to the BJP early this year. The sources said that during the day-long visit, Rahul Gandhi would meet district and block-level Congress committee presidents and candidates of the assembly elections. Later, he will meet elected party members of Panchayati Raj institutions. He will also meet elected Youth Congress and NSUI committee leaders. percent. Corruption of the dirtiest kind is happening at the lowest levels," he said. When Parrikar was sworn-in as the chief minister in March this year, the senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader had promised a regime with "zero tolerance to corruption". Parrikar said he would be in a position to reduce corruption by 80 to 90 percent. Commenting on the scenario after the Supreme Court imposed the ban on mining, Parrikar said that Goa's GSDP, nearly $3 billion had shrunk by 20 to 30 percent following the ban, which has frozen all mining and allied activity.

Delhi Cabinet review security situation; Shinde announces measures to make Delhi safer
NEW DELHI: Facing flak in view of the Delhi gangrape case, Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit on Wednesday morning chaired a meeting of her Cabinet at her residence here. The meeting decided to call a one-day special session of the Delhi Legislative Assembly to discuss the law and order situation in the national capital. The Delhi CM has also summoned Delhi Police Commissioner Neeraj Kumar to discuss the situation with him. Separately, Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde also summoned Delhi Police officials after he received a strongly-worded letter from Congress president Sonia life imprisonment can be given in such cases. The Congress chief has demanded more safety for women. In her letter to Shinde, Gandhi described the gang-rape of a medical student in a moving bus in Delhi as a "shame for all of us who are responsible for security of our cities". The minister was asked to "sensitise police to the danger our daughters, sisters, mothers face every day." Security agencies must be motivated and equipped to "deal with this menace", she stressed in the letter. Gandhi also visited Safdarjang Hospital yesterday where the victim is battling for her life.

PANAJI: Speaking at the Goa Liberation Day rally in the state capital, Parrikar said that the ban on mining by courts has affected Goa's gross state domestic product (GSDP) by around 20 to 30 percent. "I know corruption is going on. But I can say that it has been reduced by 50

"The government will put a stronger case before the Supreme Court, pleading with them to resume legal mining. Over 20 percent of the people in Goa are in financial distress because of the mining ban," Parrikar said, adding that he was working on innovative policies which will make up for the mining shortfall. "The new tax strategies will not affect the common people," he said. Goa celebrates Liberation Day Dec 19 as on this day in 1961 the Indian armed forces liberated the state from over 450 years of Portuguese colonial rule, 14 years after India's Independence.

Anna will bring powerful anti-corruption law: Kalam

NEW DELHI: Former President APJ Abdul Kalam on Wednesday said social activist Anna Hazare's route is definitely going to bring a very powerful law on anti-corruption. "I believe that Anna Hazare route is definitely going to bring us a very powerful law on anti-corruption one day. But there is no place in jail as all the prisons would get filled up, do you want that?" he asked. Kalam was addressing the sixth annual Penguin "Beyond 2020: sustainable Development Missions for the Nation." Talking about the value system, he said, "I want to see how many young children can change the value system in country." The nuclear scientist said, "During 2003 youth started to ask what I can do to change the situation and contribute to the development of the nation.....During the last 6 months I see a further change in the youth, who now say I can do it. This has given me confidence that India will become an economically developed nation by 2020." The missile man of the country narrated an incident of 1990s, when during his address to a group of children in Ahmedabad a young girl got up and asked him when she could start "to sing a song of India?" Kalam said he came to understand that the girl's elder brother, who lived in the US, used to give her accounts about the beautiful lakes, roads and prosperity there and she wanted Kalam to tell her when she too can "sing a song about India like her brother was singing a song about America".

Gandhi. Shinde announced a series of steps to prevent the recurrence of such crimes. Speaking in the Rajya Sabha, the Home Minister said all buses and auto-rickshaws driven by unverified drivers shall be impounded by police. Further, drivers' photographs and other details will be displayed in all public transport vehicles along with helpline numbers, Shinde said. Also, all buses will have to ensure

there is enough light inside and all commercial vehicles will have to keep light on during the night. The Home minister said that a Special Investigation Team (SIT) headed by a DCP has been set up to monitor the investigation in the Delhi gang rape case. The minister further announced that all PCR vans will be equipped with GPS. As regards punishment, Shinde said a maximum of

NEW DELHI: Government on Wednesday informed Rajya Sabha that it has initiated steps to provide social security benefits to workers in the unorganised sector. With a view to providing social security to unorganised workers, Labour and Employment Minister Mallikarjun Kharge said the Unorganised Worker's Social Security Act, 2008 has been enacted. As per a government survey carried out in 2009-10, there were 43.7 crore people employed in the unorganised sector. The Act provides for constitution of National Social Security Board at the central level to recommend schemes related with life and disability cover, health and maternity benefits, old age protection and any other benefit for unorganised sector workers. "The government has initiated steps in the context of all these social security benefits," the Minister said. Replying to supplementaries, he said there are social security schemes for BPL families, street vendors, workers in the construction and building segment and MNREGA workers. Some of the social security schemes for workers in the unorganised sector include, Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojna, Aam Admi Bima Yojna and Indira Gandhi National Old Age Pension Scheme, he added.

Railways tops in corruption complaints: CVC

NEW DELHI: Over 8,800 complaints of alleged graft against railway employees were received by the Central Vigilance Commission last year. A total of 8,805 complaints of alleged corruption were received against Railways employees, followed by 8,430 against banks employees and 5,026 against Income tax officials, 4,783 against Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi and 3,921 against Urban Development employees during 2011, the CVC said in its annual report. Besides, the CVC received 2,960 complaints of corruption against employees working under Information and Broadcasting ministry, 1,918 against Department of Telecommunications, 1,877 against Petroleum Ministry officials, 1,544 against Food and Consumer Affairs department and 1,296 against Custom and Excise department among others, it said. The CVC, in its report tabled in Parliament recently, also noted delays and deficiencies while processing corruption related cases by certain government departments involving senior functionaries. "Delay in processing vigilance cases continues to be a major issue. Delays take place in processing the complaints or cases and also in taking decisions by the competent authorities who, in all cases, are senior level functionaries in the organisations. "The Commission has been making constant efforts to sensitise all concerned about the importance of timely and efficient handling of vigilance related matters. However, it has been observed that the organisations continue to be indifferent and apathetic," the report said. However, the CVC annual report for 2011 did not have any mention of probe related to alleged corruption in Commonwealth Games related projects. The probity watchdog noted that the investigation report in respect of 1,406 complaints forwarded to the Chief vigilance Officers of concerned departments, who act as an extended arm of the CVC, were pending with them. A highest of 182 complaints were pending for investigation and report with Delhi Government, 156 with Municipal Corporation of Delhi, 49 with Delhi Development Authority,48 each with Ministry of Defence and Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd, and 42 with Department of Secondary and Higher Education among others, it said. The Commission has received a total of 51,367 complaints of alleged corruption against government officials working in various departments between January and December last year. Of these, 34,380 were disposed and 16,987 were pending with the departments. In addition, 6,910 complaints of corruption sent by the CVC to the CVO of concerned department were pending for more than six months, it said. The CVC noted delay in the implementation of its advice recommending punishment to corrupt officials. "Any delay in the implementation of Commission's advice which is tendered after due consideration of all facts before it reflects poorly on the state of vigilance administration of the organisation concerned." The Commission notes with concern that at the end of the year 2011, as many as 1,525 cases were pending for over six months for the implementation of Commission's first stage advice," the report said. The Chief Technical Examination wing of the Commission effected a recovery of Rs 88.90 crore during the year after conducting technical examination of public procurement and other works carried out by certain government departments. During 2009 and 2010, the CVC has effected a recovery of Rs 68.61 crore and Rs 58.70 crore respectively.

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STUDENT AGE THURSDAY, DECEMBER 20, 2012

INTERNATIONAL & ECONOMY Inquiry into Benghazi attack is critical of State Department
WASHINGTON: An independent inquiry into the attack on the US diplomatic mission in Libya that killed four Americans on Sept. 11 sharply criticizes the State Department for a lack of seasoned security personnel and relying on untested local militias to safeguard the compound, congressional and State Department officials said. The investigation into the attacks on the mission and CIA annex that killed Ambassador J. Christopher Stevens and three others also faulted State Department officials in Washington for ignoring requests from officials at the US Embassy in Tripoli for more guards and safety upgrades for the diplomatic mission. The panel also blamed the State Department for waiting for specific warnings of imminent attacks to act rather than adapting security procedures and protocols to a deteriorating security environment. By this spring, Benghazi, a hotbed of militant activity in eastern Libya, had experienced a string of assassinations, as well as an attack on a British envoy's motorcade. On June 6, a bomb was planted near the US mission's outer wall, blowing out a 12-foot hole. Finally, the report also blamed two major State Department bureaus - Diplomatic Security and Near Eastern Affairs - for failing to coordinate and plan adequate security at the mission. The panel also determined that a number of officials had shown poor leadership. In response to the panel's findings, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said in a letter to Congress that she was accepting all 29 of the panel's recommendations, several of which are classified. On Monday, an independent panel that was established to investigate the attack presented the report to the State Department. The panel, called an accountability review board, is led by Thomas R. Pickering, a veteran diplomat. It includes four other members, among them Mike Mullen, the retired admiral who served as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The State Department sent a lengthy classified version of the report to Congress on Tuesday. Pickering and Mullen are scheduled to meet with members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and the House Foreign Affairs Committee in closed session Wednesday. On Thursday, William J. Burns and Thomas R. Nides, both deputy secretaries of state, will testify to both panels. Clinton, who is still recovering from a concussion she suffered last week after fainting while sick from a stomach flu, is at home this week. The head of the House panel, Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, R-Fla., however, has made it clear that she plans to ask Clinton to testify at a future time.

7
Teachers offered discount on guns after US school shooting
WASHINGTON: A Texas gun store owner is not only encouraging teachers to arm themselves, he is also offering them a discount. After the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School that took 26 lives, Crocket Keller of Kellers Riverside Gun Store in Austin is offering a special deal for teachers to get a Concealed Handgun License. Instead of paying 110 dollars for the 10-hour CHL class, teachers only need to pay 90 dollars. "I have been counseled by some of my friends that I ought to do it for free, but I can''t afford to do that," Keller said. According to the report, many believe that the key to keeping students safe is providing better security for them, not arming their teachers. "I knew this would come up at some point, there would be people who think the answer is to put guns on campus. Frankly I think it's absurd," Gayle Fallon of the American Federation of Teachers told KRLD in Texas. "Teachers can be as well trained in the use of arms as any policeman can," he said, adding: "The teachers are there all the time, they know what's going on. They are familiar with their surroundings."

India-ASEAN summit begins Thursday, President to receive ASEAN leadership

anniversary of ASEANIndia Summit-level partnership. India and the 10-nation ASEAN will hold a twoday commemorative summit starting Thursday that is expected to culminate in a free trade agreement in services and a vision document on scaling up ties across diverse areas, including trade, energy, security and cultural connectivity. The ASEAN-India Commemorative Summit, which New Delhi is hosting for the first time, commemorates the 10th anniversary of the summit-level meeting between ASEAN and India and the 20th anniversary of sectoral dialogue partnership between the two sides. Heads of state/governments of all Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) except the Philippines, which will be represented by its vice-president, are to participate in the summit with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. The event is expected to culminate in an all-embracing vision document based on recommendations from the Eminent Persons Group. After the plenary Thursday, there will be a ceremonial flag-down of the ASEAN car rally by leaders of the ASEAN countries. Manmohan Singh will host a lunch for the visiting leaders Friday. The showpiece of the summit is expected to be the formal announcement of the conclusion of negotiations on a free trade agreement on services and investment, a defining step that will accelerate India's engagements with this economically vibrant region. There is a new vibrancy in economic ties. ASEAN-India trade has been growing over 22 percent during the last six years. Since the signing of the ASEAN-India trade in goods agreement in 2009 and its implementation since last year, bilateral trade during 2011-12 has increased by more than 37 percent. The trade is estimated to be around $79 billion and the two sides have set a target of $100 billion by 2015. "The Look East Policy now has a new impetus and that is spurred by our growing relations with our close neighbours in Southeast Asia," said Sanjay Bhattacharyya, joint secretary (south) in India's external affairs ministry. Besides multilateral diplomacy, Manmohan Singh will hold bilateral talks with leaders of Indonesia, Malaysia and Myanmar. Laos, Vietnam and Cambodia on the sidelines of the two-day commemorative summit. In November, Manmohan Singh met leaders of Singapore, Thailand, the Philippines, Brunei and Myanmar in the Cambodian capital Phnom Penh.

NEW DELHI: President Pranab Mukherjee will receive the ASEAN leadership at Rashtrapati Bhavan Thursday when they arrive in the capital to participate in the ASEAN-India Special Commemorative Summit, an official statement from the president's office said Wednesday. Vice-President Hamid Ansari and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will attend the two-day summit, which will mark the 20th anniversary of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)-India dialogue partnership and the 10th

'ISI, Pasha enjoy immunity in 26/11 NY Court case'

NEW YORK: The US Government has informed a New York court that the ISI and it's of victims of the Mumbai terror attack and asked Pakistan to dismantle LeT and support India's efforts to counter terrorist threat. "In the view former director generals "enjoy immunity" in the case related to 26/11 filed by the relatives of the United States, the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) is entitled to immunity because it is part of a foreign state within the meaning of the FSIA (Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act)," Stuart Delery, the Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General told a federal court in New York on December 17 in a submission on a case filed by relatives and family members of the American victims of the Mumbai terrorist attacks. "Furthermore, the Department of State has determined that former Director Generals Ahmed Shuja Pasha and Nadeem Taj are immune because plaintiffs' allegations relate to acts that these defendants allegedly took in their official capacities as directors of an entity that is undeniably a fundamental part of the Government of Pakistan," Delery said in his 12-page affidavit.

South Korean crowds vote in presidential poll

SEOUL: Weathering an inclement chill, South Koreans on Wednesday marched out of their homes to cast their votes in a crucial presidential election that could see the nation getting its first female President. The election is thought to be a neck and neck race between two top contenders Park Geun-hye of the governing Saenuri party and Moon Jae-in of the Democratic United Party. South Koreans stood in long lines, wrapped in mufflers and parkas. A big turnout could mean large numbers of young people more likely to be aligned with Moon are going to the polls, analysts said. Park's conservative base is comprised mainly of older voters who remember with fondness what they see as the firm economic and security guidance of her dictator father, Park Chung-hee. Seoul's election watchdog said turnout was about 59 per cent this afternoon, which is 11 percentage points higher than five years ago, when current conservative President Lee Myung-bak won a landslide victory It is also 5 percentage points higher than a decade ago, when Moon's protege and former boss, liberal Roh Moo-hyun, won. Today is a national holiday in South Korea. Polls opened at 2100 GMT and were to close at 0900 GMT, after which television broadcasters planned to announce results from exit polls predicting a winner. For all their differences, Moon, who was Roh's former chief of staff, and Park, who belongs to Lee's party, hold remarkably similar views on the need to engage with Pyongyang and other issues. Park's conservative base is comprised mainly of older voters who remember with fondness what they see as the firm economic and security guidance of her dictator father, Park Chung-hee. Seoul's election watchdog said turnout was about 59 per cent this afternoon, which is 11 percentage points higher than five years ago, when current conservative President Lee Myung-bak won a landslide victory It is also 5 percentage points higher than a decade ago, when Moon's protege and former boss, liberal Roh Moo-hyun, won.

Tunisia pardons 1,900 prisoners

TUNIS: Tunisian President Moncef Marzouki has granted pardon to 1,900 prisoners including 29 foreigners, the official TAP news agency reported. Quoting a statement released Tuesday by the presidency, the report said Marzouki pardoned the prisoners on the occasion of the second anniversary of the upheaval that toppled former president Zine El Abidine Ben Ali. The pardoned prisoners had been sentenced for minor crimes, not exceeding one year, and had served two thirds of their prison terms, the statement said.

ECONOMY

Govt plans ambitious housing scheme for urban poor India lags several nations in per capita income: Govt
NEW DELHI, DEC 19: The government plans to launch an ambitious housing scheme to woo the urban poor, ahead of the next general elections. The housing and urban poverty alleviation ministry has tapped several central ministries and agencies to prepare a comprehensive package, which will include building high-rise apartments for the urban poor on land owned by central agencies such as the railways and defence; doing away with the cap of Rs 80,000 on home loans under the JNNURM scheme; incentivising construction of homes for the poor; and making it mandatory for builders to reserve 35% of houses in any housing complex for economically weaker sections and lower income groups under the Rajiv Awas Yojana. "Consultations with various arms of the government are on. This will be another game-changer as millions of poor will benefit," said Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation Minister Ajay Maken. This move comes in the run-up to the next general elections. Congress had done very well in the urban areas in the 2009 elections, but the government's image has been severely hit by corruption scandals and the perception that it has not done enough in the last few years. A string of defeats suffered by the party in the civic polls of Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore and other cities post-2009 has worried its leadership, which is looking at ways to reclaim the urban vote. The party had launched the 'Ghar Nu Ghar' affordable housing scheme for women ahead of the Gujarat elections that saw nearly 28 lakh women sign up. "The queues in Gujarat showed us the appetite for affordable homes. Steep real estate prices and expensive loans have discouraged people from buying homes - by far the biggest investment in their lifetime," said a housing ministry official. Congress has decided to make the direct cash transfer scheme - a programme that gives the poor access to welfare scheme funds directly, using the electronicallyenabled Aadhaar card - a major plank of its election strategy. The Food Security Bill and the Land Rehabilitation Bill are also expected to form a part of its election strategy. While housing for the urban poor is a vote-catching proposition, it is a state subject and the 12-18 months left before the next elections is too short a period for construction to happen. "We can't start constructing houses before polls, but we can launch the schemes," said Maken. The minister said the proposed package wasn't just a political move, and added that it was imperative for the government to provide housing for the urban poor. "We are talking about almost 50% of our population, of which 26% live in slums. I think we need to give them some good programmes and policies, which we are working through our re-christened Rajiv Awas Yojana. We are making a number of changes so that this scheme becomes more effective and meaningful." The government has calculated that there is a shortfall of 18.78 million homes in the country, mostly in the lowincome category. The poor in India usually live in unregulated areas, especially slum developments in big cities such as Delhi and Mumbai. Delhi alone has more than 50,000 slums units on railway land and between 5,000 and 10,000 on defence properties. Maken's ministry has had discussions with the railways and defence ministries. "We are looking at how, through Rajiv Awas Yojana, we can straightaway start with slum eradication or improvement of slums or housing in the central government agency areas," Maken said. In addition, the railways and defence establishments have huge tracts of surplus, unutilised land all over the country, especially in habitable regions, and the idea is to develop homes and colonies on them. The minister said the government had failed to achieve certain goals in the first phase of JNNURM. But the gaps will be plugged this time around to make it more relevant. "We would like to be more realistic and in terms of actuals, we would like to give 50% or 80% of the amount which would be spent," Maken said, adding he was expecting the Planning Commission to agree to this proposal. NEW DELHI, DEC 19: India is lagging behind several countries in per capita income due to different levels of development and various other factors, Parliament was informed today. "Yes... India continues to be a developing economy," Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs and PlanningRajeev Shukla told Lok Sabha in a written reply. He was responding to a query on whether the country is lagging behind several countries in per capita income. Per capita of income is a measure of the amount of money that is being earned per person. The Minister said the reasons for differences in the per capita income of different nations can be attributed to the levels of development besides other factors such as natural resource endowments, economic policies, political stability, differences in skills and technologies, population level etc. India's per capita GDP on Purchasing Power Parity (PPP) basis was USD 3,403 in 2010 and is estimated at USD 3,662.69 in 2011 and USD 3,851.31 in 2012, he added. The Central Statistics Office has been compiling estimates of rural and urban break up of Per Capita Net Domestic Product (NDP), for the base years of National Accounts Statistics (NAS) series, Shukla said. "The latest base year is 2004-05. The per capita income at current prices for the year 2004-05 is estimated at Rs 16,414 in rural areas and Rs 44,172 in urban areas." The per capita net national income rose by 5.2 per cent while wholesale price index based inflation was at 8.9 per cent in 201112. In 2010-11, per capita net national income grew by 6.4 per cent against a WPI inflation rise of 9.6 per cent. In 2009-10, it was 6.6 per cent and 3.8 per cent respectively. To a query on measures being taken by the government to improve growth momentum and contain inflationary pressures, the Minister said: "On the growth front, steps have been taken to increase Foreign Direct Investment which would contribute to both greater capital inflows and over the long run, higher productivity thereby inducing growth." Measures have also been taken by the RBI to contain inflation, he added. "The tight monetary policy followed by RBI has the tendency to typically operate through compression of demand in the short run in order to contain inflation," Shukla said.

Rs 45,000 crore sought from Planning Commission for houses to poor

NEW DELHI,Dec 19: About Rs 45,000 crore has been demanded from Planning Commission for the second phase of Rajiv Awas Yojana that aims to provide affordable housing to urban poor, the Rajya Sabha was informed today. Replying to supplementaries during Question Hour, Housing & Urban Poverty Alleviation Minister Ajay Maken said Rajiv Awas Yojana was launched in June last year to make the country slum-free. He said over Rs 41,723.13 crore has been sanctioned for construction/upgradation of 15.7 lakh dwelling units along with basis civic amenities like drinking water and sanitation under the Jawaharlal Nehru National urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM). Of these, 9.92 lakh units have been completed or are under construction, he said adding the Phase-II of Rajiv Awas Yojana (under JNNURM) is being modified to make it more successful. "We are asking Planing Commission to allocate Rs 45,000 crore to this project," he said. He said the percentage of poor among Scheduled Castes, which was 40.6 per cent in 2004-05, has come down to 34.1 per cent in 200910. The percentage of poor among Scheduled Tribes, which was 35.5 per cent in 2004-05 has come down to 30.4 per cent in 2009-10. Asked about the criteria for deciding the poverty line, he said the Planning Commission had in September last year submitted an affidavit in the Supreme Court to state that at 2001 price levels, any household with a monthly income of up to Rs 4,824 is poor. s

NEW DELHI,DEC 19: The government has allocated Rs 29,151.89 crore in 2012-13 under various schemes for benefit of families living Below Poverty Line (BPL), theMinister of State for Planning Rajeev Shukla said in Parliament today. For the year 2012-13, government allocated Rs 11,075 crore under the Indira Awaas Yojana for the benefit of BPL families, the Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs and Planning Rajeev Shukla said in a written reply to Lok Sabha. Under Swaranjayanti Swarozgar Yojana/ National Rural Livelihood Mission Rs 3,915 crore was allocated, Rs 8,447.30 crore under the National Social Assistance Programme, Rs 814.59 crore under the Swaran Jayanti Sahari Rozgar Yojana and Rs 4,900 crore under Rajiv Gandhi Grameen Vidyutikaran Yojana. Also, under the Targeted Public Distribution System (TPDS),"government is making allocation of foodgrains for accepted number of 6.52 crore Below Poverty Line families,

Rs 29,151 crore allocated under schemes China names Infosys as its service for BPL families in FY13: Rajeev Shukla outsourcing firm
including 2.43 crore Antyodaya Anna Yojanafamilies at 35 kilogram per family per month." Shukla said the allocation of foodgrains for Above Poverty Line (APL) families are made depending upon availability of foodgrains stocks in the central pool and past off take by states/union territories (UTs). "Presently, these allocations range between 15 and 35 kg per family per month in different states/UTs," the minister said. Under Annapurna Scheme, 10kg of foodgrains (rice or wheat) per month are provided free of cost to the destitute who are at least 65 years of age, though eligible but remained uncovered under National Old AgePension Scheme since April 1, 2000. The minister said the government has introduced the National Food Security Bill, 2011 in the Parliament in December, 2011. The Bill seeks to provide 7 kg of foodgrains per person per month for priority households and not less than 3 kg of foodgrains for general households, he added. BANGALORE, DEC 19: Indian IT bellwether InfosysBSE 1.09 % Ltd. has been named as one of the liaison service outsourcing firms by the Chinese commerce ministry for its capabilities, performance and strong growth, an official said Wednesday. "Infosys is the only Indian firm to be included in the list of 100 key liaison service outsourcing firms by the China's ministry of commerce," the global software major said in a statement here. As its wholly-owned subsidiary, Infosys China has development centres in Shanghai, Beijing, Dalian,Hangzhou and Jiaxing with 3,300 employees to offer a range of software services to Chinese enterprises and multi-nationals operating in China. "China's service outsourcing industry has been growing at a rapid pace over the last couple of years. The number of outsourcing firms increased to 16,939 in 2011 from 12,706 in 2010 and the offshore service value shot up to $23.8 billion in 2011, registering 65 percent growth from 2010," the statement noted.

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MISC

Saina to shine with 'Sahara' logo

LUCKNOW: Sahara India Praiwar has announced its association with ace shuttler Saina Nehwal who is now don Sahara company logo in an event organised at Lucknow's Sahara Shaher on Tuesday. After her Olympic triumph, Indian shuttler Saina Nehwal is now eyeing to win the World Championship and the All England Championship next year. The bronze medal winner in the London Games, Saina stressed on developing the basic structure in the country in order to make it compete with China. Sahara India Pariwar, the business conglomerate, on Tuesday announced its association with Nehwal. As a part of the association Saina will don Sahara logo while playing at tournaments worldwide. Saina said that the international badminton calender is very busy and it is very difficult for any player to excel at the international level for a prolonged period.

A chance for India to climb to No. 1 spot in T20 table

DUBAI: India have a great chance of climbing to the top of the ICC T20I championship table if they manage to win all four matches scheduled to be played against England and Pakistan before the end this year. India are all set to play England in a two-match Twenty20 International series, starting in Pune on Dec20, before squaring off against arch-rivals Pakistan, in another two-match series, commencing in Bangalore on December 25. Victory in all four games for India, currently ranked third on the T20I table with 120 ratings points, will not only propel them to number one position with a gain of 12 rating points but will also open up a five-point lead over current table toppers, Sri Lanka. This will be the first time that India have a chance of making it to the No.1 spot in the T20I championship table since it was launched in October 2011. But if India lose even one of the four matches, the best they can hope to end 2012 is at the number two place, while losing all four could mean slipping down to as low as seventh position with 106 ratings points. England and Pakistan could hope to push up a place if they win their games against India. Meanwhile, South Africa could rise up to number two spot if they win the series against the New Zealand 3-0. But the final positioning for South Africa will be determined by the outcome of India's series against England and Pakistan.

Mithun replaces injured Vinay Kumar for T20s against England

Abhimanyu Mithun NEW DELHI: Abhimanyu Mithun will replace an injured R Vinay Kumar who himself had replaced L Balaji in the squad chosen for India's T20 matches against England. Vinay Kumar is suffering from a hamstring strain and will not recover in time for the two T20s scheduled to be played on December 20 and 22, the Board of Control for Cricket in India said in a statement. The 28-year-old bowler had been chosen to replace Balaji who had suffered a stress injury to his right big toe and while Vinay Kumar with his 17 wickets for Karnataka in four Ranji matches this season made him a confident choice, Mithun will now take his place.

Executive director of Sahara India Parivar, Ashok Roy Choudhary said, "We are proud to announce Sahara India Pariwar's association with Ms. Saina Nehwal." On the occasion Saina said, "It's a great honour to be associated with Sahara

India Pariwar which apart from being a huge business conglomerate, has also done tremendously for the cause of promotion of sports in India. "This has certainty boosted my confidence and I am sure that I will be able to bring pride to the nation."

Eight-member youth boxing team for Agalarov Cup

NEW DELHI: An eight-member boxing team, consisting of six boxers and two coaches, left for Baku, Azerbaijan to take part in the Agalarov Cup, an international youth boxing tournament, to be held from December 19 to 24. A Silambarsan (52kg), who won the gold medal and the best boxer trophy at the recently concluded Indo-Sri Lanka Duel Boxing Championship in Colombo, will lead the Indian charge at Baku. Former Sub-junior National champion, Abhishek Beniwal (81kg), a participant of the Youth Cuban Olympic Games, will also be seen in action along with reigning Youth National champion Aman Indora (56kg). Chief coach of the Indian youth team, G Manoharan said that strong boxing nations like Russian, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and few teams from the host nation have been a part of the this tournament in the past and this year also the level of competition is expected to be extremely good. "This exposure tour is a part of our long term development plan for the youth team and will help in our preparations for the Youth Asian Boxing Championship," Manoharan said. "Competitions like these are a stepping stone in a young boxers career and play a very significant role in the overall development," he added. In the previous edition of the tournament in 2011, the youth Indian glove men returned with three medals and this year as well, the Indian team is confident of a good showing. Coach CP Vilasini Bijilal, who is accompanying the team to Baku, said, "We are fielding a team of young boxers who haven`t had much exposure at the international level. But the boys have shown a lot of promise in the training camps and I am positive that we will return with a rich medal haul."

Issues between IOC, IOA can be resolved: Govt

NEW DELHI: Government on Wednesda said it was confident that issues between International Olympic Committee (IOC) and Indian Olympic Association (IOA) can be resolved in time and promised steps to ensure participation of Indian sportspersons in international sporting events. Minister of State for Youth Affairs and Sports Jitendra Singh told the Rajya Sabha that government is working to resolve the issue soon so that Indian sportspersons do not suffer. "We have spoken to IOC and they have given an assurance that Indian sportspersons do not suffer. But government is working 24 hours to ensure to resolve the issue," he said replying to a Calling Attention Motion by Jagat Prakash Nadda (BJP), N K Singh (JDU) and Vivek Gupta (TMC) on situation arising out of the suspension of IOA by IOC. "The decision to suspend the IOA is a very unfortunate development in Indian sports. It will not have a major impact on Indian participation in international sporting events in the immediate future. The government is confident that the issues between the IOC and IOA can be resolved in time. "The government is committed to take all possible measures to protect the interests of the Indian sportspersons and to ensure that they participate in international sports events under the Indian national flag," Singh said. The Minister held that the national sports code, which is cited as the main reason for government`s interference in functioning of sports bodies, "does not in any manner violate the Olympic Charter". Stressing on transparency in sports bodies, he said as many as 48 such federations are ready to agree to government`s code that lays down certain age and tenure restrictions and bring good governance and transparency in their functioning. Leader of Opposition Arun Jaitley sought to know if government and sports bodies will show some element of statesmanship to resolve the issue of derecognition by IOC. He said sports is a state subject and sought to know if government can resist the temptation of interfering in the day to day functioning of sports bodies. Jaitley said while sports bodies wanted their autonomy to be maintained, he suggested to draw balance between autonomy and good governance and asked if the Ministry was ready to agree to such suggestions. The Sports Minister said the government had preempted the IOC move to disaffiliate IOA and had written to it in November that government had no intention to interfere in the functioning of IOA and it just wanted the sports code, which was as per Olympic Charter, to be followed. He said government will talk to all concerned including Parliamentarians to frame a sports policy and Vision Document to help bring India at the top position in the world.

Aditya bows out of Haikou World Open

SHEFFIELD: India`s ace cueist Aditya Mehta bowed out of the Haikou World Open after losing to Scott Donaldson 4-5 in the first round here on Tuesday. Aditya, world ranked 68th, gave a tough fight to the European Snooker Champion and took the game to the decider. "It was a cut-throat competition. From the beginning itself both of us struggled to bag each coming frame. It

India to host Commonwealth TT Championships

NEW DELHI: India will host the Commonwealth Table Tennis Championships in the national capital in May 2013. It will be the fifth time that India will host the tournament. Table Tennis Federation of India (TTFI) treasurer V.K. Bawa said that the championships will take place at the Thyagaraja Stadium here May 5-10. The decision to award the Championship to India was taken during the World Junior Championships that ended in Hyderabad last week. "The International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) officials were impressed by the organisation in Hyderabad. They have promised to involve India more in the ITTF scheme of things. And one of the decisions taken during our meeting with the ITTF was conducting the 2013 Commonwealth Championships in India," said Bawa of the meetings also attended by ITTF president Adham Sharara. Bawa said that around 19-20 countries are likely to participate in the tournament preceding the World Championships in Paris May 13-20. India last organised the Commonwealth Championships at Jaipur in 2007, New Delhi (2001), Hyderabad (1994) and Bombay (1982). In the last edition in Glasgow 2009, India`s Subhajit Saha and Sharath Kamal won the doubles gold and repeated the feat the following year at the 2010 Commonwealth Games in New Delhi. TTFI is also aiming to get the World Championships back in India after 1987. "We have just hosted the junior championships and the next step is to conduct one at the highest level," added Bawa.

Kevin Pietersen impresses Flower, set to be offered a full contract

NEW DELHI: Kevin Pietersen is set to be offered a full central contract by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) after team director Andy Flower was impressed by the right-hander's on and off-field behaviour and contribution in the historic Test series win in India. Pietersen's successful reintegration into England's dressing room will be officially acknowledged with the award of his full contract at the end of ongoing tour of India. Flower confirmed that the extension of Pietersen's four-month contract is all but a formality. "The contract won't be a problem, Kevin has been excellent in every way," Flower said after England defeated India 2-1 in the just-concluded four-Test away series. "We don't all always get on with people all of the time, in any walk of life, and everyone has made an effort to make it work. It's been really good fun and he skill in Indian conditions on a pitch that turned on the first day," Flower said. "For him to score as quickly as he did there and put such pressure on the opposition bowlers really helped us turn the series around," Flower said. "He also scored a 73 and a 54 in the series, important innings, and he's been excellent in the field and in the dressing room," he added. Pietersen was on a four-month trial after being welcomed back into the team following his banishment last summer for sending provocative texts about team-mates to South African players. But for Flower the episode was a thing of the past now. "We did move on from it as soon as we had our meetings and everyone made a commitment to do so," he said. "I want to continue that. We want to learn from the past but we don't want to keep on revisiting it."

became neck breaking only after reaching 4-4. I must say Scott was lucky enough to grab the last frame. All in all, I did give him a tough

fight," said Aditya after the loss. The Mumbai cueist will next be seen playing in Munich Open from January 2013.

should be very proud of the way he's operated out here both as an individual and as a player," the former Zimbabwe captain added. Flower knows the value of Pietersen's 186-run knock in the second Test in Mumbai, and said his innings played a big role in England's turnaround in the series after the crushing defeat in the first Test in Ahmedabad. "In that Test (Mumbai) he showed real

No evidence of ball-tampering against Australia: ICC

DUBAI: The ICC on Wednesday rejected allegations that Australian cricketers tampered with the ball during the first Test against Sri Lanka in Hobart, saying that a review of the video footage did not throw up any evidence against the players. "The umpires frequently inspect the ball during play, and did so again after they had reviewed the video footage in question on Sunday. They found no evidence to suggest that the condition of the ball had been changed," ICC match referee Chris Broad said in a statement. "During the tea interval on that day, I spoke with Australia coach Mickey Arthur and told him that the umpires will continue to inspect the cricket ball regularly, and monitor the actions of all players. Sri Lanka lost the first Test by 137 runs . Broad said the Sri Lankan team management had been informed that there was no proof of ball-tampering against Australian players. "I subsequently informed the Sri Lanka team management of my discussions with the Australia coach. "In the opinion of the umpires, there was no evidence to suggest that the condition of the ball was changed, or that the video or photographic evidence would support a charge under the Code of Conduct, so they will not be laying any charges relating to these incidents," he said. Earlier, Sri Lanka's team manager Charith Senanayake had raised doubts that the ball was tampered with by the Aussies. "It's unofficial, but it's on video and the whole world has seen it so let's see what action they (the ICC) will take," Senanayake had said.

Pollution control body for ban on diesel vehicles in Delhi

NEW DELHI: Government on Tuesday informed the Lok Sabha that Environment Pollution (Prevention and Control) Authority (EPCA) has recommended that there is need to ban diesel vehicles in Delhi to prevent emission of high smoke particles. "The EPCA in a report in 2012 has stated that benefits of CNG transition are not visible due to growth in diesel vehicles, because diesel vehicles are known to emit higher smoke particles and Nitrogen Oxides than petrol cars," Environment Minister Jayanthi Natarajan said during Question Hour. Earlier in 2007, the EPCA had expressed this concern in a detailed report filed by it in the Supreme Court titled "Controlling Pollution from the growing number of diesel cars in Delhi". "In the report, EPCA had recommended to the Court that there is a need to ban the use of diesel in cars in Delhi," the minister said. The Central Pollution Control Board had carried out a study in 2007 in six cities - Bangalore, Chennai, Delhi, Kanpur, Mumbai and Pune. "As per the studies, the ambient air quality data of these cities in respect of Particulate Matter revealed that contribution due to all vehicles is ranging from 2 per cent to 48 per cent," Natarajan said. Government is taking several steps to control pollution caused by vehicles. These include implementation of Bharat Stage-IV emission standards for all category vehicles, reducing sulphur content in petrol and diesel, implementing pollution under control norms, promoting use of alternative fuels.

A satellite that can warn us about solar storms

WASHINGTON: The Advanced Composition Explorer, or ACE satellite, floating 1.5 million km above the Earth, can warn us up to an hour before a large-magnitude solar storm or coronal mass ejection (CME) strikes our technology-dependent world, says a researcher. "The ACE is our early-warning system," says C. Alex Young, study co-author and solar astrophysicist and associate director of science for the Heliophysics Science Division at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Centre in Greenbelt, Madison. "Depending on the speed of a CME, the ACE satellite can provide 20-60 minutes of warning before impact, enough to allow spacewalking astronauts to return to the relative safety of their spacecraft or to warn power grid operators that their systems may soon be overloaded," adds Young, according to a NASA statement. The largest ever solar storm, known as the Carrington Event, disrupted the telegraph system in 1859. Today, a CME of that magnitude could cause a widespread breakdown of our technologies. CMEs occur when the sun's magnetic field becomes so entangled that it "snaps", releasing an enormous amount of energy. An array of satellites and ground-based observatories stare at the sun 24 hours a day, monitoring the skies for such events. Researchers at the Purdue University are working on a way to predict solar activity half a day before it happens -not by monitoring the sun, but by observing something on earth: the rate at which radioactive elements decay.

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CHIEF-EDITOR, PUBLISHER, OWNER: Rohit Singh Rana, ADMINISTRATIVE HEAD (J&K):Pawan Rathore, DY. CHIEF EDITOR : Vikram Singh Shan, Bureau Chief Kashmir: Allayee Faizan, LEGAL ADVISOR: Advocate Ashok Parihar EDITORIAL BOARD: NATIONAL AFFAIRS: Shweta Bhat, STATE AFFAIRS: Jaswant Singh Rana, SPORTS EDITOR: Naina Jamwal, GRAPHIC DESIGNER : Baleshwer Bali, DESIGNER: Gagandeep Kour, Abhishek Kashyap CIRCULATION TEAM: Sunil Gupta, Rohit Bakshi, Nikhil Raina. PRINTED AT JK PRINTING & PUBLICATIONS, SUJWAN, JAMMU TAWI. For Contributing articles mail us at callme.ranasahib@gmail.com, editor.studentage@gmail.com. For Complaints, Querries or Advertisement Contact us: 0191-2459701, 2459702. Address: Sector-12, H.No-12 Nanak Nagar, Jammu (All disputes are subjected to the exclusive jurisdiction of Jammu District courts only.)