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

STUdenT aGe
FRIDAY, MARCH 8, 2013

JKENG/2012/41612 Vol. 2 No: 62

'Diplomacy best way to deal with situation in SL': Khurshid

The Budget-- a mixed bag of candy and pepper

Berlusconi sentenced to year in jail over wiretap leaks

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IN BRIEF
Promotions, transfers in Law Deptt
JAMMU, MARCH 07- The government has ordered promotions of following officers in OPG in Law Department and adjustments. These are Deputy Legal Remembrancers Muzaffar Ahmad Wani and Mr Achal Sethi are promoted as Additional Secretaries and adjusted in the Department of Law, Justice and parliamentary affairs against the available posts. Deputy Legal contd on page 2

Naeem, Ganie, Majeed, Parrey, Naresh declared elected

JAMMU: MARCH 07: In the biennial election to Legislative Council of Jammu and Kashmir which were held on Thursday the ruling coalition partners National Conference and Congress bagged four out of five seats. One seat went to PDP in the biennial election to the Legislative Council of Jammu and Kashmir. The Returning Officer for the Elections to Legislative Council Mohammad Ramzan informed the media on Thursday ,"Two seats each went to Congress and

J&K LC elections: NC, Congress bag 4 seats, PDP wins one

PAGE 5

Support to BJP proxy exposes PDP's political opportunism, communal agenda: NC

JAMMU, MARCH 07Setting tone for 2014 after splendid victory in Legislative Council elections, National Conference on Thursday vowed to carry forward its winning spree to logical conclusion by giving a befitting defeat to obstructive, opportunist, deceptive and communal forces who have vitiated the political environs to further their nefarious agenda. "Peoples Democratic Party's opportunism reached zenith when it openly begged for four votes of Bharatya Janata Party in the Council elections to weaken National Conference"', senior leader and Minister for Finance Mr Abdul Rahim Rather said at a function, indicating nothing more could be expected of the party which owes its creation and existence to BJP. By hobnobbing and taking the side of BJP, PDP's secular credentials have been exposed, he maintained. The function was organised to felicitate Mr Abdul Majid and Mr Shoukat Hussain Ganie at Sher-iKashmri Bhavan after being declared victorious in the elections to Legislative Council. They were brought in a procession and garlanded profusely by the enthusiastic workers. He exposed the PDP''s hypocrisy in supporting the BJP's proxy and said history is replete of its PDP anti-people role at different times and in different guises. He elaborated his point by referring to unprovoked firing at the funeral procession of Mirwaiz Maulvi Farooq resulting in the killing of 50 innocent people, saying nowhere in the world has ever a funeral been targeted. He also referred to Bijbehara killings which witnessed mayhem and said those responsible carnages were now pretending to be the Messihas of people. The Finance Minister ripped apart the propaganda unleashed by PDP against Nationa contd on page 2

UPSC in change mode, introduces preliminary test component in IFoS exam

NEW DELHI: After making significant changes in the basic format of the Civil Services (Main) Examination, the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) has brought changes in its other prestigious, Indian Forest Service (IFoS) , examination by introducing a component of 'preliminary' test. The Commission will, however, not conduct a separate preliminary contd on page 2

Newly elected MLCs along with others posing for a group photograph at Jammu. National Conference and one to PDP in Biennial Election to the Legislative Council of Jammu and Kashmir by the Members of the Legislative Assembly today." Syed Naeem Akhtar Andrabi of PDP, Showkat Hussain Ganie and Abdul Majeed of NC and Mohammad Muzaffar Parrey of contd on page 2

Curfew continues in Saroori demands railway line for Kishtwar, favours tabling of Delimitation Bill Kashmir Valley
Clashes erupted at many places, Geelani arrested
by a tear gas shell in Palhalan Pattan after protestors resorted to heavy stone pelting. Stone pelting incidents were also reported from Hyderpora, Batamaloo, Mehjoor Nagar, Narbal, Pattan, Tahab, Samboora, Lassipora, Baramullah and at other places. In Srinagar's Batamaloo area CRPF allegedly ransacked dozens of houses and smashed window panes and doors. People claimed that CRPF personnel even didn't spare women and children and beat them to pulp. "CRPF personnel forced their SRINAGAR: Kashmir observed a shutdown for the fourth consecutive day on Thursday even as authorities continued curfew in several parts of the Valley to prevent deterioration of law and order in the wake of killing of a youth allegedly in Army firing in Baramulla. Meanwhile clashes erupted across Kashmir on Thursday for the 4th consecutive day leaving various persons injured. Violent protests erupted in North Kashmir's frontier district after a CRPF vehicle allegedly crushed two youth. A youth was hit entries into the houses and they even entered into Batamaloo Ziyarat and beat everyone whosoever came in the way," a local from Batamaloo told CNS on phone. Sister of Muslim League Chairman, Mushtaqul-Islam told CNS on phone that their house was targeted by CRPF personnel and all the windowpanes were smashed by unbridled forces personnel. "There was no stone-pelting. Everything was calm. Suddenly we heard sound and saw CRPF personnel throwing marbles through catapult. contd on page 2 JAMMU, MARCH 7: Senior Congress Leader and MLA Inderwal G M Saroori on Thursday demanded construction of Railway line to connect Doda with Kashmir Valley and Udhampur. He strongly pitched for an air strip for Kishtwar, Creation of Tourism development authority for Bhalessa, Chatroo, Bunjwah, Saroor, Sarthal, Thakrie, Kuntwara area, Rehabilitation of nomads and opening of sheep and animal husbandry units on door steps. While speaking in the State Assembly he lauded the welfare schemes launched by the State Government saying and population Saroori further mentioned that Prime Minister of India Dr Manmohan Singh has sanctioned ten tunnels in the country which include Chatroo-Singhpora-Vailoo tunnel and which was even mentioned in the President's address in the Parliament this year. Saroori also demanded establishment of sub health centre at every 5 km and one primary health centre at every 10 km in the hilly and remote areas to improve the healthcare facilitates in the State, implementation of Finance, Balorie and Mushtaq Commission report, specia contd on page 2

Free national roaming likely before October: Sibal

NEW DELHI: Telecom Minister Kapil Sibal said the government will try to start national free roaming for customers before October this year. "Trai has floated a consultation paper on it (national free roaming). So when Trai's recommendations come and after that, we will try to start free roaming before October," Sibal told reporters on the sidelines of the launch of National Internet Registry (NIR) here. contd on page 2

Senior Congress Leader and MLA Inderwal G M Saroori speaking in the State Assembly, Jammu. that the Coalition Government has tried to do justice with all regions. Yet he demanded more steps to develop bad pockets of Chenab valley on fast-track basis to fulfill the aspirations of this backward area. He favoured the tabling of delimitation bill for creating more constituencies to remove disparities as per area

Sonia Gandhi tops the list of 20 most popular women in India'

NEW DELHI: UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi tops the list of "20 Most Popular Women in India in 2012" in which her current political rivals Mamata Banerjee and Jayalalithaa Jayaram also figure. ICICIBSE 1.08 % MD and CEO Chanda Kochhar, Pepsico Chairperson and CEO Indra Nooyi andBollywood actress Aishwarya Rai Bachchan are

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DSP murder case

Foreign Exchange Earnings from Tourism increases by nineteen percent

NEW DELHI, MAR 7: The growth rate in Foreign Exchange Earnings(FEEs) from tourism in Rupee terms in February 2013 over February 2012 was 19.8%. Foreign Tourist Arrivals (FTAs) also showed a growth of1.6% in February 2013 over February 2012. The following are the important highlights regarding FTAs and FEEs from tourism during the month of February 2013. contd on page 2

Shaadi.com survey finds Sushma leading over Sonia

haratiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Sushma Swaraj was voted as the most admired female politician followed by Congress president Sonia Gandhi and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa in a survey conducted by shaadi.com. The matrimonial website conducted the poll on the occasion of International

Women's Day (March 8) to understand which successful Indian women are admired for striking a perfect balance between their career and their family life. Sushma Swaraj got 36.28 percent of the votes as the most admired female politician closely followed by Sonia Gandhi (33.62 percent) and Jayalalitha (23.01 percent), a statement said. The poll was conducted through 19,000 Indians. BJP leader Sushma Swaraj was contd on page 2 The survey placed Sonia Gandhi in the top position, followed by Chanda Kochhar

the others who figure in the list prepared after a survey jointly conducted by

Assocham and Zee Business news channel.

in second, Indra Nooyi in third, CMD of BioconBSE 1.04 % Kiran MazumdarShaw in fourth and actress Aishwarya Rai Bachchan in fifth. Axis BankBSE 0.25 % MD and CEO Shikha Sharma, actress Vidya Balan and Olympic bronze-medallist M C Mary Kom, were placed in sixth, seventh and eighth positions, respectively, according to the survey released on the eve of the International Women's Day. Assocham said the survey was contd on page 2

Raja Bhaiya's arrest imminent after CBI lodges FIR

LUCKNOW: The Central Bureau of Investigation(CBI) on Thursday lodged four FIRs in connection with Pratapgarh violence in which three persons including Deputy Superintendent of Police Zia-ul-Haq and two others were shot dead on Saturday last. Former minister Raghuraj Pratap Singh alias Raja Bhaiya has been named as one of the accised in the FIR along with four others in connection with killing of the DSP. Raja Bhaiya, who belongs to family which once ruled the Beti princely estate, is an independent MLA from Kunda. Feudalism still rules Kunda and Raja Bhaiya's word is still said to be the law in the area. He was forced to resign from the post of minister from the Akhilesh Yadavgovernment after he was contd on page 2

Saroori's effort now set to bear fruit

Govt allows additional 5 mn tonnes of wheat export from godowns

NEW DELHI,MAR 7: Government has approved export of five million tonnes of wheat in view of huge surplus stocks. Talking to media in New Delhi Food Minister Prof. KV Thomas said the wheat stocks will be exported from the FCI godowns in Punjab for the crop procured during the year 2011-12. He said the stocks will be sold by competitive bidding during the next three months and the base price has been fixed at 1,480 rupees per quintal. The base price was fixed by contd on page 2

Work on 650 Cr Singhpora-Viloo tunnel likely to start from Dec 2013

KISHTWAR MARCH 7: In significant development, in its pre feasibility report prepare by the General Engineering Reserve Force (GREF), the construction of Tunnel between village Singhpora of Chatroo Kishtwar and Viloo of Anantnag District of Kashmir found as viable for construction of the tunnel. It is pertinent to mention that it was G M Saroori had strongly advocated the construction of this vital tunnel on the floor of Assembly in 2003. As per the letter No: 40570/Sinthan/DGBR/62/Br s & Tnls written by Col K S Malladi Director Bridges & Tunnels in the office of Director General Border Roads (Bridge and Tunnels) and submitted to DG BRO, the organization gives approval in principal for consultancy services for preparing detail feasibility study and framing up of phase wise proposal (DPR) for construction contd on page 2

Govt to implement policy for reversal of scientists' brain drain

NEW DELHI, MAR 7: Ministry of Science and Technology is implementing several initiatives, including fellowships, to attract Indian scientists who have settled in various parts of the world for pursuing scientific research in India in their respective field of expertise as well as in home country research programs. The Department of Science and Technology (DST) has been implementing two schemes to encourage researchers and scientists working abroad to find work opportunities in India: (i) "Ramanujan Fellowships" to attract brilliant scientists and engineers from all over the world to take up scientific research positions in India. The Ramanujan Fellows can work in any of the scientific institutions and universities in the country and they are eligible for receiving regular research grants through the extramural funding schemes of various S&T agencies of the Government of India. The duration of Ramanujan Fellowship is five years. The value of the fellowship is Rs.75,000/- per month for five years. Each Fellow, in addition, receives a Research Grant of Rs.5.00 lakh per annum. Since inception, 184 Indian origin scientists working abroad have been offered this "Fellowship". (ii) "Innovation in Science Pursuit for Inspired Research (INSPIRE)" Faculty Award under 'Assured Opportunity for Research Careers (AORC)' scheme initiated during the year 2011-12, provides opportunity to the scientists within 32 years of age and who have completed their doctoral research from any recognized university/ academic institution in the world. Each "INSPIRE Faculty Awardee" receives a contd on page 2

Singhpora-Viloo tunnel to provide safe, speedy connectivity

he Singhpora-Viloo tunnel is among the 11 tunnels to be constructed in India on the initiative of GOI which includes construction of 12 KM long SrinagarKargil-Leh tunnel and 21 KM long Balipara-Charduar Tawang in Arunachal Pradesh. The GOI project for construction of these tunnels comes in wake of the fact that these regions of the country mostly remain cut off from the rest of world in winter due to heavy snowfall. The construction of the tunnel also provide alternative road connectivity to the valley which mostly remains cut off from rest of the country due to frequent blocking of Srinagar-Jammu National Highway. The tunnel also provides contd on page 2

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STUDENT AGE FRIDAY, MARCH 8, 2013

DEFENCE/CONTD

Five percent women among central troopers

AGARTALA: The central government has directed the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) to recruit five percent women troopers, a top officer said here Thursday. "With the direction of the central government, most of the central forces have started recruiting more women personnel in their forces to fulfil the five percent target," Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) chief Pranay Sahay said. He said, "Currently, the CRPF has three Mahila battalions (Women's battalions) out of the total strength of 222 battalions. "Now, the women's personnel strength is 2.85 percent of the current strength of 244,200 CRPF troopers." "We are now on the process of raising five more battalions, including, the three Mahila battalions," said Sahay, who was earlier director general of Tripura Police and came here on the invitation of the state government to attend the swearing-in-ceremony of the Left Front ministry Wednesday. There are six CAPFs in the country under the union home ministry: CRPF, Border Security Force (BSF), Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) and National Security Guard (NSG). Counter-insurgency trained Assam Rifles (AR) is the lone central paramilitary force that is under the command of the army and under the administrative control of the home ministry. The BSF, AR, ITBP and SSB are the 'border guarding forces' while the CRPF assists the state governments and union territories to deal with the internal securities and counter insurgency operations. Sahay said: "Seventy-five CRPF battalions, around 38 percent of the total strength have been deployed in the Maoist affected areas of the country alone, followed by 33 percent in Jammu and Kashmir, 18 percent (35 battalions) in the northeast region and remaining in various parts of the country." He said that the specially trained CRPF troopers have been deployed in the Maoist hit areas of Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Bihar and Maharashtra. "Our thrust area right now is in the Maoist area only," said the CRPF chief. He said that the CRPF troopers are also geared up with all modern weapons and gadgets to curb the Maoist insurgency in the country. He asserted that the CAPF is well-equipped and have the latest arms and technology to counter Maoist and other threats.

Warships from US, China & 10 other countries participating war-game hosted by Pak Navy
ISLAMABAD: In a show of strength, warships from the US, China and 10 other countries are participating in a five-day war-game hosted by the Pakistan Navy to deter terrorism and piracy in the North Arabian Sea. The Aman-13 exercise, which began in the Arabian Sea on Monday, involves warships from 12 countries and observers from more than 20 others. One of the main objectives of the wargame is to "display united resolve against terrorism and crimes in the maritime domain", the Pakistan Navy said in a statement. Pakistan and the other countries will also work towards "information-sharing, mutual understanding and identifying areas of common interest." The exercise, being held for the fourth time since 2007, will help develop tactics and procedures as well as improve cooperation between the navies, the statement said. Rear Admiral Khan Hasham Bin Saddique, the Commander of the Pakistan Navy fleet, said the use of sea routes for terrorwas arrested again in 2010 during Maya rule on kidnapping charges but was released later. He became a minister again when SP came to power in 2012. ism, human trafficking, smuggling and piracy are major concerns. The US Navy has sent the USS William P Lawrence, a Arleigh Burke-class destroyer, to participate in the multinational exercise. Other countries that have sent warships include Australia, Bangladesh, China, Japan, Sri Lanka and Turkey. Among the countries that have sent observers are Brazil, Canada, Egypt, Germany, the Maldives, Myanmar, Russia and Saudi Arabia. have deeply appreciated the efforts made by Former R&B Minister and MLA Inderwal G M Saroori and Minister for Haj & Auqaf Peerzada Mohammad Sayeed for the proposed construction of this vital tunnel in the State.

Contd. from page 1...

Promotions, transfers....
Remembrancer Abdul Rashid Fayaz promoted as Additional Secretary and is posted in the Forest Department, Jang Bhadur promoted as Additional Secretary and is posted as Joint Registrar, State Information Commission, J&K Jammu, while as Ms. Tanveen Mufti as Additional Secretary/ Director Litigation is posted as Director Litigation Kashmir against an available post. The Government has ordered promotion and adjustment of Assistant Legal Remembrancers as Deputy Legal Remembrancers. These officers are Ishtiyaq Ahmad, Showket Ahmad Mir, Smt. Villy Koul, Baldev Raj (SC) and Sajad Amin Shah. Besides, the government has ordered promotions of following Public Law Officers (PLOs) and Legal Assistants as Senior Law Officers (SLOs) and Public Law Officers respectively. The PLOs promoted as SLOs are Abdul Rashid Dar, Molvi Mushtaq, Smt. Sudesh Kumari, Mtr. Shakeel Kachroo, P. L. Sharma, Rohani Kiran, Queshi Tariq Mehmood, Mohammad Arif Khan, Manoj Kumar Pandita, Ayaz Ahmed Khan and Mtr. Yasmen Chodhary (ST). Similarly, Legal Assistants promoted as PLOs are Riyaz Ahmad Riyza, Mtr. Mahjabeen, Hamidullah Bhat, Pardeep Singh Thakur and Smt. Vibhati Sharma. lytical skill and general awareness, it will not change the basic character of the Indian Forest Service examination which is open for only science and engineering graduates. As per the changes notified by the UPSC this week, the IFoS competitive examination will comprise two successive stages: (i) Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination (Objective Type) for the screening & selection of candidates for Indian Forest Service (Main) Examination; and (ii) Indian Forest Service (Main) Examination (Written and Interview) for the selection of candidates against the vacancies identified and reported for the Indian Forest Service Examination. "The preliminary Examination will consist of two papers of Objective type (multiple choice questions) and carry a maximum of 400 marks in the subjects set out in sub- section (A) of Section II" said the notification. It adds, "This examination is meant to serve as a screening test only; the marks obtained in the Preliminary Examination by the candidates who are declared qualified for admission to the Main Examination will not be counted for determining their final order of merit". The number of candidates to be admitted to the Main Examination will be about twelve to thirteen times the total approximate number of vacancies to be filled in the year through this examination. Only those candidates who are declared by the Commission to have qualified in the Preliminary Examination in the year will be eligible for admission to the Main Examination of that year provided they are otherwise eligible for admission, to the Main Examination.

other networks which get added to the final cost of the call for the customer.

Foreign Exchange ....

Foreign Tourist Arrivals (FTAs): " FTAs during the Month of February 2013 was 6.88 lakh as compared to FTAs of 6.77 lakh during the month of February 2012 and 6.28 lakh in February 2011. " There has been a growth of 1.6% in February 2013 over February 2012 as compared to a growth of 7.9% registered in February 2012 over February 2011. " FTAs during the period January-February 2013 were 13.87 lakh with a growth of 2.1%, as compared to the FTAs of 13.59 lakh with a growth of 8.7 % during January-February 2012 over the corresponding period of 2011.

Govt allows additional....

the Group of Ministers, GoM, headed by Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar following a decision by the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, CCEA, at its meeting earlier today. Government has earlier allowed exports of fourand-a-half million tonnes in view of surplus stocks with FCI.

for their political treachery. Speaking on the occasion, Minister for Higher Education, Mr Mohammed Akbar Lone castigated PDP for its dubious role and referred to its joining hands with BJP will the sole objective of weakening National Conference which reflects the aspirations of the people.Provincial President National Conference Mr Devender Singh Rana questioned the standing of PDP and said it is fast losing its whatsoever base in the State politics because of its deceit and duplicity.He also referred to BJP-PDP nexus in the Council elections and said this reflects the larger plan of the party to enter into covert alliance with it with sinister objective of grabbing the power by hook or crook. Provincial President, Mr Nasir Aslam Wani said the victory of National Conference candidates in the Council elections is triumph of the people and envisioned big shock for the opposition in 2014 elections. He said the party cadres has reactivated at the grass roots level to wipe out opportunist politicians who have befooled the people in different guises.

Marwah, Paddar and other areas. MLA Inderwal also asked the government to pay monthly salary of HR workers regularily, continuation of youth as volunteers under NYK yojana, enhancement of SPO, VDC, Chokidars Nombardar salaries, clearance of old age pension cases, opening of J&K bank branches at Sigdi, Chingam, Sirgwari, Lass & Bathri, opening of treasury at Jakyas and Mugalmaidan. Saroori further added that one PSC and SSRB member should be from erstwhile Doda district, fulfillment of vacant Doctors posts at far flung areas of erstwhile Doda district,

M.C. Mary Kom with 39.2 percent was voted as the most successful sportstar followed by tennis star Sania Mirza who got 34.28 percent and shooter Anjali Bhagwat, who got 20.72 percent votes.

Work on 650 Cr....

of 10 KM (Two tubes of 5 KM each) Sinthan Pass Tunnel. The Prefeasibility report was prepared by the Col K S Malladi after DG BRO issued instruction to him in the month of May 2012. The pre feasibility report of the said tunnel was prepared keeping in view of the geological report, snow data of last five years and also the cost of the project which is estimated approximately around Rs. 650 Cr. Pankaj Kumar Officiating Commandant 118 RCC GREF Kishtwar confirmed that the project of construction of Singhpora-Viloo tunnel is in advance stage and said that the prefeasibility report has already been submitted to the higher authorities. He said that the organization has already taken up the matter with defense ministry Government of India for providing funds for preparation of final DPR of the said tunnel.

Raja Bhaiya's arrest...

accused by DSP's widow of conspiring to kill her husband. Sources said that the FIR registered by the CBI names Om Srivastava, Gulshan Yadav, Guddu Singh and Rohit Singh, besides Raja Bhaiyya. Sources said that the CBI team will arrive Kunda for investigation on Friday and is expected to question Raja Bhaiya. The high profile leader also faces threat of arrest. Already, two CBI inquiries are pending against Raja Bhaiya - one in connection with the mysterious death of a police officer RS Pandey, who raided Raja Bhaiya's house in Kunda and arrested him in 2002 during Mayawati rule, in an accident and another on food grain scam. Chief minister Akhilesh Yadav referred the case to the CBI on the demand of DSP's widow Parveen and public pressure. There are eight other criminal cases against 44year-old Raja Bhaiya in police records. The police personnel escorting him fled and did nothing to save their senior who was brutally assaulted and then shot dead. Post mortem report confirmed that there serious injuries on his head, several ribs were also fractured and injuries indicated that he was dragged for several metres on the ground before being shot dead by the assailants. Slain officer's service revolver and the bullet that killed him are missing. Akhilesh Yadav on Tuesday visited Haq's family in Deoria and met his widow. He assured strict action against those responsible for DSP's murder and accepted all the demands of the family. The CBI will take custody of the two arrested accused and may for second autopsy of the slain officer. Raja Bhaiya has been arrested twice in the past, each time when Mayawati was the chief minister. In 2002, he was arrested after being accused of kidnapping by a BJP MLA. Mayawati was angry with Raja Bhaiya because he played a crucial role in engineering defection in her party in 1997, leading to fall of her government. However, when the SP came to power in 2003, the then chief minister Mulayam Singh Yadav revoked POTA and later made Raja Bhaiya a minister. However, Raja Bhaiya

Govt to implement policy....

consolidated amount equivalent to the scale of the Assistant Professor of an IIT as Fellowship amount with Rs.7 lakh per year as Research Grant for 5 years. Since inception, 33 candidates of Indian origin including NRIs having PhD degrees have been selected for award so far. The Department of Biotechnology (DBT) has been implementing three schemes to encourage researchers and scientists working abroad to find work opportunities in India: (i) Wellcome-DBT India Alliance: Biomedical Research Fellowship Career Programme: DBT has entered into an alliance with Wellcome Trust (WT) to launch a three-tier fellowship programme on biomedical research at post-doctoral level. The programme has been established since September 2009 and functions as the Wellcome-Trust DBT Indian Alliance. (ii) Ramalingaswamy Reentry Fellowship: The scheme was initiated in 2006 by DBT for Indian scientists who are working in overseas institutions/universities and would like to return to :2: India to pursue their research interests.

Sonia Gandhi tops the....

conducted in January and February this year. The chamber claimed that about 2,000 working women in 11 sectors like marketing, IT and ITeS, manufacturing and banking and finance were surveyed in various cities including National Capital Region, Mumbai, Bangalore, Hyderabad and Pune. Badminton player Saina Nehwal was in 9th position, India's first women IPS officer Kiran Bedi in 10th andHSBC Country Head Naina Lal Kidwai in 11th. Others who appeared in the list include Piramal Life Sciences Vice-Chairperson Swati Piramal (12th), actressShabana Azmi (13th), Balaji TelefilmsBSE -0.80 % Creative Director Ekta Kapoor (14th), Film Director Zoya Akhtar (15th), leader of the Opposition Sushma Swaraj (16th), Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa Jayaram (17th), West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee (18th), Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar (19th) and Lok Sabha MP Dimple Yadav (20th).

Curfew continues....
They broke all the window panes of our house," she said. Stone pelting incidents were also reported from Mehjoor Nagar, Padshahi Bagh and Azad Basti Natipora. Police dispersed a large number of youth in Mehjoor Nagar area of Srinagar who were continuously pelting stones on the police and CRPF personnel deployed on the road. People said that CRPF personnel smashed the window panes of many shops after stone pelting incident. Police at Hyderpora resorted to heavy teargas shelling when protestors were demanding the release of Hurriyat (G) chairman Syed Ali Shah Geelani. Geelani was arrested at Srinagar Airport and lodged in his house under heavy security. People in large number gathered there and raised pro freedom and pro Geelani slogans. Eyewitnesses told CNS that agitated youth resorted to stone pelting while as to disperse them police and Para-military troopers used tear smoke shells. A cameraman was injured in the incident. Heavy teargas shelling created panic in the area.

Singhpora-Viloo tunnel...
shorts road connectivity between Himachal Pradesh and Kashmir valley through Pangi-Padder-SinthanSrinagar route. During G M Saroori's tenure as R & B ministry the paper work for the tunnel was completed. It was also in his time 23km of road from Chatroo to Singhpora, also from Vailoo side was completed in 2010 expeditiously. The two former Chief Ministers Mufti Mohammad Sayeed and Ghulam Nabi Azadalso evinced keen interest and moved ahead with the project as result of which the project was finally taken in hand by GREF in the year 2005, but the project was stopped in 2008 when militants killed five GREF personnel, including a Lieutenant Colonel Ajay Verma on June 13, 2008. Singhpora-Vailoo tunnel will prove to be of crucial importance as it will link Kishtwar and Doda with the Kashmir Valley besides providing an alternate route from Valley to Jammu, and for Amarnath pilgrims, Himachal Pradesh and Punjab. Presently a traveler has to cover a distance of 290 km to reach Kishtwar via the Srinagar-Jammu highway, but the SrinagarSinthan-Kishtwar road reduces the distance by 200 km. Earthwork and two-laning have been completed from Batote to Chatroo on the Kishtwar side and from Vailoo side. People of District Kishtwar and Anantnag

J&K LC elections: NC....

Congress were elected for the state council from Kashmir division while Naresh Kumar Gupta of INC from Doda district. Ramzan said that 78 votes were total polled with 87.64 per cent for four Kashmir seats. According to the Returning Officer, after first round Syed Naeem Akhtar Andrabi secured 19 votes, Showkat Hussain Ganie got 17, Shuban Krishen Dudha 9 votes, Abdul Majeed Bhat 16 and Mohammad Muzaffar Parrey got 17 votes. Similarly, Naresh Kumar Gupta was elected as he secured 50 votes, while his rival Mohammad Ibrar got 20 votes. Candidates to three seats of Jammu were already declared unopposed last week, including Devinder Singh Rana of NC, Rani Gargi Bloeria of INC and Yashpal Sharma of PDP.

ADMISSION BOOKING 2013

12th Pass or 12th Class studying students who are interested in Engg. / Medical fields are informed to get their seats booked in reputed colleges of Northern India under Management seats without any donation securing 50% marks in Phy, Chem, Maths/Bio for the following courses, M.D.S, B.D.S, M. Tech, B. Tech, B. Sc Nursing, B. Pharmacy, Diploma in all streams G.N.M, M.Ed, B.Ed, MBA, LLB, Hotel Management, MCA, BBA etc.

UPSC in change...
examination for the IFoS. It has, rather, made a provision of commonpreliminary test for both the CSE and Forest Service examinations. The preliminary test, which is to be held on May 26, will be a common screening mechanism for both these examinations for shortlisting candidates for their respective 'Main' examination. The main examination of both CSE and IFoS will be held separately and on different dates/months (keeping in mind common candidates for both the examinations). While CSE is meant for selecting candidates for IAS, IPS, Indian Foreign Service (IFS), IRS, IIS and other elite central services, the IFoS examination is being conducted to select officers for Indian Forest Service. Earlier, Indian Forest Service examination did not have concept of preliminary test like the CSE. Since the preliminary examination is a subject-neutral test which screens aspirants on the basis of their aptitude, ana-

Free national...
In December, Telecom Regulatory Authority of India ( Trai) had floated a pre-consultation paper seeking inputs from stakeholders on tariff for national roaming services. It sought views of stakeholders on aspects of national roaming services like the cost components of call rates to be considered, the manner of cost recovery in case incoming calls are to be made free, the tariff for video calls and SMS while roaming, need for permitting special tariff vouchers for roaming customers. At present, telecom operators have to pay various charges like termination charge, interconnect charges, for completing call of their customers on to

Shaadi.com survey ...

voted as the most admired female politician in a survey conducted by shaadi.com."The survey seems to indicate that the Indian youth admire women who despite their celebrity status, connect with the masses in the digital space. The poll is part of the constant research that shaadi.com conducts in its attempt to gauge the preferences of its members," said Gourav Rakshit, chief operating officer (COO), shaadi.com. From Bollywood, model-turned-actress Malaika Arora Khan topped the list with 51.05 percent respondents voting for her, followed by actress Kajol, who got 42.03 percent of the votes. In sports, London Olympics bronze medallist

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Support to BJP proxy exposes....

l Conference and said the people have started seeing through its game plan. "Seeing writing on wall, the PDP is now trying to ignite passions in its vain bid to defame National Conference", he said, hoping the people will give them a reply they deserve

Saroori demands railway....

package for backward district in the state besides on spot special police recruitment in Chatroo, Bunjwah, Thakrie, Khara, Gondoh, Saroor, Marmat,

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Hall 101, South Block, Bahu Plaza, Jammu (M): 9906083095, 9205072038

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Use of pepper grenade
SRINAGAR: On a complaint about the use of pepper grenade filed by the people of old city, Deputy Commissioner Srinagar, Baseer Ahmed Khan Thursday directed Superintendent of Police, City North to furnish a factual report whether the pepper grenade were used or not. The letter shot by DC Srinagar to the said police officer reads, "your reply in the matter must reach to this office within one day," Confirming it DC, Srinagar Baseer Ahmed Khan told CNS that a letter has been shot to SP North to give a factual report on the alleged use of pepper grenade in Rathpora Idgah. "Yes I have shot a letter to the Police officer. But we have wait and see whether it is true or not," Khan said. According to reports, a complaint was filed by the President Masjid Hamzah Rathpora, Laigaridora iddgah before DC, Srinagar in which people had alleged that during de-induction of troops on 6th of March, 2013 pepper grenade were fired in the locality resulting in serious health problems to the residents especially the women flock. In this connection DC Srinagar has shot a letter to SP North Tahir Saleem directing him to furnish a factual report whether the pepper grenade were used or not.

Kargil deputation meets lone, demands GDC for Sankoo

JAMMU, MARCH 07: Minister for Higher Education, Mohammad Akbar Lone today said that the government would look into the demand for opening of Government Degree College (GDC) at Sankoo, Kargil . Lone assured a deputation of Youth Welfare Organization, Sankoo, Kargil, led by Minister of state education Feroz Ahmed Khan, that he will direct the department to get the feasibility report in the matter and shall considered the demand on priority. Earlier, the deputation presented a memorandum of demands to the Minister and demanded opening of a Degree College at Sankoo Tehsil keeping in view the population and distance of the area.

NEWS IN BOX

Govt purchases PHE pipes on approved rates: Sham Lal

28 minor irrigation, 17 flood works completed in Leh
JAMMU, MARCH 07Minister for PHE, Irrigation and Flood Control Sham Lal Sharma while replying to a question by Syed Mohammad Rafiq Shah informed the House that the department purchased 58293 meter length of pipes of different dia from 2009 to 2012. The Minister said that the purchase was made on the basis of proper requisition made by the territorial divisions and endorsed by the concerned Superintending Engineers, adding that the purchased pipes M/S Nidhi Pipes Ltd, Chandigarh and M/S Bhawani Industries Ltd, Gobindgarh. Replying to another question by Master Noor Hussain, the Minister informed that as many as 1332 land compensation cases are pending with the PHE, I&FC department, of which 767 cases are in Kashmir Division and 565 in Jammu Division. Sham said that the PHE department engaged 135 persons from Kashmir and 23 persons from Jammu in lieu of their land donated to the department, of which 5 persons are from Jammu and 3 from Samba district. Replying to another question by Narboo Gialchan, the Minister informed that several main irrigation canals were damaged due to flash floods in Leh district for which Rs. 230.61 lakh and Rs. 106.27 lakh have been released under Minor Irrigation and Flood Control sectors respectively to Leh district. He said 28 minor irrigation works and 17 works under Flood Control have been completed so far.

Awarness Camp for fish farmers at Maitra

RAMBAN, MARCH 07- With an aim to popularize Fish farming and provide information about various schemes, the Department of Fisheries organized an awareness camp under ATMA at Maitra here today. Assistant Director Fisheries Fayaz Ahmed Fayaz stressed upon Fish farmers to adopt integrated fish farming and latest technologies to enhance output and improve their economic conditions. He exhorted unemployed youth to avail the benefits of various schemes and technical knowhow provided by the department for setting up their income generating units. He said that the department is making all out efforts to popularize fish farming by successful implementation of various schemes in the district. He informed that 137 fishermen have been registered in the district and are provided insurance cover of Rs. 5 lakhs. Nylon twine are also provided for fabrication of fishing nets with the assistance of social welfare department and so far 46 fishermen have been provided assistance for construction of low cost houses.

stands lifted by the end users. He said that the purchase was made on DGS&D approved rates from

No proposal for inclusion of Devsar villages with tehsil Kulgam: Aijaz Khan
JAMMU, MARCH 07- Minister of State for Revenue Aijaz Ahmad Khan informed the House that there are 20 villages in Tehsil Devsar and some of them are adjacent to tehsil Kulgam. He said there is no proposal under consideration for inclusion of villages of Devsar with Kulgam tehsil.

35 farmers of Beerwah and Khansahib deputed for Extension Tour

BUDGAM, MARCH 7: A group of 35 progressive farmers of Beerwah and Khansahib Budgam were deputed for 5 days study tour today within state under Rashtriya Kissan Vikas Yojna (RKVY) programme of "Exchange Visit of Farmers". Farmers shall be visiting olive Farm Ramban, SKAUST Jammu, Agriculture Department Farms Jammu and other relevant places. Main objective of deputing farmers study tours is to make farmers aware about the latest research, development in various fields in agriculture and allied sectors, so that farmers after their return back shall apply same in their fields and teach other farmers. On this occasion, Chief Agriculture Officer Budgam M.A Parray said that department of agriculture is going to organize more and more educational tour for the farmers of district within and outside state as well so that farmers could get updated latest technology. He advised the interested farmers of district budgam who are willing to participate in tours should contact respective Zonal Officers of district, so that their names could be enlisted for future such tour programmes.

JKVHA hails decision of State Govt. to Ban Gutka and raise VAT on Tobacco products
JAMMU, MARCH 7, 2013: JK Voluntary Health Association (JKVHA) and VHAI New Delhi have hailed the decision of the State Government to raise VAT on Tobacco products from 30% to 40% and also the decision to ban Gutka and Pan Masala. The Finance Minister Abdul Rahim Rather, Wednesday announced ban on Gutka in his budget speech and the Commissioner Food Safety & Standards issued notification vide SRO 68 dated 6th March 2013 imposing a complete ban on manufacture, storage, sale, transportation, display or distribution of Gutka, by whatever name and Pan Masala/Zarda containing tobacco or nicotine, as ingredients, by whatsoever name, with immediate effect. The State Government also announced an increase in VAT on Cigarettes and Other Tobacco products from 30% to 40%. These decisions were taken by the State Government in consideration of representations made by J&K Voluntary Health Association and VHAI New Delhi, in the interest of public health. Hailing the decision A.M.Mir (IAS Retd.) Executive Director JKVHA, in a press conference, said that the collective efforts of the Civil Society, NGOs and the general public have paid dividends. He expressed his gratitude to the State Government and thanked, particularly H.E. The Governor, NN Vohra, Hon'ble Chief Minister, Omar Abdullah, Finance Minister, Abdul Rahim Rather, Economic Adviser, Jalil Ahmed Khan, Chief Secretary, Iqbal Khanday, Principal Secretary Finance, BB Vyas, Commissioner/Secretary Health and Medical Education, MK Dwivedi, Drug Controller Satish Gupta, CEO VHAI Alok Mukhopadhyay, ED VHAI, Ms. Bhavna Mukhopadhyay, Director VHAI, Ms. Seema Gupta and Chairman JKVHA, Dr. (Professor) GQ Allaqaband. Mir also expressed his gratitude to print and electronic media for their role as a pressure group and the support privided for anti tobacco activities. The press conference was also attended by Ghulam Nabi Mir Lasjan, Social Activist, BL Parimoo, Member JKVHA and Dr NC Prabhakar. JKVHA has been working for implementation of Ban on Gutka implementation of Tobacco Control Act for the past five years and has undertaken various awareness programmes for the masses about the hazard and ill-effects of tobacco products, including various rallies, seminars and workshops, in urban and rural areas. The Organization had earlier filed a PIL in the Hon'ble High Court seeking implementation of Section 4 and Section 6 (a) and (b) banning smoking in public places and sale of tobacco products to minors and around 100 yards of education institutions. Another PIL had been filed by JKVHA seeking ban on Gutka. JKVHA has been working in close collaboration with State Government for reducing the consumption of tobacco, especially amongst the youth.

Radhay Sham hails FM for farmer friendly budget

JAMMU, MARCH 7: Vice-Chairman and Members of State Advisory Board for Development of Kissans, Radhay Sham Sharma, has welcomed the budget presented by the Finance Minister, under the able-guidance of Chief Minister Omar Abdullah. The vice- chairman hailed the Finance Minister for conceding the suggestions of the board members during pre-budget meetings and providing Tax concessions for the Farming community in Rice, Paddy, wheat, Saffron, Honey and agricultural implementation, besides enhancing the limit of stamp duty of Kissan Credit cards etc. These farmer friendly steps are definitely going to help the Agriculture Production in Jammu and Kashmir State in a big way, he said.

No contractual, adhoc engagements made in Floriculture department: Gurezi

JAMMU, MARCH 07- Minister of State for Floriculture, Nazir Ahmad Gurezi informed the House that no contractual/ Adhoc engagements have been made in the department during the past three years, adding the department has engaged 311 casual/seasonal labourers in Kashmir division and 303 in Jammu Division on need basis from time to time for upkeep and maintenance of gardens from 2009.

Ferocious leopard lashed out at a family

SRINAGAR: A leopard lashed out at a family in Central Kashmir's Khag area of Budgam injuring four persons including a woman critically. All have been referred to JVC Bemina. According to reports, a resident of Khag namely Ghulam Hassan Mir along with his wife Gulshan Banoo and a child Zubir Ahmed Thursday went to a nearby field to have a look at their newly constructed house. As soon as they entered the house they were horrified to see a live leopard. "I tried to save my child but the leopard jumped on us suddenly. My wife tried to flee and it ran after her. The leopard repeated made an attempt to lash at us," injured Mir told CNS. He said that he dared to attack the leopard back with a log and it came out of the house hurriedly but unfortunately a boy Danish Maqbool was passing by there and the leopard attacked him too left him in a pool of blood. Police and people had cordoned the house in which the said leopard was hiding. Operation was going on to apprehend the ferocious leopard when this report was being filed. Meanwhile all the injured are being treated in JVC Hospital Bemina.

Finance Commission submits report in 2010

JAMMU, MARCH 07- Minister of State for Finance Dr. Manohar Lal Sharma replying to a question by Naresh Kumar Gupta informed the House that a Finance Commission was constituted to ensure equitable development in all the regions of the State by way of equitable distribution of resources. He said the Commission has submitted its report in November 2010, which has to be examined by the Committees to be constituted for the purpose in the concerned departments for implementation of the recommendations. He said the Group of Ministers would make their recommendations to the Cabinet when the proposals are received from all departments.

State receives Rs 5391 cr under SCAP: Sadhotra

JAMMU, MARCH 07: Minister for Planning, Labour & Employment, Ajay Sadhotra informed the House that against the allocation of Rs 6384 crore under Special Central Assistance Plan (SCAP) the State Government has received Rs 5391 crore up to end of February this year for carrying out developmental infrastructure under various sectors in the state. Replying to a question by Peerzada Mansoor Hussain, the Minister informed the House that District Development Commissioners and concerned departments were authorized for utilization of Plan resources right from first day of financial year for smooth implementation of developmental schemes adding that developmental activities are carried out throughout the year and it is only the billing of expenditure, which is done towards the 3rd and 4th quarter of the financial year. Giving details of the Plan, the Minister said that a scheme of financing is approved by the Union Government for implementation of the Annual Plan, which, inter alia, comprises State's own resources and grants from Centre under different heads. He said there are different procedures and schedules for release of each component of grant. He said the utilization certificates are required to be submitted for the grants received from Centre adding that the process of submission of Utilization Certificates is a continuous one and are submitted only after utilization of funds. The Minister said that this system of release of funds from the Centre is applicable for the current annual plan also. He said various components for Plan financing like the Revenue Deficit Grant and Normal Central Assistance are received in 12 equated instalments and share in Central taxes is received in 14 instalments. He said that till date the State Government has received these grants as per schedule only. Responding to the supplementaries raised by Harshdev Singh, M. Y. Tarigami, Krishan Chander Bhagat, Irfan Shah, Abdul Haq Khan, Balwant Singh Mankotia, Yash Paul Kundal, Qamar Ali Akhoon, Rafiq Hussain Khan, Nizam-u-Din Bhat, and Ashok Kumar Sharma, the Minister said that due care is being given to each area while releasing the plan funds for carrying out development infrastructure, adding that concerned authorities have been authorised by the Government for utilization of plan funds from first day of financial year.

35 kg ration being provided to consumers: Ramzan

JAMMU, MARCH 07- Minister for Consumer Affairs and Public Distribution Choudhary Mohammad Ramzan while replying to a clubbed question by Subash Chander Gupta and Sham Lal Bhagat informed the House that 35 kilograms ration per family is being provided to the consumers of the State. The Minister said that the names of the new born and newly married daughter-in-laws are also being entered in the old ration cards, adding that no new ration cards or bifurcation of ration cards for separate families are being issued to the new family units. Choudhary Ramzan said that the left out families will be covered as and when the State will get additional quota of ration as per 2011 census for which the matter stands taken up with the Centre. Supplementary questions were raised by Dr. Bashir Ahmad Veeri and Jugal Kishor on the issue.

I-cards of Health/Electric deptt employees to be treated as curfew pass

SRINAGAR, MARCH 07: According to District Magistrate, Srinagar, the valid identity cards of the employees of Health and Electric Departments shall be treated as curfew passes allowing them to move during the curfew period enabling them to perform their legitimate duties.

Law Deptt Employees hail Law Minister

JAMMU, MARCH 7:- All the officers and officials of the Department of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs working within or outside the Secretariat have hailed the Minister for Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Mir Saifullah for conceding all outstanding demands. The employees have expressed their overwhelming gratitude to the Minister for paying special attention to the long pending demands of various categories of the employees, which include promotions, fixing of seniority and other issues related to the welfare of the employees of the department and addressing these on priority.

Wani, Sagar review pace of work on Srinagar city projects

JAMMU MARCH 07: The construction work on prestigious New Zainakadal in Srinagar, considered to be of great importance from business point of view, would be started in April this year at an estimated cost of Rs 11.29 crore, while as the repair and upgradation of super structure of the Old Zainakadal has been completed and thrown open for pedestrians and light motor vehicles in December last. This was stated by the Minister for Roads and Buildings Abdul Majid Wani, in presence of Minister for Rural Development and Panchayati Raj, while chairing a high level meeting of the officers of the Jammu and Kashmir Project Construction Corporation (JKPCC) convened to review the progress and present status of

Work on New Zainakadal to start in April this year

the work taken up on New Zainakadal, Old Zainakadal, Ziyarat Peer Dastageer Sahib at Khanyar and Ziyarat Peer Naqashband Sahib at Roshanghar Mohalla in Srinagar city. Legislator Dr. Mustafa Kamal, besides Commissioner Secretary R&B Mtr Tanveer Jahan, Chief Engineer R&B Kashmir, Managing Director JKPCC and other functionaries attended the meeting. The meeting was informed that considering the heritage importance of Zainakadal, the government has decided to preserve the historical architecture of the Bridge for which an amount of Rs 2.50 crore have been earmarked last year. It was also given out in the meeting that the government has engaged a renowned Consultant T. K. Basu and under his supervision the work has been completed at a cost of Rs 1.10 crore. The substructure work shall be completed by ending October this year. It was also given out in the meeting that the work on New Zainakadal is in full swung. The Minister was informed that JKPCC has started the levelling work of a piece of land paving way for construction of a shopping complex by the Srinagar Municipal Corporation (SMC) to rehabilitate the affected shopkeepers. Reviewing the pace of progress on the Ziyarat Peer Dastageer Sahib, the Minister was informed that the structural work with Pagoda roofing and Khatamband work on first floor has been completed, while wood panelling of walls and interior work of first floor is in progress. The Minister was informed that out of total allocation of Rs 6.89 crore, an amount of Rs 5.80 crore have been incurred on the shrine project. The Ministers asked the concerned construction agencies to ensure that the heritage buildings and shrines being reconstructed and repaired retain the aesthetic looks akin to the old Kashmir architecture. They also directed the engineers to ensure regular monitoring and use of quality material in the construction.

Nazir Bakshi calls on Governor

JAMMU, MARCH 7 - Nazir Bakshi, former President, Kashmir Chamber of Commerce, called on N. N. Vohra, Governor, at Raj Bhavan, here today. Bakshi thanked the Governor, who is Chairman of the Shri Amarnathji Shrine Board, for taking a number of initiatives to involve all concerned stakeholders for progressively improving the facilities for the Shri Amarnathji Yatris. In this context, he particularly referred to the requirement of pilgrims securing a Compulsory Health Certificate before applying for issue of Yatra Permit. Lauding the efforts of the Chairman of the Shrine Board in involving local stakeholders in providing facilities to the Yatris, Bakshi, who has been associated with the travel trade for the past 45 years, said that this has generated tremendous economic benefits to the local population. He also discussed with the Governor the vast potential available for promoting pilgrim tourism in the State, particularly in the Kashmir Valley.

Attention candidates of Pulwama having applied for contractual 10+2 Lecturership

PULWAMA, MARCH 07: According to Chief Education Officer, Pulwama, all those candidates of the district having applied for the post of Lecturer (10+2) on contractual basis are informed to appear in the written test being held on March 09, 2013 at 10 a.m. at Higher Secondary School, Litter, Pulwama.

Trout Sale Centres set up on the eve of Maha Shivratra

BUDGAM, MARCH 07: To facilitate the people especially Pandit Community on the eve of Maha Shivratri in district Budgam, special Sale Centres of Trout fish have been set up in the district. All those intending to benefit from these centres shall contact Phone Nos. 0191-255256,9419966435, 9697818133 and 9697719201 for sale of Trout fish.

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Ten day capacity building orientation prog concluded
RAMBAN, MARCH 7- A ten day Capacity Building Orientation Training Programme (CBOTP) meant for the Teachers and the Rehbar-e-Taleem of the Batote zone, organised by the District Institute Education and Trainings (DIET), Banihal under the Course Coordinator (CC), Rakesh Kumar Sharma, concluded at the Government Girls High School, Batote, today. The programme was orgnaized to enhance their teaching basic methodology, pedagogy, importance of Building As Learning Aid (BALA) in teaching and skill especially in teaching the Children With Special Needs (CWSN). On the last day of the CBOTP the Chief Education Officer, Ramban, Vinod Kumar Soni and Zonal Education Officer, Batote, Vijay Kumar Gupta attended the Programme to encourage the trainees as well as the trainers.

J&KSSWB Celebrates International Women's Day

JAMMU, MARCH 07: J&K State Social Welfare Board (J&KSSWB) today organised an impressive function to mark International Women's Day, here at Jammu University . Chairperson, J&KSSWB Mrs. Khem Lata Wakhloo was the chief guest, while around 1200 women hailing from urban and rural areas of Jammu division attended the function. Secretary, J&KSWB, Gazaffer Ali, Managing Director Women Development Corporation, Nahid Soz, Executive Director Rehabilitation council, Hafiza Muzaffer, Aamir Ali, Vice President, All India Pradesh Congress Committee, Lalit Joshi, Prof Rita Jitendra, all board members, Gh. Nabi Mir, A. M. Mir, Sarla Kohli, Santosh Magotra, Kanta Bhan, Bimla Bhagotra, Raj Sharma and several prominent citizen attended the function. Prof. Rita Jitendra anchored the programme, while a group of students presented a scintillating cultural programme highlighting the issues of women folk and educating them about their rights and duties. Addressing the function, Mrs. Khem Lata Wakhloo stressed upon one and all to respect and maintain the status of women at all costs and put in every effort to create a secure and safe atmosphere for her to play a pivotal role in transformation of society and eradication of social evils. Congratulating women on International Day being celebrated across the globe, Mrs. Wakhloo said that women has been bestowed with courage, patience and sincere heart by Almighty and in all times she had shouldered more responsibilities in the up keep of family and society than men . She said that girls not only fill the home of their parents with joy but also the household where they get married. Asking women to fight for their rights, Mrs Wakhloo reminded women of their duties as well. She said that sex determination test and female feoticide are the worst crimes of modern society and a blanket ban should be imposed on such practices. The function began with a prayer in which a large number of children participated. The programme enthralled the audience and won great applaud.

J&K State Social Welfare Board organising an impressive function to mark International Women's Day, here at Jammu University.

Backward Class Commission functional, decides 219 cases: Sakina

JAMMU, MARCH 07 : Minister for Social Welfare Ms. Sakina Itoo today informed the House that Commission for Backward Classes is functional in the State and has decided 219 cases during 2009 to 2012. The Minister was replying to a question by Sheikh Ghulam Rasool in LC today. Ms. Sakina said that the Commission has received 1694 representations from various districts for granting Backward Class status during 2009,2010, 2011 and 2012 are still pending with it, adding that the Commission declares the area as Backward which qualify the norms set for the purpose. The Minister said the government has recently appointed two members in Commission while the appointment of rest of the members is under process. Replying to another question by Syed Asgar Ali, the Minister informed that 28,000 Anganwari Centres are functional in the State, of which 47 are in Dachhan block of Kishtwar district. She said that Rs. 22.040 lakh was provided to Anganwari workers and Rs. 11.144 lakh to Anganwari Helpers as honorarium besides Rs. 9.85 lakh and Rs. 0.47 lakh stands expended on cost of nutrition and fuel charges respectively. The Minister said that the public representatives have the authority to pay surprise visit to these centres to ensure proper monitoring mechanism.

Contact district administration if CRPF personnel indulge in excesses: Div Com

SRINAGAR: Coming down heavily on unbridled CRPF personnel for ransacking houses and religious places, Divisional Commissioner Kashmir, Dr Asghar Samoon Thursday appealed people to contact District administration in case CRPF personnel indulge in ransacking houses in any area. Meanwhile Deputy Commissioner Srinagar, Baseer Ahmed Khan said that he will look into the matter and will try to find out where ransacking has taken place. "Strict action will be taken against the erring CRPF personnel. I fail to understand how they act independently when standard operating procedures (SOP) have been set for them. I want to assure people that whosoever indulge in excesses will face the music," Divisional Commissioner told CNS adding that police in no way should give free hand to CRPF personnel. When asked that CRPF personnel ransacked the Batamaloo shrine, beat people and smashed window panes in Dhobi Mohalla and at other places, Dr Asghar Samoon said that desecration of religious places could not be tolerated and erring personnel will be taken to task. "I appeal people to contact district administration in case ransacking takes place. I assure people that stern action will be taken against the CRPF personnel if found guilty," he said. Divisional Commissioner Kashmir, Dr Asghar Samoon said he will look into the matter why CRPF personnel are indulging in ransacking at different places. "I will look into the matter. We have set SOP for them and they (CRPF) have to act on the instructions of district and police officer. They can't act independently and I assure people that erring personnel will face the music," Samoon said. Meanwhile Deputy Commissioner Srinagar, Baseer Ahmed Khan told CNS that he will find out where ransacking has taken place. "If ransacking reports will prove correct we will certainly take action against the erring cops.

Ukhral receiving station coming up soon: Vikar

JAMMU, MARCH 07: Minister of State for Technical Education, Power and Information, Vikar Rasool has said that the receiving station at Ukhral, Banihal will be taken up shortly. The Minister was interacting with deputations of several Panchayats of Banihal area like Dardehi, Shagan, Paristan, Ashar, Zehala, etc. The deputation was led by Farooq Ahmed Katoch. The deputation of Ziahala demanded that the Water Supply Scheme of the area be completed and the area be provided with a dispensary and high school. The deputation also demanded that the areas be provided with adequate electricity, transmission lines, poles and other allied equipment. The Minister assured the deputation that he would take up the issues with the concerned and announced that Dardhia-Nowgam, Parkar, Upper Saroacha will be provided adequate electric power and Tarigam area would be provided solar lights. Vikar later called on the Minister for Roads and Building Abdul Majjid Wani and projected the demands of the deputations for connecting various areas of Banihal Constituency with network of roads under PMGSY. Vikar asked for taking up Magarkote-Ahama, Dardahi, Manjoos, Paristan roads under PMGSY and upgradation of Sanapati road. He also called for undertaking the work as early as possible on the Shagun road already sanctioned under PMGSY.

Awareness camp on Malnutrition held at Akhnoor

JAMMU, MARCH 07: With a view to create awareness among the masses regarding need to adopt the balanced diet, CDPO Akhnoor, Surinder Paul Sharma organised an impressive awareness camp on "malnutrition" at Akhnoor under IEC. More than three hundred persons including Anganwadi Workers/Helpers attended the camp. BMO Akhnoor, Dr. Narinder Batyal, all the supervisors and office staff of ICDS project ,Akhnoor were present in the camp. Speaking on the Occasion BMO Akhnoor stressed for generating awareness among the people to improve the Nutrition particularly of women & children by adopting healthy diet. He highlighted some deficiency diseases caused due the lack of balanced diet. CDPO Akhnoor also called on the Anganwadi workers to work selflessly to eradicate the menace of malnutrition to achieve the goals set under ICDS Scheme.

Choona Hai Aasman , Season III concludes in Doda

DODA, MARCH 07- The talent hunt programme, Choona Hai Aasman, Season III organized by Jammu and Kashmir Police under "Civic Action Programme" concluded in town hall Doda today. DIG Ramban- DodaKishtwar Police Range Gareeb Dass was the chief guest on the occasion while District Development Commissioner, Doda Farooq Ahmed Khan was the guest of honour besides ASP Bhaderwah, DySP Hq. Doda, DySP DAR Doda, SHO Doda and other senior officers of District Police Doda attended the ceremony. 18 participants selected form Doda, Kishtwar and Ramban participated in the Talent Hunt Choona Hai Aasman Season III , solo singing competition under the Senior and Junior, Male and Female categories . Under Senior Male Category Shahzeb Bangroo and Kuljeet Singh of Doda District got selected for Divisional level competition while under the Senior Female Category Miss Urmila Devi of Doda District and Miss Vishakha Bhardwaj of Kishtwar District were selected. Similarly under Junior Male Category Suhaib Sajjad Kandoo of Kishtwar District and Miss Ritika Lama of Ramban District got selected for Divisional level competition. Cash prizes were distributed among the winners besides participation certificates were also distributed by DIG RambanDodaKishtwar Police Range Gareeb Dass. While speaking on the occasion Dass said that Jammu and Kashmir Police is working to bridge gap between Police and Public and a strong relation between Public and Law enforcing agency is vital for the development and upliftment of the society and country. He said under Civic Action Programme, Jammu and Kashmir Police is working to channelize the energy of youth in nation building activities.

DDC chairs DLRC meet in Rajouri

RAJOURI, MARCH 07- The District Level Review Committee (DLRC) Meeting was held today under the chairmanship of District Development Commissioner Rajouri Saugat Biswas. The meeting was attended by Gopal Dass AGM, Des Raj DDM NABARD, District Officers of line department and bankers. LMD Arvind Kapoor informed that against the annual target of Rs. 14952 lakhs total achievement was Rs. 9040 lakhs out of which Rs. 4486 lakhs was disbursed under Agriculture sector, Rs. 2747 lakhs under SSI, Rs. 179 lakhs under micro credit, Rs. 72 lakhs under Education and Rs. 1556 lakhs under Housing Sector. Deposit of District have risen to Rs. 1698.90 crore and advances have gone up to 393.21 crore from 375.76 crore over last quarter. LDM LSO informed about achievements made under Government Sponsored Schemes especially in KCC and conveyed that targets under various schemes have already been achieved. DDC Rajouri Saugat Biswas directed the banks to improve CD Ratio by lending liberally. He asked the banks and government departments to organize awareness camps to popularize government sponsored schemes, so that youth of the area can take benefit of employment generating programmes. DDC Rajouri advised agencies and Banks to sanction loan cases in a time bound manner and stressed that the far flung areas should be brought under banking ambit by opening at least one account per family.

Cop killed, five others injured in road mishap

BANIHAL: One policeman was killed and five others injured in a head on collision of vehicles on Jammu-Srinagar National Highway in Ramban district here on Thursday. Constable Shamsher Singh, posted at Mattan police station in Anantnag, died on the spot when his Maruti vehicle collided head on with a truck at Mihar area in Ramban district, officials said. After the collision, the truck went on to hit a tempo, injuring its five passengers, they said. The injured were rushed to a district hospital at Ramban, police said adding, the driver of the truck managed to escape from the spot. A case has been registered and a search is on for the driver, they said.

House pays tributes to Ram Dass Dogra, ex-legislator

JAMMU, MARCH 07: The Jammu & Kashmir Legislative Assembly today paid rich tributes to former legislator, Ram Dass Dogra. Speaker, Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly, Mubarak Gul moved the obituary references in this regard in the House today. He described the late leader as a man of masses who always had the welfare of people up on his mind. He said late Dogra dedicated his entire life to the service of the society for which he will be remembered forever. The Speaker said Dogra joined politics in 1960 and was elected as member of Assembly in 1983. A 2-minute silence was observed as a mark of respect to the leader and House adopted the Motion.

517 kanal of forest land transferred to JDA: Mian Altaf

JAMMU, MARCH 07: Minister for Forest, Ecology and Environment Mian Altaf Ahmad while replying to a question raised by Sheikh Ghulam Rasool on behalf of Vijay Bakaya informed the House that 623 kanals and 10 marlas forest land was ordered to be transferred to Jammu Development Authority (JDA) for construction of New Jammu Township but the actual possession of the land is yet to be given to JDA. The Minister further informed that out of total area, 517 kanals and 10 marlas stands handed over to JDA on record and remaining 100 kanals were ordered to be left for Social Forest Nursery and Rest House, while as the 6 kanals for construction of Public Service Commission Office. Mian Altaf said that JDA has paid an amount of Rs. 1134. 377 lakhs against the total amount of Rs. 1621.388 lakhs on account of cost of land, compensatory afforestation and Social Forestry Plantation. Replying to another question by Murtaza Ahmad Khan, the Minister informed that the State Pollution Control Board has granted permission to 13 units and 4 units were registered with Industries and Commerce department. He said that 14 business concerns are running without fulfilling legal formalities in the area against which the PCB has initiated legal proceedings in the matter. He said Jammu Municipal Corporation has not granted any permission to business concerns and automobile workshop as the same are existing prior to bringing said area within Jammu municipal limits, adding that JMC is contemplating to provide trade licenses to traders in terms of J&K Municipal Corporation Act,2000.

Gurezi inaugurates Kissan Mela

UDHAMPUR, MARCH07:- Minister of State for Agriculture, Nazir Ahmed Khan (Gurezi), today inaugurated Awareness Camp cum Kissan Mela organized by J&K State Kissan Advisory Board in collaboration with Department of Agriculture Udhampur at Village Bharnara in block Majalta of district Udhampur. Vice Chairman J&K Kissan Advisory board, Radhey Sham Sharma, Secretary Kissan Advisory Board, G. N Mir, Additional Deputy Commissioner, Surat Singh, Chief Agriculture Officer, K.S Samyal, other officers of Agriculture and line departments were present on the occasion. Appreciating the efforts of the agriculture department, the Minister said that these awareness camps cum melas are the need of the hour to apprise the farming community regarding the ongoing schemes and level of subsidy available with the departments. He said that mainstay of the people in rural areas is agriculture and added that the farmers should take the advantage of these camps and adopt all the technical know-how imparted by the various departments in their fields to uplift their economic status. He also commended the efforts of the department in the field of Agriculture Machinery and implements and its promotion in rural areas of the district. Minister apprised that Chief Minister has setup Kissan Advisory Board in the state for the welfare of the farming community and called upon the Panchs and Sarpanches to aware the farming community about the various departmental schemes by holding awareness meets in the wards of their respective panchayats. The government is keen to setup Panchayat Level Cooperative Society shortly which would prove instrumental to provide all required material like fertilizer, seeds, pesticides etc timely at their door steps which would definitely lend a hand to boost the agricultural production, the Minister added. Vice Chairman J&K Kissan Advisory Board said that the convergence of all the stake holders under the one umbrella would act as a platform to work out the future course of action for increasing the production and productivity level of farming community and raise their Socio-economic status. He said that such type of camps would be organized at various panchayats in near future to explore new vistas in the field of Agriculture and allied sector and hoped that such awareness programmes would boldly help in increasing income, rooting out drudgery and rural indebitness of the farmers. Chief Agriculture Officer Udhampur advised the farmers to take full benefit of these camps and do agriculture as per the needs of the market as this will improve not only their income but also uplift their socio-economic condition. The main attraction of the awareness camp cum Kissan mela were stalls laid out by different departments viz; Horticulture, Sericulture, Sheep Husbandry, Animal Husbandry, Fisheries, Floriculture, Apiculture, Mushroom and private players. Farmers of the area appreciated this move of the department and shown keen interest in the "Awareness Camp cum Kissan Mela" and desired that such types of events should be organized in future at Panchayat Level, so that better farming practices can be inculcated to farming community.

IOC launches drive to ensure fuel quality & quantity

JAMMU, MARCH 07- Indian Oil Corporation has launched a special drive for ensuring the quality and quantity of fuel dispensed from its petrol pumps in the state. In addition to quality checks, all dispensing units at IOC petrol pumps are being subjected to stringent checks for the quantity dispensed and also for any modifications in these units. This drive shall continue for a fortnight and shall be undertaken by officials of Indian Oil in collaboration with officers of CAPD and Legal Metrology. As part of the drive, two petrol pumps of Indian Oil were inspected today by a team comprising of Parvez Malik, DirectorCAPD, Jammu, Sh. Amar Singh, Jt. ControllerLegal Metrology, Sh. Manoj Prabhakar, Dy. Controller- Legal Metrology(Enforcement), Sh. RK Shahab, State Level Coordinator- Oil Industry, Sh. Sumeet Munshi, Dy. ManagerIOC, Ms. Pooja, Inspector-Legal Metrology. The petrol pumps inspected were Friends Service Station, Nagrota and Highway Automobiles, Nagrota. Both the petrol pumps were found delivering correct quality and quantity of fuel. Dispensing units installed at these petrol pumps were also found to be in order.

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EDITORIAL

The Budget-- a mixed bag of candy and pepper

he budget presented in the Assembly on Thursday has been claimed as a zero deficit budget by the Finance Minister Abdul Rahim Rather. It was claimed by him that in this budget there is no great difference between the actual expenditure and receipts. The equal amount of expenditure and receipts as put by the Finance Minister may be doubted or challenged by the finance experts. But if we leave that apart there are some good things in the budget that ought to be appreciated. For the first time the government has shown that it cares for the health of the people. The announcement that Gutka, chewable tobacco, Khaini, Pan Masala will be banned in the State is a very good step and will prove a booster in helping raise the health graph of the people. The seriousness with which the Finance Minister has mentioned that the import and manufacture of these obnoxious agents will be banned suggests that after a long delay the government has finally realized that the use of such harmful things are a big a health hazard. Go to any office building, its walls, costly laid marble, toilets or tile floors are stained red with the Pan Masala , Gutka or khaini spits. The sight presented is so odious that we doubt whether we are living in 21st century. Even such places like hospitals or religious ones are not spared. The increase in Value Added Tax (VAT) on cigarettes is also a welcome step. Efforts should be increased so that the cigarette smoking becomes a costly affair for the smoker who not only risks his heath but the health of non-smokers who are around him. These steps should have been taken years ago but in our country good steps are always taken late and when out of frustration the time to jump in the river itself comes then alone do our so called responsive governments rise and act. It has become an endemic habit with we Indians that those steps which have a bearing upon the overall well being of the nation are perpetually postponed. The government is meant to take urgent measures where the need arises. However as is the usual saying Daer Ayud Durust Ayad---- Late you have arrived yet you are welcome. Another step that has been taken in right earnestness is the announcement of remuneration for Sarpanchs and Panchs. The recently held Panchayat elections were a watershed in the modern history of the State. It was after more than three decades that the dream of Panchayati Raj got its first boost when more than thirty five thousand Sarpanchs and Panchs got elected to the village Panchayat committees. These grass root level representatives represent the building blocks of democracy. In announcing remuneration for them is a right step. But a paltry sum of six hundred for a Panch per month is something difficult to understand keeping in view inputs they have to put in for the development of the village. Another measure mentioned in the budget is the proposal of financial help amounting to thirty thousand rupees to each orphan girl who has attained marriageable age, passed matriculation examination and belongs to Below Poverty Line (BPL) families. Poor girls need the support of the society especially when the crimes against women and girls from susceptible and economically weaker background are rising. For a change, the media men or the journalist fraternity has come under the focus of the Finance Minister. The media men of the State are fighting for the implementation of Wage Board recommendations. The government is not yet acting in this regard. The measure to explore possibilities of insurance cover to journalists is being proposed. What will be the modalities and guidelines of the proposal is not yet clear. It is only an intention of the government. Media men in this trouble torn State are contributing to project the multifarious problems of the people in a challenging environment. It is thus incumbent upon the government to have a media policy in place which looks into the various problem areas concerning them. Sadly, in this budget there is no hike for the prices of liquor. The Finance Minister should have hiked the price of liquor so that people could desist from drinking. What were his compulsions or constraints is not clear. All said and done the good features in a budget must be acknowledged but the budget is not clear as to how it is going to mop up additional resources. Power is one sector where the government should have given clear indication that it desires to work upon. The transmission losses and pilferage of power draws a large chunk of revenue from the receipt head of the budget. Complete metering of power consumers is a long way away. There is no mention of it in the budget speech. One of the grave omissions that the Finance Minister has made is not giving anything to the casual labourers working in the un-organised sector. Similarly the famous lakes of Jammu like Mansar and Surinsar have not been allocated sufficient funds so that these charming lakes become focal point of Jammu tourism. The budget is a mixed bag but when it comes to develop Jammu as a prime tourist destination the budget has come a cropper.

Sri Lanka: Third UNHRC Resolution and India's Dilemma

A
N Manoharan s Sri Lanka faces its third resolution at the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC), India is once again caught in a dilemma. On the one hand, New Delhi does not wish to support an 'intrusive' resolution against Colombo. At the same time, it wants Sri Lanka to take reconciliation and devolution seriously. Pressures from Tamil Nadu, in this regard, are difficult to ignore. Exactly a year ago, at the 19th session of the UNHRC, a US-sponsored resolution was passed against the island state. Backed by 24 countries, including France, Norway and India, the resolution placed three requests to Sri Lanka: 1. To 'implement the constructive recommendations made in the report of the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission' (LLRC), and to 'initiate credible and independent actions to ensure justice, equity, accountability and reconciliation for all Sri Lankans'. 2. To 'present a comprehensive action plan as expeditiously as possible, detailing the steps the Government has taken and will take to implement the LLRC recommendations, and also to address alleged violations of international law'. 3. To 'accept advice and technical assistance from the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, and relevant special procedures mandated by holders for implementing the above-mentioned steps ' One year down the line, how far have these requests been taken forward by Sri Lanka? It would be prudent if the upcoming voting depends on the evaluation of the progress made, and a clear plan of action for the future. There are two aspects to the debate: one is fixing accountability for excesses committed by Action in Sri Lanka submitted in November 2012, 'most casualties were caused by Government fire, and included attacks on UN

India's stand is being keenly watched by fence-sitters at the UNHRC, before a s decision on the voting is taken. With countries like China and Russia not being a p a r t o f t h e C o u n c i l t h i s y e a r , I n d i a ' s i n f l u e n c e i s g o i n g t o b e im p o r t a n t . L a s t y e a r , a s i n 2 0 0 9 , t h o u g h I n d i a v o t e d f o r t h e r e s o l u t i o n , i t pl a y e d a s i g n i f i c a n t r o l e i n toning down the original draft making it more 'non-intrusive and non-judgmental'. i j This year, India has so far not divulged its stand on the resolution. However, New D elhi has advised Colom bo to engage directly w ith Washington ' on the draft resolution, and aim for a mutually acceptable outcome' . A consensual resolution acceptable to all would be easier when it comes to implementation. Outside pressure has its ow n lim itation and an expiry date.
the Sri Lankan forces during 'Eelam War IV'; and the other is the way forward in the form of post-war reconciliation in the island. On the issue of accountability, the Army has appointed a Court of Inquiry as an initial fact-finding mission. The five-member body, in the first part of its report submitted on 15 February 2013, concluded that the Army 'took all necessary precautions to avoid civilian casualties, and all those who came under the control of the Sri Lanka Army, including surrendered/captured LTTE cadres, were treated humanely observing the IHL [international humanitarian law] to the letter'. On the other hand, it blamed the LTTE for 'using civilians as Human Shields, summary executions of civilians who attempted to escape to army lines, forced conscription of children for combat purposes etc'. While there is no doubt on the LTTE's involvement, the Army's total denial of the killings is perplexing. According to the Report of the Secretary-General's Internal Review Panel on United Nations premises, and hospitals'. Even if the UNs' report is discounted as an exaggeration, and a 50:50 ratio is taken between the LTTE and the Army, the latter would still be responsible for about 20,000 of the estimated 40,000 killings. Fresh video evidences of the killing of LTTE leader Prabhakaran's 12-year-old son, has made the task of the Sri Lankan delegation at the UNHRC a bit more difficult. The call, therefore, has been for an independent international enquiry. Some headway was made in the implementation of the LLRC recommendations, but the results on the ground are not encouraging. Colombo presented the National Action Plan in July 2012 listing out the implementation of recommendations according to Activity, Key Responsible Agency, Key Performance Indicator and Timeframe. A Task Force (headed by the Secretary to the President) was appointed to oversee the implementation of the Action Plan. But there were too many implementing agencies identified without

clear-cut budget breakups. Surprisingly, Provincial Councils and other local bodies, which are closer to the people and which are in a better position to implement the recommendations, were totally left out. Though the US acknowledged 'some progress' in the LLRC implementation, some undemocratic acts like the impeachment of the Sri Lankan Supreme Court's Chief Justice, and the passage of the Divinugema Act (that encroached on Provincial Councils on development) turned the tables against the island state. Therefore Washington, which is once again sponsoring the resolution, has indicated that the new 'resolution will ask the Government of Sri Lanka to follow through on its own commitments to its people, including implementing the constructive recommendations from the report by Sri Lanka's Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission'. India's stand is being keenly watched by fence-sitters at the UNHRC, before a decision on the voting is taken. With countries like China and Russia not being a part of the Council this year, India's influence is going to be important. Last year, as in 2009, though India voted for the resolution, it played a significant role in toning down the original draft making it more 'non-intrusive and non-judgmental'. This year, India has so far not divulged its stand on the resolution. However, New Delhi has advised Colombo to engage directly with Washington 'on the draft resolution, and aim for a mutually acceptable outcome'. A consensual resolution acceptable to all would be easier when it comes to implementation. Outside pressure has its own limitation and an expiry date.

Review: India, Pakistan and Incremental CBMs

By Debak Das n light of the fresh round of overt and public exchanges of animosity between India and Pakistan in January 2013, the above essay is well timed. It is rich with analyses about various CBM processes between India and Pakistan over the years. Dalton suggests that there are two primary approaches to the way the process of CBMs have progressed in South Asia; they are, 'incrementalism' currently the status quo in South Asia, and symbolic acts coupled with small steps - similar to the Lahore Summit (which was an exception to the otherwise risk averse incremental approach of both countries to CBMs). The author suggests a new approach that combines both these approaches in order to avoid the 'pitfalls and discontinuity' that have plagued past instances of CBMs. Is Incrementalism Independent of Symbolic Acts? The essay highlights the fact that incremental steps designed to build trust have, in truth, neither produced any stability, nor been a catalyst for change. It is suggested that the Lahore Summit that resulted in the Composite Dialogue process was the product of a remarkable degree of 'initiative and risk-taking by two otherwise nationalist leaders.' To Dalton, the one lesson from Lahore was that 'faster incremental progress can be facilitated by sustained, high level political involvement reinforced by symbolic acts.' An assumption in the essay seems to be that 'incrementalism,' independent of symbolic acts shall occur in slow and equal steps, which may spiral down to zero at any given point of crisis. This may not necessarily be true though. Should recip-

rocation be forthcoming from the other state, then greater and bolder initiatives (proportional to the level of reciprocation) can be undertaken. However, the challenge in the process is to create benchmarks, points in a linear scale beyond which relations may not be allowed to regress any further, regardless of the nature of the crisis at hand. The continuation of the exchange of lists of nuclear facilities in accordance to the agreement on the 'Prohibition of Attack against Nuclear Installations and Facilities' is a good example of a CBM that has withstood the test of acrimonious contingencies created by crises. Contrary to the author's assessment, the exchange of these lists is not simply pro forma and devoid of strategic meaning in the context of the current nuclear dynamic between India and Pakistan. This CBM along with the pre-notification of missile testing are perhaps the best base agreements from which many more CBMs of the same genre may be generated. Tangibly these agreements may not necessarily offer a lot, but their very existence and persistence make for a strong symbol of the fact that security based CBMs need not be thrown off by eyeball to eyeball posturing along the Line of Control, or be stopped at the worst of other times. The challenge, though, lies in bringing in economic and political initiatives within the realm of these 'secure CBMs.' Stephen P. Cohen had correctly argued that while outsiders regard CBMs as no-risk, high-gain arrangements, in the India-Pakistan case, cooperation is seen as low-gain and high-risk. If cooperation fails, losses will be public, and politically damaging, so much so that a multiplier effect could see the region spiraling

into conflict (Cohen, India, Pakistan and Kashmir, 2003). This is what weakens the case for the 'symbolic approach.' Theoretically, it seems to be a perfectly legitimate prognostication, but the problem lies in the status of the domestic political capital of both leaderships. Should the political capital be strong enough to withstand a potential domestic backlash, only then can such a 'leap of trust' take place. Strategic logic demands a positive payoff not only at the level of the international (reciprocation from the leader of the other state), but also at the domestic level (whereby at the very least the leaders' domestic constituency is not threatened, if not advantaged). The prospects on the Pakistani side are made difficult given the role of hardliners and the military security establishment. No peace process in the subcontinent can go ahead without the blessing of the latter. However, given the raison d'tre of the military establishment in Pakistan is defined by the country's rivalry with India; it is difficult to see the aforementioned 'blessing' to be forthcoming. The Pakistan military's economic imperatives pale in comparison to this, as do the arguments about populist Americanism. Both of these reasons are not convincing arguments for the military to be in favour of a dynamic and lasting peace process with India. The author's point about a basic need for a transformation of mutually hostile imagery borne by both parties is a very valid point. Nevertheless, the transformation of mutually hostile imagery is no mean feat and requires a concerted effort. However, the transformation of identities and collective perceptions of the other is a time consuming process and must have its begin-

nings at the grassroots level. Politicians making conciliatory statements, however radical, are not enough to contribute to the transformation of the 'other.' To this effect, a joint project of a collective South Asian history written by scholars from colleges and universities of both countries, which is then adopted in textbooks pertaining to the education systems of the respective countries may be a useful cultural/educational CBM. The aim would be to arrive at a neutral history that aims to eradicate the roots of acrimony produced by nationalistic misrepresentation. The case for economic interdependence ameliorating the relations between India and Pakistan is a compelling one to be sure. The 'winwin' non-zero sum approach to trade that the essay considers is a liberal argument that has been made earlier too. The operationalisation of the granting of the MFN (non discriminatory) status to India by Pakistan shall definitely be a positive step in this direction. Nevertheless, trade is almost always the first to be hit in case of any rise in tensions between the two countries. The problem is that mutual bureaucratic suspicions deny either side from 'raising the stakes'/making oneself more vulnerable to the other economically. The 'enemy complex' of always needing to possess the strategically higher ground is an obstacle that needs to be overcome if economic relations of any complexity are to be achieved. The framework and agenda given by Dalton at the end of his essay speaks of a two pronged approach, where the bureaucracy shall pursue detailed and nuanced incremental steps; the political class shall be left with onus to lay the seeds of sym-

bolic changes; goodwill shall be created through disaster relief mechanisms; and international parties, instead of being interested in improving security and political concerns between the two states shall instead bilaterally and multilaterally fund industries in both states to help create greater economic linkages. A component missing from the analysis, and something that needs to be addressed in the literature about CBMs between India and Pakistan today, is China. The possibilities of multilateral frameworks of security CBMs in the region must be explored given the state's stake and influence in South Asia. It is an intervening variable that must be incorporated into any analysis regarding South Asian security and strategic stability. Finally, any process of confidence building and trust building needs to have a framework and if not an explicit, at least an implicit understanding to what end the exercise is being undertaken. Merely conducting CBMs for the sake of conducting them is a counterproductive exercise. Even without a set of written clauses forming a framework, a set of directive guidelines may in fact give the process of CBMs more shape, direction and purpose, all of which have been hitherto lacking. In essence though, getting over the 'inherent bad faith model' (as suggested by Ole Holsti), whereby a state presupposes that any unilateral act of conciliation or friendliness by the other is a ruse to bring about a false sense of security, thus leaving the trusting state vulnerable to harm's way, is going to be the primary challenge to both India and Pakistan.

READERS SPACE
The Italian connection
Dear Sir Rajiv Gandhi did not allow the CBI, the Enforcement Directorate and RAW to probe the Bofors scam. The kickback was allegedly distributed among Sonia Gandhi's relatives in Italy. Subsequently, Sonia had provided a safe passage out of India to Ottavio Quattrochhi, and then closed the chapter by unfreezing all his bank accounts and withdrawing all the court cases. There is little doubt that the ministries of defence, home and external affairs are remote-controlled from 10, Janpath. Despite repeated allegations against Indians with an Italian connection, neither the CBI nor ED pursued the kickback trail. Over the years, both entities have merely diverted attention from the main issue. And yet, several welfare schemes,

stadia, sport trophies, airports and educational institutions have been named after Rajiv Gandhi. This is puzzling. Yours, etc Vinay Sharma Thathri, Doda

J&K Budget
Dear Sir With less spending on infrastructure creation and more on salaries shows the nature of budget we have for next day. In the next year budget,the salary and pension bill for the government would be about 50 percent of the total state expenses, while the 9 percent of the allocated amount would be used for interest payment for the debts taken by the government, which again is at least one percentage point higher than current fiscal years spending. The 9 percent of the expenses will go into the purchase of power. While the 11 percent will be spend on the security and other expenses.

However, on the revenue mobilisation, the budget proposals show some improvement. Budget proposal has also mentioned decrease of one percentage point of total revenue mobilisation from capital side (loans and borrowings) to 11 percent as compared to 12 percent in last year's budget proposal. On other side it has shown improvement of two percentage points in its own tax collection to 18 percent and will raise the states non tax collection from 6 percent to 8 percent. But its revenue mobilisation from share of central taxes will reduce to 12 percent from 13 percent in last year's budget.Decrease in the capital expenditures was visible in the budget speech as Rather did not say anything about much needed power generation except for mentioning already taken up power projects. Neither was there announcement of any major infrastructure project for the urban areas, as was expected. Yours Etc Akhtar Hussain Mendhar,Poonch

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NATIONAL

'Diplomacy best way to deal with situation in SL': Khurshid

NEW DELHI: Government on Thursday came under attack in the Lok Sabha from its friends and foes over the plight of the ethnic Tamils in Sri Lanka, with demands that India should take a lead in ensuring passage of a resolution against the island nation at an upcoming UN meet. External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid addressed the Lok Sabha and thanked all the leaders cutting across party lines who had raised concerns over the war crimes issue. Giving the government's view on the Lankan Tamil issue, Khurshid said that India will take the "best possible" decision on the UN resolution on Sri Lanka. In what can be said as an attempt to garner sympathy, the Union Minister said that India's stand at the United Nations will depend upon the concerns raised by the MPs in Parliament. "What we do towards Sri Lanka must be effective. But how and what we do it must be left to the government," Khurshid said. The External Affairs Minister said that the government wants Tamils to live in peace and dignity and be treated as equal citizens in Sri Lanka. However, Khurshid also went on to say that "India cannot interfere in Sri Lanka's politics and cannot play big brother." tarian problem to which we have to find a soluUNHRC but take the lead in drafting the resolution and carry it through the UNHRC," said Sinha, a former External Affairs Minister. "Foreign policy is not conducted out of fear but with confidence and elan," he said, while noting that India has a lot of clout but seems that have lost momentum. He wanted to know what happened to India's "stature" and hoped that the government would wake up. Sinha said an impartial inquiry should be held into the "genocide" carried out against Sri Lankan Tamils and there should be a clear commitment from that government that guilty shall be punished. Unsatisfied with the Foreign Minister's reply on the sentimental issue, both the BJP and DMK walked out of the Lok Sabha. Initiating the discussion, DMK leader T R Baalu, whose party is a key constituent of the ruling UPA, wanted the government to ensure passage of the UN resolution to fix accountability for the war crimes. Demanding that the guilty of the Sri Lankan war crimes be taken to the International Court of Justice to "give some solace to the victims", he said India should not be "lukewarm" but have a clear-cut approach on the issue at the UN.

Reached agreement with Pension Parishad: Ramesh

NEW DELHI: Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh Thursday said he had reached an understanding with the Pension Parishad, a conglomeration of organisations working for pension reform, on some of their demands. The minister said he favoured liberalising the pension norms for the elderly, widows and the disabled. Replying to the concerns raised by some members in the Rajya Sabha after Question Hour concerning demands of the Pension Parishad, Ramesh said he has so far held two rounds of talks with members of the parishad. "There has been an understanding on basic principles," Ramesh said. Ramesh said there had been understanding on the principle that pension should be given on a universal criterion based on the exclusion and on the need to move away from norms based on above poverty line (APL) and below poverty line (BPL) classification. Ramesh said the Prime Minister (Manmohan Singh) had told him that an understanding should be reached by talking to the Pension Parishad. He said the government was prepared to make suitable changes to National Social Assistance Programme (NSAP). The minister said an understanding had also been reached for relaxing eligibility criterion for extending assistance under the pension scheme. Ramesh said he was in favour of bringing down the age of widows eligible for pension from 40 to 18 years

Saying that India has always believed in peace, Khurshid said that diplomacy is the best possible way to deal with such a situation. "Diplomacy will do what war cannot do," the Union Minister said. The Minister said, "We cannot be angry as this is a huge humani-

tion. This is not the time to open up wounds." During a debate on the issue, BJP leader Yashwant Sinha said India should also caution other neighbours against interfering in the Sri Lankan affairs or Indo-Sri Lankan relations. "Let India not merely vote ... In the

Teachers' strike hits train, road services in Bihar

PATNA: Train and road services were hit in Bihar Thursday owing to a strike called by contractual teachers to protest against police action during earlier protests. "Contractual teachers forcibly stopped trains in Patna, Shekhpura, Darbhanga, Muzaffarpur, Jehanabad, Gaya and Bhagalpur districts," a police officer said. Road traffic was also disrupted at several places after agitating teachers blocked national and state highways, the officer added. The strike, supported by opposition parties, comes two days after nearly 50 fixed-pay teachers on contract, including women, were injured in police lathicharge here. About 2.5 lakh contractual teachers in Bihar are demanding permanent jobs and pay parity with regular teachers. An officer at the police headquarters here said that thousands of contractual teachers took to streets Thursday to press for their demands. In view of the strike, security has been beefed up in the Bihar capital Patna."We have deployed additional forces in sensitive areas. Besides, patrolling has been intensiby the teachers against the brutal police action" he said.

fied and all police stations have been put on alert," Amrit Raj, senior superintendent of police in Patna said. Amrit Raj, however, said that normal life in Patna remained unaffected by the strike as markets and other business establishments remained open. Pradeep Kumar, leader of Bihar Rajya Shikshak Sangharsh Morcha, an umbrella body of the contractual teachers, said they would boycott the matriculation examination scheduled in March. "Academic work in all primary and secondary schools would be boycotted

The Bihar Rajya Prathamik Shikshak Sangh has also said that all primary school teachers will go on mass leave from Thursday and boycott all the examination related work. Thousands of teachers staged protests at various places in Patna, district headquarters and development blocks across the state. Puran Kumar, a leader of protesting teachers, said that 11 first information reports (FIRs) related to arson and violence were lodged in Patna Wednesday, and 53 contractual teachers were sent to judicial custody.

NEW DELHI: A demand was raised by BJP in Rajya Sabha Thursday for sending an all-party delegation to Bangladesh to assess the "atrocities on Hindus" there by Jamaat-e-Islami. Raising the issue during Zero Hour, Tarun Vijay (BJP) said atrocities were being committed on Hindus, who have been reduced to only nine per cent of the population now from 28 per cent at the time of creation of Bangladesh. "Hindus are subjected to severe atrocities...They are being killed, forced to take refuge in India, and their abandoned properties are seized after being declared as wasteful property," he said. He lauded the recent Shabag uprising saying it was a display of secular democratic forces that all Hindus, Muslims, Christians and Bengalis were Bangladeshis. Vijay said Jamaat-eIslami had sided with Pakistan during 1971 war and later when three of their leaders were hanged, scores

Send all-party delegation to Bangladesh, BJP demands in RS HC rejects bail of Hasan Ali in money laundering cases
of Hindus killed, women raped and murdered and the atrocities were still continuing in retaliation. Chandan Mitra (BJP) seeking government intervention said, "Situation is explosive at this juncture in Bangladesh. Jamaat-eIslami, backed by Pakistan and ISI and Huji, was creating a situation were Hindus and Buddhists were subjected to atrocities and 78 Buddhist places were torched." Mitra, who had accompanied President Pranab Mukherjee to the neighbouring nation during his recent visit, said the delegation held talks about the situation with the authorities there. Party colleague Ravi Shankar Prasad said it was violation of human rights in Bangladesh and demanded a response from the government. To this, Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Rajiv Shukla said, "I will convey the feelings of the House to External Affairs Minister and he will give a response." MUMBAI: The Bombay High Court has rejected the bail plea of Punebased businessman Hasan Ali Khan, facing charges of money-laundering and stashing huge amount of black money in banks abroad. Khan pleaded that charge sheet against him in money-laundering cases has not yet been filed and hence he should be given bail. However, Justice R C Chavan yesterday rejected his plea after Enforcement Directorate (ED) argued that he may abscond or tamper with evidence if he was given liberty. Khan, accused of hav-

and giving disability pension to all those suffering from 40 percent disability. The minister said that while the elderly were paid a monthly pension of Rs.200, the eligible widows and disabled were given a monthly pension of Rs.300. The minister said all pensions should be brought at the same initial level and added that there was a need to link it with inflation. He also called for changes in pension distribution system to ensure timely disbursal.

Rajya Sabha pays tributes to Chavez

ing USD 8 billion in Union Bank of Switzerland, was arrested in 2011 and his bail plea had been rejected in September that year by the Supreme Court. Another bail plea was rejected in October 2012 by the Special Court under Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). His lawyer Satish Maneshinde argued that the material available before the court against Khan does not disclose any connection between the alleged offences and proceeds of the crime as required under PMLA. Hence, he should be given bail.

NEW DELHI: The Rajya Sabha Thursday paid tributes to former Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez by observing a minute's silence in his memory.As soon as the house met for the day, Chairman Hamid Ansari asked members to pay their tributes to the charismatic leader, who died of cancer in a military hospital in Caracas Tuesday. He said Chavez's rule strengthened relations between India and Venezuela.The house observed a minute's silence in his memory before proceeding with question hour.

Union Cabinet approves services delivery bill

NEW DELHI: The union cabinet Thursday approved in principle a bill for timebound delivery of public services like passports, certificates and ration cards to citizens, an official said. "The bill has been approved in principle by the cabinet," the official said. However, he said the draft bill would go back to the ministries of law, home affairs and personnel and training as it required fresh paraphrasing. This means that it need not go to the cabinet again and can be directly tabled in parliament. The Right of Citizens for Time Bound Delivery of Goods and Services and Redressal of their Grievances Bill also comes with a penalty of Rs 250 a day subject to a maximum of Rs 50,000 for default. The Right of Citizens for Time-Bound Delivery of Goods and Services and Redressal of Grievances Bill will be enacted under the concurrent list, which means all states will now have to offer the entire gamut of services listed by the Centre's Citizen's Charter, once the bill is approved by the Parliament and signed by the President. Although many states offer time-bound delivery of certain services, the list is not as exhaustive as conceived by the Centre in response to the Anna Hazare agitation that shook the Manmohan Singh government through 2011. Provisions of the bill allow a state or central grievance redressal commission to refer a case for criminal investigation or inquiry by Lokpal if the panel concludes there is evidence of corruption in delayed dispensation of services. Public authorities required to provide services include constitutional and statutory bodies, public-private partnerships, notified entities, government-funded NGOs, government companies and private firms offering services outsourced by government. The bill - introduced with much fanfare in 2011 December as a counter measure to the Anna Hazare's movement - is one of the key measures of the UPA to provide better governance. Government sources believe the bill on delivery of services promises a more tangible sense of empowerment than a Lokpal as it deals with every day corruption and red tape that fuelled public support for the Hazare stir.

Anti-rape law delayed; UP DSP murder: CBI begins probe, files 4 FIRs no discussion in Cabinet
NEW DELHI: The Union Cabinet deferred taking a discussion on the Criminal Law (Amendment) Bill after consensus could not be reached over some key provisions in the bill. Differences, multiple opinions and oppositions yet again seemed to have delayed the Criminal Law Amendment Bill. The antirape Bill, which promises strong legislation to curb crime against women, seems to be drowned under the cabinet dithering. The bill was not discussed by the Cabinet on Thursday after some amendments proposed by the home ministry ran into opposition. As per reports, among the points of disagreement is the reduction of age of consensual sex from 18 to 16 and use of the word 'rape' in the bill - opponents feel that the bill should be gender neutral. The Law Ministry has also issued the provision on the issue of voyeurism according to which if someone takes pictures of a woman with her permission, it would not amount to an offence. The fresh Bill was to replace the ordinance on LUCKNOW: With the central government handing over Uttar Pradesh deputy superintendent of police (DSP) Zia-ul-Haq murder case to the Central Bureau of Investigation, the premier investigating agency began its probe on Thursday. The CBI has filed four FIRs into the murder of Kunda Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Zia-Ul-Haque in Uttar Pradesh. Sources said that if needed the CBI will order a second autopsy on the body of the murdered policeman and will question police officers as well. While the first FIR relates to the killing of Haque, two others are on the murders of the Gram Pradhan Nanhe Yadav and his brother. A fourth FIR is on mob violence. The CBI will then move to take custody of the two persons already arrested by Uttar Pradesh Police. It will focus its initial inquiries on reconstructing the crime scene and examining witnesses. Following Haq's killing, his widow had demanded a CBI probe into the matter. Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav not only yielded to her demand, but also asked the CBI to include the murders of village head and his brother into their probe. The "request letter" by the state government reached the CBI office late Wednesday, following which an approval was sought from the department of personnel and training (DoPT), said an official

crimes against women promulgated last month. The proposal was to replace the provision in the ordinance which has subscribed life imprisonment as the maximum punishment for those in authority committing rape. The person in authority has been described as a police officer, a doctor or a staffer of a hospital, a jailer or a warden of a remand home. The fresh bill was also to replace the Criminal Law (Amendment) Bill, 2012 introduced in the Lok Sabha in December last. The bill retains the provision that if rape leads to death of the victim or leaves her in a vegetative state, it can attract death penalty. While the ordinance said the statement of the victim may be videographed, the bill makes the provision mandatory. It also makes the presence of a woman officer whether police or civil - to be present when the statement of

who did not wish to be named. Following a go ahead, the CBI formally registered a case in connection with the killings of Haq, village head Nanhe Yadav and his brother Suresh during violence at Balipur village in Pratapgarh district, officials said. Officials said that Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of CBI Anurag Garg is likely to visit Balipur Thursday to take stock of the situation and proceed with the investigation. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav on Wednesday said the matter was now referred to the Central Bureau of Investigation and one should wait for the law to take its course.

Govt to put new mechanism for telephone interception

NEW DELHI: A new mechanism will be put in place by the government to eliminate the loopholes in authorised phone tapping by intelligence and enforcement agencies. The process, followed by the agencies by approaching telecom service providers individually after due authorisation, will be brought under one roof. The interface with the telecom service provider will also be done away with. Official sources said the Central Monitoring System (CMS) is likely to be operational within a month and it will be brought under the Department of Telecom (DoT) and will be manned by the Intelligence Bureau (IB). The critical changes in the phone-tapping procedure will include a clear electronic audit trail of the phones tapped. The audit trail of the CMS will be electronic unlike the cumbersome paper work done currently. The entire phone-tapping system will move to an electronic platform from the current manual system, sources said. At present, the authorisation for tapping phones is physically taken to the service providers who then put the suspect's phone on the hook. Besides, there will be at least four hubs across the country besides the main faculty being based in Delhi. The first pilot run of the CMS is likely to start in April. The discretionary power of agencies to listen into phone calls is likely to be curtailed, and changes are likely to be introduced in the relevant sections of the Telegraph Act through Parliamentary amendment. According to current rules, agencies can, in pressing situations, put phones on the hook for seven days without obtaining permission. This freedom has been given to agencies to facilitate operation. Sources said that since the distance between the sanctioning authority and the agency is being removed, request for sanctions will also be sent electronically which will cut down the time to obtain permission.

BJP, Shiv Sena calls UPSC decision anti-people

NEW DELHI: Union Public Service Commission's decision to scrap regional language test in its exams has led to a controversy and the BJP and the Shiv Sena are calling the decision anti-people. The UPSC had proposed aptitude and English papers instead of regional language paper in the exams. Both the BJP and the Shiv Sena also plan to stage protests over the issue. The BJP has said that regional languages cannot be

ignored and they oppose the move. BJP spokesperson Prakash Javadekar said, "The regional languages are important, cannot be ignored." Shiv Sena leader

Sanjay Raut said, "Why do we have different states with their own languages? Regional languages must be respected. Students should be given a choice. English monopoly is not right."

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Berlusconi sentenced to year in jail over wiretap leaks
ROME: An Italian court on Thursday sentenced former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi to a year in prison over the publication of leaked transcripts from a police wiretap in a newspaper that he owns. Berlusconi, who faces two more verdicts this month for tax fraud and having sex with an underage prostitute, can appeal the conviction which would suspend the sentence under Italian law. Italian sentencing guidelines indicate that people aged over 75 and with sentences of less than two years do not have to actually go to prison. Berlusconi, a billionaire media tycoon, is 76. He stood accused of violating secrecy laws after his Il Giornale daily published transcripts in 2005 that were widely seen as an attempt to discredit a senior member of the centre-left Democratic Party ahead of elections in 2006. The leaks were about the attempted takeover of BNL bank by insurance giant Unipol. Berlusconi's brother

N Korea threatens US with nuclear attack

P Y O N G YA N G : N o r t h Korea has vowed to launch a pre-emptive nuclear strike against the US, hours ahead of a UN vote on whether to level new sanctions against Pyongyang for its recent nuclear test. North Korea has accused the US of using military drills in South Korea as a launch pad for a nuclear war and has scrapped the armistice with Washington that ended hostilities in the 1950-53 Korean War. "Since the United States is about to ignite a nuclear war, we will be exercising our right to pre-emptive nuclear attack against the headquarters of the aggressor in order to protect our supreme interest," the North's foreign ministry spokesman said. The North conducted a third nuclear test on February 12, in defiance of UN resolutions, and declared it had achieved progress in securing a functioning atomeign ministry spokesman also said it would be entitled

Malaysia says 31 Filipinos fatally shot in Borneo

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysian security forces gunned down 31 Filipino intruders in Borneo on Thursday, the highest number of casualties in a single day since nearly 200 members of a Philippine Muslim clan took over an entire village last month, police said. The armed clansmen have wreaked political havoc for both Malaysia and the neighboring Philippines by trying to stake a long-dormant royal territorial claim to Malaysia's sprawling, resource-rich state of Sabah in Borneo. Most of the Filipinos had eluded capture in a coastal Sabah district filled with palm oil plantations and forested hills after Malaysian forces attacked them with airstrikes and mortar fire on Tuesday. Police and military forces tracking them waged a fierce gunbattle that ended in the deaths of 31 clansmen Thursday, national police chief Ismail Omar said, adding that no Malaysians were injured. Ismail said at least 52 Filipinos have now been killed in the past week since hostilities in the Sabah security crisis escalated. Eight policemen also were fatally shot by the Filipino clansmen and their allies last week in various parts of Sabah. Najib responded by saying Malaysia would accept only unconditional surrender by the clansmen, who slipped into Sabah by sea around Feb. 9. "They have to surrender their arms. They have to do it as soon as possible," Najib said. Malaysia's government has insisted it made every effort to coax the Filipinos to leave and had to use force after the group fatally shot two policemen last week. Six other police officers were ambushed and killed by other Filipinos believed to be linked to the clansmen in another Sabah district. The Filipinos say Sabah belonged to their royal sultanate for more than a century and should be handed back. Malaysia has dismissed their claim to the state, which has been part of Malaysia for five decades. An estimated 800,000 Filipinos, mostly Muslims from insurgency-plagued southern provinces, have settled in Sabah over the years to seek work and stability.

ic arsenal. Although North Korea boasts of nuclear bombs and pre-emptive strikes, it is not thought to have mastered the ability to produce a warhead small enough to put on a missile capable of reaching the US mainland. It is believed to have enough nuclear fuel, however, for a handful of crude nuclear devices. The North's unnamed for-

to take military action as of March 11 when US-South Korea military drills move into a full-scale phase as it had declared the truce invalid. It is the latest in an escalation of tough words from both sides of the armed Korean border this week as the UN Security Council deliberates a resolution to tighten financial sanctions and a naval blockade against the North.

Syria jets pound city captured by rebels: NGO

BEIRUT: Syrian fighter jets on Thursday pounded Raqa, a day after rebels took full control of the northern city, a watchdog said, raising concern for the fate of loyalists who surrendered. The flag of the Islamist Al-Nusra Front, which led the rebel assault on Raqa, flew on the building housing the city's former feared military intelligence branch, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. The rebels are believed to be holding the provincial governor, whom they captured during the battle, inside the building, which has now become their headquarters, the Britainbased Observatory said. The rebels fought off the last pockets of regime resistance and took control of the military intelligence building on Wednesday after overrunning most of Raqa, capital of the province of the same name, two days earlier. The capture of Raqa, near the border with Turkey, marked the rebels' biggest victory on the ground since the revolt against President Bashar al-Assad's rule erupted in March 2011. The Observatory said "hundreds" of proregime-regime militiamen had surrendered to the rebels, adding that it feared for their fate. Rights groups have accused regime forces

CIA seizes bin Laden son-in-law after Turkey deportation

ANKARA: Osama bin Laden's son-in-law Suleiman Abu Ghaith was seized by CIA agents and taken to the United States after Turkey deported him to Jordan this month. Abu Ghaith, the former spokesman of the Al Qaeda network, was seized last month at a luxury hotel in Ankara after a tip-off from CIA and was held there by the police despite a US request for his extradition. Turkish authorities deported Abu Ghaith to Jordan on March 1 to be sent back to Kuwait but he was seized by CIA agents in Jordan and taken to the United States officials said. His deportation coincided with a visit by US Secretary of State John Kerry to Ankara as part of a regional tour, it added. The Turkish foreign ministry declined to comment on the report while the US embassy in Ankara "We're aware of the reports." said officials. Ankara considers Abu Ghaith a "stateless" person as he was stripped of his Kuwaiti nationality after appearing in videos defending the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States and threatening further violence. The United States wanted him extradited over his alleged connection to the attacks. He appeared in a propaganda video in the aftermath of 9/11, standing beside Osama, who was killed in May 2011 in Pakistan in a covert US operation. Abu Ghaith was detained in Turkey after he allegedly entered the country illegally from Iran. He was freed by an Ankara court because he did not commit any crime on Turkish soil and local media claimed Turkey had hesitated to extradite him to the United States fearing it could become a target of Al Qaeda.

Paolo, editor of Il Giornale, was sentenced to two years and three months. Silvio Berlusconi also faces a verdict possibly as early as March 18 in a trial in which he is accused of having sex with a then 17-year-old prostitute when he was prime minister and then abusing the power of his office by putting pressure on police to release her from custody. A verdict in his appeal trial against a tax fraud conviction from last year in which he was also sentenced to a year in prison is also expected around March 23. Italian court dates are often changed at the last minute and Berlusconi's lawyers have tried to slow down all the trials, invoking "legitimate impediment" because of his duties as an MP.

China to launch quantum experiment satellite in 2016

and rebels alike of perpetrating atrocities against those they take prisoner. Also on Thursday, the army rained shells down on the rebel-held Khaldiyeh district of the central city of Homs, the Observatory said. The bombardment came a day after the army used helicopters, warplanes and rocket fire to strike Khaldiyeh. Although the army now controls some 80 percent of Homs, several districts remain under rebel control despite a suffocating eight-month siege and several hundred civilians are trapped there. The United Nations says at least 70,000 people have been killed since the outbreak of the uprising in Syria. BEIJING: China has initiated to launch a satellite for quantum information and technology experiments in 2016, a leading quantum physicist said on Thursday. "Such a plan is impossible without international collaborations," Pan said at a press conference on the sidelines of the annual session of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, China's top political advisory body. The field of quantum communication, the science of transmitting quantum states from one place to another, has caught global attention in recent years owing to the discovery of quantum cryptography, which is described as a way of creating "unbreakable" messages. A member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Prof. Pan of the University of Science and Technology of China led a frontier research team to conduct a 30-40 km quantum communication test on the Great Wall in 2005.

ECONOMY

India is a good bet for foreign investment: Montek Mahindra & Mahindra
" T h e Vodafone case did not do us any favors. My personal view is that they knew very well that it ( Vo d a f o n e ' s purchase of the Indian operations of Hutchinson Whampoa in 2007) was chargeable to tax, but they decided to take a calculated risk. "The Finance Minister (P. Chidambaram) is in negotiations to come up with a reasonable compromise and there is a good chance we can put this behind us for good," Ahluwalia also described the Supreme Court's decision to cancel the 2G telecom licenses last year as a "blip" that would lead to clear and transparent rules for the sector. "The telecom story is a good one. It is sectors like energy and water that will prove crucial in terms of ensuring sustainable growth. It just takes a long time in India but in the next few years, the huge debates will centre around an intelligent use of national resources, which will require intelligent regulations and pricing in both these sectors," he said. "The state of the world economy is a challenge. The focus of government policy is to re-assure foreign investors that India is wide open for business. India has the human resources in place and an expanding private sector. The only problem is the current account deficit. But the global financial system appears to be stabilizing and the most important message is that India is a good bet for foreign investment and that the message is getting across," he added. Ahluwalia was described by the Vice-Chancellor of Oxford University Professor Andrew Hamilton as a "man of towering importance in recent Indian history''.

unveil Maxximo Plus

Indian Hotels to have 200 hotels globally by 2018-end

GURGAON: Tata group hospitality major Indian Hotels Company (IHCL) said on Thursday that it plans to open 83 new hotels globally to take tally to 200 by the end of 2018. The company, which has 117 operational hotels, said it will mainly follow an asset light and management contract model for its future expansion. "We plan to have 200 hotels by the end of five years globally. As of now we have 117 hotels," Indian Hotels Company Managing Director & CEO Raymond N Bickson said. He was speaking on the sidelines of the launch of its 100th hotel in India at Gurgaon. The new 208-room hotel is under its upper upscale brand, Vivanta by Taj taking the number of properties under the Vivanta brand to 26. On the company's road map for growth Bickson said: "With growing competition in India if we want to retain our market share and grow our brand presence, we will have to follow the asset light and management contract model." The company will grow nearly 75 per cent through management contracts and about 25 per cent through equity, he added. The hospitality major currently operates in four categories ranging from the luxury brand Taj, upper upscale brand Vivanta by Taj Hotels and Resorts, upscale/midmarket full service hotels and resorts under the Gateway Hotel brand and economy hotels under the Ginger brand. Tata Group firm Taj Hotels Resorts and Palaces comprises 100 hotels in 58 locations across India with an additional 17 international hotels in the Maldives, Malaysia, Australia, UK, US, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Africa and the Middle East. In India it currently has 20 per cent market share, Bickson said. Underlining the need for international expansion beyond India, he said: "You cannot have all eggs in one basket." Indian Hotels Company Ltd (IHCL) and its subsidiaries are collectively known as Taj Hotels Resorts and Palaces. Incorporated by the founder of the Tata Group Jamsetji N Tata, the company opened its first property, The Taj Mahal Palace Hotel in Mumbai in 1903.

LONDON: There is a good chance that Vodafone dispute will be resolved soon, Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia has said, underlining that India is a good bet for foreign investment.

RBI to soon clarify norms Sensex at 2-week high, up 161 points on new bank licenses as Infosys, TCS climb to record
MUMBAI: The Reserve Bank of India will issue further clarity on licensing of new banks in the private sector with more details sought on the guidelines issued by the regulator on February 22. The central bank has been receiving queries from intending applicants seeking clarifications on the guidelines. It has asked the license applicants to send further queries by April 10, 2013. "Considering that the clarifications sought would be of wider interest and use for all intending applicants, the Reserve Bank has decided to post the clarifications on web site," the RBI said in a notification on Thursday. Paving way for more banks into the sector, the RBI had issued the final guidelines last month for applicants seeking a banking license to apply before July 1, 2013. Many business houses, including the Tatas, Birlas, Mahindras, the Anil Ambani-led Reliance Capital, asset financier Shriram Capital, LIC and India Post, among others, are in the race to apply for a license. MUMBAI: Wiping off initial losses, the BSE benchmark Sensex on Thursday surged by nearly 161 points to a two-week high of 19,413.54 as shares of Infosys and Tata Consultancy Services climbed to record high levels on optimism the US will soon be back on growth track. After a lower start, the Sensex spurted by 160.93 points, or 0.84 percent to 19,413.54. The gauge has now gained 536 points in three sessions. The broad-based National Stock Exchange index Nifty rose by 44.70 points or 0.77 percent to 5,863.30, after opening lower at 5,801.30. Infosys surged 1.29 percent to Rs 3,004.75, its highest level after March, 2011 and Tata Consultancy Services, the largest software exporter closed at a new high by adding 2.10 percent to end Rs 1,590.45. Engineering major L&T shot up by 2.08 percent to Rs 1,463.45, continuing its rise after CLSA Asia-Pacific Markets upgraded rating on the counter today. Brokers said besides momentum in interestrate sensitive stocks ahead of the RBI's policy review this month on hopes of a rate cut. Indian software companies get over 50 percent of their revenues from the US and European markets. In 30-BSE index components, 20 stocks climbed while 10 ended lower. The realty sector index gained the most by 1.68 percent to 2,069.08, followed by IT index by 1.66 percent to 7,059.60. The capital goods index rose by 1.59 percent to 9,676.88 and banking index by 0.86 percent to 13,733.93.

HYDERABAD: Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd, a part of the $15.9 billion Mahindra Group, on Thursday unveiled the new Maxximo Plus, claimed to be India's most technologically advanced mini-truck with a pioneering fuel smart technology. Mahindra & Mahindra's automotive division chief sales and customer care officer Arun Malhotra said that 0.85 tonne payload mini-truck is equipped with fuel smart technology, which allows the customer to choose between higher power or higher mileage as and when he needs, at the press of a switch. While climbing up a steep incline on a full load, one may switch to power mode to utilize the entire 26 HP (19.2 KW) of power but

while going down an incline without any load, one may switch to eco mode which delivers a mileage of 21.9 km per liter. He said the company had applied for patent for this technology, which claims to save Rs.15, 000 on fuel for 4,000 km. An upgrade over the Maxximo launched in 2010, Maxximo Plus comes with a two-year/60,000 km warranty. The price ranges from Rs.3.35 lakh to Rs.3.47 lakh. Mahindra & Mahindra has 22 percent market share in the below one ton minitruck segment. The company sells 22,000 vehicles per month in this segment, which includes 6,000 vehicles of Maxximo platform.

HP launches business tablet for Indian market

H Y D E R A B A D : Technology Company Hewlett Packard (HP) on Thursday entered the tablet market in India, launching HP Elite Pad, designed for businesses and governments. "The tablet replaces primary computing devices and provides an eco-system which addresses the requirements of the enterprise," Sunish Raghavan, head, commercial PC category, printing and personal systems group, HP India, said. The ultra thin, lightweight tablet with Windows 8 also comes with the optional smart jackets, which add connectivity options and an additional battery for longer runtime. The price of the tablet starts at Rs.43, 500. Raghavan said the tablet with enterprise-grade features fulfilled the needs of mobility and productivity while ensuring security. It offered a solution to the problems faced by enterprises with their employees carrying multiple devices, compromising data security. It encompassed all features of a notebook and if the device is lost, one can remotely trace it and erase the data.

Rupee up 16 paise at 1-week high of 54.56 Vs US dollar

MUMBAI: Rising for the second day, the rupee on Thursday appreciated by 16 paisa to close at one-week high of 54.56 against the US dollar. At the Interbank Foreign Exchange (Forex) market, the domestic unit commenced lower at 54.87 a dollar from previous close of 54.72 and immediately touched a low of 54.91 on early hesitancy in local stocks. However, rupee later turned positive on late rally in local stock markets on the back of firm European opening and dollar selling by exporters and some banks to a high of 54.50 before settling at 54.56, a rise of 16 paise or 0.29 percent.

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Shiva Construction Pvt Ltd entrusted to complete the challenging project

Saroori Inaugurates Construction Work of Damber-Hawal road in Kishtwar

KISTWAR: Despite the heavy snowfall Ex.Minister for R&B, present MLA Inderwal G.M.Saroori reached the far flung areas of Tehsil Chatroo of distt. Kishtwar to inaugurate approximately 9 Km. road that will connect Damber to Hawal. Speaking on the occasion Saroori urged that this road should be completed on the priority basis as this road was a long awaited demand of the people of this area with a population of more than 3000souls. The construction of this has already seen many bottlenecks There has already been a delay due to the forest clearance formalities in the construction of this road even after getting approved. Speaking on the occasion difficult patches in the road and assured him that the company will use the best of its expertise and experienced workers to do a quality work and meet the expectations of he people of the area. Saroori further asked for the co-operation of the local people with the builders so that the road will be constructed at the earliest. The road will be constructed by using the funds of Central Government under PMGSY at a cost of Rs 4.32 crore. The ex- minister said that this road will be of immense help to the people in getting their so many problems solved to some extent besides facilitating the people of these areas. With the construction of this road, the people of the area in general and school going children, patients and old aged people in particular can reach Kishtwar easily. He informed that Union government has underlined speedy development of farflung and remote areas as priority and measures have already been initiated in this direction. Mr. Saroori was accompanied by the Executive Engg. PMGSY Sunil Thusoo. Ex-minister impressed upon the people of the area to maintain their age old tradition of peace, brotherhood and communal harmony and said that the present Coalition Government is committed for all round development and maintenance of peace in each and every part of the State.

(L) Ex.Minister for R&B, MLA Inderwal, G.M.Saroori along with Directors of Shiva Contructions Nazeer Hasn Risu and Rajesh Rathore inaugurating construction work of Damber to Hawal road at Kistwar.(R) Machinery at Road Site on Tuesday 26th of Feb 2013. Saroori expressed satisfaction as the road has been allotted to the Shiva Constriction Pvt. Limited which is a construction company of repute and integrity He appreciated the already completed works of the Shiva Constructions which has constructed the toughest roads in the region by maintaining the highest standards. He hoped that this ambitious mission will be carried forward with the same spirit and zeal for the betterment of people of the State. Directors of Shiva Construction Nazeer Hussain Rissue and Rajesh Rathore briefed Mr. Saroori about the

Saina slips to 3rd, Kashyap up to 9th in BWF rankings

NEW DELHI: Olympic bronze medalist shuttler Saina Nehwal has dropped a rung to be placed third, while Parupalli Kashyap has jumped two places to ninth position in the Badminton World Federation rankings released on Thursday. World Champion Yihan Wang of China has leapfrogged Saina, who turns 23 on March 17, from the second position in the women's singles rankings. However, the Indian has a great chance of overtaking her Chinese opponent as both Wang and Olympic champion and No.1 ranked Li Xuerui have been knocked out of the ongoing All England Open Badminton Championships. Saina's compatriot PV Sindhu has managed to retain her 16th rank and is the only other Indian female shuttler in the top 50 list. In the men's singles chart, India's London Olympics quarterfinalist Kashyap shot up two places to equal his career-best ninth rank. Among other Indians, Mumbai lad Ajay

Rajasthan Royals sign four new players

MUMBAI: Rajasthan Royals have signed up four new players who will represent the team in the upcoming Indian Premier League, commencing in Kolkata on April 3. Kerala's one-day captain Sachin Baby, wicketkeeper Sanju Viswanath Samson, Jharkhand medium pacer Rahul Shukla and Mumbai left arm spinner Harmeet Singh are all set to join the team's training camp soon to prepare for the sixth edition of the T20 league The Royals will be captained by Rahul Dravid, while Paddy Upton would be their high performance coach.

Smriti clinches second title in Hero women's golf

NEW DELHI: Smriti Mehra continued her superb form to emerge victorious in the fourth leg of Hero Women's pro golf tour at the Willingdon Sports Club on Thursday. Smriti, who made a strong comeback on Wednesday to finish the day on top, put up a clinical display on the third and final day to clinch her second title of the season. Smriti, winner of the second leg, was in her elements and played a solid round of one under 64 to finish with a total score of 194. Like yesterday, she had a brilliant front nine with birdies on the third and sixth. She carded another birdie on the 15th and had bogeys on the 12th and 14th to win the title. Neha Tripathi, who has been very consistent this season, finished second with a final round score of one over 66 and a total score of 200. She had birdies on the fourth and 17th and had bogeys on the first, second and 11th holes. Sharmila Nicollet, who had another disappointing day at the office with two double bogeys on the first and eight, carded a lowly six over 71 to finish third with a total score of 202. Pallavi Jain played a decent round of par 65 and finished fourth with 205. Vani Kapoor and Saaniya Sharma retained their tied fifth place with 209.

Kuznetsova makes a winning start at Indian Wells

INDIAN WELLS, CALIFORNIA: Svetlana Kuznetsova continued her encouraging resurgence from an injury-hampered 2012 campaign with a 6-3 6-1 demolition of Czech Andrea Hlavackova in the BNP Paribas Open first round. The Russian, whose world ranking has plummeted to 46th from a career-high second, swept past Hlavackova after converting all five of her break point chances at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden. Kuznetsova, a losing finalist here in 2007 and 2008 and a winner of 13 WTA singles titles, was sidelined by a right knee injury for six months last year after losing in the first round of Wimbledon. Having since had surgery, the Russian has made a promising 14-5 (win-loss) start to thse 2013 season, reaching the quarter-finals in Sydney and also at the Australian Open.

Jayaram jumped a place to the 31st spot, while rising shuttler RMV Gurusaidutt dropped to 38th and Madhya Pradesh's Sourabh Verma retained his 43rd position. Mumbai's Anand Pawar, meanwhile, has jumped a whopping six places to be placed 45th. In the mixed doubles rankings, Ashwini Ponnappa and Tarun Kona climbed up two places to the 29th spot, while Jwala Gutta and her partner V Diju had dropped two places to 41st.

IOC 'hugely impressed' by Tokyo's bid for 2020 Olympics

TOKYO: International Olympic Committee inspectors said on Thursday that they were "hugely impressed" by Tokyo's bid to host the 2020 Olympic games. "We have been hugely impressed by the quality of the bid presentations made by the bid committee," IOC Evaluation Commission Chairman Craig Reedie said at the end of a four-day inspection tour.

Indo-Pak veterans Cricket series to be held in Sharjah

LAHORE: Pakistan's former cricket captain Inzamam-ul-Haq will return to action next month when he would lead the national veterans' team against archrivals India in a two-match series in Sharjah. Fawad Ijaz, the Chairman of the Pakistan Veterans Cricket Association, said that the Indo-Pak series will include two 40-overs-a-side matches and will be played on April 18 and 20. "Sharjah has been chosen to host these matches because of the current relations between Pakistan and India. We have decided to play at a neutral venue," he said. Ijaz said Pakistan would field a strong side led by Inzamam. The team will include former captains Moin Khan and Rashid Latif besides other former Test/international players like Jalaluddin, Ghulam Ali, Mahmood Hamid, Tauseef Ahmed and Aaqib Javed. He said the series was being held to revive the veteran level bilateral series between the two countries. "The Indians are cooperating a lot and we are also expecting them to field a strong side," he added.

Sher-e-Punjab stuns J&K Police to reach semis

JAMMU: The tough side of Sher-e-Punjab not only held strong opponent in J&K Police to a 3-3 draw in the stipulated time but clinched the thriller 6-5 in tie-breaker thus reached the semifinals stages of the ongoing 3rd Rajiv Gandhi Gold Cup Football Tournament at GGM Science College groundon Thursday. Leading by three goals in the first half, the Punjab side suddenly found J&K Police fight back in the second half of the play, to be precise, in the last 30 minutes. But thestruggling policemen could not turn the game in their favor amidst tough resistance from the visitors. Likewise previous game, it was Rakesh, who helped Sher-e-Punjab take an invincible lead, netting two goals in the 14th and 44th minute of the match. The third goal came through Dilvar Singh in the 32nd minute. From J&K Police, Sandeep Sharma scored the first goal in the 61st minute, followed by the second netted by Zahid in 68th. Asif equaled the score on board with his third goal that came in the dying 86th minute. Later, in tie-breaker, Police goal-keeper, Reyaz Ahmed could not stop even a single penalty but was lucky enough to find two of the opponent attempts missing the target. Ravinder Singh, Rakesh Kumar and Gurpal Singh took successful penalties while Ravinder and R Chetri missed. On the other hand, Police penalty kick experts, Yasin Ahmed and skipper, Ajay Kumar Netted the ball while Sandeep Sharma and Fayaz Ahmed could not beat guard at the net, Sukhdev Singh. Meanwhile, the other scheduled quarterfinal could not be held after the professional side of J&K Bank failed to report. It resulted into organizers awarded Power Development Corporation (PDC)-B walkover. Today's matches were officiated by the penal of officials including Shafi Ahmed, Hilal Ahmed, Sohan Lal, Gagan Kumar, Rohit Kumar Gupta and Moon Stephen.

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