NEW DELHI, JAN 20 The Election Commission Tuesday sent a notice to AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal to explain why he asked people to take bribes from other parties for vot- ing in the Delhi Assembly polls. The poll panel asked the Aam Aadmi Party leader to give an explanation by 4 p.m. Thursday. "People from both parties (BJP and Congress) will come to offer money, do not refuse, take it... if no one comes forward to give you money, go to their offices and ask them to give it to you in their office... accept the money from both, but vote only for the broom," the Election Commission quoted Kejriwal as saying at a public meeting. In the notice to the former Delhi chief minister, the poll panel said it was "prima facie of the opinion that by making the afore- said statements, you have violated the provision of the model code of conduct". "You are hereby called upon to explain by 4 pm on 22.01.2015 (Thursday) as to why action should not be taken against you for afore- said violation of the model code of conduct, failing CONTD. ON P AGE 3 MUMBAI Temperature: 27 0 C Precipitation: 0% Humidity: 34% Wind: 12 Km/hr NEW DELHI, JAN 20 Mumbai terror attacks mastermind Hafiz Saeed is attempting to push militants across the Indian side of the border ahead of US President Barack Obama's India visit to attend Republic Day celebrations, reports said on Tuesday. It was also reported that the Jamaat-ud- Dawa (JuD) chief has set up two control rooms in different places including Muzaffarabad in a bid to coordinate with the CONTD. ON P AGE 3 HAQ SAADDA FIGHT FOR RIGHT Wednesday, January 21, 2015 BJP workers dissent 'parachute CM' Kiran Bedi, Satish Upadhyay heckled Samsung Galaxy J1 Pricing Tipped Ahead of Official Announcement Katrina Kaif opens her heart about marriage, babies NEW DELHI, JAN 20 Jumping to Kiran Bedi's defence, the BJP on Tuesday termed Arvind Kejriwal's open debate as a cheap gim- mick aimed at garnering cheap publicity. “It is nothing but a gimmick to gain cheap publicity, if you want to debate, do it on floor of Assembly,” BJP spokesper- son Sambit Patra said, adding, “Development will defeat drama.” The BJP also termed Kiran Bedi as 'Iron Woman' while terming Kejriwal as 'I-Run Man'. The BJP was forced to shield Bedi after Kejriwal tried to turn the Delhi contest into a clash of personalities between him Bedi and Congress' Ajay Maken by challenging them for a open debate on issues concerning Delhi. Maken had accepted the challenge. He tweeted: Maken later said, "This will be a healthy tradition. I believe a structured debate should take place in a mutual- ly accepted TV channel or agency moderated by a mutu- ally accepted anchor." With Maken jumping into the 'for debate' bandwagon, all eyes were on whether Bedi will also accept the challenge for a pre-poll debate before the BJP came out rejecting the proposition. Earlier, Bedi had said that she is ready for a challenge but rebuffed his demand for a debate ahead of the February 7 assembly elections. Speaking to reporters, Bedi said, “I'm here for good gov- ernance. Arvind believes in debate but I believe in deliv- ery. We will debate in the floor of the house after the elections.” “My strength is delivery, my strength is innovation, my strength is listening to peo- ple...this is in totality of what is called good governance,” she added On Kejriwal's contention that the fight in Delhi is CONTD. ON P AGE 3 Battle for Delhi: It's 'Iron Woman' Kiran Bedi Vs 'I-Run Man' Arvind Kejriwal, says BJP P8 SHILLONG, JAN 20 Congress on Tuesday alleged that the BJP led NDA government was trying to make the country a 'Hindu nation' subverting the Constitution. "Secularism is the key word in the Constitution but the BJP CONTD. ON P AGE 3 BJP promoting 'Hindu Nation' : Cong GUWAHATI, JAN 20 Lt Gen Pranab Kumar Bharali has been appointed as the Director General of Army Aviation Corps at the Army Headquarters, Delhi. Bharali, a recipient of the Vishist Seva Medal, is the first CONTD. ON P AGE 3 Pranab Kumar Bharali appointed as DG of Army Aviation Corps RAIPUR, JAN 20 A Chhattisgarh Armed Force jawan was injured in a landmine explosion triggered by Naxals in the state's insur- gency-hit Bijapur district on Tuesday. The rebels exploded the landmine near Murdunda vil- lage under Awapalli Police CONTD. ON P AGE 3 CAF jawan injured in landmine explosion in Chhattisgarh Vol. 1 Issue: 125 Price: Rs.3:00 Reg. No: DELENG/2014/58212 Delhi Edition Pages: 8 Website: www.saaddahaq.in Email: [email protected]LUCKNOW, JAN 20 Union Minister for Road Transport, Highways and Shipping Nitin Gadkari Tuesday announced that the central government would spend Rs 50,000 crore to improve the condition of roads in Uttar Pradesh. A major overhaul of roads is a pre-requisite for the develop- ment and progress of Uttar Pradesh, he said in Basti district, while CONTD. ON P AGE 3 Nitin Gadkari announces Rs 50,000 crore for UP roads NEW DELHI, JAN 20 Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju has said the security of any state head visiting the country is the responsibility of the host nation as a whole. Rijiju's comments come in the backdrop of multi-tier security arrangements being made for US President Barack Obama's visit for this year's Republic Day celebra- tions. Obama will arrive in New CONTD. ON P AGE 3 Security of state heads is respon- sibility of host nation: Rijiju SRINAGAR, JAN 20 Former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah Tuesday said declaring the candi- dates for the post of the prime min- ister or chief minister should be made mandatory for parties ahead of the elections to allow people have a say in the process. "I believe CONTD. ON P AGE 3 Declaration of PM or CM candi- date must before election: Omar MOTIHARI , JAN 20 The Bihar police in a joint operation with the West Bengal police today rescued eight girls and seven boys from a village in East Champaran district where they worked for an orchestra CONTD. ON P AGE 3 15 boys and girls res- cued from orchestra company in Bihar NEW DELHI, JAN 20 In what may come as a huge setback for Mamata Banerjee, Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Dinesh Trisvedi is like- ly to join Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), reports said on Tuesday. Reports say that the Trinamool MP from CONTD. ON P AGE 3 Trinamool leader Dinesh Trivedi to join BJP: Reports LONDON, JAN 20 The European Union on Tuesday decided to lift a ban on the import of mangoes from India after the country made improvements in plant health controls and certifica- tion system, clearing the way for them to return to the 28- member bloc. A European CONTD. ON P AGE 3 EU lifts ban on import of Mangoes from India P6 P2 Election Commission issues notice to Arvind Kejriwal NEW DELHI, JAN 20 With President Pranab Mukherjee voicing his objection to the 'Ordinance route', senior ministers met here on Tuesday to discuss how to ensure that the Ordinances issued recently are followed up with legisla- tive action in the upcoming Budget session next month. The meeting called by Parliamentary Affairs Minister M Venkaiah Naidu and attended by Home Minister Rajnath Singh, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and six others delib- erated upon the implications that some sectors like coal will have if the Ordinances are not followed up by pas- sage of bills in Parliament. The government has issued at least eight Ordinances including one on raising the FDI limit in the insurance sector from 26 percent to 49 percent and e- auctioning of coal mines. The meeting significantly took place a day after the President voiced his CONTD. ON P AGE 3 UNITED NATIONS, JAN 20 UN chief Ban Ki-moon has commended India's Lieutenant General Iqbal Singh Singha on the comple- tion of his assignment as force commander of the UN mission in the Golan, acknowledging his "dedicat- ed leadership" during an attack by Al-Qaeda-linked armed groups last year. Singha completed his assignment on January 2 as Head of Mission and Force Commander of the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF). He will be succeeded by Nepalese Major General Purna Chandra Thapa, 54, who studied Philosophy at CONTD. ON P AGE 3 TOKYO, JAN 20 Militants from the Islamic State group released a video Tuesday purporting to show two Japanese men they were holding. A masked jihadist demanded a $200 mil- lion ransom for their release. Here are brief profiles of the men: Haruna Yukawa is a 42-year-old widower who reportedly has a history of attempted sui- cide and self-mutilation. Yukawa opened a mil- itary goods shop in Chiba, outside Tokyo, after leaving high CONTD. ON P AGE 3 Japanese hostages in Islamist video: Profiles UN Chief commends outgoing Indian force commander After President's objection; govt discusses Ordinance issue Obama's visit: Hafiz Saeed trying to push militants into India, sets up control rooms Weather Report DELHI Temperature: 18 0 C Precipitation: 0% Humidity:56% Wind: 13 Km/hr KOLKA T A Temperature: 23 0 C Precipitation: 0% Humidity: 48% Wind: 14 Km/hr CHENNAI Temperature: 31 0 C Precipitation: 0% Humidity:54% Wind: 19 Km/hr NEW DELHI, JAN 20 Attacking the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for nom- inating former IPS officer Kiran Bedi as their chief ministerial candidate for the upcoming Delhi Assembly elections, Congress leader P C Chacko on Tuesday said the party has nominated an apoliti- cal person who does not subscribe to even one percent of its ide- ologies. "The fight is not with Arvind Kejriwal at all; the fight is between the BJP and Congress. A person who is apolitical and against all political parties, and does not even subscribe one percent to the ideolo- gies of that party has been nominated as their chief ministerial candidate," said Chacko. Furthermore, he said that AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal proved to be a miser- able failure for run- ning away within 49 days of becoming the chief minister. "Arvind Kejriwal or anybody should CONTD. ON P AGE 3 Bedi is an 'apolitical' person who does not subscribe to BJP's ideologies: PC Chacko NEW DELHI, JAN 20 The Supreme Court on Tuesday accepted the med- ical report of controversial godman Asaram and rejected his interim bail plea which he had sought on health grounds. The apex court also asked the trial court to record statements of the material witnesses in the sexual assault case. A medical board of AIIMS had examined Asaram earlier this month and submitted its report to the apex court that Asaram does not need any surgery. The report also stressed that the controversial 'god- man' is not suffering from any serious ailment and medicines are sufficient to cure him. During the CONTD. ON P AGE 3 ISLAMABAD, JAN 20 Since Narendra Modi's coming to power, the Indian establishment has adopted a more aggres- sive stance, a Pakistani daily said Tuesday and expressed concern for bilateral ties in view of the row over the Pakistan International Airlines office in New Delhi. The Indian authorities have asked the Pakistan national flag carrier to "dispose off" its proper- ties in New Delhi, saying they were 'unauthorised' purchases. Stating that the people- to-people contact becomes the first casual- ty whenever bilateral ties turn sour, the Dawn in an CONTD. ON P AGE 3 India has turned aggressive after Modi: Pakistani daily SC denies interim bail to Asaram on the basis of AIIMS report RAMALLAH, JAN 20 Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas described as "despica- ble" Tuesday a threat by the Islamic State group to kill two Japanese hostages and pledged his full support to visit- ing Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. "We once again emphasise our condem CONTD. ON P AGE 3 IS threat to Japanese hostages `despicable:` Abbas
Transcript
NEW DELHI, JAN 20The Election
Commission Tuesday sent anotice to AAP chief ArvindKejriwal to explain why heasked people to take bribesfrom other parties for vot-ing in the Delhi Assemblypolls.
The poll panel asked theAam Aadmi Party leader togive an explanation by 4p.m. Thursday.
"People from both parties(BJP and Congress) willcome to offer money, do notrefuse, take it... if no onecomes forward to give youmoney, go to their officesand ask them to give it toyou in their office... acceptthe money from both, butvote only for the broom,"the Election Commission
quoted Kejriwal as sayingat a public meeting.
In the notice to the formerDelhi chief minister, thepoll panel said it was"prima facie of the opinionthat by making the afore-said statements, you haveviolated the provision of the
model code of conduct"."You are hereby calledupon to explain by 4 pm on22.01.2015 (Thursday) asto why action should not betaken against you for afore-said violation of the modelcode of conduct, failing
mastermind HafizSaeed is attempting topush militants acrossthe Indian side of theborder ahead of USPresident BarackObama's India visit toattend Republic Daycelebrations, reportssaid on Tuesday.
It was also reportedthat the Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD) chief hasset up two controlrooms in different
places includingMuzaffarabad in a bid
to coordinate with the CONTD. ON PAGE 3
HAQSAADDAFIGHT FOR RIGHTWednesday, January 21, 2015
Samsung Galaxy J1 Pricing TippedAhead of Official Announcement
Katrina Kaif opens her heart aboutmarriage, babies
NEW DELHI, JAN 20Jumping to Kiran Bedi's
defence, the BJP on Tuesdaytermed Arvind Kejriwal'sopen debate as a cheap gim-mick aimed at garneringcheap publicity.
“It is nothing but a gimmickto gain cheap publicity, if youwant to debate, do it on floorof Assembly,” BJP spokesper-son Sambit Patra said, adding,“Development will defeatdrama.”
The BJP also termed KiranBedi as 'Iron Woman' whileterming Kejriwal as 'I-RunMan'.
The BJP was forced toshield Bedi after Kejriwaltried to turn the Delhi contestinto a clash of personalitiesbetween him Bedi andCongress' Ajay Maken bychallenging them for a opendebate on issues concerning
Delhi.Maken had accepted the
challenge. He tweeted:Maken later said, "This will
be a healthy tradition. Ibelieve a structured debate
should take place in a mutual-ly accepted TV channel oragency moderated by a mutu-ally accepted anchor."
With Maken jumping intothe 'for debate' bandwagon,
all eyes were on whether Bediwill also accept the challengefor a pre-poll debate beforethe BJP came out rejecting theproposition.
Earlier, Bedi had said thatshe is ready for a challengebut rebuffed his demand for adebate ahead of the February7 assembly elections.
Speaking to reporters, Bedisaid, “I'm here for good gov-ernance. Arvind believes indebate but I believe in deliv-ery. We will debate in thefloor of the house after theelections.”
“My strength is delivery,my strength is innovation, mystrength is listening to peo-ple...this is in totality of whatis called good governance,”she added
On Kejriwal's contentionthat the fight in Delhi is
Transport, Highways and ShippingNitin Gadkari Tuesday announcedthat the central government wouldspend Rs 50,000 crore to improvethe condition of roads in UttarPradesh. A major overhaul of roadsis a pre-requisite for the develop-ment and progress of Uttar Pradesh,he said in Basti district, while
CONTD. ON PAGE 3
Nitin Gadkari announces Rs50,000 crore for UP roads
NEW DELHI, JAN 20Minister of State for Home Kiren
Rijiju has said the security of anystate head visiting the country is theresponsibility of the host nation as awhole. Rijiju's comments come inthe backdrop of multi-tier securityarrangements being made for USPresident Barack Obama's visit forthis year's Republic Day celebra-tions. Obama will arrive in New
CONTD. ON PAGE 3
Security of state heads is respon-sibility of host nation: Rijiju
SRINAGAR, JAN 20Former Jammu and Kashmir
chief minister Omar AbdullahTuesday said declaring the candi-dates for the post of the prime min-ister or chief minister should bemade mandatory for parties aheadof the elections to allow peoplehave a say in the process. "I believe
CONTD. ON PAGE 3
Declaration of PM or CM candi-date must before election: Omar
MOTIHARI , JAN 20The Bihar police in a joint
operation with the WestBengal police today rescuedeight girls and seven boysfrom a village in EastChamparan district wherethey worked for an orchestra
CONTD. ON PAGE 3
15 boys and girls res-cued from orchestracompany in Bihar
NEW DELHI, JAN 20In what may come as a huge
setback for Mamata Banerjee,Trinamool Congress (TMC)leader Dinesh Trisvedi is like-ly to join Bharatiya JanataParty (BJP), reports said onTuesday. Reports say that theTrinamool MP from
CONTD. ON PAGE 3
Trinamool leaderDinesh Trivedi to joinBJP: Reports
LONDON, JAN 20The European Union on
Tuesday decided to lift a banon the import of mangoesfrom India after the countrymade improvements in planthealth controls and certifica-tion system, clearing the wayfor them to return to the 28-member bloc. A European
CONTD. ON PAGE 3
EU lifts ban on import ofMangoes from India
P6P2
Election Commission issuesnotice to Arvind Kejriwal
NEW DELHI, JAN 20With President Pranab
Mukherjee voicing hisobjection to the 'Ordinanceroute', senior ministers methere on Tuesday to discusshow to ensure that theOrdinances issued recentlyare followed up with legisla-tive action in the upcomingBudget session next month.
The meeting called byParliamentary AffairsMinister M Venkaiah Naiduand attended by HomeMinister Rajnath Singh,Finance Minister Arun
Jaitley and six others delib-erated upon the implicationsthat some sectors like coalwill have if the Ordinancesare not followed up by pas-sage of bills in Parliament.
The government hasissued at least eightOrdinances including one onraising the FDI limit in theinsurance sector from 26percent to 49 percent and e-auctioning of coal mines.
The meeting significantlytook place a day after thePresident voiced his
CONTD. ON PAGE 3
UNITED NATIONS, JAN 20UN chief Ban Ki-moon has
commended India'sLieutenant General IqbalSingh Singha on the comple-tion of his assignment asforce commander of the UNmission in the Golan,acknowledging his "dedicat-ed leadership" during anattack by Al-Qaeda-linkedarmed groups last year.
Singha completed hisassignment on January 2 asHead of Mission and ForceCommander of the UnitedNations DisengagementObserver Force (UNDOF).
He will be succeeded byNepalese Major GeneralPurna Chandra Thapa, 54,who studied Philosophy at
CONTD. ON PAGE 3
TOKYO, JAN 20Militants from the
Islamic State groupreleased a videoTuesday purporting toshow two Japanese menthey were holding. Amasked jihadistdemanded a $200 mil-lion ransom for theirrelease.
Here are brief profilesof the men:
Haruna Yukawa is a42-year-old widowerwho reportedly has ahistory of attempted sui-cide and self-mutilation.
Yukawa opened a mil-itary goods shop inChiba, outside Tokyo,after leaving high
CONTD. ON PAGE 3
Japanese hostages inIslamist video: Profiles
UN Chief commendsoutgoing Indianforce commander
After President's objection; govtdiscusses Ordinance issue
Obama's visit: Hafiz Saeed trying to pushmilitants into India, sets up control rooms
Bharatiya JanataParty (BJP) for nom-inating former IPSofficer Kiran Bedi astheir chief ministerialcandidate for theupcoming DelhiAssembly elections,Congress leader P CChacko on Tuesdaysaid the party hasnominated an apoliti-cal person who doesnot subscribe to evenone percent of its ide-ologies.
"The fight is notwith Arvind Kejriwalat all; the fight isbetween the BJP andCongress. A personwho is apolitical andagainst all politicalparties, and does not
even subscribe onepercent to the ideolo-gies of that party hasbeen nominated astheir chief ministerialcandidate," saidChacko.
Furthermore, hesaid that AAP chief
Arvind Kejriwalproved to be a miser-able failure for run-ning away within 49days of becoming thechief minister.
"Arvind Kejriwalor anybody should
CONTD. ON PAGE 3
Bedi is an 'apolitical' personwho does not subscribe to
BJP's ideologies: PC Chacko
NEW DELHI, JAN 20The Supreme Court on
Tuesday accepted the med-ical report of controversialgodman Asaram andrejected his interim bailplea which he had soughton health grounds.
The apex court alsoasked the trial court torecord statements of thematerial witnesses in thesexual assault case.
A medical board ofAIIMS had examinedAsaram earlier this monthand submitted its report tothe apex court that Asaramdoes not need any surgery.
The report also stressed
that the controversial 'god-man' is not suffering fromany serious ailment andmedicines are sufficient tocure him. During the
CONTD. ON PAGE 3
ISLAMABAD, JAN 20Since Narendra Modi's
coming to power, theIndian establishment hasadopted a more aggres-sive stance, a Pakistanidaily said Tuesday andexpressed concern forbilateral ties in view ofthe row over the PakistanInternational Airlinesoffice in New Delhi.
The Indian authoritieshave asked the Pakistannational flag carrier to"dispose off" its proper-ties in New Delhi, sayingthey were 'unauthorised'purchases.
Stating that the people-to-people contactbecomes the first casual-
ty whenever bilateral tiesturn sour, the Dawn in an
CONTD. ON PAGE 3
India has turned aggressiveafter Modi: Pakistani daily
SC denies interim bail to Asaramon the basis of AIIMS report
RAMALLAH, JAN 20Palestinian president
Mahmud Abbasdescribed as "despica-ble" Tuesday a threat bythe Islamic State groupto kill two Japanese
hostages and pledgedhis full support to visit-ing Prime MinisterShinzo Abe.
"We once againemphasise our condem
CONTD. ON PAGE 3
IS threat to Japanese hostages `despicable:` Abbas
NEW DELHI | WEDNESDAY | JAN 21, 2015Delhi News2 SAADDA HAQ
NEW DELHI, JAN 20The rift within the party over
naming Kiran Bedi as the CM can-didate for the upcoming Delhi pollsis out in the open. Supporters ofDelhi Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)Delhi unit president SatishUpadhyay staged a protest outsideparty headquarters on Tuesday,reportedly miffed with him notbeing named as the party's CM can-didate.
The supporters also shouted slo-gans and said that “they will not tol-erate a parachute CM”.
Upadhyay tried to calm theprotesting party workers and waseven reportedly heckled at theDelhi BJP office, the ANI reported.
He attempted to pacify the sup-porters and said that he was notinterested in contesting the polls atall.
“I never demanded a ticket andam not upset over not being namedas the CM candidate. It was my per-sonal decision to not contest elec-tion,” he said.
Upadhyay said that he will ensureparty's success in the upcomingpolls under Bedi's leadership.
“If I contest polls, then who will
organise political candidates for myfellow candidates,” he added.
Apart from Updahyay's support-ers, another section of party work-ers supporting BJP leader ShikhaRai, are demanding election ticketfor her.
Meanwhile, Delhi police hasarrived at the BJP headquarters tocontrol the situation.
Bedi was named as the BJP's
chief ministerial candidate yester-day night and will contest fromKrishna Nagar seat which was ear-lier held by Harsh Vardhan, whowas party's chief ministerial candi-date for 2013 Assembly polls.
Clearing his stand over Bedi con-testing polls, he said, “It is a matterof happiness that Kiran Bedi is con-testing from the area I am attachedwith.”
Despite BJP leaders assuring thatthere is no rift within the party overnaming of the CM candidate, theparty top brass has been facingopposition over 'outsider' Bedi'scandidature.
The former 'Team Anna' member,which also included Aam aadmiParty (AAP) chief Arvind Kejriwal,had joined the Bharatiya JanataParty on January 15 in the presenceof BJP chief Amit Shah and Unionministers Arun Jaitley and HarshVardhan among others.
Hours after she was named as theparty's CM candidate, her hoardingwas vandalised outside BJP head-quarters yesterday. The faces ofBedi and Upadhyay were cut fromthe hoarding.
According to reports, several sen-ior party leaders were unhappy withBedi being projected days afterbeing inducted into the party.
Party chief Amit Shah had alsotold the press yesterday night, whileannouncing the name of Bedi, thatthere was no dissent regarding hername. Delhi Assembly polls arescheduled to be held on February 7and results will be declared onFebruary 10.
BJP, Arvind Kejriwal onTuesday called the party a"machine of lies" and saidpeople of Delhi will scripthistory by electing AAP inthe upcoming Assemblypolls.
The Aam Aadmi Partyleader made the remarksduring a road show, attend-ed by boisterous party vol-unteers and supporters,ahead of filing his nomina-tion papers from NewDelhi constituency.
"Delhiites will script his-tory by giving AAP the sin-gle largest majority as theywant to convert those 49-days of good governanceinto five years... BJP is amachine of lies andrumours," Kejriwal said,standing atop an open roofvehicle at Mandir Marghere.
Earlier, he started the
road show by visitingValmiki Mandir off MandirMarg.
During the road show,the AAP convener will alsospeak on on issues raised
during the party's DelhiDialogue series includingunauthorised colonies,women's security and JanLokpal, a party spokesper-son said.
BJP is a 'machine of lies': Kejriwal
NEW DELHI, JAN 20Surender Prakash Sharma, a
close associate of DelhiCongress Chief ArvinderSingh Lovely, was on Tuesdaymade the party candidate forGandhi Nagar Assembly con-stituency. The decision, whichwas announced by seniorCongress leader and in-chargeof party affairs in Delhi PCChacko, has come two daysafter the AICC asked Lovelyto withdraw from the contestand look after organisation ofthe elections. Lovely, whowas earlier nominated fromthe Assembly seat, had fea-tured in Congress' first list ofcandidates, which also hadnames of seven other sittingMLAs of the party. The
Gandhi Nagar Assembly seathas been a pocket borough forLovely. The party alsoannounced that Meenakshi
Chandila will be the party'scandidate for the RajouriGarden seat in place ofDhanwati Chandila.
(AAP) on Tuesdayaccused the BharatiyaJanata Party (BJP) ofbeing 'scared' of partici-pating in a public debatewith her party, adding thatthe citizens of Delhi want-ed to know the agendas ofthe leaders before votingfor their preferred candi-date.
"All the statementsmade by the BJP from thismorning show that theBJP is scared of publicdebate. Debate is anextremely important thingin any democracy.Yesterday, Kiran Bedisaid that she was ready fora debate, today she hasstepped back. What is thisgoing to show?" said AAPspokesperson AtishiMarlena.
Marlena also stated thatthe BJP does not want toconfront the issues ofDelhi, but the people ofthe city want answers.
"They want to knowwhat their potential CMcandidate thinks on theissue of women security.
They want to know ifKiran Bedi thinks thatgirls should not beallowed to wear jeans,does Kiran Bedi think thatwomen should have fourchildren, or Delhi shouldget full statehood, elec-tricity tarrifs, etc.," shesaid.
"The BJP is employingvarious tactics to divertattention from the factthat Kiran Bedi is scaredof coming and having apublic debate with ArvindKejriwal," she added.
Earlier, Kejriwal hadinvited Bedi for a publicdebate, after congratulat-ing her for being nominat-
ed as the BJP's chief min-isterial candidate for theDelhi polls. He alsorequested Bedi to unblockhim from her Twitteraccount.
Both Kejriwal and Bediwere part of the anti-cor-ruption movement led byactivist Anna Hazarebefore the AAP chiefdecided to form his ownpolitical party. Bedi wasnamed as BJP's chief min-isterial candidate onMonday night and will befielded from KrishnaNagar seat in Delhi whileKejriwal will contestDelhi from the New Delhiconstituency.
BJP is scared of public debate, says AAP
NEW DELHI, JAN 20Congress on Tuesday
targeted the governmentover remarks by a minis-ter that National CounterTerrorism Centre(NCTC) would not hurtthe country?s federalstructure, saying it was"another brazen U-turn"by it.
"Nctc (counter terror-ism) is dangerous & antifederal when Modi is CM& BJP in opposition. It'sdesirable when Modi inpower! Wah u turnSarkar," Congressspokesman AbhishekSinghvi tweeted. Echoinga similar view, anotherparty spokesman SanjayJha tweeted: "ANOTH-ER brazen U-turn by
Modi Sarkar. BJP stalledprogress on NCTC onpretext of 'disturbing fed-eral structure'. Now sud-denly, its OK. Joke!" TheCongress criticism camea day after Minister ofState for Home KirenRijiju suggested that theapprehensions that theproposed NCTC and theNational InvestigationAgency (NIA) Act wouldhurt the country's federalstructure were unfound-ed. At a function to markthe NIA's raising day,Rijiju had said, "Therewere concerns that theNCTC and NIA wouldoverride states, but Ithink this debate is notbased on a well-foundedtheory."
NEW DELHI, JAN 20BJP chief ministerial
candidate Kiran Bedi willfile her nomination onWednesday for theFebruary 7 DelhiAssembly Elections.
Bedi will also take out aroadshow before filing hernomination papers fromKrishna Nagar constituen-cy of East Delhi, which isBJP's stronghold.
"Kiran Bedi will file hernomination tomorrow,"said a senior BJP leader.Tomorrow is also the lastday to file nominationpapers for the elections.
Union Minister HarshVardhan had successfully
contested last Assemblyelections from KrishnaNagar seat.
65-year-old Bedi, thecountry's first woman IPSofficer, was named the
BJP's chief ministerial byparty President Amit Shahafter a meeting of BJPParliamentary Board lastnight.
Tomorrow will be a hec-tic day for electoral offi-cials with several seniorleaders includingCongress' Ajay Maken,filing their nominationpapers.
Scrutiny of nominationspapers would be done onJanuary 22 while the lastdate for withdrawal ofcandidatures is January24.
The election resultswould be declared onFebruary 10.
Delhi polls: Kiran Bedi to file nomination on Wednesday
NEW DELHI, JAN 20A high drama was wit-
nessed in the BharatiyaJanata Party headquar-ters here on Tuesdaywhen Dhir SinghBidhuri quit the partyafter being denied ticketfor the upcomingAssembly elections inthe national capital.
Shortly after tenderinghis resignation, DhirSingh Bidhuri toldreporters, “No issueswith the party. Have putin my papers.”
According to reports,Bidhuri wanted to con-test from the OkhalaConstituency, but theparty high command
offered the ticket to for-mer Delhi BSP presidentChaudhary BrahmSingh, who had recentlyjoined the party.
The developmentcomes after BJP's Delhiunit chief SatishUpadhyay was roughedup at the party head-quarters in the nationalcapital as clashes brokeout between party work-ers over the ticket distri-bution for the upcomingpolls.
There is growingresentment among theDelhi BJP against theparty's decision toinduct Bedi. If reportsare to be believed, there
is a growing resentmentamong the Delhi BJPagainst the party's deci-sion to anoint former topcop and social activistKiran Bedi as the CMcandidate.
Last week, theElection Commissionsounded the poll buglein Delhi. Voting forDelhi AssemblyElections 2015 would beheld in a single phase onFebruary 7 with thecounting of votes sched-uled for February 10. Inthe 2013 Delhi elec-tions, BJP bagged 31seats, AAP 28 andCongress 8 in the 70-member Assembly.
Delhi polls: Dhir Singh Bidhuri resignsfrom Bharatiya Janata Party
NEW DELHI, JAN 20Delhi High Court on Tuesday
directed the government to"unblock" foreign contributionsto the tune of Rs 1.87 crorereceived by controversial NGO'Greenpeace' from itsAmsterdam headquarters, say-ing the ministry showed "nomaterial to restrict access" to theforeign fund. "According to me,there is no material on record torestrict the petitioner(Greenpeace India Society)from accessing the bank accountwith the IDBI bank in Chennai,"Justice Rajiv Shakdher saidwhile observing that the"amount in fixed deposited inthe bank be unblocked and
transferred to the NGO'saccount".
The court further said theinspection in the matter hasalready been carried out by theMinistry of Home Affairs(MHA) and they have producedno material on record againstthe NGO here and GreenpeaceInternational. "So at least at thisjuncture it is not good enough tohold back Greenpeace Indiafrom using their account," itsaid. It observed that MHA in itsreply had stated that GreenpeaceIndia Society (GPIS) can haveaccess to all other foreign fundsexcept those from GreenpeaceInternational as it has been puton a watch-list.
Unblock foreign funds ofGreenpeace India: Delhi HC
Delhi: 50 trainsdelayed due to fogNEW DELHI, JAN 20
Over 50 trains were delayed on Tuesdaydue to fog in Delhi, forcing cancellation offew others, said an official.
The national capital will experience apartly cloudy Tuesday, said the MetOffice.
According to an official of the NorthernRailway, 51 trains coming to the city weredelayed while the departure time of sixtrains was rescheduled and six other trainswere cancelled.
"There was moderate fog in the morningand the visibility at 8.30 am was 600metres. The sky will become partly cloudynoon onwards," said an official of theIndia Meteorological Department.
The day's minimum temperature settledthree notches above the season's averageat 9.8 degrees Celsius, while the maxi-mum temperature is likely to hover around21 degrees Celsius.
Humidity at 8.30 am was 88 percent.Monday's maximum temperature was
recorded at 20.7 degrees Celsius, a notchabove the season's average. The minimumtemperature was 9.4 degrees Celsius, twonotches above the season's average.
Congress targetsgovt over NCTC
NEW DELHI, JAN 20Four people, includ-
ing a governmentemployee, have beenarrested for illegallysupplying CentralGovernment HealthScheme (CGHS)medicines in openmarket, police saidTuesday.
The accused werearrested on a tip-offand medicines worthRs 5 lakh were recov-ered from their pos-session.
"We have arrested
four people, includinga governmentemployee, for illegal-ly selling CGHS med-icines in the marketand seized medicinesworth Rs 5 lakh fromtheir possession,"Joint Commissionerof Police (CrimeBranch) RavindraYadav said.
He said the accuseddisposed of the medi-cines at BhagirathPalace wholesale mar-ket in old Delhiarea.
NEW DELHI, JAN 20The Bharatiya Janata Party on
Tuesday said the February 7Assembly elections in Delhiwere a matter of 'debate, drama,democracy and delivery', andadded that while Aam AadmiParty supremo ArvindKejriwal's challenge of a publicdebate had been accepted bytheir chief ministerial candidateKiran Bedi, the city had beenwitnessing many such delibera-tions via television channels.
"In Delhi, it is all about the 'd':debate, drama, democracy anddelivery. It depends on what theparty stands for. ArvindKejriwal stands for drama anddebate. We stand for democracyand delivery. That is what Kiranji has said - come, let us go tothe Assembly, let us provide astable government and thendebate for the people. Let usdeliver towards the people,"BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra
said."A debate has been happening
for the past two years: we havebeen debating on televisionchannels. The people of Delhimust get what they deserve: tobe delivered the best," he added.
Patra was also critical of theAAP chief's request to Bedi tounblock him on twitter, statingthat the polls will be fought onthe ground, not on social media.
"Kejriwal has requested KiranBedi to unblock him. Why didn'the say the full truth: that Kiran jihad blocked him approximatelya year and a half ago? WhenKejriwal indulged in politics ofanarchism, Kiran ji had blockedhim. Why did he not request herto unblock him then?" heasked.
"The election is being foughton the ground. How long mustwe be playing this twitter game?Social media is a very powerfultool and the BJP recognises this
but you do not fight the elec-tions only on twitter," he added.
Earlier, Kejriwal had invitedBedi for a public debate, aftercongratulating her for beingnominated as the BJP's chiefministerial candidate for theDelhi polls. He also requestedBedi to unblock him from herTwitter account. Both Kejriwaland Bedi were part of the anti-corruption movement led byactivist Anna Hazare before theAAP chief decided to form hisown political party.
Bedi was named as BJP'schief ministerial candidate onMonday night and will be field-ed from Krishna Nagar seat inDelhi while Kejriwal will con-test Delhi from the New Delhiconstituency. The elections forthe 70-member Delhi Assemblywill be held in a single phase onFebruary 7, with the counting ofvotes set to take place onFebruary 10.
Delhi polls a matter of debate,drama, democracy, delivery: BJP
Four held in Delhi forselling CGHS medicines
in market
Continuation 3
Battle for ...between the good and the bad (AAP is
good, BJP bad), Bedi said, “This is exactlythe type of negativity I don't practice. I amfor politics of development, growth, inclu-siveness, respect, civility, listening...I havejoined politics on people's call, I have joinedpolitics to give back to the city I love themost.” Bedi also responded to questions onKejriwal's tweet that she had blocked on thepopular micro-blogging site.
Bedi said, “I blocked him 15 months agowhen he called himself an anarchist. He wasspreading negativity and his words were pol-luting. I had blocked some others too.”
Late yesterday night, the BJP announcedKiran Bedi as its CM candidate and fieldedher from Krisha Nagar constituency in EastDelhi. Krishna Nagar is a BJP stronghold, DrHarshvardhan had won the seat many timesbefore he successfully contested the LokSabha polls. The BJP's decision was onexpected lines even though it deviated fromthe party's recent practice of not announcingits CM candidate like Jharkhand,Maharashtra and Haryana.
Bedi's elevation has caused heartburn insome party leaders but the AAP's poll cam-paign centred around Kejriwal as CM candi-date appears to have forced the BJP to pres-ent a strong candidate as his opponent.
Bedi is an...understand that no party has given unilater-
al support to its enemies but only we did.People expect that there will be a stable gov-ernment and we gave our support to him. Butthe man ran way in 49 days and that was amiserable failure," he said.
Both Kejriwal and Bedi were part of theanti-corruption movement led by activistAnna Hazare before the AAP chief decidedto form his own political party.
Bedi was named as the BJP's chief ministe-rial candidate on Monday night and will befielded from Krishna Nagar seat in Delhiwhile Kejriwal will contest Delhi from theNew Delhi constituency.
The elections for the 70-member DelhiAssembly will be held in a single phase onFebruary 7, with the counting of votes set totake place on February 10.
UN Chief commends ....the University of Madras and graduated
from the National Defence College in NewDelhi.
"The Secretary-General is grateful toLieutenant General Singha for his dedicatedleadership during a particularly difficult peri-od in the mission's history," Ban's deputyspokesperson Farhan Haq told reporters hereyesterday.
Forty-five Fijian peacekeepers, servingUNDOF, monitoring a ceasefire establishedin 1974 between Israel and Syria, weredetained on August 28 last year by armed ele-ments of the Syrian opposition in the vicinityof Al Qunaytirah.
The Syrian rebels, including fighters fromthe Al-Qaeda affiliate Al-Nusra Front,stormed the crossing Al Qunaytirah sparkingan exchange of gunfire with Israeli troops.
In a separate incident, 72 Filipino peace-keepers had been surrounded by armed ele-ments in two different locations in the Golanand were later safely relocated.
Singha came under criticism by thePhilippine military which said he should beinvestigated for allegedly asking Filipinotroops to surrender to the Syrian rebels whohad attacked and surrounded their camp.
However, head of United Nations peace-keeping operations Herve Ladsous had com-mended Singha for his "strong leadership"and "good and sound judgement" during thecrisis.
Ladsous had said the Indian military offi-cial "displayed very strong professionalismand very strong leadership in making deci-sions all along" that helped.
"And he is utterly to be commended and Iplace on the record my full trust in the wayhe performed his duty," he had said.
Haq said Thapa brings to his new positionextensive command experience and knowl-edge of peacekeeping attained through serv-ice at the national and international levels.
Prior to his appointment, Thapa was theMaster General of Ordnance at the NepaleseArmy Headquarters.
From 2012 to 2013, Thapa wasCommanding General of an InfantryDivision and had twice served with theNepalese contingent in the UN Interim Forcein Lebanon.
He also served as a UN Military Observerin the United Nations Protection Force(UNPROFOR) in 1994 and was the ViceChairman of the Joint MonitoringCoordination Committee of the UnitedNations Mission in Nepal (UNMIN) from2009 to 2011.
Japanese hostages...school, according to a website affiliated
with the popular Sankei newspaper.He married in 2000, but his business soon
went bankrupt and his wife later died of can-cer, the website has said.
Citing his father, the website said a devas-tated Yukawa changed his original name --Masayuki -- to Haruna, usually a woman`sname, in the belief that the Chinese charac-ters used would herald a shorter life.
The website said he had tried to kill himselfand had cut off his own genitals.
Yukawa came to widespread attention inJapan when footage of his apparent interro-gation in the Syrian scrub was posted onlinelast August. He was seen lying on the ground,with matted brown hair and wearing a blackT-shirt stained by dust and sweat, as bloodtrickled down his face.Yukawa offered briefresponses to questions posed in Englishabout why he was in Syria and the reason hewas carrying a gun. He replied in stiltedEnglish that he was a "photographer" and a"journalist, half doctor", as his interrogatorsaccused him of lying, with one placing a longknife near his chest. "I`m no soldier," he said.
Another video surfaced showing a manbelieved to be Yukawa test-firing an AK-47assault rifle in Syria The same video couldalso be seen at the website of Tokyo-basedprivate military firm PMC, which listsYukawa as its chief executive. Pictures on thewebsite show him with right-wing Japaneseactivists.
Its website said the firm has branch officesin "Syria, Turkey, Iraq, Africa", and it says itsservices include providing "security abroad".
Kenji Goto is a freelance journalist whoestablished a video production company,named Independent Press, in Tokyo in 1996,supplying documentaries on the Middle Eastand other regions to Japanese television net-works, including public broadcaster NHK.
Goto has apparently been out of contactsince late October after telling family that heintended to return to Japan, NHK reported.
In early November, his wife received emaildemands for about one billion yen ($8.5 mil-lion) in ransom from a person claiming to bean Islamic State group member, Fuji TV said.
The emailed threats were later confirmedto have come from a sender implicated in thekilling of US journalist James Foley, Fuji TVsaid.
The Japanese government is believed tohave discreetly started investigations afterthe threats contained information that onlyGoto himself would know, the broadcastersaid.
Goto was born in Sendai, Miyagi, in 1967,according to the company`s website.
IS threat ...nation and total rejection of such despica-
ble acts... which go against human morality,"Abbas said at a joint news conference aftertalks with Abe in the West Bank city ofRamallah.
"We express our solidarity with you, andwe stand by your side," he told Abe, whoshared the podium with him.
For his part, Abe said he had promisedabout $100 million (86.2 million euros) tohelp reconstruction efforts in the war-rav-aged Gaza Strip.
"We are preparing to give more support,worth around $100 million, in humanitarianaid, reconstruction aid and financial aid toPalestinian civil authorities," he said.
More than 100,000 Gaza homes weredestroyed or damaged during last year`s 50-day war with Israel, and UN welfare officialssay that 17,000 displaced people are still liv-ing in schools.
After meeting Abbas, Abe was to fly backto Japan several hours earlier than scheduled.
Election Commission...which the Election Commission of India
shall take a decision without any further refer-ence to you," the notice said. The notice wassent following a complaint to the poll panel bythe Congress.
The AAP chief had made the appeal to peo-ple Sunday. Balloting for the 70-memberDelhi assembly will be held Feb 7. Votes willbe counted Feb 10.
India has...editorial said it was difficult to comprehend
why the issue had been raised nearly adecade after the properties were purchased.
"Assuming that the Indian government isright on a point of technicality, we mustnonetheless accept that when it comes toIndia-Pakistan relations, there are more thanjust legal or administrative details involved -- there is always a deeper context, one that iscompletely political," it wrote.
The daily called the issue "a matter of con-cern for all those who desire friendship andharmony between the two neighbours".
PIA flights to India are now the only directair links between the two neighbouring coun-tries.
"Should this vital link be broken, travellersfrom either country wishing to visit the otherby air will have to take a cumbersome,expensive detour via a third country," thedaily wrote.
Be it the reopening of Pakistan's consulate
in Mumbai, suspension of Indian carriers'flights to Pakistan or even the closure of theIndian consulate in Karachi, the daily said "itis politics on both sides that mostly guidessuch decisions". Relations between the stateshave been frosty ever since the 2008 Mumbaiterror attack. Expressing hope that the PIAissue will be resolved at the earliest, the dailywrote "the people of South Asia deserve abetter future based on friendship; for that tohappen, the communication lines must bekept open".
SC denies ...hearing of the case earlier this month, a
bench ocomprising justices TS Thakur andAdarsh Kumar Goel had fixed January 20 asthe next date of hearing.
Asaram was examined by a medical boardcomprising seven doctors of AIIMS follow-ing a Supreme Court direction in connectionwith his bail application in the Jodhpur rapecase. He has been accused of alleged sexualexploitation of a minor girl in his ashram inJodhpur. After President's ...
objection to the 'Ordinance route' used bythe government and cautioned it against it.
The meeting discussed issues involvingprocedures to be followed for replacingOrdinances with Bills and the preparatorymeasures in the coming session in Parliamentlikely to begin in the third week of February.
The meeting took note of the possibleimplications in the event of some of theseOrdinances not backed up by Bills inParliament.
For example there will be a problem in auc-tioning of the coal mines if the CoalOrdinance is not replaced by the Bill.
"I held and informal meeting with myCabinet collegues and about nine Ministerswere present along with their secretaries todiscuss about the procedures to be followedbringing Bills replacing Ordinances likeInsurance Bill that is pending thete, Coal Billand and also Mines Bill, Land acquisitionBill and Citizenship Amendment Bill,"Naidu said after the hour-long meeting.
"We discussed these Bills threadbare. Iapprised them of the procedures to be fol-lowed, the earlier precedence and also theneed to give advance notice before hand andgetting translated into both languages, circu-lating copies etc," he added.
Naidu said he tried to "familiarise themwith the procedures and ask the secretaries tobe ready by the first of the next month. Thatwas the purpose of the meeting today."
Coal Minister Piyush Goel, RuralDevelopment Minister Rao Birebdra Singh,Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh,MOS for Surface Transport Radha Krishnan,Steel and Mines Minister Narendra SinghTomar, Law Minister Sadananda Gowda andall senior officials of the concerned min-istries were present in the meeting.
As per the rules, an Ordinance has to beconverted into legislation within 42 days ofcommemencement of Parliament session elseit lapses and an Ordinance can be repromul-gated only three times.
Obama's visit...militants.Security along the International Border has
been stepped up in the wake of reports ofpossible attempts by the Lashkar-e-Toiba(LeT) militants taking advantage of fog andextreme weather conditions to slip into thecountry.
Even Border Security Force (BSF) hasdeployed at least 12 additional companies atthe Indo-Pak Border to thwart militantsattempting to infiltrate.
Obama is the first US President to havebeen invited by India to be the chief guest forthe Republic Day celebrations on January 26.
Heavy security arrangements have beenmade by the authorities, including installa-tion of CCTV cameras along the route onwhich the US President will travel.
The security has also been enhanced fol-lowing a letter threatening a terror attack"somewhere" on the Yamuna Expressway,which connects Delhi with Agra.
Special security personnel and sharp shoot-ers would be positioned on vantage and high-positions, officials said, REPORTER report-ed.
Seventy-five anti-terror squad (ATS) per-sonnel will be deployed on the outer periph-ery of the security ring protecting the USPresident, sources said, while adding that theinternal security of Obama will be taken careby special forces, specially requisitionedfrom Delhi and the inner most ring would beof special secret service agents from theUnited States.
Many hotels in the Cantonment area arealso being booked for advance teams of theSecret Service.
The US President is arriving here onJanuary 25 on a three-day visit during whichhe will hold talks with Prime MinisterNarendra Modi, attend the Republic DayParade as chief guest and visit Taj Mahal.
Nitin Gadkari...laying the foundation stone for widening
the Lumbini-Duddhi road.Gadkari said the Bharatiya Janata Party has
a good record of improving road infrastruc-ture in the country and the amount ofRs.50,000 crore for improving the state`sroads would be spent before December 2015.
He also announced that the Ram Janki roadwould be upgraded to a national highway andthe work would begin within the next fourmonths.
Gadkari said a peripheral ring road wouldbe built in Basti.
He said the central government has beenworking on a project to open 101 new water-ways across the country.
Declaration of ...declaration of CM/PM candidates before
election should be mandatory," Omar, who isworking president of National Conference,wrote on micro-blogging site Twitter.
"People should have a say in deciding theirCM/PM & not be surprised by party leader-ships after the votes are cast," he added.
Omar also batted for television debatesbetween the aspirants for the top post forspelling out their vision.
"...At least one or two debates between thecandidates.
"I know @jkpdp leaders refused a pre-elec-tion debate planned by @sardesairajdeep butI hope @thekiranbedi (and)@ArvindKejriwal agree to at least one," hesaid.
Security of ...Delhi on January 25 to take part in
Republic Day celebrations on the invitationof Prime Minister, Narendra Modi.
He will be the first US President to attenda Republic Day celebration, the White Housesaid. Obama, who visited India in 2010,would also be the first U.S. president to visitthe country twice while in office.
"Any head of the state's visit has to betaken care of. It is a sovereign responsibility.It is not a question of one president of a coun-try. It is the incumbent upon the securityagencies, the whole state. As a nation, it isour responsibly," Rijiju said.
Obama's participation at Republic Day cel-ebrations as chief guest is a sign of steadilyexpanding ties between the two countriesthat share concerns about China's growingpower in Asia.
India's relations with Washington haveflourished in the past decade, although theyhave also had tussles over trade and otherissues. The two countries are developing astrategic partnership prompted by sharedconcerns about China's increasingly assertiveterritorial claims in the Asia-Pacific region.
Modi met Obama on a visit to the UnitedStates in September last year and they havespoken by telephone since. Their relationshipis thought to have helped resolve a majortrade spat in the World Trade Organization.
India traditionally invites a head of state toparticipate as chief guest for Republic Daycelebrations, which culminates in a militaryparade including its nuclear capable missiles.
Much of the hardware dates back to theSoviet era, when India had close ties withMoscow, while more recent defense purchas-es include billions of dollars of US-madeequipment.
BJP promoting...led government at the Centre is trying to
totally subvert it by using the hardline Hindugroups like the Rashtriya SwayamsevakSangh (RSS) and openly wanted people fromvarious religions to convert to Hinduism,"AICC General Secretary V Narayanasamytold reporters here.
"The best example is the vandalising of thechurches in Delhi which is seen as encourag-ing the communal elements by the BJP gov-ernment at the Centre," he said.
Coming down heavily on the PrimeMinister Narendra Modi, Narayanasamysaid, "Unfortunately the Prime Minister whohas been talking about the developmentagenda is silent on the communal agenda."
"When the issue was raised in Parliamentin the Rajya Sabha for almost 15 days, theRajya Sabha was paralysed for the failure ofthe Prime Minister to address the issue," hesaid.
He further alleged the several promiseswhich had been made by the NDA govern-ment and Narendra Modi, none of them havebeen implemented so far.
Pranab Kumar...Army officer from Assam to rise to the
rank of Lt General and earlier in 2009 he wasthe first person from North East to be pro-moted to the rank of Major General in thefighting arms of the Army, a statement saidhere today.
An alumnus of Sainik School Goalpara inAssam, Bharali graduated from the NationalDefence Academy, Khadakvasla and wascommissioned as an officer in the Army inJune 1977.
He became a helicopter pilot and subse-quently a flying instructor in the Army andcommanded a helicopter.
He held the post of the General Staff
Officer (Operations) of a Counter InsurgencyForce Headquarter, Colonel Administrationof a Division Headquarter and BrigadierAviation in a command Headquarter inJammu and Kashmir before assuming thepost of Head of Army Aviation Corps in hiscapacity as the Additional Director General.
Army Aviation Corps operates the army'shelicopter fleet which comprises more than280 Cheetah, Chetak, Dhruv and Rudra heli-copters.
The Army has plans to equip this corpswith attack helicopters, larger transport heli-copters and replace the existing light helicop-ters which will give a boost to the militarycapability of the nation, the statement said.
CAF jawan...Station limits when a road opening party of
CAF was conducting its task, BijapurSuperintendent of Police KL Dhruv said.
While cordoning off the region, locatedaround 400 kms from the state capital, thesecurity forces reached near Murdundawhere the explosion occurred in which jawanPankaj Thakur was injured, he said.
The injured jawan was shifted to a localhospital for treatment, he said.
Combing operation has been launched inthe region to nab the attackers, the SP said.
15 boys and ...company. East Champaran Superintendent
of Police Sunil Kumar said a team of theWest Bengal police came here in connectionwith a case related to the abduction of a girlfrom Jalpaiguri district in that state onJanuary 17. "Our teams raided Dharampurvillage under Kalyanpur police station inEast Champaran and rescued eight girls andseven boys from an orchestra company there.All of them are in the age group of 16 to 20years. The company owner, identified asShankar, managed to give the police a slip,"Kumar said.
The SP said the boys and girls from differ-ent places in West Bengal were brought toBihar by middlemen to work for the orches-tra as singers and dancers. The police teamfrom West Bengal had left Bihar with the res-cued persons, the police here said.
Trinamool leader ...Barrackpore is unhappy with his party and
is contemplating to join the BJP.In 2012, Trivedi, who was then the railway
minister, had to face Mamata's ire for raisingRailway fares while presenting the RailBudget. Trivedi was forced to step down asthe union minister by the TMC supremo andthe UPA government had to roll back theincreased fares. Trivedi is mulling to join theBJP at a time when it has got a shot in thearm with former top cop Kiran Bedi, ex-AAPleader Shazia Ilmi and Congress leaderKrishna Tirath joining the party ahead ofDelhi Assembly elections.
The BJP and TMC have been embroiled ina war of words ever since some of theTrinamool leaders were arrested in theSaradha scam.
Mamata has accused the BJP of playingpolitics with the CBI probe in Saradha scam.
The West Bengal government andTrinamool Congress have moved two appli-cations in the Supreme Court demanding acourt- monitored investigation into the multi-crore Saradha chit fund scam, currently beinginvestigated by CBI.
Both, in their pleas, have alleged that TMCleaders are being "targeted" by the CBI andalleged the agency is being used as an"instrument" of the Centre.
EU lifts ..Commission committee voted to lift the
ban today. The legislation now needs to beformally adopted and published by theEuropean Commission.
This will take around a month, but the pos-itive vote by the Committee gives certainty toIndian exporters and UK importers about theposition for the forthcoming mango season.
Welcoming the decision, British HighCommissioner in India James Bevan said:"This is great news for the UK-India and EU-India trade relationship and especially forIndian exporters and UK consumers.
"The British Government worked hard tohave the ban lifted. This includes sending anexpert to provide technical training, prior tothe EU inspection in September. This is greatnews for the UK-India and EU-India traderelationship and especially for Indianexporters and UK consumers," Bevan?said.
"We are pleased to have played an impor-tant role in bringing the ban to an end,"Bevan said.?
The EU accounts for more than 50 per centof total exports of fruits and vegetables fromIndia. The UK is the main destination, fol-lowed by the Netherlands, Germany andBelgium.
The European Union's "temporary ban"came into force on May 1, 2014 and was toremain effective until December 2015 afterauthorities in Brussels found consignmentsinfested with fruit flies that they feared coulddamage European salad crops.
From Page 1NEW DELHI | WEDNESDAY | JAN 21, 2015SAADDA HAQ
Editorial4 NEW DELHI | WEDNESDAY | JAN 21, 2015SAADDA HAQ
BY ANURAG BEHAR
Let’s consider an issue thatteachers in our govern-ment schools grapple
with every day. Every classacross the country has a signifi-cant proportion of children whoare first generation school-goers. They come from severelydisadvantaged families. Thesupport at home for such chil-dren for education is very differ-ent and usually lesser than thatfor children who come fromlower middle class families. Ascan be expected, this is only partof the difference; the overallsocio-economic opportunitiesare vastly different for such chil-dren, which also have signifi-cant educational implications.
Education of these first gener-ation school-goers is a complexof challenges. It requires sub-stantially higher commitmentand lot more work, and it’s theresponsibility of the teachers tomake this education happen. Thesame teachers also experiencethe relative ease of educationwith middle class children. It’snot surprising that a sentimentthat one can often sense amongstmany (certainly not all) teachersis “why do we have to havethese children in school?” Thesentiment is shared by manyofficials at various levels withinthe education system. Thegrudgingly accepted response tothat sentiment is: it is the policyi.e. it’s an order from above.
‘Policy’ from above
That all children must get edu-cation, that no child can berefused admission in a govern-ment school, and that specialmeasures must be taken to getdisadvantaged children in toschools have been “policy” insome way or the other fordecades. These policies and theirdetails have become sharper andtighter over time, culminating in
the Right to Education Act of2009. So I haven’t yet met ateacher or official who doesn’tknow the policy commitment toinclusion. Most also agree withthe general intent of the policy,that all children must get educa-tion, and that for the disadvan-
taged it is even more important.However, this general accept-
ance of inclusion amongst teach-ers is everyday weakened by thecomplexity they personallyencounter in the classroomswhen dealing with the very chil-dren, who are in the schoolsbecause of these policies ofinclusion. Often there is some-thing deeper also at work, feed-ing the disquiet on this matter.Various implicit and explicitbeliefs of the teachers have adirect bearing on how they playtheir roles, and on this matter.Here are some examples of thesebeliefs: not all children canlearn, knowledge is the naturalpreserve of certain castes, thosein poverty are lazy and irrespon-sible.
It’s not that all teachers havesuch beliefs, but unsurprisinglysuch negative beliefs are quitecommon, given the nature of our
society. The order from abovei.e. the policies, have to get theteachers to act appropriately forthese disadvantaged children,tackling the complex of chal-lenges and often in the face ofnegative forces of deeply heldbeliefs. This must happen day
after day. How effective can anexternal order be, in this con-flicted and demanding humansituation?
It’s easy to guess, if one does-n’t already know, that it is noteffective. However, if theanswer to that basic question“why must we have these chil-dren in school?” had beensearched for rigorously by theteachers, then it would havebeen an altogether different situ-ation. Such a search would haveled some to the same notion ofthe just and the good, which is atthe roots of the commitment toinclusion, and thus a deep con-viction, would energise them.Some may have reached else-where, but even they would beso much better informed aboutthe rationale for the policy, andthus better informed in theiractions. This process of search,
of examination and clarification,would be similarly and equallyuseful when applied to thebeliefs of the teachers. All thiswould be more likely if the over-all education system were to notrely only on the force of policy,but encourage and support such
inquiry.
Are such processes really nec-essary? Isn’t it just enough togive an adequate explanation forthe policy and its intent?
Effectiveness changes sub-stantially when the peopleinvolved in anything, under-stand why they are doing whatthey are doing, and develop con-viction about reasons and pur-poses. Education is just aboutthe most complex of all inten-tional social processes, it’s ahumanistic social endeavour.Therefore, it’s entirely depend-ent on the capacities, disposi-tions, beliefs and relationshipsof those involved, most signifi-cantly of the teachers. So, such aprocess of building understand-ing and convictions throughdeep personal examination andinquiry is absolutely fundamen-
tal to the effectiveness of educa-tion.
While I have gone in to somedetail on this particular matter of“why do we have to have thesechildren in schools?” educationposes many more such basicquestions every day to the prac-titioner. Let’s take a few more:what do we want our children tolearn and why, should basicexisting social norms be ques-tioned, what are good values andhow are they developed, whatdoes it mean when we say that achild understands, what are ourbasic assumptions about humanbeings, what is the use of knowl-edge etc. All these questionsneed equally rigorous, criticaland systematic inquiry.
Philosophy of education
These kinds of basic issuesalong with the related process ofcritical examination and system-atic inquiry, is philosophy ofeducation. I avoided that phrase“philosophy of education” in thebeginning, apprehensive that itimmediately suggests anendeavour, confined to the hal-lowed precincts of the academyor the deep mind of a wise per-son in repose. Given theprocesses of learning, the natureof education and its purposes,philosophy and practice areinseparable. All practice in edu-cation involves commitments,assumptions and goals thatdemand philosophical scrutiny.The absence of such scrutiny hasa direct implication on the effec-tiveness of the practitioner.Philosophy is absolutely essen-tial in the practice of good edu-cation. That is why India needspeople in education to be able tophilosophise rigorously abouteducation, even if we don’t usethat heavy sounding word.
(Anurag Behar is ViceChancellor, Azim PremjiUniversity, Bengaluru.)
Earlier this month, Pakistan’s elected representa-tives voted to cut the ground from under their ownfeet. Despite the misgivings that some political
parties and several individual legislators had, the NationalAssembly and the Senate ushered in the 21st Amendmentto the Constitution under which military courts are to beset up for a period of two years to adjudicate on terrorism-related cases. The political establishment seemed to havefallen in line with the observation of the Army chief,General Raheel Sharif, that military courts had becomethe need of the “extraordinary times”, a reference to thehorrendous attack on a school by Taliban militants inwhich more than a hundred children were killed. The lasttime Pakistan had military courts was during the martiallaw regime of General Zia-ul-Haq in the 1980s. The nextmilitary ruler, General Pervez Musharraf, did not promul-gate martial law; there were no military courts during hisnine-year regime. That Parliament sanctioned the assump-tion of judicial powers by the Pakistan Army during thetime of an elected government led by Nawaz Sharif, whoknows only too well the perils of military rule, is a furtherirony. The move has undermined the hard-fought 2007struggle of the judiciary for the separation of powers, andis a blow to the country’s fragile democratic structure.There was immense public pressure on the government todo “something” to contain terrorism after the Peshawarattack. Instead of using the opportunity to strengtheninvestigations into terrorism offences, and put in placemechanisms to protect witnesses and judges from intimi-dation by terrorist groups, the government grasped all tooeasily the hand offered by the military, an admission ofcivilian helplessness. The courts are to begin trying casessoon. In the eyes of the public, the Army is bound to beseen as being more efficient than the elected government— military trials do end quickly and military-appointedjudges may be more daring than those in Pakistan’s civil-ian antiterrorist courts. But speed does not always servethe interests of justice, and opens up the danger of misuseof the process against innocent civilians, including thoseinvolved in legitimate political activity. Years of patron-age by the security establishment of terrorist groups haveradicalised all sections of society. Pakistan can tackle thismalaise only by strengthening its democratic institutions.For New Delhi, the military courts present an interestingalbeit double-edged opportunity. India could now possi-bly make the demand that the cases against the accused inthe Mumbai attack should now be shifted to a militarycourt. But while this may speed up the case, there is noguarantee that the chances of conviction would improve.
Ceding ground to the ArmyWednesday | January 21, 2015
SAADDA HAQ
BY RAKESH SOOD
Adecade of democracy hasopened up Afghan societyand India’s cooperation pro-
grammes have helped develop sus-tainable links around a shared vision.Dialogues with Afghanistan’s neigh-bours will become important as thesecountries start feeling nervous aboutthe return of instability
By the end of 2014, two importanttransitions in Afghanistan had takenplace. A political transition to a post-Karzai period had begun after a diffi-cult election process. Second, theInternational Security AssistanceForce (ISAF) flag had come downmarking the end of the 13-year-long‘Operation Enduring Freedom’,transferring primary responsibilityfor security to the Afghan Army andpolice forces. Neither has been asmooth transition despite the fact thatthe timelines for both transitionswere known for the last five years.This poses questions about the stabil-ity of these transitions and the inter-ests and role of the key externalactors.
Political and security transition
The first phase of the two-stagePresidential election took place onApril 5, 2014 with a turnout of 58 percent. Expectedly, Dr. Abdullah andDr. Ashraf Ghani led the race with 44per cent and 32 per cent of the votesrespectively, but since neithercrossed the 50 per cent mark, a run-off was held on June 14. The turnoutwent up to 60 per cent and prelimi-nary results indicated Dr. Ghani win-ning with 56 per cent of the votescast. Dr. Abdullah rejected the out-come alleging electoral fraud andraising a number of valid questions.Realising the implications of aflawed outcome, the United Statesresorted to diplomatic heavy liftingwith multiple visits by its Secretaryof State John Kerry to Kabul.Election results were set aside and aNational Unity Government wassworn in on September 29 with Dr.Ghani as President and Dr. Abdullahassuming charge as CEO, a new posi-tion of a coequal but with distributionof powers yet to be defined. The firstchallenge for the two leaders was the
formation of the Cabinet. Last week,a list of 27 names (25 Ministers,Central Bank Governor and anIntelligence chief) was finally sub-mitted after numerous deadlines hadlapsed, but it remains to be seenwhether these candidates will clearthe confirmation hearings in theWolesi Jirga (Assembly). There arerumblings of discontent from Dr.Abdullah’s camp that he is not toohappy with the current, ambiguouspower-sharing arrangement which issupposed to be formally settled in atwo-year time frame by constitution-ally creating the position of a PrimeMinister. And two years is a longtime in Afghan politics!
The timeline of the security transi-tion was laid out when U.S. PresidentBarack Obama announced the“surge” in 2009, simultaneously lay-ing out the schedule of the drawdownand withdrawal of U.S. forces fromcombat operations in Afghanistan. Itwas not a decision dictated by theground situation in Afghanistan, butby U.S. domestic political considera-tions. Objectives were scaled downso that the illusion of “success” couldbe maintained. The original objectivein 2002 was to “build a stable, strong,effectively governed Afghanistanwhich will not degenerate intochaos”; following the Iraq distrac-tion, this was perceived as nationbuilding and too ambitious duringMr. Bush’s second term, and Mr.Obama settled for the more modestgoal of “preventing Afghanistan frombecoming a safe haven for global ter-rorism.”
During the 13-year-long ‘OpEnduring Freedom,’ the foreign trooppresence exceeded 150,000 in 2011,contributed by 50 countries, thoughthe U.S. share was nearly two-thirdsin terms of troops and higher in termsof air support, air and satellite sur-veillance and intelligence gathering.Out of nearly 3,500 foreign troopcasualties, approximately 2,300 wereAmerican soldiers. In terms of “treas-ure,” while the CongressionalResearch Service has estimated theU.S. cost of the Afghan war at $686billion, an independent study under-taken by Harvard University pegs thecost at over $2 trillion. The Harvard
study cautions that the major part ofthis cost is yet to be paid in terms oflong-term medical care and disabilitycompensations to serving soldiers,about two million veterans and fami-lies, military replenishments andsocial and economic costs.
Civilian Afghan casualties exceed-ed 20,000 during this period. Afghansecurity forces (both Police andArmy) today stand at 352,000 and areexpected to be reduced to 228,000 by2017. Meanwhile, their casualty ratehas risen sharply in recent years sur-passing 15,000, leading to demotiva-tion and resulting in large-scaledesertions; $4.1 billion of interna-tional assistance is needed annuallyto sustain these force levels, with theU.S. providing more than half thisamount. Yet, it is far cheaper thanmaintaining a foreign presence. AnAfghan soldier’s annual salary isapproximately $2,000 and his train-ing and equipment costs $200,000,compared to $2 million that it takesto keep an American soldier there fora year.
Economic transition
In contrast, U.S. expenditure onrebuilding Afghanistan stands at
$104 billion, slightly more than whatthe U.S. spent on the Marshall Plan(adjusted for inflation) for rebuilding16 European countries after WorldWar II. However, delivery on theground averages below 25 per cent,given inefficient delivery mecha-
nisms, poor planning and excessivelyhigh administration overheads.Progress has been registered in termsof life expectancy (up from 40 to 61years), literacy (up from 12 per centto 33 per cent), school attendanceespecially for girls, health care,urbanisation, roads, mobile telepho-ny, TV coverage is 60 per cent andGDP has gone up from $2 billion to$20 billion but is far short of whatcould have been achieved.Development plans need more than$5 billion of external aid annually.The fragility of both the political andthe security transitions creates uncer-tainty and, consequently, raises thelikelihood of instability.
India has played a significant rolein Afghanistan’s economic recon-struction committing and deliveringupwards of $2 billion distributedbetween humanitarian assistance,rebuilding infrastructure and humanresource development. In surveys
year after year, India has beendescribed as “the most friendly coun-try.” This was possible because of aspecial trust that developed early onwith President Hamid Karzai and hiscolleagues about the shared vision ofAfghanistan emerging as an inde-pendent, sovereign, stable, plural andmoderate country, focussed on devel-opment and determined to turn itsback on decades of conflict whichhad consumed an entire generation.The U.S. too was bought into thevision in the early years but afterinvolvement in the Iraq war,Washington had neither the band-width nor the political commitmentto stay the course.
Pakistan’s role
Pakistan was uncomfortable withIndia’s role in Afghanistan which hadremained restricted to the economicsphere. Certain sections of thePakistani establishment, particularlythe Army and the Inter-ServicesIntelligence (ISI), were nostalgicabout the Taliban period whenAfghanistan’s isolation had made itdependent on Pakistan. GeneralMusharraf’s paranoia about the activ-ities of “twenty Indian consulates inAfghanistan” (there are four) onlysoured his relations with Mr. Karzai.The Indian Embassy and other coop-eration projects became targets ofmurderous attacks by the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Haqqani group, withthe support of the ‘S Wing’ of the ISI.Clearly, Pakistan had a differentvision for Afghanistan.
Mr. Karzai had seen the writing onthe wall before the Germans and theBritish started promoting the idea ofreconciliation with the Taliban. Hereached out to some of them on theethnic Pashtun network but failed tomake headway because he wasunable to wrest them away from theISI stranglehold. The Germans andthe Americans learnt the same lessonwith the Doha office initiative.Clearly, Pakistan was back in theAfghan end game. President AshrafGhani’s early visits to China, SaudiArabia and Islamabad show that heunderstands Pakistan’s abilities toexploit the fragile transition and theU.S. is unlikely to provide much
comfort. The key is whether theAfghan forces can last out the 2015fighting season because in 2016, theU.S. will be caught up in its electionyear fever.
The India-Afghanistan StrategicPartnership Agreement (2011) posi-tioned India for a security role post-2014, but U.S. reluctance to annoyPakistan and Indian reticence pre-vented any significant development.Today, the situation is different andMr. Ghani is unlikely to be as forth-coming as Mr. Karzai. However, it isjust a question of time before the con-tradictions of Pakistan’s efforts tobring back the Taliban unfold. TheTaliban is no longer the simplemonolithic group under a singleleader, subject to the ISI’s control. Infact, there are rumours that MullahOmar may be dead; Taliban has manyclones and offshoots with differingloyalties and some are hostile to thePakistani establishment. A decade ofdemocracy has opened up Afghansociety and India’s cooperation pro-grammes have helped develop sus-tainable linkages cutting across eth-nic lines around the shared vision.Dialogues with Afghanistan’s neigh-bours will become important as thesecountries start feeling nervous aboutthe return of instability. To manageits exit and keep the transitions ontrack for 2015 implies that U.S.dependence on Pakistan will onlyrise in the near term. Normally, thiswould cast a shadow on India-U.S.ties but given its temporary character,the Indian leadership should work toinsulate the wider relationship bykeeping the focus on broader count-er-terrorism cooperation and deepen-ing the many other aspects of thebilateral relationship. At times likethese, patience is a strategic asset,better used to consolidate strengths.For now, the wheel turns, and willturn again.
(Rakesh Sood is a former diplomatwho has served as Ambassador toAfghanistan. E-mail: [email protected])
India’s Afghan dilemma
Our team will publish yourthoughts send us your articles at
The India-Afghanistan Strategic Partnership Agreement(2011) positioned India for a security role post-2014, but
U.S. reluctance to annoy Pakistan and Indian reticence pre-vented any significant development. Today, the situation isdifferent and Mr. Ghani is unlikely to be as forthcoming as
Mr. Karzai. However, it is just a question of time before thecontradictions of Pakistan’s efforts to bring back the
Taliban unfold. The Taliban is no longer the simple mono-lithic group under a single leader, subject to the ISI’s con-trol. In fact, there are rumours that Mullah Omar may be
dead; Taliban has many clones and offshoots with differingloyalties and some are hostile to the Pakistani establishment.
Education of these first generation school-goers is acomplex of challenges. It requires substantially higher
commitment and lot more work, and it’s theresponsibility of the teachers to make this education
happen. The same teachers also experience the relativeease of education with middle class children. It’s notsurprising that a sentiment that one can often sense
amongst many (certainly not all) teachers is “why do wehave to have these children in school?” The sentiment is
shared by many officials at various levels within the edu-cation system. The grudgingly accepted response to thatsentiment is: it is the policy i.e. it’s an order from above.
State Watch 5NEW DELHI | WEDNESDAY | JAN 21, 2015SAADDA HAQ
PANIPAT, JAN 20Haryana Chief Minister
Manohar Lal Khattar onTuesday said that specialfund would be created atthe district level forschemes and programmesfor girls' welfare right fromtheir childhood to educa-tion.
The schemes would aimat ensuring their education,marriage, construction ofseparate toilets and to erad-icate malnutrition, Khattarsaid here addressing theinaugural session of two-day National ThematicWorkshop on "BestPractices for Women andChild Development."
It has been organised as apart of 'Beti Bachao BetiPadhao' programme.
Expressing concern over
the gender imbalance,Khattar said that this prob-lem is confined not only tostates but it is an issue ofwhole country.
He said that Haryanagovernment is committedto ensure the empower-ment of women including
their education, security,health and hygiene.
The CM said that thisworkshop is being organ-ised at a time when PrimeMinister Narendra Modi isvisiting Haryana to launchnational programme 'BetiBachao-Beti Padhao' atPanipat on January 22.
"Though, it was a matterof pride that he has chosenHaryana for the launch ofthis ambitious programmeon the other hand it was amatter of concern as whyhe has selected the state.
"The low sex ratio in thestate is a concern and achallenge for us but thevisit of Prime Ministerwould inspire us to furtherimprove the sex ratio ascompared to other states,"he said.
Haryana to create special fund for girlsat district level: Manohar Lal Khattar
VADODARA, JAN 20The Gujarat government is
holding a week-long NationalCraft Fair and Summit herefrom January 23 to showcase aplethora of handloom and hand-icraft products from the state aswell as from across the countrybringing artisans on a singleplatform to interact with buyersand enhance their businesspotential.
Gujarat will be hosting thisGarvi Gurjari Fair & Summit atthe Polo ground, till January 29,said Cottage Industries ministerSaurabh Patel.
Handloom and handicraftsare unique in India and this fairis also one of its kind initiativeby the state government tohighlight these various Indiancrafts. It will be a curtain raiserto connect the craft, the crafts-
men and the buyers from acrossthe country under one roof, hesaid.
"Gujarat has an array ofcrafts. Each part of the state hasits own cultural ethos, which ismanifested in the handicraft andhandloom of that particularregion. It includes embroidery,bead work, wood crafts, printedand woven clothes besides pot-tery and tribal art," Patel added.
He said over 600 craftsmenfrom all over India will displaytheir skill in various arts andcrafts at this Summit. About400 craftsmen from Gujaratwill set up their stalls at thepavilion, besides over 500 B2Bmeetings on the anvil.
There will be a one-dayNational Handloom &Handicraft Seminar on"Crafting The Future" on the
opening day with keynotespeakers and cover key subjectsto facilitate knowledge transferfor overall improvement of thehandloom and handicraft sector.Focus areas include Craft map-ping, Technology upgradation,Branding and Marketing, CraftDesign Innovation and buildingcrafts.
The Fair, which will be heldat the 2.5 lakh square feet venuewill include a two-day megaexpo and a five-day retail expofor artisans, traders, sellers ofHandloom and handicraft prod-ucts to exclusively showcasetheir products at their respectivebooths/theme pavilions.
Also, there will be a craft vil-lage set up on 87,500 sq feet inwhich more than 32 variety ofGujarat crafts will be displayed.While the tribal pavilion will
display crafts and culture of thetribals, there will be "VadodaraHeritage Pavilion" exclusivelyfor exhibiting products from thecity.
Also, a Craft film Festivalwill be held showcasing enter-taining films on Handicraftsand Visual Narrative Arts ofvarious regions of India.
It is a unique endeavouraimed at generating enthusiasmfor the glorious heritage ofIndia and augment other aware-ness projects relating to tradi-tional arts and crafts in India.The exhibition event is expect-ed to have State Pavilionswhere artists from Nagaland,Tripura, Chhattisgarh, Goa,Jammu and Kashmir, UttarPradesh and Jharkhand amongother states will set up theirstalls.
'Garvi Gurjari' craft fair in Vadodara
VISAKHAPATNAM, JAN 20Andhra Pradesh government
will set up 15 more marinepolice stations along the coastin the state, Deputy ChiefMinister N Chinna Rajappa saidon Tuesday.
"Fifteen more marine policestations will be set up soon inaddition to the existing 21 suchpolice stations in the state," hetold reporters after launchingthe I-CLIK (Instant ComplaintLogin Internet Kiosk) andmobile app 'Abhayam' for safe-ty of citizens, particularlywomen. I-CLIK enables citi-zens to log their grievancesthrough an online kiosk. Itfocuses specifically on women'sproblems and issues.
He said the kiosk has beenlaunched in the city as a pilotproject and based on its per-formance, it will be adopted inother cities in the state.
Referring to Abhayam, theMinister said that it willempower citizens to have thepower to protect themselves. Atthe click of the button, the appwill send a notification to theperson's near and dear ones andnearest police station.
The Home Minister said thatthe state government has effec-tively controlled the redsanders' smuggling in the stateand a task force has also beenestablished for the purpose.
The police department is tak-ing all necessary steps to pre-
vent 'ganja' smuggling in thestate, particularly in agencyareas of the district, he said.
The police department isstriving hard to provide effi-cient, transparent and respon-sive administration in the stateaided by latest technology andgadgets, he said.
Stating that Visakhapatnam isa peaceful city, he said unlawfulelements will be firmly dealt bythe police. State DirectorGeneral of Police J V Rumudusaid people's cooperation isessential to control crimes.
He appealed to girl students,who were present at the func-tion, to utilise the facilitieslaunched by the police for theirsafety.
15 more marine police stationsalong Andhra coast: Rajappa
RAIPUR, JAN 20Chhattisgarh Chief
Minister Raman Singh hassought an additional fundfrom Centre for moderni-sation of police in thenaxal-hit state and alsodemanded a special cate-gory status for the state.
"CM Singh had urgedupon the need of specialassistance from Centre totake on the Maoist problemduring the meeting ofCentral Regional Councilat Lucknow yesterday,"said an official statementissued here today.
Sixteen out of 27 dis-tricts in Chhattisgarh areaffected by the left wingextremism (LWE) andseven of them are worst-hit.
With the support of
Centre, the state govern-ment is making all effortsfor the social and econom-ic betterment of people inthese districts but there is aneed to boost the resources
for peaceful developmentkeeping in view the securi-ty and law and order situa-tion in the region, therelease quoted CM as say-ing in the meeting.
Chhattisgarh should beaccorded special A catego-ry status like that of J & Kand north-eastern states sothat it would receive 90 percent of assistance fromCentre and arrange abun-dant resources to combatmenace of Naxalism, hesaid.
Till June 30, 2014,Chhattisgarh had spent3,500 crore on the deploy-ment of central paramili-tary forces in the state.
Centre should bear thiscost henceforth so that thestate would get rid of theburden, he said.
Emphasising on the needto ensure security to infra-structure projects likeroads, bridges, railwaytrack and other mega proj-ects in Maoist zone, Singh
also urged to includeexpenditure on deploymentof security personnel forsuch development works inthe project cost.
The strength of thepolice personnel in thestate has reached to 68,354which was 22,549 in 2000when Chhattisgarh wasfounded, he said briefingabout the status of policedepartment.
The number of policestation has jumped to 424from 298 while police out-posts have increased from57 to 107 during this peri-od, he said.
In past 11 years, elevennew districts have beenformed while as manyarmed forces battalionshave been sanctioned, hesaid.
Raman Singh seeks additional central aid, special status for Chhattisgarh
Three dead, 6injured in cylinderblast VIJAYAWADA, JAN 20
Three women were killed and sixpersons sustained injuries when agas cylinder exploded at a househere leading to fire in early hours ofTuesday.
One of the injured persons is criti-cal, police said.
There was leakage in the LPGcylinder at a house inAmbedkarnagar area of the old cityand unaware of it, a woman turnedon the gas stove leading to an explo-sion and spread of the blaze,Kothapet police station inspectorSubba Rao said.
The house's roof collapsed underimpact of the impact, he said.
Three women - Ramanamma (80),Nirmalamma (48) and Ramana (56)- died on the spot, he said.
Firemen rushed to the place anddoused the flames. They also res-cued the injured persons, who werelater admitted to government hospi-tal.
According to doctors, one of theinjured was critical, he said.
A case has been registered in thisregard, Rao added.
PATNA, JAN 20Bihar Chief Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi
on Tuesday said disaster management wasthe priority of the state government andpromised all assistance to the Bihar StateDisaster Management Authority(BSDMA). Manjhi also advocated exten-sive awareness of disaster managementamong people so that large scale destruc-tion of lives and goods could be avoided.
"We cannot stop disasters from striking,but we can check loss of lives and proper-ty with better disaster management. Wecan make people ready to tackle disastersby spreading awareness about earthquake,storms, floods and fire," Manjhi said.
The chief minister was speaking afterinaugurating an 'earthquake safety clinicand centre' at National Institute ofTechnology, Patna (NITP). Reviewing anexhibition on earthquake safety measureson the occasion, he said we must tell thepeople about the sensitiveness of earth-quakes and train them to take countermeasures. Manjhi also said disaster man-agement should be included in the schoolsyllabus so that kids could learn it from thebeginning. He added that he would consultexperts in this regard. Speaking on theoccasion, the chief minister said,"Population explosion, pollution and wip-
ing out forests are leading to environmen-tal and climatic changes leading to scorch-ing heat, severe winter and various naturaldisasters."
He pointed out towards issues like siltaccumulation in the Ganga due to Farakkabarrage, decreasing groundwater levelsand said there was a need to increase forestcover to 33 per cent of land, as well as,check pollution.
"More trees will lead to timely rainfall
and pure air. If we don't use too much offertilisers and pesticides, we will get purefood and water. These will increase ourlongevity. So many birds and animals havealready disappeared due to pollution,"Manjhi said.
He assured NITP that a high-level meet-ing would be convened to solve landrelates issues facing by it and advocatedvertical growth of buildings instead ofgoing horizontal to save costly land.
GUWAHATI, JAN 20Paving way for the much-
awaited reshuffle, all the 14members of Assam ChiefMinister Tarun Gogoi's min-istry today resigned fromtheir respective positions.
All the ministers wenttogether and submitted theirresignations to the ChiefMinister at his official resi-dence this evening, an officialsaid.
"In the meeting of the coun-cil of ministers, all the minis-ters have put in their papersso that the reshuffle can becarried out in a smooth man-ner," the official said.
The Chief Minister hasrequested the ministers tocontinue working in theirposts till the reshuffle is done.
"The new council of minis-ters is likely to take oath onJanuary 23 after the Governorreturns to the state," thesource said.
After the Congress' Lok
Sabha debacle in the state andemergence of dissidence lastyear, Gogoi has been main-taining that his Cabinetwould be reshuffled.
The proposed reshufflepostponed many times andGogoi had said that reshufflewould take place during firstweek of January.
However, newly elected
Congress state unit presidentAnjan Dutta had requested toeffect the reshuffle afterBhogali Bihu festival due tothe training session of theparty's sevadal in the statecapital. The bundle of resig-nations comprise letters of 11cabinet ministers and threeministers of state withIndependent charge.
All members of Assam CM Tarun Gogoi's ministry resign
CHIRANG, JAN 20The Indian Army has confirmed the
arrest of eleven militants of thebanned National Democratic Front ofBodoland (NDFB) in Assam'sChirang district.
It also confirmed the seizure of ahuge cache of arms and ammunitionduring the raid and the arrests.
The militants were apprehended onspecific intelligence inputs from thePanbari forest area of Chirang dis-trict. Two pistols, two improvisedexplosive devices (IED) and ninedetonators among other arms andammunition were recovered from therebels.
The NDFB is fighting for a sepa-rate homeland for indigenous Bodotribesmen claiming that the tea-grow-ing state has been flooded with out-siders.
"This is the latest apprehension.The arrests are results of our offen-sive operations. We will continue thecombing operations in the region,"
said Colonel DS Rana.Assam is one of the seven states
that make up India's remoteNortheast, home to more than 200tribes and dozens of insurgencies,some seeking greater autonomy andothers secession.
The region has trailed the rest ofIndia in economic development andthe gap has widened in recent years,fuelling discontent. Residents accusethe central government of plunderingthe natural resources while ignoringdevelopment.
India has intensified army opera-tions to hunt down tribal militants inAssam after rebels killed at least 80people last December, the deadliestin the remote area in years.
India has also sought cooperationfrom Bhutan, Myanmar andBangladesh in the offensive againstthe tribal militants.
Assam has a history of sectarianbloodshed and armed groups fightingfor secession from India.
Indian Army confirms arrest of11 militants in Assam's Chirang
Disaster management thepriority of state govt: Manjhi
AHMEDABAD, JAN 20One worker was killed
while 11 others wereinjured, three of them seri-ously when a chemical bar-rel exploded in a firm inAnkleshwar GIDC area ofBharuch district in Gujarat,police said on Tuesday.
According to Ankleshwar-GIDC police, a barrel con-taining '4-HydroxybenzoicAcid' exploded late lastnight when some of thelabourers were weighingbarrels of this chemical inthe manufacturing unit ofSurvival Technologies PvtLtd, located in GIDC area.
The deceased was identi-fied as Mohammad ZahidHussain (19), who used towork and live at the factory,said police. Those who aregrievously injured are LalanPaswan, Mitesh Vasani and
Prakash Paswan."All of them are labourers
working in that factory.When they were weighingthe chemicals on an elec-tronic scale last night, one ofthe drums containing 4-Hydroxybenzoic Acid sud-denly exploded due to shortcircuit in the scale," saidAssistant Sub Inspector ofAnkleshwar GIDC PareshHasoti.
"Since Zahid was verynear to that drum, he died ofsevere burn injuries due tothe acid, while three others,who were at a distance fromthe scale, received burninjuries.
"Apart from them, eightother labourers receivedminor burn injuries. Wehave lodged a case of acci-dental death and started ourinvestigation," said Hasoti.
Blast in chemical companyin Gujarat; one dead
CHANDIGARH, JAN 20The Punjab and Haryana
High Court on Tuesdayupheld the decision of theManohar Lal Khattar gov-ernment in Haryana reduc-ing the retirement age ofstate government employ-ees from 60 to 58 years.
The order in favour ofHaryana government waspronounced by JusticeTejinder Singh Dhindsa,petitioners' advocateSatnarain Yadav said.
Following the verdict, thestate government employ-ees in Haryana would nowretire at the age of 58years.
The single bench of thecourt passed the orders afterdismissing a bunch of atleast 28 petitions filed bythe employees against thestate government's recentdecision on the lowering ofretirement age, Yadavsaid.
On November 25, thenewly formed Haryana gov-
ernment had reduced theretirement age of govern-ment employees from 60 to58 years folliwng a cabinetdecision in this regard.
However, the decisionwas challenged by severalemployees before the courton the grounds that it wastaken due to political rea-sons.
The retirement age of IASofficers, judicial officersand the teachers of govern-ment-aided colleges of thestate is still 60 years andthat is why the decision toincrease the retirement agefrom other employees from58 to 60 years was taken inAugust, the petitioners hadpleaded.
Earlier on August 25, theprevious Bhupinder SinghHooda led Congress gov-ernment in the state hadincreased the retirement agefrom 58 to 60 years for gov-ernment employees daysahead of the announcementof state Assembly polls.
HC upholds Haryana govt'sdecision on retirement age
Sports 7NEW DELHI | WEDNESDAY | JAN 21, 2015SAADDA HAQ
BRISBANE, JAN 20Pacemen Steven Finn pro-
duced a career-best perform-ance to lead England to a nine-wicket thrashing of India inboth countries` second outingin a triangular one-day series inBrisbane on Tuesday.
India`s decision to bat firstbackfired when they were dis-missed for just 153 in 39.3overs in the one-day interna-tional, with Finn exploiting theGabba`s pace and bounce toclaim five wickets for 33.
In reply, England cruised tovictory in just 27.3 overs giv-ing them a much-needed confi-dence boost ahead of the WorldCup in Australia and NewZealand that kicks off nextmonth.
Their recent one-day formhas been very poor, but theywere never stretched with thebat as they finished on 156 forone, with opener Ian Bellunbeaten on 88 and JamesTaylor on 56 as they notchedtheir first win under new cap-tain Eoin Morgan.
Stuart Binny, who top-scoredfor India with 44 in his returnto the side, claimed the only
wicket to fall, that of openerMoeen Ali for eight.
After losing to Australia onSunday, the Indian batsmenstruggled to cope with the live-ly wicket.
Finn, on the other hand,made the most of it to claim hisfirst five-wicket haul in 49 one-day internationals, including anumber of prized Indian scalps.
He did most of his damage to
the top order, as India lost theirway after being in a soundposition at 57-1.
Seamer James Anderson,returning to the English sideafter injury, claimed the first
wicket, removing the strug-gling Shikhar Dhawan for one,before Ajinkya Rahane andAmbati Rayudu steadied theIndian cause with a 56-runstand.
The fall of Rahane, caught byTaylor from the bowling ofFinn on 33, sparked the first oftwo collapses during theinnings.
Finn then claimed Rayudu,who scored 23, and ViratKohli, who managed just four,as India slumped to 67 for five.
Captain Mahendra SinghDhoni and the recalled Binnyput on 70 to revive India`shopes briefly, before Finnagain struck twice in quick suc-cession to turn the match.
He had Dhoni caught behindby Jos Buttler on 34, the wick-etkeeper`s fifth dismissal of theinnings, and India folded, los-ing their last five wickets forjust 16 runs.
Finn picked up his fifth scalpwhen he bowled Axar Patel fornought.
Anderson ran through the tailto finish with impressive fig-ures of four for 18 from 8.3overs.
ODI tri-series: Pacers guide England tocomprehensive nine-wicket win over India MUMBAI, JAN 20
Former India hockey coachMichael Nobbs said it was per-haps a good time to appoint ahome grown product to take upthe national coach's job ahead ofthe Rio Olympic Games, forwhich the squad has alreadyqualified.
"I wouldn't worry about thecoaches -- they come and go.The real key are the players.Hockey India is doing a greatjob. Why not put an Indiancoach for the job? You have 18months to go. You are the firstteam to qualify for theOlympics. Why not give some-one from India a chance," theAustralian told reporters heretoday.
Nobbs, who is on a visit toIndia on behalf of Australiancompany Grassman that pro-duces wet and dry artificialhockey turfs, however feltHockey India was unlikely topay heed to his suggestion.
Naming a few who he thoughtcould do the coaching job well,Nobbs said: "You have CedricD'souza, M K Kaushik,Harendra Singh and Jude Felixand I am sure there are manymore. Harendra is now an FIH(recognised) coach. It is just mysuggestion to select an Indian
coach but they (HI) are notgoing to accept it. They will gowith a foreign coach. That'sokay as well. You have to beoptimistic and go forward."
Nobbs, who coached the coun-try before his compatriot TerryWalsh took over, was happywith the progress made by theIndian men's hockey team sincehis departure and predicted itwill ascend the medal rostrum atthe 2020 Olympic Games inTokyo.
"I have been really pleasedwith its progress. Every singlekid that I picked after theOlympics is in the team. It is ayoung experienced team andyou are getting better. By the2020 Olympics, I bet that Indiawill win a medal.
"HI has really pushed the kidssince the past three-four years.After the next Olympics, thesekids will come in or at least putpressure on the existing players,so in the following Olympicsyou will have seriously goodplayers like Manpreet Singh,"he said.
Nobbs, India coach from June2011 till July 2013, did not seemtoo concerned about formercoach Walsh's departure after atiff with HI president NarinderBatra.
BRISBANE, JAN 20His decision to bat first
backfired on Tuesday asIndia were dismissed for apaltry 153 against Englandand skipper MahendraSingh Dhoni put the blameon his batsmen for theirnine-wicket loss in theirsecond ODI of the crickettri-series here.
"I don't think we battedwell, especially afterchoosing to bat," saidDhoni after JamesAnderson and StevenSmith produced sensation-al seam bowling to set upthe win for England at TheGabba.
"The wicket was a bittwo-paced to start off andour batsmen did not reallyplay well. We needed tobuild partnerships, but that did not happen. "If a ball is there to hit,
you should, but if it needsto be defended, you shouldwatch out. By the time youneed to accelerate, therearen't any wickets left," hesaid.
India will be in Australiafor a long time since theWorld Cup is also startingnext month and Dhoni saidthe four and a half monthsaway from home is verydemanding.
"We have to use whatev-er time is left before theworld cup in a useful man-ner. Staying four and a halfmonths away from home isdifficult, but we have toswitch on and switch off.We need to switch on andassess what needs to bedone in the nets, or wait inthe hotel if the need be," hesaid.
It was England's first winafter their loss to Australiain the tournament-openerand skipper Eoin Morgansaid he is delighted at theoutstanding performanceof his team.
"Outstanding. We reallyput a team performance,which I was delightedwith, " said Morgan.
"And there were individ-ual performance. SteveFinn got that bounce andmade most of it. Jimmy setthe tone with an earlybreakthrough. If it swings,he tends to take advantage.
It adds a hell of a lot ofweight to the side.Australia very strong sideat the moment, we willcontinue to concentrate onwhat we do well," headded.
Tri-series, India vs England: I don'tthink we batted well, says MS Dhoni
NEW DELHI, JAN 20India`s media on
Tuesday lashed out atDavid Warner over hisrepeated verbal clasheswith Mahendra SinghDhoni`s touring team,demanding the aggressiveAustralian opener bereined in.
"Brakes on motormouthWarner" and "TalkativeWarner crosses the line"read two headlines inIndian newspapers afterWarner was fined 50 per-cent of his match fee fordemanding Rohit Sharma"speak English" duringSunday`s one-dayer inMelbourne.
"Warner has a knack ofgetting into trouble.Despite warnings in thepast he does not seem tolearn," the Times of Indiawrote, referring to his con-stant run-ins with theIndians during the preced-ing Test series.
The Hindustan Timessaid Indian team managershad decided to ignoreWarner rather than react tothe sledging.
"The Indian team man-agement, despite all theverbal volleys that flewfrom the Aussie camp,confirmed that the teamhad decided to not reactand concentrate in gettingback to winning ways," thepaper wrote.
The Australian fieldershad taken offence when the
Indians went for a singleoff an overthrow whichthey wrongly believed wasin breach of cricket eti-quette.
The reporter for theWisden India website cov-ering the series saidWarner`s behaviour wasunwarranted and wouldone day "come back to bitehim very badly where ithurts". "Warner is also theperfect example of a manfighting for all the wrongcauses, however strong hisconviction might be that heis doing the right thing,"the website wrote.
"He does not suffer fromwhite line fever so much asdefine it. One day, it willcome back to bite him verybadly where it hurts.
"Australia have made
`playing hard but fair` oneof the most laughablecliches in the cricketworld. By their estimation,everything they do is `hardbut fair`, but everythingthe opposition does isunfair."
Warner admitted heshould not have confrontedSharma but said the pairhad been engaging in"friendly banter" duringthe match, which Australiawon with six balls to sparedespite a century bySharma, and he didn`t feelthe need to apologise
India, who lost the four-Test series 2-0, are current-ly engaged with Englandand hosts Australia in a tri-series to prepare for theWorld Cup starting DownUnder on February 14.
India`s media slams `motor-mouth` David Warner
KARACHI, JAN 20Looking to rewrite his-
tory by beating arch-rivals in the upcomingWorld Cup, Pakistan cap-tain Misbah-ul-Haq haspromised the fans that thenational team would playits best cricket in the 50-over showpiece event andmake them proud.
India and Pakistan opentheir respective cam-paigns against each otheron February 15 inAdelaide, a day after themega event kickstarts andthat makes the clash amouth watering one.
"We know how impor-tant this match is and weare going with a clearmind that we want tochange history and beatIndia in a World Cup,"Misbah said whileaddressed the mediabriefly at the nationalcricket academy inLahore before the teamleft for the airport toembark on their WorldCup campaign today.
"We are focused for thematch and the players aregoing to play with lot ofpassion and commitmentto try to win the match,"he added.
Misbah also said thatthe team is ready to giveits best shot at the titlethey last won in 1992.
"In a few hours we willbe leaving for the WorldCup and I think we haveour best possible prepara-tions for the World Cupand we are going with apositive mindset and tryto win every match andthe World Cup," Misbahsaid.
"We have only onething in mind that is toplay our best cricket inthis event because weknow how closely theWorld Cup is followed byeveryone and the expecta-tions attached with ourteam," he added.
Misbah, who is yet torecover completely froma hamstring injury, saidhe has told the players to
play fearless cricket."Every team has the
backing of its nation andit comes well prepared towin the World Cup so it isgoing to be a tough chal-lenge but I think we havethe resources to meet thischallenge," he said.
Pakistan is slated toplay two warm up match-es and two one-day inter-nationals in New Zealandbefore moving toAustralia and Misbah,who has alreadyannounced the World Cupwill be his final one-dayinternational event, saidthe team would havenearly three and halfweeks to acclimatise tothe conditions in the hostcountries.
"We are going therenearly three and halfweeks in advance toacclimatise and get usedto wickets and that isgood enough and we havethe resources to deal withevery situation," hesaid.
We want to change history and beatIndia in World Cup: Misbah-ul-Haq
MELBOURNE, JAN 20World number ones
Novak Djokovic andSerena Williams showedno mercy in poweringthrough to the AustralianOpen second roundTuesday as unseeded darkhorse Victoria Azarenkawon her grudge match.
Defending men's cham-pion Stan Wawrinka,Japanese fifth seed KeiNishikori and women'sfourth seed Petra Kvitovaalso stayed on course.
Eighteen-time GrandSlam winner Williamsopened her MelbournePark account with a deci-sive 6-0, 6-4 displayagainst Belgium's AlisonVan Uytvanck, layingdown the marker to herchallengers.
A sixth Australian Opentitle would take her to clearsecond on the Grand SlamOpen Era winners listbehind Steffi Graf's 22,having joined Chris Evertand Martina Navratilovaon 18 with her win at theUS Open last year.
"If I could get to 19 inAustralia that would bebeyond amazing, so we'llsee. I have a lot of work todo but I'm just going toenjoy myself," said theAmerican.
Serbian top seedDjokovic, gunning for afifth Australian title, alsofound his groove earlyagainst Slovenia's AljazBedene to post a com-manding 6-3, 6-2, 6-4 win.
"For a first round per-formance it was prettygood, obviously I still needto work on a few things,I'm still developing mygame," said Djokovic, wholost to Wawrinka in thequarter-finals last year.
The Swiss fourth seedwent on to stun RafaelNadal and win his maidenGrand Slam, and he is keento repeat the heroics againthis year.
He got his title defenceoff to to a solid start with a6-1, 6-4, 6-2 mauling ofTurkey's Marsel Ilhan,encountering few prob-lems.
Australian Open 2015: NovakDjokovic, Serena Williams show nomercy as Victoria Azarenka romps
MELBOURNE, JAN 20Spanish tennis ace
Rafael Nadal’s new rac-quet now has a power but-ton which will help him intiming his shots to a per-fection!
Termed as a "smart rac-quet", one of the latestadvancement’s in tennistechnology, it tells a playerwhere to hit the ball withthe help of an app, reportsnews.com.au.
There are sensors
implanted in the racquet,made by tennis equipmentcompany Babolat, whichrecords every detail onevery ball hit. At the end ofthe game or training, thedata can be downloaded tohelp analyse a player’sweaknesses and strengths.
“This (racquet) is a wayyou can check these kindsof things (how he has faredin a game),” said the 14-time Grand Slam winner,who was sidelined for
much of last season withinjuries.
Danish player CarolineWozniacki and FrenchmanJo-Wilfried Songa alsohave the power button ontheir racquets.
The player needs to pressthe ‘on’ button and thenstart playing. When thegame ends he has to pressthe second button, activat-ing Bluetooth which syncsthe statistics with a smartphone or a computer.
Rafael Nadal's racquet now has a power button!
BARCELONA, JAN 20Barcelona have sought
inspiration from one oftheir greatest King`s Cupnights as the players pre-pare for their quarter-final,first leg at home to AtleticoMadrid on Wednesday.
The La Liga rivals met ina last eight, second leg inSpain`s domestic Cupcompetition on March 12,1997 after drawing 2-2 inthe first leg at Atletico`sCalderon stadium.
The return at the NouCamp, with the late BobbyRobson in charge of Barcaand current coach LuisEnrique in the side, startedabysmally for the homeside, with Atletico openinga 3-0 halftime lead thanksto a Milinko Pantic hat-trick.
With Barca 5-2 down onaggregate, Robson broughton forwards HristoStoichkov and JuanAntonio Pizzi at the breakand the team began thefightback with two goalsfrom Ronaldo.
Pantic struck again tomake it 4-2 on the nightbut another Ronaldo strikeand a stunning Luis Figovolley tied the score at 4-4and Barca completed aremarkable turnaroundwhen Pizzi`s late winnersealed a 7-6 aggregate suc-cess.
Barca posted highlightsof the game, played in anelectric atmosphere atBarca`s giant arena, ontheir website(www.fcbarcelona.es) onTuesday under the head-line "A 5-4 for the historybooks". Luis Enrique, whotook over at the end of lastseason after Barca failed towin major silverware forthe first time in six years,urged the club`s fans to fillthe stadium on Wednesdayand said their contributionwould be key. "I wouldencourage the supportersto come to the Nou Campto get behind the team,"the former Spain midfield-er told a news conferenceon Tuesday.
Lotus name GP2Series winnerJolyon Palmer asthird driverLONDON, JAN 20
Jolyon Palmer, the firstBriton to win the GP2Series since LewisHamilton, celebrated his24th birthday on Tuesdayby agreeing to become theLotus Formula One team`sthird driver this season.
Lotus said in a statementthat he would attend allgrands prix and F1 tests in2015 and would drive in a"significant number of freepractice sessions as well ascontributing to the car`stesting and development".
Palmer won the 2014GP2 title with the mostamount of points scored ina season (276) and themost consecutive pointsfinishes (19).
Lotus`s two drivers,Romain Grosjean andPastor Maldonado, arealso former GP2 champi-ons.
Barcelona evoke 1997 Cupthriller before Atletico clash
Appoint an Indian coach for nationalhockey team: Michael Nobbs
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Want to take better care ofyour skin this year,despite your hectic sched-
ule? Here are some tips that youcould keep in mind...
Become a health food junkie
If you are able to run away fromfast food fast enough, you might bedoing a huge favour to yourskin.The ingredients in fast foodcan harm your health and your skintoo. At work, keep a handful ofalmonds, berries or some fruitshandy . Clinical nutritionist DrNupur Krishnan says, "You mustregularly eat all kinds and coloursof organic, fresh vegetables, espe-cially green and leafy ones. Have atleast one cup of two-three differentkinds of berries thrice a week.Include veggie juices in your diet."These kinds of foods are bound toboost your antioxidant and nutrientlevels.
What this does:
This will not just slow down age-ing of your skin but will also keepyou fit and active.
Respect the role of water in yourlife
We all are aware thataround 70% of ourbody is made up ofwater. If you go off tobed dehydrated, all thefine lines on the facewill look more pro-nounced.Water washesaway the toxins andunwanted debris off notjust our skin topically ,but also internally .Optimum water intake ofat least three to four litres,in one day , is essential forplumped up baby skin.Having water (avoid coldwater) throughout the daycan stave off mid-meal crav-ings and can keep you awayfrom unwanted junk food.
What this does:
Water cleanses your system oftoxins and hydrates it.
Let your skin breathe
Going au naturel should be one ofyour NY resolutions. Staying make-up-free can help your skin breathe."Some products have chemicalsand ingredients that might close
your
pores. This mayharm your skin,"says Dr JamunaPai, cosmetolo-gist. Sometimesproducts, if theyare not of goodquality , mightcause blemisheson your skin.
What this does:
Without theonslaught of heavy
makeup products,your skin has time to
renew itself.
Recognise the powerof sleep
Befriending yourpillow would be oneof the best ideas foryou this year. Weshould not underes-timate the power ofproper sleep whenit comes to skinhealth. Sleep spe-cialist, neurologistand consultant physi-cian Dr PreetiDevnani says,
"When we are asleep, our skin getstime to repair and renew. But if wedo not get proper eight-hour sleepat one go, our skin is unable to reju-venate itself."
What this does:
Make it imperative to get propershut-eye, because nothing can makeup to this and it is majorly responsi-ble for healthy glowing skin.
Resort to home remedies
You may not have the time for aone-hour skincare regime daily ,but a few home therapies work anddo not take much time. And whensincerely done every day , theyshow results too. " A quick applica-tion of besan and haldi is good, so ishoney and a few drops of limejuice.Applying curd on your face orraw grated potato on blemishes canwork wonders on your skin," saysaesthetician Ritu Singh Tanwar.
What this does:
Lime has bleaching properties,honey hydrates skin and haldi(turmeric) has anti-septic proper-ties.
Top skincare tips for working women
The daughter ofPataudi family andactress Soha Ali
Khan secretly entered intowedlock with actor KunalKhemu. The duo was spec-ulated to get married onJanuary 25th in a privateceremony but they haveshocked their fans byexchanging wedding vowssecretly in the attendanceof close family membersand friends before the spec-ulated time.
Soha Ali Khan and KunalKhemu got married underthe Special Marriage Act inthe presence of a registrar.Unlike big brother andBollywood actor Saif AliKhan, Soha did not have agrand ceremony as shealways preferred a privatewedding. On July 24th lastyear, Kunal proposed mar-riage to Soha in Paris withthe most perfect ring in theworld and she smilinglyaccepted his wedding pro-posal. She revealed, “Itgives me great happiness toshare with you all thatKunal proposed to me inParis with the most perfectring in the world and I saidyes.”
Sharmila Tagore's longtime wish to see her daugh-ter Soha getting married isnow fulfilled. Soha andKunal are living togetherfor the past one year and
going steady.
Soha and Kunal has beendating for four years andthey are open about theirrelationship. After a steadyrelationship, the duo finallyentered into matrimony.
Earlier, Soha's motherSharmila Tagore had con-firmed Soha and Kunal's
marriage on the cards,"Everyone in the familyloves Kunal. We are allvery happy that he andSoha have finally decidedto get married."
"Kunal is a very nice per-son. He will keep mydaughter immenselyhappy," addedSharmila.
Soha Ali Khan secretly tiesthe knot with Kunal Khemu
Rubbishing the engagement rumor,Bollywood diva Katrina Kaif clarifiedthat she is not engaged to Ranbir
Kapoor. She clarified that she has enjoyedvacation with her family in London and nowagain back to work for an eventful New Year.She also opens her heart about her newbornniece, with whom she had a great time.
Katrina said, "I had a wonderful holiday, awonderful New Year and it was very special.That's all you're getting out of me."
After returning from holiday, Katrina Kaifwas spotted with a huge diamond ring whichsparked the rumor of her engagement. It isrumoured that keeping the wish of Kat’s moth-er, Ranbir put a ring on Kat’s finger and sealedtheir relationship. In November last year, thelovebirds moved in together.
Katrina is basking in the joy as her sister isblessed with a newborn. She has turned mashiand is over the moon. "Not feeling broody, assuch. Just happy to see my sister have such abeautiful kid," she said. And when Katrina wasasked when she will have one, she candidlyreplied, "God willing, one day when the timeis right."
In the work front, she is shooting for AnuragBasu’s ‘Jagga Jasoos’ with Ranbir Kapoor.
Katrina Kaif opens her heartabout marriage, babies
Twinkle Khanna and Akshay‘Khiladi’ Kumar celebratedtheir 14th marriage anniversary
on 17th of January this year. This cou-ple tied the wedding knot in the year2001. The love between ‘Khiladi’Kumar and his wife has blossomed andenveloped them and their beautifulfamily, for the past 14 years.
On this special day Akshay posted apicture of the lovely couple onInstagram. The caption of the picturesaid, “I have repeatedly heard the samejokes from @mrsfunnybones for thelast 14 years. I am eagerly looking for-ward for more.” The couple spent theday in each other’s company. Theywere seen in Mumbai, coming out ofPVR cinemas after enjoying a movie.
These two young stars first met onthe sets of a photo shoot. They gotmarried after dating for a while. Eventhough their marriage was hushed andkept a private affair, this couple hasbeen going strong all these years.Akshay and Twinkle are considered asone of the hottest couples ofBollywood. They have been the talk of
the town on several occasions. ‘Zulmi’and ‘International Khiladi’ are a few ofthe films in which the two were seen asa couple. Twinkle has also producedsome movies like ‘Patiala House’,‘Khiladi 786’ and ‘Thank You’ for
hubby, Akshay.It is a loving family of four, with son
Aarav and daughter Nitara. Akshay isa family man and ensures spendingquality time with wife and kids. Whenhe is not busy shooting for films, he is
sure to be having fun with his family.As a very protective dad, Akshay, haskept Aarav and Nitara completelyaway from the attention of media.
While Akshay used Instagram toexpress his feelings, wife Twinkleopted for the micro blogging platformTwitter. Twinkle tweeted, “What wasthe best gift you have ever receivedfrom your husband on your anniver-sary?” She answers her own questionsaying, “Akshay lent me his awesomesense of humour, a well balanced lifeand lots of support.” The secret of thiscouple’s successful marriage is theirhumour, jokes and jovial manner.
Many other actors who are close tothe couple wished them on Twitter.Ritesh Deshmukh, who has workedwith Akshay in various movies postedon Twitter. He tweeted, “Wishing avery happy anniversary to my dearest@akshaykumar and @mrsfunny-bones.” The stunning actress DiaMirza also wished through Twitter.She posted, “Happy anniversary@akshaykumar and @mrsfunny-bones.”
Twinkle, Akshay celebrate 14 years of togetherness
Deepika Padukone wantsto marry Ranbir Kapoor
Deepika Padukone might be datingRanveer Singh but her heart still beatsfor her ex-boyfriend and actor Ranbir
Kapoor. Deepika had not only said thatKatrina should not marry Ranbir Kapoor butshe also went to the extent to say she wants tomarry the current heartthrob ofBollywood.
At the Star Guild Awards in Mumbai onJanuary 11, when Deepika was asked what herNew Year resolution would be if she wereKatrina Kaif, the actress promptly replied, "Iwould marry Ranbir."
When Deepika was newly introduced toBollywood, she had only few friends from theindustry. It was Ranbir who had a long list offriends from the industry helped the longlegged beauty to make friends with others.Sooner or later, Deepika and Ranbir camecloser, got to know each other better and final-ly one fine day, the actor proposed Deepikaand she happily accepted.
The couple dated for few years before theybroke-up due to some reasons best known tothem. They drifted apart with a promise not tocome back together again in life personally butthey remain connected professionally anddelivered blockbuster ‘Yeh Jawani HaiDewani’ post break-up.
Ranbir soon moved on in life and met a newladylove Katrina Kaif on the set of ‘Ajab PremKi Ghazab Kahini’. They are now today con-sidered to be one soul. Despite many odds,they are going strong and recently moved intogether. The lattest buzz about them is thatthey got secretly engaged in London.
After Leela Samson steppeddown from the post ofCensor Board chairperson
following a row over controver-sial film Messenger of God featur-ing Dera Sacha Sauda chiefGurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, film-maker Pahlaj Nihalani has beenappointed the new chairperson ofthe Central Board of FilmCertification (CBFC), along withnine new members.
Pahlaj Nihalani who directedmovies like ‘Shola Aur Shabnam’and ‘Andaz’ in the past, is a for- mer president of the Association
of Motion Picture and TelevisionProgramme Producers. "TheCentral Govt is pleased to appointPahlaj Nihalani as Chairperson ofthe Central Board of FilmCertification in an honorarycapacity from Jan 19, 2015 for aperiod of three years or until fur-ther orders, whichever is earlier,"read a statement from the ministryof information and broadcasting.The nine members appointed withimmediate effect are Mihir Bhuta,Syed Abdul Bari, RameshPatange, George Baker, Chandra
Prakash Dwivedi, Jeevitha, VaniTripathi Tikoo, S. Ve Shekhar andAshoke Pandit. According to agovt release, "in exercise of thepowers conferred by sub-section(1) of section 3 of theCinematograph Act, 1952 (37 of1952) read with rule 3 of theCinematograph (Certification)Rules, 1983, the CentralGovernment is pleased toappointShri Pahlaj Nihalani asChairperson of the Central Boardof Film Certification in an hon-orary capacity from 19th January.
