Page 1_Bali_Bali_Jan_22.

qxd

1/22/2013

1:41 PM

Page 1

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

STUdenT aGe
TUESDAY, JANUARY 22, 2013

JKENG/2012/41612 Vol. 2 No: 20

IAF Chief to visit Israel, upgradation of UAVs high on agenda

Former Goa CM, cabinet minister involved in mining scam: Parrikar

China anger at US remarks on East China Sea islands

IN BRIEF
Delhi govt to raise LPG cap on from 9 to 12 for BPL
NEW DELHI: The Sheila Dikshit government has decided to raise the cap on subsidised cooking gas cylinders from 9 to 12 barrells per annum. The move, however, will benefit only the BPL (below poverty line) card holders. The decision was taken as part of the 'Kerosenefree contd on page 2

Furious BJP rushes to RSS rescue, says sack Shinde

NEW DELHI: It is an all out war of words between the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Congress over Union Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde's claims that the former and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) are fanning Hindu terror in the country. While the BJP demanded the sacking of Shinde over his statement and called for a nationwide protest on January 24, the Congress backed the Home Minister. The Union Home Minister insisted that his statement was made responsibly, adding that there was evidence to support what he said. However, sources within the National Investigation Agency (NIA), which is carrying the investigations in the alleged cases, did not appear to be thinking on the same line. Reacting to the allegations of the Union Home Minister, RSS spokesperson Ram Madhav said that it intended to influence the investigations. Hitting out at Shinde, he said, "The Home Minister of our country spoke in such language calling Hindus as terrorists, it is unpardonable, we take very strong exception to it. I believe that the statement of the Home Minister is actually intended to influence the investigations that are going on into the bomb blast cases." The Home Minister also came in the line of the BJP attack with senior party leader Arun Jaitley demanding an apology from him over the allegations. "The Home Minister is saying that RSS is involved in terror activities without any evidence. Shinde should either give proof of his statement or apologise before the nation for his comment," said the Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha. The Congress, however, contd on page 2

Congress, BJP at war over Shinde's statement

WAR OF WORDS OVER SHINDE'S STATEMENT
Hindus as terrorists, it is unpardonable, we take very strong exception to it. I believe that the statement of the Home Minister is actually intended to influence the investigations that are going on into the bomb blast cases." RSS spokesperson Ram Madhav "The Home Minister is saying that RSS is involved in terror activities without any evidence. Shinde should either give proof of his statement or apologise before the nation for his comment," Arun Jaitley, Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha.

Prez Pranab Mukherjee inaugurates new Kolkata terminal

NEW DELHI: The President Mr. Pranab Mukherjee inaugurated a state-of-art Airport Terminal at Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport in Kolkata. The new terminal building has been built at the cost of 2325 core rupees. It has a capacity of handling of 25 contd on page 2

Sushil Kumar Shinde must be sacked and the Prime Minister and Sonia Gandhi must tender an unconditional apology.BJP will not tolerate this repeated insult of Hindu and saffron traditions of India and the party has never linked religion with terror as terrorists have no religion.I condemn it strongly, very forcefully. It is a malicious, baseless comment made by a lightweight Home Minister who doesn't know what he is speaking about." BJP Chief Spokesperson Ravi Shankar Prasad "The Home Minister of our country spoke in such language calling

"Sushil Kumar Shinde has repeated the same thing that I have been saying for the past 11 years. The RSS has some people who are involved in terrorist activists and provides training to people who carry out terror activities. It has been proven now." Congress general secretary Digvijaya Singh "Shinde has spoken truth finally. We consider this a help from Allah for Pakistan which is always (accused) by India for terrorism," Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) founder Hafiz Saeed. "I have made statement responsibly and there is evidence to support what i said" Home Minister Sushil Shinde.

Election panel sets ball rolling for Tripura polls

AGARTALA: "From today (Monday) onwards the candidates can file their nomination papers and the last date of filing them is Jan 28, excluding the holidays. The scrutiny of nominations would take place next day (Jan 29)," Tripura Chief Electoral Officer Ashutosh Jindal told reporters here. The last contd on page 2

Omar stresses on conservation of State's bio-diversity

JAMMU, JAN 21: Laying stress on conservation and protection of rich bio-diversity of Jammu and Kashmir, Chief Minister, Omar Abdullah Monday emphasized the need for rejuvenating the depleted forests and raising massive plantation on vacant available areas. "Protection of forest wealth and rejuvenation of degraded forests are all the more necessary to maintain ecology, restrict climate change, save water bodies and fauna and flora of the State", he said asking for full utilization of Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority (CAMPA) initiative in this regard. Chairing the 2nd Governing Body meeting of CAMPA here today, Omar Abdullah said that the survival rate of newly planted planting material needs to be monitored regularly by the departmental agencies as well as those of independent ones. He asked the Forest Department to fast track the process of third party monitoring for monitoring afforestation programmes and other aspects pertaining to upgradation and development of forests in the State. Omar Abdullah said that plantation of Deodar, Conifer and other forest plants should be ensured in forest areas under the CAMPA besides taking befitting measures for protection of wildlife. He said fauna of Jammu and Kashmir is rear and world famous. "We should be highly sensitive in conserving this rich wealth", he told the Governing Body adding that the contd on page 2

J&K bags No.1 status for providing primary health care service
JAMMU, JAN 21: Jammu and Kashmir State for its outstanding performance in universalizing medicare to people in the rural areas and implementing schemes to reduce infant mortality and track pregnant women and children under the Real Time Data SMS based scheme process, has received wide commendation and awarded No.1 status in the Country for providing primary health care service for the second time this year. The infant mortality rate in the State has come down from 45 in 2009 to 41 in 2012 and is recorded better than the national average of 44. The neonatal mortality rate has also declined from 39 in 2007 to 35 now. Efforts are on to further reduce it by laying stress on facility and home based new-born care. The plan investment in health sector was enhanced by 70 percent. As against availability of Rs. 796.66 crores during 10th Five Year Plan Rs. 1353.15 crores were made available during five year plan. Janani Shishu Surakhsha Karikram (Maa Tuje Salaam scheme) was introduced in all government hospital including GMC, Srinagar and Jammu, SKIMS Srinagar and other hospitals to contd on page 2

Why J&K No 1: Some Facts

* The infant mortality rate came down from 45 in 2009 to 41 in 2012 against the national average of 44. * The neonatal mortality rate declined from 39 in 2007 to 35 now. * The plan investment in health sector enhanced by 70 percent. * Janani Shishu Surakhsha Karikram (Maa Tuje Salaam scheme) was introduced in all government hospital including GMC, Srinagar and Jammu, SKIMS Srinagar and other hospitals to provide free service to pregnant ladies and neonates. * Rashtriya Swathiya Bhima Yojana was also launched in two districts and is being extended to 10 more districts. * Panchayat Raj institutions were empowered by constitution of Village Health Sanitation and Nutrition Committees and opening of joint accounts in the names of Sarpanches and Panches and ASHA Workers. Un-tide funds were also released to these accounts.

Airport Metro to reopen Tuesday

NEW DELHI: The Airport Metro Express line here will resume operations at 5.30 a.m. Tuesday, nearly six months after it was shut down on grounds of safety, officials said Monday. "The Airport Metro line would resume commercial operations at its regular timing of 5.30 a.m. from Jan 22 (Tuesday)," Reliance contd on page 2

India, Australia to hold talks on civil N-energy cooperation

NEW DELHI: India will begin talks for civil nuclear energy cooperation with uranium-rich Australia in March this year. "We shall be commencing negotiations on a Civil Nuclear Energy Cooperation Agreement in March 2013," External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid said here on Monday after talks with visiting Australian Foreign Minister Bob Carr. The first round of negotiations conducted by the Foreign Ministries of both countries will be held in Delhi. The agreement would enable the export of uranium from Australia to India, Carr said. "A sense of urgency and purpose will be there. We will move swiftly," Khurshid said pointing out that India already had similar agreements with a number of countries which could be used as a model. During the parleys, it was decided that Defence Minister AK Antony would visit Australia sometime in March for further discussions on cooperation in defence and contd on page 2

Govt launches '181' women helpline number for all states

NEW DELHI: A month after releasing the three-digit emergency number for women in Delhi, the government on Monday said it will make available the '181' women helpline number to all states of the country. "We will give single emergency number 181 to women across the country," Telecom Minister Kapil Sibal told reporters here. According to sources, Sibal is expected to write to all chief ministers about contd on page 2

Citizen Forum describes CM's suggestion a big joke

JAMMU, JAN 21: Describing the Chief Minister Omar Abdullah's suggestion that the secretariat and ministerial offices should be located at Srinagar in winter and in Jammu during summer months, as a big joke, Citizen Forum had said that serious thought should be given to the problem of governance deficit in Kashmir during winter and in Jammu during summer, when the darbar is at the other city. The Chief Minister's suggestion is impracticable and practical solution to the problem needs be evolved, the forum has observed. A meeting of the Citizen Forum held here today and chaired by its President R.K Chadha has suggested contd on page 2

Rail fare hike comes into effect from today

NEW DELHI: With effect from Monday, rail fares across all passenger classes will become costlier. In a first in over a decade, Railway Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal on January 10 hiked the fares across all passenger classes, with an aim to net in Rs 6,600 crore a year for the railways. The decision came almost a month ahead of the Budget. With the hike in rail fares coming into effect from Monday, the big question contd on page 2

Chily morning in Delhi, sunny day ahead

NEW DELHI: Delhi woke up to a sunny but cold morning Monday with the minimum temperature settling at 6.2 degrees Celsius, three notches below average for this time of the season. The Met Office has forecast a clear day ahead. "A clear day lies ahead for Delhi. However, it will get colder towards the evening," an India Meteorological contd on page 2

Will follow Sonia's instructions on women's safety: Dikshit

NEW DELHI: The Delhi government would follow Congress president Sonia Gandhi's instructions on the safety of women in the national capital, Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit said Monday. "During the Jaipur 'Chintan Shivir', the issue of women's safety was discussed and Sonia Gandhi took it very seriously. The Delhi government will follow whatever she has instructed on women's safety issues," Dikshit told reporters here. Rahul Gandhi's elevation as Congress vice president will be a "shot in the arm" for the party ahead of the 2014 general elections, Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit said today. "It will be a great contd on page 2

Gadkari greeted with black flags in Lucknow

Washington prepares for Obama inauguration

WASHINGTON: DC is preparing as hundreds of thousands get set to witness President Barack Obama take an oath to "protect and defend" the US Constitution, a day after officially affirming the duties of president in a private White House ceremony. Monday's ceremony, which will consist of parades and fancy dress balls will mark the beginning of Obama's second four-year term as US president. A heavy and steady After taking oath, Obama is expected to follow the recent tradition of walking at least part of the way back to the White House, while surrounded by crowds. In a brief ceremony on Sunday, with family gathered in the White House, Obama took the oath of office shortly before noon, as required by law. With his left hand on a family bible held by first lady Michelle Obama, the 44th president raised his right hand and repeated the time-honored words, contd on page 2

LUCKNOW: National BJP leaders, including party Chief Nitin Gadkari, Monday faced protests from anti-reservation activists here who were carrying black flags and raised anti-BJP slogans. The leaders were contd on page 2

stream of people flooded the National Mall in Washington DC on Monday, stretching out around the reflecting pool. People snapped pictures with a flag-draped Capitol building in the background.

Page 2_Defence_Bali.qxd

1/22/2013

1:42 PM

Page 1

STUDENT AGE TUESDAY, JANUARY 22, 2013

2
shot in the arm for Congress in the coming general elections and assembly elections in Delhi," Dikshit told a news agency. Elections are scheduled in Delhi towards the end of this year. Rahul Gandhi was named the number two in the party Jan 19 during the Congress Chintan Shivir or introspection meet in Jaipur. Sonia Gandhi said Sunday, the last day of the party's strategy camp in Jaipur, that the 23-yearold Delhi gang-rape victim "embodied the spirit of an aspirational India" and the government would ensure her sacrifice did not go in vain. Sonia Gandhi further said several new laws had been enacted and amendments made to ensure equal rights of inheritance, protect women from domestic violence and prevent sexual harassment at the workplace. to Rs 385. In the case of AC Three Tier, for a distance of 717 km, the fare will go up from Rs 724 to Rs 800, an increase of Rs 76. Similarly, in the case of AC Two Tier, the increase would mean a hike of Rs 48 for a distance of 721 km, while for AC First Class it will be Rs 56 for a distance of 547 km. Modernization is the mantra of the Railways but surely basic issues of safety in the current system need to be addressed immediately.

Contd. from page 1...

Furious BJP ....
rallied behind the Home Minister, and ruled out the possibility of an apology over the issue. As the BJP slammed Shinde, Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kamal Nath hit back at the party, saying, "These are BJP tactics to divert attention from its internal turmoil." Congress general secretary Digvijaya Singh said, "Sushil Kumar Shinde has repeated the same thing that I have been saying for the past 11 years. The RSS has some people who are involved in terrorist activists and provides training to people who carry out terror activities. It has been proven now." Sparking a controversy over the alleged involvement of the BJP and the RSS in terror activists, Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde, during his speech at the Congress Chintan Shivir in Jaipur, had said, "Training camps of both BJP and RSS are promoting Hindu terrorism...whether it is Samjhauta blast or Mecca Masjid blast or Malegaon blast, they plant bombs and blame it on the minorities." The statement of Shinde also had an unusual supporter, Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) founder Hafiz Saeed, who praised him for his remark. "Shinde has spoken truth finally. We consider this a help from Allah for Pakistan which is always (accused) by India for terrorism," said Saeed. Arun Jaitley says Cong soft on terror, cites Shinde's 'trembling' hand BJP today slammed Union Home minister Sushil Kumar Shinde for accusing it and RSS of running terror training camps and said he should either prove it or apologise. "Shinde has to prove what he has said otherwise he has to withdraw the remark or apologise," Leader of the Opposition in Rajya Sabha Arun Jaitley told reporters here. "Congress which withdrew POTA has always been soft towards terrorists and terrorism instead of taking a hard stand," Jaitley said. "That was why Shinde's hand was trembling to sign (the order) on the person who launched the attack on Parliament and whose death sentence was upheld by Supreme Court," Jaitley said. He said that the entire country knew that BJP and RSS were symbols of nationalism. "BJP is a party which always stood against terrorism," he said. Earlier, addressing a public meeting, Jaitley alleged that the UPA government was not interested in curbing terror and had no courage to respond strongly to Pakistan on the beheading of two Indian soldiers.

Sarpanches and Panches and ASHA Workers. Untide funds were also released to these accounts. Super Specialty Hospital at Jammu has been completed besides completion of district hospital complexes at Kathua and Poonch. New OPD Block at Gandhi Nagar Hospital Jammu, additional block at Government Hospital Sarwal, Jammu, OPD Block of district hospital Barmulla, 150-bedded IPD Block of JLNM Hospital, Srinagar, 200-bedded Pediatric Block at SMGS Hospital, Jammu and 200-bedded OPD Block at Lal Ded Hospital, Srinagar have been completed. On the machinery and equipment front, five new CT Scan machines one each at district hospital Uhdampur, district hospital Rajouri, district hospital Kathua, Government Hospital Gandhi Nagar, Jammu and district hospital Kargil have been provided while similar number is being procured for district hospitals of Kashmir division. As many as six dialysis machines have been installed in Government Medical College, Jammu, a new CT Scan machine in SMGS, Jammu and a digital X-Ray in Medical College Jammu have been installed. The Laparoscopy machines in the departments of Surgery, Gynae and Obst. Department have been provided while High Dose Rate Brachy-Therapy Unit worth Rs. 2 crore have been provided to the Department of Radiation Oncology in SMSH Hospital Srinagar. In addition to this 15 X-ray plants and 14 anesthesia machines and 31 dental units have been provided to various health institutions. As many as 2279 posts including 37 AGrade Specialists, 281 B-Grade Specialists, 305 Assistant Surgeons, 17 Dental surgeons were created to man the various departments. Similarly, 4124 posts were created in Medical Education sector which included 1302 posts for Super Specialty Hospitals in Jammu and 1040 for Traumatalogy Hospital, Srinagar. About 1500 specialist and doctors have been posted in various disciplines of surgery, orthopedics, pediatrics, gynae and anesthesia besides 1210 staff-nurses and 1440 para-medicals to augment the staff and faculties in the hospitals.

India, US finalise Rs 3000 crore deal for jet engines

NEW DELHI: India and the US have finalised a Rs 3000-crore deal for supplying 99 jet engines to be used in the indigenous Light Combat Aircraft 'Tejas' being developed by the DRDO. Around two years ago, India had selected the American company General Electric over its rival European Eurojet 2000 for the LCA Mark II programme expected to be ready around 2014-15. "The deal worth Rs 3,000 crore has been finalised with the US for procuring 99 engines for the LCA Tejas MkII," Defence Research and Development Organisation officials said here. As per the contract, the order could be for 99 engines initially but India will have the option of ordering another 100 engines in the future. The engine on offer for the LCA Mark II is GE F-414 engine, which are more powerful that the GE F-404 engines fitted in the first batch of LCAs that the Indian Air Force would receive in near future. The need for changing the existing engines in the LCAs was felt after the IAF found out that the GE-404 engines were not providing enough power to the aircraft and more powerful engines were needed for the purpose. The DRDO is developing the LCA Mk II to meet the Air Force requirements and it will have latest technological equipment including the Active Electronic Scanned Array (AESA) radar and would be able to carry more payload than the LCA Mk I.

Gadkari greeted.....
here to attend the 'Atal Shankhnaad' rally being held to merge former chief minister Kalayan Singh's Jankranti Party with the Bharatiya Janata Party. As soon as Gadkari and Vice-president Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi came out of the Chaudhary Charan Singh Airport here, hundreds of antireservation protestors, carrying placards and black flags blocked the airport exit. They demanded that the BJP not support reservation in promotions in government jobs when the 117th Constitutional Amendment Bill is moved in the Lok Sabha. Members of the Sarvajan Hitay Samiti said parties are "hatching conspiracy" against them. The protesors said 18 lakh anti-reservation government employees and their family members will vote against the BJP in the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections in 2014. State BJP president Laxmikant Bajpai, however, blamed the ruling Samajwadi Party (SP) for the hooliganism against his party leaders at the airport.

Washington prepares....
read out by Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts. The intimate swearing-in met the legal requirement that presidents officially take office on January 20. That date fell on a Sunday this year, forcing the putting off of the traditional public ceremonies surrounding the start of a president's term to Monday, which coincides this year with the birthday of revered civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. Obama made no special remarks at Sunday's ceremony. "I did it," he said quietly to his youngest daughter, Sasha, before wrapping her in a hug. The oath went smoothly, unlike four years ago, when Roberts made mistakes while trying to recite the oath from memory and had to do it again with Obama later. Monday's events are expected to have less of the effervescence of four years ago, when the 1.8 million people packed into central Washington knew they were witnessing history. Officials are expecting 500,000 to 700,000 people to turn out Monday. "We won't get the 1.8 million that was estimated to be here four years ago - we'll get somewhere in the region of 800,000," said sources."There might be some disillusionment with Barack Obama, a man who was elected on the promise of hope, to bring both sides together in American politics, but here we are four years on, and Republicans and Democrats have never been more divided." Those at the ceremony, however, said they still supported Obama wholeheartedly. "Being the president of the United States of America is one of the hardest jobs in the world, and he's faced a lot of adversity, and he came in with a big problem in the form of the financial crisis, and that problem is going to take more than eight years to overcome,

Delhi govt ....

Delhi' scheme. Last year, the Centre had put a cap on subsidised LPG cylinders at 6 barrells per annum. The move offset the household budgets by quite a considerable margin. However, following popular discontent, the Delhi government had said it will raise the cap to allow BPL families to buy 9 subsidised cylinders.

IAF Chief to visit Israel, upgradation of UAVs high on agenda

NEW DELHI : Upgrade of the country's fleet of UAVs and the status of a joint venture air defence system are expected to be high on agenda of IAF Chief Air Chief marshal NAK Browne who is on a four-day visit to Israel to further strengthen defence ties between the two countries. During the visit, he is scheduled to call on Israeli Defence Minister Ehud Barak and Lt Gen Benjamin Gantz, Chief of the General Staff of Israel Defense Forces (IDF) in Tel Aviv, to discuss a wide range of bilateral issues on the ongoing defence cooperation between India and Israel, the IAF said in a release. At present, the two main projects between India and Israel are the upgrade of all its UAVs with the three Services and the Medium Range-Surface to Air Missile system being codeveloped by the DRDO and Israeli firms, officials said. The Air Chief would also visit the Israeli Air Force Flight School at Hatzerim air base and other operational bases. To oversee the progress of various projects being carried forward as joint ventures between the two countries, he would meet and interact with IAF officers and DRDO officials, the release said. The Air Chief would visit 'Yad Vashem', Israel's Memorial to the Jewish victims of the Holocaust established in 1953 and Memorial of Indian Soldiers in Jerusalem, Indian War Cemetery, in commemoration of sacrifice of Indian fallen soldiers who helped liberate Haifa in 1918, in World War-I. The Indian Army commemorates September 23 as Haifa Day to pay its respects to the two brave Indian Cavalry Regiments that helped liberate the city in 1918 following a dashing cavalry action by the Imperial Service Cavalry Brigade. The visit of Air Chief Marshal NAK Browne to Israel, as the Chief of the Air Staff of the Indian Air Force, comes after 12 years of his posting as the Defence Attache at Tel Aviv for three years. He was responsible for establishing the Indian Defence Wing in Tel Aviv in April 1997.

Prez Pranab....

Citizen Forum....
that two full fledged secretariats, one each for Jammu region and Kashmir Valley should be set up. The files pertaining to two regions should be dealt with at their respective secretariats. Most of the departments have their separate heads for Jammu & Kashmir and few which have yet not got separate heads of department should be bifurcated. There should be separate secretaries for two regions. Under every cabinet minister, there should be two MoSs, one each for Jammu and Kashmir divisions. They should be permanently headquartered at respective secretariat. The cabinet ministers can shuffle by rotation to the two capitals. Citizen Forum has also demanded separate allocation of funds for the two regions and the funds earmarked for a region should be spent only for development and other purposes of that region. The forum also demanded three separate tourism boards, one each for Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh regions. The forum further demanded early execution of water supply project from river Chenab by canal to overcome the scarcity of water supply to Jammu city and adjoining areas. The others who attended the meeting included: S.S Wazir Ex. IGP, Retired chief engineer Vikram Gaur, Retired conservator of forests S I H Qazmi, Retired director ERA and ex vice chairman JDA R.K Handa, retired chief engineer Arun Sharma, retired chief engineer Vinay Kotwal, retired AEE M.S Kapoor, Retired engineer K R Gandotra, businessman Ramesh Gupta, businessman K.K Mahajan and retired secretary of JKBOSE Professor Mohammad Ayub.

Omar stresses....
provisions available under CAMPA for the purpose of safeguarding wildlife should be taken full advantage of. The meeting was attended by Minister for Finance, Abdul Rahim Rather, Minister for Forests, Mian Altaf Ahmad, Minister for Planning and Development, Ajay Sadhotra, Chief Secretary, Madhav Lal, Financial Commissioner, Finance, Mohammad Iqbal Khandey, Principal Secretary Planning and Development, B. R. Sharma, Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister, B. B. Vyas, Principal Chief Conservator Forests, Vinod Ranjan, Commissioner Secretary, Forests, Ajaz Iqbal and various other senior officers. The Chief Minister received the brief on progress and achievements registered under CAMPA in the State for the last three years since 2009 when this programme was launched. He also got appraisal of the implementation of decisions taken in the first Governing Body meeting of CAMPA. In a PowerPoint presentation Ajaz Iqbal said that 69.31 lakh planting material has been planted in forest area during last two years under the CAMPA. He said the survival rate of plants has been registered at 70 percent. He said as against diversion of 11151 hectares of forest land for development purposes, about 18000 hectares have been brought under forest cover during last two years while 13000 hectares are being covered during the current year. The Commissioner Secretary said that more than 2885 hectares have been treated for rejuvenation and upgradation of forest cover under CAMPA while 144 nurseries have been established ensuring at least one nursery in each Forest Zone. He said as against the production target of 33.31 lakh plants, more than 44.24 lakh forest plant varieties including Deodar and Conifer have been produced in these nurseries last year and forest plants were for the first time put to public sale from these nurseries to encourage afforestation by common people. The meeting reviewed the physical and financial achievements, execution of works by Wildlife Protection Department and Action Taken report on the decisions besides strategies formulated for execution of CAMPA works during the next financial year.

million passengers per year. Terming Kolkata has the Gateway to the East, Mr. Mukherjee said that opening to the east, Mr. Mukherjee said that opening of Kolkata's Airspace will benefit the whole country and help in "India's look East Policy". He said that opening of such air-space will be benefit for the country in terms of better business prospect with the country's East Asia. In her speech, Chief Minister of West Bengal Miss Mamata Banerjee asked for more central help for West Bengal. West Bengal Governor Mr. M.K.Narainan, Civil Aviation Minister Mr. Ajit Singh was also present on the occasion.

Election panel...

Rail fare hike....

is whether the hike will ensure much needed modernisation of the country's lifeline and make train travel safer for the millions of people for whom air travel is not an option. Successive rail ministers had rued over lack of finances for not being able to meet the modernisation targets before Congress' Pawan Kumar Bansal bit the bullet and hike rail fares - first in over a decade. The fare hike is expected to mop up an additional Rs 6,600 crore annually for the government. This is the first increase in rail fares in a decade's time as the last was during Nitish Kumar's tenure as railway minister. The proposals will rake in additional Rs 1200 crore between January 21 and March 31 this year, Railway Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal had said while announcing the decision and did not rule out a hike in the freight tariff. He, however, did not rule out a hike in the freight tariff. Importantly, after the hike in diesel prices, the railways will only net an additional Rs 2700 cr annually. Given the extreme reluctance in the government towards hiking rail fares, it seems highly unlikely that that the government will increase fares again before 2014 elections. As the need for modernisation and technological upgrade cannot be over-emphasised and given a report by the Expert Group for the modernisation of Indian Railways, in which it said that the railways requires Rs 560,000 crore over the next five years, it remains to be seen how the railways manages to generate revenue for the same. With the hike, fares of Ordinary Second Class (suburban) trains will go up by 2 paise per km while for non-suburban travel it will be 3 paise. Travel by Second Class Mail and Express trains will be costlier by 4 paise per km, while it will be 6 paise in Sleeper Class. Travellers by AC Chair Car and AC Three Tier will have to shell out 10 paise more per km, First Class by 3 paise, AC Two Tier by 6 paise and AC First Class by 10 paise. The fares for First Class, AC Two Tier and AC First/ Executive Class were already raised by 10 paise per km, 15 and 30 paise respectively in the current year's budget. Therefore, as a result of the proposed hike, ordinary Second Class suburban fares for a distance of 35 km will go up by Rs 2 from Rs 8 to Rs 10, while in the non-suburban trains it will go up by Rs 5 for an average distance of 135 km. In Sleeper Class, the increase would mean a hike of Rs 50 for a distance of 770 km from Rs 270 to Rs 320. In the case of AC Chair Car, for a distance of 387 km, the increase would be Rs 40 from Rs 345

India, Australia....
security sectors. This would be the first ever visit by an Indian Defence Minister to Australia. Australia had agreed to start negotiations on a civil nuclear deal with India during the October visit of Prime Minister Julia Gillard to New Delhi. In December 2011, Gillard's Labour Party had overturned its long-standing ban on exporting uranium to India.

date for withdrawing nominations is Jan 31. The major political parties in the fray - the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M)-led Left Front, Bharatiya Janata Party and Congress and its ally Indigenous Nationalist Party of Tripura - have announced their candidates for the 60-seat Tripura assembly polls. Jindal said the ECI has announced multipronged measures and strategies to hold the assembly election free, fair and with absolute neutrality. The poll panel would form flyingsquads led by a magistrate to check illegal arms, distribution of money and other unlawful materials during the assembly polls. Besides Tripura, two more northeastern states -- Meghalaya and Nagaland -- will go to polls next month. The commission will also deploy observers in each district of the election-bound states. "The observers would monitor whether candidates are exceeding stipulated limit of expenditure, violating any poll model code of conduct and causing any ethnic or law and order problem," an ECI official said. The ECI has transferred six senior officials, including a district magistrate, and barred them from election duties in Tripura.

Airport Metro to ....

Govt launches....
the Ministry's decision to allocate the three digit number '181' to all states so that it can be made a national helpline for women. After allocation of the emergency number, the state governments will be required to set up their call centers. "The Telecom Department will make available the number to all states, which are than required to set up call centers so that the number becomes operational across the country," sources added. Amidst nationwide uproar over brutal gangrape of a 23-year old paramedic student in the national capital, the Telecom Ministry in December released a three-digit number, 167, for women helpline in Delhi. The number, however, was changed to '181' as the Ministry felt that it would be easier to recollect. Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit had requested to allot a three-digit phone number for helping women in distress. This was the first three-digit number to have been allotted in two years by the Ministry.

Infrastructure Limited (RInfra), which runs the line, said in a statement. "It would run daily from 5.30 a.m. to 11.30 p.m. at a frequency of 15 minutes," it said. The Commissioner of Metro Rail Safety (CMRS) last week gave clearance certificate to the swanky high-speed line, which took 18 minutes for the 23-km journey between New Delhi Railway Station to the Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport. The same journey by road would take upwards of an hour. However, now, according to sources, the trip will take more time, as the CMRS has given permission to operate the high-speed line only at 50 kmph. Before the service's suspension, the trains were running at a speed of 105 kmph.

Patrol vessel INS Saryu commissioned into navy

PANAJI : The Indian Navy on Monday commissioned its largest off shore patrol vessel INS Saryu for maritime surveillance around Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Built at Goa Shipyard Limited, the 105meter vessel is the first of the four new class naval off shore patrol vessels (NOPVs) that would be commissioned by the Indian Navy over next one-and-half year. "The ship will help the navy to discharge its duty on the eastern coast. It will patrol the exclusive economic zone around the islands as it has a capacity to be off shore for a month on its own," Air Marshal P K Roy, Commander in Chief of Andaman and Nicobar Command of Indian Navy, sources said. Air Marshal Roy commissioned the ship in Vasco town near here on Monday in presence of senior naval officials. "This is an important step towards security of our maritime assets based near Andaman and Nicobar Islands," he said, adding that the security of few of the islands which are uninhabited is crucial. "There are 500 islands of which many are not inhabited," he said, adding that the area around Andaman and Nicobar Islands is strategic from naval point of view. Indian Navy officials said INS Saryu will also be important to provide secured environment for oil installations off Andaman and Nicobar coast.

Chily morning....

J&K bags....
provide free service to pregnant ladies and neonates, Rashtriya Swathiya Bhima Yojana was also launched in two districts and is being extended to 10 more districts. Panchayat Raj institutions were empowered by constitution of Village Health Sanitation and Nutrition Committees and opening of joint accounts in the names of

Will follow Sonia's...

Department (IMD) official said. The day temperature is likely to be around 17 degrees Celsius, the officials added. Humidity at 8.30 a.m was 89 percent. According to a railway official, 10 trains were cancelled and 20 running behind schedule due to fog in the country's northern region. "Over 20 trains were running behind schedule by several hours and 10 trains have been cancelled today (Monday) morning. Dense fog in northern parts of India affected rail services," a Northern Railway spokesperson said. Sunday's maximum temperature settled three notches below average at 18.4 degrees Celsius, while the minimum was a notch below average at 6.3 degrees Celsius

Page 3_State.qxd

1/22/2013

1:42 PM

Page 1

STUDENT AGE TUESDAY, JANUARY 22, 2013

STATE
JAMMU, JAN 21:The Minister for Rural Development and Panchayats, Mr. Ali Mohammad Sagar has said that the government is committed to hold elections to the Block Development Councils (BDCs) as soon as possible. The Minister was speaking at a meeting convened to discuss the recommendations/ suggestions given by the committee constituted for the purpose. Minister for Law and Parliamentary Affairs, Mir Saifullah, Member Legislator Council, Mr. R. S. Sharma, Commissioner Secretary, Rural Development, Mr. Farooq Ahmed Peer, Commissioner Secretary, Law, Mr. G. H. Tantray and other senior officers were present in the meeting. Mr. Sagar said that the government believes in ensuring democratic decentralization of the powers to the ground level and in this regard various suggestions/recommendations made by the committee would be given due credence. He said that the State Act is a comprehensive one and any suggestions made by different quarters would be looked into. The Minister said that the government is keen to put in place the 3-tiers of the Panchayati Raj System and consequently the elections to the BDCs would be held very soon as has been maintained by the Chief Minister.

Two killed, 3 injured in accident in Udhampur

JAMMU: Two persons were on Monday killed and three others injured when a vehicle in which they were travelling met with an accidental in Udhampur district of Jammu and Kashmir, police said. The vehicle as on its way from Jib Thathi area to Katra town in Reasi district when it skidded off the road and rolled down into a gorge near Tikri area in the district this morning, a police officer said. In the mishap, two persons were killed and three others injured, he said, adding that the injured have been shifted to district hospital Udhampur for treatment.

NEWS IN BOX

BDC elections to be held as soon as possible: Sagar

Army launches helpline for exservicemen at Northern Command

JAMMU: Army has launched a special helpline number for ex-servicemen of Udhampur-based Northern Command in Jammu and Kashmir in effort to reach out to the retired personnel. Army has launched the 'Dhruva Ex-Servicemen' (ESM) help line at the 'Ex-Servicemen Contributory Health Scheme' (ECHS) polyclinic in Udhampur-based Northern Command for the benefit of ex-servicemen, widows and veer naris, an army spokesman said. The toll free Helpline number -- 1800-180-7018 -- can be used for complaints or to put forward their grievances, he said. The facility will also provide updates on various schemes for ESM, Widows and Veer Naris through bulk SMSes to all post paid connections.

Minister for Rural Development and Panchayats, Mr. Ali Mohammad Sagar speaking at a meeting convened to discuss the recommendations/ suggestions given by the committee constituted for the purpose.

Cold conditions return to trouble Jammu and Kashmir, dry weather to persist
SRINAGAR: After a brief respite, cold wave conditions returned to trouble people as night temperatures hovered several degrees below the freezing point across the Kashmir Valley. The MeT office has predicted dry weather for few more days. Snowfall on Thursday had brought relief from intense cold weather as temperatures across the Valley rose in the last few days. However, as the weather remained dry, the minimum temperature plummeted across the Valley including Srinagar which recorded a low of minus 3 degrees celsius as against the Sunday night's minus 0.5 degrees celsius, a MeT department spokesman said. The minimum night temperature in Pahalgam hill resort in south, which serves as a base camp during annual Amarnath yatra, fell by over four notches from Sunday's minus 8.5 degrees celsius to minus 13.2 degrees celsius, he said. The famous ski resort of Gulmarg in north Kashmir was over a degree colder at minus 11.8 degrees celsius than the Sunday night's minus 10.4 degrees celsius, the spokesman said. The highway town of Qazigund in south Kashmir recorded a low of minus 6.4 deg C while night temperature in Kokernag was minus 6.7 degrees celsius, he said, adding that in north Kashmir's Kupwara town the minimum settled at minus 4.3 degrees celsius. Night temperature also plummeted in Leh town in the cold desert of Ladakh where the minimum settled at minus 20 degrees celsius, making it the coldest recorded place in the state. The minimum in Leh the previous night was minus 13.6 degrees celsius, the spokesman said. Kargil, also in the frontier region of Ladakh, registered a low of minus 13.2 degrees celsius as against the previous night's low of minus 14 degrees celsius, he said. The MeT office said cold and dry conditions will prevail for few more days and the minimum temperatures are expected to fall further. There is possibility of light rainfall or snowfall on January 23 and 24, especially in the higher reaches, the office said.

IAF airlifts over 100 stranded passengers

SRINAGAR: The Indian Air Force (IAF) on Monday airlifted more than 100 stranded passengers in three sorties between Srinagar and Kargil, an official spokesman said. "As many as 106 stranded passengers were airlifted in three sorties of AN-32 aircraft," he said. "Sixty-seven were airlifted from Kargil to Srinagar in two sorties and 39 from Srinagar to Kargil in another sortie," the spokesman said. Subject to weather, two sorties of AN-32 had been planned between Kargil and Jammu tomorrow, he said.. The IAF had airlifted hundreds of stranded passangers from snow-bound Kargil in frontier region of Ladakh after the closure of 434-km Srinagar-Leh national highway -- the only road linking the cold desert with rest of the state. The IAF had also helped the state administration in airlifting stranded passengers from snow-bound Gurez which like Kargil usually remains cut-off from rest of the state during winter owing to heavy snowfall. The spokesman said the administration had asked the stranded passengers of Gurez, who have purchased air tickets, to contact Additional Deputy Commissioner, Bandipora, and Sub-District Magistrate, Gurez, so that they can be airlifted between Bandipora and Dawar in Mi17 helicopters tomorrow.

Principal Secretary Home briefs Governor

JAMMU, JANUARY 21: Mr. Suresh Kumar, Principal Secretary, Home, J&K Government, called on Mr. N. N. Vohra, Governor, at Raj Bhavan here today. During the meeting, the Principal Secretary, Home, briefed the Governor about issues relating to internal security management in the State. The Governor also discussed with Mr. Kumar issues relating to the new Police Act which is proposed to be enacted in the coming months.

IG BSF briefs Governor

JAMMU, JANUARY 21 - Mr. Rajeev Krishna, Inspector General, BSF, Jammu Frontier, called on Mr. N. N. Vohra, Governor, at Raj Bhavan here today. During the meeting, Mr. Krishna briefed the Governor about the overall security situation in the area of his responsibility, particularly along International Border in Jammu region. The Governor discussed with Mr. Krishna issues relating to external security management in the Jammu region.

Army plans special avalanche rescue team to prevent casualties in J&K

PAHALGAM: In the wake of heavy snowfall and several casualties due to avalanches in Pahalgam town of Jammu and Kashmir, Army personnel underwent special training programme. The Rashtriya Rifles have formed a 20-member team with special training and equipment to rescue people trapped in avalanches. Incessant snowfall due to the influence of western disturbances often results in snowstorms and avalanches in the state. The Commanding Officer of 3 Rashtriya Rifles, DK Malik, said that the Army personnel are being trained to deal with any such natural calamity so that they are well equipped to provide first aid treatment to the rescued people. "We have formed an avalanche rescue team to prevent any causality. The team is capable enough to reach at any place in any weather. They can immediately evacuate the people and provide medical attention. The team can also take them to nearby hospitals if necessary," said Malik. The soldiers, undergoing special training, said that this step would help to strengthen the bond between locals and the Army. One of the team members, Sunny Singh, appreciated the efforts of their commanding officer to organise the special training. "In the wake of heavy snowfall, our commanding officer has organised training. We are undergoing training as to how we can rescue the civilians and the soldiers," said Singh. Reportedly, quick action team has been kept on high alert after the recent snow avalanches that hit the state. The forces are also being briefed about the dos and don'ts during the rescue operations and are being acquainted with the avalanche equipments.

Vaid chairs meeting, discusses preparedness

JAMMU, JANUARY 21: Preparedness for day long Police Public Mela being held in Jammu, was discussed in a police officers' meeting held at Police Headquarters (PHQ) here this afternoon. The meeting was held under the chairmanship of Additional Director General of Police, Headquarters (ADGP), Mr. S. P. Vaid. Addressing the meeting, the ADGP said that Police Public Mela is one of the grand events organized by the Jammu and Kashmir Police Wives Welfare Association (JKPWWA) regularly in Srinagar and Jammu. He said that the Melas have assumed much importance among the public over the years. People from all shades of life visit the Melas and avail the opportunity of having items of their choices, from all the regions of the State under one roof. These Melas have also brought police and public together to work for peace and prosperity of the State, he added. Mr. Vaid informed that 22nd Police Public Mela would be inaugurated on March 3, 2013 at 10 a.m and raffle draw for 5605 fabulous prizes would be held at 4 p.m. He said that bumper prizes have made the event more attractive and people from all corners of the State wait for months to test their luck through raffle draws. The funds raised through these Melas are utilized for the welfare of police martyrs' families and the wards of serving and retired personnel under various welfare schemes adopted by the organization among which wards of police personnel are awarded scholarships to nurture their talent in the field of education. During the meeting, discussions were held with regard to various arrangements. For this purpose various committees headed by senior officers were constituted and asked to start the preparations for the grand event. It was decided that the stall holders of different police establishments across the State would be geared up for their massive participation in the Mela with their products. Stall holders would have to ensure that quality products are put on sale during the Mela on reasonable rates to the public. Sufficient space would be provided to them to establish their stalls for exhibition and sale of products. It was also decided that the number of raffle draw tickets would be enhanced to meet the demand of the general masses. The tickets would be made available for sale at all prominent places in the state from February 5, 2013. Commandant, Mr. Vijay Singh Sambyal was nominated as Nodal officer for the Mela. The ADGP stressed upon the officers present in the meeting to work in close coordination and convene meetings at different levels to make the event a success. He said that all required arrangements should be finalized well in advance. Painting competition and special entertainment programmes for the children would also be part of the Mela.

Gaw Kadal massacre anniversary: Shutdown in Srinagar

SRINAGAR: Shops and businesses remained closed in city centre Lal Chowk and adjacent areas on Monday to remember the 1990 killings of 40 protesters in Gaw Kadal area of the city in firing by security forces. Shops and business establishments remained closed in Lal Chowk, Residency Road, Maisuma, Gaw Kadal and other places in the city to remember the death of protesters. Separatist leaders, including hardline Syed Ali Geelani and Hilal Ahmad War of the People's Political Party Monday called for a remembrance shutdown. Life in other parts of summer capital Srinagar and other towns, however, remained normal.

Ethics Committee discusses Modal Code of Conduct

JAMMU, JANUARY 21; A meeting of the members of Ethics Committee, Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly, was held under the Chairmanship of MLA, Abdul Haq, here today. The meeting was attended by MLA's Javid Mustafa Mir, Khalil Band, Ashwani Kumar Sharma, Baldev Raj Sharma, Druga Dass and Bharat Bushan. The meeting discussed in depth the matters related to smooth and peaceful functioning in the House with strict adherence to high ethics by the all concerned. "Modal Code of Conduct must be followed by all the concerned agencies both the Legislatures as well as the Ministers in and outside the House", the members emphasized. The members also put forth some valuable suggestions before the Chairman for maintaining discipline in the House which is the responsibility of both Legislatures and Ministers.

PAC reviews implementation of RGGVY

JAMMU, JANUARY 21: The Committee on Public Accounts today reviewed the implementation of Rajiv Gandhi Grameen Vidutikaran Yojna (RGGVY). The Committee, which met here under the chairmanship of MLA Mr. Rafi Ahmed Mir, was attended by members MLC, Mr. Vijay Bakaya, MLAs, Peerzada Mansoor Hussain, Syed Basharat Ahmed Bukhari, and Testan Namgyal. The Members, during threadbare discussion, pointed out some problems faced in the implementation of the scheme is some areas, and gave their suggestions to resolve the same. The Committee stressed on putting the available funds to best use and asked the executing agency to expedite the taken up works to avoid escalation of the approved cost. The meeting also discussed the audit-Para related to scheme. The Committee was informed that the works under RGGVY have been completed in Anantnag, Kathua, Udhampur and Jammu by the concerned agency, NHPC. Meanwhile, the Committee stressed upon NHPC to expedite the implementation of the scheme in other areas of the State. The meeting was attended among others by Managing Director, PDC,Mr. Basharat Ahmed Dar, Development Commissioner Power, Mr. Manzoor Ahmed Salora, Additional Secretary, PDD, Sheetal Nanda, Chief Engineer, GE. Wing, Jammu, C. Dorgay, Chief Engineer(C&S)PDD, Jammu, Mr. Vinod Khujuria, Ag(A&B)D.K Bakshi, DG,(A&T)Mr. Ravi Magotra, Sr. Manager, NHPC, Mr. Prakash Chand and other senior officers of PDD,PDC, NHPC etc.

Medicare facilities provided to the patients at Bla

BARAMULLA, JAN 21: About 56,971 indoor patients and 12,96,552 outdoor patients were provided medicare facilities at district Hospital Baramulla upto December, 2012 of current financial year. This was stated at a meeting of officers of Health department held at Deputy Commissioner's office, Baramulla under the Chairmanship of Joint Director Planning, Mr. Abdul Gani Malik. The meeting was told that about 4,429 different major operations and 22,617 minor operations were conducted successfully. Besides this 47,732 patients were provided X-Ray facilities while as 16,305 ECG and 22,011 UGC were conducted during this period.

Rather urges the need for modern inputs to enhance agriculture productivity
JAMMU, JAN 21: Underscoring the significant importance of agriculture in the overall Socio-economic emancipation of the State, the Minister for Finance and Ladakh Affairs, Mr. Ab. Rahim Rather today urged the need for introduction of modern farming techniques and latest agriculture research besides ensuring timely availability of quality agriculture inputs for enhancing agriculture production and productivity in a big way. Speaking at a Pre-budget discussion with the representatives of Progressive farmers, on the 3rd consecutive day at Jammu, Mr. Rather on Monday said that owing to the primary role of agriculture sector in bringing economic prosperity and employment generation, the State Government has made almost entire agriculture sector tax free, with the main objective to make the farming an attractive viable and gainful activtained. The progressive farmers, while extending gratitude to the Finance Minister, for providing liberal and whole hearted tax concessions on agriculture inputs and implements, sought further tax relief on oil seeds, export of honey, power tillers and fertilizers especially on DAP. They also sought implementation of crop insurance scheme fully besides and provision of free medicines for cattle they also demanded to levy toll tax on import of artificial flowers to promote local floriculture in the state. Apart from heads of various departments, including Agriculture, Horticulture, Animal Husbandry, Sheep Husbandry, Floriculture, Sericulture, Fisheries, about 35 Progressive farmers associated with different agriculture activities and MLC Mr. Jahangir Mir presented their suggestion for promotion of the respective agriculture activities .

Ajmeer-i-Sharief tour bus flagged off from Baramulla

BARAMULLA, JANUARY 21: According to Depot Manager, State Road Transport Corporation, Baramulla a fifteen days tour package from Baramulla to Ajmeer-i-Sharief has been started and as part of this tour package, first bus was flagged off here today. The 2nd bus shall proceed in the first week of February 2013. In this connection all desired persons can book their tickets in the office of Depot Manager SRTC Baramulla during office hours or can contact on following phone numbers 9797218042/9697453992.

Minister for Finance and Ladakh Affairs, Ab. Rahim Rather speaking at a Pre-budget discussion with the representatives of Progressive farmers, on the 3rd consecutive day at Jammu. ity. Mr. Rather said inputs provided by the representatives of farming community in previous budget meetings have proved very fruitful and now hardly any activity under agriculture and allied sectors is now left without the benefit of various incentives including tax concession. He said availability of hybrid seeds and adequate irrigation facilities to the fruit growers and agriculturist is under the main focus of the Government. "A look on the past 40 years clearly demonstrate that such agriculture promotion measures have never been taken as in last 3 Budgets", Mr. Rather asserted adding that formulation of, first of its kind, Kissan Welfare Board was an encouraging beginning in this direction which has been representing Kissan Fraternity satisfactorily not in Pre-Budget discussions but at various foras for a of the government and civil administration. He said, infact, constitution of Kissan Development Board was a good omn for the farmering committee. He said Pre-Budget discussion with farming community has now become a permanent and inbuild component of Budget formulations and no Finance Minister in future can afford to ignore this community in future now also, Mr. Rather main-

Page 3_State.qxd

1/22/2013

1:42 PM

Page 2

STUDENT AGE TUESDAY, JANUARY 22, 2013

STATE
construction plan has been taken into hand under the modernization programme with the aim to house all offices in the well equipped buildings. The building has been executed by Police Construction Division (PCD) at a cost of about Rs. 2 crores. The two storied building, with 18,000 sqft. Area, consisting 22 rooms and parking in the basement is having capacity to accommodate Railways Headquarters, besides the Telecommunication Office. The building has all modern facilities for office working. While inspecting the new building, the DGP stressed upon the officers and engineers, accompanying him that while finalizing the building plans, it should be kept in consideration that the buildings are provided with all latest requirements, including sufficient parking for the vehicles. He discussed the architecture of the building with the officers and engineers. He appreciated the efforts of senior officers and the engineers of PCD for timely completion of the building in a record period of one year. He also emphasized

'Need to strengthen police infrastructure': DGP

JAMMU JANUARY 21: The Director General of Police (DGP), Mr. Ashok Prasad has stressed for prospective planning in infrastructural development keeping in view the future requirements of police Organization. He has called for framing holistic plan for police housing and other requirements of the organization. Mr Prasad was speaking after commissioning new Railway Police Headquarters at Channi Rama here today. He said that sufficient infrastructure was must for effithat better maintenance of the buildings would make them more useful and convenient for the inmates. The Additional Director General of Police (Headquarters), Mr. S. P. Vaid, who was accompanying the DGP, explained about the architecture and the material utilized for the construction. He said that PCD used all means to ensure timely completion of the building. The Executive Engineer, PCD, Mr. N. D. Khawaja also briefed the officers about the building plan and capacity of the new complex.

Director General of Police (DGP), Mr. Ashok Prasad inaugurating new Railway Police Headquarters at Channi Rama. cient delivery and the Jammu and Kashmir Police Organization has been strengthening its housing infrastructure across the state to provide better living and working facilities for its personnel. He said that a mega

Three Kashmir cops suspended, SHO attached for excess raids

KULGAM, JANUARY 21: Acting on the direction of Deputy Commissioner Jahangir Mir, District Superintendent of Police today placed 3 police officials under suspension besides attaching SHO police station Kulgam for alleged excesses in a raid carried out during the intervening night of 19 and 20 January at Laro village here. An SPO has also been disengaged in this connection. The people of the village had staged a protest over the last two days, demanding stern action against the officials allegedly involved in this matter. The Deputy Commissioner this morning visited the village and the house where the incident took place to take stock of the situation. The police had raided the house to effect the arrest of family members in connection with an FIR lodged against them. Jahangir also ordered probe by Addl. District Development Commissioner M.Y. Zargar, who has been directed to furnish factual report within a fortnight. Pacified by the prompt action of the administration, the people later called off the strike and thanked the Deputy Commissioner for his swift action. Meanwhile the Deputy Commissioner briefed the Divisional Commissioner about the whole event.

Sham reviews working of PHE and its schemes

JAMMU, JANUARY 21: Stressing on spot and regular monitoring of upcoming schemes, the Minister for PHE, Irrigation and Flood Control Mr. Sham Lal Sharma today called upon Executive Engineers to conduct field tour for three days in every week to monitor the ongoing works and schemes. He directed all the concerned executive engineers to submit a monthly tour diary to their Chief Engineers with details of the ground level monitoring and improvements undertaken by their field staff so as to ensure better delivery of services to public. Minister of State for PHE, Irrigation and Flood Control Mr. Nazir Ahmad Gurezi, was also present on the occasion. Speaking at the introductory meeting of all the officers engineers of PHE, Irrigation and flood Control Departments of Jammu division at Dak Bungalow Muralian, R. S. Pura here today, the Minister underlined need of translating the ben-

Rs. 8000 realized from erring shopkeepers

SRINAGAR, JAN 21: The field executives of Legal Metrology Department under the instructions of Joint Controller, Legal Metrology conducted market inspection of several markets which include Jawahar Nagar, Khanyar, Nowhatta, Pampore, Handwara, Pulwama, Kupwara and booked as many as 24 erring traders for violating P a c k a g e d Commodities/Weights and Measures laws. An amount of Rs. 8000 was realized from the defaulters on the spot.

Minister for PHE, Irrigation and Flood Control Mr. Sham Lal speaking at the introductory meeting of all the officers engineers of PHE, Irrigation and flood Control Departments of Jammu division at RS Pura. efits of various schemes from paper to ground level. He said that access to safe drinking water was the right of every common man and the government is committed to meet this objective. Highlighting the importance of transparency and swiftness in delivery mechanism, the Minister said that procurement within the department should follow the method of e-tendering. He said that third party monitoring of ongoing works will be done to ensure greater transparency and better execution of works. This, he said, would also plug the pilferage of development funds and quick and efficient delivery of services, He asked the Chief Engineer, PHE to ensure better maintenance of stores and asked for preparation of inventories and displaying of the same outside each store. For this, the Minister set 10 days time. Emphasizing on the need of involvement of panchs, sarpanchs and common public for the revival and maintenance of water resources, he said that stress should be laid on better upkeep of ponds and traditional water reservoirs. About Irrigation Department, the Minister asked for undertaking desilting work on time so that the irrigation water reaches the tail end. He also called for demarcation of land along the side of canals. On Flood Protection, he called for expediting flood protection works by construction of embankments. He also called for close watch on illegal digging of khads by crusher units as it is a serious threat to environment. He asked department to complete all the ongoing work within the stipulated time frame and ensure use of quality material in the construction works. Speaking on the occasion, MoS PHE sought the details of vacancies in the sector. He also directed the concerned department to work in close coordination to provide irrigation and drinking water facility to the people, particularly those farmers who have their lands on the tail end. Among others Chief Engineer PHE Mr. Ashwany Sharma, Chief Engineer, Irrigation Mr. K. K. Gupta, Chief Engineer Ravi Tawi Mr. R. K. Badyal, Joint Director Planning, Superintending Engineers and Xens of Jammu division were also present on the occasion.

RD arrangements finalized at Karnah

KUPWARA, JANUARY 21: The Republic Day arrangements were finalized at Tangdhar in a meeting of officers of different departments held under the Chairmanship of Sub Divisional Magistrate, Karnah, Mr. Zahoor Ahmad Mir. It was decided that the function at Tangdhar shall start at 9 a.m. by Shahnai Wadan followed by flag hoisting by chief guest while the contingents of the JKP, JKAP, Security Forces, school children shall participate in the march past besides, the students and artists of Information department shall present the colourful cultural programmes on the occasion.

Kundal Chairs Petition Committee meet

JAMMU JANUARY 21: The Committee on Petitions (PC) of Jammu and Kashmir, Legislative Council today examined the LAWDA report with regard to land compensation petition filed by Mr. Ali Mohammad Renu and Ghulam Mohammad Renu, Nandpura, Srinagar. The Committee, which met here today under the Chairmanship of Mr. B. R. Kundal, examined the report received from LAWDA on the subject under the examination. The Committee expressed dissatisfaction with the reply of LAWDA. The committee directed Vice Chairman, LAWDA to take necessary action on the order passed by the Divisional Commissioner, Kashmir, in the year, 2009 with regard to the subject and submit action taken report to the Committee before next meeting. The meeting was attended by members of the Committee Mr. Nizam-ud-Din Khatana, G. Q. Pardesi, Mr. Naresh Kumar Gupta, Master Noor Hussain and Dr. Shehnaz Ganai. Deputy Secretary Legislative Council, Mr. Ashfaq Ahmed Wani and Under Secretary Legislative Council, Mr. G. M. Nishati also present in the meeting.

Kafil-u-Rehman assumes the office of Chairman Pahari Advisory Board

JAMMU, JANUARY 21: After being elevated to the post of Chairman with Cabinet status, MLA Karnah, Mr. Kafil-u-Rehamn has today assumed the office of Chairman Advisory Board for the development of Pahari Speaking people. The Chairman was accorded a rousing reception with Pahari delegates and community leaders cutting across political affiliations thronging in to celebrate the elevation of the post of Vice Chairman of the Board to the Cabinet status. The Chairman was accompanied by Minister for Social Welfare, Ms. Sakina Itoo, Minister for Justice, Law and Parliamentary Affairs, Mir Saiffulah, Ex Vice Chairman of the board and Chairman J&K Pahari Cultural and Welfare Forum, Syeed Mushtaq Bukhari, former Speaker J&K Legislative Assembly, Mirza Abdul Rashid, Ex MLCs Mr. Qureshi, AR Badhana and Ikhlaq Khan and a number of academicians, intellectuals, lawyers belonging to the community. In her address, Ms. Sakina Itoo while congratulating the Chairman appreciated the role and contribution of Mr. Kafil u Rehman in ameliorating the sufferings of the electorate of his border constituency which the latter has represented thrice. She applauded Mr. Kafil-u-Rehman for strongly advocating the cause for the development of pahari community thorough the platform of legislative Assembly and articulating his concern expressively and unequivocally. She further said that he deserved a cabinet status on the basis of his performance and dedication towards the betterment of society. Mirza Abdul Rashid and Mushtaq Bukhari while expressing their confidence in the leadership credentials of Mr. Kafiu-Rehman hoped that he would devote all his energy and potential to the just cause of the development of pahari speaking community.

Fisheries deptt earns Rs. 4.44 crore revenue during current fiscal: Dr. Manohar
SRINAGAR, JANUARY 21: Minister for Fisheries, Cooperative, Printing & Stationery and Elections, Dr. Manohar Lal Sharma took stock of the functioning of department of Fisheries at a meeting of officers here today. The meeting was attended by Director Fisheries, Mr. R.K. Dogra and other senior officers of the department. Addressing the meeting, the Minister exhorted upon officers to work with zeal for making fishing a prosperous and progressive industry besides a sport for the tourists of national and international level. He said that possibilities need to be explored for exporting the fish outside the State to generate more revenue for Fisheries Unit holders so that the economy socio-economic status of the persons associated the trade is improved. Emphasizing for research and survey in the development of fish particularly trout fish, the Minister said that there is earnest need to exploit the climatic conditions while formulating the projects of production increase of fish at State level. On this occasion, the meeting was informed that 42 trout units are functioning in the State and mother trout farm has been set up at Kokernag. The department has generated revenue worth Rs. 1.90 crore last year and more steps are apace of increase in the production. Similarly, 481 units are functioning in the private sector for which Trout Fish Feed Mill has been set up at Kokernag and another Mill is being set up at Manasbal at a cost of Rs. 2 crore. The meeting was further informed that 19 fish seed farms have been set up in Kur Valley besides 2252 ponds have been taken over by Fisheries department from private entrepreneurs. There are 197 Trout Unit in the State, each unit fetches around Rs. 2 lakh income annually to the beneficiaries. Under Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (RKVY), the private unit holders are given Rs. 1.20 lakh to set up their Trout Units. Government has also a scheme for providing construction cost of house of Rs. 50,000 to the fishermen while feed is distributed among fishermen under ATMA scheme and National Mission for protein supplement, the meeting was informed. The department has introduced Golden Masher Fish as a pioneer fish in Jammu province besides sport fishing and ornamental fisheries has also been introduced. During the last financial year, 1524 Trout permits were issued by the department. In the field of ornamental fisheries, Rs. 66 lakh have been earned as revenue in the form of Aquaria at Bahu Fort, Jammu besides the department has fixed a target of 19.70 tons this year while as 225 tons of Trout production has been recorded during last fiscal. Later, the Minister took stock of the situation after heavy snowfall in Kashmir division at a meeting of officers here today which was attended by Divisional Commissioner, Kashmir, Dr. Asgar Hassan Samoon and other senior officers of the division.

Shamim Firdous visited Fateh Kadal fire victims

SRINAGAR, JANUARY 21: Member Legislative Assembly, Habba Kadal, Ms. Shamim Firdous along with a team of officers today visited her Constituency Habba Kadal and inspected Fateh Kadal area where recently four houses were gutted besides five houses were partially damaged during the fire incident. She directed the concerned Tehsildar accompanying her to provide a detailed report of this fire incident so that relief would be provided to the fire victims as early as possible. Later on, a deputation of Shopkeepers and Traders called on the MLA Habba Kadal, Ms. Shamim Firdous and apprised her about their various demands. Ms. Shamim Firdous also inspected the pace of work of road widening project from Fateh Kadal to Gaw Kadal area. She was informed that work on this project is at apace. She directed the concerned Engineers to expedite the work for the betterment of people. She also assured Shopkeepers who are being affected with this road widening for their rehabilitation at suitable places so that they can earn their livelihood.

Traffic to move from Jammu to Sgr on Jan 22

SRINAGAR, JAN 21: As per a communiqu of Superintendent of Police, Traffic Rural, Kashmir, subject to fair weather conditions and good condition of road, all kinds of vehicles shall be allowed to travel from Jammu to Srinagar in a regulated manner on January 22, 2013. However, all kinds of vehicles are required to cross TCP Nagrota by 0900 hours, Udhampur by 1100 hours and Banihal by 1700 hours for onward journey beyond which no vehicle shall be allowed to proceed for onward journey to Kashmir Valley.

AC reviews implementation of assurances of Forest deptt

JAMMU JANUARY, 21: The Assurance Committee of State Legislative Assembly today asked the forest department to expedite the forest clearance for roads taken up under Prime Ministers Grameen Sarak Youjna (PMGSY) in the state. The LA Panel, which met here today under the Chairmanship of Mr. Balwant Singh Mankotia, observed that construction of roads started during the year 2012 was hampered for want of Forest Department clearance. The Committee asked the authorities to pursue the matter vigorously so that these works are completed before the end of financial year. Attended by the legislators Mr. Mushtaq Ahmad Shah, Muhammad Ashraf Ganai and Mr. Ashok Kumar, the meeting also reviewed the steps taken by the forest department to meet the assurances given on the floor of the House. The Committee asked the authorities to furnish a detailed report about the Daily Rated Workers (DRWs) engaged in various wings of the department for scrutiny of the committee. The Committee also reviewed the steps taken for eviction of encroachment on forest land, besides status of work on eco-parks and aforestation under CAMPA in the State.

106 stranded passengers of Kargil airlifted

SRINAGAR, JAN 21: 21106 stranded passengers of Kargil were airlifted today, in the Kargil Courier. 39 passengers were airlifted from Srinagar to Kargil in one sortie, while as 67 passengers were airlifted from Kargil to Srinagar in two sorties of AN-32, Air Force Planes. Subject to weather, two sorties of AN32 Kargil Courier shall operate between Kargil and Jammu on Tuesday, 22ndJanuary.

Impart quality education to students: Bhalla to teachers

JAMMU, JANUARY 21:Minister for Housing, Horticulture and Culture Mr. Raman Bhalla today asked the teacher fraternity to impart quality education to the students to prepare them to face future challenges. The Minister was addressing the Annual Day Function of Global Convent School of Malik Market in Channi Rama, here this afternoon at General Zorawar Singh Auditorium in Jammu University. The annual day function was started by lighting of the traditional lamp by the Chief Guest. Mr. Bhalla said annual days not only provide students a platform to exhibit their hidden talent, but also introduce them with the culture and heritage of the State. He urged upon the students to take part in co-curricular activities side by side academics for their overall personality development. The Chairman of the School, Mr. K K Pandoh, Principal Mrs. Jagdamba Gandotra besides students and parents in large numbers were also present on the occasion. The Minister called upon the teaching fraternity to give their best to the students who are the future builders of the nation. He impressed upon the students to strive hard to achieve their desired goals and bring laurels to the State both in sports and academic. He stressed the need to introduce moral education in the schools and highlighted the role of a teacher in crafting the personality of student. On the occasion, the students of different classes presented colourful cultural items like Sarswati Vandana, Dogri, Kashmiri and Punjabi, dance and music, besides various skits, which were highly applauded by the audience. Later, the Minister distributed mementos among the students who brought have excelled in 2011-12 examinations.

Page 3_State.qxd

1/22/2013

1:42 PM

Page 3

aken by the civic bodies for scientific dispos-

ammad Bhat gave their valuable suggestions

olid waste at Katra and the panel called for

mmerce, Environment, JMC and CEO Katra tments for the protection of environment. d Commerce Mr. G. A. Qureshi, Additional, g and Urban Development, Mr. T. C. Baloria, retary, PCB Mr. Arun Kumar Tikku, Regional an Local Bodies, Jammu Mr. F. C. Bhagat. Sudershan Kumar, Principal, GMC, Jammu ngh and other senior officer of concerning

DDC Kupwara reviews progress of works executed in different sectors

KUPWARA, JAN 21: The District Development Commissioner, Kupwara, Mr. Sarmad Hafeez today convened a meeting of officers and engineers of different sectors to review the progress under R&B, PHE, Irrigation and Flood Control and power sectors under District Plan/State Sector and centrally sponsored schemes. It was given out that under RGGVY (DCP) 164 habitations have been brought under power connectivity, 61 habitations are in progress while 120 projects have been handed over to PDD besides 6.3 MVA receiving station has been completed. Under PMGSY, 52 schemes have been taken up under 8th phase of which 9 schemes were completed including 7 bridges. An amount of Rs. 32 crore stands expended while 30.50 kilometres of roads have been black topped while 51 kilometres were upgraded. As many as 12 new schemes have been taken under 9th phase of PMGSY with 55 existing schemes. The District Development Commissioner, Kupwara directed the concerned agencies to complete the targeted projects within the stipulated time and conduct awareness camps at village level by engaging the Panchayat Raj Institutes.

shraf Wani, besides officers and officials of

21 PMGSY schemes

eed Wani, has instructed the engineers not to nt authority warning stern action against the

cates under all projects are submitted in time

aken up under Prime Ministers' Gram Sadak eting. chloo, Commissioner Secretary, R&B, Tanvir besides the engineers of PMGSY of Jammu

Power supply restored in most parts of Shopian, Pulwama

PULWAMA-SHOPIAN, JAN 21:The power supply has been restored in most parts of the Districts of Shopian and Pulwama which was affected by recent snowfall in the valley. This was stated by the District Development Commissioners of Shopian and Pulwama, while reviewing the restoration of power supply in the twin districts of the State here today. The Executive Engineer Electric maintenance Division Pulwama informed that the power supply has been restored in 90% areas of the district Pulwama, while the restoration work in the remaining affected areas was in full swing. He said that about 35 transforms were damaged due to high load in various areas of the district, which are being replaced. The Executive Engineer Shopian said that power supply in the district has been restored in all affected areas, by replacing 19 damaged transformers and repair of transmission and distribution lines has been completed wherever required. The Deputy Commissioner Shopian exhorted upon the engineers of Power Development Department (PDD) to b in a state of readiness and gear up their men and machinery to ensure that people may not suffer on account of power supply. He also asked them to be prepared to meet the challenges of the winter season. The Deputy Commissioner Pulwama directed PDD to adhere to the power schedule already announced by the Government in letter and spirit to relieve the consumers of the power cuts. The Deputy Commissioners, Pulwama and Shopian called for streamlining of the gas distribution supply and stressed upon the concerned CA&PD functionaries to ensure smooth delivery in the twin districts of the state. The Deputy Commissioners also issued instructions for immediate repair of damaged transformers to maintain power supply in the districts.

d the officers to prepare and submit the DPRs ute. He directed the officers to follow litigan effected projects is resumed at the earliest. rojects, Majeed asked them to maintain inter xed for current fiscal. ures for shifting of utilities hampering the agencies vigorously. He asked the engineers ectivity and come up with the proposals for

p available the information of the projects on

on and ensure that the benefit of the schemes in rural and hilly areas. ers informed that 1520 habitations have been Besides, Rs. 1001 crore have been spent on by the Centre. Apart from constructing 3800 pleted so far, the meeting was told. een finalized out of 127 works for which tencess. Detailed Project Reports (DPRs) of 224 bitations with 250 or more population are in leted so far. ity monitoring inspection of 108 works have

f new portfolios

Rajendra reviews RD arrangements at Srinagar

JAMMU, JAN 21: Additional Director General of Police, (Armed/Law & Order), K. Rajendra Kumar, today reviewed the arrangements for Republic Day celebration at different places in the Valley at a meeting of police officers held at Srinagar. The meeting had threadbare discussion with regard to deployment of armed personnel and maintenance of law and order during the event. It was told sufficient man power has been earmarked for deployment for security and maintenance of law and order during the celebration. In addition, armed contingents would participate in the celebration for which the exercise has already been started at Armed police Complex Zewan. Stressing for better coordination with other agencies, Rajendra said that close liaison should be maintained at every level to foil any untoward incident besides ensuring peaceful and successful conduct of this national event. Arrangements with regard to snow clearance of Bakshi Stadium were discussed and it was told that necessary efforts have been taken in coordination with the concerned departments to make the venue convenient for the function. Besides, Police deployment and traffic arrangements were thoroughly discussed and it was decided that alternate routes for the traffic would be adopted on the day to avoid inconvenience to the general public. Among others, the meeting was attended by IsGP, S. M. Sahai and Rauf-ul-Hassan, DIsGP, T. Namgiyal and Sheikh Abdul Hamid, SSP Srinagar, Syed Aishiq Hussain Bukhari, SP Traffic, Kashmir, Hassib-u-Rehman and all Commandants of Kashmir based Armed and IRP battalions. Later, Mr. Rajendra along with the senior police officers visited Bakshi Stadium and inspect venue of the parade.

ent and Urban Local Bodies, Nawang Rigzin eeting with the senior officers of the depart-

tate and the process will continue with more

edication for prompt deliverance of services

till students appear in hloo

me and I&C, Mr. Sajjad Ahmad Kichloo, on oday issued instructions to the authorities to in Srinagar city to function till the students

f the students and also to enable the manageructure as per norms. ctions from the authorities to get their estabof these institutions had requested for grantation of the management of various coaching ster of State for Home at Srinagar, had pleadof the students who are appearing in various

nd Minister of State for Home, the Deputy ed orders for allowing these coaching centres udents are not put to any hardships. nd the management of the tuition centres. ete their formalities in a time-bound manner to the students to enable them to compete at

Page 5_Editorial.qxd

1/22/2013

1:42 PM

Page 1

STUDENT AGE TUESDAY, JANUARY 22, 2013

EDITORIAL

Swami Vivekananda's teachings can help us out

The US Withdrawal and its Implications

By Muhesh kumar ATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) prepares to hand over responsibility to Afghan forces and recall the vast majority of its 130,000 combat troops by the end of 2014. The Taliban leading a 10-year insurgency against the western- backed government, have begun their annual fighting season with a series of attacks. These incidents are indicative of rising violence in the country. According to reports top Pakistani officials are trying to convince the Afghan government to look to China for security after the departure of the American forces. With its public opinion turning against the war in Afghanistan and reeling under a severe financial crisis, the USA has planned for an orderly withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2014.The US government has adopted this plan sometime ago. Under this plan the US military presence is to be systematically and gradually drawn down over the next couple of years, to be totally ended by the close of 2014. The NATO agreed at a summit in Chicago to stick to plans to withdraw the bulk of 130,000 foreign combat troops from Afghanistan by the end of 2014. During his visit to Afghanistan on May 2, 2012, President Obama affirmed that the Afghan security forces were now ready to take responsibility of maintaining security. Thus, by 2014, Afghan forces are supposed to assume the major responsibility for maintaining the security of the country. They adopted withdrawal plan, thus, clearly spells out that as soon as the foreign forces vacate the parts of the country, at the same pace local and home grown forces would replace the vacuum. However, the media reports suggest that the training of local forces by coalition forces have obtained considerably less attention so far. For effective training, it is imperative that there should be mutual understanding and sympathy between the trainers and the local trainees. They should have a sense of common purpose. Moreover, the anti-American hostilities in Afghanistan are increasing. The burning and defiling of Quran at a US base led to a number of violent outbreaks with much loss of life. Another major incident happened when a US sergeant, Robert Bales, lost his temper and killed 16 civilian in their villages. This has made the US presence in Afghanistan more unpopular than ever. Such incidents make the US transition very difficult. With these destabilizing incidents the uncertainties about the future of Afghanistan are increasing markedly. Although the US has time and again said that it will not abandon the task of rehabilitation in Afghanistan. One of the errors of the United States in Afghanistan during October / November 2001 was leaving out the South and the East of the Afghanistan which provided a lucrative source of funds from drug trafficking for the Taliban. The Taliban resurgence is directly connected with the rise in heroin production. The government's campaign to rebuild the country's economy was seriously sabotaged by the illegal money earned by drug- trafficking. As per the withdrawal plan, American and NATO forces will be relinquishing combat duty next year (2013) prior to their withdrawal from the country. Many of the NATO member-states and the US allies such as France and Australia have already started pulling out their troops without waiting for the 2014 deadline. Like in the USA, public opinion in these countries is overwhelmingly against the war in Afghanistan. The Obama administration is insisting that the latest setback will not change the plan for the proposed withdrawal of the US troops from the Afghanistan. Earlier in June 2011 Obama had announced that the US would withdraw 10,000 troops by the end of the year (2011) and another 33,000 by September 2012. In the last quarter of 2011, there were around 100,000 American troops in the country. Out of this 10,000 were Special Forces in the forefront of counterterrorism operations. Regarding the post-2014, America feels that if foreign forces left Afghanistan in a hurry, NATO would have to surrender many of its military gains. When Obama

ong before communications technology and capitalism promoted the idea of a global village, India offered the world a truly global citizen in Swami Vivekananda. Even as the nation celebrates the 150th birth anniversary of this great visionary, today, more than ever before, it has become imperative to ponder on his sage words - words that offer comfort and come as a panacea to a society that is at war with itself; that is churning from within, fighting dogmas and prejudices, and is desperately seeking direction out of the chaos it finds itself in. Rooted in the past and full of pride in India's prestige, Swami Vivekananda was modern in his approach to life's problems. He ignited the minds of millions of people in India and outside because of his commitment to humanism, egalitarianism, equity, rational thinking and democratic values. He believed that a nation built on the bedrock of education and equality, including gender equality, which guaranteed a level playing field for all citizens, was bound to succeed. It would be grossly unjust to brand Swami Vivekananda as just another Hindu spiritual leader. A social and a political leader, he contributed immensely towards the welfare, progress and enlightenment of mankind. His thoughts caught the imagination of people in diverse societies and cultures because of the universality of his preaching and the exalted goals that he set for man. His preachings are as much about patriotism, social and political equality, inclusive society as about spiritualism. It is a great tragedy that there still persists casteism, gender discrimination and communalism in this country. More than a century ago, Swami Vivekananda had forcefully articulated that the cause of India's downfall would be "the two great evils, trampling on the women, and grinding of the poor through caste restrictions". Even as society today stands guilty of the shoddy and inequitable treatment it metes out to more than half of its population, it would be worthwhile to heed his wise words that "there is no chance for the welfare of the world unless the condition of woman is improved". In that context, the present times are perhaps little different from the times that the great revolutionary leader lived in. And while there are no quick-fix methods to navigate out of the present day turmoil, it would not be irrelevant to suggest that the way ahead would be to seek direction from the teachings of this great monk who within the short span of his life was able to transform society and restore confidence in a shaken nation. The great spiritualist wanted the youth to attain immense self-confidence and be fearless like the mythological hero Nachiketa. He often said, "None can teach you, none can make you spiritual. There is no other teacher but your own soul". If only we could follow this simple maxim, the world would be far better a place to live.

announced his withdrawal plans, different reactions were observed form different quarters. Some quarters in the USA believe that Afghan war strategy would continue for as long as it takes. As a reaction to this post-2014 American strategy, India along with Russia and China have expressed their serious concerns and conveyed to the US that they are against the US having permanent military bases in Afghanistan. American power can be easily deployed against neighboring countries such as Iran if the US military bases are

China and impact its growth .Nor would China want to substitute the Americans-and consequently commit its resources in bolstering Pakistan's creaking economy. It has been made clear by the US leadership that it is not going to leave a vacuum in Afghanistan which would be filled by the forces and elements hostile to Kabul. The Americans insist that they will not abandon Afghanistan as they did after the Soviet withdrawal in 1989. That they will remain in some measure is clear, but a

Regarding the future security of Afghanistan there is a big question as to whether a reduced American presence after 2014 will be effective in preventing Afghanistan from gain sliding into a period of violent turbulence which would undo the present setup.The foreseeable consequences of such a dangerous scheme, according to Bashir Mohammad are as following: a) Resumption of civil war sucking in the neighboring countries; b) Spread of terrorism and bloodshed further in the region; and c) Virtual partition of Afghanistan into Pushtun and non-Pushtun states. P
allowed to stay. The USA has admitted that there is the need for 'global consensuses on Afghanistan. The so called 'global consensus' has provided India, Russia, China and Iran a political stake in the future of Afghanistan. Obviously, the help of neighboring countries and international powers is vital to economic growth and peace in this wartorn and impoverished country. Stability in Afghanistan will also bring much-needed relief from terrorism and violence. In the ensuing withdrawal plan the contours of the future security relationship between the two countries have deliberately been left vague. It is being speculated that the US will retain many of its military bases in Afghanistan after the bulk of its troops are withdrawn. America has signed an agreement with Afghanistan which entails the new partnership between the two countries after 2014. Americans have expressed their wish that a small number of forces would remain in this warravaged country at the invitation of the Afghan government. The US has demanded publically that its Special Forces remain in the country after 2014. However, at the same time Washington has made it clear that it was not seeking permanent bases or a presence that is considered a threat to the neighbors. The US-Afghanistan Strategic Partnership Agreement (SPA) also envisages the assurances that the US will not build new military bases or use the existing facilities to launch attacks on Iran from inside Afghanistan. For America, Afghanistan would be a major nonNATO ally, which implies that the US is committed to defend Afghanistan if it faces aggression from a third country. Iran, Russia, China and Pakistan have criticized America for the retention of its bases after 2014. So far as Afghanistan's security is concerned, the 330, 000 strong Afghan National Army (ANA) has shown itself to be incapable of fighting on its own despite the training and arms it has received from the west and its allies. NATO provides $ 11 billion a year to support the Afghan Army. The US alone has spent more than $ 450 billion so far on its military adventure in Afghanistan. Like previous regimes (except Taliban) Karzai dispensation is also looking for New Delhi for its support and legitimacy. Due to killing of top Afghan leaders by Pakistani-sponsored terrorist groups, President Karzai, as a reaction and protest, signed a Strategic Partnership Agreement (SPA) with India. It was as a result of growing frustration with Pakistan's reluctance to act against terror groups operating from Pakistani soil against the Karzai regime. Unlike others, India has been working on a standalone basis in Afghanistan by talking to the Afghans directly and not through the US or others. Through the SPA Karzai has recognized India as a long term and reliable partner. Karzai also sees India as an important card to play against Pakistan Instability in Afghanistan is also a major cause of worry for Beijing, because instability and violence in Afghanistan could spill over to lack of clarity on the shape and form of their future presence is in itself a major cause of anxiety. It is apprehended that the issue of American bases and questions relating the rules of engagement of their forces post-2014 are unlikely to be settled till the US Presidential election is over. Regarding the future security of Afghanistan there is a big question as to whether a reduced American presence after 2014 will be effective in preventing Afghanistan from gain sliding into a period of violent turbulence which would undo the present setup.The foreseeable consequences of such a dangerous scheme, according to Bashir Mohammad are as following: a) Resumption of civil war sucking in the neighboring countries; b) Spread of terrorism and bloodshed further in the region; and c) Virtual partition of Afghanistan into Pushtun and non-Pushtun states. Implications for India As the American drawdown takes place, Indian policy makers will need to focus on the transition and the post-2014 period. New challenges are emerging along with some old. Pakistan continues to deny India a meaningful role in Afghanistan, while the US does not want India-Pakistan rivalry to destabilize the country post-2014. India dreams to be an integrated economy and its western neighborhood with unimpeded peoples, trade and energy flows, however, instability in its neighborhood is likely going to impact India's national interest. As the US withdrawal is bound to send wrong signals to the Taliban Al Qaeda and other Jehadis all over the world, the Taliban would feel emboldened. India would also be concerned if the pull out leads to the Taliban filling the post-withdrawal vacuum. The bitter memories of the 1990s when Indians were driven out of Afghanistan and the Kandahar hijack are still fresh in Indian minds. Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) will again exploit the situation by using the Taliban against India. Pakistan's ultimate aim is to acquire what it calls 'strategic depth'. The doctrine of strategic depth is justified by Pakistan's military leadership on the ground that Pakistan needs "the depth" in the north west to face threat from India in the east. The impact of a sudden withdrawal and the consequent of spiraling of radical and extremist forces in the Af-Pak region would be greatly felt in India. Islamic radicals would feel reinvigorated and get emboldened to extend their jihad not only in Kashmir, but to India's hinterland as well. With the confidence of invincibility, having defeated the erstwhile superpower which was the USSR and now the only superpower-the United Statestheir ambitions to embark on a global jihad would be without strings or bounds. Central Asia North Caucasus, Europe and other parts of the globe would encompass their areas of operations. Jihadi groups would, thus, unleash more potent attacks, not only in India, but elsewhere in the region, and in the US and Europe as well. The US withdrawal, probably, would leave

behind a scene of widespread unrest, conflict and violence Pakistan also have to reap the negative consequences of the Taliban- Al Qaeda combine's victory, with the increasing Talibanisation of the FATA and Khyber- Pakhtunkhwa, which could permeate into its heartland together with a threat to the security of its nuclear weapons. The Taliban would have gained a reverse 'strategic depth' in Pakistan and the resulting instability would further threaten India's security. Evidently the return of the Taliban in Afghanistan would be a mixed blessing for Pakistan, as the united Afghan and Pakistani Taliban would poise more challenges to the Pakistani establishment. Policy Options for India It is vital that India must ensure good military and political relations with Afghan National Army (ANA) and strengthen it through training and equipment. India has the capacity to undertake large scale training of the Afghan Army. Establishing strong institutional linkages with the ANA, which is likely to play a pivotal role in stabilizing the country which would serve India's goal better. It would be beneficial for India to renew links with the components of the Northern Alliance, as they would hardly be supportive of a Taliban dominated government. India needs to develop stronger linkages with the political forces in Afghanistan, who are opposed to the Taliban ideology. Such groups include Pashtuns, Tajiks,Uzbeks and Hazaras. In a post-withdrawal scenario, India should support the enhanced presence in the central and local governments of all the national ethnic groups including minorities and those in the Northern Alliance, as well as former members of the National Democratic Party of Afghanistan and Najibullah government. Side by side it is imperative for India to forge closer bonds of cooperation with Russia and the Moscow -led defense bloc of erstwhile Soviet states, i.e. the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO). In fact CSTO and Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) are capable of filling any vacuum in Central Asia and Afghanistan. Thus, India should have no hesitation in building strong ties with these organizations. New Delhi would like a regional solution to be evolved at an international conference to guarantee Afghanistan, like Austria, a neutral status. This will essentially involve guarantees by the UNO, the European Union, the neighbors-India, Pakistan and Iran-and those in north like Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. Pakistan probably is against a regional solution as it will not allow its domination in the affairs of Afghanistan. China is a key player in any future regional coalition seeking to secure ad rebuild Afghanistan particularly after the US troops pull out. Similarly Russia and Iran will remain key actors in any regional consensus on Afghanistan. A high level regional conference could be hosted by India to bring all the regional stake holders on board to evolve a common framework. Laying down a timeline for drawdown of forces has engendered dynamics, with every competitor attempting to claim his own strategic space. The Pakistani military establishment is convinced that the Western forces lack the commitment and resolve for a sustained fight and , therefore, it is waiting to claim its 'strategic depth' in Afghanistan after the eventual withdrawal, which could be sooner than later. But here Pakistan is living in a fool's paradise. While the Pakistani establishment thinks that it can control the Taliban after the departure of the coalition, the Taliban are more likely to act autonomously, throwing more challenges to Pakistan, the region and international community. It is time for India to consider options other than the soft option of development assistance to Afghanistan. A regional consensus with Iran, Russia, talking to China as also opening back channels to Pakistan and establishing contacts with important domestic players in Afghanistan is required. India should also become proactive in defining its core strategic interests in Afghanistan i.e. it should not be allowed to become a haven of terrorists, who would embark on a regional or global Jihad

By Manika Jain: edia has always been accused of deteriorating news coverage. With the advent of the era of numerous 247 news channels, cheap newspapers, blogs and e-subscriptions; the competition has become dirty, the ultimate victim being the quality and reliability of news coverage. Like a lot of other things in India, private news channels came into existence after the liberation, privatisation and globalisation policy of the government. With more competitors came more challenges, the foremost being getting most sponsorship which directly depends on viewership. Similarly, highly competitive nature in print media began when

The Responsibility Of The Fourth Estate Versus Its Power M

Hindustan Times brought down its cost to Rupees 2 and hence other newspapers had to follow the trend. In times of everything getting 'e' and the advent of widespread internet journalism in form of numerous blogs and newsletters, the competition has become stiffer. Though competition is good, but in case of media, it has resulted in a disaster as sensationalising the news has become more important than the quality of news coverage. What followed were several cases of media using sensitive issues to create 'Breaking news'. Thus, when journalists find a story that has some potential of attaching public sentiments, they would pack it in a fancy wrapping and broadcast it. They did sting operations, their own trials and had their own version of stories which was and is still labelled as public sentiment and public opinion; because unfortunately we live in a century where protests of a few thousands coming over on call of unelected and unrepresented civilians from amongst a population of millions becomes the 'aam aadmi ki awaaz' (voice of the common man). What can be done now? Where do we go? The absence of media is not even a remote possibility. Media is the carrier of happenings around the world and is the only medium through which public sentiments can be let out. The question that matters is what can be termed as public opinion? Who is responsible for forming it? What is the authentic force behind generating it? The concerns for media censorship have been widespread, but is it feasible? Don't 1976 emergency experiences ring enough bells? Another solution was formation of the Press Club of India, but the guidelines have again resulted in failure because if Press Club guidelines are to be followed in letter and spirit, then no piece of information can be made public. The solution is with journalists- who have the sole responsibility of keeping the integrity and respect for their profession. Media has been labelled as the fourth estate, but they have failed to realise that with great power comes greater responsibility. The rate of media trial and sting operations has been catastrophic and has led to various misguided interpretations, value judgements and biased perspectives by public. Also an important concern here is that media has become irresponsible because it is unaccountable. Years back when Mr. Nehru was the Prime Minister, he tried to bring in laws for media accountability (and readers please take note that media accountability does not mean media governance). The bill proposed that whatever is published in media cannot be anonymous and considering today's scenario, it can be assumed that such laws would have helped the nation a great deal during its formative

years after independence. At the same time, I would like to point out that I am in no way suggesting curtailing freedom of speech or denying the importance of media. It is an undeniable fact that media has done commendable work in bringing to light scams (like 3 G scam, Aadarsh Society scam, CWG scam) and misrepresentations (like the claims of Delhi Police that a constable died because of being assaulted by protesters at India Gate). But I also urge everyone not to forget the case of the Zee editors. Thus, even though journalism needs to be protected under the fundamental rights of freedom of speech and expression but it also needs to act upon its duty of responsible journalism.

Page 6_ National.qxd

1/22/2013

1:43 PM

Page 1

STUDENT AGE TUESDAY, JANUARY 22, 2013

NATIONAL

'Pleased to hear Shinde's statement on BJP & RSS': Digvijay Former Goa CM, cabinet minister
NEW DELHI: Staunch RSS opponent Digvijay Singh on Monday said that he was pleased that Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde has revealed that RSS and the BJP were promoting Hindu terror in the country. The Congress general secretary said that what he has been saying of the past several years has been proved right after country's home minister agreed to role of the RSS in terror acts. "I am happy everybody said I was mad but now I have been proved right," Digvijay said. However, he chose not to refer to home minister has become the darling of 'real terrorists' with Jamat-ud-Dawah and Lashkar-e-Toiba congratulating him for his comments. "Today Jamat ud Dawa etc congratulated Shinde. Now he has become d darling of real terrorists. It is Shinde who is helping our enemies by such statements. Now even LeT welcomed his statement I am told," RSS spokesperson Ram Madhav said. Union Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde had alleged that the training camps run by the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) were promoting Hindu terrorism. He also claimed that the RSS and the BJP were behind the Samjhauta Express, Meccca Masjid and Malegaon blasts. Shinde said, "Training camps of both the BJP and the RSS are promoting Hindu terrorism. Whether it is Samjhauta blast or Mecca Masjid blast or Malegaon blast, they plant bombs and blame it on the minorities." penalised. "All Congress leaders from (former chief minister) Digambar (Kamat) to (former minister) Joaquim (Alemao) are involved in illegal mining and their names will come out soon," Parrikar told reporters during his government's reach-out campaign that started last week. Parrikar added that those named in the illegal mining scam would be penalised soon. The BJP, during its stint in the opposition had openly named several top Congress officials, claiming they were party to a Rs 25,000-crore

involved in mining scam: Parrikar

illegal mining scam. Parrikar also warned of tough action against those found involved in illegal mining in Goa. "All the people will be taken to task if there is clear evidence against them. No one will be spared. But that doesn't mean there would be arrests just like that. We will produce documentary evidence and chargesheet them, then let the courts decide," Parrikar said. Mining in Goa has been banned by the Supreme Court of India, which is hearing a public interest litigation on illegal mining in the state.

the RSS terror angle as Hindu terror, he said, "A terrorist is not a Hindu, Muslim or Sikh." Digvijay's support came after the RSS attacked Shinde saying that the

'Govt's timely concern could have helped Sarabjit'

BHOPAL: Dalbir Kaur, the sister of Sarabjit Singh, who has been jailed in Pakistan since 1990, said she was upset with the Indian govt. for not showing timely concern towards her brother. "If the govt. had shown its concern in time, my brother would have been standing with me," Dalbir said. Dalbir and Sarabjit's daughter Poonam had come here to attend an event organised to raise voice to demand his release. Dalbir said she had also met former PM PV Narasimha Rao long time back over her brother's imprisonment in Pakistan, but it did not yield any result. On the occasion, Poonam said her family had recently appealed to PM Manmohan Singh to exert pressure on Pakistan to release her father. She said that they had so far met a total of 173 leaders but none of them could help them in securing Sarabjit's release. Lodged in Kot Lakhpat jail of Pakistan since 1990, Sarabjit was convicted by the Pakistani authorities for his alleged involvement in 1990 serial bomb blasts in Lahore and Faisalabad that killed 14 people. However, Sarabjit claimed that he was a farmer and victim of mistaken identity, who strayed into Pakistan from his village located on the border. He was awarded death sentence in 1991.

MP villages to get uninterrupted power by June: Chouhan

INDORE: Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan today said all villages in the state would get uninterrupted electricity by June. "All villages in the state will get uninterrupted power supply from June," Chouhan said. "Jabalpur has become the first district in the state receiving 24-hour power supply from today on par with urban areas", he said. He was addressing a function organised by the Indore Municipal Corporation. Chouhan said the state has clocked the growth rate of 12 per cent and agriculture production at 18 per cent. "The 2013-14 budget would be of Rs 1 lakh crore against Rs 80,000 crore of the current fiscal", he announced. Chouhan said besides giving houses to BPL families, the state government would also regularise all illegal housing colonies in cities which had come up in the last 50 years. The chief minister said the state government would stand guarantor for small enterprises and would pay five per cent of initial interest on EMIs on loan borrowed by small entrepreneurs. "Infosys, TCS, Symbiosis and Medanta are coming up in a big way in Indore which is going to be an industrial hub in near future", he said, reiterating that the state will never allow FDI in retail. On crime against women, Chouhan said police should file challan within 15 days of registering the FIR in such cases. "Courts should see that the trial is concluded in 45-60 days in rape cases", he added. The chief minister said that people should boycott anti-social elements like eve-teasers. Indore Mayor KM Moghe claimed that the civic body has become self-reliant by earning taxes to the tune of Rs 236 crore and is hopeful of earning Rs 275 crore by year end. Chouhan also inaugurated a slew of projects for Indore on the occasion.

PANAJI: Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar on Monday said that a former Congress chief minister and a cabinet minister were involved in illegal mining in the state and would soon be

MIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi surrenders in 2005 case

HYDERABAD: Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (MIM) supremo Asaduddin Owaisi surrendered before a court in Medak district of Andhra Pradesh on Monday in connection with a case filed against him in 2005. Mp from Hyderabad, Asaduddin Owaisi, and his younger brother, jailed MIM legislator Akbaruddin Owaisi, in 2005, obstructed a road widening project in Medak district and threatened the then district collector with dire consequences after police said a place of worship had to be removed. Cases were filed against the Owaisi brothers and after the duo surrendered before police and obtained bail, they briefly appeared before court, but stopped appearing after 2010. Cases under various section including rioting, promoting enmity between groups and assault on public servant

Jaipur Lit Fest: After Islamist groups, event faces threat from RSS, BJP
JAIPUR: After a few Islamist groups threatened the organisers of Jaipur Literature Festival against allowing the four authors who had read out passages from Salman Rushdie's The Satanic Verses at the event in 2012, sources in the Rajasthan police said that members of the BJP and the RSS in the state were opposing the participation in the event by seven Pakistani authors. The police, however, assured that the festival will happen and security will be provided to all those who are attending. Meanwhile, the police said that the festival organisers had informed them that no material related to Rushdie is scheduled during the event. This was in response to the statement issued by the Islamist groups that sought a ban on the four authors - Amitava Kumar, Ruchir Sharma, Jeet Thayil and Hari Kunzru - for reading out passages from The Satanic Verses. The Jaipur Literature Festival 2013 will be held from Jan 24 to 28.

Kalyan Singh's party merges with BJP

LUCKNOW: Kalyan Singh's Jankranti Party (Rashtrawadi) announced its merger with Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) at a rally organized by the saffron party in Lucknow on Monday. The merger took place at Juhlelal Park in the presence of BJP president Nitin Gadkari. Besides, Gadkari other BJP leaders Varun Gandhi, Murli Manohar Joshi, Kalraj Mishra, Rajnath Singh and many others were also seen. The Uttar Pradesh unit of the BJP will take out Atal Sankalp Yatra here to protest against the diesel price hike and general price rise. The party leaders will blow the BJP brass in New Delhi, including party president Nitin Gadkari. BJP insiders say the groundwork for Kalyan Singh's return was done by Uma Bharti, who had sided with him even when he was attacking former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and other BJP leaders. Uma Bharti has networked with Gadkari to bring back Kalyan Singh and cement the one-time OBC vote bank with the larger Hindutva support base. Kalyan Singh left the BJP in December 1999 after sharp differences between him and the national leadership, especially Vajpayee. Kalyan Singh was mired in many controversies, including his closeness to Kusum Rai, a party corporator and now a Rajya Sabha MP. After a gap of five years he returned to the party fold in 2004 and was a BJP candidate from Bulandshahr. Then, after five years again, he left the party, after his nominees were denied ticket to contest. He sprang a surprise when he teamed up with the Samajwadi Party, contested as an independent from Etah and won. His son went on to become a minister in Mulayam Yadav's cabinet. He was soon disgruntled with the Yadav chieftain and snapped ties.

poll bugle for the 2014 Lok Sabha elections. The event will also be a show of strength by some party leaders who are reportedly eyeing a bigger role in the state's politics. Kalyan Singh's back to BJP comes after fruitful meetings held last year with the

and obstructing duties, among others were filed against them. After he surrendered in the court in Medak today, Asaduddin was sent to judicial custody till February 2, reports said but official confirmation is awaited. His surrender came after Akbaruddin, facing sedition charge for a "hate speech", was produced before a court in Medak in connection with the case. Akbaruddin was arrested from Hyderabad on January 8 and sent to judicial custody for the "hate speech" by a Nirmal court, was brought to Sangareddy town in Medak from Adilabad district jail.

Delhi gang-rape: SC agrees to hear plea on shifting trial

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Monday agreed to hear the plea of one of the six accused in the Dec 16 gang-rape and murder case on Tuesday for shifting the trial to a place outside Delhi. A bench headed by Chief Justice Altamas Kabir listed the matter for tomorrow after the advocate for accused Mukesh pleaded for an urgent hearing on the ground that free and fair hearing is not possible here because of strong public sentiment against him. Mukesh, who has been charged with murder, gang rape and unnatural offences, submitted in his petition that in view of regular agitation, police and judicial officials are allegedly under pressure to pass orders according to the demands of the agitators and fair hearing is not possible. "The sentiment has gone into the root of each home in Delhi by which even the judicial officers and the state are not spared and in these circumstances, he cannot get justice in Delhi at all," the petition, filed through his advocate, said. The case has been assigned to the fast track court where the day-to-day proceedings will begin from today. The petition said that "due to media reports and agitations and due to political statements and personal interest shown by the chief minister as well as various cabinet ministers, judiciary is under pressure to work against the petitioner". The accused has sought transfer of the case to Mathura in UP. There are six accused in the case including a juvenile. The five other accused --Ram Singh, his brother Mukesh and their accomplices Pawan Gupta, Vinay Sharma and Akshay Thakur -- have been charge with the offences of murder, gangrape, attempt to murder, kidnapping, unnatural offences, dacoity, hurting in committing robbery, destruction of evidence, criminal conspiracy and common intention under IPC. All the accused had gang-raped the 23-year-old student in a moving bus on Dec 16. She died in a Singapore hospital on Dec 29.

Cold wave prevails in North India; 5 killed in avalanche in HP

NEW DELHI: The cold wave continues to prevail across North India as the temperatures remain below normal. In Himachal Pradesh, the Hindustan-Tibet and Kiratpur-Manali National Highways remained closed due to heavy snowfall. In Delhi, the temperature over the weekend fell to 6.3 degree Celsius. After remaining shut for three days, one-way traffic has been restored on the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway, but fresh snowfall has been predicted again. In Himachal, five persons were killed in an avalanche in Kinnaur district on Saturday night, officials said, adding upper reaches of the state remained cut off for the fifth day on Sunday due to heavy snowfall in past few days. Keylong was the coldest place in the state with a minimum of minus 12.5 degrees, whereas Manali shivered at minus 6.2 degrees, six notches below normal, Met office said. The minimum temperature in capital Shimla was recorded at zero degree and the maximum was 8.8 degrees Celsius, they added. Normal life remained affected in most parts of the state due to disruption in supply of electricity and water. In Jammu and Kashmir, the weather remained mainly dry and no fresh snowfall was reported from any part of the Valley. The Jammu-Srinagar National Highway was reopened today for one-way traffic after remaining closed for three days due to heavy snowfall on either side of the Pir Panjal range. The minimum temperature in Srinagar was normal at minus 0.5 degrees, while the maximum was recorded at 7.5 degrees Celsius, Met officials said. The weathermen forecast possibility of snow in next few days. In Uttarakhand, Ukteshwar recorded the lowest minimum of minus 1.5 degrees, followed by Tehri, which shivered at minus 0.5 degrees Celsius. While cold wave conditions persisted in most parts of the state, particularly in the upper reaches, the weather remained mainly dry throughout the day and now fresh snowfall was reported in the state, Met officials said. Punjab and Haryana too continued to remain in the grip of cold as temperatures hovered below normal in most parts of the region. Residents woke up to a foggy morning in the Union Territory of Chandigarh, which recorded a minimum of 7.6 degrees Celsius. Narnaul was the coldest place in Haryana with a low of 3.2 degrees, followed by Bhiwani at 4.8 degrees Celsius. In Punjab, Amritsar braved the chill at 4.2 degrees Celsius. The Met office, in its forecast, says cold conditions will prevail in the region over the next two days. Weather in Uttar Pradesh, which witnessed over 250 deaths due to harsh winter, remained mainly dry, with the mercury dipping at several places during night. Agra was the coldest place in the state with a minimum of 3.7 degrees Celsius. The night temperatures fell in various parts of the state including Varanasi, Faizabad, Alllahabad, Lucknow and Jhansi and Agra divisions. It was, however, above normal in Gorakhpur division.

Mahesh Jethmalani to contest BJP president polls against Gadkari

NEW DELHI: In more trouble for Nitin Gadkari, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Mahesh Jethmalani on Monday said that he would contest the party presidential elections if no one else challenges the re-election of the present party chief. "I am in favour of a contest against Mr Gadkari as BJP president," Mahesh Jethmalani was quoted saying by an English news channel. The report said that Jethmalani is upset with Gadkari being re-elected as the party chief as he is facing summons from the Income Tax department in relation with his alleged dubious business transactions. Mahesh Jethmalani joins the the BJP chief post with strong backing from Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS). Interestingly, Mahesh's father R a m Jethmalani recently was suspended from the BJP over his demand for Gadkari's resignation and barbs against both Arun Jaitley and Sushma Swaraj. A vocal critic of Gadkari, Ram Jethmalani got into trouble vis-a-vis the BJP after he questioned the attack on the government by Jaitley and Sushma Swaraj over the appointment of a new CBI director, Ranjit Sinha. Meanwhile, senior leader LK Advani, who had reservations in Gadkari getting another term, has finally agreed to it as no consensus could be arrived at on any other candidate, party sources said on Sunday. Till last week, there was an exercise between Advani's camp and Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS) to arrive at a consensus candidate. Advani's reservation about Gadkari getting a second term was due to charges of dubious funding of Purti Group with which he was associated. Advani had earlier suggested the name of Ravi Shankar Prasad for the top post. Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj's name had also figured in the discussion, but she herself has not shown much keenness on occupying the post. While Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi's name was also doing the rounds, party leaders ruled out the possibility saying he does not figure in Advani's list of probables. Modi himself is not interested in becoming party president though he could play a key role in the election management for BJP at the central level for the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, they said. RSS has been pitching for a second term for Gadkari with Sangh chief Mohan Bhagwat himself backing him. It feels Gadkari, who took over soon after the BJP's second consecutive Lok Sabha poll defeat, should lead the party in the next elections. The task he had undertaken three years back is still yet to be completed, it felt. The BJP on Sunday issued a notification for its Presidential election. Nomination papers for the top post will be filed on January 23 from 10 AM to 11.30 AM and scrutiny will be held from 11.30 AM to 12 noon. A date for election will be declared if required after the withdrawal of nomination between 12 to 12.30 pm, a BJP statement said.

Left Front wants three-phased Bengal panchayat polls

KOLKATA: Citing political threats to its candidates, the Left Front Monday said panchayat polls in West Bengal should be conducted in three phases instead of a single phase. "Going by media reports and other information, the Election Commission (EC) and the govt. wants to hold the panchayat polls in a single phase. Going our past experiences and the prevalent conditions, a single phase election is not practically possible," Left Front chairman Biman Bose said here. "For a peaceful and healthy election, it is imperative that the EC conducts the upcoming panchayat polls in at least three phases, as in the past," said Bose. He alleged that there were efforts to prevent candidates from contesting against the ruling party Trinamool Congress. Bose also rubbished talks of holding the polls in Feb. "While there may be talks to hold the polls in Feb, considering the lengthy procedures involved for the polls we do not think they will be possible held before April," he said. Bose also said the Left Front was opposed to the Mamata Banerjee-led state government's decision to discontinue a pension scheme for "victims of politics". Mamata Banerjee's government had Jan 19 announced the decision to discontinue the scheme. The original scheme was introduced soon after independence to give financial assistance to freedom fighters. The scheme was funded by the state govt. In 1977, the then Left Front govt. included had political sufferers in the scheme.

league of other BJP leaders like LK Advani, Shatrughan Sinha, Ram Jethmalani and Yashwant Sinha, who have in the recent past raised their voice against of Gadkari being given the second term as the party president. Mahesh's move would certainly bring in more embarrassment for Gadkari, who is set to be re-elected to

Page 7_International & Economy.qxd

1/22/2013

1:43 PM

Page 1

STUDENT AGE TUESDAY, JANUARY 22, 2013

INTERNATIONAL & ECONOMY

workers to a nearby airport and take them hostage. "They started firing at the bus and received a severe response from the soldiers guarding the bus," he said. "They failed to achieve their objective, which was to kidnap foreign workers." His remarks were the first detailed account of the attack from the Algerian government. Thirty-two kidnappers were also killed in the standoff, and the army freed 685 Algerian workers and 107 foreigners, the interior ministry said on Sunday. Jean-Yves Le Drian, the French defence minister, described the hostage-taking as an "act of war" because of the large number of hostages involved. The one-eyed mastermind of the hostage-taking, Mokhtar Belmokhtar, said in a video posted online that it was carried out by 40 fighters from the Muslim world and "European countries". His alQaeda-linked group "Signatories in Blood" threatened to stage attacks on nations involved in the French-led operation to evict Islamists from Algeria's neighbour Mali, and said it had been open to negotiations. "But the Algerian army did not respond... preferring to stage an attack which led to the elimination of the hostages. CHINA: China's foreign ministry has strongly criticised the US for backing Japan's control of a disputed group of islands in the East China Sea. Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said the view, expressed by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, "neglects the facts". Mrs Clinton had warned that the US opposed any action that would undermine Japanese administration of the islands. In her comments on Friday following a meeting with Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida, Mrs Clinton said the US did not take an official view on the sovereignty of the islands. But she said Washington opposed "any unilateral actions that would seek to undermine Japanese administration We want to see China and Japan resolve this matter peacefully through dialogue." "We do not want to see any action taken by anyone that could raise tensions or result in miscalculation that would undermine the peace, security and economic growth in this region." In Monday's regular briefing to journalists, Mr Hong said the US "bears undeniable historical responsibility on the Diaoyu issue". "The US comments ignore facts and confuse truth with untruth," he said. "China is strongly displeased and firmly opposed to it. We urge the US to responsibly treat the Diaoyu issue, watch their words and deeds, maintain regional stability and Sino-US relations, so that Chinese people can trust them." Mr Hong added that there was no doubt that China owns the islands, and said the reason for the "extreme tensions" was Japan's "illegal purchase" of them. It was the second time in two days the foreign ministry had condemned the remarks - on Sunday, spokesman Qin Gang said the ministry "resolutely opposes" the US remarks. The row over ownership of the islands, which lie south of Okinawa and north of Taiwan, has been rumbling for years. It reignited in September when the Japanese government purchased three of the islands from their private Japanese owner, leading to

Algerian PM: 48 killed in gas plant attack China anger at US remarks on East China Sea islands
ALGERIA: A total of 37 foreign hostages from eight different countries, along with 11 Algerian workers, were killed in last week's attack on a gas facility in southern Algeria, the Algerian prime minister, Abdul-Malik Salal, said at a press conference on Monday. Seven of the victims still have not been identified, and five other foreign workers are missing, he said, adding that a total of 25 hostages were found alive, and are still being identified. He also said the 32 gunmen who carried out the attack came from neighbouring Mali, where French and African troops are fighting several Islamist groups in the north. Salal said the attackers included both Algerians and foreigners from several countries: Tunisia, Egypt, Mali, protests in some Chinese cities and fall-out for some Japanese businesses operating in China. Chinese government ships have since sailed many times through what Japan says are its territorial waters around the islands. On Monday, Japan said three Chinese maritime surveillance ships had again entered waters around the islands in the early morning, spending about 15 minutes there. China had already said it had three ships patrolling the area. It announced last week it would be carrying out a geological survey of the islands as part of its "programme to safeguard its maritime rights and interests". Japan's foreign ministry lodged a protest with the Chinese embassy.

Niger, Canada and Mauritania. The attackers placed explosives in a gas pipe at the facility, Salal said, in an effort to blow it up. He said they initially planned to hijack a bus carrying foreign

Snow cause travel chaos across Europe

FRANKFURT: Roads, railways and air travel across much of Europe were plunged into chaos Monday as heavy snow and arctic weather conditions gripped the continent. Disruptions in air travel were particularly severe, with the cancellation of more than a quarter of all flights at Frankfurt airport, Germany's busiest, and one in 10 flights at London's Heathrow airport, Europe's busiest, following even more widespread cancellations the day before. And air travellers faced long delays and disruptions at other airports across Germany and in France and Britain as well. In Frankfurt, Europe's third-busiest airport, 325 take-offs and landings were cancelled Monday, In Munich, Germany's number two airport, some 161 flights -- or more than 15 percent -- were cancelled. In France, the civil aviation authority DGAC said it port and the cleared runways were able to handle the reduced volume of traffic, In Spain, flights bound for Paris, Munich and Frankfurt were hit, leading more than 1,000 weatherrelated accidents and in the northeast of the country, near Berlin, an entire section of motorway was shut to traffic. In Belgium, three people died and two others were seriously injured when a mini-bus they were travelling in skidded off the road, overturned and caught fire at a motorway exit near Bruges, said sources. In Britain, hundreds of schools remained shut due to the severe winter weather. In Moscow, unusually heavy snowfall of almost 50 centimetres (20 inches) in Moscow caused traffic jams but did not affect flights at city airports, which are well equipped for snowstorms. The snowfall over the last four days in Moscow exceeded the average for the whole month of January.

BD war crimes: Azad sentenced to death

DHAKA: Bangladesh's controversial war crimes court Monday sentenced a top Islamic televangelist to death by hanging for genocide and other atrocities during the country's 1971 liberation struggle against Pakistan. Maolana Abul Kalam Azad, who has been on the run for about a year, is the first person to be convicted by the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) created by the country's government to try suspected war criminals. Azad was found guilty of seven out of eight charges including genocide, murder and rape, judge Obaidul Hasan told a crowded court amid huge security. "It's a historic day for the country. It's victory for humanity. Bangladeshi people can now heave a sigh of relief since 1971," attorney general Mahbubey Alam told reporters outside court. The ICT, which is a domestic tribunal with no international oversight, has been tainted by allegations of political influence after the entire leadership of an opposition Islamic party were put on trial.

Hours-long Kabul gunfight comes to an end

KABUL: Bomb blasts followed by an eight hour-long battle in the west of the Afghan capital have left at least three Kabul traffic police and five Taliban attackers dead. Fearing night guards and traffic operators were trapped inside, the Afghan National Security Forces worked cautiously on Monday to contain Taliban fighters in the fourstorey building housing the Kabul traffic police headquarters. "Two of the bombers were shot dead at the entrance," Mohammad Zahir, of the Kabul police, said. A witness described the initial explosion, a car bomb at the front gate of the building, as "very very big -- it was massive". That initial blast was followed by subsequent explosions and gunfire that carried on several hours. Local media reported the attackers were believed to be hiding under a staircase in the four-storey building. The fighting left four traffic police and eight nearby civilians wounded. A spokesman for the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan, ISAF, said: "Afghan security forces are doing a great job pressuring the insurgents. ISAF will continue to train, advise, assist the ANSF ... [The] Taliban are losing this fight, are growing weaker. Many are leaving the fight because they do not want to fight their Afghan brothers." The Taliban, who claimed responsibility for the attack Monday's blasts were the second co-ordinated attack in the Afghan capital in five days. Last Wednesday, the National Directorate of Security, the Afghan spy agency, was targeted in an attack that left two security guards and five attackers dead.

expected to cancel 40 percent of flights from and to Paris's Orly and RoissyCharles de Gaulle airports in a preventive measure following heavy snowfall on Sunday. However, snow was no longer falling at either air-

to the cancellation of 16 flights to and from Barcelona. Freezing rain and snow also led to treacherous conditions on railways and roads, causing countless accidents. In the southwest of Germany, police recorded

ECONOMY

Govt to auction 700 MHz spectrum for 4G services next year

NEW DELHI: The government on Monday said it will auction spectrum in the 700 MHz band, which is used for offering high-speed Internet services through fourth-generation technologies, in 2014. "We are going to auction the 700 MHz band in any case by 2014," Telecom Minister Kapil Sibal said during the commissioning of country's first lab for measuring specific absorption rate (SAR) for mobile handsets. The 700 MHz spectrum band ranges from 698 MHz to 806 MHz and has been identified by the I n t e r n a t i o n a l Telecommunication Union for telecom services. "We have set up a lab in the country so that mobile phones can be tested here for electromagnetic radiations," Mr Sibal said. He added more such labs will be set up across the country starting with Mumbai. The Telecommunication Engineering Centre SAR lab, which has been commissioned at a cost of Rs. 2.5 crore, is the first lab in the country for independent audit of SAR value, selfcertified by mobile handset manufacturers and importers in India. The lab is capable of making SAR measurement for CDMA, GSM 2G and 3G mobile handsets in the frequency band of 800 MHz, 900 MHz, 1800 MHz and 2100 MHz. The lab is also capable of making measurement of SAR value against the International Commission on nonIonising Radio Protection (ICNIRP) limit of 2 Watt per kg measured over 10 gram of tissue as well as the recently adopted 1.6 watt per kg measured over 1 gm of tissue. Mr Sibal also commissioned a next generation network (NGN) lab in TEC, which serves the objectives of testing and certification as well as network related study for any Internet Protocol (IP) based equipment. ?

India, US finalise Rs. 3,000 crore deal for jet engines

NEW DELHI: India and the US have finalised a Rs. 3,000-crore deal for supplying 99 jet engines to be used in the indigenous Light Combat Aircraft 'Tejas' being developed by the DRDO. Around two years ago, India had selected the American company General Electric over its rival European Eurojet 2000 for the LCA Mark II programme expected to be ready around 2014-15. "The deal worth Rs. 3,000 crore has been finalised with the US for procuring 99 engines for the LCA Tejas MkII," DRDO officials said here. As per the contract, the order could be for 99 engines initially but India will have the option of ordering another 100 engines in the future. The engine on offer for the LCA Mark II is GE F414 engine, which are more powerful that the GE F-404 engines fitted in the first batch of LCAs that the Indian Air Force would receive in near future. The need for changing the existing engines in the LCAs was felt after the IAF found out that the GE404 engines were not providing enough power to the aircraft and more powerful engines were needed for the purpose. The DRDO is developing the LCA Mk II to meet the Air Force requirements and it will have latest technological equipment including the Active Electronic Scanned Array (AESA) radar and would be able to carry more payload than the LCA Mk I. Recently, the trials of the LCA Mk I were carried out in Pokharan desert firing range where laser-guided bombs and other weapon systems were tried. As per the current plans, the Indian Air Force (IAF) will induct two squadrons of the LCA Mk I which would be followed by delivery of LCA Mk II aircraft.

Swiss to provide 'selective' banking info from February

DAVOS: Switzerland will be able to provide banking and other details sought by other countries, including India, from next month about a 'group of persons' even without their individual identification, provided the information has not been requested as part of some 'fishing expedition'. A new Tax Administrative Assistance Act will come into force on February 1 and a resolution to this effect has been passed by the Switzerland's Federal Council, a senior official in Swiss finance ministry said here. The development follows intensified global pressure on Swiss authorities in the past couple of years to act against the secrecy walls of Swiss banks, which have been often accused of providing safe haven to illicit wealth from abroad and not sharing the account details citing their client confidentiality provisions. While the Swiss government provides assistance to those foreign countries with whom it has relevant information exchange or tax treaties, which includes India, but requests for a 'group of persons' not accepted so far. With the new Tax Administrative Assistance Act (TAAA) coming into force next month, group requests in accordance with the international standards will now be possible as well, said the official who is here for the Annual Meeting of World Economic Forum. Such requests would require a detailed description of the actions taken by any Swiss bank's clients "to avoid taxation and must be clearly distinct from fishing expeditions," the Swiss Federal Council has said in its resolution for the TAAA. Fishing expedition is a term used for information requests without concrete indications of tax avoidance or other crimes and is generally undertaken with an aim to find something interesting.

BofA-ML sees diesel price hike adding 120 bps to inflation

MUMBAI: Bank of Amercia-Merrill Lynch (BofA-ML) said the recent partial diesel price hike will inflict a 1.20 percent burden on the already sticky inflation and that the price index will remain elevated throughout the next fiscal. "The bottomline is that inflation will follow an inverted U in FY14, after last week's diesel price hikes that will add 120 bps to FY14 inflation. "Inflation should persist around 7 percent in the March quarter, which will then likely go back up to 7.5-8 percent in H2 of 2013. But it should abate to 6.5-7 percent by March 2014," BofA-ML Indai chief economist Indranil Sen Gupta said in a note. However, the American brokerage said it continues to expect the Reserve Bank to cut policy rates by 25 bps on January 29. It is likely to be cut by 75 bps by June, then pause in the second half as inflation picks up and cut another 50 bps again in the March 2014 quarter as inflation subsides. The government allowed oil marketing companies to increase the retail price of the fuel by 50 paise per every month and ended subsidy on bulk and institutional diesel consumers like railways, state road transport corporations and to power plants. The current subsidy on diesel stands at Rs 9.50 to a litre. Gupta said, "we expect inflation to persist at 7-7.5 percent in the March quarter after the diesel price hike. And accordingly we hike our March 2013 inflation forecast to 7.3 percent from 7.1 percent." On the impact of the staggered diesel price hike, it said the move will add about 120 bps to FY14 inflation if crude remains at USD110 per barrel. However, on the positive side, Gupta said, the price hike will help the government trim its oil subsidy by Rs 20,000 crore to Rs 67,300 crore (assuming a rupee value of 54 to the dollar). Stating that the long tightening by the RBI has begun to turn counter-productive, he said "we cannot deny that RBI tightening is increasingly turning counter-productive in hurting growth rather than denting an inflation that is largely 'imported'."

Maruti Suzuki to develop two facilities in Gujarat to step up manufacturing

NEW DELHI: In a move to step up its manufacturing in India, Maruti Suzuki - India's largest carmaker - has decided to develop twin facilities in Gujarat. The company's Japanese parent Suzuki Motor Corporation (SMC) has plans to concentrate on Asian markets following the recent closure of its US operations. Suzuki withdrew from the US market in November last year. Maruti, the largest subsidiary of Japanese carmaker Suzuki, has charted out its future production model on the lines of Haryana operations, where it operates five plants from two separate locations in Gurgaon and Manesar. To finalise its Gujarat plans, SMC chairman Osamu Suzuki is making an unscheduled trip to India on January 24 and 25. Maruti is now directly acquiring a 480acre plot at Ughroz and Ukarade villages in Gujarat from farmers. This is in addition to the 700 acres allotted to Maruti Suzuki for a manufacturing facility in Mehsana by the Gujarat government. The company plans to invest around 4,000 crore in Gujarat in the first phase that would go into acquiring the land and constructing the proposed plant, which will have an initial annual capacity of 2.5 lakh cars. The company has planned new models for India along with a strategy to export more cars from the modern Manesar factory and the upcoming Gujarat facility. Maruti management's longterm agenda to expand its Indian manufacturing facilities, which will help Maruti meet future market demand in Asia. These new plants will be located around 100 km from Ahmedabad, and will be within a 300-km radius of the Mundra port, which has been developed by Maruti keeping in view its long-term export plans.

Sixth edition of FDI policy by March end

NEW DELHI: The sixth edition of the consolidated FDI policy will be released by the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP) on March 31 which will incorporate all the changes made in the regulations over the past one year. "The next edition of the Consolidated FDI Policy Circular ... is scheduled to be issued on March 31, 2013, and will be effective from April 1," The Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP) said. The DIPP is the nodal agency on FDI related matters. With a view to make India's FDI regime simple and easy to understand for investors, the department had compiled all the related policies into a single document. The DIPP has invited public comments on the document .

page 8_Sports_ Fashion_ Technology+1_Bali.qxd

1/22/2013

1:43 PM

Page 1

STUDENT AGE TUESDAY, JANUARY 22, 2013

MISC

Bhupathi-Nestor out; Sania-Bob in quarters of Australian Open

MELBOURNE: India's challenge ended in the men's doubles event of the Australian Open with the defeat of Mahesh Bhupathi and Daniel Nestor even as Sania Mirza and Bob Bryan progressed to the mixed doubles quarter-finals on Monday. The fifth seeded Bhupathi and Canadian partner Nestor were sent packing 3-6 6-4 3-6 by the unseeded Italian combo of Simone Bolelli and Fabio Fognini in the second round. Defencing champions Leander Paes and Radek Stepanek were shocked in the first round while Rohan Bopanna and Rajeev Ram could not go beyond the second round.

Bob Bryan, Sania Mirza However, in the mixed doubles, all four Indian players are still alive with Sania Mirza and her new American partner Bob advancing to quarter-finals with a come-from-behind win. The third seeded IndoAmerican team defeated the US team of Abigail Spears and 4-6 6-1 10-4 in the second round. They will now fight it out with Czech team of Lucie Hradecka and Frantisek Cermak for a place in the semifinals.

MELBOURNE: Defending champion Novak Djokovicwas dragged into a rerun of last year's epic Australian Open final as he edged a gripping five-hour battle with Stanislas Wawrinka. As women's number two Maria Sharapova enjoyed the smoothest progress in tournament history, it was a very different story in the men's competition as Djokovic was taken to five sets by the inspired Swiss. Djokovic ripped off his shirt in celebration after finally clinching the 5hr 2min thriller at 1:41 am, evoking memories of last year's 5hr 53min final with Rafael Nadal, the longest Grand Slam title match in history. But it is questionable whether the Serbian world num-

Djokovic five-hour battle keeps hat-trick Mumbai to take on Saurashtra in Ranji bid alive in Australian Open Trophy final
ber one, who now faces Tomas Berdych, will be in sufficient Roger Federer as he smoothly ripped one-handed backhands on the way to breaking the stunned top seed three times in the first set. Djokovic fought back to take the next two sets but Wawrinka clinched a fourth set tie-breaker to take it into a post-midnight decider in front of an excited crowd at Rod Laver Arena. Both players end of exchanged early breaks in the nerve-jangling fifth set but the score blew out to 1110 and both players were limping and wincing before Djokovic finally clinched it 1-6, 7-5, 6-4, 6-7 (5/7), 12-10. NEW DELHI: Mumbai on Monday showed why they are miles ahead of the other domestic outfits, making short work of Services en route their 44th appearance in the Ranji Trophy final since the tournament's inception. The 39-time champions will meet Saurashtra in the final to be played in Mumbai from January 26-30. Mumbai dismissed Services for 240 on the sixth day to take a huge first innings lead of 214 runs, which sealed a spot in the title round. A champion team knows pretty well as to when they should play their 'A' game and that's exactly what Ajit Agarkar's men did on the final day. Starting on 164 for three, overnight not out batsmen Soumya Swain (74) and Yashpal Singh (58) took the score to 186 but suddenly the home team lost seven wickets for 54 runs in little over 27 overs. Seamer Dhawal Kulkarni bowled in right areas to end with figures of five for 33 as he cleaned up the lower order in a jiffy. Once Yashpal, who looked good during his 96-ball knock, poked at a good length delivery from seamer Shardul Thakur to be caught by Aditya Tare, the institutional team ran out of steam. Swain, who top-scored with 74 that had eight boundaries literally gave catching practice to Wasim Jaffer at first-slip off left-arm spinner Vishal Dabholkar delivery as Services were reduced to 195 for six. After that it was a matter of time as Dhawal pitched the ball up and lower-order batsmen neither had the technique nor self-belief to defend. "It's a relief that it's over finally and we didn't want it to be decided on spin of coin. Obviously the pitch had flattened out due to the sun beating down and it became a bit easier for batting," a satisfied Agarkar said at the end of the match.

Novak Djokovic celebrates at the the match. shape to seal the first hat-trick of Australian Open titles of the professional era. Wawrinka, the world number 17, resembled his close friend

Viswanathan slips to the second position after draw by Sokolov

WIJK AAN ZEE, THE NETHERLANDS: World champion Viswanathan Anand slipped to the second position after he was held to an easy draw by tail-ender Ivan Sokolov of Holland in the eighth round of 75th Tata Steel Chess tournament here. After eight rounds, Anand is at second spot on 5.5 points. Magnus Carlsen of Norway showed his determination and endgame skills to beat Sergey Karjakin of Russia to regain the sole lead with five rounds to come in this category-20 super tournament. The victory took Carlsen to six points out of a possible nine. The day produced three decisive games and apart from Carlsen, Fabiano Caruana of Italy came good against Erwin L'Ami of Holland while Armenian Levon Aronian accounted for lone woman participant Yifan Hou of China. Indian Grandmaster P Harikrishna played out a draw with Peter Leko of Hungary and Anish Giri of Holland played an ultra-solid game to get the same result against Wang Hao of China. In the other game of the day American Hikaru Nakamura salvaged a much inferior endgame against local star Loek Van Wely. Apart from Carlsen and Anand, Aronian and Nakamura are also in with a chance on five points each for a shared third spot. Harikrishna and Karjakin are on joint fifth spot with 4.5 points apiece. Not far behind are Leko and Caruana with four points in their kitty.

Fan breaches security to greet Tendulkar during Ranji semis

NEW DELHI: An over-enthusiastic young fan on Sunday escaped the eyes of the Airforce Police deployed at the Palam ground and entered the field of play to greet Sachin Tendulkar, who is playing for Mumbai in the Ranji Trophy semi-final against Services. For the first four days, civilians were not allowed to enter the venue as most of them clung onto the ground railing to watch Tendulkar's every movement. On Sunday, the gates were opened for the general public and around 500-odd spectators entered the ground. The incident occured in the feet, leaving the senior cricketer a trifle embarrassed. The Airforce policemen then caught hold of the man and brought him outside the ground. "He was an over-enthusiastic fan. We scolded the boy and gave him stern warning," Air Commodore Baladitya said. This is the second time in successive games that a fan had invaded the ground to greet Tendulkar. In the Ranji Trophy quarterfinal against Baroda, a middleaged man entered the Wankhede Stadium to touch Tendulkar's feet after he reached the threefigure mark.

post-tea session when a young man in his mid-20's suddenly raced towards Tendulkar, who was fielding at the mid-on position. Gauging his enthusiasm, Tendulkar offered to shake hands But the fan touched his

Inzamam dropped as Pakistan's batting consultant for the SA tour

KARACHI: Former Pakistan captain Inzamam-ul-haq has been dropped as the team's batting consultant for the upcoming South African tour after resistance from team's head coach Dav Whatmore. The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) dropped its idea of sending Inzamam as batting consultant because of resistance from Whatmore. Although the board wanted to finalise things with Inzamam but Whatmore told the Chairman Zaka Ashraf that he could take care of the batting issues and that former players should only be allowed to work with the team in training camps and not on tours. Inzamam did not accompany the national side that left for South Africa to play three Tests and five oneday internationals. Inzamam was appointed as batting consultant by the Pakistani board last month and was expected to be part of team's South Africa tour. When contacted, Inzamam declined to comment on the change in stance by the board. "I have not been in touch with the board since the India series, neither did they try to contact me," Inzamam, who had worked with the players in a camp before the Indian tour, said. A source said that Inzamam was not happy with the agreement given to him by the board. "Inzamam wants some things made clear in the agreement which the board was not willing to do," the source said, adding that after the Indian tour Whatmore has started to show more dominance and apparently he was not happy with having a former heavyweight player like Inzamam in the team management. Meanwhile, Pakistan skipper Misbah-ul-Haq said that the South African tour would be a big test for their batsmen. "This tour is a big challenge for our batsmen who have to stand up and deliver in South African conditions. Unless the batsmen get runs it will become very difficult for our bowlers," he said before leaving for the tour.

Sri Lanka slams decision to abandon 4th ODI

SYDNEY: Sri Lanka cricket captain Mahela Jayawardena says his team will officially complain to the match referee over the abandonment of Sunday's fourth one-day international, which may have cost it the chance to win the five-match series. Umpires Marais Erasmus of South Africa and Paul Reiffel of Australia made the decision to call off the match early in the second innings after a spell of rain left the outfield at the Sydney Cricket Ground damp and slippery. Sri Lanka was 14 without loss in the fourth over of its innings, replying to Australia's moderate total of 222 for nine. A win would have given it a 3-1 lead in the series and a rare series win over Australia at home. At the time of the abandonment, almost two hours of play had been lost to rain and Sri Lanka was likely to face an even more achievable total under the DuckworthLewis system. At a news conference on Sunday, Jayawardene questioned the decision to abandon the match and the inability of the Sydney Cricket Ground to cope with the effects of very moderate rainfall. "It's disappointing because at the SCG I would assume that a ground of this magnitude you should be able to get a game in," Jayawardena said. "Maybe they should do what we do back home - cover the entire ground. "I think we can probably write to the match referee (Javagal Srinath of India) because obviously the interpretation we got three months ago in the New Zealand series (in Sri Lanka) was different. It was deemed that we'd only stop play if it was dangerous. ... I think you need to find a bit more consistency, and that's something that we'll probably write and put it across to them." Staff at the Sydney Cricket Ground worked hard on Sunday to make it playable after the rain. But head groundsman Tom Parker said that because the rain was relatively light, it stayed on the surface rather than sinking in.The additional absence of wind to assist drying meant that the ground remained damp in some areas and possibly dangerous. Australia captain Michael Clarke said his players were also eager to resume the match. "I think this ground is known for its drainage," he said. "I've played a number of games here where it's held a lot more water than that and we've managed to get back on and play games of cricket. "Sri Lanka definitely would have loved to have gotten back on there. As the game got shorter, with 10 wickets in hand, it was probably going to suit them a lot more. But we certainly wanted to play as well to give ourselves a chance at winning the series." The final match of the series is at Hobart on Wednesday.

Beach football set to launch in India

MUMBAI: The Goa Football Association (GFA) and the Goa Football Development Council (GFDC) are backing the officially sanctioned event which will become a bi-annual feature. The tournament will see the participation of prominent players from Goa's popular football clubs and other prominent teams from around the country. The first edition will be held from Feb 7-10 . The teams will comprise of 10 players each five on field and five as substitutes. The duration of play will include three periods of 12 minutes each with a break of three minutes. In case of a tie, there's a three minute extra time before the penalty shoot-out. The tournament will see teams battle it out for a prize of Rs.2 lakh. Mumbai-based TransStadia is investing and managing the event to introduce and develop the sport

that is already played in 75 countries within the six FIFA confederation zones. Over 50 teams from across the country are set to descend on Goa's beaches and play the sport that was on born on the beaches of Brazil. Four worldclass pitches and a world-class arena will be set up to give spectators an exhilarating experience, using the T-Box modular stadia technology.

Shaun Marsh recalled to Australian T20 squad

SYDNEY: Top-order batsman Shaun Marsh was recalled to Australia's Twenty20 side, joining others who impressed in the domestic Big Bash League to take on Sri Lanka later this month. Chief selector John Inverarity said Marsh was among six players in the squad who did not feature in last year's ICC World Twenty20 event in Sri Lanka, where Australia were beaten by the West Indies in the semifinals. "Each of these six, Aaron Finch, Shaun Marsh, Adam Voges, Ben Cutting, James Faulkner and Ben Laughlin has shown outstanding form in the T20 format over the past two months," said Inverarity. "Their performances have been compelling and we anticipate they will take this momentum into the two fixtures scheduled for 26 and 28 January." Marsh was the BBL's highest run-scorer, finishing with 412 runs, while Finch was player of the tournament. Laughlin was the leading wicket-taker on 14, closely followed by Cutting, with 13 wickets. Cutting is the only player not to have previously represented Australia in the T20 format. Inverarity said choosing the squad was difficult, with batsman Ben Rohrer from the Melbourne Renegades and New South Wales batsman Luke Pomersbach both in strong contention. David Hussey and Cameron White also missed out. Australia play two T20 internationals against Sri Lanka, one in Sydney on January 26 and in Melbourne on January 28.They have already completed a clean sweep of the three-match Test series but trail the tourists 2-1 in the one-day series, with Sunday's fourth game rained off and the series decider to be played on Wednesday in Hobart.

New app to simulate eclipses on your mobiles

WASHINGTON: A researcher from the University of Barcelona (UB) has designed a new application for Android mobiles that can provide information about all solar and lunar eclipses or planetary transits from 1900 to 2100. The new application called Eclipse Calculator has been developed in Catalan, Spanish, and English, but it is planned to translate it to other languages. "We aim at promoting the interest in general sky observation and in these particular phenomena," said creator Eduard Masana, researcher from the Institute of Cosmos Sciences of the UB. The application makes possible to know the general circumstances of the phenomenon, including global visibility maps, as well as its local circumstances for any place in the world: beginning, end, duration, altitude of the Sun or

China is now world's biggest smartphones producer!

BEIJING: China has become the largest manufacturer of smartphones in the world, shipping over 200 million units last year. Chinese shipments of smartphones totalled 224 million units in 2012, making the country the world's largest smartphone producer, state-run. In 2012, over 730,000 Chinese apps were launched on the iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad platforms, and the number of apps in China Mobile's online Mobile Market approached 150,000 the China Academy of Telecommunication Research under the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, as saying in a statement.Beijing-based research firm Analysys International predicted that China's mobile Internet market will reach 429.6 billion yuan (USD 68.19 billion) in 2015. China added 50.9 million Internet users in 2012, bringing the total to 564 million at the end of last year, according to data released by the China Internet Network Information Centre. The number of mobile Internet users increased 18.1 percent to 420 million, with mobile phones becoming the primary channel for using the Internet in China.

Moon above the horizon, etc. It also allows users to make

simulations of the phenomenon from their observational point.

Now, steering wheel that guides drivers blinded by sun

Researchers, for the first time, have designed a vibrating steering wheel that tells drivers where to steer when undipped headlights and other visual impediments leave them temporarily blinded. Eelke Folmer and Burkay Sucu from the University of Reno in Nevada, developed the steering wheel to help cut the accident toll caused by glare, especially in winters, when motorists are most likely to be dazzled by low Sun and reflections from snow and ice. Cars with vibrating seats can already warn drivers when another vehicle is approaching in their blind spot. However, the team's design is the only one to help drivers steer using tactile cues, the New Scientist reported. The system relies on car sensors like Global Positioning System (GPS) and lane-keeping cameras to map the road ahead and work out where the vehicle is. When sensors detect the driver may be dazzled and drifting from their lane, the vibro-tactile system buzzes into action. The vibrations are tuned to 275 hertz, the frequency that our skin is most sensitive to. And the cues are directional, so if a driver drifts left, the left side of the wheel will vibrate - a signal to steer right until it stops vibrating, just like a rumble strip. "It's fairly easy for the system to anticipate or sense glare conditions and activate itself," said Folmer. The system worked well in tests with 12 volunteers in a simulator, but the drivers' hands strayed from the left and right vibrators. It's promising work, says Paul Newman, who is developing a driver-less car at the University of Oxford.

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 [email protected], [email protected]. 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.)