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

STUdenT aGe
SUNDAY, JANUARY 6, 2013

JKENG/2012/41612 Vol. 2 No: 6

Two 8th SAFMA Conference begins at Amritsar today

Delhi victim's friend speaks on TV, case filed against Zee

India, Mauritius need to boost economic ties: Mukherjee

IN BRIEF
Nagaland election: EC reviews poll preparation
KOHIMA: The full bench of Election Commission has reviewed the poll preparedness in Nagaland, ahead of the upcoming Assembly Elections in the state. While interacting with media at Dimapur, Chief Election Commissioner VS Sampath said, free and fair general elections will be held in Nagaland contd on page 2

Fast track Court took cognizance of chargesheet India, Pakistan unite

NEW DELHI: The special fast-track court on Saturday took cognizance of the chargesheet in the December 16 gang-rape and murder case of 23-year-old paramedic student. Meanwhile, the court summoned five accused in the brutal gang-rape case on January 07. On Thursday, the Delhi Police had filed a 1,000-page chargesheet in the Delhi gang-rape case in the Metropolitan Magistrate's Court in Saket. The court had then fixed January 05 for cognisance of

'Summons five accused on Jan 7'

offence. Dharmendra Kumar Mishra, a lawyer at Saket Court, had said: "At the end of the today's (Thursday) proceeding the learned duty magistrate had taken the chargesheet on record and adjourned the case for January 05 for consideration. A concerned regular magistrate would conduct the case on that day." "Police had filed chargesheet before the concerned today's duty magistrate and the duty magistrate has taken the chargesheet on record. The police also requested the court to keep the identity of the victim secret," added Mishra. The Delhi Police have filed a chargesheet seeking trial for murder and gangrape against five men who brutally assaulted the young woman who died 13 days later in Singapore. The case against the sixth accused, said to be a minor, would be heard by the Juvenile Justice Board. The five are bus driver Ram Singh, his brother Mukesh, fruit seller Pawan Gupta, gym instructor Vinay Sharma and bus cleaner Akshay Thakur. All of them are now in Delhi's Tihar Central Jail. They have been charged with murder, gang-rape, unnatural offence, destruction of evidence, attempt to murder, kidnapping, causing hurt while committing robbery, dacoity with murder, and common intent. The

Major mishap averted in Assam, 1 ULFA terrorist arrested

GUWAHATI: In Assam, a major tragedy was averted in Tinsukia district when security forces recovered two powerful Improvised Explosives Devices, IED, and killed one hardcore ULFA cadre last night. Tinsukia Superintendent of Police, P P Singh said that on information contd on page 2

prosecution during the trial is expected to demand death penalty for the five accused in connection with ghastly incident, which stirred the conscience of the nation. The sequence of events, the treatment, shifting of the patient to a Singapore hospital as well as her death, have all been mentioned along with statements of 30 witnesses in the chargesheet. Police have urged the court to have in-camera proceedings but the court said it would decide the issue later. The main contd on page 2

to 'bowl out polio'

NEW DELHI: In an innovative move towards polio eradication, the Indian and Pakistan cricket teams, though fierce rivals on the field, will be united in their mission to "bowl out polio" when they clash for the third One-Day International here Sunday. "We need to ensure a world free of polio paralysis for children. We need to win against polio, to 'Bowl Out Polio'," said Pakistani cricket stars Yonous Khan and Imran Farhat, who Saturday admin-

istered polio drops to children here and joined the appeal for eradication of the debilitating disease. The two teams will wear ribbons with 'Bowl Out Polio' when they play the One Day International Sunday. The electronic periphery boards at the Ferozshah Kotla grounds will flash the message of "Bowl Out Polio". A hundred children will also be at the stands wearing yellow jackets with messages against polio. The cards for '4s' and '6s' waved contd on page 2

Power shortages add to Kashmiris' winter woes

SRINAGAR, JAN 5: Insufficient electricity supply, low voltage, endless periods of curtailments and shutdowns and burnt transformers come to Kashmir as a package with the winter season. As the winter gets worse, so do the electricity woes. People blocking roads to seek repairs of the electric transformers in their areas have become a common sight. These protests get subsided sometimes through official assurances and sometimes by the sheer use of police batons. Senior engineers of the power department maintain that overloading by consumers has been crashing its transformers. "Say for example, if the agreed load in a village is 20 kilowatts we install a transformer with 100 kilowatts capacity. If still the transformer breaks down, it means it has been subjected to a load much higher than 100 kilowatts", said a senior engineer. Low voltage is also attributed to unauthorized usage by the consumers. "During peak hours, most households use electric heaters, boilers, blowers, geysers, television sets and other appliances which are generally not included in the agreements between the department and the contd on page 2

PA Sangma to launch his own political party today

NEW DELHI: PA Sangma, who broke ranks with the NCP to fight the Presidential Election against Pranab Mukherjee, will launch his own party on Saturday. Sangma's National People's Party (NPP) will be formally launched at a function in the capital. His daughter Agatha, an NCP MP, may not join the new outfit as of now. On Friday, Alok Kumar Goel, the national secretary of the new party, had told a news agency: "Tomorrow, we will have our first central executive committee meeting and then our party will be launched by Sangma. We will make several important party due to her foreign origin. The nine-time MP and former Lok Sabha Speaker was expelled from NCP in the run up to the Presidential Election in July when he refused to quit the race and lost the fight. NCP is a constituent of the Congress-led UPA and Mukherjee was its candidate. Queried whether Sangma's daughter and NCP MP Agatha will join the outfit, Goel had said, "Agatha is with the party. She will fully support and campaign for the party. But as there is antidefection law in place, we can't say anything as of now whether contd on page 2

Snowfall forces closure of Mughal Road in J&K

RAJOURI,JAN 5: Heavy snowfall in Jammu and Kashmir has blocked the historical Mughal Road, an arterial road connecting several districts with the rest of the state, leaving tourists stranded. The road is a lifeline for the border villages of the Kashmir Valley. It is of great importance as it connects Bafliaz, a town in the Poonch district, to Shopian in Pulwama district in the Kashmir Valley. It also passes through the ''Pir Panjal'' Mountain range, which is at an altitude of 3,505 meters. Tourists were left stranded in Rajouri district for hours, with traffic being diverted to lesser-crowded areas. Habib, a tourist form Uttar Pradesh, said that the government must make arrangements for swift removal of the snow. "When we came here, we came to know that the road ahead is closed due to snow. We want that the government here must put up a system to remove the snow immediately and more and more people should be employed to clear the snow. This will also facilitate the tourists who are on their way to Srinagar," he said. Although the authorities launched the snow clearance operations and sophisticated contd on page 2

Make teachings of sages part of school syllabus: Advani

THIRUVANANTHAPURA M: Senior BJP leader LK Advani has rued that contributions of sages and seers have been ignored in history teaching in schools on the pretext that anything to do with religion was a taboo in a secular state. He found fault with the teaching of history in schools contd on page 2

Pakistan violates ceasefire again

JAMMU,JAN 5: Violating the ceasefire again, Pakistani troops fired mortar rounds at Indian posts along the IndoPak border in Poonch district. Pakistani troops fired 3-4 mortar shells on Indian forward posts in Nangitakri area along Line of Control (LoC) in Poonch late last night, a Defence spokesman said here today. Firing continued for a brief contd on page 2

announcements tomorrow." 'Book' will be the election symbol the party will seek from the Election Commission, a party press release said. Sangma along with Pawar and Tariq Anwar had quit Congress in 1999 and formed NCP questioning the right of Sonia Gandhi to lead the

Omar led govt completes four years

SRINAGAR,JAN 5: It has been a roller coaster ride for Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah who today completed four years in office as he faced the worst street protests in two decades but put the state back on track with record tourist arrivals in 2011 and 2012. The National ConferenceCongress coalition government headed by Omar Abdullah took charge of the state following elections which took place after the Amarnath land row agitation in 2008 that had threatened to divide the state. Omar, who became the youngest Chief Minister of the state, was seen as a ray of hope by the youth to bring it out of the quagmire that has dogged it since eruption of

80,000 youth to be recruited in govt service soon: Omar

'Govt to make budgetary provision for stipend, insurance of Panches, Sarpanches'
SRINAGAR, JAN 05: Chief Minister, Omar Abdullah Saturday announced fast track recruitment of 80,000 educated youth in government service through service selection agencies within next some months adding that employment generation in government and private sectors has been flagged as top most concern by his government. "We have already set in motion a mechanism to fill militancy. Burgeoning unemployment rate and lack of avenues in private sector ? thought to be the main reasons for the

Army airlifts injured civilian to GMC in Jammu

JAMMU,JAN 5: Army has airlifted a seriously injured person from Reasi district to Government Medical College (GMC) hospital here for specialised treatment. Khushi Mohammad, a resident of Chaladh village in the district, had gone to collect firewood when he slipped and fell into 30-meter deep gorge resulting in serious head contd on page 2

Chief Minister, Omar Abdullah addressing a public gathering at Srinagar. up vacancies in government departments as fast as possible", he added. The Chief Minister also indicated the intension of the government to make providiscontent among the youth ? were seen as major problems to be tackled by the young leader. However, widespread sion in the next year's Budget for stipend and insurance cover of sarpanches and panches irrespective of getting any financial support from the Centre in this street protests over the death of two women in Shopian district of south Kashmir due to drowning was the first real test of the new government as regard. "We have taken up this issue with the Centre for funds", he said maintaining that whether the Centre

allegations flew thick and fast that the women were raped before being murdered. Although a CBI probe ruled out any foul play in the

deaths, the issue had remained alive in public perception. During a discussion in the assembly over the Shopian incident, Omar lost his cool and announced that he will submit his resignation to the Governor as an MLA from the opposition PDP alleged that the Chief Minister's name had figured in the infamous Srinagar sex scandal of 2006. Omar tendered his resignation but it was not accepted by the Governor after Union Home Ministry clarified that his name did not figure in the list of the accused. The biggest test of Omar government came in 2010 when protests against alleged fake encounter killing of three contd on page 2

PDP stages protest against Omar govt

JAMMU,JAN 5:The opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) today staged protests against the policies of Omar Abdullah government, which completed four years of its rule. PDP President Mehbooba Mufti, who led a rally from the party headquarters in Srinagar, alleged the Omar Abdullah led government had pushed the state into its "worst crises as a result of its inefficiency". "While the rulers were living a luxurious life, the common man has to wage a struggle for every day survival as basic amenities of life have been denied to the people," she said addressing a gathering at Regal chowk in the contd on page 2

Srinagar records coldest night of season

SRINAGAR,JAN 5: Cold wave further tightened its grip on Kashmir Valley where Srinagar recorded the coldest night of the winter at minus 5.4 degrees Celsius. The fringes of famous Dal Lake and other water bodies in Srinagar were frozen due to fall in the night temperature over the past couple of days owing to clear skies. The night temperature in Srinagar was two degrees below normal during this part of the season, a spokesman of the MET office said, indicating further fall in the mercury due to dry weather. "The weather is expected to remain dry during the coming days as well resulting in further drop in the night temperature," he said. The inhabitants of Dal Lake faced tremendous hardships in reaching the banks due to frozen surface of the water. Shikarawalas were seen breaking the ice to reach the banks of the lake this morning, while people in many areas complained that the drinking water pipes running into their homes have frozen. The MET office spokesman said Leh town in frontier region of Ladakh was the coldest place in the state with a low of minus 16.2 degrees Celsius. Gulmarg in north Kashmir was the coldest recorded place in the Valley with a low of minus 9.4 degrees Celsius, the spokesman said. He said the highway town of Qazigund in south Kashmir recorded a low of minus 5.0 degrees Celsius, while the night temperature in north Kashmir Kupwara town settled at minus 3.9 degrees Celsius. Pahalgam hill resort in south, which also serves as a base camp during annual Amarnath yatra, recorded a low of minus 5.4 degrees Celsius, the spokesman said.

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some deft handling of the situations ensured that there was no repeat of 2010. Two revered shrines were gutted in mysterious fire incidents leading to protests. However, this time the government was hands on by first pacifying the protestors and promising to restore the shrines to original glory. Dividends of peace were again reaped by people of Kashmir in general and those associated with tourist trade in particular as more than 12 lakh tourists visited the Valley an all time record. The government also took up several development projects. Roads, bridges, colleges, schools and health care institutions remained the focus. Power sector also got major attention of the government as many projects were tendered that will augment the generation capacity of the state rich in hydel resources. On the security front, the militants have been pushed to the wall as many top commanders were eliminated during the past four years. It showed in the dropping levels of violence year on year even though the ultras made desperate attempts to carry out some attacks. The Chief Minister has also been pressing for partially revoking the controversial Armed Forces Special Powers Act, which has been opposed by the Army. He had publicly stated that he would ensure that the AFSPA is revoked from the state during his tenure as chief minister. Having completed four years in office, Omar took the opportunity to thank the people for their support to put back the state on the path to peace, progress and prosperity. "Thank you ... To the people of J&K for their faith, support and participation in moving the state towards a peaceful and prosperous future," Omar said in an advertisements carried by all major local dailies of the state. "Four years ago, with hope in our hearts, we pledged to bring peace, prosperity and progress to the state. The journey has been long but we have moved forward because of you, the people of J&K," he said. The Chief Minister claimed that while the state has been transformed over the past four years and a lot has been achieved, a lot more has to be done in this direction. "Today, four years on, we re-dedicate ourselves to reach greater heights," he said. Omar became the first Chief Minister of the state in the past decade to hold the office for more than three years. Omar's father, Union Minister Farooq Abdullah, was the last chief minister in the state to last full term from 1996-2002. Omar's predecessors Ghulam Nabi Azad and Mufti Mohammad Sayeed -- held the post for three years each from 2002 to 2008 as part of power sharing agreement between PDP and Congress. pledged to work together to seek peace and prosperity in the State. "We worked sincerely towards achieving this goal and the impact of our endeavour is visible on ground whether opposition would like to see it or not", he said adding that opposition parties have developed the mindset to deny the achievements of ruling parties and same is true in Jammu and Kashmir. "Our report card is before the people and they will judge us by our performance. We are not ones who will sign their own APRs. We will ask the people to go through our performance and give their verdict in next elections in 2014", he said. He said that those (PDP) who talk of power supply today did nothing during their tenure to launch even a single power project worth one mega watt instead they scuttled the 1200 MW Sawalkote Power Project signed by Dr. Farooq-led Government. "How do they expect growth and increase in power when they did nothing during their tenure", he asked opposition and added that power projects take 5 to 7 years for completion and these cannot be build in one year. "My government has given top priority to this sector and projects to generate over 1000 MWs of electricity have already been launched which would yield benefit for the people in near future. The inauguration of these projects is not necessary to be by my government but the benefit to people is our ultimate goal and we are moving forward with this intension", he added. Omar Abdullah said that the sincere efforts of his government have helped to achieve remarkable progress on peace and development fronts with the wholehearted support of people. The Chief Minister said that 13 lakh tourists visited the Valley this year generating wideranging economic activities. He said development works all across the State are going on and public empowerment initiatives like Public Service Guarantee Act, Right to Information Act and establishment of Panchayat Raj are well placed to curb corruption, bring transparency and ensure good-governance. "We do not say that all has been done, much progress on peace and development front has been achieved which is visible on ground and much more is to be done for which my government is moving forward with a commitment and pledge", he elaborated and said that coalition government is working to extend peace dividends to every area and every household in the State. Omar Abdullah appreciated the Rural Development Ministry and Ministers Ali Mohammad Sagar and Ajaz Ahmad Khan for infusing new energy in the department and accomplishing the praiseworthy tasks for public welfare, rural upliftment and empowerment of panchayats. He expressed the hope that they would continue to keep this up and achieve new highs in the coming years. The Chief Minister released a compendium of Rural Development Department containing last four years achievements of the department. He also released the news letter of Law and Justice Department. Minister for Rural Development, Ali Mohammad Sagar in his speech highlighted the role of panchayats in fast tracking development in the rural areas added that government under the leadership of Omar Abdullah is taking all measures to strengthen Panchayat Raj and seek welfare of panchayat members. Sagar said that panchayat institutions would be highly useful to implement flagship programmes successfully and derive better results from the schemes aimed at development of rural areas. He said panchayats have an important role in making people aware of PSGA and helping them to derive best benefits out of this path breaking initiative of Omar-led government. Minister of State for Rural Development, Ajaz Ahmad Khan in his speech said that holding of panchayat elections and establishing powerful panchayat system in the State was revolutionary step of the coalition government. He said under the dynamic leadership of Omar Abdullah and the support of UPA Government and by keen interest of Rahul Gandhi in the progress of Jammu and Kashmir, the State would march fast towards the goal of peace, progress and prosperity. and one night per week," sources said. Despite the rosy picture projected by the power department, locals generally curse it for the power shortages. "We need 1,400 megawatts to meet the unrestricted demand in the Valley this time. With the present restrictions through curtailments our daily demand is around 1,000 megawatts. "Our self-generation is just 75 megawatts while we have to import over 900 megawatts from outside the Valley. During peak hours there are system constraints which sometimes throw our supplies haywire", admitted a senior engineer of the department who did not want to be named. The main opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) led by former chief minister Mufti Muhammad Sayed has decided to hold street protests against the appalling electric supply in the Valley. Saif-ud-Din Soz, the president of the state Congress that is part of Kashmir's ruling alliance, has also accepted that the power scenario is desperate during the winter season. "I have decided to write a letter to the chief minister in which I will highlight the electricity-related problems of the people in the Valley," Soz told a current affairs programme of Radio Kashmir earlier this week. As the people rush to block the roads seeking repairs to electric transformers blamed on consumer misuse by the engineers, Kashmir continues to reel in darkness this winter as always.

Contd. from page 1...

Fast track Court....
formal charges would highlight that Ram Singh, a short-tempered man involved in crime, was instrumental in the December 16 assault. He also used an iron rod on the victim with the help of Thakur and the minor co-accused, a police officer said. The driver and Thakur will be accused of destroying evidence as they washed the bus after the incident at Noida, near Delhi, the officer said. They also burnt the victims' clothes. According to police, it was the minor who first passed lewd comments on the woman after they boarded the bus around 9.15 pm. The attackers were drunk and were on a joy ride. They brutally beat the woman and her friend with an iron rod when they resisted them. Then they gangraped the woman. The young woman fought the accused and bit Thakur, Ram Singh and Sharma. Ramadhar Singh, a man who was robbed by the six on the bus minutes before the gang-rape, would also testify as a witness. All the accused were arrested between December 17-21 following a nationwide outcry over the crime, which also triggered protests in several cities. In Delhi, protesters clashed with security forces. The gang-rape led the government to promise speedier trial of rape cases and amendments in rape laws.

Power shutdown
JAMMU, JAN 05:In order to carry out urgent work at 33 KV Seora feeder emanating from 132/33 KV Grid Station, Miran Sahib, the power supply to Miran Sahib, Kotli, Trishul Bottlers, JIC Miran Sahib, MES Miran Sahib, Tanda and Simbal shall remain affected on January 7, 2012 from 9 a m to 5 p m. Meanwhile for carrying out the pending works of laying 11 KV feeders to District Police Lines Samba of Shah Balode, the shutdown of 11 KV Sum feeder, 11 KV Industry-III feeder and 11 KV DC office feeders emanating from 66/11 KV IGC Samba-I R/Stn hereby allowed on January 06, 2012 from 11 a m to 5 p m. The power supply shall remain affected in Sumb, Thalote part of Industry of IGC Samba Phase-I, PHE and DC office complex Nandini Hills Samba.

India, Pakistan....
by the crowds will also have the message "Bowl Out Polio", a Unicef statement said. The Board of Cricket Control in India and the Pakistan Cricket Board have extended full support to the polio eradication messages at the match. While Pakistan is among the remaining three countries in the world still fighting the disease, India's battle against polio will continue until polio is eradicated globally. The event comes a week ahead of India's polio milestone anniversary. On Jan 13, India completes two years without reporting any case of polio, an unprecedented progress for a country which until 2009 contributed majorly to the global polio case count. This is the third time that India and Pakistan teams have got together to advocate for polio eradication. Globally, polio cases have declined to record low levels. In 2012, as on Dec 26, 215 polio cases were reported compared to 605 cases in the same period 2011. Three countries remain endemic to polio Afghanistan, Pakistan and Nigeria. Polio is a disease which cripples for life, has no cure, but can be prevented by repeatedly taking oral polio vaccine, said the statement.

Nagaland election....

soon before the tenure of the assembly expires on the 18th of March this year. He said, the Commission is satisfied with the preparedness of the state for conduct of elections. The CEC also directed the transport commissioner to ensure that election vehicles are available particularly for the deficit districts.

Major mishap....

provided by two ULFA linkmen, police and army launched operation at Habeda village under Bordubi police station. In the fierce gun battle, one ULFA militant belonging to anti-talk faction was killed. Police recovered 2 grenades, a pistol and other explosives from the spot. Earlier, two IEDs were recovered from Nagajan Oil Collection Centre, which were defused by the bomb experts. Police suspected that the slain militant was trying to plant IED at vital installation in the district. Security has been intensified across the district.

Road Safety awareness rally organized at Samba

SAMBA, JAN 05: As part of the 24th road Safety week an awareness rally was organized by the Motor Vehicles Department Samba in coordination with the Traffic Police today in which students from various Govt and Private school participated. The rally was flagged off by Deputy Commissioner Samba Mubarak Singh from Govt Degree College Samba and culminated at Govt. Higher Secondary School (Boys) Samba. Deputy Commissioner urged the students to drive safely and cautioned them not to use mobile phones while driving. The chief guest also appreciated the children who participated in the rally and asked them to spread the message of road safety among the people. Assistant Regional Transport Officer, Samba, V.K Manyal thanked the chief guest and the participants

Make teachings....

entirely focusing on kings and dynasties largely ignoring the contributions of sages and seers to the nation.

Snowfall forces....
machines were pressed into service, the situation has not really improved. The roadblock has also hit the business of hotels and restaurants and made it difficult for the people to earn their livelihood. This year's brutal cold wave and incessant snowfall had also severely disrupted power and water supplies. The Mughal Road construction project was conceived in the year 1969 and further execution of the project took place in 1977.

PDP stages....
heart of the city where they were stopped by police. Criticising the government for "acute shortage" of electricity, cooking gas, rations and kerosene oil, Mehbooba said "the state government has no achievements to show as all its tall claims and promises made to people have proved phoney." Meanwhile, addressing public meetings at Reasi district of J&K, PDP Patron Mufti Mohammad Sayeed said accused the Omar Abdullah of reversing the process of peace and development in Jammu and Kashmir. "The present regime headed by National Conference has miserably failed to carry forward the process of peace and development which was initiated by the previous PDP led regime in the state," he said. Reiterating PDP's resolve to restore lasting peace in the region without compromising with the dignity and honour of the people of the State, he said that policies and programmes of the party were guided by the wishes and aspirations of the people of this region.

Omar led govt....

youths by army in Macchil area of the Kupwara district lead to a vicious cycle of violence that left over 120 youths dead in five months. Omar, as the head of the government, had to face a lot of criticism over his handling of the situation which led to speculation that ally Congress might pull the rug. However, the allies stood together in the worst of the times. The Chief Minister recently admitted to making a mistake while handling the 2010 summer protests. "I made the mistake of not being seen or heard in the summer of 2010 when the trouble first started," he said in one of his tweets. Some administrative changes were affected and the new men at the helm, particularly in police, managed to bring the situation under control. Everyone including those in the Government had their fingers crossed at the start of 2011 as some separatist groups had threatened to launch an agitation in June of that year. The efforts of the government and army to engage the youths of the Valley through civic action programmes like holding cricket tournament worked wonders as the year passed off peacefully and the Valley saw a record number of tourists. Despite reservations from some mainstream political parties, the government also conducted panchayat elections in the state after a gap of over three decades which saw astonishingly high voter turnout of over 80 per cent. Omar had to fend off another attack in autumn last year following death of a ruling National Conference worker in police custody. Haji Mohammad Yousuf was accused of taking money from his party colleagues for securing MLC berths for them. The Chief Minister confronted the accused who admitted to his guilt. He was handed over to Crime Branch where he died of heart attack. The family of the deceased alleged that he was beaten up at CM's residence before being turned in. A Commission of Inquiry headed by retired Supreme Court Judge Justice H S Bedi was set up to probe the incident. The Commission, which submitted its report last month, ruled out any foul play in Yousuf's death. While there were many incidents during 2012 that threatened to subvert the fragile peace in Kashmir,

80,000 youth to be....

Government accedes to the request of the State or not, the State Government would make the provision in the next Budget for providing stipend and insurance cover to panchayat members. "This is likely to involve Rs. 100 crores annually", he added. Addressing a rally of panches and sarpanches here this afternoon, Omar Abdullah said that powerful and effective Panchayat Raj system in the State is his government's commitment and every effort would be made to realize this goal. The Chief Minister said that the success of panchayat system is the success of his government. "Jammu and Kashmir is a State which cannot be governed from the Secretariat but by the grass root level democratic institutions representing aspirations of the people, as such, we have moved forward with a commitment to create a powerful panchayat system in the State", he said adding that the services of 14 departments have been transferred to these institutions while transfer of many more powers are in the pipeline. Omar Abdullah asked the newly elected MLCs from panchayat quota to keep close rapport with panches and sarpanches and oversee the utilization of powers entrusted to panchayats at block and village levels. He said Legislative Council Members representing panchayats should highlight the areas requiring intervention in ensuring utilization of powers by the panchayats in the development process. Referring to the development registered in the State during the last four years of coalition government, Omar Abdullah said that on this day four years back NC-Congress coalition government

"It is indeed unfortunate that in Indian schools, the teaching of history is almost entirely focused on kings, their dynasties, their wars and exploits," he said. "The remarkable contributions of our sages and seers are generally kept away from the children, and often on the plea that in a secular state anything to do with religion is taboo," he said in his latest blackspot. The biologist has been penned in the backdrop of his New Year eve visit to Sivagiri Mutt in Kerala, founded by saint-reformer Sree Narayana Guru, to inaugurate the annual pilgrims meet. Advani patted Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy for assuring that the teachings of the Guru, the 20th century reformer who preached the message of "one caste, one religion and one God for man", would be included in school syllabus." "In my speech at Sivagiri I urged Union Minister Vyalar Ravi (who was present) to ensure that Kerala's initiative is emulated by the Centre and other states. "It would elevate the level of school studies if the teachings and ideals of saints like Swami Dayanand Saraswati, Shri Ramakrishna Paramahansa and Swami Vivekananda are part of the normal curriculum," Advani said. He said what Kerala had done, and, what should be done by educational institutions all over the country was something that would raise the Spiritual Quotient of countrymen along with Intelligent Quotient (IQ) and Emotional Quotient (EQ). "While coining this SQ Phrase, I do not have any religion or creed in mind, I am thinking only of the ethical and moral values a student imbibes in his institution," he said.

DDC chairs DTF meet for intensified polio immunization campaign at samba
SAMBA, JAN 05:A District Task Force Committee for Intensified Pulse Polio Immunization Campaign scheduled to be held on 20th of Jan 2013 & 24th of Feb 2013 met at Samba under the chairmanship of District Development Commissioner Samba Sh. Mubarak Singh Additional DDC Samba Smt. Neelam Sethi, Chief Planning Officer Samba Sant Ram, Chief Medical Officer Samba Dr. Sunil Kaila, Surveillance Medical Officer Dr. V.K. Gupta, Deputy Chief Medical Officer Samba Dr. Rakesh Gandotra, District Health Officer Samba Dr. Sanjeev Puri, District Immunization Officer Samba Dr. Parminder Singh and Officers of various Departments were present in the meeting Dr. V.K. Gupta, Surveillance Medical Officer spoke about the global scenario of polio myelitis and emphasized the needs to make IPPI Campaign 2013 a Success. He also stressed upon need to intensify the Routine Immunization Programme. Dr. Parminder Singh DIO Samba detailed the IPPI Plan 2013 of District Samba and stressed upon all the members to cooperate in making this Campaign a success.

PA Sangma to....
she will officially join us or not." Agatha, who was junior minister in UPA government, lost her job after she campaigned for her father in the presidential polls. Goel, however, didn't make it clear whether NPP will join hands with NDA in near future. "We will announce everything tomorrow only," said Goel.

Pakistan violates.....
period between 2245 hours to 2330 hours last night, he said, adding there was no loss of life or injury to anyone in the firing. Army troops guarding the borderline exercised calm and did not retaliate, the spokesman said. Jammu and Kashmir witnessed 71 incidents of cross-border firing and ceasefire violations along Indo-Pak border in which seven persons were killed and 15 others injured last year.

Power shortages....
consumers. This results in a phenomenal fall in voltage," the official said. In fact, the power authorities are claiming the situation in the Valley is much better than last year. "Last year, in terms of energy, we supplied 4.33 billion units of energy from April to December while this year we have supplied 4 .77 billion units during the same period this year. "We had curtailments for three evenings and two nights per week in non-metred areas of the city last year. This year we have curtailments of just one evening and one night per week. "In the rural areas, in contrast to last year when we had curtailments on four evenings and three nights, this year there is curtailment on just two evenings

Army airlifts ...

injuries to him yesterday, a defence spokesman said here today. The villager shifted him to nearby Army camp of Rashtriya Rifles Battalion located at Sarh, where he was provided timely medical first aid, the spokesman said. The Commanding Officer(CO) of the camp informed the matter to the District Commissioner Reasi, Nirmal Sharma, who sent a requisition to concerned authorities for timely evacuation of the injured by Indian Air Force(IAF) helicopter. The injured was airlifted to GMC hospital here and is stated to be out of danger, he said.

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STATE

NEWS IN BOX

Ruhullah at winter secretariat from Jan 7, 2013

JAMMU, JAN 5: Minister for Sheep and Animal Husbandry, Science and Information Technology, Aga Syed Rehullah Mehdi will be available in the winter secretariat, Srinagar from Monday January 7,2013. As per the roaster issued by the Government, the ministers have been asked to attend winter secretariat, Srinagar on rotational basis aimed to take stock and address the public problems.

Health care government's most important concern: Omar

SRINAGAR, JAN 05: Chief Minister, Omar Abdullah Saturday said that his government has focused health care sector as one of the important concerns in the State's development policy adding that alongwith strengthening health infrastructure in rural areas upgradation and modernization of tertiary health care institutions is receiving equal attention. Inaugurating Madr-e-Meherban College of Nursing and Genetic Study and Clinical Research Centres besides laying foundations of OPD emergency block and Sarai at SKIMS here this morning, the Chief Minister said that the vision of creating an apex institute of modern health facilities in Srinagar was envisioned by Late Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah to provide latest medical treatment to the people within the State. Omar Abdullah said that though the growth and development of SKIMS received jolt due to turmoil in the Valley, the institution provided best possible medicare to the people in all times. He said that his government wants the institution to achieve new highs and be at par with AIIMS and other reputed health institutions in the Country. The Chief Minster said that Sheikh Sahib's desire of a fullfledged modern hospital at Soura now rechristened as Sher-i-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS) was aimed at serving twin purposes of providing modern medical treatment to the people and encouraging medical tourism in the Valley. He said Sheikh Sahib also established Sher-i-Kashmir International Convention Centre (SKICC) in Srinagar to supplement his idea and pave the way for better health care treatment to people alongwith generating economic activities. Omar Abdullah said that his government would provide all possible help to the institutions to grow and attain one of the best position in health care institutions of the Country. The Chief Minister said that the Super Speciality Hospital at Jammu and various modern district hospitals would further strengthened the health care status of the State adding that the focus is also on improving and upgrading rural health institutions to expand orbit of modern health care to people in villages and reduce the pressure on hospitals in the cities and towns. The Chief Minister who was accompanied by Director SKIMS, Prof. Showkat Ali Zargar also interacted with faculty members and received first hand appraisal of the functioning of the institute. The Centre for Genetic Study and Clinical Research has been completed at a cost of over Rs. 6.51 crores while Madr-e-Meherban College of Nursing involved an expenditure of Rs. 7.88 crores. The Sarai-I and Sarai-II will cost Rs. 12 crores and OPD Block Rs. 10 crores. The Director SKIMS apprised the Chief Minister of various facilities added in the institute since last year. He presented complete resume of functioning of various disciplines in the Institution.

200 Sarpanches imparted computer training at NIEIT

SRINAGAR, JAN 05: To make Sarpanches of Valley well acquainted with Information Technology in use of various activities being carried out in Panchayat Raj Institutions, National Institute of Electronics and Information Technology (NIEIT), Rangreth, Srinagar imparted computer training to 200 Sarpanches of the Valley. Director, Institute of Electronics and Information Technology, Mr. Ayaz Hassan Moon, speaking while conducting the on line examination of the computer course organized fo4r making Sarpanchs familiar with Information Technology highlighted the importance of internet and internet for disseminating the information about various activities being carried out by the Panchayat Raj Institutions. Mr. Moon emphasized upon the Sarpanches to update their knowledge about computers so that different centrally sponsored schemes can be implemented as per norms being prescribed in these schemes. He said that after the completion of on line computer course certificates shall be issued to them from NIEIT, New Delhi adding that computer education shall pave way for the better understanding of the Panchayat Raj system to the public representatives to perform their duties.

Arrangements for RD celebrations finalized at Budgam

BUDGAM, JAN 05: For the successful organization of this year's Republic Day celebrations in district Budgam, arrangements were finalized in a meeting convened here today under the Chairmanship of Additional District Development Commissioner, Budgam, Mr. Ghulam Mohi-ud-Din Bhat. Briefing the meeting about arrangements, the Additional District Development Commissioner said all the concerned departments/agencies have been geared up to make fool proof arrangements as assigned so that the event is celebrated with honour and zeal at all the prescribed venues. He said the main function will held at Sports Stadium Budgam and will begin with Shahnai Wadan by flag hosting and playing national song by the VIP, which will be followed by address the public by VIP and will be followed by March past by the contingents of JKAP, District Police, CRPF, Auxiliary Police, NCC and 20 contingents of school children at 10 a.m. The cultural programmes will be presented by the Information, Education departments and volunteers of NYK on the occasion. He said that all the important Government buildings at district headquarter would be illuminated from the evening of January 25, 2013 till the conclusion of celebrations. Similar functions will also be organized at all Tehsil Headquarters and prominent towns, where concerned authorities will host the tri colour and take salute on march past.

J&K Switches over to Civil Accounting System from April: Rather

Road safety rally held at Rajouri

RAJOURI, JAN 5: Underscoring the need to improve road safety measures to reduce accidents, the Minister of State for Transport, CA&PD, Power and Forests, Mr. Shabir Ahmed Khan asked all law enforcing agencies to strictly enforce road safety Laws and Regulations while dealing with safety violators. Addressing a huge gathering of school children, prominent citizens and drivers today at Rajouri after conclusion of a rally, organized by Motor Vehicle Department in collaboration with other Departments to generate awareness among people about road safety measures, the Minister said that " It is possible to reduce road accident rate by adopting and enforcing safety measures especially by drivers", he said urging drivers to abide by traffic Rules and Regulations with sincerity, keeping passenger and pedestrian safety in mind while driving. He deplored use of mobile phones while driving. Terming it as a heinous offence he noted that it means to play with the lives of the passengers and impressed upon the concerned agencies to check the menace stringently on all routes. "We need to identify and address the black spots to curb road accidents", Shabir asserted and added that Jammu and Kashmir due to its hilly terrain and topography is a challenge for road safety council. He said that road safety measures shall be part of the DPRs of road projects being under taken in the State. The Minister emphasized on generating awareness about road safety measures and safe driving especially in the hilly and remote terrain involving local masses and drivers. He also appealed to the general public to follow traffic rules and safety norms to avoid accidents. Later, the Minister inspected the pace of progress of 8 kms Sain SumatDodason Bala road. He was apprised that Ist phase of the road has been completed at a cost of Rs 1.85 crore, while as tenders for its black topping have been floated. He was informed that black topping work of the road would be completed at an estimated cost of Rs 2.70 crore and will provide better connectivity facility to the people. The Minister also addressed a public meeting at village Sain Samat. He said development of the remote and hilly areas was top most priority of the government and during last 4 years several exemplary steps have been taken for the holistic development of Rajouri with special focus on far-off and hilly areas.

Minister for Finance and Ladakh Affairs, Ab. Rahim Rather chairing a meeting at Jammu. JAMMU, JAN 5: Asserting that treasuries are the custodian of state exchequer, the Minister for Finance and Ladakh Affairs, Mr. Ab. Rahim Rather today called for maintaining the Budget Control religiously adding that treasury officers should in no case exceed budgetary allocations. "Budget formation is exclusively the prerogative of the state legislature and if any treasury officer (T.O) is found indulging in excess payments, he shall have to face stringent action, even termination of his job," Mr. Rather said while speaking at the 11thReview Meeting of the Accounts and Treasuries Organization, Jammu Division held here on Saturday in the Excise and Taxation Complex, Jammu. Mr. Rather further directed the T.Os to conduct drawal verifications and reconciliation of accounts on regular basis besides refraining from incompletion in classification of accounts, which was imperative from obtaining accurate picture of state accounts. While asking the functionaries to follow the Treasury code strictly, for their guidance in financial matters, Mr. Rather urged for rendition of plus-minus statements on 10th day of every month adding that T.Os should not allow arrears on account of Red Accounts to accumulate. Mr. Rather asked the T.Os to strictly adhere to the prescribed performance indicators, taking recourse to good behavior, politeness and honesty during their interaction with the public, adding that good work done always invites due appreciation and recognition from the higher monitoring bodies. Mr. Rather also urged for prompt response to the audit paras and others observations from the A.G's office on the accounts adding that A.G has a constitutional right to monitor the state accounts and identify/point out short comings, if any. Rather directed the National Informatic Centre (NIC) J&K Unit to complete Rs.34 Crore computerization project for Treasuries in the state by the end of March this fiscal positively as it was necessary to bring both qualitative as well as quantitative improvement in the service delivery system at the treasuries besides bringing accuracy in the states' accounting system. He asked the T.Os to be ready to switch over to Civil Accounting System from April 2013 as the state Cabinet has recently given its nod to abolish the cheque system. This will be a major reform in the working of Works Division in the state, he added. He also asked the officers of the NIC to expeditiously complete the Rs.2.5 Crore Centralized Personal Information System (CPIS) for capturing of duly authentic data base of state Government employees and the pensioners. The data in respect of the offices falling under the administrative control of finance department and the employees of various administrative departments in the Civil Secretariat has already been captured and is available on the website of the NIC.

MLA inaugurates Park

UDHAMPUR, JAN 05: MLA Udhampur, Mr. Balwant Singh Mankotia inaugurated Venus Park at Udhampur Town here on Saturday. The park has been developed by the Department of Floriculture with an expenditure of Rs. 6.37 Lacs covering an area of 2322 sq feets. Speaking on the occasion, MLA said that with the creation of the park, long pending demand of the locals has been fulfilled. To make Udhampur town environment friendly and attractive, more parks would be developed in near future, he said. After launching construction work of lane from Old ITI to Lehra Mohalla in ward no. 15, the MLA called upon the inhabitants of the locality to monitor construction work closely without compromising on its quality. Among others, District Officer, Floriculture, Mr. Kotru, Executive Engineer, Floriculture and prominent persons were present on the occasion.

ADM Kathua imposes Sec 144

KATHUA, JAN 05:In order to prevent annoyance to the general public and disturbance of public tranquillity Additional District Magistrate (ADM), Kathua, Mr Puneet Sharma in exercise of powers vested in him under section 144 Cr.P.C has ordered that 300 meters of area around the Mata Vaishno Devi Mandir Langrial (Dayala Chack) Hiranagar is declared dry area and drinking of alcohol (except in Bar Room of Tourist Dak Bunglow) Dayala Chack, eating meat, use of Tobacco and narcotic drugs etc, performing of funeral except in the cremation ground is totally prohibited Parking of the vehicles on Mandir side or in its way is also prohibited. Anybody violating this order shall be prosecuted under section 188 of Ranbir Penal Code. This order shall remain for a period of two months from 5th January.

Preparations for Polio drive reviewed at Poonch

POONCH, JAN 05:A meeting of District Task Force Committee for intensified Pulse Polio Immunization campaign 2013 was held under the chairmanship of District Development Commissioner, Syed Anwar Hussain Shah. CMO Dr. Vijay Kumar Sahni, Medical Supdt. Dr. Mohd Nayaz, Dy. CMO Dr. Zulafqar Ahmed, District Programme Manager Madam Rajni Sahu, BMOS other District Officers and representatives of religious organizations including Syed Hyder Zaki Jaffri, S. Narinder Singh, Molvi Basharat Hussain and NGO Guru Ram Das Ji Sewa Society Poonch were among others who attended the meting CMO apprised the meeting that about 684447 children from 0 to 5 years age of the District would be covered during first phase of PPI Programme scheduled on 20th January. There are 26248 children of Poonch and Mandi Blocks, 21393 in Mendhar, 20803 in Surankote Block under five year age who would be administered polio drops at 415 centers setup for the purpose. Moreover 18 transit points have been identified where additional staff and volunteers of NGO's will be deployed to administer polio drops to children during transit. Special attention would be focused at Chakan-Da-Bagh LOC crossing point and other far-flung areas including Zero Line belts like Kirni, Bhrooti, Galipindi, Kanari, Hilkaka, Poshana, Dodi, Kalahari, Thalangar, Gursai Nar, where services of army, Sarpanches and Panches are being utilized.

Dental Awareness Camp organised

JAMMU, JAN 05: Health Education Bureau organized a Dental awareness camp at Government Higher Secondary School Jullahka Mohalla Jammu today The team included Dr. Pritam Katoch, Assistant Director HEB, Dr. Swati Sharma (Dental surgeon) and Mr. Pankaj Gupta. The speakers stressed upon adopting the basic steps to oral health and hygiene . Brushing twice daily and changing tooth brush after every 3-4 months is necessary to avoid tooth decay. They demonstrated the exact brushing technique to students and explained the role of good diet on oral and dental health. Students were advised to take green leafy vegetables, fruits and nuts to avoid tooth decay. They asked the students to abstain from refined sugary food & adopt healthy measures for better dental health. Doctors focused on regular dental check-up once in 6 months to ensure good health. The camp was conducted efficiently with the cooperation of Sardar Daljeet Singh, Principal of the School. Jagdish Sharma & Prem Lata thanks the team for conducting the camp and appreciated the gesture of team. The staff and students of the school benefitted a lot from the dental camp and appreciated the team of doctors.

Public Grievance camp held at Banihal

RAMBAN, JAN 05: District Development Commissioner, Ramban, Shabir Ahmad Bhat, convened a public grievance camp at Banihal today Additional Deputy Commissioner, Ramban, Sh. Bashir Ahmed Khan, , ACD, Ramban, CMO Ramban, CEO Ramban, CAO Ramban, XEN. PWD (R&B), XEN. Hydraulic Ramban and other District & Block Level Officers were present in the camp Public of the area put forth their demands which include construction . of Bus stand Banihal at suitable place, shortage of LPG, construction . of Gujjar Hostel, acceleration of pace of work on Hewagan Bohardar road and Banihal Perhinder road, restoration of electricity in Manjoose and other areas, bad condition of Dooligam road and its maintenance, shortage of drinking water in Tabella Chamalwass etc.

DDC Jammu reviews achievements under NRHM

JAMMU, JAN 05: To review the physical and financial achievements registered by District Health Society, Jammu upto December 2012 of the current fiscal under National Rural Health Mission (NRHM), the District Development Commissioner, Jammu, Sanjeev Verma convened a meeting of District and Block level Medical officers here today. Chief Medical Officer Dr. Javed Akhtar Chib gave a resume of the physical and financial activities of NRHM. Detailed review was held on various activities which include status of Rogi Kalyan Samities, Civil works, ASHAs Immunization programme, OPD, IPD, Institutional deliveries, Village Health and Nutrition days besides construction programme taken up by various executing agencies . The DDC exhorted upon officers of Health Department to ensure periodic reviews with proper follow up of the decisions taken in the meetings to ensure the that the set targets are achieved

Div Com reviews R-Day arrangements

JAMMU, JAN 05: In order to review the arrangements made by the civil administration and other concerned agencies for upcoming Republic Day, 2013, Divisional Commissioner Jammu, Mr. Pradeep Gupta convened a high level meeting of senior officers of various departments at M.A. Stadium today . The meeting was attended by IGP Jammu Zone, Mr. Dilbagh Singh, District Development Commissioner Jammu, Mr. Sanjeev Verma, SSP, Jammu Mr. Prabhat Singh, Commandant JKAP 4thBattalion, Director Hospitality and Protocol, SSP, APCR, Additional DC Jammu, SE PWD, PDD, General Manager JKTDC, Assistant Settlement Officer, Dy. Director Fisheries, Health Officer, Personal Officer from Director School Education, Col 26th Infantry, Mr. S. Mahni, Parade Commander, Col, Asish Rikhe, Let. Col. 26th Infantry, Mr. D. Bhatia, Dy. Director Health, Dy SP Security, Threadbare discussions were held regarding various issues pertaining to security, sanitation, uninterrupted power and water supply, face-lifting of M.A. Stadium, lighting arrangements, repair of approach roads, composition of march past, display of weapons and tableaus, illumination of government buildings, transport and traffic arrangements, medicare, , fire tenders and cultural programmes. It was informed in the meeting that the rehearsals will start from 11th of January, 2013 and the full dress rehearsals will be held on 24th January, 2013. SSP Security would be the Nodal Officer for this national Event. Composition of March Past and band would be monitored by DIG, JKAP in coordination with Dy. Director Youth Services and Sports and Dy. Parade Commandant. Divisional Commissioner directed the authorities to ensure proper and timely arrangement by putting in coordinated efforts for grand success of the event .He asked SE PDD to ensure generators as an alternate source of power in case of any emergency besides illumination of government buildings. He stressed to display tableaus on various aspects such as achievements of government, tableaus of traffic department to create awareness among the general masses and other departments to showcase their achievements and various schemes Divisional Commissioner informed that a Control Room would be set up at M.A. Stadium where representatives of various departments would be available from 10 a m to 4 p.m.

DDC convenes public grievance camp at Gurha Suraj in Billawar

KATHUA, JANUARY 05: In order to redress the problems and grievance of the people of remote and far-flung areas, District Development Commissioner, Kathua, Ms Zahida Parveen Khan convened a Public grievances camp at village Gurha Suraj ( Chirki talai) in tehsil Billawar of district Kathua today. Tehsildar, Kathua Mr, Jatinder Mishra accompanied the DDC Kathua during the grievances camp. The people of village complaint of scarcity of drinking water as the traditional sources of water have dried up.DDC directed BDO Barnoti for the early repair of traditional sources of water and also to take up the works of roads under MNERGA . Regarding the problem of ration dealer in SC basti. TSO was directed to solve the problem at an earliest so that people do not suffer for the ration. Later, DDC inspected the Aganwari Centre and Government Primary School Gurah Suraj. During the visit to the school DDC interacted with the students and inquired about their studies.

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EDITORIAL & STATE WATCH

Last year, there were 754 arrests for rape in New Delhi, but according to the Union Ministry for Home Affairs only one of those accused has so far been convicted. Campaigners say that these figures barely scratch the surface - fewer than one in 10 rapes are said to be reported because women fear the public shame and the treatment they will receive from the city's notoriously insensitive and hostile police. Sunil Kumar, a senior officer in Ghazipur, told one of Tehelka's reporters: "Go to a pub in Greater Kailash, South Delhi, where there's free entry for girls. You'll find those who want to do it for a thousand rupees [12]. They'll drink and also have sex with you. But the day someone uses force, it's rape." Rajpal Yadav, a senior officer in Gurgaon, home to many of the country's top call centres and their many women staff, told the magazine that "Girls from Darjeeling and Nepal have come here for business purposes. They go with men for money, but if the money isn't enough, it becomes rape." Attitudes like these have intensified fears among women that reporting attacks to the police will make matters worse. If they do come forward, many victims are subjected to a demeaning "two-finger" test to assess whether or not they are virgins, and, therefore, more or less credible witnesses. Delhi Police have now called in leading women's rights campaigners and policy analysts to "sensitise" them to women's concerns during rape and sexual assault investigations. Ranjana Kumari of the Centre for Social Research, who is leading the programme, says the growing number of rapes and the low conviction rates have left women feeling unprotected, while many men see themselves as beyond the law: Only 28 per cent of rape cases and 20 per cent of cruelty cases against husbands are followed by convictions. "There is no fear of being punished", she says. "Because of the [police] approach, it is not considered serious crime. That's why they need a lot more sensitivity, to see it as a serious crime. Women report only one in 10 rapes, not only because of the policing, but also the huge social shame." Nilanjana Roy, a widely respected novelist and commentator, says, "The reality of what''s happening is that women are doing pretty well in terms of work opportunities, but dreadfully when it comes to sexual violence," she says. What finally sparked anger over last month's rape and murder was the intensity of the violence and the fact that so many women were able to identify with the victim - a young woman, training for a good job, out to see a film with a friend with the support of her parents. "This girl was seen to be blameless, by many Indians. She was not dancing in a club, she had gone to a movie and was coming back at a reasonable time, and the identification was huge," says Ms Nilanjana Roy. Brinda Karat, a veteran Communist MP and women's rights campaigner, agrees that a new generation of women is facing a male backlash for claiming freedoms at work and in their social lives. "The kind of protests we've seen show that Indian women are not going to tolerate this kind of violence. There's an assertion of independent identity and there is a backlash against that. It requires dealing with son preference, the education of boys and understanding masculinity, which is currently in contempt of women," she says. 'India's daughter', at just 23, had gone too far for many men, but not nearly far enough for the country's women. The stage is set for a long confrontation between India's past and its future.

Agony of India's many unfortunate daughters

BY DEAN NELSON hat finally sparked anger over the December 16 rape and murder was the intensity of the violence and the fact that so many women were able to identify with the young victim who was working hard to make it big More than 630 women are known to have been raped in New Delhi last year, but it took the savage gang rape of a 23-year-old trainee physiotherapist on her way home from a cinema with a friend to turn the simmering anger of the capital's long suffering women to boiling rage. Reports of the 634 attacks that preceded December's rape of the woman who has become known as "India's daughter" were sketchy - a few brief paragraphs in the local newspapers, nothing more. But in this case the details were too brutal to be overlooked. Here was an ordinary, modern, lower-middle-class girl trying to get a rickshaw home after a Sunday film at one of the city's growing number of swanky shopping malls. The driver would take her only as far as a market, where she and her friend boarded an unlicensed bus. On it, six men, all drunk, first "eveteased" her - the local euphemism for the harassment of women - then attacked her so savagely that she later died. Apparently incensed that she was out at night with a man to whom she was not married, they took turns to rape her and beat her friend while the bus cruised the streets of South Delhi, the atrocities inside shielded by curtains and tinted glass. An iron rod was forced inside her, mutilating her genitals and destroying her intestines. She and her friend fell unconscious and were tossed from the bus on a flyover after an ordeal lasting somewhere between 40 minutes and two hours. The woman was eventually taken to hospital, where 95 per cent

of her intestines were removed in three operations. She suffered brain injuries, internal infections and had trouble breathing, yet she managed to make two statements to police officers to help arrest her torturers. The capital has rarely, if ever, read about a rape in such shocking detail and the revelation sparked spontaneous protests in front of Rashtrapati Bhawan, the home of the Indian President and Cabinet Ministers' offices. There were clashes with police and protests spread throughout India. The country's most powerful woman, Congress president Sonia Gandhi, visited the unnamed victim in hospital and spoke of the national shame of violence against its women. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh later made a televised address to call for calm and voice his own feelings of revulsion. There have been demands from Right-wing Hindu nationalists for the culprits to be hung, while others have called for chemical castration for rapists. But gradually the chants of young, mainly male protesters have given way to a wider discussion of why so many women in India - the world's largest democracy and a polity with powerful women leaders live in fear of violence and under restrictions that would not offend a Taliban mullah in Kandahar. India has seen the number of reported rapes rise from 2,487 in 1971 to 24,206 in 2011. In that year, 35,565 women and girls were kidnapped, 42,968 were molested, 8,570 were sexually harassed and 99,135 suffered cruelty at the hands of their husbands or relatives. There were 8,618 'dowry deaths', in which brides were murdered by their husbands or in-laws, often because their fathers had failed to meet increasingly extravagant demands for dowry gifts for the honour of landing a sought-after son.

Courts must set their house in order

iven the growing clamour for providing speedy justice to victims of sexual harassment, through various means such as fast-track courts, the news that the Supreme Court of India had sat over a plea by a rape victim for as long as eight years, comes as a huge shock. The 16-year-old gang rape victim had filed a petition in the apex court in 2005, against the acquittal of 35 of her tormentors, some of whom were high ranking officials and even politicians, by the Kerala High Court. Before the matter went to the High Court, a special court had sentenced 35 persons to rigorous imprisonment but the sentence was overturned by the Kerala High Court, which found only one person guilty. Ironically, the victim's plea came to the court's notice amid the Chief Justice of India's nudge to the trial and the high courts to fast-track trial in rape cases, in the backdrop of the gang rape of a 23-year old girl in a moving bus in Delhi on December 16 last. In the Kerala case, the girl's sufferings had inspired the commissioning of the first special court in Kerala to deal with sexual assault cases. It is not

our place or intent to doubt the "anguish" the bench headed by Chief Justice Altamas Kabir has expressed over the lapse in taking up the case. And yet, one can't but raise the infamous Suryanelli rape case as a classic example of justice not just being delayed but also being denied. The apex court's assurance that it would urgently hear the long-pending appeal is heartening. But, delays of the kind that has clearly happened at the apex court's level only underscore the prevailing insecure environment and a gender-insensitive system that a woman has to battle to wrench justice for herself. But the silver lining amid this gloom, is that many lower courts, and not necessarily fast-track, are doing sterling work in providing justice to victims of sexual abuse. One of the quickest rape trials to be conducted was in Alwar in Rajasthan in 2006, where a German tourist was raped by Bitti Mohanty, the son of an IPS officer from Odisha. The fast-track court of RK Maheshwari finished the trial in 15 days and convicted the accused to a seven-year jail term. That the convict has since jumped parole and is absconding, is a differ-

ent matter, and it involves the collusion of people at high levels. Experts have argued for long that even if courts are not designated 'fasttrack', a rape case ought not to take more than a month to be decided upon. Regular courts in Rajasthan have shown the way in more than one instance by acting promptly to ensure swift justice. Reportedly, a Jodhpur court finished the trial and sentencing of a person accused of raping a foreigner, within 20 days flat. Another court in Jaipur finished a trial in 24 days while awarding death sentence to the accused for raping a minor. Recently, a court in Thiruvananthapuram sent to gallows an autorickshaw driver for raping and murdering a Class X student. These instances are a beacon of hope for many victims awaiting justice. But the yeoman efforts of lower courts would be in vain if appeals are kept hanging right till the final stage at the highest level. Given the context, the Chief Justice of India must ensure that no more should pleas of rape victims be kept unheard for unduly long periods of time.

STATE WATCH

Two 8th SAFMA Conference begins at Amritsar today

AMRITSAR: The 8th South Asia Free Media Association (SAFMA) International Conference begins today here where the journalists and thinkers from SAARC countries would deliberate upon various issues confronting the media and South Asian society. The two days deliberations will be held here at Hotel Raddison Blue while rest of two days the Conference will shift to Lahore, said the organizers today. The conference would be inaugurated by Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal as Guest of honor. External Affairs Minister Salman Kurshid would be the Chief Guest, said Imtiaz Alam, general secretary of SAFMA. President of Indian Chapter SAFMA Vinod Kumar Sharma, a Senior Pakistani Journalist Khalid Ahmed and Secretary General of SAFMA Imtiaz Alam would address the session on themes relating to South Asian vision of peace and the concept of open borders and open minds. Alam said during session II, introduced by Director of Centre for North East Studies at Jamia Milia Islamia University in New Delhi Dr. Sanjoy Hazarika. The panel also includes professor emeritus at the University of Punjab in Lahore in Pakistan Dr. Hasan Askari Rizvi, Executive Director of National Peace Council of Srilanka Dr. Jehan Perera, Professor of International Relations at University of Dhaka Dr. imtiaz Ahmed and Deputy Editor of The News Pakistan Amir Mir. In the spirit of one of the Conference's main theme- Open Borders- its second segment would take place at Lahore, Pakistan with participants crossing the Attari/Wagah border on January 7th 2013 to attend the remaining sessions on 8th and 9th January at the Hotel Pearl Continental. However, session IV will examine the idea of a South Asian Vision for an Economic Union. The panel moderated by Editor -n-chief of "The Friday Times" in Pakistan Najam Sethi comprises several distinguished economists including professor of Economics at Beconhouse of National University of Lahore Dr. Akmal Hussain, Dr. Nisha Taneja of Indian Council for Research in International Relation, Dr. Ijaz Nabi Country Director of International Growth Centre Pakistan and Dr. Nephil Matangi Maskay Director at Nepal Rastra Bank, Mian Nawaz Sharif former prime Minister of Pakistan will address the session as Chief Guest. Imtiaz said along with Satnam Manak that the theme of the conference would be "South Asian Vision and Union" and reflects many of the ideals including peace building, regional cooperation, pluralism and respect for human rights. The aim of the conference is to underscore the importance of opening up people's mind to the possibilities of a South Asian Fraternity-a block of independent nation- States with open borders bound together by mutually beneficial trade and common aims of human development.

PUNJAB

UTTAR PRADESH UP govt seeks report from districts on pending rape cases
LUCKNOW: Uttar Pradesh government has sought information from every district of the state about rape cases that are pending in courts, amid a demand to fast track their trial following outrage over Delhi gang-rape incident. Government has directed the prosecution department to ensure speedy trials of such cases in the 75 districts in the state, official sources said here today. More than 300 such cases, including one against Bahujan Samajwadi Party(BSP) MLA, were found pending in different courts of Muzaffarnagar district alone, they said.

focus will be laid on media's role in Peace and Cooperation and brings together a panel of leading journalists and media's theories The panel would be moderated by well known Indian freelance journalists Joyti Malothra, professor of Political Science from Lahore University Dr. Mohhamed Waseem, President of Indian Chapter SAFMA Vinod Kumar Sharma, President of SAFMA Srilanka Lakshman

Gunasekera, chief executive officer of Global Editor Network Bertrand Pecquerie would give session's key note address on trends in World Media. Third (III) session brings together a panel of noted analysts on Terrorism and Conflicts moderated by senior editors at CNN-IBN in India Suhasini Haider, the panel theme is "Terrorism, Extremism and inter/intrastate conflict" would be

According to senior prosecuting officer SK Gupta, out of the 300, eight cases of gang rape and 21 cases of atrocities against dalit women are pending. Efforts are on to fast track these cases. Meanwhile, a parliamentary panel looking into the Delhi gangrape incident was yesterday told that there are 8,000 pending cases involving crimes against women in the Allahabad High Court alone.

Bhopal: Minister conducts minor's wedding, Opposition demands removal from cabinet
BHOPAL: Leader of Opposition in the Madhya Pradesh assembly, Ajay Singh, on Friday demanded that School Education Minister Archana Chitnis be removed from the state Cabinet for organising the marriage of a minor girl. Chitnis organised the marriage under the 'Kanyadan Scheme' on Friday. In a statement, the Congress leader said the state government would lose moral right to appeal to the people to stop child marriages if a minor girl is married off at the instance of a minister. Chitnis was not available for comment. The marriage of the girl was conducted at the behest of Chitnis at Burhanpur in her native Khandwa district, it said. Singh also demanded a criminal case be filed against her.

MADHYA PRADESH

MIM sees conspiracy behind cases against Akbar Owaisi

HYDERABAD: The Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (MIM) sees a conspiracy by the Congress government in Andhra Pradesh to target its leader Akbaruddin Owaisi by slapping serious charges of waging war against the nation. Police in Hyderabad, Adilabad and Nizamabad districts, during the last two days, registered three cases against Owaisi for allegedly making hate speeches last month. The courts in Hyderabad and neighboring Ranga Reddy district directed the police to book Owaisi under Section 153 (A) of the Indian Penal Code for promoting enmity between different groups. However, the police in Nirmal town of Adilabad district went a step further and registered a case under Section 121 (waging or attempting to wage war against the state). Police in Nizamabad also booked the MIM legislator under Section 295 A (for deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings). The police Friday served notice to Owaisi, who is away in London for treatment, summoning him for questioning at Nirmal police station on Jan 8 and at Nizamabad on Jan 9. The 42-year-old firebrand, younger brother of MIM chief and Member of Parliament Asaduddin Owaisi, faces arrest in the case. However, sources in MIM said he is not likely to return to India before Jan 16. Owaisi, through his lawyers, may seek more time for appearing before the police. "Akbar Owaisi is a public representative and not a hardcore criminal as the government is trying to project him," a leader of MIM said that while taking serious objection to Director General of Police V. Dinesh Reddy's statement that, if necessary, the police would take Interpol's help to arrest him. Sources in MIM said Akbar would make himself available to police soon after his return to India and would cooperate with the due process of law. While the young leader, who discontinued his medical education to enter politics in early 1990s, was booked many times for alleged provocative speeches in the past, this is the first time that a case of waging war or attempting to wage war has been registered against him. Representing Chandrayangutta constituency in Hyderabad for the third consecutive term, Owaisi is also the leader of the MIM in the legislative assembly. His alleged objectionable comments triggered an outcry from political opponents, who are demanding his disqualification as member of the legislative assembly; his opponents also seek that he be barred from contesting elections. The MIM, which severed its ties with the Congress recently over the issue of expansion of a temple abutting historic Charminar, sees a conspiracy behind the cases. A party leader, who did not want to be named, said Chief Minister Kiran Kumar Reddy was worried over the hug e public response MIM was drawing at its public meetings in various towns. "The chief minister says that the government has nothing to do with the cases, it is all his game plan to stop the MIM leader," he said, while referring to the police chief's statement that Owaisi may not be allowed to address public meetings in future. Leaders MIM and some other Muslim groups under the banner of United Muslim Action Committee have been addressing meetings in towns with sizeable Muslim population to 'expose the Kiran Kumar Reddy government for colluding with communal forces'. Unmindful of the controversy over Owaisi's remarks, the Muslim groups are holding a public meeting at Tandur in Ranga Reddy district Saturday night. Sources in MIM also blamed some other rivals of the party and a section of electronic media for blowing the issue out of proportion. "There is nothing new in what he said. One should see the context in which the remarks were made," sources said. MIM leaders are hopeful that serious charges under Section 121 would not stand in the court of law. They claim that Owaisi has said nothing which can be described as 'anti-national'.

ANDHRA PRADESH

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FAMOUS LEADER: INDRAJIT GUPTA

Born On: March 18, 1919 Born In: Calcutta, West Bengal Died On: February 20, 2001 Career: Political Leader A legendary parliamentarian renowned for his austerity, democratic outlooks, and deep commitment to values, Indrajit Gupta was one of the greatest privileged Indians who sacrificed greatly for the betterment of the nation. He is best remembered for his forceful and outspoken speeches made at Lok Sabha. Such was the moderation and criticism with reason in his language that he was a known personality by his political opponents also. Spending over 37 years in Lok Sabha, he was fondly known as the "Father of the House" by his fellow mates and his departure left an empty seat that will take too long to fill again. He was one of the Communists leaders who parted with their connections in order to embrace the cause of the working class. Early Life Indrajit Gupta was born in an anglicized Brahmo family to Satish Gupta in Calcutta, West Bengal. His father was an Accountant General of India, while his grandfather, Behari Lal Gupta, was the Dewan of Baroda, and his elder brother, Ranajit Gupta, was a Chief Secretary of West Bengal. Indrajit attained his formal education in Simla where his father was posted. He completed his graduation from St. Stephen's College in Delhi and went to King's College, Cambridge to pursue his higher studies. While in England, he was highly influenced by the journalist and theoretician in the Communist Party of Great Britain, Rajani Palme Dutt, and joined the communist movement. On obtaining his degree from the University of Cambridge, Gupta returned to Calcutta in 1938. Here, he joined the peasants' and workers' movement, but was sentenced to 'party jail' in 1948 for supporting the party. With an attack on communists, he was forced to go underground during 1948-50. Political Career In 1960, Gupta was elected to Lok Sabha, the lower house of Parliament, for the first time. Except for a short period from 1977-80, he remained a member of Lok Sabha until his death, thereby gaining the longest experience serving in Lok Sabha for 37 years. He represented Calcutta South-West as a member of the second and third Lok Sabha from 1960 to 1967. Later from 1967 to 1977, he was elected to fourth and fifth Lok Sabha from Alipore. He represented Basirhat in seventh and eighth Lok Sabha from 1980 to 1989 and Midnapore from ninth to thirteenth Lok Sabha from 1989 until his death. Being the oldest member of Lok Sabha, he served as pro team speaker in 1996, 1998, and 1999. The pro tem speaker is required to conduct the swearing ceremony of the newly elected members. Besides serving in Lok Sabha, Gupta had been associated with various parliamentary committees also. He served as the chairman of parliamentary standing committee on defence in 1995-96 and chairman of the committee of subordinate legislation from 1999 until his death. His other contributions include as a member of rules committee in 1990-91, general purposes committee from 1985-89 and from 1998 onwards, committee on defence from 1998-2000, committee on petitions in 1986-87, business advisory committee in 1986-87 and in 1989, library committee in 1990-91, and committee to review Lok Sabha Secretariat rules in 1990. Being an active trade unionist, Gupta served as the General Secretary of the All India Trade Union Congress form 1980 to 1990. Brought up and raised in the Communist Party of India (CPI), he became the General Secretary of CPI in 1990 until 1996. He was a great supporter of CPI and delivered speeches in Lok Sabha that made him popular amongst his opponents as well. He was elected as the Union Minister of Home Affairs in the United Front government in 1996, which he attained till 1998. Gupta was appointed as the President of World Federation of Trade Union in 1998. Death Indrajit Gupta died of cancer on February 20, 2001 in Kolkata. He was 81.

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THE BLUE PARROT

Contd.... that if he wished to break the bonds which bound him to the faithless princess and transfer his affections to the daughter of Ismenor, he must have in his possession for a day and a night a stone from the ring of Gyges, now in the possession of the magician. This news so enchanted Riquette, that she flung her arms round the king's neck and embraced him tenderly, greatly to his disgust, as he would infinitely have preferred the sticks of the soldiers. However, there was no help for it, and he did his best to seem pleased, till Riquette relieved him by announcing that she must lose no time in asking her father and obtaining from him the precious stone. His daughter's request came as a great surprise to Ismenor, whose suspicions were instantly excited; but, think as he would, he could not see any means by which the king, so closely guarded, might have held communication with the Swan fairy. Still, he would do nothing hastily, and, hiding his dismay, he told Riquette that his only wish was to make her happy, and that as she wished so much for the stone he would fetch it for her. Then he went into the closet where all his spells were worked, and in a short time he discovered that his enemy the Swan fairy was at that moment inside his palace. 'So that is it!' he said, smiling grimly. 'Well, she shall have a stone by all means, but a stone that will turn everyone who touches it into marble.' And placing a small ruby in a box, he returned to his daughter. 'Here is the talisman which will gain you the love of King Lino,' he said; 'but be sure you give him the box unopened, or else the stone will lose all its virtue.' With a cry of joy Riquette snatched the box from his hands, and ran off to the prison, followed by her father, who, holding tightly the enchanted handkerchief, was able, unseen, to watch the working of the spell. As he expected, at the foot of the tower stood the Swan fairy, who had had the imprudence to appear in her natural shape, waiting for the stone which the prince was to throw to her. Eagerly she caught the box as it fell from the prince's hands, but no sooner had her fingers touched the ruby, than a curious hardening came over her, her limbs stiffened, and her tongue could hardly utter the words 'We are betrayed.' 'Yes, you are betrayed,' cried Ismenor, in a terrible voice; 'and you,' he continued, dragging the king to the window, 'you shall turn into a parrot, and a parrot you will remain until you can persuade Hermosa to crush in your head.' He had hardly finished before a blue parrot flew out into the forest; and the magician, mounting in his winged chariot, set off for the Isle of Swans, where he changed everybody into statues, exactly in the positions in which he found them, not even excepting Rabot himself. Only Hermosa was spared, and her he ordered to get into his chariot beside him. In a few minutes he reached the Forest of Wonders, when the magician got down, and dragged the unhappy princess out after him. 'I have changed your mother into a stone, and your lover into a parrot,' said he, 'and you are to become a tree, and a tree you will remain until you have crushed the head of the person you love best in the world. But I will leave you your mind and memory, that your tortures may be increased a thousand-fold.' Great magician as he was, Ismenor could not have invented a more terrible fate had he tried for a hundred years. The hours passed wearily by for the poor princess, who longed for a wood-cutter's axe to put an end to her misery. How were they to be delivered from their doom? And even supposing that King Lino did fly that way, there were thousands of blue parrots in the forest, and how was she to know him, or he her? As to her mother-ah! that was too bad to think about! So, being a woman, she kept on thinking. Meanwhile the blue parrot flew about the world, making friends wherever he went, till, one day, he entered the castle of an old wizard who had just married a beautiful young wife. Grenadine, for such was her name, led a very dull life, and was delighted to have a playfellow, so she gave him a golden cage to sleep in, and delicious fruits to eat. Only in one way did he disappoint her-he never would talk as other parrots did. 'If you only knew how happy it would make me, I'm sure you would try,' she was fond of saying; but the parrot did not seem to hear her. One morning, however, she left the room to gather some flowers, and the parrot, finding himself alone, hopped to the table, and, picking up a pencil, wrote some verses on a piece of paper. He had just finished when he was startled by a noise, and letting fall the pencil, he flew out of the window. Now hardly had he dropped the pencil when the wizard lifted a corner of the curtain which hung over the doorway, and advanced into the room. Seeing a paper on the table, he picked it up, and great was his surprise as he read: 'Fair princess, to win your grace, I will hold discourse with you; Silence, though, were more in place Than chatt'ring like a cockatoo.' 'I half suspected it was enchanted,' murmured the wizard to himself. And he fetched his books and searched them, and found that instead of being a parrot, the bird was really a king who had fallen under the wrath of a magician, and that magician the man whom the wizard hated most in the world. Eagerly he read on, seeking for some means of breaking the enchantment, and at last, to his great joy, he discovered the remedy. Then he hurried to his wife, who was lying on some cushions under the tree on which the parrot had perched, and informed her that her favourite was really the king of a great country, and that, if she would whistle for the bird, they would all go together to a certain spot in the Forest of Marvels, 'where I will restore him to his own shape. Only you must not be afraid or cry out, whatever I do,' added he, 'or everything will be spoilt.' The wizard's wife jumped up in an instant, so delighted was she, and began to whistle the song that the parrot loved; but as he did not wish it to be known that he had been listening to the conversation he waited until she had turned her back, when he flew down the tree and alighted on her shoulder. Then they got into a golden boat, which carried them to a clearing in the forest, where three tall trees stood by themselves. 'I want these trees for my magic fire,' he said to his wife; 'put the parrot on that branch, he will be quite safe, and go yourself to a little distance. If you stay too near you may get your head crushed in their fall.' At these words the parrot suddenly remembered the prophecy of Ismenor, and held himself ready, his heart beating at the thought that in one of those trees he beheld Hermosa. Meanwhile the magician took a spade, and loosened the earth of the roots of the three trees so that they might fall all together. Directly the parrot observed them totter he spread his wings and flew right under the middle one, which was the most beautiful of the three. There was a crash, then Lino and Hermosa stood facing each other, clasped hand in hand. After the first few moments, the princess's thoughts turned to her mother, and falling at the feet of the magician, who was smiling with delight at the success of his plan, she implored him to help them once more, and to give the Swan fairy back her proper shape. 'That is not so easy,' said he, 'but I will try what I can do.' And transporting himself to his palace to obtain a little bottle of poisoned water, he waited till nightfall, and started at once for Ismenor's tower. Of course, had Ismenor consulted his books he would have seen what his enemy was doing, he might have protected himself; but he had been eating and drinking too much, and had gone to bed, sleeping heavily. Changing himself into a bat, the magician flew into the room, and hiding himself in the curtains, he poured all the liquid over Ismenor's face, so that he died without a groan. At the same instant the Swan fairy became a woman again, for no magician, however powerful, can work spells which last beyond his own life. So when the Swan fairy returned to her capital she found all her courtiers waiting at the gate to receive her, and in their midst, beaming with happiness, Hermosa and King Lino. Standing behind them, though a long way off, was Rabot; but his dirty clothes had given place to clean ones, when his earnest desire was granted, and the princess had made him head of her stables. And here we must bid them all farewell, feeling sure they will have many years of happiness before them after the terrible trials through which they have passed. .

Eight Tentacles

If only I had an octopus, I'd soon get my housework done. I'd soon set him to work on the hoovering, With tentacle number one. Tentacle two would grab the mop And start on the kitchen floor, While he dusted and polished the furniture, With tentacles three and four. Tentacle five would turn on the tap And tackle the washing up, While tentacle six took a well-earned break And curled round a china cup. Tentacle seven would make the beds And set the pillows straight, And all the while he'd be balancing On tentacle eight.

FUN TIME
1. SHAADI KE PEHLE LADKI: Darling tum nahi toh main nahi Aur main nahi toh tum nahi! SHAADI KE BAAD LADKI: Aaj ya toh tu nahi ya main nahi!! 2. A Sardar & his wife filed an application for divorce. JUDGE ASKED : How will you divide, you have 3 children? SARDAR REPLIED : Ok! We'll apply next year. 3. PAPA : Beta, har parai stri ko apni Maa samjho to tumhara character thik ho jayega BETA : Lekin Papa fir aap ka character ka kya hoga..?? 4. BAAP BETE SE: Car mein puncture kaise ho gaya? Beta: Sadak par bottle padi thi. BAAP: Bottel dikhayi nahi di tujhe! BETA: Ladke ki jeb mein thi. 5. While having a brain check up DOCTOR : I regret to tell you that you have a brain tumor. SANTA : Yesss!!! (jumps in joy) DOCTOR : Did you understand what I just told you? SANTA : Yes of course, do you think I'm dumb? DOCTOR : Then why are you so happy? SANTA : Because that proves that I have a brain!

IMAGE TO COLOUR

Crafts With Waste Material Kids

Crafts with waste material kids are great fun to make and teach kids about recycling. Try this sinuous snake which is made out of bottle tops. You will need to collect a lot of bottle tops, so it may be worth asking friends to save them for you. Bottle Top Snake Adult supervision is required when making the holes through the bottle tops. Materials: * Bottle tops, * Hammer, * Piece of wood, * 2 Corks, * String, * Large nail, * Pair of scissors, * Glue, * Paint, * Paint brush, * Piece of red felt Method for Crafts with waste material kids: * Hammer a nail through the end of a piece of wood. * Use this wood to help position the nail in the center of the bottle tops. * Hit the nail on its head with m a k e another knot, so that the tops won't come off. * Cut the remaining piece of string. * Paint the corks green or whatever color you would like your snake to be. These corks will be the head and tail of your snake. * Using the glue, attach one of the corks to the end of the string of bottle tops. * Glue it onto the last top. * Now glue the other cork onto the other end. This will be your snakes head. * Add two spots for the eyes. * Cut a small piece of felt into the shape of a snake's tongue and press it into the cork with the point of the nail.

the hammer. This will prevent fingers from being hurt. * Adult supervision is recommended for this task. * Make a knot at one end of the piece of string. * Now start threading the bottle tops through the string. Make sure the tops are all facing the same way. * You would probably need about 50 - 70 bottle tops to make a long snake. * Once you have threaded through all the bottle tops

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NATIONAL

Delhi victim's friend speaks on TV, case filed against Zee

NEW DELHI: Breaking his silence for the first time since the horrific Dec 16 gang-rape, the victim's friend said he wished he could have saved the 23-year-old woman and blamed police for delaying taking them to hospital for over two hours. "I wish I could have saved her," the young man, who Delhi Policehave said is a 28year-old software engineer, said. The channel identified him as Avaindra Pratap Pandey. Delhi Police has filed a case against Zee News for revealing the identity of the rape victim. "A case under Section 228-A of the Indian Penal Code was filed against Zee News at police station Vasant Vihar," said Delhi Police spokesman Rajan Bhagat Section 228A (Disclosure of identity of the victim of certain offences etc) lays penalty of a jail term extending to two years for those who "print or publish the name or any matter which may make known the identity" of any rape victim. Zee TV since Friday night started running a scroll saying the young man agreed to reveal his identity voluntarily. The channel said they will give whatever the man said to the Justice J.S. Verma panel which is looking into strengthening anti-rape laws. The young man told the channel that no one came forward to help them after they were dumped on the roadside after the more than 40-minute ordeal, stripped, and bloodied. "We were lying in the cold night for 20 minutes. We had Zee that the three PCR vans arrived at the scene after about 45 minutes, but wasted time in deciding under which police station's jurisdiction the case fell. He said nobody, including police, gave them clothes or called an ambulance. "They were just watching us," he said, adding that after repeated requests, someone gave him a part of a bed sheet to cover his friend. "My friend was bleeding profusely. But instead of taking us to a nearby hospital, they (police) took us to a hospital that was far away." He told the channel that he carried his badly-injured friend to the PCR van on his own as the policemen didn't help them because the girl was bleeding profusely. "Nobody from the public helped us. People were probably afraid that if they helped us, they would become witnesses to the crime and would be asked to come to police stations and courts," he told the channel. "Even at the hospital, we were made to wait and I had to literally beg for clothes. I borrowed a stranger's mobile and called my relatives, but just told them that I had met with an accident. My treatment started only after my relatives came," he said. He also said the rapists tried to "crush" them under the wheels of the bus. "After throwing us off the bus, they tried to mow us down but I saved my friend by pulling her away in the nick of time. We were without clothes. We tried to stop passers by. Several auto rickshaws, cars and bikes slowed down but no one stopped for about 25 minutes. Then, someone on patrol, stopped and called the police," he said. The young woman was tortured and gang-raped by six men in the moving bus on Dec 16. She was stripped, robbed and then thrown off the bus on the roadside along with her friend on the cold December night. She was taken to a Singapore hospital where she died Dec 29. She was quietly cremated on Dec 30. All the six men, including a juvenille, are now in police custody.

Punjab govt favours capital punishment in brutal rape cases

NEW DELHI: Punjab government favours death sentence in brutal rape cases, state DGP SS Saini said on Friday. "Government of Punjab is of the view that in brutal rape cases and cases of gangrape death sentence should be given...let the court decide which case deserves the highest punishment," he told reporters in New Delhi. The Punjab DGP had come to attend a day-long conference of Chief Secretaries and DGPs. The officials discussed threadbare various ways to check crime against women and agreed to take steps for protection of women and initiating speedy trial and conviction of criminals. However, despite daylong deliberations the Central and state governments today failed to evolve a consensus on death penalty for rape convicts even as they seem to have agreed on the definition of juvenile by bringing down the age bar to 16 from 18 years. "There is no consensus on amending the law to include capital punishment for rape. One or two chief secretaries have suggested but majority kept mum on the issue," a senior officer, who attended the meeting, said. Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde said all suggestions, including death penalty for rape, put forward by the Chief Secretaries and DGPs would be considered by the central government.

no clothes. Many cars and auto-rickshaws came and passed by us but no one stopped to offer us help... even though I was crying for help," he said. He also blamed police and hospital authorities. "Three PCR (Police Control Room vans) came and they left. In the hospital, no one even thought of giving us a quilt," he added. He told

North India continues to shiver; US court to hear human rights case against Parkash Singh Badal death toll reaches 129
ity in wake of the dense fog, which had enveloped New Delhi. Eight people were killed due to the bone chilling cold in Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh where the mercury dipped three notches below normal in most places. Cold wave and dense fog disrupted normal life across Uttar Pradesh with the people preferring to stay at their homes. The death toll in the state during this season has gone up to 129. An unabated cold wave swept through the Kashmir Valley as minimum temperatures plunged further with Srinagar witnessing the coldest night of the season at minus 4.3 degrees Celsius. Heavy snowfall in Jammu and Kashmir blocked the historical Mughal Road, an arterial road connecting several districts of the state. Tourists here are facing the wrath of dipping mercury. "When we came here, we came to know that the road ahead is closed due to snow. We want that the government here must put up a system to remove the snow immediately and more and more people should be employed to clear the snow. This will also facilitate the tourists who are on their way to Srinagar," said Habib, a tourist in Rajouri. T Randa set the hearing on a plea by Sikhs For Justice (SFJ) seeking the court's protection against alleged intimidation, threats and abuse to the families of the plaintiffs in India by Badal's was not present at Oak Creek High School on Aug 9 as claimed by the plaintiffs. During evidentiary hearing, plaintiffs will challenge Badal's claim that on Aug 9, he was at Boelter Super Store in Milwaukee and was not present at Oak Creek High School where a ceremony was being held in the memory of the Sikh victims of Wisconsin Gurudwara shooting, SFJ said To refute Badal's claim, plaintiffs will present evidence and witnesses to prove that Badal was personally served the court summons by Christopher G. Kratochvil, a professional process server

NEW DELHI: Intense cold claimed 21 more lives in north India as temperatures plummeted to sub-zero levels at many places in the region. The death toll this winter has reached to 129 in Uttar Pradesh. Icy north winds brought down the temperature in Delhi to the season's lowest of 2.7 degrees Celsius on Friday. The fog in the early morning hours affected road, rail and air traffic in the national capital, affecting schedules of around 50 flights. The capital got no respite from the bitter cold as the minimum temperature Saturday settled at 2.9 degrees Celsius - four notches below average. The Met office has forecast a clear day ahead. "The city was enveloped

by the fog in the morning, but the day will be clear. The maximum temperature would hover around 15 degree Celsius," an India Meteorological Department (IMD) official said. The maximum temperature on Thursday also rose to 12.7 degrees Celsius, which is eight degrees below normal and the minimum was recorded at 4.4 degrees Celsius that is three degrees below normal. The Delhi Government has ordered all schools under it to remain closed until January 12. The biting cold and icy winds have aggravated the agony of several homeless people, who are living on the streets and warmed themselves by sitting around the bonfire. Traffic was snarling on the roads due to poor visibil-

WASHINGTON: A US federal judge has set an evidentiary hearing for Jan 29 in a human rights violations case against Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal to resolve basic jurisdictional issues. Wisconsin Judge Rudolph

agents. Badal through his lawyers has sought dismissal of the case on the ground of lack of service of summons after two special Agents from State Department's Diplomatic Security Service claimed in sworn statements that Badal

from "State Processing Service Inc" at Oak Creek High School, Wisconsin. SFJ legal advisor Gurpatwant Singh Pannun described Randa's order as "a major step forward in seeking compensatory and punitive damages against Badal for his role in commanding and protecting a police force involved in continuous human rights violations against Sikhs in the State of Punjab" The plaintiffs in the case are SFJ, Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar) headed by Simranjit Singh Mann and several individuals who were allegedly tortured during the Badal regime.

SC seeks response from Centre, states for disqualifying legislators

NEW DELHI: After initially declining to hear a plea for disqualification of MPs and MLAs chargesheeted for rape and other crimes against women, the Supreme Court has sought response from the Centre and state governments for removing such legislators as people's representatives. A bench comprising justices K S Radhakrishnan and Dipak Misra, which had agreed to go into issues of fast track trial of rape cases and implementation of laws for safety of women, had earlier preferred not to go into the issue of legislators saying it was not in their jurisdiction. The apex court, which was hearing two PILs filed after the December 16 gangrape incident, also decided to go into the plea for seeking direction for termination of services of police and government officials who are convicted of charges of rape and other heinous crimes against women and children.

TN CM forms panel to assess drought situation in delta districts of Cauvery

CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Ms.Jayalalithaa has formed a committee to assess the drought situation in delta districts of Cauvery. In a press release, the Chief Minister stated that the committee formed under the chairmanship of the Finance Minister Mr. O. Panneerselvam would submit a report on the drought hit areas of the delta districts. The Committee has seven ministers, two commissioners and top officials of the related departments. The Chief Minister said that Karnataka continues to be adamant in not sharing Cauvery river waters with Tamil Nadu under the distress sharing formula. She said that water supply from Mettur has been stopped resulting in drought in 11 Lakh acres of land in delta districts.

Sajwan appointed as member SC panel to probe alleged fake encounters in Manipur of National Green Tribunal
ITANAGAR: The Centre has appointed outgoing principal chief conservator of forest (PCCF) of Arunachal Pradesh Bikram Singh Sajwan as member of the National Green Tribunal (NGT), official sources said. Sajwan, a 1976-batch Indian Forest Service (IFS) officer of AGMUT cadre, an expert on medicinal plants, retired on December 31 after rendering distinguished service for over 10 years in Arunachal Pradesh. Sajwan said that the experience of working with the people of the state would be his treasure for life. "Arunachal Pradesh being one of the 12 biodiversity hot spots in the world with over 82 percent forest coverage would remain dear to my heart and may be as member of the Tribunal I might visit the state again and again," Sajwan said. NGT was set up in 2010 under Article 21 of the Constitution which assures the citizens of India the right to a healthy environment. The Tribunal itself is a special fast-track court to handle the expeditious disposal of the cases pertaining to environmental issues. NEW DELHI: Allegations of fake encounters by security forces in Manipur will be investigated by a three-member commission, the Supreme Court said today. The top court said former Supreme Court judge Santosh Hegde, former chief election commissioner JM Lyngdoh and a senior police officer will be in the commission. After they give consent, the court will pass formal orders next week. A petition in the court had alleged more than 1,500 fake encounters in Manipur in the last three decades and demanded a probe by a special investigation team. The Supreme Court said five encounters would be investi-

SC seeks EC's reply on hate speech by Shiv Sena, MNS leaders

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court sought the Election Commission's reply to a plea for derecognition of Shiv Sena and Maharashtra Navnirman Sena as political parties for the alleged hate speeches delivered by their top leaders recently. A bench of justices RM Lodha and AR Dave issued notice to the Election Commission seeking its stand on petitioner's contention that the hate speeches delivered by MNS chief Raj Thackeray and his cousin and Shiv Sena leader Uddhav Thackeray in recent past calls for derecognition of the two parties. The petition filed by advocate Brijesh Kalapa had mentioned the alleged utterances of MNS chief in October 2012 against the natives of Bihar and some remarks attributed to Udhav that outsiders in Mumbai are trouble makers. The PIL has named both of them as respondents but the notice was restricted to the Election Commission. Kalapa, who argued the matter himself, also referred to the incident of alleged hate speech involving Majlis-eIttehadul Muslimeen MLA Akbaruddin Owaisi of Andhra Pradesh.

gated to begin with and the rest would be considered later. "We hope the commisison headed by Santosh Hedge will bring justice," said human rights activist Babloo Loitongbam. One of the petitioners, 28-year-old Neena Ningonbam, recounted how her husband went missing in November 2008. "We were having lunch. Security forces came and took my husband

away. His body was found after a few days," she alleged. The Centre opposed the commission and pitched for a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation. But the court said: "Even magisterial reports of encounters are not sent to the National Human Rights Commission. There's an urgent need for an independent probe by people of eminence."

Delhi college student ragged, suffers serious injuries

NEW DELHI: Hit by a case of ragging, the premiere School of Planning and Architecture is contemplating a series of measures, including segregating freshers from senior students in hostels, in a bid to prevent recurrence of such incidents. A rethink on preventive measures came after a first-year student was ragged and left him with injuries for which he needed a surgery. A case was also registered with police. The incident happened in the boys hostel which is shared by first year and second year students. SPA, which conducted an internal inquiry into the incident that happened in September last year, is considering some new measures to make sure such incidents are not repeated. "We have not finalised any (new measures) as yet but there are a number of things that are being discussed. One of them is the possibility of segregating first year bachelor students and the rest of the students," Prof Chetan Vaidya, director of SPA, said. He said the institute, which takes anti-ragging measures very seriously, had witnessed very few such cases in the past and the recent case was unfortunate. The college hostel has a committee comprising faculty members who are responsible for keeping a vigil and punish the students breaching discipline but the body seemed to have been caught unawares by the episode. "The student (victim) did not contact anybody before leaving Delhi. We later received a fax from his father which is when we went through the details of the matter," he said. The father of the student, who hails from Ranchi, had complained to the SPA Dean which was later forwarded to police. According to the complaint filed by the father, the victim had informed him that he was ragged by his seniors on the roof-top of their hostel. Though an internal inquiry was conducted the FIR filed by the institute does not name any student responsible and officials say the complaint, which became the basis of their inquiry, did not mention names. The institute has a campus at ITO as well where girl students' hostel is situated and among the options being discussed by the authorities is the possibility of moving freshers to that campus. The institute, which hopes to put in place new measures before the fresh session starts in July, is also discussing installing CCTVs to monitor activities as well as appointing professors as wardens.

25 Maharashtra fast-track courts only for women cases

MUMBAI: The Maharashtra government will earmark 25 out of 100 fasttrack courts across the state exclusively to deal with women-related cases, Home Minister R.R. Patil announced in Mumbai on Friday. He said that the Bombay High Court would be requested to do whatever was necessary so that womenrelated cases can be disposed of quickly and in a timebound manner. "The state government will also request the centre to make laws pertaining to any type of atrocities on women stricter in the wake of the recent gang-rape of a woman in Delhi," Patil assured a delegation of Nationalist Congress Party women's wing led by city president Chitra Wagh. The delegation members vociferously demanded that atrocities on women like molestation or rape should be made non-bailable offences attracting either life terms or death penalty. The home minister said the security of women, minors and senior citizens would be given top priority and warned that offenders would not be spared.

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Nepal govt protests colonel's arrest in UK
KATHMANDU: Nepal on Friday summoned the British ambassador and demanded the immediate release of an Army colonel arrested in the UK on charges of torture committed during the decade-long Maoist insurgency that claimed almost 15,000 lives. Speaking at a press conference at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Narayan Kaji Shrestha said the arrest of Army colonel Kumar Lama in the United Kingdom breached the jurisdiction of a sovereign nation as well international norms. Shrestha said, the foreign ministry summoned British ambassador John Tucknott and handed over a 'protest note' over Lama's arrest. The ambassador assured that he would relay the information regarding Nepal government's concern to the British government. Lama was on a vacation in the UK when he was arrested by Scotland Yard. Lama was arrested from St Leonards-on-Sea, East Sussex, yesterday based on a complaint filed by Advocacy Forum Nepal that said he was responsible for torture of a person identified as Rawat in Army custody during the Maoist insurgency. Nepal's decade-long Maoist insurgency which ended in 2006, witnessed the deaths of almost 15,000 people while thousands more were allegedly tortured or injured. Some 100,000 people were internally displaced and the fate of approximately 1,400 others remains unknown to this day. Both the army and Maoist rebels were accused of committing atrocities during the conflict. Scotland Yard has not made public the details of the alleged offence committed by Lama. However, British authorities claim "universal jurisdiction" over serious offences such as war crimes, torture, and hostage taking. The criminal law of Great Britain has provisions for arresting individuals torturing the prisoners of war.

7
Quake measuring 7.7 strikes in Pacific off Alaska
WASHINGTON: A major 7.7-magnitude earthquake shook an area in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of the US state of Alaska early on Saturday, the United States Geological Survey said. The epicenter of the quake was located 102 kilometers west of Craig, Alaska at a depth of nine kilometers, according to the USGS. There were no immediate reports of casualties or damage. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said there was no widespread threat of a tsunami at this time, but it issued a regional warning affecting the Alaskan coast near the epicenter. The earthquake reading was based on the open-ended Moment Magnitude scale used by US seismologists, which measures the area of the fault that ruptured and the total energy released. A similar 7.7-magnitude earthquake hit Canada's Queen Charlotte Islands, located just south of the current epicenter, last October. That quake did trigger a small Pacific tsunami which eventually reached the US state of Hawaii without causing any damage.

Obama re-nominates Indian American Srikanth Srinivasan as federal judge

have and should have been confirmed before the Senate adjourned," Obama said. "Several have been awaiting a vote for more than six months, even though they all enjoy bipartisan support. I continue to be grateful for their willingness to serve and remain confident that they will apply the law with the utmost impartiality and integrity," he said. "I urge the Senate to consider and confirm these nominees without delay, so all Americans can have equal and timely access to justice," Obama said in a statement. Srinivasan was born in Chandigarh, and grew up in Lawrence, Kansas. He received his BA with honors and distinction in 1989 from Stanford University and his JD (Juris Doctor) with distinction in 1995 from Stanford Law School, where he was elected to Order of the Coif and served as an editor of the Stanford Law Review. He also holds an MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business, which he received along with his JD in 1995. Srinivasan began his legal career by serving as a law clerk for Judge J Harvie Wilkinson on the US Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit from 1995 to 1996. He then spent a year as a Bristow Fellow in the Office of the Solicitor General before clerking for Justice Sandra Day O'Connor during the Supreme Court's 1997-98 term. He was an associate at the law firm of O'Melveny & Myers LLP in Washington, DC, from 1998 until 2002. In 2002, he returned to the Solicitor General's Office as an Assistant to the Solicitor General, representing the US in litigation before the Supreme Court. For his work, he received the Attorney General's Award for Excellence in Furthering US National Security in 2003 and the Office of the Secretary of Defense Award for Excellence in 2005. In 2007, Srinivasan became a partner with O'Melveny & Myers LLP. In 2011, he was named the Chair of the firm's Appellate Practice Group. He was named as the Principal Deputy Solicitor General in August 2011. In June this year he was nominated by Obama to serve on the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.

WASHINGTON: IndianAmerican Srikanth Srinivasan is among the 33 federal judges re-nominated by the US President Barack Obama for the US Court of Appeals. Srinivasan is the only Indian American re-nominated by Obama for the District of Columbia Circuit. "I am re-nominating thirtythree highly qualified candidates for the federal bench, including many who could

Pakistan PM appeals to prevent democracy from getting derailed

ISLAMABAD: Pakistani Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf has appealed to people to prevent democracy from being derailed saying that political stability in the country was critically linked to national security. "The forces of doom and gloom thrive in an environment of chaos, uncertainty and instability. We need to guard against all the forces that are out to derail the system assiduously put in place after a protracted struggle," Ashraf was quoted as saying. "For a country to be able to protect its national security, it is incumbent that every institution works within the constitutional ambit," the Prime Minister said. On the issue of dialogue with the Tehrik-iTaliban Pakistan, Ashraf called for preparing a comprehensive of the people are critical to its success." Stressing that Pakistan was facing threats from "non-state actors" who were targeting the state's symbols and institutions to impose their agenda, the Prime Minister said: "It is an enemy which is nameless and faceless." He said Parliament was the "mother of all institutions, repository of people's aspirations and custodian of national interests"."We are living in a world undergoing dynamic changes where traditional notions of security and sovereignty are being constantly redefined," he added.

Beijing remains world's 2nd busiest airport in 2012

BEIJING: The Chinese capital has retained its position as the world's second busiest airport in 2012 just behind a US airport by handling 81.8 million people last year. Beijing Capital International Airport said today that it remained the world's second-busiest airport in 2012 in terms of passenger throughput. Passenger volumes grew 4.2 per cent year on year to reach 81.8 million people last year, according to a statement from the airport. According to Airports Council International, Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport of the US remained the most busiest handling about 90 million passengers last year. The number of daily passengers at the Chinese Capital airport exceeded 278,000 during peak travel periods in 2012. The airport has become increasingly busy in the last decade due to China's robust economic growth. Ninety-four airlines were using it as a flight hub as of the end of last year, operating flights to 236 destinations, state-run Xinhua news agency quoted the statement as saying.

US asks Myanmar to resolve ethnic conflicts through dialogue

WASHINGTON: The US on Friday asked Myanmar to resolve the differences with minority ethnic communities through peaceful dialogue and not through armed conflict, and also end racial and religiously motivated discrimination. "We are concerned about violence by any side, in Kachin, as we have said, and we call on both sides to come to the peace table to end efforts to settle this through aggressive means. "The government of Burma (Myanmar) has had good success in many other ethnic areas in getting to a process of dialogue and negotiation, and we want to see the same thing in Kachin," State Department spokesperson, Victoria Nuland, told reporters at a news conference. In the last few days, the United States has expressed its concern over use of air power by Myanmar against the Kachin rebels. The United States calls Myanmar by its previous name Burma. United Kingdom is the only other country to do so. The State Department also urged Myanmar to adhere to its commitment on Rohingya Muslims. "We look to the government of Burma to implement the commitments that it's made to seek a longerterm solution that will include addressing citizenship issues for the Rohingya population and ending racial and religiously motivated discrimination," she said. "We remain deeply concerned about the protection of asylum seekers and vulnerable migrants found at sea, no matter where they're found, and we consistently urge countries to cooperate with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in the exercise of their mandate," Nuland said.

strategy for dealing with the terror outfit."We have to redesign and redefine our military doctrine to achieve this objective," he said. Reminding the army of the importance of political support to its operations, he said: "No military action can succeed alone. Political will and support

ECONOMY

Slaughter house waste has huge potential

ALIGARH, JAN 5 : India can earn more than $50 billion by exporting value added pet food to the global market by recycling slaughter house waste products, an official said here Saturday. The government has taken a lead on the issues like climate change, conservation of biodiversity and global peace, Dr. M. Salahuddin, director, ministry of environment and forests said here addressing a meet. The country can earn $50 billion by pet food to the global market by recycling slaughter house waste products, he said. Slaughter house wastes were seen as a major source of pollution in cities. But experts now feel if they are recycled as feed for animals, it could be a profitable industry. Aligarh Muslim University Vice Chancellor, Lt. Gen. (retd.) Zameer Uddin Shah, asked the scientists to produce good research for the betterment of the mankind. He said that meat industry in India was linked with Muslims and the AMU faculty should carry more works on these slaughter houses. Prof. S.M. Ilyas, Project Director, National Institute of Rural Development, Hyderabad said that in coming days, bio-products will be more valuable than the meat.

Uttar Pradesh seeks to attract global investors

AGRA JAN 05: The summit which attracts industry leaders from across the globe is scheduled to take place from Jan 27 to 29 here. It is being organised by the commerce and industry ministry in partnership with industry body Confederation of Indian Industry (CII). The state needs huge investments in core sectors and the image of the Taj city had to be properly projected, Agra Divisional Commissioner Pradip Bhatnagar said. The three-day global investors meet which was shifted from Kolkata to Agra would be used to project the state's new dynamic image under Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav who wanted speedy industrial development. Areas around the historical monuments including Fatehpur Sikri, Sikandra, Mehtab Bagh are now being cleaned up and approach roads being made encroachment free. The Agra Cantt Railway Station where the Shatabdi Expressway will halt is being given a facelift.

NEW DELHI,JAN 5: Services sector grew at its fastest pace in three months in December, a private survey showed on Friday, adding to the upbeat manufacturing sentiment. The HSBC services Purchasing Managers' Index rose to 55.6 in December from 52.1 in November following robust increase in new business. "The service sector provided some holiday cheer with activity fully recovering after two months of deceleration, led by a sharp rise in new business," said Leif Eskesen, economist at HSBC. Manufacturing PMI released on Wednesday showed factory output rose to a six-month high in December. Services make up over 60% of the India's GDP, or total output of goods and services. A reading above 50 on this index shows expansion, below that contraction. The new business subindex climbed to 57.1 in December from 54.9 in November, but busi-

Services PMI jumps to three- India, Mauritius need to boost month high in December economic ties: Mukherjee
ness expectations component of the index dropped. Services sector growth slipped to 7.2% in the JulySeptember quarter from 8.8% a year ago, dragging down the overall growth to 5.3%. The survey showed input and output prices rose at a slower pace during the month, but this will not impactinflation as India's headline price gauge, the wholesale price index, only measures change in prices of goods. Wholesale inflation has moderated slightly in November to 7.24% and further softening would increase the chances of an interest rate cut in the end-January policy review. The RBI has already indicated that it may cut rates in the last quarter of this fiscal. "Inflation readings, meanwhile, eased a bit. With growth showing signs of recovery and inflation still elevated, the case for a policy rate cut is not yet convincing," Eskesen said. NEW DELHI JAN 05: Addressing a banquet held at Rashtrapati Bhavan in honour of visiting Mauritius President Rajkeswur Purryag Friday evening, the president said the two countries also share the objective of peace and stability along the Indian Ocean. Describing the Mauritius president as a "long standing friend of India and a strong advocate of closer ties between India and Mauritius," President Mukherjee praised the Indian Ocean island nation for having maintained "impressive growth" despite the global economic slowdown. Commenting on the close historical ties between India and Mauritius, which comprises over 60 percent people of Indian origin, President from Rashtrapati Bhavan. Mukherjee said India and Mauritius face the common challenge of maritime piracy "which must be overcome by the collective efforts of all the littoral states that are affected. We value the active support and involvement of the Government of Mauritius in the Indian Ocean Rim Association for Regional Cooperation". Purryag, who is of Indian origin, began a week-long visit to India Thursday. He met External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid Friday. The Mauritius president will be the chief guest at the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas in Kochi in Kerala from Jan 79. He will also visit his ancestral village Bojeetpore near Patna.

Mukherjee said the longstanding ties of co-operation between their nations have "evolved into a modern and vibrant partnership involving key sectors on both sides". "This has been facilitated by our regular dialogue and inter-governmental initiatives operationalised through a framework of bilateral agreements, public and pri-

vate sector joint ventures and robust people-to-people contacts. "The strong synergies and complementarities between our two economies indicate that there still remains a vast untapped potential - especially in the trade, investment, developmental and infrastructure sectors," he said, according to a statement

GIFT to invest Rs 2,000 crore in a year for infrastructure

AHMEDABAD,JAN 5: Gujarat International Finance-Tech City, the upcoming International Financial Services Centreat Gandhinagar will invest close to Rs 2000 crore in one year to set up infrastructure, an official said. Gujarat government is planning to hardsell GIFT to the companies in the financial sector from the country and abroad during the upcoming Vibrant Summit. One of its tower will be inaugurated on January 10 and will be showcased during the summit. This will also attract foreign universities to start courses in GIFT . At present, Gujarat government has invested Rs 300 crore for crore by Gujarat government and Rs 800 crore by Infrastructure Lease and Finance Limited (IL&FS), which is a partner in the project. The second tower will be ready by March this year and operations in GIFT will begin in May this year. Four more towers will be ready in a year. India International Textile Machinery Exhibition (ITME) society is also coming with a exhibition-cum-convention centre. All these projects and associated infrastructure is expected to cost another Rs 2,000 crore. GIFT officials said that as of now road, sewerage, water supply and power facilities are ready for the two towers. The Optical Fibre Cable (OFC) is also laid, while the work on district cooling system, automated waste collection system and water treatment plants is going on. The 29-storey, the tallest in Gujarat, that will be ready on January 10 by chief minister Narendra Modi and will be showcased to the investors during the Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit 2013, that is organized at Mahatma Mandir in Gandhinagar during January 11-13. GIFT officials are in talks with public sector banks, international banks like International Monetory Fund and World Bank as well as foreign banks. "Negotiations are on with PSU banks for booking space in GIFT. About 10 of them are eager to start operations here, but they need an approval from their board. We will start negotiations with private banks later on," GIFT director Ramakant Jha told ET. Talks are also on with Multi Commodiy Exchange (MCX) and National Stock Exchange (NSE).

India's foreign reserves up by near $40 mn

MUMBAI, JAN 5: India's foreign exchange (forex) reserves increased by $39.6 million to $296.57 billion for the week ended Dec 28, 2012, data released by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) showed. The reserves had gone down by $92.8 million to $296.53 billion for the week ended Dec 21, 2012. The foreign currency assets (FCA) - the biggest component of the forex reserves - went up by $63.9 million at $262.01 billion, according to the weekly statistical supplement released by the RBI. The FCA decreased by $169.9 million at $261.94 billion in the previous week. The central bank said FCA in US dollar terms included the effect of appreciation or depreciation of non-US currencies held in reserve, such as the pound sterling, euro and yen. Gold reserves value remained the same at $27.80 billion. The value had dipped by $386.2 million in the week ended Nov 30. The value had remained unchanged at $28.18 billion since the week ended Nov 2, when the value of gold reserves rose by $56.4 million.

Special discount for women in Himachal Tourism's hotels

SHIMLA ,JAN 05: An additional discount of 10 percent on accommodation over and above the prevailing off-season discount, ranging from 20 to 30 percent depending upon the property, will be offered to the women, HPTDC managing director Subhasish Panda said. He said the special discount, valid till March 30, could be availed by any woman or women with minor children staying as guests in 58 HPTDC hotel units. Panda said directives have been issued to take special care of the women staying in the HPTDC units or travelling in its transport facilities. The annual tourist arrival in Himachal Pradesh crossed 1.5 crore (15 million) in 2011. The number of foreign tourists visiting the state has more than doubled from a little over 200,000 in 2005 to nearly half a million in 2011.

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CEAT Awards: Kohli, Pakistan bag top international honours

NEW DELHI: India vicecaptain Virat Kohli was adjudged the International Cricketer of the Year while Pakistan bagged the top honours for the best team at the CEAT Cricket Awards 201112 here Thursday. Kohli beat Hashim Amla, Kumar Sangakkara and Michael Clarke to bag the award. Kohli was the top run-getter for India in both Tests and ODIs last year, and his career-best 183 came against Pakistan in the Asia Cup in March last year. Former Pakistan captain Zaheer Abbas was honoured with the lifetime award. In the special IndiaPakistan award category, retired batting great Inzamam-ul-Haq, also a former captain, got the award for the best ODI bastman, India's little master Sunil Gavaskar the best Test batsman, Kapil Dev the best Test bowler and Wasim Akram the best ODI bowler. special for us. This is my second award and I hope I feel honoured again,' said the former Pakistan captain. Kapil Dev also lauded the Pakistan team for its impressive performance in India. Pakistan have already sealed the three-match ODI series 2-0. The last and the final ODI to be held here Sunday is now a dead rubber. 'The Pakistan team has been exceptional. They deserve to win. They have a great batting and bowling attack,' said Kapil. On getting the award, Kapil said: 'It is tough to say how difficult it is when you play against Pakistan. The pressure takes over you. You have to hold your nerves.' The awards ceremony was attended by former cricketers from both sides of the border like Gavaskar, Kapil, Yashpal Sharma, Ajay Jadeja, Akram, Izamam, Abbas, Anwar and Rameez Raja.

With Somdev's exit, Indian challenge ends at Chennai Open

CHENNAI: The Indian challenge ended at the Chennai Open tournament on Friday with Somdev Devvarman and his Ukrainian partner Sergiy Stakhovsky losing their doubles quarterfinal match to Thai brothers Sanchal and Sonchat Ratiwatana in straight sets. The Indian-Ukrainian pair lost 3-6, 5-7 to the Thai twins in 66 minutes past midnight. In the semi finals, Ratiwatana brothers take on Germans Andre Begemann and Martin Emmrich and the Indian challenge came to an end at the tournament. On Thursday, the top seeded pair of M a h e s h Bhupathi and Canadian Daniel Nestor was ousted from the tournament with a 4-6, 5-7 shock defeat at the hands of the unseeded Russian -American pair of Raveen Klaasen and Nicholas Monroe in their doubles quarterfinal. Rohan Bopanna and Rajiv Ram also crashed out in the quarter-finals against Stanislas Wawrinka and Benoit Paire. Before this Paire and Wawrinka had ousted Indian pair of Sanam Singh and Vishnu Vardhan. Leander Paes had also suffered a shock first round exit with Edouard RogerVasselin of France against the Ratiwatana brothers.India's challenge had already ended in the singles.

Somdev Devvarman Benoit Paire of France and Stanislas Wawrinka (Sui) play Raven Klaasen (Rus) and Nicholas Monroe (USA). With Devvarman's loss,

Kohli wins Cricketer of the Year Award Pakistan's former explosive opener Saeed Anwar got the best audience choice awards for the 2011-12 season. Delhi youngster Unmukt Chand, who led India to the U-19 World Cup win last year, got the inaugural Indian Youngster of the Year award. 'It is a great honour for me. The World Cup win was such awards will boost my confidence in the future,' he said. Legendary fast bowler Akram, who also collected the award on behalf of the Pakistan team, said it was a great honour for him. 'It was in 1999 when I got the award for the Pakistan team. It was a great honour for me. Now as I collect the award on behalf of the team,

Golf set to unveil its premier league

NEW DELHI: Golf is all set to turn shorter and snazzier as the Twenty20 version of the sport is set to make its debut with the USD 400,000 Golf Premier League, scheduled to be held at the picturesque Aamby Valley from February 8 to 10. A brainchild of renowned golfer Shiv Kapur, the GPL will have 32 players, comprising four Major champions and a host of European, Asian and India stars, and eight franchises, with each team having four players each. There are four category of golfers taking part in the franchise-based competition namely international star, international Indian star, Asian tour star and PGTI star. Five franchises have been finalised so far, viz Delhi Darts, Gujarat Underdawgs, Colombo Sixers, Shubhkamna Eagles and Tamil Nadu Pulis. Colombo Sixers is owned by Sri Lankan cricketer Mahela Jayawardene, also a keen golfer. The event, co-founded by Neeraj Saran - a former amateur golfer, will be played on a stroke-play-cum-best-ball format over three days with approximately three hours of play each day and it will be telecasted live on television on prime time. "I have been a big fan of the IPL and so I decided to try something similar in golf. So the format has been influenced from different club competitions like NFL, NBA and IPL. It is a unique concept and will be an annual affair. We are starting with a three-year contract," Shiv said "IPL made cricket sexy and cool and we are trying something similar in golf. With 30 second time slot to hit a ball, it will make golf faster. It is also unique as it will have day night rounds of strokeplay, which is a first in professional golf in Asia. We have also reduced the number of golfs from 18 to 14," he added.

Sauber to unveil 2013 car on Feb 2

H I N W I L , SWITZERLAND: Sauber Formula One team has announced that they will launch their 2013 car Feb 2, three days before the start of pre-season testing. The Swiss team's new challenger - Ferrari-powered C32 - will be unveiled here in the presence of drivers Nico Hulkenberg and rookie Esteban Gutierrez. Testing begins at the Spanish circuit of Jerez Feb 5. Sauber finished sixth in the 2012 constructors' championship with four podium spots.

MS Dhoni doubtful for third ODI in Kotla

New Delhi: Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni was on Saturday rendered a doubtful starter for third and final One-dayer against Pakistan due to a sore back, forcing the team management to call up Dinesh Karthik as the backup. Dhoni said at the customary pre-match press conference that he developed soreness on his back during the morning practice session at the Feroze Shah Kotla ground here. He was actually asked about the absence of middleorder batsman Yuvraj Singh at the training session and the skipper said, "If at all somebody is doubtful, it's me. I have a sore back and we have called Dinesh Karthik as back up. "Since it was an optional practice session, Yuvraj did not come," he said. Asked, who will lead the side if he does not recover in time, Dhoni said, "Let's hope that I play. We'll see on Sunday." The beleaguered Indian batting line-up could come under more pressure if Dhoni sits out on Sunday. He has been India's top scorer in the series with a 113 not out in the first match in Chennai and an unbeaten 54 in the second in Kolkata. Asked if it would be a setback for Indian batting, which has been struggling to put up decent scores against Pakistan in the first two matches, Dhoni replied in the negative. "Nobody is irreplaceable. I am sure if Dinesh plays on Sunday, he will bat as good as I batted in the last two games," he said.

Mahesh, Kush in semi-finals of British Junior Open squash

SHEFFIELD: India`s Mahesh Mangaonkar and Kush Kumar entered the semifinals of the British Junior Open boys Under-19 and U17 categories respectively, here Friday. Mangaonkar defeated Egypt`s Shehab Essam 9-11, 11-4, 11-4, 11-9 in 57 minutes, while Kush Kumar ousted Malaysian Mohd Syafiq Kamal 11-3, 11-13, 11-9, 11-8 after a 47-minute workout. Essam won the first game against Mahesh by playing hard straight drives and not giving the Indian a chance to drop or volley. Mahesh stuck with his plan and kept the pace

high to finally wear down his opponent. Kush seemed in total control after winning the first game, leading 7-4 in the second when he became defensive and lost the game in extra points. Kush regained his confidence and won the next two games.

1st Test: South Africa beat New Zealand by an innings and 27 runs
CAPE TOWN: Dean Brownlie hit a maiden Test century for New Zealand but could not prevent a South African victory on the third day of the first Test at Newlands on Friday. South Africa won by an innings and 27 runs as New Zealand were bowled out for 275 in their second innings. But the tourists made the South Africans toil almost until tea as they recovered some pride after a disastrous first innings of 45 all out . Brownlie made 109 before falling to the second new ball four minutes before lunch. New Zealand lost their last six wickets for 46 runs. Morne Morkel took the key wicket of Brownlie. There was more resistance from wicketkeeper BJ Watling and James Franklin before man of the match Vernon Philander struck twice in successive overs. Dale Steyn took two more wickets and Chris Martin was run out without facing a ball as New Zealand's resistance finally crumbled. deep backward point. Watling provided doughty highest Test score was 77 not out against Australia in Brisbane in 2011/12, played a contrasting innings. His first fifty was scored off only 44 balls, during which time he was twice dropped at gully. His second half-century was far more measured. His hundred was raised off 160 balls with 13 fours and two sixes. With his score on 92, Brownlie took advantage of a short ball from Peterson to pull it for six over midwicket. In the next over he went down the wicket and hit the spinner for a straight six to raise his hundred. He was dismissed after batting for 272 minutes. He faced 186 balls and did not add to his boundary tally. Watling made 42 in 211 minutes off 151 balls before he edged an outswinger from Philander to Graeme Smith at first slip, virtually sealing New Zealand's fate. Steyn was South Africa's most successful bowler, taking three for 67.

IOA continues defiance of IOC, calls meeting on Jan 19

NEW DELHI: Blatantly defying the IOC's diktat not to conduct any official activity after its suspension last month, the Indian Olympic Association has called a meeting of its Executive Council on January 19 here, the first assembly of the office bearers after being barred from the Olympic family. The IOA's Executive Council will discuss the International Olympic Committee's communication to suspend it and also the government's Sports Code which had created problems for the national sports apex body. "The Executive Council Meeting of the Indian Olympic association will be held on 19th January 2013 at 11:30 AM at Olympic Bhavan, New Delhi," the IOA circular issued by its Secretary General Lalit Bhanot said. A copy of the circular was also marked for IOC member and former IOA Secretary General Randhir Singh, who had withdrawn his candidature for the post of the president in the controversial elections last month. Other items in the agenda for the meeting include confirmation of the minutes of the last Executive Council meeting held in September last, to determine the progress and fix dates for the National Games to be held in Kerala, to approve the renting of the IOA premises as per rules, preparation of athletes for the future Games and to discuss about the SAF Games to be held in India. Just a day before the controversy-marred elections of the IOA on December 5, the IOC had suspended the national Olympic body for adhering to the government's Sports Code and declared the polls null and void, besides also barring it to discharge any official duties such as holding meetings till the issues were resolved. In an act of defiance, the IOA went ahead with the polls though the international parent body had refused to recognise Abhay Singh Chautala, who was elected unopposed as president, and his team as office bearers. Randhir lashed out at the current IOA dispensation for their continued defiance with IOC directives, saying that their actions will only harm the athletes. "They are taking their defiance of IOC to another level. They seem to be hellbent upon ruining Indian Olympic Sports in the country," Randhir said "I don't think they care at all for the Olympic Movement. They are only keen to hold their position and eventually it's the athletes who will pay for their folly. Let them (IOA officials) face the music from the IOC," he said.

India to make world's largest solar telescope

South Africa team members celebrate their victory over New Zealand in the first Test at Newlands in Cape Town Brownlie reached his century with two sixes in successive overs off left-arm spinner Robin Peterson. The Australian-born batsman earned a congratulatory tweet from former captain Ross Taylor, who was unavailable for the tour after a controversy over his captaincy. South Africa took the second new ball immediately it was due and Morkel made the breakthrough with his fifth delivery when Brownlie cut a short ball to Peterson at support as he and Brownlie defied the South African bowling attack for more than two and a half hours in a partnership of 74. Brownlie and Watling showed superb discipline as they blunted some tight, hostile bowling. Only 63 runs were added in 30 overs before lunch but it gave New Zealand hope of avoiding an innings defeat which seemed a distant prospect after the first morning. Brownlie, whose previous

KOLKATA: India is likely to begin construction of the world's largest solar telescope on the foothills of the Himalayas in Ladakh to understand the fundamental processes taking place on the Sun by year-end, a senior official said Saturday. A 2-metre class, state-ofthe-art National Large Solar Telescope (NLST), built by Bangalore-based Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA), will permit Indian scientists to carry out cutting edge research aimed to study Sun's atmosphere. "A detailed project report has been submitted to the union government and we will be able to begin construction of telescope by end of this year. The project is likely to be completed by 2017," IIA former director Siraj Hasan said while speaking at a session in the Indian Science Congress here. Hasan said that its innovative design and back-end instruments will

enable observations with an unprecedented high spatial resolution that will provide crucial information on the nature of magnetic fields in the solar atmosphere. The Rs.150 crore (around $31 million) project will be one of the few telescopes in the world with a capability to do both day and night time astronomy. "The solar telescope will help study the microscopic structure of the Sun and derive specific observations that are speculative in nature and not available before," he said. The solar telescope can study particles, which are spread across 50 km on the Sun. "A suitable site has been identified at Merak village near Pangong Lake," Hasan pointed out. The village is situated in the Ladakh region of J&K. Initially, three sites - at Hanle and Leh in the Ladakh region and Devasthal near Nainital, Uttarakhand - were explored to set up the telescope.

Tennis players threatens AITA to boycott upcoming Davis Cup

NEW DELHI: The crisis that has hit Indian tennis deepened today with the revolting players on Friday threatening to pull out of the upcoming Davis Cup tie against South Korea unless All India Tennis Association (AITA) discusses their "legitimate" suggestions for improvement in the system. The eight players issued a joint statement and insisted that their intention is not to challenge the authority of national tennis body. "Given that all the information is now in the public domain, we wish to emphatically state that all things for the improvement of Indian tennis," the statement said. The players repeated their major demands -change in support staff, a say in decision making, revised agreement for the distribution of Davis Cup prize money -- and said they are not willing to play in Davis Cup unless AITA engages them in a dialogue. "In light of the AITA Secretary General Mr. Bharat Oza's statement that the AITA will introduce a disciplinary code for players before the Davis Cup tie against South Korea in February and that only those who sign the code will be able to represent the country, we wish to make it very clear that ALL of us are, regrettably, unavailable for Davis Cup selection unless the AITA is willing to consider and engage with us on our very legitimate suggestions in relation to the team." The players said their statement should not be construed as an ultimatum but instead as a platform for change to ensure a better future for Indian Tennis.

of us are united in our stand against certain practices observed in the management of the Davis Cup squad. We are not looking to challenge the authority of the AITA, but are making a genuine attempt to change

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