Ethnic Color is the Default Mode of the ruling Brahaminical hegemony as Chidambaram blames migrants for crime in Delhi, Opposition hits back which is Equally Ethnic!
Chinese premiere to visit India tomorrow, several pacts are expected to be inked
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P Chidambaram blames migrants for crime
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Union home minister P Chidambaram has sparked a controversy with his comment that Delhi's migrants are responsible for the rising crime in the capital.
Chidambaram said these migrants living in unauthorised settlements are difficult to monitor and they bring a "certain behaviour" that is unacceptable in a modern city, which results in a rise in crime.
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Ethnic Color is the Default Mode of the ruling Brahaminical hegemony as Chidambaram blames migrants for crime in Delhi, Opposition hits back which is Equally Ethnic! The Interanl security Minsiter sounds the same tune for which Ethnonationalist Hindutva Icon Bal Thakre is best known. No doubt, the defenders of the Manusmriti Rule have NO choice but to use ethnic Hatred in crisis management. Law and order problem has always been dealt with ETHNIC Vengeance against the excluded communities ejcted out of their Home in search of livelihood and job known as Migrants. The greatest ever ethnic cleansing campaign Unique Identity Number Project targets these Migrants, the displaced communities suffering Exodus and Holocaust at home and the Refugees , the Victims of aryan Brahaminical Venegeance. it is amusing that the Opposition does not oppose the Citizenship Amendment Act, UID, Deportatio Drive, Operation Green Hunt, Twin Terror Act or any other Draconian Measures effective against Non Aryan Excluded communities, Minorities, Migrants, Refugees and Slum Dwellers!
In fact,all ideologies and political parties engaged in the Brahaminical power share co option game do follow the same policy of genocide and ethnic cleansing. Thus, we see spectacular Unity on the name of development, free market, unique identity, national security plus internal security, diplomacy of global Hindutva, Economic reforms, sensex inflated economy, corruption and cut money, regional balance, denographic equation, democratic institutions, judiciary, information , technology, nuclear energy, military option, faith, knowledge economy, SEZ, mining, forest and environment, kashnir, central india, Tamil and Bengali refugees,Doreign Capital inflow, defence expenditure, disinvestment, liberation, globalisation, realty, infrastructure, foreign relations, Maoist nenace,terror strike and so on. Brahaminical nationality kills the Fragmented aboriginal indigenous nationality of majority sustaining the rule of Manusmriti, market dominated micro minority Brahaminical community. Everything else, the parliamentary soap opera, judiciary, media, civil society, NGO network, Corporate responsibility, reservation and quota, inclusion, policy making, poverty eradiction means NOTHING but inherent Injustice and Inequality in accordance with the graded social status under Manusmriti Rule and LPG extraconstitutional governance by India incs and MNCs!
Chidambaram 'withdraws' controversial migrant remark
By ANI | ANI – Mon, Dec 13 4:01 PM ISTNew Delhi, Dec 13 (ANI): After facing severe criticism for blaming migrant labour for crimes in Delhi, Union Home Minister P Chidambaram on Monday said he was dismayed by how people had pounced on his statement.Clarifying the 'migrant' comment, Chidambaram said he had nothing against migrants, and in fact, said he was a migrant himself.
"This morning, I was asked a question about the recent incidents of rape in Delhi and the alleged failure of the Delhi Police. I gave a detailed reply. In the course of my reply, I made a matter-of-fact reference to migration, unauthorised settlements and behaviour that is unacceptable," he asid.
"I may point out that when using the word 'migrants', I did not refer to any state or region or language or race or religion. I am acutely conscious that every one who comes to work in Delhi is, in a sense, a migrant. I am a migrant myself," he added
I am dismayed that some people have pounced upon the word 'migrant' and raised a controversy. The country faces many real issues, and I have no desire to say or do anything that will distract from the real issues.
He said: "I have nothing against migrants. I was only talking about certain behavioral aspects. I'm a migrant myself. Nevertheless, I think the best way to put an end to any controversy would be to withdraw the whole of my answer to the question, and I do so.
"I would request every one, including the Delhi Police, to focus on the real issues of crime, crime prevention and crime detection," he added.
Chidambaram was reacting after an 18-year-old girl was gang raped on Sunday in a moving car.
This is the fourth case of gangrape in the last month, shocking Delhiites and raising concerns over the safety of women in the capital. (ANI)
Union home minister P Chidambaram on Monday came under heavy fire by the opposition for blaming the spate of crimes in Delhi due to migrant population.
Stroking controversy, home minister Chidambaram said, "I condemn the heinous crime of rape. Migrants are behind such crimes in the capital."
"Crime takes place because Delhi attracts a large number of migrants," said Chidambaram, whose ministry is responsible for law and order in the sprawling city of 14 million people.
"There are a large number of unauthorised colonies and these migrants who settle in unauthorised colonies carry a kind of behaviour that is unacceptable in any modern city, so crimes do take place," he told reporters in New Delhi.
Chidambaram was reacting after an 18-year-old girl was gangraped on Sunday in a moving car while 600-700 policemen, who were trying to locate the car went in vain.
The policemen from the six police stations immediately launched roadblocks after her abduction but failed to save the modesty of the girl.
The incident took place in Sultanpuri locality when the girl protested lewd comments by the criminals.
Meanwhile, Chidambaram's remark has also upset some party leaders. The Opposition RJD and Samajwadi Party also slammed Chidambaram for his remark.
On the other hand, BJP leader Kirti Azad also criticized Chidambaram and said that Congress government has been trying to hide its failure and mistakes by blaming migrants.
This was the fourth incident of abduction and gangrape in a span of one month. The rising incident of rapes in the capital have been raising serious question over the safety of women.
Around 433 cases of rapes have been reported so far in this year in the capital. According to the statistics, Delhi witnessed one rape each day in the year 2010.
Meanwhile, Women Commission chief Girja Vyas also expressed concern over the incidents of rape in the capital. Vyas said that a Women Commission team will meet the Delhi Police officials to discuss the worrying situation.
The winter session of Parliament today ended without transacting any substantial business, going down in Parliamentary history as the only session virtually washed out due to standoff between the government and Opposition over 2G spectrum scam.
Parliament could function barely for a few hours during the 23 sittings which began on November 9, as the united Opposition forced adjournments almost everyday, within minutes of assembling.
Opposition members trooping into the well and shouting slogans demanding JPC probe into the 2G spectrum allocation became a daily routine in both Houses.
Normalcy was seen in the Lok Sabha only on the first day of the session when the Rajya Sabha was adjourned because of death of a sitting member.
Despite a number of meetings between the government and Opposition, the impasse continued as the BJP-led NDA, the Left parties, AIADMK, SP, TDP and BJD persisted with their demand for a JPC into the 2G spectrum scam.
The Opposition got a shot in the arm after the CAG report, tabled in Parliament on November 16, said the spectrum allocation in 2008 had caused a presumptive loss of Rs 1.76 lakh crore to the exchequer.
The Opposition was not satisfied even though Telecom Minister A Raja quit.
The government, on the other hand, continuously rejected the demand for JPC maintaining that the Public Accounts Committee was adequately equipped to probe the irregularities.
This session earned the dubious distinction of being virtually washed out, although Parliament had witnessed logjam for 17 days over Tehelka scam in 2001 and disruptions for 45 days over Bofors scandal in 1987.
Before adjourning the Upper House sine die, Rajya Sabha Chairman Hamid Ansari conveyed his displeasure stating the 221st session displayed "distinct" features and asked members to introspect.
"No debates or discussions on matters of public interest took place; no special mentions were made or laid on the table; no zero hour interventions were sought; no questions were answered orally and no supplementary questions were raised," he said.
Ansari said all sections of the House would "perhaps introspect on the record of this session to seek the distinction between dissent, remonstration, agitation and disruption."
When asked for her reaction on the ongoing logjam, Speaker Meira Kumar said outside the House, "I am anguished" at the situation.
Amid the pandemonium, the government managed to get its financial bills involving supplementary demands for about Rs 46,000 crore passed. .
POK premier says US also a party to Kashmir issue
By ANI | ANI – Mon, Dec 13 1:55 PM ISTOkara (Pakistan), Dec.13 (ANI): The Prime Minister of Pakistan administered Kashmir, Sardar Attique Ahmed Khan, has said that the United States has also become a party to the Kashmir issue after the November visit of President Barack Obama to India.Interacting with media at the residence of Federal Minister for Kashmir Affairs Manzoor Ahmed Watoo at Wasawywala, the Daily Times quoted Khan, as saying that the Kashmir issue was very sensitive and is gaining in prominence internationally.
He also said that the day when the people of Kashmir would get their right to freedom was not far away, and added that all governments of the past had played their due role in resolving the Kashmir issue.
Watoo said that Pakistan and India were nuclear powers and neither side was in favor of a war. (ANI)
Indian minister blames migrants for Delhi crimeAFP - Penny MacRae - 31 minutes agoNEW DELHI — India's home minister on Monday blamed migrants for crime in New Delhi after a string of gang rapes shocked residents, but swiftly retracted the remarks after they stirred an outcry. "Crime takes place because Delhi attracts a large number ... Are migrants to be blamed for rising crime in cities?Daily News & Analysis - 39 minutes agoUnion home minister P Chidambaram has sparked a controversy with his comment that Delhi's migrants are responsible for the rising crime in the capital. Chidambaram said these migrants living in unauthorised settlements are difficult to monitor and they ... Oppn slams PC for 'migrant' remarksBangalore Mirror - 59 minutes agoAfter facing severe criticism for blaming migrant labour for crimes in Delhi, Union Home Minister P Chidambaram on Monday said he was dismayed by how people had pounced on his statement. Clarifying the migrant comment, Chidambaram said he had nothing ...
Chidambaram blames migrants for crime in Delhi, Opposition hits backTimes of India - 5 hours agoNEW DELHI: Union home minister P Chidambaram on Monday came under heavy fire by the opposition for blaming the spate of crimes in Delhi due to migrant population. Stroking controversy, home minister Chidambaram said, "I condemn the heinous crime of ... Chidambaram blames migrants for Delhi crimes, draws flakHindustan Times - 5 hours agoHome Minister P Chidambaram on Monday blamed migrants living in Delhi's unauthorised colonies for the capital's rising crime graph. His comments drew flak from the opposition, including the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Rashtriya Janata Dal ... Chidambaram blames migrants for crimes, takes back wordsIndian Express - 3 hours agoNew Delhi: Union Home Minister P Chidambaram on Monday sought to blame migrants to Delhi for crimes like rape, a statement that came under sharp criticism from political leaders, following which he withdrew it. "… nevertheless crime takes place because ... Chidambaram withdraws remark on migrantsIndia Today - 3 hours agoMinutes after his controversial remark on migrants, blaming them for the rise in crimes in Delhi, Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram made a U-turn following strong criticism from various parties. Politicians from different parties blasted the minister ... PC withdraws Delhi 'migrant' remarksOneindia - 4 hours agoNew Delhi, Dec 13: Following severe criticism over his "migrant" remarks, Home Minister P Chidambaram has said that he never intended to say anything about the migrants, but reminded about "unacceptable behaviour" of the migrants. ... Comment highly objectionable: Bihar deputy CMIndian Express - 3 hours agoBihar Deputy Chief Minister SK Modi today termed as "highly objectionable" Union Home Minister P Chidambaram comment allegedly blaming migrants to Delhi for crimes like rape. "I don't know whether Chidambaram has made such a statement... but it is ... All 17 related articles » | RelatedChidambaramDelhi Bharatiya Janata Party US Crime Lalu Prasad Yadav Images Oneindia Oneindia India Today All related im |
Indian democracy perhaps a bit noisier: Mukherjee
PTI – Mon, Dec 13 10:53 AM ISTNew Delhi, Dec 10 (PTI) Amid continued pandemonium in Parliament over the Opposition demand for a JPC probe into alleged irregularities in the allocation of 2G spectrum, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee today quipped that perhaps Indian democracy has become a bit noisier."Perhaps our democracy has become bit more noisy. Time has come, a little silence is called for," Mukherjee said at the annual general meeting of industry chamber Assocham here.
However, he did not directly refer to the routine disruption of proceedings during the ongoing Winter Session of Parliament.
Parliament was adjourned today as well, even though it was the penultimate day of the Winter Session, as the Opposition refused to let items on the agenda be discussed unless its demand for a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) probe into the alleged 2G scam was accepted by the government.
This was the 21st consecutive working day of Parliament that was lost to noisy scenes.
Several pacts are expected to be inked during the Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao's visit to India beginning on Wednesday. The agreements cover the areas of renewable energy, infrastructure, trade and finance. Wen will have delegation level talks with Prime Minister Dr. Mnmohan Singh on Thursday and later the agreements will be signed.
The spokesman of External Affair Ministry Vishnu Prakash told the reporters in New Delhi today that the issues like Trade Imbalances, Access to Indian Pharma Companies in the Chinese markets may figure prominently in the talks.
Reforms in the UN Security Council in the back drop of India's bid for the permanent membership of the council, stapled visa issue, CBM's on the boundary question will also be flagged up at the high table. Mr. Prakash added that the relationship between the two countries has evolved, grown and is really multifaceted. The objective is to enhance the convergence to realize the real potential of bilateral economic relationship. At present China is the single largest trading partner of India.
During his stay in New Delhi, he will hold discussions with several other leaders to strengthen strategic partnership.
Our AIR correspondent reports that this is the second state visit by the Chinese Premier since 2005 . Activities of Chinese firms in Pakistan occupied Kashmir and increasing military sales to Pakistan are expected to be taken up during the high level talks . Wen Jiabao is accompanied by high level delegation including several ministers and a 400 member strong business delegation including captains of industries and CEOs.
He will be reaching New Delhi on 15th .He will be accorded ceremonial reception on 16th morning in the forecourts of Rashtrapati Bhawan and also address the Indian Council of world affairs .
Did speak to Karkare, insists Digvijaya Singh
NDTV.com - 46 minutes agoNew Delhi: Despite cell phone records which are unable to support his claim, Digvijaya Singh insists he did speak to Hemant Karkare hours before the chief of the anti-Terror Squad in Maharashtra was killed during 26/11.
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Email this storyChina says no rivalry with India, allays trade deficit concerns
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Email this storyRajya Sabha row: Scholarly debate stifled in India?
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Kamayani Bali Mahabal posted in KASHMIR SOLIDARITY GROUP, MUMBAI.
 * |
*CALL FOR ACTION * * * *CBI** COVER-UP!!! JUSTICE FOR NEELOFAR AND ASIYA!!!* Even as the Kashmir valley has been in turmoil, yet again, with excesses by the armed forces, cases of rape and killings remain unresolved especially when involving the police, para military or military. * * *Shopian Double Death Case:* Asiya Jaan and her sister-in-law Neelofar Jaan left home in the evening of 29th May, 2009 BUT did not return. Their bodies were recovered from the banks of Rambiara Nullah on the morning of 30th of May 2009 *in the same spot* that a search party including the local police had searched- *a very well-lit area*- till the early hours of 30th May. The police was very much on the scene but *did little to collect evidence*; for five days no case was registered. The first post-mortem report (District Hospital, Shopian) and the second-post-mortem report (by a medical team from Pulwama district and analysed at the Forensic Sciences Laboratory, Srinagar) stated rape and murder in its report. Even as Shopian town observed a 45-day long Bandh the people of Kashmir put aside all other political demands to join this agitation and the people of Jammu also lent solidarity. Further investigations began slowly and progressed in fits and starts. The High Court said that the *police were either implicated in the crime or were shielding the culprits. On the basis of the inquiries conducted by *the (ex-Justice) Muzaffar Jan Inquiry Commission the interim report was of* the view that the two women were sexually assaulted and probably murdered to cover up this crime.* It also *pointed to acts of omission and commission by members of the civil administration, police and doctors* in gross mishandling of investigations. Amidst the failure of the local police and political pronouncements of the Union Home Minister giving a clean chit to the armed forces before the Parliament, it was decided on September 17, 2009, to hand over the case from a Special investigation Team to the CBI. The CBI, however, built an extra-judicial case and used the media extensively to make all earlier investigations in the case seem motivated or incompetent. Some of the news leaks were simply fantastic – like finding an *intact hymen* in a body buried for four months and so deny rape, like *finding diatoms* of Rambiara to show that the women drowned when the Nullah is the source of drinking water for the whole town or like accusing the gynaecologist of substituting *her own vaginal swab* in the place of those taken from the victims. The CBI concluded that the *women died from 'accidental drowning'!* Its report is based upon the autopsy conducted in September, 2009 by forensic experts of AIIMS after exhumation of the buried bodes. The CBI inquiry is mired in the highly uncertain and contested medical claims of the AIIMS team, allegations of intimidation of many of the witnesses and state representatives and destruction of evidence, the dubious role of many government agencies, incompetence and lack of transparency. It filed supplementary charge-sheets against the State prosecutors, doctors, advocates for the complainant, advocates demanding justice and the family members of the women. The CBI report states that there was no rape, no murder and that the implicated *and suspended *policemen were innocent. The report does not explain how the bodies of the two women were invisible to the search party the whole night and *appeared suddenly at dawn* how these young women *drowned in a shallow, two-feet deep Nullah* where no deaths have taken place or explained eyewitnesses' accounts that Neelofar's body was wet only from one side nor how the *hymen can be found intact* in a body buried for four months. The policemen's acts of commission and omission - they did not collect any forensic evidence from the site, did not cordon it, did not register the case- have not been punished; the four suspended policemen have been reinstated. *The CBI has not made public the findings of the Special Investigation Team.* This calls into serious question the credibility of the CBI Report which has simply tried to bury the case and convinced no one. We have been following up on this case from the very start. A demonstration demanding justice was held in Delhi in mid- June, 2009 followed by a fact-finding in August, 2009. A press conference on the findings was held prior to the submission of CBI's final report to the Courts in December, 2009. In May, 2010, with no justice in sight, we wrote an open letter to the Chief Justice of India, to the National Commission for Women and to the National Human Rights Commission which was endorsed by many of you. *WE HAVE HAD NO RESPONSE SO FAR. *If the country's leading investigative agency can apparently facilitate a report to suit the political exigencies of the extant governments, whether at State or Union level, rather than conduct a professional and impartial inquiry that serves the purposes of justice, it points to the levels of both injustice and corruption that subverts the due rights guaranteed in the democratic republic of India. With official channels exhausted we feel that it is time to make the issue public- *expose the role of CBI and shame them for this COVER UP.* We propose to send them white bed sheets to shame them for their role in this case. We hope that every one of you, organisation or individual, who feels that the CBI is responsible for perpetrating this injustice, should participate and send us sheets as symbolic gifts to the CBI . - *Send one white sheet with the words 'TO THE CBI - FOR YOUR NEXT COVER-UP!!!' written in huge letters across it with the name of the organisation/individual below. * - *Post it by 5th December to: Saheli, Above Shop No 102-105, Under Defence Colony Flyover, New Delhi- 110024.* WE WILL - collect all sheets and *display your solidarity* with Neelofar and Asiya and the countless other rapes and sexual assaults that have taken place in Jammu and Kashmir and which have seen *NO JUSTICE*. - *display all your sheets* *at a Public Event in New Delhi on 13thDecember, 2010 * to mark the anniversary of CBI 's handing over its COVER-UP REPORT. *THE SHEETS WILL THEN BE GIFTED TO CBI 'S HEADQUARTERS IN DELHI , WITH YOUR COMPLIMENTS.* *You can also collect signatures on your sheet from public demonstrations in your region/city. * *The Fortnight protesting Violence Against Women could be used to collect signatures in large numbers as many of you might be campaigning and observing this fortnight. * *Through this action we want the Home Ministry and the CBI to be aware that we continue to DEMAND JUSTICE FOR NEELOFAR AND ASIYA, for all women of Jammu & Kashmir and for all women of India. * * * *Women against Sexual violence and State repression (WSS), Delhi* |
Parliament logjam led to wastage of over 146 crore
The 2G spectrum scam may have caused a colossal loss to the national exchequer, but the standoff between the government and Opposition over it has resulted in the further wastage of over Rs 146 crore as the entire Winter session of Parliament was virtually washed out.
The Winter Session began on November 9 and since a day after it, the entire Opposition has been hell-bent on demand for a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) probe into 2G spectrum allocation, which is believed to have resulted in losses to the tune of Rs 1.74 lakh crore.
The government has, however, refused to yield to the demand, leading to a deadlock because of which Parliament was unable to function for more than 10 minutes per day on an average.
According to official figures, the total budget for Lok Sabha for the current fiscal year is Rs 347.65 crore while it is Rs 172.33 crore for the Rajya Sabha.
The Ministry for Parliamentary Affairs, responsible for the functioning of Parliament, also has a separate budget of Rs 7.47 crore, taking the combined allocation to Rs 527.45 crore.
This includes salaries and other allowances of MPs, Speaker and Deputy Speaker of both the Houses, the expenditure incurred for the member's foreign visits and meeting the expenses for foreign delegations visiting India.
In a year, Parliament meets thrice -- for the Budget, Monsoon and Winter session. As per the business schedule of both the Houses, there should be a total of 83 sittings this financial year -- 35 sittings during the Budget session and 24 each in the other two sessions.
This means, on average the government is spending Rs 6.35 crore per day to run the institution.
As the Winter session was adjourned sine die today, the 23rd consecutive working day also ended without transaction of any business. This makes it clear that Rs 146.05 crore were spent without Parliament transacting any substantive business like Question Hour, debates and other legislative business.
This earned the Winter session the dubious record of being washed out virtually in its entirety.
Parliament could function barely for a few hours during the 23 sittings which began on November 9, as the united Opposition forced adjournments almost everyday, within minutes of assembling.
The other times when Parliament witnessed such continuous protests were in 2001 and way back in 1987.
In 2001, there was a 17 day deadlock in Parliament over the Tehelka scam, while in 1987, it was the Bofors scandal that wasted 45 days of business in both Houses.
11 DEC, 2010, 02.58PM IST,AGENCIES
ATS chief Hemant Karkare disclosed his life was under threat, claims Digvijay Singh
NEW DELHI: Congress General Secretary Digvijay Singh has said that Maharashtra ATS chief Hemant Karkare , who was gunned down by militants in the 26/11 attack , called him just hours before attack and said that his life was "blighted by constant threats" from those opposed to his probe into the Malegaon blast.Speaking to reporters here, Singh said: "On November 26, 2008, at 7 .pm, just about two hours before the attacks in Mumbai started, Hemant Karkare, rang me on my mobile and told me how his family and his life were blighted by constant threats from people annoyed by his investigations into the Malegaon blasts."
"He was worried and he told me he was trying to trace the calls, but was depressed and worried by threats and personal attacks made in their newspapers," he said.
"Karkare also told me that he was hurt that in a paper, the mouthpiece of a Hindu right-wing organization, allegations were being made that my son was minting money in Dubai, when in reality he was only a school student in Mumbai," he added.
Singh said he knew Karkare as his family was associated with Chhatarpur in Madhya Pradesh.
"I was so shocked and demoralized on being told of his death in the attacks, that my initial reaction was, 'Oh God, they have killed him.' It was only later that I found out about other events taking place in the city on that dreadful day," he added.
Karkare was probing Malegaon blast , in which Sadhvi Pragya Singh is the prime suspect.
Cong has no moral right to criticise my govt: Yeddyurappa
BANGALORE: Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa today hit out at Congress for labelling his government as corrupt, saying it should own responsibility for the 2G spectrum scam.
"The Congress has no moral right to criticise my government," he said when reporters sought his reaction to Congress President Sonia Gandhi's comment at the Congress Parliamentary Party meeting that corruption was rampant in Karnataka.
Yeddyurappa, who faced allegations of corruption, nepotism and favourtism in land denotifications, pointed out that several scams had surfaced during the UPA regime.
He said the legislature would be convened next month during which the opposition would have plenty of time to debate on scandals.
Yeddyurappa said he would launch electioneering in parts of the state for the Zilla and Taluk Panchayat polls from December 15.
Over 4,300 railways employees under vigilance scanner
More than 4,300 employees of the Railways have come under the scanner of its own vigilance department for their alleged involvement in corrupt practices.
Out of the total 4,310 employees who have come under the vigilance scanner, the Northern Railway has topped the chart with 849 staff, followed by Southern Railway (509), Central Railway (433), Western Railway (411) and 374 from East Central Railway, according to a Railway Ministry data.
Besides, 360 were from South Central Railway, 258 from North Frontier Railway, 177 from North Eastern Railway and 149 from North Central Railway, it said.
The department has carried out 16,658 preventive checks between January and August this year and found that 163 gazetted and 4,147 non-gazetted officers were allegedly involved in various corrupt practices, the data said.
The Vigilance Wing of the Railways had also made recovery of Rs 38 crore from the preventive checks carried out in different railways zone.
"We carried out these checks to ensure that Railways employees do not indulge into corrupt practices. We have taken serious disciplinary action against such accused...We will intensify such checking in future," an official said, requesting anonymity.
The Railways, which has about 13 lakh employees, is divided into 16 zones for the purpose of operation and management.
It has earmarked 13 thrust areas for intensive vigilance scrutiny in order to prevent leakage of revenue, which includes commercial earning through tendering, traffic undercharges, misuse of various concessions including free passes, e-tickets (especially refunds after preparations of charts), checks in general coaches to detect fraud in tickets, quality of construction and disposal of scam.
11 DEC, 2010, 08.18AM IST,ET BUREAURadia's conversation with Tata can't be retrieved: Govt tells SC
NEW DELHI: The centre has told the Supreme Court that it was not possible or feasible to retrieve records of phone conversations between corporate lobbyist Niira Radia and Ratan Tata , the head of India's largest business house.
The Finance and Home ministries and the Income-Tax Department assured the court that they had not leaked the tapes. In a joint affidavit, the three said that while they were trying to ensure that more tapes were not leaked, they could not prevent circulation of those already in public domain.
The state was responding to a writ petition by Tata that had sought the retrieval of the tapes, punishment for those responsible for leaking them and a ban on further publication or broadcast.
The affidavit throws some light on the origins of the state's decision to tap the phone of Radia, the owner of public relations agency Vaishnavi , which looks after the corporate communications of the Tata Group and other companies including Reliance , India's most valuable private sector company.
It turns out that a complaint alleging that Radia was an 'agent of foreign intelligence agencies' sparked of the phone-tapping, according to the court filing.
"A complaint was received by the finance minister dated November 16, 2007, inter alia alleging that Radia had within a short span of 9 years built up a business empire worth Rs 300 crore, that she was an agent of foreign intelligence agencies and that she was indulging in anti-national activities. On this complaint, it was directed that the matter should be examined," the government said in its affidavit.
As a natural corollary, on August 19, 2008, the Director-General of Income Tax in charge of investigation, or DGIT, proposed that 14 lines of Radia and her associates be put under surveillance. This was approved by the Home Secretary. Over the next year, more lines were put under surveillance.
As recordings grew in volume, the state's investigative agencies realised they were on to something. The government's affidavit goes on to detail how various agencies became interested in the recordings. On November 16, 2009, DGIT wrote a letter to the Director, Intelligence Bureau, informing him that an analysis of intercepts suggested that some of the conversations were quite sensitive. The Intelligence Bureau is in charge of India's domestic intelligence.
On November 16, 2009, Central Bureau of Investigation wrote a letter to DGIT asking for help in its probe into the allotment of telecom permits in 2008 by the former minister A Raja, an episode now widely known as the 2G spectrum scam.
"It has been reliably learnt that certain middlemen including Niira Radia of Neosis Consultancy were actively involved in criminal conspiracy. In case, your office is in possession of any information on records pertaining to any middlemen including Radia regarding award of UAS licences, the same may please be made available to this office for pursuance of investigation," the CBI letter said. Neosis is a lobbying company owned by Radia.
Responding to the plea in December 2009, DGIT handed over 1,450 call records of Radia containing recording of about 100 hours to the CBI. Subsequently, in May 2010, CBI approached DGIT for handing over the entire recordings of Radia's conversations. A copy of the entire recordings of about 5,800 calls for the period between August 20, 2009, and July 9, 2009, was handed over to CBI, the affidavit said.
The affidavit was in response to the court's notice on the petition of Tata alleging failure of the authorities to take adequate steps to prevent the publication of his private tele-conversations with Radia.
The court will hear the case on Monday.
13 DEC, 2010, 07.49PM IST,ET NOW
China will do better than India in 2011: Emil Wolter, RBS
Emil Wolter , Head of Regional Strategy, Asian Equities-Global Banking & Markets, RBS in an interview to ET Now talks about growth trajectory, fund flow volatility and other issues in the emerging markets. Excerpts:How are you gauging investor mood and sentiment in emerging markets, in particular, India?
Overall, the sentiment of world emerging markets remains quite upbeat. It is clear though that at this juncture, it appears that monetary policy in emerging markets is going to start diverging a little bit from that of the developed markets and that might introduce an element of uncertainty and hesitation. But the big picture is that emerging markets remain a group of countries and aggregate which has better fundamentals and faster growth than that we see in the developed world.
Fund flow volatility has increased in recent times. Do you believe India would continue to remain the hottest market in emerging Asia?
As you might recall, we have been cautious for a little while and there are many people who said it has been a ridiculous thing. And of course they have not worked very well in the short term but it is time to work better now. We are going to see a period of rotation within Asia and probably within the broader emerging markets asset class. China will do better than India in 2011. If you look at the premium valuation that India continues to retain, it is no longer a company by a premium ROE and much of this is to do with the investment cycle as kicking in. Nonetheless, people are probably paying an unjustified premium in the short term for the Indian market and therefore will look elsewhere over the next 3 to 4 quarters.
Lots of ETF money is still waiting on the sidelines. Does the recent correction provide an opportunity to buy?
When the money is in the ETF, it is invested. ETFs do not have an asset allocation strategy. They do not tend to time their entry to the market. They will just buy whenever people buy the ETFs but a big correction will be associated with renewed interest on buying opportunity. The key point for my perspective is that the correction has not really been big enough to offer a big opportunity relative to elsewhere.
Which sectors would you be bullish on and which ones would you avoid?
Our Indian strategist Parul Saini has been for sometime warning about the enthusiasm that would seem towards the financial sector and I would very much go along with that idea. The financials probably do fulfil a period of consolidation. Ultimately they have been growing their liabilities much faster than their assets and that has put an upward pressure on the funding costs which is likely to basically depress the profitability and the return outlook though with a medium term. So the financials is a place where I still continue to be somewhat cautious.
Sonia rejects demand for JPC probe in 2G scam
PTI – Mon, Dec 13 11:47 AM ISTNew Delhi, Dec 13 (PTI) Congress President Sonia Gandhi today rejected the demand for a JPC into the 2G spectrum scam and hit out at the opposition, saying that the country will not forget and forgive them for the wastage of an entire session of Parliament.In her address to the Congress Parliamentary Party (CPP) general body meeting here, she slammed the BJP over the issue of corruption while referring to the Karnataka developments and the circumstances in which Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa was allowed to continue despite the charges of corruption in land allotment.
Turning down the Opposition demand for a JPC into the 2G spectrum issue, Gandhi said where was the need for a JPC when PAC and CBI were looking into it besides the Supreme Court monitoring it and a retired apex court judge inquiring into the matter, according to party MPs who attended the meeting.
India's envoy to UN Hardeep Puri frisked at US airport
By ANI | ANI – Mon, Dec 13 3:02 PM ISTNew Delhi, Dec 13 (ANI): India's Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Hardeep Puri, is the latest to be subjected to a pat down, raising the hackles of New Delhi.Puri, who was subjected to a turban pat down at Houston Airport, was held back for half an hour in a separate enclosure by the authorities.
He refused to allow US officials to carry out their search on his person.
This incident comes days after India's Ambassador to the United States, Meera Shankar was patted down by an American security agent at the Jackson - Evers International Airport in Mississippi, despite being accompanied by a US security official as per diplomatic norms.
Former diplomats in India have reacted aggressively to the Puri incident, saying that if Washingtonnot to change its policy or searches, diplomats from the United States should also be ready to face such security in India.
They also called on the governments of the two counties to meet and resolve the issue at the earliest. (ANI)
Trinamool spreading violence with Maoists: Buddha
PTI – Sun, Dec 12 12:05 AM ISTKolkata, Dec 11 (PTI) West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee today accused opposition Trinamool Congress of joining hands with the Maoists to spread violence and stall development."Why is there so much violence in Bankura, Purulia and West Midnapore? Villages are burnt and schools attacked. Three teachers had been killed. With whom has the opposition party joined hands?," Bhattacharjee said at a CITU-backed para-teachers'' rally here.
He said the Trinanool Congress has joined hands with the Maoists at a time when the government was trying to confine the ultras to the inter-state border areas.
"They are doing this to spread violence and stall development in the districts. The obstacles against violence must be removed," he said.
Bhattacharjee said his government would protect the job security of para-teachers of the Sarva Siksha Abhiyan if the Centre took any decision to stop funding the SSA.
The government had already provided job security to para-teachers of the panchayat-run schools by fixing their retirement age at 60 years, he said.
CITU state president Shyamal Chakraborty said it would hold a country-wide campaign with SSA workers in support of their demands.
Pointing out that the 2G Spectrum scam involved a sum of Rs 1.76 lakh crore, he claimed the amount would have sponsored education for all from the kindergarten to post- graduate levels.
Despite funds crunch, the West Bengal government has made arrangements to provide Rupees one lakh to panchayat school teachers at the time of their retirement, he said.
Govt-opposition impasse to worsen
PTI – 59 minutes agoNew Delhi, Dec 13 (PTI) The government-opposition standoff in Parliament is expected to worsen in coming days with Congress President Sonia Gandhi today rejecting the JPC demand on the 2G spectrum issue and the NDA threatening to take to streets.An indication to this effect was available with the Leader of the Opposition Sushma Swaraj declaring that the NDA will be taking this fight against corruption to the people. "We will be hitting the roads soon," Swaraj told reporters after a dharna of NDA in Parliament on the issue.
Swaraj''s statement came close on the heels of the Congress Parliamentary Party meeting in which Gandhi launched a blistering attack against BJP and asked partymen to expose its "double standards and doublespeak" on the issue of corruption.
Gandhi did not refer directly to the opposition demand for a JPC but made it abundantly clear that the party thinks that the steps taken by the government in 2G issue were sufficient and that PAC was a competent body to examine the issue.
The NDA is also holding a rally against corruption in the national capital on July 22, which will be followed by countrywide agitations. Top NDA leaders will be holding deliberations tomorrow to finalize their strategy.
However, former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda attacked the BJP and favoured mid-term Lok Sabha polls if the government was not able to ensure smoothly functioning of Parliament.
Slamming the BJP, he said that the Karnataka land scam was "bigger than 2G" and accused the main opposition of scuttling any discussion on the land scam by stalling the entire winter session of Parliament.
A section of NDA also felt that BJP''s failure to take action against Yeddyurppa as well as recent comments by RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat on the Ayodhya issue have put off some other non-NDA parties, who had earlier decided to join the rally against corruption, which was named Opposition Rally so that it is not treated as "only BJP affair".
The Left parties are also expected to hold consultations with like-minded non-Congress, non-BJP parties like TDP, BJD, AIADMK and RLD over the next course of action.
CPI National Secretary D Raja said the National Council of his party would be meeting in Hyderabadfrom December 14 to 16 and consultations were possible then or soon after the meeting.
The Congress plenary is also scheduled here from December 18 which is likely to chalk out the future course of action to meet the Opposition challenge. This is the first plenary after the Congress-led UPA came to power for the second time in 2009. .
CPI-M failed to generate employment in Bengal: Mamata
By Indo Asian News Service | IANS India Private Limited – Sun, Dec 12 9:29 PM IST
Kolkata, Dec 12 (IANS) Railway Minister and Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee Sunday slammed West Bengal's ruling Marxists for failing to generate employment during their 33-year regime and alleged that they were trying to hinder the progress of the railways.'The Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) has not done anything for the generation of employment within the state. And now they are criticising me on the issue of employment generation in the railways,' Banerjee said in Howrah, some 32 km from here.
'How come, you have not done anything on providing employment all these years,' she asked.
Declaring that those trying to sabotage the railways operations will be punished, the minister took an apparent dig at her bete noire CPI-M, saying: 'I am ready to fight politically but causing damage to the Railway properties and causing harm to the passengers is not the right way.'
'People found guilty for sabotaging the railways will be punished,' she added.
Praising the railway employees, she said: 'Our employees are sincere and dedicated towards their work. Railway sabotages take place not due to the carelessness of the employees, but because of the misdeeds of the miscreants.'
Govt-opposition impasse to worsen
PTI – 1 hour 1 minute agoNew Delhi, Dec 13 (PTI) The government-opposition standoff in Parliament is expected to worsen in coming days with Congress President Sonia Gandhi today rejecting the JPC demand on the 2G spectrum issue and the NDA threatening to take to streets.An indication to this effect was available with the Leader of the Opposition Sushma Swaraj declaring that the NDA will be taking this fight against corruption to the people. "We will be hitting the roads soon," Swaraj told reporters after a dharna of NDA in Parliament on the issue.
Swaraj''s statement came close on the heels of the Congress Parliamentary Party meeting in which Gandhi launched a blistering attack against BJP and asked partymen to expose its "double standards and doublespeak" on the issue of corruption.
Gandhi did not refer directly to the opposition demand for a JPC but made it abundantly clear that the party thinks that the steps taken by the government in 2G issue were sufficient and that PAC was a competent body to examine the issue.
The NDA is also holding a rally against corruption in the national capital on July 22, which will be followed by countrywide agitations. Top NDA leaders will be holding deliberations tomorrow to finalize their strategy.
However, former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda attacked the BJP and favoured mid-term Lok Sabha polls if the government was not able to ensure smoothly functioning of Parliament.
Slamming the BJP, he said that the Karnataka land scam was "bigger than 2G" and accused the main opposition of scuttling any discussion on the land scam by stalling the entire winter session of Parliament.
A section of NDA also felt that BJP''s failure to take action against Yeddyurppa as well as recent comments by RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat on the Ayodhya issue have put off some other non-NDA parties, who had earlier decided to join the rally against corruption, which was named Opposition Rally so that it is not treated as "only BJP affair".
The Left parties are also expected to hold consultations with like-minded non-Congress, non-BJP parties like TDP, BJD, AIADMK and RLD over the next course of action.
CPI National Secretary D Raja said the National Council of his party would be meeting in Hyderabadfrom December 14 to 16 and consultations were possible then or soon after the meeting.
The Congress plenary is also scheduled here from December 18 which is likely to chalk out the future course of action to meet the Opposition challenge. This is the first plenary after the Congress-led UPA came to power for the second time in 2009. .
2G scam: Ratan Tata's privacy plea to be heard in February, claims rebuttedEconomic Times - 54 minutes agoNEW DELHI: Slating for early February 2011 the hearing on Tata Group chairman Ratan Tata's plea for a ban on publication of the Radia tapes' transcripts, the Supreme Court Monday asked the central government to submit to it the complaints against ... Supreme Court asks govt. to produce complaint against Niira RadiaSify - 30 minutes agoThe Supreme Court today asked the government to submit the copy of the complaint regarding tapping of lobbyist Niira Radia's conversations with a host of people including politicians, corporate leaders and media personalities. ... Produce copy of complaint against Radia, SC tells governmentdomain-B - 32 minutes agoThe Supreme Court today asked for a copy of the complaint, which led to the tapping of corporate lobbyist Niira Radia's phones. The apex court bench of justices, GS Singhvi and AK Ganguly said the copy could be submitted in a sealed cover. ... Radia tapes: Don't tarnish images, warns courtNDTV.com - 3 hours agoNew Delhi: The Supreme Court has asked the government to present in a sealed cover a copy of the complaint which led to Niira Radia's phones being tapped in 2008 and 2009. Close to 6000 phone conversations between Radia, a powerful PR executive and a ... Nira Radia's web: wider than we thoughtIBNLive.com - 2 hours agoNew Delhi: The fresh set of 800 tapes of Nira Radia's conversations, exposed by newsmagazine Outlook on Sunday, allow us a greater and much deeper peek into another 'spectrum' - of large corporates, senior politicians, leading businessmen, ... SC seeks original complaint against RadiaIndia Today - 2 hours agoThe Supreme Court on Monday directed the Union government to hand over a copy of the original complaint against corporate lobbyist Nira Radia, for which the phone tapping was authorised. Radia's phone was tapped and more than 800 tapes of her ... Don't tarnish image of people in Radia tapes: SCIBNLive.com - 3 hours agoNew Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday while hearing Ratan Tata's petition on corporate lobbyist Nira Radia tapes directed that the image of individuals should not be tarnished till the hearing in the privacy suit is completed. ... Outlook challenges Tata plea to ban further leakage of Radia tapesNetIndian - 1 hour agoSenior counsel Anil Diwan, appearing for Outlook magazine, today challenged the maintainability of the petition filed by noted industrialist Ratan N Tata in the Supreme Court seeking to ban further leakage of the Niira Radia tapes to the media. ... IT Dept Denies Being Source of Leaked Radia TapesOutlook - Dec 10, 2010The Income Tax Department today sought to suggest that the leak of tapped telephone conversations between corporate lobbyist Niira Radia and others could have been from some other source and not from its end. In its affidavit, the Department, ... All 72 related articles » | RelatedNira RadiaIntelligence agency Ratan Tata's Timeline of articles Number of sources covering this story
Imagesdomain-B The Hindu NDTV.com NDTV.com Moneycontrol.co... NDTV.com domain-B Oneindia Zee News All related images » |
Andhra Pradesh: Kiran promises peace after Srikrishna report submission
NDTV.com - 25 minutes agoHyderabad: Two weeks before the release of the Srikrishna committee report, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Kiran Kumar Reddy has given in to demand by opposition parties, and has withdrawn one-third of the cases against those who were involved in ...
Criminal cases filed against students in AP withdrawn
The Hindu - 4 hours agoPTI The Hindu Telangana Students Joint Action Committee cadres tries to storm into the State Secretariat in Hyderabad on November 1, 2010. A file photo: Mohammed Yousuf The Andhra Pradesh government today announced that 565 criminal cases filed against ...
Reddy appeases opposition; withdraws Telangana protest cases
Hindustan Times - 4 hours agoBuckling under opposition pressure, the Andhra Pradesh government on Monday said it was withdrawing a third of the criminal cases against students and others who took part in the movement for a separate Telangana state. Making a statement in the State ...
Justice Srikrishna panel to visit Hyderabad to meet leaders
The Hindu - Dec 11, 2010PTI As it firms up its report on the Telangana statehood issue, the Justice BN Srikrishna Committee will travel to Hyderabad on December 16 for an informal meeting with leaders of political parties in Andhra Pradesh. The five—member panel, ...
Sabita may offer sop to T-students
Deccan Chronicle - 18 hours agoDec. 12: The home minister, Ms P. Sabita Indra Reddy, is to make a statement in the Legislative Assembly on Monday announcing the withdrawal of cases registered against students who took part in pro- and anti-Telangana agitations. ...
DS vows all help to rain-hit farmers
Deccan Chronicle - 18 hours agoSrikakulam, Dec. 12: Lamenting that the Opposition parties were not allowing the Chief Minister, Mr N. Kiran Kumar Reddy, to discuss issues such as Telangana and the plight of farmers, the Pradesh Congress Committee president, Mr D. Srinivas, ...
All 7 related articles »
Sensex ends 183 points up in volatile trade
In a choppy trade, the BSE benchmark Sensex wiped off early losses to end with a gain of 183 points today on high domestic industrial growth and a firming trend in global markets.
The 30-share Bombay Stock Exchange index, Sensex, after falling nearly one per cent during the day, bounced back to close with a gain of 182.89 points at 19,691.78.
The gains were led by metals and realty sectors after the industrial growth numbers released late last week showed 10.8 per cent expansion in October and weekend gains on the US markets on upbeat economic data.
In a similar fashion, the broad-based National Stock Exchange index Nifty remained subdued at the outset but recovered to close higher by 50.30 points at 5,907.65. It had dipped to 5,795.90 points during the session.
Besides the industrial growth numbers announced Friday, trading sentiment was supported by trends in the Asian region as well as higher opening in Europe on reports of an upbeat US economic data. The US stock market Dow Jones industrial average gained 0.35 per cent in the previous session.
Of the 30 index shares, 25 stocks were higher while five ended with losses. Front-runners like Reliance Industries , HDFC Ltd , State Bank of India , Tata Steel, BHEL, Larsen and Toubro, Tata Motors , Tata Power and Reliance Infra were major gainers.
In the realty sector, the stocks most battered of late were key supporters of the gains because investors judged the prices to be attractive low levels. The sectoral index gained the most by 2.79 per cent to 2,818.44 as DLF, HDIL and Indiabulls Real Estate rose smartly.
The metal sector added 2.10 per cent to touch 16,327.38 as Hindalco Ind, Hindustan Zinc, JSW Steel recorded handsome gains on reports of a firming base metal prices in global markets.
The power sector index was third best performer, adding 2.09 per cent to move up to 2,935.40, followed by capital goods index by 1.68 per cent at 15,306.54.
13 DEC, 2010, 05.58AM IST, JAIDEEP MISHRA,ET BUREAU
2G scam: A case for spectral efficiency
The availability of the so-called Radia tapes in the public domain does seem to reveal a thing or two about policymaking processes in the Capital, including their apparent implementation and follow through. The transcripts do point at arguably questionable practices taking place in the process of policy formation.A course-correction is surely called for. We do need transparency in the very process of policy design, and the way it is subsequently enforced.
Otherwise, there would be perverse incentive to cut corners to bend and tweak the rules. Prof Jagdish Bhagwati, who spoke the other day in Parliament, has coined an apt phrase for such activities. He calls them directly unproductive profit-seeking .
As a general rule, we really must nip in the bud the scope to change the norms and guidelines to suit select, interested parties seeking to make big-ticket investments, for instance in oil and gas production.
But there's also the need for policymakers to have an open mind to factor in technical changes underway, say, in a technology-intensive field like telecom, and call for appropriate policy changes, such as spectrum sharing, for instance. The tapes do bring to the fore select loud-thinking on formulation of recent telecom policy, including the issue of spectrum allocation for second-generation — 2G — read 'basic' or no-frills mobile telephony.
Also, there's mention of last year's headline hogging topic of natural gas pricing and allocation from the Krishna-Godavari basin. Now in telecom, there's much to suggest gross arbitariness lately in the process of awarding spectrum to select service providers, in the way the cut-off date for new licences was arrived at, and the opacity involved generally in carrying out the firstcome , first-served policy.
However, the policy decision not to auction 2G spectrum, and to levy an administrative fee instead, the quantum of which was arrived at when the 'fourth' slot for mobile operator licences was auctioned back in 2001, cannot necessarily be faulted if the objective was to raise and significantly increase teledensity.
Note that as late as 1998, the total mobile subscriber base pan-India was just about 8 million. And fast-forward to the here and now, it's quite normal for the subscriber numbers to increase by a similar figure every month. Actually, the trend rate has been maintained for many months. It's possible that there may have been incentives in the past to fudge subscription figures, as the issue of spectrum has been based on such numbers.
But with strict know your customer norms now in place, the telecom figures should now be much more reliable, and already number half a billion. It implies vastly improved teledensity. Additionally, post-2008 , service providers have begun to charge 1 paisa per second or less as tariff, the cheapest anywhere. So, it can well be said that the policy purpose of 2G has been quite substantially met.
It cannot also be gainsaid that the recent auctions for the third-generation or 3G telecom licences (and added spectrum availability ) are for a quite different play, namely value-added services like streaming video calls, etc which can command premium tariffs. It is definitely noteworthy and credible that the Centre has garnered almost Rs 1 lakh crore by auctioning spectrum for 3G services.
Purists may take the position that in a country with poor diffusion of computers, even 3G spectrum ought not to be put up for bidding and instead be allocated based on criteria like 'beauty contests' of service providers, rollout record, etc as it would help shore up fast, broad-band internet access via handheld devices. But the fact is that there is enough international experience of 3G auctions , and a major non-tax revenue item does need tapping.
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/opinion/columnists/jaideep-mishra/2G-scam-A-case-for-spectral-efficiency/articleshow/7090494.cms
13 DEC, 2010, 07.58PM IST, NAGESHWAR PATNAIK,ET BUREAU
Orissa set to surpass revenue mop up target
BHUBANESWAR: Orissa is all set to surpass its revenue collection target of Rs 13525.99 crore for the current fiscal. The government expects to mop up revenue of at least Rs 15,000 crore, according to finance minister Prafulla Chandra Ghadei.By October end, the revenue collection was recorded at Rs 7005.60 crore which is 55.54% of the target.
Replying to a query by ruling BJD member Ashok Kumar Panda, the finance minister on Monday said in the Orissa Legislative Assembly that the revenue earning had steadily gone up in the last one decade mainly due to increase in collection of commercial taxes like Value Added Tax (VAT), Central Sales Tax (CST), entry tax, entertainment and luxury tax and professional tax.
Stating that the commercial tax collection target for 2010-11 had been fixed at Rs 7216.33 crore, the minister said no specific target has been fixed for collection of commercial taxes from the large industrial houses.
"Orissa's economy has increased manifold in the past one decade because of prudent fiscal management. In 1999-2000, the tax revenue collection was just Rs 1141.73 crore which rose to Rs 6376.41 crore in 2009-10. In the last fiscal, the state earned Rs 293 crore from different industrial houses," the minister informed.
Mr Ghadei told the House that the state government would take stringent action against business houses and industrial establishments who are resorting tax evasion on the pretext of transfer of goods. Besides, the government will ask the industrial houses operating here to open their corporate offices here.
India hopes China will resolve stapled visas, offers UN support
Two days before Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao touches down here for a three-day visit, India Monday hoped that China would support it's bid for a permanent seat in the UN Security Council and address its concerns over stapled visas for residents of Jammu and Kashmir.
Amid concerns about the widening trade deficit with China, India also said it will take up the issue with Beijing but in the same breath pitched for greater market access for Indian goods in Chinese markets as wells as Chinese investment, specially in the infrastructure sector.
"We have taken up the issue many a time. We hope the Chinese side will address the issue," Gautam Bambawale, joint secretary (China) in the external affairs ministry, told reporters.
"Our concerns have been articulated. The Chinese are aware of our concerns," ministry spokesperson Vishnu Prakash said.
They were responding to a question on why, despite India conveying its concerns several times, Beijing has yet to scrap the practice of issuing stapled visas to the residents of Jammu and Kashmir it began two years ago in what is seen as a ploy to question India's sovereignty over the state.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will discuss all issues of concern, including stapled visas, Chinese investment in Pakistan-controlled Kashmir and the widening trade deficit with Wen during the delegation-level talks Thursday. He will also discuss a host of global issues, including UN reforms, the global financial crisis, climate change and global terrorism.
Wen begins a three-day visit to India here Wednesday, his second to the country. During Wen's last visit in 2005, the two sides finalized guiding principles and political parameters for resolving their boundary dispute.
As India gears up to join the UN Security Council as a non-permanent member Jan 1, 2011, New Delhi is hoping for an evolution of Beijing's position over its bid for a permanent seat in the council beyond the usual formulation about a bigger role in the UN.
China is the only permanent member of the five-member Security Council which has yet to declare its support for India's candidacy.
China-India ties fragile, need special care: Chinese envoy
Ahead of Premier Wen Jiabao's visit, China on Monday said its relations with India were "very fragile" and needed special care and guidance from the government to the public to avoid a war of words.
"China-India relations are very fragile and very easy to be damaged and very difficult to repair. Therefore, they need special care in the information age," Chinese envoy to India Zhang Yan said at a conference here.
Observing that public perception was vital to the development of relations, he said efforts should be made on both sides to create an objective and friendly environment based on mutual trust to ensure that there is no wrong perception of each other.
"To achieve this, the government should provide guidance to the public to avoid a war of words," Zhang said at the conference on India-China relations organised by FICCI.
Foreign secretary Nirupama Rao , who was present at the conference, sought to assuage the feelings of the Chinese envoy, by telling him that India has a "very commonsensical" and "very rational" approach to China.
But at the same time, she highlighted the "vibrant and noisy nature" of democracy to which the Chinese were exposed in India.
"Often, our Chinese friends speak of a certain gulf in appreciation of each country vis-a-vis the other, especially when it comes to opinions of that are expressed in the media of the two countries," Rao said.
"Our Chinese friends are increasingly exposed to the vibrant, I would say, noisy nature of our democracy. The fact that many schools of thought contend, many opinions are expressed which are often at divergence with each other. But I would urge them to understand that there is a certain very commonsensical, very rational approach that we in India have to China," she said.
"We see you as our largest neighbour, we regard in a real sense and an absolute sense the importance of building bridges with China, understanding China better, creating more of a mutually beneficial relationship between the two countries," Rao said.
The foreign secretary said the betterment of relations with China was of great importance not only to the Indian leadership but also for the business and for the industry of both the countries.
Chidambaram blames migrants for crime in Delhi, Opposition hits backTimes of India - 5 hours ago NEW DELHI: Union home minister PChidambaram on Monday came under heavy fire by the opposition for blaming the spate of crimes in Delhi due to migrant ... Video: P Chidambaram blames migrants for crime Chidambaram's comment on migrants triggers reaction Economic Times IBNLive.com - India Today - NDTV.com all 74 news articles » Maya demands Chidambaram's apologyIndian Express - 2 hours agoTerming Union Home Minister P Chidambaram's comment on migrants as irresponsible, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister and BSP supremo Mayawati on Monday asked him ... Chidambaram to visit Manipur to review law and orderThe Hindu - 9 hours agoPTI Union home minister P. Chidambaram will pay a two-day visit to Manipur on Tuesday. Mr. Chidamabaram will review the law and order situation with Chief ... Chidambaram's visit to state fixed on Dec 14 KanglaOnline Chidamabaram to visit Manipur tomorrow Oneindia E-Pao.net all 13 news articles »  Email this storyChamling talks to Chidambaram on Karmapa's visit to SikkimHindustan Times - Dec 12, 2010Chief Minister Pawan Chamling today discussed with Union Home Minister P Chidambaram the issue of permitting 17th Karmapa Ugyen Trinley Dorje to visit ... Chidambaram to open New Delhi Municipal Council convention centre tomorrowDaily News & Analysis - Dec 12, 2010Place: New Delhi | Agency: PTI Union home minister PChidambaram will tomorrow unveil a new state-of-the-art convention centre of the New Delhi Municipal ... SamayLive Greater sensitivity required to tackle trafficking: ChidambaramHindustan Times - Dec 10, 2010 PTI Terming human trafficking as a "cold" and "cruel" fact, Home Minister, P Chidambaramsaid there was a need to sensitise people dealing with the crime, ... Chidambaram asks police forces to get enrolled in 'Anti-Human Trafficking ... Sify Govt to set up 330 anti-trafficking units All India Radio all 24 news articles » Kashmir solution in sight:ChidambaramIndian Express - Dec 9, 2010 Home Minister P Chidambaram on Thursday said the "contours of a political solution" to the Kashmir problem should emerge over the next few months. Chidambaram expects a political solution to Kashmir soon Sify Contours of political solution to Kashmir likely soon: Chidambaram The Hindu Business Standard - Hindustan Times -All India Radio - Kashmir Watch all 195 news articles » Govt, opposition spar over hanging of Afzal GuruThe Hindu - 6 hours agoMr. Chidambaram said he did not want to join issue with the opposition party as today was a solemn occasion when nine people lost their lives when ... Video: Parliament attack anniversary  NewsXPolitical acrimony pauses to remember terror attack - then continues Sify all 114 news articles »  Email this storyCongress pulls its hair over endangered speciesExpress Buzz - 19 hours agoBut, when one hears that Union home minister PChidambaram also went to see a movie, it seems unbelievable. On a busy day, when A Raja's premises were being ... Reuters UP ignored specific terror input:ChidambaramHindustan Times - Dec 8, 2010 Home minister P Chidambaram on Wednesday accused the Uttar Pradesh government of ignoring a specific warning issued in February about terrorists planning to... Video: Baby Swastika missed 2nd birthday by 10 days Mayawati, Chidambaram trade verbal blows after bomb blast Daily News & Analysis NDTV.com - Times of India - India Today -Indian Express - Wikipedia: 2010 Varanasi bombing all 1,332 news articles » Introduce Telangana bill in Parliament: BJP to ChidambaramHindustan Times - Dec 8, 2010PTI The BJP in Andhra Pradesh on Wednesday appealed to Union Home Minister P Chidambaram to take initiative in introducing a bill on separate Telangana ... Health Care N Diet Chidambaram says two-pronged strategy will continue to solve Naxalite problemSify - Dec 6, 2010 Home Minister P. Chidambaram has said that the Centre's two- pronged anti- Naxalite strategy will continue and there is no better alternative. Video: Chidambaram terms Maoists as anti-development forces PC suggests 2-pronged approach to tackle Naxal problem Hindustan Times all 14 news articles » Echo of Arjun in Digvijay rhetoricCalcutta Telegraph - Rasheed Kidwai -15 hours ago Digvijay now seems to have chosenChidambaram as his main target, questioning his handling of the Maoist threat, the Batla House encounter and the various ... Video: Digvijaya hits back, says why did Advani call Karkare a traitor? Digvijay's cynical wrong turn Mumbai Mirror Cong heavyweight's misplaced zealDaily Pioneer - Swapan Dasgupta - Dec 11, 2010It is said that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was delighted to be given the opportunity to shift P Chidambaram from Finance - where he had acquired a ... Phone taps should not be leaked:ChidambaramEconomic Times - Dec 3, 2010NEW DELHI: Union Home Minister P Chidambaram today expressed himself against leakage of telephone conversations tapped for investigations but felt "some of ... Chidambaram: India better equipped to meet security challengesThe Hindu - Vinay Kumar - Nov 30, 2010Mr. Chidambaram, who completed two years in office as the Home Minister on Tuesday, took over the reins of the internal security apparatus in the wake of ... Video: Chidambaram briefs media on various issues  NewsXCounter-terror centre to be ready before '12: PChidambaram Economic Times Sify - All India Radio - Times of India all 18 news articles »  Email this storyDisabled in India need more attention, saysChidambaramSify - Dec 2, 2010Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram said on Thursday that India's capacity to respond to the concerns of disabled does not keep the pace with their issues. Pakistan has failed on its promise:ChidambaramTimes of India - Nov 26, 2010MUMBAI: Union Home Minister P Chidambaram said on Friday that Pakistan had failed on its promise to bring to justice all people - masterminds, ... Pakistan must keep its promises on 26/11, saysChidambaram The Hindu Chidambaram lauds Ombale's bravery in capturing Kasab alive Hindustan Times India Today - Economic Times - Sify - Oneindia all 1,165 news articles »  Email this storyDealing with security-related challenges in country has improved: ChidambaramSify - Nov 30, 2010Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram on Tuesday said that in the two years since the terrorist attack on Mumbai by Pakistani terrorists, dealing with ... NDTV.com Zero tolerance to disloyalty,Chidambaram warns molesHindustan Times - Nov 30, 2010 PTI Cracking the whip on moles in security establishments, Home Minister PChidambaram on Tuesday warned action against anyone helping corporates to snoop. | Featured videoDigvijaya hits back, says why did Advani call Karkare a traitor?NDTV.comall 28 |
13/12/2010
''I did speak to Karkare'': Digvijay Singh
Guwahati/New Delhi: Senior Congress leader Digvijay Singh, who created a flutter by stating that slain Maharashtra ATS chief Hemant Karkare was under threat from right-wing groups, today insisted that he had spoken to the police officer a few hours before the 26/11 attacks in Mumbai in 2008.
"I am trying to get the records and I am sure those who are saying that I did not talk to Karkare would be proved wrong," he told PTI.
Digvijay''s remarks came following a media report which said that call records of Karkare''s cell phone showed that he had neither called nor received a call from the Congress general secretary during that period.
"I am absolutely firm on this. I did speak to Karkare and I have stated that already," Digvijay said in Guwahati.
As he came under fire, Digvijay had yesterday stuck to his stand that Karkare had spoken about threats from right-wing groups during the telephonic conversation with him.
Digvijay had subsequently clarified that he never doubted the role of Pakistani elements in the Mumbai attacks.
Singh also trained his guns on BJP, maintaining that the opposition party lent its support to Hindu radical groups.
The BJP demanded that Congress force Singh to resign from the party for his "absurd" remarks that Karkare had told him hours before the 26/11 strike that he feared for his safety from Hindu extremists in the wake of the Malegaon blast probe.
Targeting BJP, Digvijay had said "I want to ask (L K) Advaniji and Rajnathji why they went to meet the PM after Sadhvi Pragya was arrested after the Malegaon blast. Why did Rajnathji go to the jail to meet her? BJP has to answer these questions before they ask some to my Prime Minister."
Asserting that he had never doubted the role of Pakistani elements in Mumbai strikes, he said, "I also never said that right-wing activists were behind the terror attacks".
Trying to disassociate Congress party from the issue, Digvijay said, "its not a Congress party issue... the issue was a conversation between Digvijay Singh and Karkare".
Congress has distanced itself from Digvijay's statement, saying the matter was "a conversation between two individuals".
BJP spokesperson Shahnawaz Hussain said the Congress should force Digvijay to resign.
Karkare was probing the Malegaon blast in which Hindu terror groups were suspected and had led some BJP leaders like Rajnath Singh to question his integrity and commitment.
Source: PTI
13/12/2010
Chidambaram blames migrants for Delhi crimes, eats his words
New Delhi: Union Home Minister P Chidambaram on Monday sought to blame migrants to Delhi for crimes like rape, a statement that came under sharp criticism from political leaders, following which he withdrew it.
"... nevertheless crime takes place because Delhi attracts a large number of migrants. There are a large number of unauthorised colonies. And these migrants who settle in the city's north-west colonies carry a kind of behaviour which is unacceptable in any modern city. So crimes do take place," Chidambaram told reporters on the sidelines of a function.
Condemning the recent rape incidents in the Capital, he said steps are being taken by setting up more police stations, recruiting more police men and putting more police vehicles on the roads to improve the law and situation here.
Chidambaram's remarks were criticised by the BJP, RJD and SP leaders who said it was made to cover up his and Delhi Police's failure.
Soon after, the home minister issued a clarification saying he did not refer to any state or region or language or race or religion and was conscious that every one who came to work in Delhi was, in a sense, a migrant, including himself.
He said when he was asked a question about the recent incidents of rape in Delhi and the alleged failure of the Delhi Police, his reply had a "matter of fact reference to migration, unauthorised settlements and behaviour that is unacceptable".
Chidambaram said he was dismayed that some people have pounced upon the word "migrant" and have raised a controversy.
"The country faces many real issues and I don't have the desire to say or do anything that will distract from the real issues. I have nothing against migration or migrants, being a migrant myself. I was pointing to 'behaviour that is unacceptable'. Nevertheless, I think the best way to put an end to any controversy would be to withdraw the whole of my answer to the question, and I do so.
"I would request every one, including the Delhi Police, to focus on the real issues of crime, crime prevention and crime detection," he said.
RJD chief Lalu Prasad termed Chidambaram's statement as "very unfortunate" and said it was an attempt to "hide his own failure by putting the blame on the migrants".
"I disapprove the statement of Home Minister Chidambaram. In future, he should talk about his own failure and should not put blame on others," he said.
Condemning Chidambaram's statement, BJP spokesman Shahnawaz Hussain said: "This is an irresponsible statement. Congress leaders are taking out their frustrations over the party's defeat in Bihar. Delhi Police works under the nose of the Home Minister. He should not make such statement to cover up his failures."
SP MP Akhilesh Yadav said Congress ministers cover up their failures or blame it on others. "As for law and order, responsibility is fully of the police and other authorities, they are getting their salary for this. But to put it on others is running away from responsibility," he said.
The home minister said there are two types of crime - one opportunistic and another pre-meditated - and the police can stop the pre-meditated crime but in case of opportunistic crime, the police can only detect it, catch the culprit and punish them through trial in a court of law.
"These are opportunistic crimes. The police have acted swiftly. They have arrested the alleged culprits. They have to be taken before a court of law and I am sure the law will take its course.
"I condemn what happened at the same time I think we must understand, the nature of policing today in a big city and I think the police have done well in capturing the culprits very quickly," he said.
The home minister said there is nothing more heinous and absolutely murder is equally heinous. Rape is a heinous crime.
"In terms of crime statistics, you can look at them, I can look at them. There is a decline in crime in Delhi.
There is an increase in crime detection in Delhi.
Lalu Prasad said he had come to know that Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit was also present in the function. "She also had in the past put blamed on people from Bihar and Purvanchal that they were bad. This is their (the leaders) failure. It is very unfortunate statement," he said.
Source: Indian Express
13/12/2010
Parliament makes history: No business this session
New Delhi: Battling charges of corruption yet defiant in its decision not to allow a joint parliamentary probe into the 2G scam, the Congress withstood the Opposition's onslaught in the winter session as Parliament adjourned sine die on the last day today – without conducting a single day's business in the last 23 days.
There is enough evidence already that the Congress' winter of discontent will spill over into the Budget session as a united Opposition looks unrelenting in its demand for a JPC probe into the 2G scam that has purportedly cost the exchequer Rs 1.76 lakh crore.
The winter session ended without transacting any substantial business, going down in Parliamentary history as the only session virtually washed out due to standoff between the government and Opposition over the 2G spectrum scam.
Parliament could function barely for a few hours during the 23 sittings which began on November 9, as the united Opposition forced adjournments almost every day, within minutes of assembling.
Opposition members trooping into the well and shouting slogans demanding JPC probe into the 2G spectrum allocation became a daily routine in both Houses.
Normalcy was seen in the Lok Sabha only on the first day of the session when the Rajya Sabha was adjourned because of the death of a sitting member.
Despite a number of meetings between the government and Opposition, the impasse continued as the BJP-led NDA, the Left parties, AIADMK, SP, TDP and BJD persisted with their demand for a JPC into the 2G spectrum scam.
The Opposition got a shot in the arm after the CAG report, tabled in Parliament on November 16, said the spectrum allocation in 2008 had caused a presumptive loss of Rs 1.76 lakh crore to the exchequer.
The Opposition was not satisfied even though Telecom Minister A Raja quit.
The government, on the other hand, continuously rejected the demand for JPC maintaining that the Public Accounts Committee was adequately equipped to probe the irregularities.
This session earned the dubious distinction of being virtually washed out, although Parliament had witnessed logjam for 17 days over the Tehelka scam in 2001 and disruptions for 45 days over Bofors scandal in 1987.
Before adjourning the Upper House sine die, Rajya Sabha Chairman Hamid Ansari conveyed his displeasure stating the 221st session displayed "distinct" features and asked members to introspect.
"No debates or discussions on matters of public interest took place; no special mentions were made or laid on the table; no zero hour interventions were sought; no questions were answered orally and no supplementary questions were raised," he said.
Ansari said all sections of the House would "perhaps introspect on the record of this session to seek the distinction between dissent, remonstration, agitation and disruption".
When asked for her reaction on the ongoing logjam, Speaker Meira Kumar said outside the House, "I am anguished."
Amid the pandemonium, the government managed to get its financial bills involving supplementary demands for about Rs 46,000 crore passed.
As per the data compiled by the Rajya Sabha Secretariat, more than 100 hours were lost because of Opposition protest on the 2G spectrum scam, corruption charges in Commonwealth Games and the Adarsh Housing Society.
Even the matters of urgent public importance listed as calling attention during the session could not be taken up.
These included the plight of small loan borrowers, handloom weavers and frequent railway accidents.
However, when it came to paying homage to the martyrs of Parliament attack on December 13, 2001, the opposition and treasury benches displayed solidarity.
They also joined hands in felicitating sports heroes of Commonwealth Games including Saina Nehwal who recently won the Hong Kong super series badminton tournament.
Source: Indian Express
13/12/2010
You support the corrupt. We make them resign: Sonia to BJP
New Delhi: Firmly rejecting the Opposition's demand for a JPC to probe the 2G spectrum scam, Congress President Sonia Gandhi today launched a blistering attack against BJP and asked partymen to expose its "double standards and doublespeak" on the issue of corruption.
"Our government has nothing to hide. Our government has nothing to fear. Our concerns are that we should not undermine the established institutions such as the PAC and the CBI," Gandhi said addressing a meeting of the Congress Parliamentary Party here.
At the meeting on the concluding day of the winter session, which was washed away over the turmoil on the JPC issue, Gandhi said, "People of India will be entirely justified if they take a dim view of the manner in which the Opposition, especially the principle Opposition party, has disrupted every day of the session."
Party spokesperson Abshishek Singhvi said Gandhi even said that the countrymen would "not forget and forgive the opposition" for wasting an entire session.
Party sources said Gandhi did not refer directly to the opposition demand for a JPC but made it abundantly clear that the party thinks the steps taken by the government in the 2G issue were sufficient and that it wanted to get to the root of the matter.
Complimenting Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for his "wise leadership" and declaring that the party "stands solidly behind him", she made a veiled attack on the Opposition's plan to summon the Prime Minister in case the government had yielded to the demand for a JPC.
"Nor should we do anything that will denigrate the institution of the Prime Minister. We cannot sacrifice institutions at the altar of political expediency", Gandhi said.
Maintaining "it is a painful fact that corruption seems to be widespread", she said, the "Congress has always stood for transparency and probity. Even when no charge has been established or no misconduct has been proved, we have asked ministers and chief ministers to step down, pending inquiry."
Stepping up the attack on the BJP on the issue of corruption, Gandhi said, "Can the BJP make the same claim in Karnataka where corruption is rampant? Let us not forget that it was during the BJP-led NDA that a senior minister resigned after the defence scam was exposed but was reinstated even as the inquiry was underway."
"And what about some of the leaders in the same party caught in camera taking money and later rehabilitated? The list is endless," she said in an obvious reference to former BJP President Bangaru Laxman.
Gandhi asked partyworkers to explain to the people all these facts and "expose the Opposition's double standards and double speak, particulary the BJP."
"I compliment the Prime Minister for his wise leadership, for remaining calm amidst the storm and for his unwavering devotion to the progress and prosperity of the nation. The party stands solidly behind him in his endeavours," she said.
Gandhi made it clear that "there will be absolutely no tolerance for corruption and misconduct."
Suggesting that the BJP has never reconciled to the loss of power since 2004, Gandhi said, "This has been the pattern from the day the BJP was voted out of office. From the very first session of the 14th Lok Sabha to the current one -- every session has been disrupted on several days."
Gandhi, who is also UPA Chairperson, sought to justify the decision not to accept the JPC, saying, "We should ask ourselves what is the issue here?"
Noting that the government has been acting in right earnest, she said, "Within two days of the submission of the (CAG) report and even before it was placed in Parliament, the minister concerned (A Raja) resigned. Once the report was in Parliament, in accordance with the rules, it stood automatically referred to the PAC... which has already started its work."
She said the problem was being addressed in several ways.
"First, there is an examination by the PAC. Second, there is an investigation by the CBI. Third, a retired judge is looking into the administrative and procedural lapses. It is abundantly clear that the government is determined to get to the root of the matter. It is preposterous to suggest that the government has something to hide or is shying away from investigations," Gandhi said.
Lauding the Prime Minister's initiatives on the economic front, Gandhi said, "In spite of some forces placing formidable obstacles before good governance", India has weathered the international financial crisis.
While hailing that the growth rate has been recorded at 8.9 per cent in the first half of the current financial year, Gandhi underlined that "even as we take pride in this impressive performance, we do not forget to bring progress and prosperity in the life of the common people, especially the poor and the marginalised".
Noting that the right to food was at an advanced stage of consideration, she hoped that it will be enshrined in the Food Security Act soon.
Listing achievements of the UPA government, she said that most of the schemes are being implemented through state governments and the Centre has devolved "huge funds upon them without any bias or discrimination".
Gandhi said that it was for partymen to take the message of government programmes all over the country and wherever necessary put pressure on the state governments to ensure that their benefits reach the people.
She told partymen to work with greater determination in order to deliver on the party's promises and redeem the pledges to people, saying countrymen have "high expectations from us".
Gandhi also referred to the terrorist blast in Varanasi, saying it is a reminder that the forces of terrorism are very much there and active and "our vigil must remain constant".
At the outset, she recalled that the CPP meeting was being held on the anniversary of the dastardly attack on Parliament.
Referring to the party's poll debacle in Bihar, she said the party "did not have much expectations" from Bihar.
"We will have to build the party there from scratch. It is a challenge. Although we are disappointed with the dismal results, there can be no room for despondency or demoralisation. Our party has faced tremendous challenges in its long history of 125 years and yet has never lacked in courage and determination to rebuild itself. We will most certainly do whatever is necessary," Gandhi said.
Noting that purchases at minimum support price were not taking place in some parts of the country, particularly in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, Gandhi said the Congress workers must intervene there.
She also referred to the destruction of crops in Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and other states due to heavy rains.
"It is our duty to reach out to the affected people and see that they are given adequate relief. It is only by being with the people, by raising our voices on their behalf, by empathising proactively with their problems that their faith in us and in our party will be sustained and strengthened," Gandhi said.
Source: Indian Express
New Delhi: In more trouble for the beleaguered UPA, a fresh set of 800 conversations apparently from the tapped phone of lobbyist Niira Radia were released on Saturday by news magazine Outlook, and they reaffirm allegations of involvement of leading people from the industry, media, politics and even the administrative services in the re-induction of A Raja as telecom minister.
The alleged conversations, part of the official phone tapping done by the Income Tax Department, suggest that Raja retained the telecom portfolio thanks to Radia's strenuous lobbying. Outlook said the conversations were part of the more than 5,800 conversations now in the custody of the Supreme Court.
Radia manages public relations for many well-known companies, such as the Tata Group that, incidentally, also has a telecom arm, and Reliance Industries.
The transcripts of the alleged conversations, put up by Outlook on its website, suggest that re-induction of Raja as the telecom minister in the UPA-II regime was influenced by several vested interests, and was facilitated by top journalists.
Radia is heard speaking with former director general of Confederation of Indian Industry Tarun Das, HT Media's Advisor Vir Sanghvi, IAS officer Sunil Arora, and several colleagues. In her conversation with Das, which apparently happened in May 2009 around the time the UPA-II Cabinet was being constituted, Radia seeks his help in communicating to the Congress that DMK chief M Karunanidhi wants the telecom portfolio to go to Raja alone and that the party should not engage with the other wannabe candidate, Dayanidhi Maran.
Das is heard telling Radia that Raja is an unpopular minister. Radia replies that the only telecom businessman who didn't like Raja was Sunil Mittal of Airtel, and insists that having him in the ministry was better for everyone. "He will behave himself. Trust me, he will behave himself... I have promised, Raja has promised that he will speak to Mittal and deal with the matter. Leave that to me."
The brief introduction to the conversation between Radia and Sanghvi suggests the latter is discussing his then weekly column Counterpoint in Hindustan Times, and apprising her that he has "dressed up" his column on "inter-Ambani battle" as "plea to Man Mohan Singh", that the public will not stand for resources (gas) being cornered.
Outlook did not reveal the source of the tapes and also did not clarify if it had accessed all the tapes. A late night query sent to the magazine's editor Krishna Prasad did not elicit any response.
Source: The Sunday Express
12/12/2010
It's early Christmas for car buyers
Almost all car makers are trying to catch consumers' eyeballs by offering discounts, free insurance and payingregistration charges of the car, distributing gift cheques, silver and gold coins and free accessories"The best car deal of the year is here!" screams a near-fullpage newspaper advertisement of General Motors-owned Chevrolet, which has slashed the tag of one of its small cars by `50,000. Ditto Italian auto brand Fiat, which is offering `55,000 worth of benefits on the purchase of its Linea and Punto.
Likewise, almost all car makers are trying to catch consumers' eyeballs by offering cash discounts, free insurance and paying registration charges of the car, distributing gift cheques, silver and gold coins and free accessories. Auto companies are rushing to get rid of their stock lying at various sales outlets to make way for fresh vehicles due in January 2011. For faster mobilisation of the idle stock, extra offers are being made by the dealers.
While India's biggest car maker Maruti Suzuki is offering a maximum value of `40,000 on the SX4, the next biggest auto company Hyundai Motor India is offering benefits worth `45,000 on the Verna.
While December has traditionally been considered the best month for buying cars, analysts say since car makers are replacing models with upgrades while also getting rid of excessive stock in warehouses, the discount and other offers are unusually higher this year than before.
Some car makers have a different opinion. P Balendran, V-P (corporate affairs), General Motors, said: "Our discount scheme has got nothing to do with the liquidation of stock. It is part of the celebration of 100 years of Chevrolet." General Motors has cut the price of Spark by `50,000 and for Beat by `21,000. Beat diesel is scheduled for debut next year. The company has also said that based on the response it gets, this offer could be extended till December 31, which otherwise lasts only till December 20.
It's not just small cars and sedans that are being attractively priced by the companies. Sports utility vehicles such as the range of Mahindra Scorpio are also carrying a discount of `50,000. M&M's offer will last till the end of this month. Such discounts and freebies are given out by companies at a time when raw material prices, which have risen by as much as 30 per cent in the last few months compared to the same period last year's have put a strain on their margins.
While sales targets of almost all companies have exceeded their estimate, they are gearing up to make an upward revision in vehicle prices in the range of 1-3 per cent, which will come into effect from the first week of next month. While high input costs are denting margins of car makers, dealers, however, are free to offer added discounts as most of them have met their sales targets for the festive period (October-December).
A dealer selling Maruti Suzuki cars in Mumbai said: "My sales objective for the period has been achieved with sales being more than what was projected. So, there is no pressure on our margins and, hence, we can do away with a part of it in an attempt to clock more sales."
Apart from General Motors, Maruti Suzuki, Tata Motors, Hyundai, Honda Siel, M&M and Toyota Kirloskar have finalised a price hike next month.
Some companies which have high localisation content in their vehicles are doing it to offset rising raw material costs, while others are compensating for the expensive Japanese currency.
Source: Business Standard
Andhra Pradesh
| * The Hindu Andhra Pradesh: Kiran promises peace after Srikrishna report submissionNDTV.com - 25 minutes ago Hyderabad: Two weeks before the release of the Srikrishna committee report, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Kiran Kumar Reddy has given in to demand by ... Telangana: Criminal cases filed againstAndhra students withdrawn Indian Express Criminal cases filed against students in AP withdrawn The Hindu Hindustan Times - Deccan Chronicle all 23 news articles » Chandrababu Naidu arrested after staging protest near Assembly premisesTimes of India - 2 hours ago Along with the Leader of Opposition inAndhra Pradesh Assembly, other TDP MLAs were also arrested and shifted to the Goshamahal police station. Chandrababu Naidu held after protests demanding help to distressed farmers Daily News & Analysis Chandrababu Naidu stages sit-in in front ofAndhra assembly Sify IBNLive.com - Express Buzz -Indian Express - Fullhyd.com all 26 news articles » From a blessing to a curseThe Age - 2 hours ago This shanty town on the outskirts of Warangal, a city in the south Indian state of Andhra Pradesh, has been overrun by loan agents from India's highly ... Banks getting cautious about lending to MFIsdomain-B MFI Bill introduced in AP Assembly Business Standard Microfinance Focus - Livemint -Hurriyet Daily News NSE:SKSMICRO - BOM:SKSMICRO Eicher eyes Bullet plant in Andhra PradeshDaily News & Analysis - 21 hours ago... arm of the Eicher Group, is likely to set up its biggest-ever facility to manufacture its flagship motorcycle brand Bullet inAndhra Pradesh. BOM:505200 Most engg grads from AP can't be employedDeccan Herald - 10 hours agoOnly 12 per cent engineering students from Andhra Pradeshwere selected in campus recruitment in the previous academic year and the figure declined further ... Jagan rattles dynastyMorungExpress - Sandhya Jain - Dec 12, 2010Jaganmohan Reddy's revolt against Congress president Sonia Gandhi's refusal to anoint him as Chief Minister ofAndhra Pradesh signals the end of her ... Jagan warns of Congress fall in Andhra Pradesh Economic Times More trouble for Cong in AP, Jagan wins over MLA, MPHindustan Times Business Standard - Deccan Chronicle - The Hindu -India Today all 51 news articles »  Email this storyNational Volleyball: Easy win for RailwaysSify - 1 hour agoChennai, Dec 13 (IANS) Reigning women's champions Indian Railways warmed up nicely for the battles ahead with a comfortable 3-0 win against Andhra Pradesh ... Moneycontrol.com Andhra Pradesh to consider microfinance bill on TuesdayMoneycontrol.com - Dec 11, 2010 The Andhra Pradesh government will on Tuesday consider legislation to regulate the microfinance sector by ratifying an earlier ordinance that has curbed ... Andhra tightens noose around MFIsEconomic Times AP government introduces bill to regulate MFIs Indian Express Business Standard - AFP - NDTV.com -Hindustan Times all 150 news articles » Andhra flooded with solar power projectsI Government - Arvind Sen - 2 hours agoNew Delhi: Andhra Pradesh seems to be catching up faster with states like Maharashtra and Gujarat which have taken lead in implementing ... GMR Energy signs agreement with GEIndia Infoline.com - 8 hours agoGMR Energy has signed a long-term service agreement with GE for the expansion of the Vemagiri power plant in the state of Andhra Pradesh, India. GE Signs 15-Year Pact To Expand GMR Energy's South India Plant NASDAQ all 3 news articles » GE  Email this storyAndhra Pradesh government faultedThe Hindu - 22 hours ago ... from Chhattisgarh in Bhadrachalam division in Andhra Pradesh, the Supreme Court-appointed Commissioners have directed urgent action to restore them. The Hindu Wonders in woodThe Hindu - Aparna Menon - 1 hour ago For many generations now, wooden toys have been made by artisans in various pockets ofAndhra Pradesh. One such destination to source toys is Kondapalli, ... Seshachalam Hill Ranges as Biosphere ReservePress Information Bureau (press release) - 7 hours agoThe hill ranges spread in parts of Chittoor and Kadapa districts of Andhra Pradesh have been designated as Seshachalam Biosphere Reserve in Andhra Pradesh ... 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Junior NTR To Endorse Zandu Balm 16reels NTR joins the 'brand'-wagon: Endorses Zandu Balm Super Good Movies Andhra Pradesh rolls out red carpet for Vedanta varsitySteelGuru - Dec 11, 2010BS reported that the Andhra Pradesh government has rolled out a red carpet for the Anil Agarwal Foundation's proposed INR 15000 crore Vedanta University ... LON:VED Janardhana Reddy confident of BJP victoryTimes of India - 1 hour agoBELLARY: The new party which will be launched by Jaganmohan Reddy, son of late Andhra Pradesh chief minister YS Rajashekhara Reddy, will support NDA in ... | ImagesThe Hindu Zee News Orissadiary.com 16reels The Hindu The Age |
ndia
| * The Hindu I spoke to Karkare before 26/11, reasserts DigvijayHindustan Times - 51 minutes ago Congress general secretary Digvijay Singh on Monday reasserted that he had spoken to Maharashtra ATS chief Hemant Karkare hours before the 26/11 attacks in Mumbai in 2008. Video: Digvijaya hits back, says why did Advani call Karkare a traitor? Did speak to Karkare, insists Digvijaya Singh NDTV.com Times Now.tv - The Hindu - Oneindia -Mumbai Mirror India hopes China will resolve stapled visas, offers UN supportEconomic Times - 34 minutes ago NEW DELHI: Two days before Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao touches down here for a three-day visit, India Monday hoped that China would support it's bid for a permanent seat in the UN Security Council and address its concerns over stapled visas for ... India, China to Sign Finance Pact Wall Street Journal China warns of 'fragile' India relationshipFinancial Times Indian Express - indiablooms - Xinhua - Sify all 559 news articles » Andhra Pradesh: Kiran promises peace after Srikrishna report submissionNDTV.com - 26 minutes ago Hyderabad: Two weeks before the release of the Srikrishna committee report, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Kiran Kumar Reddy has given in to demand by opposition parties, and has withdrawn one-third of the cases against those who were involved in ... Criminal cases filed against students in AP withdrawn The Hindu Reddy appeases opposition; withdraws Telangana protest cases Hindustan Times Indian Express - The Hindu -Deccan Chronicle - Deccan Chronicle all 23 news articles » Parliament deadlock: BJP slams Govt.The Hindu - 27 minutes ago PTI The BJP today attributed the "arrogance and adamance" of the government over the JPC issue to the washout of the winter session of Parliament and said it will take the fight to the streets by holding public meetings against corruption across the ... 2G: Division in Oppn ranks as Gowda attacks BJP Zee News Washout of winter session 'criminal', says Bansal Sify Daily Pioneer - Economic Times -All India Radio - Hindustan Times Indian envoy to UN says refused pat-down search at US airportZee News - 29 minutes ago New York/New Delhi: One of India's top most diplomats, Hardeep Puri, Ambassador to the United Nations, was asked to remove his turban during an airport 'pat-down' search in the US but he refused to oblige, instead opting for another procedure. India's UN envoy asked to remove turban at US airport Hindustan Times India protests US frisking of top diplomatsEconomic Times Oneindia - Sify - RTT News - All India Radio Chandrababu Naidu arrested after staging protest near Assembly premisesTimes of India - 2 hours ago Sy HYDERABAD: TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu was arrested today as he staged a sit-in on a road adjacent to the state assembly building demanding that the government immediately help the farmers hit by natural calamities in Andhra Pradesh. Chandrababu Naidu held after protests demanding help to distressed farmers Daily News & Analysis Chandrababu Naidu stages sit-in in front of Andhra assembly Sify IBNLive.com - Indian Express - Fullhyd.com -Express Buzz all 26 news articles » Chidambaram 'withdraws' controversial migrant remarkTimes of India - 12 minutes ago NEW DELHI: After facing severe criticism for blaming migrant labour for crimes in Delhi, Union home minister P Chidambaram on Monday said he was dismayed by how people had pounced on his statement. Video: P Chidambaram blames migrants for crime Indian minister blames migrants for Delhi crime AFP Times Now.tv - Indian Express -Hindustan Times - India Today all 74 news articles » Parents of baby at Varanasi ghats locatedNDTV.com - 1 hour ago Lucknow: When a blast shattered the peace of evening prayers in Varanasi last week, a two-year-old girl was spotted alone at the ghats. Father claims recovered child not his daughter Times of India Infant found at Varanasi blast site identifiedHindustan Times Over 67 percent votes cast in Jharkhand panchayat pollsSify - 32 minutes ago Ranchi, Dec 13 (IANS) Over 67 percent of the over-32 lakh electorate in 20 districts of Jharkhand turned out to vote in the third phase of panchayat polls Monday, an official said. Maoists fire on voters, target poll party in Jharkhand panchayat polls Economic Times 3rd phase of election saw higher vote percentage in Jharkhand All India Radio Times of India - Hindustan Times -The Hindu - Outlook Political acrimony pauses to remember terror attack - then continuesSify - 1 hour agoNew Delhi, Dec 13 (IANS) The terror attack on India's parliament nine years ago united MPs cutting across party lines Monday as they remembered those killed even while the schism between the opposition and the government deepened over the issue of the ... Video: Parliament attack anniversary  NewsXIndia observes ninth anniversary of Parliament attackOneindia Hindustan Times - The Hindu - NDTV.com - NetIndian all 104 news articles »Email this story Cong has no moral right to criticise my govt: YeddyurappaEconomic Times - 1 hour ago BANGALORE: Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yeddyurappa today hit out at Congress for labelling his government as corrupt, saying it should own responsibility for the 2G spectrum scam. Bangaloreans don't want BS Yeddyurappa: DNA survey Daily News & Analysis ZP polls, the real test for BJP Times of India Express Buzz - Daijiworld.com -Mangalorean.com - MSN India all 22 news articles »Email this story Pat-down of Sikh diplomat: Sukhbir Singh Badal writes to PMDaily News & Analysis - 1 hour agoPlace: Chandigarh | Agency: PTI Punjab deputy chief minister Sukhbir Singh Badal today asked Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to take up the issue of the pat-down of a Sikh diplomat at a US airport recently with President Barack Obama. Punjab CM should check monarchaic mindset of Sukhbir Badal: Bir Devinder Punjab Newsline Seek stop to US turban checking, Badal urges PM Sify Indian Express - Punjab Newsline - Punjab Newsline -MSN India all 14 news articles »Email this story Frozen Dal lake warms up return of touristsHindustan Times - 36 minutes ago Sub-zero temperature might have forced most people in Kashmir valley to stay indoors but at the same time it has sprung up a new tourist attraction: the frozen Dal lake. 53 passengers airlifted by Kargil Courier Service Indian Express Coldest day in Srinagar at minus 5.2 degrees Times of India Economic Times - Punjab Newsline - Sify -Kashmir Dispatch all 39 news articles »Email this story Biranchi case: Gangster Raja, another convictedZee News - 47 minutes agoBhubaneswar: A fast track court here on Monday convicted gangster Sandeep Acharya alias Raja and one of his associates for killing of judo coach Biranchi Das, who had groomed world's youngest marathon runner Budhia Singh. Gangster Raja Acharya shot Buddhia's coach, Biranchi DasNDTV.com Two convicted in Orissa for judo coach's murder Sify Law et al. News - Orissadiary.com all 10 news articles » हिंदी मेंEmail this story Australia keen to broaden economic ties with IndiaEconomic Times - 3 hours agoKOCHI: Australia is keen on broadening economic cooperation in areas such as infrastructure, food processing and Tourism with India, its top diplomat said here today. 'Australia concerned over attacks on Indian students'Economic Times Australia was concerned with attacks on Indian studentsIndian Express all 10 news articles »Email this story Mamata Banerjee's poolside prankNDTV.com - 2 hours ago Kolkata: We have usually seen her as the angry young woman from West Bengal. But last evening, Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee pulled off a prank that would have done a teenager proud. Mamata hits out at CPM over land protestsTimes of India Mamata Banerjee dunks Kolkata mayor in pool Times of India Indian Express - Times of India - Sify -Indian Express all 20 news articles »Email this story Break-in at high security Krishi BhavanTimes of India - 2 hours ago NEW DELHI: The office of a senior Agriculture Ministry official in the high-security Krishi Bhavan here was allegedly broken into, sources said today. Agriculture ministry departmental office broken into Sify Data theft at Krishi Bhawan? Mid-Day all 5 news articles »Email this story Mumbai cop shoots himself deadSify - 2 hours agoMumbai, Dec 13 (IANS) An assistant commissioner of police (ACP) shot himself dead in his office here Monday afternoon, police said. Senior policeman shoots himself with service revolverNDTV.com Mumbai: ACP commits suicide India Today Mid-Day all 8 news articles »Email this story 12 Indians released from Pakistani prisonThe Hindu - 58 minutes agoPTI Twelve Indian nationals, including 11 fishermen, were today released from a prison in the southern port city of Karachi, officials said. Pakistan frees 12 Indian fishermen Sify Pakistan releases 12 Indian fishermen The Nation, Pakistan CRIENGLISH.com all 10 news articles »Email this story Kasab raises juvenile plea, urges study on his mental stateThe Hindu - 1 hour agoPTI In a bid to escape death penalty, Pakistani terrorist Ajmal Kasab on Monday urged the Bombay High Court to refer his case to medical boards to determine whether he was a juvenile and to study his psychological profile as well as mental frame of ... Lawyers call for age tests for Mumbai attacks gunmanEmirates 24/7 all 12 news articles »Email this story | Featured videoDigvijaya hits back, says why did Advani call Karkare a traitor?NDTV.comall 286 news articles » ImagesNDTV.com The Hindu All India Radio Oneindia NDTV.com NDTV.com NDTV.com Indian Express Mid-Day All related images »Popular storiesChidambaram 'withdraws' controversial migrant remarkTimes of India - 12 minutes ago - all 74 articles » Indian envoy to UN says refused pat-down search at US airport Zee News - 29 minutes ago - all 72 articles » हिंदी में Mamata Banerjee's poolside prank NDTV.com - 2 hours ago - all 20 articles » India hopes China will resolve stapled visas, offers UN support Economic Times - 34 minutes ago - all 559 articles » I spoke to Karkare before 26/11, reasserts Digvijay Hindustan Times - 51 minutes ago - all 286 articles » हिंदी में Political acrimony pauses to remember terror attack - then continues Sify - 1 hour ago - all 104 articles » Parliament deadlock: BJP slams Govt. The Hindu - 27 minutes ago - all 215 articles » हिंदी में Chandrababu Naidu arrested after staging protest near Assembly premises Times of India - 2 hours ago - all 26 articles » Andhra Pradesh: Kiran promises peace after Srikrishna report submission NDTV.com - 26 minutes ago - all 23 articles » Parents of baby at Varanasi ghats located NDTV.com - 1 hour ago - all 13 articles » |
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*RCom launches 3G services in four cities at affordable tariffsHindustan Times - 1 hour ago PTI Anil Ambani-controlled Reliance Communications on Monday announced the launch of its 3G services in four cities at what it called affordable tariffs. Reliance Communication launches 3G services in four cities Sify UPDATE 1-India Reliance Comm launches 3G, sees no price war Reuters Techtree.com - Wall Street Journal -Moneycontrol.com BOM:532712 - TYO:9437 - BOM:532454 Govt not happy with airlines' steps to lower airfaresTimes of India - 1 hour ago NEW DELHI: Talking tough, the government today said it was not "fully satisfied" with the steps taken by air carriers so far to lower the "astronomical" fares and wanted all airlines to do more to bring ticket costs down. Video: Airline Companies play hard to get DGCA, min unhappy with airfares on websites: Praful Patel Moneycontrol.com IBNLive.com - The Hindu - Indian Express - Mid-Day all 27 news articles » Reckitt Benckiser to acquire Paras Pharma for $728 mnSify - 3 hours ago New York: British consumer goods giant Reckitt Benckiser (RB) Monday said it would acquire Indian pharmaceuticals firm Paras Pharma for $728 million (Rs.3260 crore), joining other global companies who have acquired firms to advance their footprint in ... Reckitt Benckiser to acquire Paras Pharma for Rs 3260 cr NDTV.com Emami to raise Rs 5000cr, aims at inorganic growth Moneycontrol.com Reuters - India Infoline.com - Financial Times China will do better than India in 2011: Emil Wolter, RBSEconomic Times - 5 hours agoEmil Wolter , Head of Regional Strategy, Asian Equities-Global Banking & Markets, RBS in an interview to ET Now talks about growth trajectory, fund flow volatility and other issues in the emerging markets. Mayo Says Emerging Markets Best Bet Wall Street Journal Emerging markets take lead in equities rise: Poll Economic Times Project Syndicate - Daily Pioneer - New Europe -The Island.lk (subscription) all 11 news articles »  Email this storyIntel to unveil 3D-enabled chips in JanuaryDaily News & Analysis - 34 minutes ago By Sreejiraj Eluvangal | Place: New Delhi | Agency: DNA Intel will unveil a new generation of computer chips in less than a month that will have upto 40% more performance that the existing ones and introduce new chips aimed at tablets and phones in six ... ARM Plans to Challenge Intel's Server Chip Dominance in 2014 Bloomberg ARM wrestles with Intel over server chips TechEye Mobile Computing News - HEXUS - ZDNet (blog) LON:ARM - NVDA - AMD US dollar ends higher against rupeeTimes of India - 2 hours ago MUMBAI: The US dollar ended higher against the rupee at Rs 45.14/15 per dollar but the Pound Sterling turned lower at Rs 71.03/05 per pound at the close of the Interbank Foreign Exchange Market (Forex) here today. RUPEE: Off Its Intraday Lows On Advancing EuroIndia Infoline.com Rupee trades weak on share losses, euro riseEconomic Times India Infoline.com - The Hindu all 26 news articles » 2G scam: Ratan Tata's privacy plea to be heard in February, claims rebuttedEconomic Times - 57 minutes ago NEW DELHI: Slating for early February 2011 the hearing on Tata Group chairman Ratan Tata's plea for a ban on publication of the Radia tapes' transcripts, the Supreme Court Monday asked the central government to submit to it the complaints against ... Supreme Court asks govt. to produce complaint against Niira Radia Sify Produce copy of complaint against Radia, SC tells government domain-B The Hindu - NDTV.com - IBNLive.com -India Today India hopes China will resolve stapled visas, offers UN supportEconomic Times - 35 minutes ago NEW DELHI: Two days before Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao touches down here for a three-day visit, India Monday hoped that China would support it's bid for a permanent seat in the UN Security Council and address its concerns over stapled visas for ... India, China to Sign Finance Pact Wall Street Journal China says relations with India require special care MSN India Financial Times - Indian Express - indiablooms -Xinhua all 559 news articles » Sebi to keep tab on bureaucrats, politicians' MF investmentsEconomic Times - 5 hours agoNEW DELHI: As part of its money laundering prevention efforts, market watchdog Sebi will now keep a tab on mutual fund investments made by bureaucrats and politicians, including former and current state heads. Reuters India BSE Mid-Cap, Small-Cap indices outshine SensexIndia Infoline.com - 2 hours ago The key benchmark indices started the week on a buoyant note, extending Friday (10 December 2010)'s 1.3% gains, on firm global stocks. Sensex ends near 19700; Reliance Infra, HDFC, DLF gain Economic Times Sensex rebounds, closes 183 points higher Sify Moneycontrol.com - Myiris.com -Wall Street Journal BOM:500390 - BOM:500325 - BOM:500010 UPDATE 1-India telco licence investigator to identify 2G lapsesReuters - Sumeet Chatterjee - 18 minutes ago NEW DELHI Dec 13 (Reuters) - An investigation into the sale of telecom licences at low prices will look into "shortcomings and lapses" in the 2G licensing process and suggest remedial measures for future, the Indian government said on Monday. DoT starts sending show-cause notices to erring telcos NDTV.com Telecom tangle has deep roots India Infoline.com CIOL - Economic Times - Livemint - Bloomberg all 101 news articles » Punjab National Bank buys Kazakhstan bank stakeSify - 1 hour ago Mumbai, Dec 13 (IANS) Punjab National Bank (PNB), India's second largest public sector lender, Monday said it has bought 63.64 percent stake in Kazakhstan's JSC Dana Bank. Punjab National Bank buys majority stake in JSC Dana Bank Reuters India PNB acquires majority stake in Dana Bank for Rs 104 cr Business Standard NSE:PNB - BOM:532461Email this story Can only suggest remedies in 2G case: Justice PatilNDTV.com - 1 hour agoPTI, Updated: December 13, 2010 19:15 IST New Delhi: The one-man panel set up to look into the spectrum allocation processes and policies between 2001 and 2009 today said its scope would be limited to examining procedures adopted by the Telecom ... Probe panel on telecom licences to give report in four weeks Sify 2G probe panel will not grill A Raja IBNLive.com DailyIndia.com - Press Information Bureau (press release) all 17 news articles »Email this story IRDA imposes Rs 50 lakh fine on 6 insurers for violating normsTimes of India - 59 minutes agoNEW DELHI: Insurance regulator IRDA imposed Rs 50 lakh fine on 6 insurance companies, including private sector players Reliance General and Apollo Munich Health in 2009-10 for failing to comply with various norms, including rural and social obligations ... Moneycontrol.com Punjab & Sind Bank IPO subscribed 1.58 timesEconomic Times - 50 minutes ago NEW DELHI: State-run Punjab & Sind Bank's (PSB) initial public offer was subscribed by 1.58 times on the first day of issue today. Punjab & Sind Bank IPO subscribed fully on day one Myiris.com Punjab & Sind Bank IPO subscribed 68% India Infoline.com Hindu Business Line - Moneycontrol.com -Indian Express Kites the most searched film!Hindustan Times - 1 hour ago PTI Finnish cellphone company Nokia emerged as the most searched brand while Kites was the most 'googled' movie, according to a 2010 online study by Google Zeitgeist. IRCTC, Micromax, YouTube are fastest growing searches on Google India domain-B Searching online for ways to get pregnant! CIOL Telecom Yatra - BCS - afaqs! GOOG - AMS:NOKAEmail this story Nissan Motor to ramp up distributionSify - 2 hours ago Chennai, Dec 13 (IANS) By 2013, Japanese car marketing company Nissan Motor India Pvt Ltd will ramp up its distribution network to 100 from the current 21 and also increase its product portfolio to nine, a top company official said Monday. Nissan aims to sell 80000 units by March 2011Business Standard Sensex in India Rallies 1% 123Jump.com SteelGuru - Indian Cars Bikes -CarTradeIndia.com (press release) (blog) TYO:7201 - TYO:7201N - ETR:NISAEmail this story Senate to vote on Obama tax dealBBC News - 1 hour agoThe US Senate is expected to open debate on the tax cut deal negotiated between President Barack Obama and the Republicans. The $858bn (£545bn) package would extend Bush-era tax cuts on even the wealthiest Americans. Tax deal angers right as well as left Washington Post US Senate to vote on key new tax measures for middle class Sify NPR - msnbc.com - Wall Street Journal - New York Times all 8,808 news articles »Email this story Confidence Petroleum bags Rs 36.65 crore order; stock surgesEconomic Times - 5 hours ago MUMBAI: Confidence Petroleum has bagged orders worth Rs 36.64 crores for supply of 3.05 lakh LPG cylinders by Hindustan Petroleum Corporation . Confidence Petroleum bags Rs 36.64 cr order from HPCL Economic Times HPCL order fuels Confidence Petroleum India Infoline.com Myiris.com - Orissadiary.com - Moneycontrol.com BOM:526829 - BOM:500104Email this story Commonwealth Games fuel Haryana's tax collectionsEconomic Times - 1 hour agoCHANDIGARH: Fueled by an overall industrial growth particularly in the auto and hospitality sector during the recent Commonwealth Games , Haryana's VAT collection and luxury tax registered 27.48 per cent and 106 per cent growth, respectively in first ... | Featured videoAirline Companies play hard to getNewsXall 27 news articles » ImagesMoneycontrol.co... Moneycontrol.co... The Island.lk (... TechEye domain-B Moneycontrol.co... Hindu Business ... Telecom Yatra Indian Cars Bik... All related images »Popular stories2G scam: Ratan Tata's privacy plea to be heard in February, claims rebuttedEconomic Times - 57 minutes ago - all 291 articles » हिंदी में RCom launches 3G services in four cities at affordable tariffs Hindustan Times - 1 hour ago - all 67 articles » India hopes China will resolve stapled visas, offers UN support Economic Times - 35 minutes ago - all 559 articles » Kites the most searched film! Hindustan Times - 1 hour ago - all 72 articles » BSE Mid-Cap, Small-Cap indices outshine Sensex India Infoline.com - 2 hours ago - all 120 articles » Reckitt Benckiser to acquire Paras Pharma for $728 mn Sify - 3 hours ago - all 146 articles » Punjab & Sind Bank IPO subscribed 1.58 times Economic Times - 50 minutes ago - all 51 articles » हिंदी में Govt not happy with airlines' steps to lower airfares Times of India - 1 hour ago - all 27 articles » UPDATE 1-India telco licence investigator to identify 2G lapses Reuters - 18 minutes ago - all 101 articles » US dollar ends higher against rupee Times of India - 2 hours ago - all 26 articles » |
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