So Deadly is the Parliamentary Procedure in the Free Market Democracy!

So Deadly is the Parliamentary Procedure in the Free Market Democracy!

India seeks $14.78 bln extra spend in 2010/11

Indian Holocaust My Father`s Life and Time - Four Hundred Forty Six

Palash Biswas

http://indianholocaustmyfatherslifeandtime.blogspot.com/

My Friend comrade Bapi Chakrabarti Expired while he was watching Live Telecast of the Grand Parlimentary Reality Show on Inflation and Price Rise.He had a heart Attack. I may not see many Indians out of the Neo Rich market Dominating Community to bear with the Free Market Farce so Heart Breaking!

I knew Bapi since the first day I landed in Kolkata and got my room in Amarabati Sodepur.His elder Brother Comrade Subrata Chakrabarti, then a sate Committee Memeberand very close to late subhsh Chakrabarti and I used to be the members of Night Party in guard in the locality. We had interacted very intense. subrata da is senior to me. But bapi was the leader of the Younger lot. We felt the Warmth of his generous Heart while Sabita was to undergo Open Heart surgery in June 1995. Dr Devi Shetty was in No mood to waste time as Sabita had  a Tumour in her Heart. It was BM Birla Heart Center in south Calcutta, almost 25 KM away from Amarabati.The renouned Surgeon  wanted Fresh Blood and I just called back to my friends in Amrabati. It was raing very heaviy and the Winds were quite Wild. But the Young Men led by Bapi arranged Bllod Doners within hours, Only the Blood Bank was clsed and we had to wait for the Next Morning.

Bapi was a Bachellor. He lived with Subratoda`s family and had been a very devoted Party cadre. He was Never Well as he was suffering from multiple disordres including TB. he had been in the Senetorium. He had returned form the Hospital some days ago only. he woud not be able to meve. But he Never did miss any Party programme. he headed the CPIM Election Machinery in the locality but was better known for his social involvement. The People of very Common Roots gathered to mourn for the man.Since nandigram genocide, I was actively Opposing the marxist Gestapo and I had been so close to Mahashweta devi once upon a time,hence I had not been in touch with the Comrades for a while.Even Today, I acme to know about the demise of the Comrade accidentaly as sabita had to test her Sugar and we were returning from the Pathologists and stumbled to the mourning Gathering.

Bapi had the taste of Mastard cooked Hilsa from Padma in the Lunch with Subratada. Subratada left for his Job. bapi was just watching the Parliament in debate!

Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee on Wednesday said that handling inflationary pressure is the collective responsibility of all political parties.Responding to the price rise debate in Lok Sabha, Mukherjee said: " Price rise should be tackled by leaders across all the political parties.Explaining the government's position on inflation, Mukherjee said the central government has already taken several measures to check spiralling prices, and urged the state governments to take steps to remove supply-side bottle necks.The government Wednesday asserted it was taking all steps to tame prices but that failed to satisfy the opposition and some of its allies who rapped it for its failure and asked it to immediately provide relief to the common man.Meanwhile,Home Minister P. Chidambaram Wednesday appealed to the people of Kashmir to end the 'cycle of violence' in Kashmir, and urged parents to ensure that their children did not join violent activities.Breaking his vow of silence over the Commonwealth Games, Rajya Sabha MP Mani Shankar Aiyar Wednesday suggested that a high-level committee be set up to ensure that the mega sporting event is corruption-free and successful.

"I seek the support of all political parties in this regard. If we don't present the Bill in the current session, the implementation of tax reforms will be further delayed," he added.

He further said the central government alone cannot be blamed for price rise as today seven states are being ruled by the opposition party at the centre; three by the Left parties and Uttar Pradesh by BSP.

.* Govt seeks net extra spending of $11.8 bln in FY11
* Plans $3.03 bln payout to oil marketing firms
* Extra spend won't widen fiscal deficit targets - finmin (Adds details, quote, background)
By Manoj Kumar
NEW DELHI, Aug 3 (Reuters) - The Indian government on Tuesday sought parliamentary approval to spend a gross additional $14.78 billion in the fiscal year to end-March 2011, on top of the budget target of around $240 billion.
Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee sought lawmakers approval to spend a net additional $11.8 billion and documents presented by him in parliament said the proposed extra spending would not derail the government's plans to keep fiscal deficit capped at 5.5 percent of GDP in the current financial year.
"The net cash outgo ... will not have any adverse impact on the fiscal deficit projected in budget estimates 2010-11 due to excess receipts under non-tax revenue in 2010-11," according to the documents.
Better-than-expected 1 trillion rupees ($21.6 billion) of receipts from third-generation (3G) wireless spectrum auctions against the budgeted 350 billion rupees boosted non-tax revenue receipts for the year, which some officials and analysts say could narrow the fiscal deficit by a full percentage point.
These additional funds would be mainly used to pay oil retailers 140 billion rupees ($3.03 billion), as compensation for selling fuel below market rates, and 5.79 billion rupees as fertiliser subsidies, according to the documents.
Reuters
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1. India 2010/11 fiscal deficit seen at 5.7 pct - panel | Reuters

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4. Fiscal Deficit: Challenges of Budget 2010 in india|Impact o FII on ...

5. 1 Mar 2010 ... Fiscal Deficit:-The difference between total revenue and total expenditure of the government is termed as fiscal deficit.

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8. 26 Feb 2010 ... The deficit had been calculated at 6.9% of the GDP in the revised estimates for the current fiscal, the finance minister said.

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13. 2 Mar 2010 ... India's fiscal deficit soared by 34 per cent to Rs 3.5 lakh crore in the first ten months of the financial year against Rs 2.62 lakh crore a ...

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15. Govt may peg fiscal deficit at 6.1% for 2010-11: Rediff.com Business

16. 8 Feb 2010 ... Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee might aim for a fiscal deficit of 6.1 per ... February 08, 2010 19:30 IST. Tags: Reserve Bank of India, ...

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18. India 2010-11 fiscal deficit seen at 5.7%: panel

19. 25 Feb 2010 ... India is projected to have a fiscal deficit of 5.7 per cent in the year to March 2011, falling to 4.8 per cent the following year, ...

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28. 19 Mar 2010 ... The government aims to reduce the combined fiscal deficit (Centre and ... 9.8% in 2009-10 to 8.3% in 2010-11, having in principle accepted the fiscal road map ... "The stable outlook reflects our view that India's fiscal ...

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30. news.outlookindia.com | Fiscal Deficit Will be 3% Again by 2010-11 ...

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1. India seeks $14.78 bln extra spend in 2010/11 ‎ Reuters Africa - Manoj Kumar - 1 day ago "The net cash outgo ... will not have any adverse impact on the fiscal deficit projected in budget estimates 2010-11 due to excess receipts under non-tax ... India seeks a net extra $11.8 bn to spend in FY11‎ - Economic Times Government seeks additional funding of $14.78 billion‎ - TopNews all 17 news articles »

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3. India April-June fiscal deficit at $8.64 bn: Govt ‎ Economic Times - 5 days ago 30 Jul 2010, 1623 hrs IST, PTI NEW DELHI: India's fiscal deficit for the April-June quarter touched Rs 401.96 billion ($8.64 billion), or 10.5 per cent of ...

4. Govt seeks addl Rs 55000 cr for oil subsidy, CWG, Naxal ops ‎ Business Standard - 1 day ago "The net cash outgo of Rs 54588.63 crore will not have any adverse impact on fiscal deficit projected in the budget estimate for 2010-11 due to excess ...

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9. RBI cautions govt on fiscal consolidation ‎ Economic Times - 27 Jul 2010 As per the roadmap, fiscal deficit is now targeted to come down to 5.7 per cent in 2010-11, 4.8 per cent in 2011-12, 4.2 per cent in 2012-13 and 3 per cent ... Don't be complacent about fiscal consolidation, govt told‎ - Business Standard all 5 news articles »

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Mukherjee earlier lost his cool over continuous protests by TDP and Shiv Sena members over the issue of construction of the Babhli barrage in Maharashtra.

"The House cannot be held to ransom", said Mukherjee.

He later apologised for losing his cool.

On Tuesday, leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Sushma Swaraj has said the opposition is disappointed that the Centre is not serious about tackling the continuous upsurge in inflation.

Accusing the government of raising prices of essential items after winning the elections in May last year, Swaraj said: " Congress had won the poll, but lost its morality."

She asserted that taxes are the highest in India on petroleum products, and the maximum taxes are shared by those states, which are ruled by the Congress Party.

Mukherjee Says `Abnormally' High Interest Rates Will Hurt India's Growth

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High growth leading to price pressures: FM

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Mukherjee told parliament the gross additional spending sought was for 682.94 billion rupees ($14.8 billion). Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee said the ...

Even Pranab gets unwanted calls from loan companies

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Lok Sabha passes bill to settle disputes between regulators

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Pranab apologises to Lok Sabha for losing temper

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He is supporter of MAOISTS/Kashmir Separatists/Assam Separatists...in all HE/CONGRESS ARE FULL SUPPORTERS OF WHOEVER IS WORKING TOWARDS DESTRUCTION OF INDIA ...

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NEW CHALLENGES FOR THE CONGRESS

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... in the lower house of parliament. The Reserve Bank of India had recently raised concerns over the dispute settlement mechanism in the proposed law. ...

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... only function with the consent of parliament, which was the ultimate authority and there was no move from the government to create a super-regulator. ...

India Finance Minister: Not Interfering In RBI's Monetary Authority

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Finance Minister says he is not the super regulator

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On Monday, Pranab Mukherjee Finance minister of India has denied of becoming India's de facto super-regulator. According to the minister, ...

Not super-regulator, says FM; till watchdogs fight, that is

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price rise

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YESWANT SINHA AS THE FORMER FM HAD ACCOMPANIED THE GOLD RESERVES OF INDIA TO BE PLEDGED WITH THE BANK OF ENGLAND ! MR.JASWANT SINGH,ANOTHER SMART BJP LEADER ...

RBI policy mopping excess liquidity - Mukherjee

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Cold call for loan puts off Pranab

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Lok Sabha approves regulators' bill

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Congress responsible for Parliament impasse: Raja

The Hindu - ‎Aug 1, 2010‎
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Government appears closer to ending impasse in Parliament

The Hindu - Smita Gupta - ‎Aug 1, 2010‎
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Houses to pass resolution on prices issue

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Explained: The hue and cry over the Commonwealth Games

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CWG: Kalmadi says he is ready for any probe

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Taking from the Poor to Give to the Games?

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Wanted: A Commonwealth Games Czar

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Aiyar breaks silence, suggests special committee to oversee Games

Sify - ‎2 hours ago‎
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Aiyar breaks vow of silence on 2010 Games

NDTV.com - ‎6 hours ago‎
We may still get a clean Game and a successful one," Aiyar told reporters outside Parliament. Asked whether OC Chief Suresh Kalmadi should resign, he said, ...

Krishna's tough talk led to CWG probe

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'Kalmadi not in Games organising committee as Congressman'

Sify - ‎Aug 3, 2010‎
The issue of diversion of funds meant for Dalits to Games projects was raised Tuesday in both houses of parliament by the Bahujan Samaj Party and opposition ...

Aiyar says he may not get a chance to speak in RS

Times of India - ‎Aug 3, 2010‎
But I doubt whether I would be given any chance to speak on it," Aiyar told reporters outside Parliament when asked about the opposition's demand for a ...

Aiyar breaks silence, demands apex high level committee

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Ready to face scrutiny over CWG funds: Kalmadi

Zee News - ‎9 hours ago‎
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Cong steps back from Kal-muddy waters

India Today - Kay Benedict - ‎11 hours ago‎
The corruption issue erupted in Parliament with several MPs and parties, especially the BSP, throwing both Houses in disarray demanding a discussion on the ...

Different strokes for different folks

Daily Pioneer - ‎19 hours ago‎
Meanwhile, as allegations of diversion of Commonwealth Games-related funds and corruption reverberated in both Houses of Parliament, the Congress washed its ...

Govt cracks whip on Kalmadi

Deccan Herald - ‎20 hours ago‎
On a day when the Congress all but left its beleagured party MP to fend for himself and Parliament witnessed uproar over corruption in the preparations for ...

Outrage grows

Bangalore Mirror - Navneet Singh - ‎20 hours ago‎
Later in the day, BSP, BJP and the Left parties created uproar in Parliament over allegations of diversion of funds for SC/ST schemes to Commonwealth Games ...

Games chief faces heat as payments row grows

The Age - Matt Wade - ‎1 hour ago‎
As well as being head of the Delhi Games organising committee, Mr Kalmadi is a member of parliament for the ruling Congress Party. ...

India's BCCI rejects Delhi 2010 plea for funds

AFP - ‎Jul 31, 2010‎
Sports Minister Manohar Singh Gill told parliament on Thursday the government was spending 2.46 billion dollars to conduct the Games, far above the estimate ...

Kalmadi on CWG Money laundering

PR-inside.com (press release) - ‎Jul 31, 2010‎
I believe that we must put forward everything before the Parliament and the people," he told reporters in New Delhi."I am closely following whatever has ...

MEA questions authenticity of e-mails, OC launches probe

Times of India - ‎Aug 3, 2010‎
On another day of allegations and counter-allegations, the corruption that has marred the build-up to the Games found an echo in the Parliament as well with ...

Congress distances itself from Kalmadi

The Hindu - ‎Aug 3, 2010‎
While stressing that the CWG should not be obstructed in any way as that would damage India's standing, he said that if the spate of allegations were proved ...

Opp. to demand JPC probe on CWG

Asian Age - ‎Aug 1, 2010‎
The Opposition plans to build its attack on the basis of the charges levelled in Parliament by Mr Aiyar, who is known as a "loyalist" in Congress circles. ...

External affairs ministry questions authenticity of emails, C'wealth committee ...

Daily News & Analysis - ‎Aug 3, 2010‎
I can assure you that the government is serious in this matter," Gill told reporters outside the Parliament. "My take is very simple -- the ministry has ...

Games scandal worries Centre

Deccan Herald - ‎Jul 31, 2010‎
I believe that we must put forward everything before Parliament and the people." OC chairman Suresh Kalmadi on Saturday refuted the allegations. ...

Kalmadi's men turn presser into sham

Times Now.tv - ‎1 hour ago‎
Over allegations and counter-allegations, the corruption that has marred the build-up to the Games found an echo in the Parliament as well with Rajya Sabha ...

Kalmadi meets Krishna over CWG corruption

Zee News - ‎Aug 3, 2010‎
99% of indian machinery is corrupt. shame-. may india pakistan war trigger and everything is over. @satya gupta - you say all educated people want to leave ...

Cong starts to get Kalmadi-ache

Asian Age - ‎Jul 31, 2010‎
With Parliament in its Monsoon Session, the sports minister said: "I believe we must put everything before Parliament and the people. ...
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Maoist shutdown hits road links in Ranchi

The two-day shutdown called by Maoists affected surface transport movement in Ranchi, Jharkhand, on Wednesday.

Normal life has remained affected due to the fear of Maoists, which led vehicle-owners to avoid the usage of roads and national highways.

Trucks and buses plying through dense forests in the state have halted at the outskirts of the Ranchi to avoid any incidence of violence.

"They (Maoists) burnt vehicles, who wants to get theirs burnt? They also break the hands and legs of the driver, or maybe even kill him. So it is better that we halt till the shutdown," said Ramesh Yadav, a truck driver.

Maoists have called for the shutdown in five eastern and central provinces - Jharkhand, Bihar, West Bengal, Orissa and Chhattisgarh - to protest the killing of their leader Sidhu Soren by the security forces from August 3 to August 4.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has called the Maoists India's gravest internal security threat. Last year was the worst ever for casualties at more than 1,000 deaths. By Girija Shankar Ojha (ANI)

Court rejects CBI demand for remand of Amit Shah

A special CBI court Wednesday rejected the investigating agency's demand for seven-day custody of former Gujarat minister Amit Shah, arrested in connection with the killing of Sohrabuddin Sheikh in a staged shootout in 2005.

The plea was rejected by Central Bureau of Investigation Special Judge A.I. Raval, an official said.

CBI had July 23 produced a 30,000 page chargesheet and accused Shah of murder, abduction and conspiracy in the staged shootout case.

Shah has been in judicial custody since July 25 when he surrendered.

  Militants were in mass protests in Kashmir: Chidambaram
Home Minister P. Chidambaram Wednesday said there was reliable intelligence that militants may have mingled with crowds and fired at security forces in Jammu and Kashmir where a 'cycle of violence' has raged for more than 50 days.

'There have been instances where the security forces have been fired upon by someone in the protesting crowds. There is reliable intelligence that some armed militants may have mingled with the crowds and fired at the security forces,' he said in a statement in the Lok Sabha on the situation in Jammu and Kashmir.

The minister, who expressed concern over the situation in Jammu and Kashmir, expressed confidence that a possibility of reactivating the political process could be explored once peace was restored there.

'Once peace and order are restored, I am confident that we can explore the possibility of reactivating the political process that holds the key to solution,' Chidambaram said.

The minister appealed to the people of Jammu and Kashmir to 'end the cycle of violence' that has been continuing for the past more than 50 days.

'The central government deeply regrets the loss of lives in Jammu and Kashmir. Many of them were young men and children. I convey our deepest sympathies to the families of the deceased. Even while we regret these incidents, I would appeal to the people of Jammu and Kashmir to put an end to the current cycle of violence,' Chidambaram said.

Making a special appeal to parents, the minister said 'your children's safety and welfare is our paramount consideration - as it must be yours - and I would urge you to ensure that they do not join the violence'.

The Kashmir Valley has been on the boil for 54 days due to violent protests against civilians being killed in firing by security forces. As many as 45 people have died and 180 injured in violence since June 11.

Chidambaram said there were 872 stone pelting incidents in June and July and 1,266 security personnel were injured in the last two months.

'It is my duty to point out that security forces conducted themselves with commendable restraint in a highly volatile situation. They have shown courage and fortitude,' he said.

He also assured the house that adequate forces were available to the Jammu and Kashmir government.

Chidambaram said the central government was behind the Omar Abdullah-led state government in its efforts aimed at restoring peace, holding dialogue and redressing grievances of all parts of Kashmir.

'On its part, the central government offers its full support to the state government in restoring law and order, holding a dialogue, redressing genuine grievances, accelerating development programmes, and ensuring equity, justice and honour for all sections of the people of Jammu and Kashmir,' he said.

Plan panel divided over raising no of Naxal-hit dists to 60
The Planning Commission seems to be divided over the issue of raising the number of Naxal- infested districts from 35 to 60, which will be covered under the integrated action plan (IAP)being formulated by the panel. One school of thought in the Commission is of the view that such a move will result in reduced funds for each of these districts, while the other thinks that improvement in governance is the first requirement for capacity-buidling so that the allocated money can be absorbed properly.

In an internal meeting yesterday, the panel discussed the proposal of increasing the number of Naxal-hit districts from the original 35 to 60 under the IAP being formulated for these Naxal-affected districts spread across nine states. "The improved governance and capacity to absorb funds for development hold the key.

Money will be provided on the basis of performance," panel member Mihir Shah pointed out. "The already-allocated fund is not being used properly as there is no capacity to absorb it.

First we need to develop the capacity for fund absorption through improved governance," Shah argued. He further said fund allocation will be at the back-end.

First we have to ensure implementation of the Panchayats Extension (to Schedule Areas) Act of 1996 so as to give the tribals the right to use minor forest produce. Under the IAP, fund allocation comes at the later stage which will be given on the basis of improved performance in the select districts covered under the programme, he said.

However, member secretary Sudha Pillai argues that such a move will not be of any particular help."There is a proposal from some members that the number of Naxal-hit districts under the IAP be increased from 35 to 60.

But in that case, each district would get less money. Also, the Commission is yet to finalise the proposal.

Once it is done, only after that the IAP will be sent to the Cabinet." The Commission is working on the IAP that will include a financial package of Rs 13,742 crore for the 35 Naxal-affected districts.

This special package came to the Commission from the Cabinet Committee on Security. The three-year package aims at infrastructure development in these districts like roads, drinking water and electrification.

The package assumes special significance in the backdrop of the government''s flagship programmes such as the Bharat Nirman and Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Scheme not achieving much success in these areas. Many parts of as many as nine states -- Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Orissa, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal -- are in the grip of Naxalism.

UAE mobile carrier offers alternative BlackBerry services

A United Arab Emirates mobile carrier Wednesday offered BlackBerry users alternative services to manage the current situation arising after the country's decision to ban key features on the network.

The standard assurance plan by the carrier, du, offers customers all the benefits that they are currently enjoying in addition to free 1,000 local and international SMSs. Customers also have two additional plans to choose from which offer additional benefits.

UAE telecom authorities Sunday said BlackBerry services in the Gulf region will be suspended from Oct 11, citing security concerns.

'du has endeavoured to cater to the needs of all our BlackBerry customers and has developed customised assurance plans to address the concerns of our individual and business BlackBerry customers,' the company's Chief Executive Officer Osman Sultan said.

'Our primary focus has been to provide assurances on the concern of both service disruption and device redundancy. Our guiding principal for designing the 'Assurance Plan' was based on two factors. The first is minimal disruption to the service after suspension and the second to assure no additional financial impact on customers,' Sultan said.

The above offer is only applicable to customers who have subscribed to BlackBerry service, on or before Aug 1, 2010.

Customers currently enjoying du's six months BlackBerry Internet Service offer as of Oct 11, 2010 will continue to enjoy the monthly fee waiver on the standard assurance plan for the remaining period, du said.

Appeal for protest against illegal land acquisition in Gadakujang
Panchayat for POSCO project
http://orissaconcerns.net/2010/08/protest-against-land-takeover/

Press Release from PPSS

Dear all,

The MoU between the state government of Odisha and POSCO steel company
expired on 21st June 2010. Despite that the land acquisition and
eviction from beetle vines in Gadakujang area is continuing by the
district administration of Jagatsingpur and IIDCO in presence of the
office bearers of POSCO! What is the locus standi of the district
administration in occupying the land in the area?

Since 27th July 2010 land acquisition, eviction, providing
compensation and re-survey through GPS (Global Positioning System) is
going on unhindered in Gadakujang Panchayat of Jagatsingpur district
by the officials of the district administration and IIDCO officials
with the help of the United Action Committee (UAC)-a pro-POSCO outfit.
All the areas now being acquired come under forest area. Out of the
total of 4,004 acres of land the government aspires to acquire for the
project about 2958 acres come under the category of forest land. The
land acquisition process is going on in face of the declaration of the
process as 'illegal' by the central committee constituting
representatives from the Ministries of Environment and Forest and
Tribal Affairs of Government of India, which recently visited to the
area to look into the violation of Forest rights Act, 2006. One of the
team members Asish Kothari said to media on 27th July 2010 "Under
section 7 of the Forest Rights Act, 2006 officials involved in the
process of land acquisition at this stage are liable to be punished"

Back on 14th July the High Court of Odisha held that the grant of
Prospective License to the Korean Company for Khandadhar iron ore
reserves is  "not in accordance with law' and set it aside.

In the mean time the Ministry of Environment and Forest has appointed
a four member committee headed by the former secretary Meena Gupta to
probe into if the state government has complied with the FRA law in
the area before acquiring land there. Jairam Ramesh, the Minister of
State for Environment and Forest told Rajya Sabha on 2nd August 2010
that POSCO is under investigation for the alleged violation of
government guidelines.

Continuous protest is going on by the people from these areas against
POSCO. Demonstrations have been lunched through put the state against
the increasing diversion of water to industries. Recently Mahanadi
Bachao Andolan and Jala Surakshya Samiti in Cuttack district of the
state opposed the diversion of water from Mahanadi for POSCO.
Similarly the Jatadhari Bachao Andolan in Jagatsigpur will be
demonstrating against the proposed captive port for POSCO. Despite
these protests, Naveen Patnaik, the Chief Minster of the state who
made promise to the people of proposed POSCO area to visit and discuss
the matter with them has reneged from his promise leaving the people
agitated and betrayed.

Media report suggest that in the mean time , the UAC has been
fragmented owing to discontent of some people within to the government
action, and a new outfit has been formed as a break away group of UAC
with title "Bhitamati Surakshya Samiti" which has decided to oppose
the ongoing process in  non-violent way. But if their demand is not
heeded by the government, they will ally with Posco Pratorodh Sangram
Samiti and oppose the project.

If the process of land acquision, which is currently going on in the
areas United Action Committee, the pro-POSCO outfit has a domination,
to the areas where people have been fiercely opposing POSCO project,
there is all likelihood that the people there will come open in forms
of demonstrations and opposition to the process. Such situations are
fraught with the risks of turning violent as has been witnessed before
also where the police force had opened fire to the peacefully
demonstrating people and fired the house of people there.

Therefore, we appeal to all the likeminded people, intellectuals,
activists, academicians, leaders of movements to lodge their strong
protest against the unlawful land acquisition process being going on
unfazed by the state government. You are requested to build pressure
on the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) and the state Chief Minister's
Office (CMO) by writing protest letters/mails so that the government
respects the voice of people and reverse the ongoing process.

Sincerely,

Prasant Paikray
Spokes Person,
Posco Pratirodha Sangram Samiti (PPSS)


--
"[It is not] possible to distinguish between 'numerical' and
'nonnumerical' algorithms, as if numbers were somehow different from
other kinds of precise information." - Donald Knuth
_______________________________________________
connect mailing list
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http://orissaconcerns.net

A Report on



The Public Meeting in Delhi on 3 August  Demanding Judicial Inquiry into the  Killing of Azad, the Spokesperson and Polit Bureau member of the CPI ( Maoist) along with Journalist Hem Chandra Pandey



2 PM, 3RD AUGUST 2010, RAJENDRA BHAVAN, DEEN DAYAL UPADHYAY MARG, NEW DELHI





The Public Meeting to demand the judicial enquiry into the killings of Azad, the spokesperson and Polit Bureau member of the CPI (Maoist) along with journalist Hem Chandra Pandey at Rajendra Bhavan, New Delhi was addressed by a large number of prominent citizens in the presence of packed auditorium. Dr. B D Sharma, former National Commissioner for Scheduled Castes and Tribes of Government of India chaired the public meeting and started the proceedings of the meeting by calling upon the audience to observe one minute's silence in commemoration of Azad and Hem Chandra Pandey. Dr Anup Saraya a well-known doctor and democratic rights activist convened the meeting to start it proceedings.

G N Saibaba, conducting the meeting for the Chair told the audience that when he was killed, Azad was in the process of preparing the ground for talks on behalf of his party with the Government of India through Swami Agnivesh. In the manner and at the juncture in which he along with Hem Pandey has been killed has triggered a public uproar, and there is a strong demand to institute a judicial investigation into the circumstances of the killing of Azad and Hem Pandey.

Prof. Haragopal, Professor Emeritus, University of Hyderabad condoling the killings stated that a leading revolutionary of the country has been killed when Azad was carrying a message to the leadership about the final details of the proposed talks. Azad's letter in response to the proposal for a dialogue clearly states that his party was more than willing to come to the discussion table, a party which is fighting to make our society a more humane one. The Indian government is asked by the people of India why Azad was killed when he was carrying a message of peace. The paradox of our times is that those who are talking of peace are pursuing war and those who are purported to be at war with the Indian state are more committed to peace. He then shared the experiences of talks between the government of Andhra Pradesh  and CPI(ML) (People War) and Janashakti, stating that he felt the same guilt that Swami Agnivesh is now feeling for the killing of many Naxalites involved in the process of a dialogue which failed ultimately in 2004. Prof Haragopal further stated that the government has repeatedly betrayed the hopes generated by the peace loving masses of the country by repeatedly betraying the process of talks.

Releasing the memorial booklet on Azad by the 'Friends of Azad' Sumit Chakravartty, editor of Mainstream Weekly, observed that the cold blooded manner in which Azad was killed by the state has shocked the country, and the people responsible for it must be held accountable for it. Rajkishore, General Secretary of Revolutionary Democratic Front said that the brutal killing of Azad and Hem Chandra Pandey by the government has not only betrayed the trust of Swami Agnivesh but all the peace loving and democratic people of the country. He said that this killing is a part of the Indian state's war on people in the name of Operation Green Hunt to facilitate imperialist loot of people's resources. Through this war, the Indian state wants to crush the alternative model of development by the Maoist movement, and the establishment of new people's power through Jantana Sarkar ( People's Government) which has taken the shape of a truly democratic power in the forests of Dandakaranya.

Meher Engineer, a civil rights activist from Kolkata, while reiterating the demand for a judicial investigation into the murder of comrade Azad and Hem Pandey free from the influence of the government. He threw fresh light on the ongoing Lalgarh movement under the PCPA. Sujato Bhadra, the secretary of the APDR, stated that we are living under the reign of the pathological liars in West Bengal, where fake encounters are being carried out by the armed forces of the state with impunity. The right to a normal life for the people of Lalgarh has been taken away by the state. Thousands of activists, people's leaders, and villagers have been incarcerated, rapes are committed, molestation and state terror has become a daily occurrence.

Pushkar Raj of PUCL stated that we have been taught that the state is the protector of the people. However in India that phase seemed to have come to an end in 1970s. He drew notice to the human rights violations and disrespect to the constitution, the abdication of all responsibility by the NHRC, which has become nothing but a white elephant, and the shocking reaction of our Home Minister in out-rightly rejecting the demand for a judicial Inquiry into the killings of Azad and Hem Chandra Pandey. He said, Maoists are also people like us, who are fighting against poverty, hunger and deprivation. We must be more and more resolute in protesting the extra-judicial killings.

SAR Geelani presented the resolution which was adopted by the meeting after suggestions and modifications. The final form of the resolution is attached here.

Swami Agnivesh, the mediator to the proposed talks between the CPI(Maoist) and the government expressed his condolence to the death or killing of Azad and Hem Chandra Pandey. He said that even though we know that the system of enquiries in our country is long and winding, yet we are demanding a judicial enquiry to get at the truth of their killings. He informed that the Home Minister declined his request for a judicial enquiry, instead asking him go to the Home Minister of Andhra Pradesh. The Home Minister who himself said his letter to Swami Agnivesh was confidential made it public on programme in TV channel CNN IBN, while his own hands were tied to confidentiality. Swami Agnivesh told that he was suprised to find that the Maoists said that  they were ready for ceasefire and talks.. He said, "The Maoists asked me to fix the dates for the dialogue, and I gave three dates in consultation with the government. But instead of the news of peace talks I got the news of the killing of Azad. I felt guilty knowing that he was with my letter to conduct the final round of consultations. I have seen both the versions of the government and the police. I might not have believed the Maoist version, if Hem Chandra Pandey was also not killed along with Azad in order to eliminate the evidence. Babita Pandey, his wife saw him off to Nagpur on 30th June. On 1st July there is the news of his killing. We have therefore reasons to believe that this is the worst kind of fake encounter, whereby the government has not only killed two persons extra-judicially but also betrayed the peace process." He further appealed to intensify the struggle for upholding democracy, and for the rights of the poor people of the country. By remembering Azad, he said that we must carry forward the legacy of Bhagat Singh, and raise the banner of inquilab, so that no one is forced to take up arms to fight for justice.

Varavara Rao, revolutionary poet told that the simple fact that the state is the perpetrator of violence seems to be difficult for the civil society to comprehend. He said that we may meet and negotiate with Manmohan Singh and Chidambaram's government, but we must know their true character, that they are the agents of the imperialists. While in the last meeting on 25th May we were talking about peace talks, today we are talking about judicial Inquiry. In the last two days we are demanding that the encircling of comrade Saroj, a Central Committee Member of CPI(Maoist) by the intelligence agencies in the country's capital, who is carrying Swami Agnivesh's letter to Ganapathy, the General Secretary of CPI (Maoist) must be withdrawn. Comrade Saroj who is making efforts for the talks, and who is unarmed, has now been encircled and hounded. This is the true character of the Indian state. To make the government and the civil society convinced about their commitment to peace, the Maoists are making so many sacrifices. Even so, for the concern of the people the Maoists are coming out repeatedly for talks. He asked, whether the government is ready for it? Varavara Rao concluded by saying that today's rulers of India, whether Manmohan, Chidambaram, Modi or Buddhadeb, are on one side and the people on the other. Rao appealed to the civil society to make all efforts for talks, and assured that the Maoists will support this effort in their quest for justice.

Prashant Bhushan, senior lawyer of the Supreme Court stated that the unbridled exploitation and plunder of people's resources by the corporations with the active aid of the government is taking the people to the fold of the Maoists. Arundhati Roy, writer, speaking in the public meeting, asserted that Azad foretold his death so many times in his writings and interviews, reminiscent of Gabriel Garcia Marquez's poem 'A Death Foretold'. She said that the time for revolution has come, since all the institutions of the state have failed the people of the country. E M  Abdur Rehman, chairperson of the Popular Front of India (PFI), addressing the meeting reiterated the demand for a judicial enquiry and asserted that all forms of atrocities and repression of adivasis, dalits and minorities need to be resisted, while protesting against framed up charges, abductions extra-judicial killings by the state's armed police and armed forces.

Radhika Menon of CPI(ML) (Liberation) told the audience that we don't demand Judicial Inquiry to be constituted into the killings of Azad and Hem Pandey only for the state to see its face in the mirror. For us, the people's organisations it is crystal clear how the state killed them.

Satnam the author of Jangalnama, a book recently published by Penguin on the revolutionary people's movement of Dandakaranya narrated the story of the people's resistance.

Dr B D Sharma the chair concluded the meeting by telling the invincible nature the struggles of adivasi people in India and called upon the people of the country to stand by them.



RESOLUTION ADOPTED IN THE PUBLIC MEETING



We strongly condemn the killing of Azad (Cherukuri Rajkumar), a Polit Bureau member of the Communist Party of India (Maoist) and the spokesperson of its Central Committee along with the Delhi-based journalist Hem Chandra Pandey by the Andhra Pradesh police in Adilabad district on 1st of July, 2010. While the Indian government and the AP police was quick to claim that both were killed after a four-hour long exchange of fire, the circumstantial evidence points towards an alleged fake encounter after the APSIB took the two in illegal custody on 1st July 2010 in or on their way to Nagpur, abducted and later assassinated them in cold blood.

Azad has been associated with the Maoist movement for nearly four decades, starting his political activism in the radical students' movement in Andhra Pradesh in 1970s, and was at the forefront of the anti-Emergency struggle in that state. He fought and died for what he believed to be a new society free from all forms of exploitation and oppression. Azad was familiar as the spokesperson of his party, regularly articulating position on various issues through numerous statements, articles and interviews. At the time of his murder, Azad was representing the CPI(Maoist) in exploring the possibilities of talks with the Indian government, which was at a crucial stage. It has been learnt that Azad was in the process of finalizing the dates for mutual ceasefire and possible dates for the commencement of the much-anticipated talks in consultation with his party leadership, when he was killed in the fake-encounter. In all probability this murder had the sanction of the highest authorities in the Indian government, resulting in a setback to the efforts made towards the talks. This puts the commitment and seriousness of the Indian government towards negotiations in grave doubt, and reflects its desire to further escalate the ongoing armed conflict and Operation Green Hunt.

Hem Chandra Pandey, a Delhi-based journalist who contributed regularly to Nai Duniya, Rashtriya Sahara, Chetana and other Hindi newspapers and magazines, was with Azad at the time of his killing by the AP police. It is suspected that he has been eliminated in the fake encounter in order to do away with an eye-witness of this extra-judicial detention, abduction and murder. Hem has been part of various democratic and progressive movements in Uttarakhand from his student days, and has been highlighting people's issues and problems through his journalistic writings. Hem's friends remember him as an inspiring figure who has been an outspoken critique of the anti-people policies of the government. Silencing of a journalist in this manner is a strong reminder to the presence of an undeclared emergency imposed by the Indian rulers that has suspended the democratic and civil rights of the citizens, particularly in the areas of people's struggles.

While condemning in the strongest possible words the killings of Azad and Hem Chandra Pandey, we demand that the government constitute an immediate judicial enquiry to probe into the incident. We also demand an immediate stop to all extra-judicial execution of revolutionaries as well as activists and leaders of people's movements. The government must respect the constitutionally guaranteed fundamental rights of the people to life and dignity. The gagging of the media and stifling of media freedom must be stopped by the government. We demand an end to the Indian government's war on people in the name of Operation Green Hunt, and the immediate withdrawal of its armed forces from the areas of conflict. The government must scrap all the MoUs signed with the multinational and Indian corporations for the exploitation of mineral resources at the expense of people's lives and livelihood. The Indian government must also politically address the demands of the struggling people of Kashmir and the North East through dialogue, and must stop the brutal repression of their voices through state repression.



CONCERNED CITIZENS & FORUM AGAINST WAR ON PEOPLE

B-57, Gulmohar Park, Ist Floor, New Delhi 110049

concernedcitizensnow@gmai.com

CRPF deploys special team in Naxal-hit areas

Times of India - ‎5 hours ago‎
NEW DELHI: After training them for eight months in intensive intelligence gathering, CRPF has begun deploying its specially-trained personnel in Naxal-hit areas and other theatres of operation to gather information at the grass root level. ...

No foreign money coming to Maoists: Chidambaram

Economic Times - ‎4 hours ago‎
"No foreign money coming to Maoists but there are evidences that the weapons are being smuggled from abroad... from across Myanmar border and from across Bangladesh border," Chidambaram said during Question Hour in the Rajya Sabha. ...

12 cops feared killed in Dantewada Naxal ambush

India Today - ‎1 hour ago‎
Planning Commission will be ready with the final draft of the Integrated Action Plan (IAP) for development of Naxal-hit districts in the next few days, Home Minister P Chidambaram said on Wednesday, Aug 4. PTI Photo At least 12 police personnel were ...

---

Mr. Chidambaram told the Rajya Sabha in response to an official question that the Planning Commission will be issuing a final draft of the new "Integrated Action Plan" in the next few days. more by P Chidambaram - 1 hour ago - Wall Street Journal (blog) (1 occurrences)

---

Not a Moment Too Soon on Naxal Plan

Wall Street Journal (blog) - Paul Beckett - ‎1 hour ago‎
Mr. Chidambaram told the Rajya Sabha that a final draft of the new action plan against Naxals will be issued in the next few days. Home Minister P. Chidambaram told Parliament today that the government is on the brink on unveiling a new ...

Action plan for Naxal-hit districts soon: Chidambaram

Times of India - ‎5 hours ago‎
NEW DELHI: Planning Commission will be ready with the final draft of the Integrated Action Plan (IAP) for development of Naxal-hit districts in the next few days, Home Minister P Chidambaram said on Wednesday. The Plan panel has been asked to enlarge ...

Centre asks naxal infested states to quicken infrastructural development

Samachar Today (blog) - ‎6 hours ago‎
Denying any foreign funding to the Naxals, Government has said that development is the first part of its strategy to deal with the menace. However, peace is pre-requisite for carrying out developmental activities. Responding to supplementaries in the ...
All 7 related articles »

Indian urges end to 'mindless violence' in Kashmir AFP - ‎45 minutes ago‎ NEW DELHI — The Indian government warned Wednesday that further "mindless violence" in Indian Kashmir could only lead to more deaths after two months of unrest that has already claimed 45 lives. Speaking in parliament, Home Minister P. Chidambaram ... Kashmiris Storm the Street, Defying Curfew New York Times - Lydia Polgreen - ‎2 hours ago‎ NEW DELHI — Hundreds of people defied round-the-clock curfews in the disputed province of Kashmir on Wednesday, torching police vehicles in the streets of the state's summer capital, Srinagar, shouting "Azadi," or freedom, ... Railways suspend operations in Kashmir Hindustan Times - ‎2 hours ago‎ Indian police patrol a curfew-bound locality in Srinagar August 1, 2010. A teenage boy was killed... The Indian Railways suspended its operations in the Kashmir Valley for an indefinite period after violent mobs burnt railway stations and targeted ... Chidambaram backs Omar, asks Kashmiris to end violence Times of India - ‎2 hours ago‎ NEW DELHI: Home minister P Chidambaram on Wednesday appealed to the people of Kashmir to end the "cycle of violence" in Kashmir, and urged parents to ensure that their children did not join violent activities. "Even while we regret these incidents, ... PC, Hurriyat call for peace in Kashmir indiablooms - ‎37 minutes ago‎ New Delhi/Srinagar, Aug 4 (IBNS): As Kashmir Valley boiled and curfew remained clamped across the Valley, Union Home minister P Chidambaram on Wednesday urged the protestors to end the cycle of violence, while separatist Hurriyat Conference leader Syed ... Have faith in Omar govt, appeals Chidambaram IBNLive.com - ‎1 hour ago‎ New Delhi: Home Minister P Chidambaram on Wednesday appealed to the people of Kashmir to shun violence and aim for a political solution while backing the Omar Abdullah government. "Mindless violence will not lead to any solution. ... Chidambaram: Keep children away from protests, end violence in Kashmir NDTV.com - ‎2 hours ago‎ New Delhi: Home Minister P Chidambaram made a statement in Parliament on the Kashmir situation today, saying he deeply regretted civilian deaths in the Valley and appealing for peace. Chidambaram endorsed J&K Chief Minister Omar Abdullah's view that ... Rail service in Kashmir Valley suspended IBNLive.com - ‎1 hour ago‎ PTI New Delhi, Aug 4(PTI) Amid mounting unrest in Kashmir Valley, railways have suspended train movement on Quazigund-Baramulla section for the first time after rail service was introduced in the area two years back. The suspension will remain in vogue ... Violence has no place in Kashmir: Geelani IBNLive.com - ‎2 hours ago‎ Srinagar: Stating that Kashmiris must be seen as the "oppressed and not as oppressors", hardline separatist leader Syed Ali Geelani on Wednesday warned people against acts of arson and violence like stone pelting. The chief of the hardline faction of ... 'I am turning into a mental wreck' Hindustan Times - ‎1 hour ago‎ The Internet, particularly social networking sites, is the only breathing space as continuous curfew and shutdown has turned Kashmir into a sub-jail for the last 55 days. Except rare adventurous attempts --- dodging swinging stones hurled by protesters ... All 129 related articles »

Related Jammu and Kashmir Srinagar India Kashmiri people Timeline of articles Number of sources covering this story Have faith in Omar govt, appeals Chidambaram ‎1 hour ago‎ - IBNLive.com Chidambaram backs Omar, asks Kashmiris to end violence ‎2 hours ago‎ - Times of India Chidambaram likely to announce concessions for Kashmir ‎11 hours ago‎ - Times of India 5 more killed in violence in Kashmir Valley ‎21 hours ago‎ - Indian Express UN chief's K-talk has India worried ‎Aug 2, 2010‎ - Times of India Images AFP New York Times The Hindu The Hindu Oneindia Oneindia Oneindia NDTV.com NDTV.com All related images »

Price rise dominates parliament

Soaring food prices generated heat in parliament Wednesday, with the Lok Sabha unanimously urging the government to act and come to the rescue of the common man.
While Sachin Tendulkar's cricketing feat and the violence raging in the Kashmir Valley also figured in the house, members were mostly concerned over inflationary pressures.
After vocal attacks on what the opposition said was the government's failure to check food prices, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee put up a spirited defence of what the government was doing -- and would do.
The Lok Sabha was adjourned over the Babhali barrage row between Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra. The Telugu Desam Party (TDP) apologized after one of its members shouted at Mukherjee, the leader of the house.
The debate on price rise ended in the Lok Sabha Wednesday with the house adopting a resolution.
'This House, having considered the inflationary pressure on the economy, urges the government to take further action to contain its adverse impact on the common man,' said the resolution read out by Speaker Meira Kumar.
It was a tame end to an affair that had stalled the proceedings of parliament all of last week.
Before the resolution was moved, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Sushma Swaraj moaned that Mukherjee had not announced any steps to contain the spiralling prices of essential commodities.
'Not a single reform has been announced,' she said. She chided the finance minister for equating growth rate and inflation.
Mukherjee said the public must appreciate that certain factors like supply shortfall and hoarding were beyond the central government's control.
He said the central and state governments needed to act together.
Touching upon the hikes in prices of petroleum products,
Mukherjee said in his 50-minute reply that the perpetual increases in international crude oil price had forced the government to hike the prices of petroleum products. Reducing tax was not a solution, he said.
Initiating the debate in the Rajya Sabha, BJP's Arun Jaitley said India's economic policies were impacting the credibility of the economists who run the country. The remark was aimed at economist-turned-politician Manmohan Singh, the prime minister.
Congress member Jayanthi Natarajan accused the opposition of politicizing the price rise.
Blaming the opposition for wasting a week of the session, she said: 'Some estimates say Rs.40 crore was wasted, some estimates say Rs.70 crore was wasted.'
Communist Party of India-Marixist leader Sitaram Yechury said the government's claims of giving highest priority to food prices had not been fulfilled.
Calling for higher public investment in agriculture, particularly irrigation, he demanded that the prices of petroleum products should be rolled back.
Members of TDP and the Shiva Sena protested in the Lok Sabha over the Babhali barrage row, forcing its adjournment for half hour in the morning.
As the house convened at 11 a.m., the TDP members moved towards Meira Kumar shouting slogans.
Shiv Sena members also became vocal, forcing the speaker to adjourn the house.
The house witnessed unpleasant scenes when it reassembled. Mukherjee reqiested the TDP MPs to return to their seats. A furious TDP MP Naramalli Sivaprasad shouted at Mukherjee, forcing another adjournment.
When the house reassembled, TDP leader in the Lok Sabha, Nama Nageshwara Rao, apologised to Mukherjee.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Monday convened a meeting of the chief ministers of Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra over the barrage and asked tje two riverine states to abide by the Supreme Court interim order.
Earlier, the house congratulated former Indian skipper Sachin Tendulkar for his 'unique achievement' of playing 169 test cricket matches.

Maoists cause coal production loss - minister

State-run Central Coalfields Ltd (CCL) lost 1.126 million tonnes of coal production from April to June due to Maoist activities, Coal Minister Sriprakash Jaiswal said in a written reply to parliament on Wednesday.
This was almost the same as the 1.15 million tonnes lost in 2009/10.
Maoist actions, including threats to the workforce, have affected CCL's production in Jharkhand, Jaiswal said in his reply.
Last month, Jaiswal said coal production could rise by at least 25 percent if law and order were improved. Maoists control swathes of mineral-rich areas and have attacked railway lines and factories, aiming to cripple economic activity.
CCL is a unit of state-run Coal India Ltd, the country's monopoly coal producer.
In the 2009/10 fiscal year, India produced 531 million tonnes of coal, up from 492.95 million tonnes in the previous year, government data shows, although the amount still fell short of demand.
(Reporting by Ruchira Singh, editing by Jane Baird)

Opinions and Editorials

       

   

One paisa revolution

FE - 02:54 AM
Thanks to a commercial SMS costing less than a paisa, every advertiser—from builders, insurance and investment companies, vaastu and fitness experts to sauna belt and geyser manufacturers—has turned to bulk text messages, taking the daily junk SMS count across the country past 100 million.
       
        View:         Headlines Only |         Include Summaries |         Include Photos        
            
       

•             South China Sea IE - 04:49 AM
• China's declaration last week claiming "indisputable sovereignty" over the South China Sea has set the stage for a tense power play in the waters that connect the Pacific and Indian Oceans.
•        
•             Wrong focus IE - 04:49 AM
• That India's private sector is overwhelmingly dominated by upper castes is beyond dispute.
•        
•             Solid state theories IE - 04:49 AM
• An NRI friend of mine was arguing with me that we should send the army against Maoists/ Naxalites/ whatever-you-may-call-them.
•        
•             The real way to universalise IE - 04:49 AM
• That crores of citizens in a country proud of its growth and rising international stature are malnourished should create a sense of urgency about ushering in the promised food security act.
•        
•             A tectonic shift in Telangana IE - 04:49 AM
• The Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) has decisively won 11 out of the 12 seats in the recent by-elections in Telangana.
•        
•             Modi's complicity IE - 04:49 AM
• Though it attempted some unity with the BJP in Parliament to corner the government over price rise, the Left has been scathing in its criticism of the Narendra Modi regime in Gujarat, especially after the arrest of former minister Amit Shah in connection with the Sohrabuddin Sheikh encounter.
•        
•             Complicated encounters IE - 04:49 AM
• Beware of half truths — because you may be holding the wrong half. After having seen and read so much about the Sohrabuddin episode in the last five years, one might believe one knows it all. Sohrabuddin is now cast as an innocent victim of police excess.
•        
•             The next innings IE - 04:49 AM
• Anil Kumble has made an offer to the BCCI that, by all accounts, is proving irresistible. He could oversee a personality development programme for contracted players, to mentor them in tackling different aspects of off-field conduct: managing finances, interacting in the dressing room and with the media, handling "instant success", dealing with the anti-doping regime, etc.
•        
•             Building human capital - II FE - 02:54 AM
• The government needs to raise the bar on higher education. This entails increasing opportunities for enrolment as well as improving the quality of higher education. Key to achieving this will be to encourage private investment in higher education and also bring greater accountability among institutions for their performance. On some of these, the government has taken definitive steps.
•        
•             Column : Calculating the cost of the games FE - 02:54 AM
• While no one can deny that Mani Shankar Aiyar has a tendency to shoot his mouth off, the second part of his controversial statement on the Commonwealth Games (CWG) is relevant for future decisions.
•        
•             Column : Wheat high FE - 02:54 AM
• In an unexpected move, wheat prices that were poised to drop sharply under the weight of rising inventories have jumped to multi-month highs, stroking concerns that after gold the next big boom could come in foodgrains.
•        
•             Letters to the editor FE - 02:54 AM
• The allegations of corruption in the run up to the CWG have received a lot of flak. It is true that incidents of corruption exist even in developed countries, but, they generally don't go so wide and deep in activities such as organising international events that would do any country proud.
•        
•             FE Editorial : Dilute to 51% FE - 02:54 AM
• The Lok Sabha on Monday cleared the SBI (amendment) Bill that will enable the government to reduce its stake in India's largest bank to 51%.
•        
•             A world turned upside down FE - 02:54 AM
• What is risky and what is safe? That has always been a crucial question for anyone working in the financial markets.
•        
•             Macro-environment remains friendly FE - 02:54 AM
• The Sensex is now about 15 points away from the year's high of 18,131. If the market has shrugged off India Inc's indifferent performance in the June 2010 quarter, it's probably because it's expecting companies to play catch up in the rest of the year and thereafter.
•        
•             Report card FE - 02:54 AM
• This paper* seeks to assess the extent to which a country's overall level of development is a factor that attracts private capital into infrastructure projects.
•        
•             FE Editorial : Cast them aside FE - 02:54 AM
• The latest chapter of the Indian reservation saga involves the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP), under the Union commerce and industry minister Anand Sharma, telling the corporate sector that companies benefiting from various government incentives may be asked to reserve about 5% of employment needs for the SCs and STs.
•        
•             Column : There's much room for engagement FE - 02:54 AM
• David Cameron and the UK delegation's visit to India has been the topic of many column inches in recent days.
•        
•             After the 'referendum' IE - Tue, Aug 3
• A couple of days before the Telangana by-election results were declared, Home Minister P. Chidambaram inquired about the Congress's prospects from a ministerial colleague.
•        

       
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FACTBOX - BlackBerry under fire from states seeking access

Reuters - BlackBerry maker Research In Motion is facing demands for access to its encrypted data in some of its fastest-growing markets.
RIM's encrypted traffic is delivered through its network operating centres, based mostly in Canada, though corporate clients can choose to host their BlackBerry Enterprise Servers elsewhere. RIM says it cannot access data sent via its devices.
RIM does not give usage numbers by region, but research firm Gartner estimates that, of 10.55 million BlackBerry devices shipped in the last quarter, 1.4 percent went to the Middle East and Africa, 7.6 percent to Asia and 9.5 percent to Latin America. North America took more than half and more than a quarter went to western Europe.
Below is a factbox showing how different governments have dealt with concerns raised by BlackBerry's encrypted data.
INDIA
Security officials in India, the fastest-growing wireless market in the world, warned the service would be halted if the company failed to meet its concerns, a newspaper reported.
An Indian government source told Reuters that RIM had proposed to share some details of its BlackBerry services but security agencies were demanding full access to a messaging service it fears could be misused by militants.
Indian security agencies suspect militants used BlackBerry services to plan a 2008 Mumbai attack in which 116 people died.
3G wireless networks due in late 2010 or early 2011 are expected to boost interest in BlackBerry devices, which are offered by most leading mobile operators and number one million.
India already has one mobile connection for every two of its 1.2 billion people and adds 16 million new subscribers a month.
CHINA
RIM's plans to enter China in 2006 were delayed by about two years, with analysts blaming Beijing's demands that RIM prove its handsets posed no security threat.
RIM eventually began selling BlackBerry handsets in 2008 in a tieup with dominant operator China Mobile, but usage has reportedly been weak due to the carrier's lack of promotion.
In May, RIM launched a BlackBerry service with China Telecom, the smallest of China's three mobile carriers, which plans to promote the services more aggressively.
China limits ownership of its telecoms networks, due in part to security concerns, and has been slow to allow foreign operators to build their own networks.
BlackBerry's experience is part of Beijing's broader effort to control the flow of information in Chinese society. Beijing often blocks websites on sensitive issues and requires Internet firms operating in the country to self-censor on those subjects.
UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
The UAE says its threat to ban BlackBerry email, messaging and internet comes after three years of fruitless negotiations with RIM, which last year said state-controlled operator Etisalat had sought to install an unauthorised surveillance application on its devices.
The Gulf Arab state objects on security grounds to data being exported offshore and managed by a "foreign, commercial operation". Its ban, due on Oct. 11, will also affect visitors.
SAUDI ARABIA
The telecommunications regulator in the biggest Arab economy is set to block BlackBerry Messenger on August 6, a spokesman said on Wednesday. RIM officials met with the regulator on Wednesday to try to avery the ban. Most users are consumers. Messenging is used by Saudi youth to meet members of the opposite sex in a deeply conservative society.
KUWAIT
Kuwait does not plan to follow the example of its Gulf neighbours by banning BlackBerry services, but has asked RIM to block pornographic sites, a newspaper said on Tuesday. RIM has given "initial approval" and sought until the end of the year to implement the block, the paper said.
UNITED STATES
The State Department calls the UAE's planned ban a dangerous precedent in limiting freedom of information, but the White House has had its own issues with BlackBerry.
President Barack Obama had to push hard to keep his beloved BlackBerry upon assuming highest office due to security concerns and the fact that presidential emails are considered public records subject to disclosure.
His phone received enhanced security and his address book was reduced to a small group of personal friends and senior staff.
U.S. law enforcement authorities need to obtain a court order signed by a judge in order to access call logs or data from a phone, BlackBerry or iPhone.
BRITAIN
RIM's system is considered so secure Britain's intelligence community permits BlackBerry use to send and receive information up to a level where release could limit the effectiveness of military operations or compromise law enforcement.
In Britain, public bodies who want to intercept or gain access to past communications data must obtain a warrant from the interior minister, or permission from a senior police, defence or customs authority. The main grounds for such permission are national security, crime prevention and detection and safeguarding the economy.
RUSSIA
Russia's two biggest carriers began offering BlackBerry services in late 2007, after years of negotiations between RIM and the federal security service that did not involve handing over encryption codes. BlackBerry Enterprise Servers for Russian corporate clients are hosted by the operator or the enterprise.
FRANCE
In 2007, a French security agency recommended that cabinet ministers and President Nicolas Sarkozy stop using BlackBerry services due to concerns that the data might not be secure.
The SGDN was worried that RIM's servers were located in Britain and Canada and might therefore be accessible to overseas security agencies. Many top ministers have since been issued specially encrypted smartphones instead.
GERMANY
Germany does not have an encryption law that prohibits encrypted messages, a spokesman for the federal telecoms watchdog said. Authorities need a court order to access messages, emails and other communication.
AUSTRIA
BlackBerry Enterprise Servers for Austrian corporate clients are located in Britain and operated by RIM, an industry source said. There is so far no law allowing the interception of encrypted email traffic, the source said.
(Compiled by Alastair Sharp in Cairo with reporting by Doug Young in Hong Kong; Devidutta Tripathy in New Delhi, Georgina Prodhan in London, Leila Abboud in Paris, Nicola Leske in Frankfurt and Boris Groendahl in Vienna, and Jeremy Pelofsky in Washington, Editing by Lin Noueihed)

Sensex advances by 103 points; highest level since 2008

Mumbai, Aug.4 (ANI): The Bombay Stock Exchange benchmark Sensex on Wednesday advanced by 103 points to its highest level since February 5, 2008, led by IT majors Tata Consultancy Services and Infosys Technologies.
The Bombay Stock Exchange's 30-share index rose further by 102.61 points, or 0.57 per cent, to 18,217.44 on Wednesday. It had gained nearly 247 points in the previous two trading sessions.
In tandem, the broad-based National Stock Exchange index Nifty rose by 28.30 points, or 0.52 per cent, to 5,467.85, after touching an intra-day high of 5,481.90.
Today, in early trade, the rupee lost 12 paise against the US dollar due to demand for the US currency from importers.
An estimated 50 per cent of Indian software companies' revenue comes from US and European markets. (ANI)

Jawans at borders get stale food: CAG

The Indian Army soldiers posted at some of the most difficult locations in the world along the China and Pakistan border are getting food that is unfit for human consumption and at times is more than two years beyond the expiry date, a latest government report on supply of rations in the armed forces has revealed.
The audit report says the Army has violated its own norms and has been supplying troops with food items, including rice, sugar and wheat, which are way past their expiry date. Most of the cases, the report reveals, pertain to the Northern Command, the largest Army formation in the country that has troops along the Pakistan and China border as well as the Siachen glacier.
"It was found that atta, sugar, rice, tea, dal, edible oil and raisins were consumed six to 28 months after the expiry of their normal storage life," the report says, adding that the food items were given illegal life extensions by a Jammu-based lab that were against the standing rules of the Army.
While soldiers have been complaining about the bad quality of food served at forward locations, this is the first official report of a large-scale violation of norms across the Northern Command.
The report also suggests a large-scale rigging of prices by revealing that 36 per cent of cases of procurement of fresh rations were based only on single quotations, taking away any scope of competitiveness. Not only that, raising suspicions of corruption, the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) report has found that rations worth almost Rs 2 crore, meant for soldiers in high altitude areas, remain untraceable in the Northern Command. A majority of these rations, the report says, were issued during 2005-06, during which former Army Chief General Deepak Kapoor was heading the Northern Command.
The report also quotes an internal Army study that reveals only one per cent of soldiers in units across the country find the quality of rations they receive as excellent. A majority of the jawans have graded their rations as satisfactory or below.
While the armed forces have been trying to improve rations, the damning report has come as a shocker. The ministry is currently working on a long term plan to improve the quality of food as well as storage locations and is likely to come up with a new set of regulations soon.

Rs 744 cr 'diverted', govt says SCs too will benefit

In the rush to prepare the city for the Commonwealth Games, the Delhi government allegedly spent Rs 744 crore out of the Scheduled Caste Welfare fund, apparently overlooking the reserved categories who the funds were meant for.
The government, which does not see anything wrong in this, now argues that members of these reserved categories will eventually utilise the upcoming infrastructure project. Such funds are usually spent on government schemes and programmes to improve the standard of living of those in these reserved categories.
Over the past four years, the Delhi government spent up to Rs 744 crore set aside under this head to construct flyovers, upgrade roads and construct new footpaths and bus stops across the city.
In an internal note last month to Minister for Welfare of SCs/STs/OBCs Rajkumar Chauhan, SC/ST department's special secretary K Lal Nghinglova said every community, including the reserved categories, stand to benefit from Games works. "It is presumed that the facilities provided under transport, construction of roads/bridges, development of bus terminals and many other new schemes launched under Commonwealth Games are also availed by all categories of people, equally irrespective of any caste," he wrote.
According to official records, nearly 17 per cent of Delhi's population falls under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes category. As per the Planning Commission guidelines, Delhi sets aside a proportionate amount of the state's annual Budget for welfare of those in these categories.
A senior finance official said this special fund is categorised into two categories—divisible or direct and indivisible or indirect. "The indivisible funds are used to construct amenities for those in these reserved categories, mostly in areas thickly populated by them," said the official.
But in his letter to the minister, Nghinglova says that since much of the Delhi Budget is used in the energy and transport sector, including in projects for Games, funds for these reserved categories can also be utilised for this purpose.
Denying the claims, Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit said her government didn't misutilise the funds. "We have not diverted any funds from the Scheduled Castes/Scheduled Tribes welfare schemes for the Commonwealth Games," she said.

'India will take time to adopt its role as global player'

India, which has now emerged as a global player will take some time to adjust to its new role, a US official has said.
"India has broken out from being a regional country to be a global country. And it's going to take them time to adjust to that new role," Stephen Headley, Co-Chair of the Quadrennial Defense Review Independent panel said at a Congressional hearing.
Headley was responding to a question from Florida Senator George Lemieux who at the hearing of Senate Armed Services Committee wanted to know about the roles of BRIC countries - Brazil, Russia, India and China.
"It seems that these nations want to have all the benefits of first-tier powers, but don't necessarily want to shoulder the responsibilities," Lemieux said.
"We don't see Brazil taking a strong role in dealing with Venezuela, for example. We don't see China taking a strong role in dealing with North Korea. It falls upon the United States to have the burden to shoulder in issues such as terrorism and dealing with rogue countries," he said.
Senator asked Headley: "How do you think that relationship can change? What can we do so that we are not the only nation in the world that's responsible for fighting terrorism around the world, for shouldering this immense burden that we shoulder now? And how can we get those countries more engaged?"
Headley, in response, said the four countries were different.
"Particularly with respect to China and India. We have to recognise that China is going through a period of enormously rapid change, and their government is struggling to deal with probably the fastest rate of change in the world's most populous country - fastest rate of change we've ever seen. So the role that China is playing and being asked to play is new," he said.
He observed that it was both a challenge and an opportunity and said "I think it's some sense true for India."
"We need to be both engaging them, try to work with them to understand their responsibilities and to work with us to solve global problems; at the same time, we make it clear that there are a set of international rules, and that all countries, including India and China, would be better if they played within those rules. We have to have the capabilities to enforce those rules, if necessary," Headley said.
"It is not all black or white. It is a challenge and an opportunity. We need to be engaging those two countries. We need to be present and active in Asia, not just in terms of militarily, but economically in terms of business, in terms of diplomacy.
"There are free-trade agreements being signed all the time in Asia, and we're on the sidelines. I think that the number-one point we would make is Asia is where the action is going forward, and we need to be a player, not on the sidelines," Headley said.
William Perry, another Co-Chair of the Quadrennial Defense Review Independent panel said the last administration called on China to be a responsible stakeholder.
"I think that's a pretty good term, and I think pushing that concept, not only with China but with the other three countries, is a very good idea," he said.
"The best approach I can describe to dealing with that is to continue to call these countries to be responsible stakeholders. We need their assistance in dealing with global problems," Perry said.

Irretrievable breakdown new ground for divorce: Bill

New Delhi, Aug 4 (PTI) Getting a divorce from marriage, which has broken down for all practical purposes, could become easier, as the government today introduced a bill in the Rajya Sabha to amend marriage laws. The amendments proposed in the Hindu Marriage Act and Special Marriage Act will also make divorce through mutual consent easier, according to the Marriage Laws (Amendment) Bill, introduced by Law Minister M Veerappa Moily.
The amendment bill also provides for an additional grounds for seeking divorce in case of "irretrievable breakdown of marriage". It seeks to do away with the provision of second joint appearance before the court after six to 18 months of filing of divorce petition, with mutual consent.
The present clause of joint appearance for seeking decree of divorce creates problem as often one of the parties fails to appear before the court on some pretext or the other. This leaves one of them "hapless and remediless", according to the objects and reasons of the bill.
The bill also seeks to insert a new clause under which either husband or wife can seek divorce if the couple have not lived together continuously for three years. However, in case the husband seeks divorce, the wife will be entitled to oppose it on the ground that the dissolution of marriage would result in financial hardship to her.
Similarly, a provision has been made to restrict grant of divorce on the ground of irretrievable breakdown of marriage in the absence of adequate provision for maintenance of children. The amendment bill has been prepared on the basis of recommendations of the Law Commission as well as the Supreme Court, Moily said.
The clause of irretrievable breakdown of marriage will be in addition to the existing grounds for divorce. At present, various grounds for dissolution of marriage are laid down in law.
These include adultery, cruelty, desertion, conversion to another religion and unsoundness of mind.

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Binge on bargains

HANDSET RS 799

How cheap can a phone be? No, don't answer yet. Because even as you do, handset manufacturers are working on lowering the bar set by Vodafone's VF 150. Priced at Rs 799, the VF 150 is cheaper than the weekly grocery bill for most urban families. Of course, the phone does not have spectacular features, but you can talk and text easily with minimal compromise on quality. In addition, the phone flaunts a one-year warranty (though you could buy a new one without batting an eyelid), a torch, phonebook capacity of 200 numbers and SMS storage of 20 messages. The specifications may be too basic for a technophile, but the VF 150 is a perfect buy for those who want their devices fuss-free (think grandparents) or those who can't help forgetting their phones in restaurants, cabs, etc (think scatterbrain aunt). More value for less money.

MOBILE TV Below Rs 7,000

Forty live and 10 content-on-demand channels on the go. What more can a TV addict want? For it to be cheap as well. Samsung's Metro TV is the answer to both wishes. The phone puts you back by Rs 6,999, which is higher than the price of the usual low-end phone, but skip a couple of dinner outings for a month and you will be able to watch your favourite shows when stuck in a traffic jam. The CDMA phone uses the MimobiTV application to view and record programmes and works on both CDMA 1X and EVDO 3G networks. It has a 2-inch TFT display, Bluetooth, 2 MP camera, FM radio, an 8 GB microSD card slot and broadband capability of up to 2.4 mbps.

CALL RATES 30 p/min

After Tata's Docomo started the trend of one paisa per second tariffs, MTS India dropped rates to an incredibly low one paisa per two seconds. Since then, telecom providers have been bending backwards to woo customers with innovative tariff schemes. For instance, Reliance Communications has come up with a Talk All You Want CDMA plan for pre-paid customers, under which all local calls are free, subject to a cap of 30 minutes a day for calls to other networks. Vodafone is tapping into users' habits with plans like Night Talk Bonus recharge voucher, which bills local calls between 10 pm and 8 am at just 10 paisa a minute.

DUAL SIM Below Rs 2,000

A clandestine affair, frequent travelling or the need to separate professional and personal lives-there could be many reasons for wanting a dual SIM phone. The good news is that you can own one for just Rs 1,749. The M 3636 from Spice Mobiles switches between two GSM SIMs at the click of a button. Throw in a one-touch music player, FM radio, mobile tracker and a 2 GB expandable memory, and you have a winner at this price. Also, keep an eye out for Nokia's C2, the market leader's entry in the dual SIM phone segment. Its exchangeable SIM slot allows you to insert the second SIM card when the phone is switched on, giving it an edge over competition.

3G HANDSET Below Rs 5,000

Now that the government has raked in moolah from the 3G spectrum auctions, it's your turn to savour the benefits of higher speed and better voice quality. You won't have to scrimp to afford it as 3G-enabled handsets are available for less than Rs 5,000. Consider the Nokia 2730 Classic. Armed with Ovi Mail, Nokia Messaging and an Opera mini browser, it has everything you need to optimise the 3G experience. The 2-inch QVGA display is smaller than the high-end 3G phones, but it is a reasonable compromise at the given price. The features have been beefed up by a 2 MP camera, 4x digital video zoom and a memory of 30 MB that can be expanded to 2 GB.

SOCIAL NETWORKING Below Rs 6,000

As Tweeting for breakfast, buzzing at work and writing on FB walls after dinner become routine, mobile phones geared towards virtual connectivity are flooding the market. A great option is the recently launched Nokia C3 (about Rs 5,300). The phone boasts live Facebook and Twitter feeds on the home screen so that you can comment and update your status easily. You can use Google talk, Yahoo Messenger, Windows Messenger and Ovi Chat for instant messaging. An internal memory of 55 MB upgradable to 8 GB, a 2 MP camera and Nokia music player are a bonus for the networking buffs.

BROADBAND 4 MBPS at RS 899

On paper, a jump from 256 kbps to 4 mbps for download speeds seems huge, but for the broadband service providers, it obviously isn't. They have even managed to lower the cost of higher speed. Sample this: Airtel's latest scheme offers 4 mbps speed at just Rs 899 a month. The data transfer is limited to 6 GB, but for Rs 500 more, you can extend it to 25 GB at the same speed. If you belong to the rare breed, which does not log on to the Net regularly, Aircel has an innovative plan advertised as the 'pocket Internet'. For just Rs 5, you can surf the Net for two days, access Hotmail for free and download pages of 20 GB capacity. Staying connected was never cheaper.

Reproduced From Money Today. © 2010. LMIL. All rights reserved

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Cong says Kalmadi will explain charges

Battling a series of allegations of irregularities and corruption in Commonwealth Games, Organising Committee chairman Suresh Kalmadi looked isolated on Tuesday as the Congress left him to fend for himself even as the ruling party gave a clean chit to Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit and Union Ministers S Jaipal Reddy and M S Gill.

AICC spokesman Shakeel Ahmed on Tuesday said that integrity of the two Union ministers was "beyond any doubt" and Dikshit was "also of very impeccable integrity", but he refrained from defending Kalmadi who is a Congress MP from Pune.

"Suresh Kalmadi is there not as a Congress representative but as Chairman of the Indian Olympic Association. Serious charges have been levelled against the Commonwealth Games Organising Committee. As a Chairman of the committee, he will reply to them," Ahmed told the media on Tuesday.

"I am not defending Kalmadi. He is not there as a Congress representative. Who am I to give a clean chit to Kalmadi?" said the Congress spokesman. Asked about allegations about materials being purchased for the Games at exorbitant rates, he said, "Of course, the price mentioned by you makes it seem unrealistic, but it is for the Organising Committee to explain these things."

On Monday, AICC spokesperson Jayanthi Natarajan had demanded an investigation into the allegations saying that the party would like to know the truth.

Noting that the CWG is being organised in India for the first time and any obstruction to it will bring a bad name to the country, Ahmed stressed this did not mean that people would be allowed to "go scot-free".

"It is not a matter of Congress or BJP. Members of other parties are also there," said Ahmed, maintaining those who face the allegations will have to respond. "The country wants to know an answer to the issues (corruption charges) that have been raised in media. We are also watching and going through media reports about complaints in the management of Games. It is for the Organising Committee or the authorities concerned to explain the matter," Ahmed said.

Reacting to allegations about diversion of funds earmarked for the welfare of Dalits to the Games, the spokesman said he did not have the details but it was "very surprising" if the funds meant for weaker sections had gone for organising Games.

More casualties of GamesThe Delhi Development Authority (DDA) has given an undertaking in the Supreme Court Committee for Environment that they will cut no more trees in Siri Fort. That will, however, not prevent them from bulldozing the roots of old trees in Siri Fort Auditorium parking � a good invisible way of killing trees anyway. The parking, which has over 100 trees and is to be a VIP route, has already lost about 10 trees and there are likely to be more casualties.

Omar govt gets centre''s backing to tackle unrest in valley

The Centre has assured the Omar Abdullah government in Jammu and Kashmir of its full support including an economic package to establish peace and normalcy in the Valley. An assurance to this effect was given to a high-level Congress delegation which met a host of central leaders in Delhi including Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, J and K Minister for Cooperatives Manohar Lal, who was part of the 30-member team said.

The delegation was assured of an economic package, full support and backup to the Omar-led government to deal with situation and bring back peace and normalcy in the state, he said. Besides the Prime Minister, the 30-member delegation led by CLP leader Choudary Mohmmad Aslam called on Union Ministers Gulam Nabi Azad, A K Antony and Minister in the PMO Prithvi Raj Chouhan, he said.

The delegation also told the central leaders about the shortage of forces in the Valley to deal with the situation, he said.

Building knowledge societies at the grassroots

Dumka (Jharkhand), Aug.4 (ANI): In the rural areas of Jharkhand, literacy level of women is low. Traditionally, they have remained confined to their homes and fields and even today their world revolves around within these parameters.

For a long time, they have held a desire to seek new avenues of information of the aspects related to their daily lives and local developments.

Given the fact that very little emerged from within their environment to require a change, not until Mobile Libraries came into the scene. It's an initiative of the Poorest Areas Civil Society (PACS) project that seeks to address issues of poverty in 120 districts across India by improving access to rights and entitlements by those who remain socially excluded of whom women form a large chunk.

Young enthusiastic boys ride bicycles across 30 villages in Maheshpur block in Pakur district loaded with not only books, newspapers but forms for old-age pension, information on Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA) and Forest Rights for sharing with the local communities.

The women held back, perhaps because of lack of literacy and being unsure of how all this material could relate to them. This bastion was also broken once these young 'library activists' started to speak to them, giving them information about the material they had and how it could benefit them.

Women gradually came out to listen with deep interest about Annapurna Yojana, about facilities available to a Below Poverty Line (BPL) cardholder under various government schemes.

It now seems clear that the spark had been there, the desire to gain new knowledge and insights, about how to better their lives. The Mobile Library had only triggered it off.

Stanecila Hambrum from Birkitta Village says that the women now understand the importance of this mobile library. "We are making them aware of their rights, laws related to women including those on 'violence against women' the Panchayat Raj system and their participation in it."

Usually, to the urban conditioned mind a library in a village is not easily conceivable. Yet it is in these very rural areas in Jharkhand, struggling with basic issues like health, education, food and housing, that information needs to flow.

How else can rural communities, poor and backward sections, the adivasis link with the mainstream, to access the fruits of development and join in the march to progress?

These libraries are leading to a gradual spreading of this storehouse of information in the villages. Instead of remaining an institution for public access, it has taken the institution to the people, breaking down its volumes of information in such a way, that is understood, assimilated by even those who are out of the literacy net.

Thus going beyond the conventional sense of a library. Dr. Victor Tigga, Vice-chancellor, Sido-Kanhu Murm University, Dumka district in the 'Santhal paragana' says, "The flow of information is vital, it changes the thinking of common people. In a fast changing world like ours, it is important to understand so many things. But unfortunately, information revolution has not benefited the rural areas."

Through such libraries, what is happening is a gradual spreading of this storehouse of information in the villages. Rather than remaining an institution which people access, it has taken on a pro-active role of taking the institution to the people, breaking down its tomes of information in such a way, that is understood, assimilated by even those who are out of the literacy net. Thus going beyond the conventional sense of a library.

In doing so, these Mobile Libraries have upheld a lofty principle, the core of any enlightened or egalitarian society. That knowledge is free and the access to it should be unhindered, beyond any societal divisions of class, region, caste, language or gender.

It actually boils down to the enthusiasm of its members to bring about positive change on the ground. Michael Hambrum, says, "I want to do something for the society. As a member of mobile library, I am working as a carrier of news, information and knowledge. Today, rural people are more awakened. This is an effective tool to fight the backwardness of the society."

The good news is that inspite of the backwardness and low development the impetus for change has begun amongst rural communities.

There is a keen sense of seeking information about agriculture, about markets, employment and in fact developments beyond their village sphere.

This is, in a sense, the key to a holistic and sustained development, one that emerges from within society and not merely from without or 'top-down'.

Government welfare schemes, programs for development will remain limited in the absence of an aware community, which reaches out and derives benefit from it. For any benefit to be effective and deep-rooted, there necessarily needs to be participation from the ground.

The Library as a hub could work very well in fostering this participation, building a dynamic partnership between the government and the governed.

The scope of such initiatives in a rural scenario is manifold and extends to new dimension from merely academic interest or a collection of reading material to become a dynamic vehicle for social change. It points to a direction, which should be taken up by agencies, those promoting public-private partnership to rise to the occasion and build on what the PACS initiative has opened up.

Today we are witnessing the passing of a long awaited, salutary piece of legislation, the Right to Education which brings to every child the fundamental right to learn and break out of the darkness of ignorance.

Libraries, mobile or otherwise across rural India could play a stellar role in enhancing this learning, aiding the new generation of literates with nuggets of information and knowledge not only about their course matter but the wider world.

According to Charkha Features, Somewhere at the beginning of the previous this century, eminent poet and litterateur Rabindranath Tagore visualised an ideal for our society: " Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high; Where the mind is led forward by thee into ever-widening thought and action. Into that heaven of freedom, my Father, let my country awake." Now near the beginning of this century, perhaps the time is right when this ideal can be realized. By Shailendra Sinha (ANI)

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