SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 08, 2013

8 Pages Rs: 1.00 Jammu Edition

www.thestudentage.com JKENG/2012/41612 Vol. 2 No: 224

LET MODI REMAIN GUJARAT CM: UDDHAV THACKERAY

Good music at wrong time for Kashmiris

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OBAMA TELLS NATION THAT SYRIA IS 'NOT ANOTHER IRAQ OR AFGHANISTAN'

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SOULFUL STRAINS OF ZUBIN MEHTA'S MUSIC CAPTIVATES KASHMIR

separatist leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani against the concert. Setting the tone for the concert, the 77-year-old music maestro started by saying in Hindi, "Hum bahut khush hain, hum bahut khush hain (I am very happy). I have waited and dreamt of this moment for years. "Where are all those whose music we have heard inadvertently. 'Agli baar se to yeh sab muft hona chahiye'. Music sabke liye hona chahiye (the next time, this should be free for everyone. Music should be for everyone) and it should not be for a select few. "We only want to do good. Music must go out from here to all our friends everywhere... To all Kashmiris." Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah started by quoting the famous couplet by Amir Khusrau "that if there is heaven on earth, it is here, it is here. Shalimar Contd p2

Terror attack on CRPF camp, four dead including two militants

News in Brief
Chief of Air Staff meets Governor
SRINAGAR: Air Chief Marshal N. A. K. Browne, Chief of Air Staff, called on Mr. N. N. Vohra, Governor Jammu and Kashmir, at the Raj Bhavan here on Saturday afternoon. During their discussions, various concerns were reviewed including the recent developments along J&K's frontiers. They also discussed the emerging geopolitical situation in the region. The Governor lauded the crucial role played by the Indian Air Force Contd p2

SRINAGAR, SEPT 07: It was a virtual feast for music lovers and connoisseurs if art as soulful strains of some of the most popular and best known western classical music compositions reverberated in the majestic backdrop of Zabarwan Hills when Zubin Mehta, world famous conductor, performed before a audience virtually mesmerised in the Shalimar Gardens on the banks of Dal Lake here on Saturday

evening. In a unique setting in the 400year-old Mughal Garden with its magnificent chinars, some as old as 300 years and more, Mehta and his Bavarian State Orchestra played its full cast of works of Ludwig Van Beethoven, Franz Joseph Haydn and Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky in front of an invited audience of 1,500 guests. The concert kicked off with the maestro leading the orchestra in con-

cert with Abhay Sopori's troupe with traditional Kashmiri instruments. The concert, 'Ehsaas-eKashmir'(Feel of Kashmir), assumed political overtones following opposition by separatists and civil society, which saw it as an attempt to present a picture of peace in Kashmir which had witnessed so much bloodshed in recent decades. The city remained mostly shut at the call of hardline

SRINAGAR, SEPT 07: Four people were killed on Saturday in Shopian district of Jammu and Kashmir when guerrillas attacked a camp of the paramilitary Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), officials said. The attack took place at a CRPF camp at Gagaran,

about 55 km from here. "In retaliatory firing by the CRPF, four people were killed. CRPF recovered two weapons from the slain people," police said. Officials said two of the dead were militants. "Two other people killed in the incident were civilians. The exact identity of the two

slain militants is being established," police said. Several people protested in Shopian town after the incident, saying all the four slain people were civilians. Protesters also pelted stones at the local police station. Curfew was imposed in the town as tension gripped the area after news of the firing.

Onion prices will come down in short time: Government

NEW DELHI: Giving a message of hope to consumers, government on Saturday said onion prices will come down in the next 15-20 days with the arrival of new crops from various southern states. "The prices of onion will come down in 15-20 days. New produce will come into markets from Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh, Contd p2

Will be very happy to work under Rahul Gandhi: Manmohan

Gandhi. Singh also maintained that Rahul, the Congress vice-president, will be an "ideal choice" for the PM post after the next Lok Sabha polls. "I have always maintained that Rahul Gandhi would be an ideal choice for the PM post after 2014 elections (Lok Sabha). I will be very happy to work in the Congress under the leadership of Rahul Gandhi," the prime minister told reporters accompanying him on board the special Air India aircraft on his way home after attending the G20 summit in the Russian city of St Petersburg. 80-year-old Singh was replying to a question on whether it is possible Contd p2

Omar pays glowing tributes to Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah

Describes him monolith of courage, epitome of public aspirations
describing him architect and founder of educative, progressive and secular democratic society in Jammu and Kashmir based on justice, equality and amity between all regions and all sections of the society. Highlighting the struggle and sacrifices made by Sher-i-Kashmir for the cause of people and the State throughout his life, Omar Abdullah said that welfare and public empowerment was his cherished desire and he made all possible endeavours in this direction. "Sheikh Sahib propagated and nurtured amity, brotherhood and mutual trust between various sections of the society and lived as a torch-bearer of Hindu, Muslim, Sikh, Isahi unity. His slogan of'Sher-i-Kashmir Ka Kya Irshad, HinduMuslim-Sikh Itihad' (What is the direction of Sher-iKashmir? Contd p2

PM not yet sure to meet Nawaz Sharief

ON BOARD PM'S SPECIAL AIRCRAFT: Amid suspense over whether he will meet Nawaz Sharif later this month, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Saturday said he will have to factor in "certain harsh realities" like India being affected by terror before arriving at a "final decision" on meeting his Pakistani counterpart in New York. Singh asserted he would be happy to meet Sharif under "normal conditions" as he had respect Contd p2

Governor recalls notable contributions of Sheikh Abdullah

SRINAGAR, SEP 07: Mr. N. N. Vohra, Governor, on Saturday paid tribute to Sheikh Mohammed Abdullah on his death anniversary and recalled his notable contribution to the development of the State. In a message, the Governor described Sheikh Sahib as a tall leader who nurtured a dream of peace, progress and prosperity in all parts of J&K. He recalled the period during which Sheikh Sahib had worked with eminent national leaders like Mahatma Gandhi and Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru and how he had strived for strengthening the cherished values of secularism and democracy. The Governor referred to the crucial Land Reforms pioneered by Sheikh Abdullah, which laid the foundations of equitable development of the State, and the high priority he had devoted to the development of health and education facilities. The Governor observed that best tribute which could be paid to Sheikh Sahib would be for the people to Contd p2

166 bodies recovered in third round of Kedar valley clean up

DEHRADUN: As many as 166 bodies have so far been disposed of in Kedar valley in the third round of combing operations, which went on in full swing on Saturday with the weather remaining clear. The operations were relaunched in Kedar valley on Tuesday and 68 more bodies were yesterday recovered from Garurchatti, Gaurikund and Rambada areas. A clear weather also lent pace to the repairing of damaged road Contd p2

ON BOARD PM'S SPECIAL AIRCRAFT: Indicating he was ready to don any role in the Congress after the 2014 general elections, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Saturday said he will be "very happy" to work under the leadership of Rahul

SRINAGAR, SEP 07: Remembering Sher-iKashmir Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah on his death anniversary being observed throughout the State on 8th of September, Chief Minister, Omar Abdullah paid rich tributes to the late leader

Pakistan assures IMF on MNF status to India. National seminar inaugurated FM stresses on curbs on 'inessential' imports
list on trade with India and extending India mostfavoured nation status, and shifting to 'sensitive list' under Safta (South Asia Free Trade Arrangement) regime to facilitate increased regional trade," Dawn newspaper on Saturday quoted finance minister Ishaq Dar as saying. The Pakistan Peoples Party government announced on December 31, 2012, that it would grant MFN status to India but the commitment didn't materialize. On August 12 this year, Dar had said that there was no immediate recommendation being considered to grant India the MFN status. He said there was a need to normalize relations with India on a number of issues. "There is no immediate consideration to grant India MFN status," he had told Geo TV.

8Governor emphasizes importance of books

ISLAMABAD, SEP 07: Pakistan has assured the International Monetary Fund (IMF) of granting the mostfavoured nation (MFN) status to India. In a written assurance to the IMF, Pakistan said it was moving forward with eliminating the negative list on trade with India as part of its overall trade policy. "We are moving forward with eliminating the negative

SRINAGAR, SEP 07: Mr. N. N. Vohra, Governor, has emphasized the need for all required measures being taken for translating literary works of one language in various other languages for the benefit of the readers across the country, adding

that this would also contribute towards the promotion of languages, enrichment of literatures and national integration. The Governor, as Chief Guest, was inaugurating a national seminar on "Contribution of Saints,

Poets and Poetesses of India to the Social Equality, Religious Harmony and National Integration", organized jointly by the Hindi Kashmiri Sangam and Bhasha Sangam, Allahabad, here on Saturday. The Governor lauded the good work being done by the Hindi Kashmiri Sangam and Bhasha Sangam, Allahabad, in the arena of literary works of one language being translated in varied other languages and hoped that these organizations would continue with their initiatives and assured all possible support for carrying forward such literary activities. Referring to the high importance of books, he observed that the knowledge contained in significant works has relevance and utility for centuries to come. The Contd p2

NEW DELHI, SEP 07: Grappling with the stressed economy, finance minister P Chidambaram on Saturday said "hard decisions" would be taken in the next few days and weeks to trim wasteful expenditure and curb import of "inessential" items. "We are going through a period of stress...we have to take some hard decisions. Many of these measures are being taken, and many measures will be announced in next few days and weeks. Some measures to curb import inessential items will also be announced. "All these measures taken together will have beneficial impact", he said, winding up a debate on Appropriation Bill in the Rajya Sabha. Describing inflation as the worst form of taxation which hit the poorest the most, he

said, the government would be coming out with more measures to deal with the price situation. On the issue of hiking oil prices in the backdrop of rising prices in the international market and rupee depreciation, Chidambaram said "no decision has been taken and no decision will be taken in haste" and the government will weigh pros and cons before announcing any step.

Responding to the suggestion for cutting taxes on petroleum products, he said the matter could be considered provided states too agree to reduce the incidence of tax on oil goods. Attributing the sudden fall in the value of rupee to the May 22 announcement of the US Federal Reserve regarding withdrawal of monetary stimulus, he said the government will take more measures to increase flow of capital to contain volatility in forex market. Chidambaram said, "When you are facing gloomy situation, wasteful expenditure has to be curbed....You call it austerity measures, you can call it cut in non-plan expenditure...while we must continue to spend and continue to find money for productive investment." Contd p2

MANMOHAN SINGH WANTS RAHUL BABA HIS BOSS!

HINDSIGHT
ROHIT SINGH RANA This is the tale of two stars on the ascendant and also of the other. The other despite his long innings refuses to go away. It reminds us of a king who despite losing, teeth, health and above all credibility still chose to clung to power like a leech. The statement of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on board his special aircraft while returning from St. Petersberg said," I have always maintained that Rahul Gandhi would be an ideal choice for the PM post after 2014 elections (Lok Sabha). I will be very happy to work in the Congress under the leadership of Rahul Gandhi." The political scene in India today is in a great flux with two chief contenders vying with one another, for the PMs post. Rahul Gandhi and Narendra Modi seem to edge out other aspiring candidates for the top post. Here Modi edges out Rahul by a margin and sentiment that is seen all over the country. With the carefully crafted image of a tough politician and administrator of outstanding ability, Modi is genuinely seen nearer to the PMs post. Despite internal squabbles and some noises here and there within his party, it appears almost certain that he will eventually be declared as the BJPs candidate for the Prime Minister. Rahul Baba is known to have no administrative ability, no matter how much the Congress loudly proclaims that he has all the abilities needed for the post of prime minister. Sadly enough, the Prime Minister material that was in Nehru, Indira, Shastri and Vajpayee seems to have gone with the wind. Rest is left, a son of a dynasty and the other Modi. Rahul has not inspired the nation with his ideas. What he thinks about the problems of the country and how he enunciates them is not his cup of tea. A weak orator, despite his long grooming, he has till date come as a cropper. In this perplexing situation the third candidate who is still the Prime Minister of India is not in a mood to shun power. After his stellar role under Narsimha Rao as Finance Minister, he had two innings as Prime Minister. The first went average but in the second he has brought the nation at the verge of mortgaging its 550 odd tons of gold to reverse the sagging financial situation. With scams almost riding on his shoulders he is only a pale self of himself despite his honest credentials and label of a top economist. Having tasted power and other associated authority with it, he should have felt now completely saturated with satisfaction. But as they say greed and attachment are the biggest enemies of man and same is happening with the PM. He wants to serve under Rahul Gandhi in order to remain in the reckoning. Manmohan is not so simpleton in politics as is ought to be made out. He has perfected the art of silence to such finesse that it has provoked the Opposition to launch a tirade against him. But his silence has helped him save his face at odd many occasions. At the same time it has cost him his reputation. One thought in all fairness that Manmohan will retire as gracefully as Vajpayee did and command some respect. But he has his own script, craftily written for him. His statement to work under Rahul Gandi can also mean that in case Rahul Gandhi with his shortcomings or a deliberate policy to isolate him form the pale of responsibility by becoming President of Congress, in that scenario it leaves Manmohan an outside chance to go for a third term which in past he has not denied. The Gandhi dynasty has of late carved a new art of governing India indirectly without sharing any direct responsibility. Sonia Gandhi as UPA Chairperson is having the cake and eating it too. Same script could be written for Rahul Baba with Manmohan working under him. This way the statement of Prime Minister sound plausible and doable. Fresh from the St. Petrsberg trip with its cool climate and famed gardens, Manmohan Singh feels renewed vigour to serve the country. How gloomy, that he still can not escape the allure of power despite brining country on the brink.

MIRWAIZ: WHO HAS POLITISED ZUBINS CONCERT?

If any body politicised the Zubin Mehta concert it were the separatists who went hammer and tongs against his concert. The campaign against him has been conducted in such a way in order to give a feel that something terrible was going to happen in Kashmir. But when the whole world comes alive to the concert leaving the Hurriyat leaders fretting and fuming, they resort to deception. Chairman Hurriyat Conference Mirwaiz Umar Farooq has in his patently innate nature of double speak said that there was no opposition to the German sponsored concert but it has assumed political overtones to which his faction is objecting to. Hold on to a high moral ground and then in the wake of getting a feel that the moral ground itself turned slippery, revert to a deceit and issue a confusing statement. It is all the separatists whether moderates or hardliners have perfected into a subtle art. But their subtle art is fragile and does not last long. In the wake of an intense inner feeling the Mirwaiz too must have liked to be on the guest list because it is definitely a life time opportunity to be at the Shalamar Garden watching Zubin performing for the Feel of Kashmir. Caught between the devil and the deep sea the Mirwaiz instead has gone in favour of a parallel concert. In pure musical terms it is going shopping from a high end London store to a ramshackle, descript vegetable market. These separatists have not cared a wee bit to promote and encourage the great local artists who were a legend in their own way. They discouraged great artists and looked down upon them as anti- Kashmiriat. They have since gone their immortal way unsung. Curiously in private these separatists should have watched the Zubin show but in public they will not acknowledge. RANASAHIB

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STUDENT AGE SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 08, 2013

CONTD
relations should evolve. "But there are certain harsh realities on the ground. If the terror acts do not stop, if those who voice terrorist thoughts move about freely, if there is no significant progress in bringing the culprits of the Mumbai massacre to book - that I have to factor in before arriving at a final decision," he said. The uncertainty surrounding a SinghSharif meeting on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York later this month comes against the backdrop of 26/11 mastermind Hafiz Mohammad Saeed not being brought to justice in Pakistan and moving around freely in that country, and also the lack of progress in the Mumbai attacks trial in Islamabad. Singh was talking to reporters on board a special Air India plane on his return home after attending the G20 summit in the Russian city of St Petersburg. He was asked about the possibility of meeting Sharif amid mounting speculation on this issue and a view in the country that he should avoid meeting his Pakistani counterpart. The BJP has voiced its opposition to any meeting between Singh and Sharif. "I have always maintained that we can choose our friends, but we have no choice with regard to our neighbours. And therefore, under normal conditions, I would be happy to meet with Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, whom I respect, who has said the right things about how relations between our two countries should evolve," he said. Meanwhile, the Prime Minister said he was very sad to hear of the killing of prominent Bengali writer Sushmita Banerjee by the Taliban in Afghanistan and described her as a noble person. "It is a very sad development. She was living in Afghanistan for a long number of years. She was engaged in very important social work. So I feel very sad that such a noble person should have been the victim of the Taliban's wrath," he said. Singh said the incident showed that Afghanistan is still plagued by the Taliban menace. "The government and people of Afghanistan, ultimately, will have to make up their minds whether the Taliban philosophy, particularly with regard to the role of women in society, is the theme which should decide their approach to life," he said. gold, have been adding to the pressure on the Current Account Deficit (CAD) which has touched an all time high of 4.8 per cent of the gross domestic product (GDP) in 2012-13. Referring to inflation, Chidambaram said it can partly be attributed to the rise in the Minimum Support Price (MSP), which in itself was a good thing as it meant more income for the farming community. The other reason for inflation was spike in crude prices in the international market, Chidambaram said, adding "We don't fix prices of crude oil. Yesterday it crossed 115 dollar per barrel...(but) we have to bear the consequences". Similarly, he said, India has to depend upon import of edible oil and pulses, which drive inflation. Chidambaram also spoke about stimulus packages, days after he blamed them for current economic mess in comments which were seen as an attack on his predecessor and now President Pranab Mukherjee. He stressed, "We allowed fiscal deficit target to breach. We allowed CAD to swell. I blame nobody. We include all of us in government, we include all in Parliament". interacted with them and congratulated them for their literary achievements. Those who were felicitated on this occasion included Mrs. Khemlata Wakhloo, Chairperson, State Social Welfare Board; Mr. Chandra Prakash, Chief Post Master General, J&K Circle; Dr. Mathura Datta Pandeya, Dr. Tribhuwan Shukla and Dr. Beena Budki. The Governor was honoured on this occasion by presenting to him a memento by Dr. Govindrajan, President of the Bhasha Sangam, Allahabad. Earlier, in his welcome address, Prof. Chaman Lal Sapru, President, Hindi Kashmiri Sangam, dwelt on the aims and objects of organizing this Seminar. He also gave details of the establishment, evolution, history and activities of the Hindi Kashmiri Sangam and Bhasha Sangam, Allahabad. Among those who also spoke on the occasion included Dr. Govindrajan, President of the Bhasha Sangam, Allahabad; Dr. Tribhuwan Shukla and Dr. Beena Budki, Secretary, Hindi Kashmiri Sangam. Mr. Bharat Bhushan Bhat presented a Vote of Thanks. A number of writers, intellectuals, functionaries of the Hindi Kashmiri Sangam and Bhasha Sangam, Allahabad and participants of the Seminar from within the State and various other parts of the country were present at the inaugural function.

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On price rise, T Rathinavel (AIADMK) said earlier tears used to come while chopping onions, but now tears come only after hearing the prices of this essential kitchen item. Shashi Bhusan Behera (BJD) said the country is going through difficult times and wanted to know the government's roadmap to contain current account deficit and fiscal deficit. Birendra Prasad Baishya (AGP) expressed concern over the declining value of the rupee. Raising up the issue of joblessness in the country, Piyush Goyal (BJP) said government will have to take immediate steps. He raised the issue of increasing foreign debt saying it has increased several folds. Saber Ali (JD-U) said because of rising prices, half of the country's people are suffering. D Raja (CPI) said that unless government takes a course correction, Indian economy cannot improve. P Rajeeve (CPM), V P Singh Bandore (BJP), Naresh Gujral (SAD), Ram Vilas Paswan (LJP) and Ram Kripal Yadav (RJD) were among those who participated in the debate.

CONTINUATION
Soulful strains ..
Bagh once again comes alive with the sound of music. German Ambassador in India Michael Steiner, who hosted the concert, said, "The distance between Munich and Srinagar is 7,756-km. Today, the distance reduces to zero. German and European cultural heritage bow to Kashmir, to its history, to its beauty and to its difficult reality and journey." "The world is looking at you, Ehsaas-eKashmir," he said, going on to quote Kashmiri poet Habba Khatun and German poet, Rainer Maria Rilke. While acknowledging the support of the state government and the Chief Minister, Steiner said, "I thank you all, but most of all I thank you all Kashmiris". Holding of the concert fulfils a longcherished wish of the Mumbai-born Mehta, who brushed aside the controversies surrounding it, saying that he was extremely happy to be performing here. "I did not choose Kashmir, Kashmir chose me." Among the audience were Jammu and Kashmir Governor NN Vohra, Union Minister Farooq Abdullah, a number of celebrities and envoys of several countries. The high-profile event was telecast live by public broadcaster by Doordarshan for the first time in Hi-Definition format, which was watched by millions across India and 50 European countries. Mehta played Symphony No. 5, a composition of the famous German composer Beethoven, a crucial figure in the transition between the Classical and Romantic eras in western art music in the early 19th century. The other well-known compositions that were played this evening were Concerto for Trumpet by Haydn, the late 18th century Austrian composer regarded by many as "Father of the Symphony", and the Violin Concerto by Russian composer Tchaikovsky, one of the most celebrated musicians of the 19th century. Mehta, who had worked with several international orchestras including the New York Philharmonic and Israel Philharmonic, wove a magic spell and kept his audience in thrall unmindful of the controversy generated by separatists and others objecting to the concert. In the specially restored setting of the captivating 17th century Shalimar Gardens, soloists Andreas Oettl on trumpet and Lithuanian Julian Rachlin on violin executed Mehta's flamboyant enthusiasm with forceful expression. The local flavour was provided by Abhay Rustom Sopori, son of legendary Kashmiri musician, Pandit Bhajan Sopori. Abhay's troupe performed with 15 Kashmiri musical instruments like santoor, rabaab, tumbak, sarangi and matka. The 'Ehsaas-e-Kashmir' conceived by Steiner was objected to by the separatist

Hurriyat Conference and sections of the civil society, saying it was an attempt to change the status of Kashmir as a disputed land. The civil society held a parallel concert, 'Haqeeqat-e-Kashmir' (Reality of Kashmir) at the Municipal Park, not far away from the Shalimar Garden, created by Mughal emperor Jehangir in 1619 for his wife Noorjehan. Mirwaiz Umer Farooq, chairman of the moderate faction of the Hurriyat Conference, said earlier, "We have nothing against Mehta or any visiting dignitary... No one is against the event itself but it has assumed political overtures as an attempt is being made that everything is normal and peaceful in Kashmir, which is not the case".

Omar pays ..
It is the unity between Hindu, Muslim and Sikh) still reverberates in the hearts and minds of people and its resonance is equally felt in the mountains, valleys and planes of Jammu and Kashmir", he said and vowed his commitment for strengthening this preaching and teaching of Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah. Omar said that Sher-i-Kashmir Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah laid the edifice of 'Naya Kashmir' with a clear vision of public empowerment and involvement in the formulation and implementation of development plans in accordance with the aspirations of the people and requirements of the areas. He said that his government would put in all efforts to work for realizing the progressive, peaceful and economically welfare New Jammu and Kashmir envisioned by the late leader. In a message on the eve of the death anniversary of Sher-i-Kashmir, the Chief Minister said that the best way of paying tributes to the great leader is to follow his footprints and work together for achieving peace and prosperity for the State and strengthening the cherished secular democratic values advocated and propagated by Sheikh Sahib. Omar said that the foundation laid by Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah to universalize education and health care facilities in the State and uplift the downtrodden sections of the society by upgrading their socio-economic and education status clearly describes the love Sheikh Sahib possessed for the common people especially belonging to poorer sections of the society. The Chief Minister said that the concept of single line administration and devolution of power from central level to grass roots introduced and implemented by Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah constitutes the necessary pillar in good-governance and public empowerment. He said that the revolutionary measure of land to tiller taken by Sheikh Sahib has helped a lot to engulf the gap between have and have not's and built a society on the principle of equality and justice.

166 bodies .
network and disaster management and mitigation officials said if the weather continues to be clear, the roads are likely to be restored before the end of this month. The work to restore traffic on RishikeshBadrinath, Rishikesh-Kedarnath and Rishikesh-Gangotri highways, which are still blocked at a number of places, went out in full swing today, they said. A total of 47 roads, including RishikeshBadrinath and Gopeshwar-Pokhri road, are obstructed by debris in Chamoli district whereas 12 roads are blocked in Rudraprayag district, including the Rishikesh-Kedarnath national highway. The weather was largely dry in the state today, with light to moderate rains occurring at isolated places, particularly in the Kumaon region, the Met office said. Munsayari received the maximum 14 mm of rains in the last 24 hours followed by Pithoragarh 11.8 mm, Haridwar 7.2 mm, Almora 4 mm and Champawat 3 mm, it said.

Chief of ..
in defending the territorial integrity of the country and in providing valuable support to the civil authorities in carrying out rescue, relief and evacuation operations and enabling the concerned authorities in dealing with emergencies and natural calamities. The Governor observed that whenever there is any calamity or accident, the Air Force has been providing crucial help by rushing relief materials, medicines, essential commodities and evacuating the injured for treatment. Air Chief Marshal Browne briefed the Governor about the recent inductions and the initiatives being taken by the Air Force in regard to further securing the frontiers.

Governor recalls ..
work with a missionary zeal for strengthening J&K's deep rooted secular traditions and the bonds of communal harmony, brotherhood and amity, for ensuring peace, progress and prosperity in the State.

Onion prices ..
" food and consumer affairs minister KV Thomas said, replying to a shortduration discussion on the abnormal rise in the prices of onion and other essential commodities. Admitting that onion price normally goes up during the July-October lean period, he said during the rabi season of March-June, 60 per cent of the country's total onion is produced. The rest is produced during the kharif season of October- December and late kharif season of January-March period. Thomas said in discussion with states, effective steps are taken each year to tide over the gap between the demand and supply of onion and control the price. Admitting that hoarding takes place, he said states including Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh have arrested such unscrupulous traders under the the Essential Commodities Act. Naresh Agrawal of Samajwadi Party (SP) had demanded a discussion on the high onion price issue. While supporting the demand for grants, NK Singh (JD-U) said Parliament should have an opportunity to discuss Five Year Plans.

Will be ..
for him to seek a third term on the grounds that many in the Congress would like to see Rahul to lead the party. Singh also did not rule out any alliances with erstwhile ally Trinamool Congress in the future, saying in politics there are no permanent enemies and permanent friends. He was asked whether the Congress will seek an alliance with Trinamool for the upcoming parliamentary elections. "In politics, there are no permanent enemies and permanent friends. And in many ways, a week in politics is sometimes an unusually long period of time," he said, adding, "So, I don't rule out, for example, alliances." Noting that Mamata Banerjee was a very respectable member of the Congress party at one time, the prime minister said the Congress was also very happy to have her in the UPA government. Singh said the Congress would very much like like-minded, secular minded persons to work again to give the country's polity a thrust in favour of secular elements.

National seminar .
Governor congratulated the Hindi Kashmiri Sangam and the Bhasha Sangam, Allahabad for organizing this seminar and hoped that it would go a long way in the promotion of languages and literatures. The Governor released five publications on this occasion, which included September issue of the quarterly magazine "Kashmir Sandesh" published by the Kashmiri Hindi Sangam and, besides, two volumes brought out by the Bhasha Sangam, Allahabad. The Governor felicitated literary personalities for their notable literary contributions by presenting them cash awards, shawls and mementos. He

FM stresses .
Stating that there was need to curb all inessential imports, he said, "When you have the money, you can import anything and it does not make any difference to the economy. But when you are facing a stressful situation, you have to curb inessential imports." Regretting that India has to import coal despite having essential fuel in adequate quantities, he said a way had to be found out to deal with the issues concerning mining of coal and export of iron one fines. Import of coal and ban on export of iron ore fines, in addition to large import of

PM not ..
for the Pakistani premier, who had said the right things about how India-Pakistan

New form of irritable bowel syndrome discovered

LOS ANGELES: Scientists have identified a new form of irritable bowel syndrome, a common gut disorder. The new condition occurs after an acute bout of diverticulitis, scientists at the University of California, Los Angeles have found. As they age, most people develop diverticulosis, or pouches in the lining of the colon. The pouches usually don`t cause any problems but occasionally, they become inflamed, leading to diverticulitis, which causes pain and infection in the abdomen. The condition, called PostDiverticulitis Irritable Bowel Syndrome (PDV-IBS), validates the irritable bowel symptoms that many patients report long after suffering a bout of diverticulitis, but that many physicians wave off as being part of the original condition. "We`ve known for a long time that after some people develop diverticulitis, they`re a different person. They experience recurrent abdominal pains, cramping and diarrhea that they didn`t have before," said study senior author Dr Brennan Spiegel, an associate professor of medicine at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. "The prevailing wisdom has been that once diverticulitis is treated, it`s gone. But we`ve shown that IBS symptoms occur after the diverticulitis, and it may result from an inflammatory process like a bomb going off in the body and leaving residual damage," he said. "A major surprise in our study was that diverticulitis patients not only developed IBS at a higher rate than the controls, but they also developed mood disorders like depression and anxiety at a higher rate," Spiegel said. "Because IBS and mood disorders often go hand in hand, this suggests that acute diverticulitis might even set off a process leading to longstanding changes in the brain-gut axis," he said. The discovery of PDV-IBS could mean better attention to patients complaining of symptoms after diverticulitis, symptoms that up until now may have been dismissed by physicians. Spiegel said the PDV-IBS patients often report ongoing IBS symptoms after the diverticulitis has long passed, and this study supports their beliefs and introduces a new diagnosis. More than 1,000 patient records from the West Los Angeles Veteran`s Affairs Medical Centre were examined for the two-year study, including patients that had suffered acute diverticulitis and another group of patients that did not have it.

How to choose your yoga class

By performing a yoga asana, you are creating a synergy between mind and body. To clarify your aim of joining a yoga class, try and answer the below mentioned questions clearly: Why do I want to do yoga? Is it to stay fit or explore a deeper connection between my mind and body? Do I suffer from an external injury or a chronic medical condition? Or am I totally out of shape and want to join a yoga class for a total-body workout? Now that you have answered the above questions, the aim for you choosing yoga as a tool is much clearer. While you ponder, here is a bit of information for you. If your aim is to lose weight, trying more aggressive styles of yoga like power yoga or Bikram yoga are very helpful. But if you are looking for something more meaningful, styles like Kripalu or Iyengar yoga might be more your cup of tea. The yoga instructor matters Your yoga instructor is the key to a successful class. It is important that you choose someone whom you connect with and who understands what you need. A number of teachers prefer to use the traditional styles of yoga while others blend in their own style and make it their own, figure out what suits you best. As all instructors have their own personality, emphasis, style and focus area, look for one who is backed by the right kind of credentials and academics related to his/her yoga style. A sample class is a must Just like when you choose a gym or a dietician or a nutritionist, the best way to inquire about a yoga class is to ask someone who is already in it. Talk to them about what they like about the class and what they dont. If you dont have anyone who has attended the class before you, it is best to go check it out for yourself. Ask for a free sample class which will help you gauge if you would like to be there. This will also help you decide if the travel time, location and if the session times suit you. Initially try and join a beginner session and then you can progress. After all, if one yoga style doesnt suit you, there will be others that surely will! To know more, read about some yoga tips for beginners. Go with an open mind In the end, your journey is your own and will be different from everyone elses. Therefore decide for yourself, following fads might not be the right fit for you. Have an open mind about the class, and find what suits you the best. To know more read about how yoga is a way of life. Finally, yoga is supposed to leave you feeling refreshed and peaceful. Choosing one that suits your mind and body is crucial.

Want to try yoga? With the types and choices unending, picking the right class can be quite a daunting task! But just because there are so many, dont let that put you off track. After all, the benefit of yoga far outweighs the challenges of choosing a class. You could simply look for classes online, but how many

of those will help you choose the right yoga teacher and a yoga style that will suit your personal and fitness goals? Probably none. So, to help you decide, here is a list of things you should look into before you choose a class for yourself. Goals for your yoga style The word yoga literally means union or balance.

Arsenic levels in rice too low for short-term risk: FDA

Washington: The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said on Friday that after testing 1,300 samples of rice and rice products, it has determined the amount of detectable arsenic is too low to cause immediate or short-term negative health effects. The next step, the agency said, will be to conduct an analysis into the effects of longterm exposure to low levels of arsenic in rice. The FDA`s review comes after Consumer Reports urged the government in 2012 to limit arsenic in rice after tests of more than 60 popular products - from Kellogg`s Rice Krispies to Gerber infant cereal - showed that most contained some level of inorganic arsenic, a known human carcinogen. The consumer watchdog group said some varieties of brown rice - including brands sold by Whole Foods Markets Inc and WalMart Stores Inc - contained particularly significant levels of inorganic arsenic. In response to the report, Urvashi Rangan, Consumer Reports` director of consumer safety and sustainability, said the FDA`s interest in the subject was "great news" and that the agency`s findings mirror its own findings. "It doesn`t mean consumers need to throw out all the rice in their cabinets, but they should be aware that the problem is important," she said. The FDA said on Friday the samples it tested came from various types of rice grains, including white, jasmine and basmati. They also included samples from rice products including infant cereals, pasta, grain-based bars, cookies, pastries and drinks such as beer, rice wine and rice water. "Taken together, the samples cover most types of rice grain and rice-based foods and beverages consumed in the United States," the agency said. The average levels of inorganic arsenic - the most toxic kind - ranged from 2.6 to 7.2 micrograms per serving of rice grains. Instant rice was at the low end of the range and brown rice came in at the high end.

In foods, the element may be present as inorganic arsenic or organic arsenic, the FDA said. Together they are referred to as total arsenic. Among rice products the level of inorganic arsenic ranged from 0.1 to 6.6 micrograms per serving, with infant formula at the low end, and rice pasta at the high end. The levels are not high enough to cause any shortterm health effects, the agency said. The average amount of inorganic arsenic among 99 samples of brown rice was 7.2 micrograms, with some samples originating in the United States running as high as 10 micrograms. The average amount in instant rice was 2.6 micrograms. Grant Lundberg, chief executive of Richvale, California-based Lundberg Family Farms, which cultivates 16,000 acres of rice, described the FDA`s findings as "old news" and said he does not expect them to have an effect on sales or consumer behavior. "The findings the FDA is reporting are consistent with the information and samples that we`ve taken from our supply chain," he said, "so I don`t think there`s anything in here that`s out of our expectation." The FDA declined to name specific products among the samples it tested, saying that while the total number of samples was large enough to accurately measure average levels

of arsenic, it was not large enough to evaluate specific brands. Some companies source their rice from different locations, which may result in samples from the same brand having different levels of arsenic over time, the agency said. Margaret Karagas, a professor at the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth in Hanover, New Hampshire, is co-author of a study on arsenic in rice. While she applauds the FDA for undertaking such large-scale testing, she said more is needed to understand the types of arsenic found, and its geographic distribution. Results from the FDA`s tests showed that arsenic levels in U.S.-grown rice are often higher than those in rice grown elsewhere in the world. "We now have tools that provide greater specificity about the different types of arsenic present in foods," the FDA said. The agency will conduct a risk assessment to consider how much arsenic is consumed from rice products and whether there are variations in health effects for certain segments of the population. Once complete, the assessment will help the agency determine whether further action is necessary, the FDA said. It is also conducting additional sampling to broaden its data on infant and toddler products.

In the meantime, the FDA recommends that consumers eat a well-balanced diet to minimize the potential negative effects of eating too much of any one food. It said wheat, barley and oats are among the nutritious grains that consumers can eat to vary their diet.

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Omar accuses separatist groups of double standards
SRINAGAR, SEPT 07: Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has accused separatist groups of double standards for opposing a concert in Srinagar by renowned conductor Zubin Mehta, saying no one protested when Pakistani band Junoon performed in the city. "These (separatists) people are selective. This is not the first music concert in Kashmir. If music is antiIslam, against the issue of Kashmir, how come Junoon came and performed here," he said. "Nobody raised any voices on that ... Then there should have been a shutdown for Junoon also," he told reporters after reviewing arrangements for Mehta's concert on Saturday at Shalimar Mughal Garden on the banks of Dal Lake. Omar said the controversy about the concert has been blown out of proportion. "We are obviously very selective in what we want to oppose and what we want to support. As far as I am concerned, this is a concert that is exposing the people of the state to this type of music and it also exposes the larger world to Jammu and Kashmir. This cannot be a bad thing," he added. Separatists have opposed the holding of the concert in which Mehta will conduct the Bavarian State Orchestra, say-

Italian envoy meets J&K Tourism Minister

Praises beauty of Kashmir

Apex Committee on migrants seems to be comedy of errors:PK

JAMMU, SEPT 07Ashwani Kumar Chrungoo, President, Panun Kashmir on Saturday said that the recent meeting of the so called Apex Committee on migrants seems to be a complete comedy of errors. With majority of the members who matter having dissociated from the large amalgam, the committee appears to have lost its weight. Ashwani Kumar Chrungoo was addressing the Political Affairs Committee of Panun Kashmir The meeting was held under the chairmanship of Prof. M.L.Raina, Chairman, PAC. It was among others attended by Virender Raina, National Spokesperson, Upinder Kaul, General Secretary, Kamal Bagati, Organising Secretary, Vijay Qazi, Virender Kaul, N.M.Gadroo and Sameer Bhat. Ashwani Chrungoo said that thereiteration of the issue of enhancing the financial aid to construct buildings from Rs.7.5 Lakhs to Rs.20 lakhs was the main point said by the Chief Minister. While recalling he said that similar assurances were given in the previous meetings of the apex committee but nothing came out of it. In the matter of special employment package, a similar parody seems to have been repeated. Nobody seems to be sure as to who has to decide in these matters and finally take a decision. Ashwani said that this package had been rejected ab-initio by Panun Kashmir as an eye wash meant only to hoodwink the displaced community. Governments admittance in the Parliament that not a single Kashmir Pandit family has returned to Kashmir to avail this package shows the infirmity of the whole exercise. Panun Kashmir has always maintained that unless the draconian conditions attached to the employment package are removed it is tantamount to exploiting the economic vulnerabilities and miseries of the community youth. The fact of the matter is that the Apex committee in the present form has lost its relevance. Prof. M.L.Raina in his speech disclosed that Ashwani Kumar Chrungoo would be participating in a demonstration rally at JK House in Delhi this Sunday to protest against the recent happenings in Kishtwar. He would, thereafter, leave for a tour of the Southern states at the invitation of certain NGOs to create a national consciousness about the plight of minorities in Kashmir and Kishtwar.

SRINAGAR, SEPT 07: Ambassador of Italy in India, Mr. Daniele Mancini on Saturday called on Jammu and Kashmir Tourism Minister, Mr. Ghulam Ahmad Mir here at Royal Golf Course and discussed various matters of mutual interest with him. The matters pertaining to tourism development initiatives put in place by the State government to rope in high-end tourists from across the globe came up for discussion in the meeting. The Minister appraised the visiting envoy about huge tourist potential of Jammu and Kashmir and its diversity

in three different regions of Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh, "The issues relating to general development of the state and welfare of people also came up during the meeting, The rich tourist potential of Jammu and Kashmir particularly the scenic splendor of valley was also discussed in the meeting. The Italian Envoy showed keen interest for the initiatives taken by Jammu and Kashmir government for promotion of tourism in the State. He said that Kashmir is well known in Italy and people from that Country would definitely love to visit the

place. He said that the improvement in the ground situation will positively affect tourism sector in Kashmir. The envoy accompanied by Tourism Minister also made a round of Royal Golf course. He praised the beauty of the course and appreciated the efforts of the J&K government for development and maintenances of series of golf courses in the State. On the occasion, the Ambassador was briefed by the concerned officers about the fame and historical background of Royal Golf Course situated on the foot hills of Zabarwon and Dal Lake.

ing it will be used by Government of India to "cover up the human rights violations and weaken the Kashmir issue".

Horticulture deptt organizes fruit-show-cum-Kissan Mela

RAJOURI, SEPT 07- In order to promote Horticulture in Rajouri District of Jammu Division the Department of Horticulture organized Fruit Show cum Kissan Mela at Rajouri. The Fruit Show was inaugurated by Director, Horticulture, Jammu, Anil Kumar Sharma. Chief Planning Officer, Rajouri Chowdhary Abdul Hamid, Dy. Director Horticulture Central, Jammu, Rajiv Mahajan, Chief Horticulture Officer, Rajouri, Yogesh Kumar Kesar, Subject Matter Specialist, Pomology Ashwani Kumar, the Horticulture Development Officers of all blocks of Rajouri District besides the representatives of allied departments like Agriculture, Sericulture, Sheep Husbandry, Animal Husbandry, ISM were present on the occasion. About 500 Nos. of Farmers/Fruit growers from the far flung areas of the district Rajouri participated along with their fruit exhibits. More than 550 fruit samples including fresh and dried samples of various kinds viz. Apple, Pear. Quince, Papaya, Anar, Persimmon, Mosambi, Lime, Galgal, Aonla, Baramasi Mango, Walnut, Almond, and Peanut were displayed in the Fruit Show. The best exhibits were prized to encourage the fruit grower of the District. Besides this, value added products such as Jam, Juice, Pickles, Squashes of different fruits were also displayed to boost the home scale processing of surplus production.

Div Com takes review of developmental activities in Kishtwar

Stresses for major thrust on self employment schemes
KISHTWAR, SEPT 07 Chairing a high level meeting of all the district and sectoral officers of Kishtwar, Divisional Commissioner, Jammu, Mr Shantmanu today took a detailed review of all the major developmental activities pertaining to PWD, PHE, Education, Employment, Health, Power, and Agriculture sectors. The Additional District D e v e l o p m e n t Commissioner, Kishtwar, Mr A S Chib apprised the Divisional Commissioner regarding the various ongoing works in various departments and the issues presently being faced by them through a Power point presentation. Going through the details, Mr Shantmanu observed that the issues regarding land acquisition and compensation thereof in PWD, PHE and Education department need to be sorted out at the earliest as on account of these problems, the pace of work gets hampered. He directed the concerned officials to work out the modalities in coordination with Revenue Department and expedite the process. Emphasising the role of self employment schemes, the Divisional Commissioner said that in present economic scenario, major stress on manufacturing and service sectors should be given through these SE schemes. He directed the Employment, Industries, Agriculture, Horticulture and Fisheries departments to encourage youth for installation of small scale industries, agriculture production and allied sectors like fish farming, dairies, fruit production and food processing units, This will not only generate employment but also ease the burden on government sector. He also stressed for effective implementation of PMGSY, Mid day Meal, NRHM and other schemes. Mr Shantmanu called for close monitoring and periodic reviews of all the ongoing developmental works for an efficient and time bound completion of all the projects. Later, Mr Shantmanu also met with the representatives of some social and political organisations and listened to their ideas and grievances.

Info Deptt organizes mulArmy Public School tilingual mushiara Srinagar clinches the trophy
SRINAGAR, SEPT 07 Army Public School, Srinagar Clinches the Trophy of English Declamation and Solo Singing Competition was conducted by AWES, Northern Command held at Army Public School Rukhmuthi (Akhnoor) There were 6 participating schools which took part in the same. viz APS Akhnoor , APS Rukhmuthi, APS Udhampur, APS Nagrota, APS Dhar Road and APS Srinagar, where in Darkashan Sajad Malik of class X, of Army Public School, Srinagar added a feather in the cap by lifting the trophy of English declamation competition. The topic for the declamation was "Female Infanticide- A National Shame". School principal MR. Sandeep Marhatta specially mentioned that "it's indeed a proud movement for me, as Darkashan Sajad Malik was moving out of the station for the first time and what best it would have been for her, she brought laurels not only to the school but to her family too". Declamation competition was followed by solo singing competition which was open for all the students where Tavleen Kaur of XI (science) of Army Public School, Srinagar stood first and mesmerized every one by her performance. The School Management, Staff, Students extends their heartiest congratulations to the winners. RAMNAGAR, SEPT-07:Tehsil Information Centre, Ramnagar in collaboration with Keshav Vidya Kendra High School Ramnagar organized a multilingual Mushiara in the premises of the host school here on Saturday. The prominent and budding poets of the district which mainly include Abhishop, Jagdeep Dubey, Om Sharma Jandrari, Dhuni Chand Tripathi, Dr. Sandeep Dubey, Renu Gupta, Dev Raj, Rakesh Kalsotra, Suraj Raina, Joginder Dubey, Sham Lal Kiran, Ram Singh and Krishan Lal participated in the poetic symposium and presented poetic verses touching all aspects of society. Principal of the Keshav Vidya Kendra High School was the chief guest on the occasion. Speaking on the occasion, the chief guest appreciated the efforts of Information department for organizing Mushaira and said that such programmes should be organized in near future so that people in general and literary personalities of the district particular may participate in such programmes.

Grand function organizes at Dooru in honour of Haj pilgrims

G.A. Mir distributes gifts among Hajis

Executing agencies to gear up pace of work: DDC

DODA, SEPT 07-District Development Commissioner, Doda Mr. Mubarak Singh on Saturday visited Bhaderwah and convened a meeting of District and Sectoral officers at Dak Banglow to assess the physical and financial achievements made by the different departments in the area. Additional District Development Commissioner, Doda, G.N Balwan, Sub Divisional Magistrate Bhaderwah, Bhupinder Singh, Block Development Officer, Bhaderwah besides other officers, senior citizens, representatives of different political parties and social organizations were present in the meeting. While addressing the meeting, Mr. Singh exhorted upon the officers and executing agencies to speed up the pace of work so that various ongoing works get completed in the region before the onset of winter season. He said time bound completion of works is vital for the benefit of people and development of the area. DDC underlined the need of constructive and viable planning for the all round and sustainable development of any region. He asked the officers to formulate plans as per the requirement and availability of resources in the area. The Physical and Financial achievements of various departments was reviewed in the meeting which include, PHE, Health, Education, PWD, RDD, PMGSY and Agriculture and allied sectors, besides working of other departments was also reviewed in the meeting. DDC also interacted with the prominent citizens, representatives of various social organizations present in the meeting. Mr. Singh gave on spot instructions to the concerned officers to mitigate their genuine demands on priority basis. Later on, DDC inspected progress of work on Bhaderwah-Chamba and Bhaderwah-Bani-Basohli road. He directed the concerned agency to expedite pace of work on these projects so that they get completed in a time bound manner. He said with the completion of these two road projects entire erstwhile Doda District will have an alternate Interstate and Inter-District road connectivity.

NRHM holds symposium on 'Save the Girl Child' at Presentation Convent

Dr Manohar distributes relief at Mandli

JAMMU, SEPT 07-National Rural Health Mission, J&K organised a symposium on 'Save the girl child' in the premises of Presentation Convent School, thereby giving an apt platform to address the burning social issue. Programme was organised under the supervision of Dr Yashpal Sharma, Mission Director, J&K whereas Dr. Roma Wani, Chairperson, Inner Call Forum for Evolution, Development and Awareness was the Chief Guest. Dr. Harjeet Rai, Divisional Nodal Officer, NRHM and Sr. Ivette adjudged the event. To further encourage the participants, cash prizes of Rs 2500, for the first position which was bagged by Bhavnet Kour and Rs 2000 and Rs1500 for the second and the third positions, which were bagged by Mehula and Spandita respectively along with three consolation prizes of Rs 500 each for Manveen, Sargam, and Anvi, were also given by NRHM Jammu. The event featured the alarming apprehension of participants from various classes. The event not only highlighted a socio- cultural evil that is deeply embedded in SouthAsian countries but also aimed at changing the sensibilities of masses through the concern raised 'by the Girl child for the Girl child'.

SRINAGAR, SEPT 07: A grand function was organized today at Dooru, Anantnag to honor the intending Haj pilgrims who are going to perform Haj pilgrimage-2013 on Saturday. Minister for Tourism, Mr. Ghulam Ahmad Mir, who is also local representative of the area, was the chief guest on the occasion. Besides the Haji pilgrims of the area, civil and police administration, religious leaders and prominent citizens of the area participated in the function. The Minister on the occasion presented gifts items among intending Hajis. He said that the government has made all possible arrangement for their safe journey towards holy MadinahSharief,

besides boarding and lodging arrangements there. Mr. Mir while interacting with Hajj pilgrims prayed for their good health and successful performance of the Hajj and safe return to their respective homes. He expressed the hope that the operation of direct flights from Srinagar to Madinah Sharief by Indian Airlines will make the journey of Hajis hassle-free. On the occasion, necessary Haj awareness was also given to the Haj pilgrims. The intending Hajis hailed the arrangements made by the government for them at Srinagar and MadinahSharief and said that they would pray for peace and prosperity of the State, besides wellbeing to the mankind during Haj.

KATHUA, SEPT 07Minister of State for Fisheries, Cooperatives, Finance and Planning, Dr Manohar Lal Sharma distributed relief material among the flood and rain affected families at PHE Rest House in Mandli of tehsil Billawar. Tehsildar Billawar, panchs, sarpanchs

and large number of people were among those present on the occasion. Dr Manohar Lal Sharma distributed 10kg bags of Flour, 10kg bags of Rice, Mosquito Net and Hawai Chappels among those families whose houses have been partially or fully damaged in recent flash floods and incessant rains.

Dr. Farooq inaugurates Auditorium-cum-Examination hall at GGHS Sonwar

Yasin announces Rs. 5 lakh for further dev of school
"Education helps the women to kwon their legal rights and inculcates sense of self-confidence level among them which is very important in present competitive world", Dr. Abdullah maintained. The Union Minister enjoined upon the women folk to work hard, to get quality higher education and achieve higher goals in life so that they may not become dependent upon others in their life. He said they have to be so bold to face the challenges in life and must fight for their right. He said "I feel proud when I notice that girls are attaining first positions in various academics and competitive examinations at National as well as State levels". He said that women are also heading important corporate houses in the world and also occupying highest seats of political affairs. Pleading for more powers for women folk in political institutions, Dr. Abdullah said that UPA, Chairperson, Smt.

T-20 cricket tournament culminates at University of Kashmir

SRINAGAR, SEPT 07: To boost the sports activities in Valley, Civil Defence district Srinagar organized T-20 cricket tournament at the play ground of University of Kashmir, in which cricket teams from all the districts of Valley including Srinagar, Anantnag, Baramulla, Pulwama and Budgam districts participated in the tour-

nament. Final match of the tournament was played between the teams of Civil Defence, Srinagar and KU and was won by team of University of Kashmir by defeating the Civil Defence team by 7 wickets. Among others, senior officers of Civil Defence, SDRF and senior faculty members of University of Kashmir

watched the final match of T20 cricket tournament. Meanwhile, Inter Division under 19 Boys Cricket tournament was organized by Department of Youth Services and Sports in which 3 matches were played and on the basis of these Inter Division competitions, selection of State team for national events shall be finalized.

SRINAGAR, SEPT 07: Union Minister for New & Renewable Energy Dr. Farooq Abdullah inaugurated Auditorium-cumExamination hall at Government Girls Higher Secondary Institute, Sonwar on Saturday. Spread over 1893 square feet plinth area, the complex comprising of one main hall, one rehearsal cum back stage area and green room has been completed by utilizing Rs.39 lakh out of MP LADS. The single storied multi-purpose complex having seating capacity of 110 individuals, has been constructed by R&B Department, would be utilized for organizing school functions and conducting examination. Speaking on the occasion, Dr. Farooq Abdullah highlighted the importance of education especially of female education in life, saying that women education is very significant for building a sound society. He said education to

one female means education to one full family as mother is associated more than the father in moulding the children. He said education enable the women folk for performing their duties successfully in their day to day life. He said women's educa-

tion leads directly to better reproductive health, improved family health, better economic growth for the family and society. It was encouraging that despite certain restrains, female literacy rate has been increasing day by day, he admitted.

Sonia Gandhi has also strongly advocated for 33 percent female reservation in Parliament and other representation institutions. Dr. Abdullah also called upon the teaching community for imparting quality education, besides moral education to enable them to excellence in competitions. Both the Union and State Governments have taken essential steps to encourage women education, he asserted. Dr. Abdullah also asked the school management to send a proposal for setting up of solar lighting and heating system in the school premises. He assured that he would also provide additional funds for further developing the school building. The Union Minister also gave away prizes among the students who performed well in curricular and co-curricular activities during last session. He also inspected new science laboratory block and interacted with the teachers and students.

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A clinical toxicologist, might work on researchbased therapeutic studies or support a medical team during poison or drug overdose emergencies. Forensic toxicologists investigate causes of death and study crime scenes with law enforcement personnel. A forensic toxicologist specialises in the study of alcohol, legal and illicit drugs and poisons, including their chemical composition, preparations and identifications. They find opportunities with private forensic laboratories, law enforcement agencies and in hospital departments of forensic medicine. Occupational toxicologists study the effect of chemicals that may be encountered by workers during the course of their work environment. A regulatory toxicologist has the primary role of ensuring public health and safety from the use of chemicals, drugs and pesticides, by identifying potential health risks posed by exposure to such substances. Regulatory toxicologists work for pharmaceutical companies and government facilities to research new drugs and chemicals. Toxicologists determine whether a new product is safe for public consumption and use. Academic toxicologists work at non-profit organizations and universities. These toxicologists concentrate on research projects and teach toxicology to students. Environmental toxicologists or eco-toxicologists study the effects of chemicals on the environment. They research on the field and in laboratories to learn how pollution affects ecosystems, air and water quality, species survival, and public health. Environmental toxicologists continually monitor and measure the level of toxins in the environment. They play an important role in safeguarding public health. REMUNERATION As there is shortage of toxicologists, qualified and experienced ones get paid well. The salary range is dependent on various factors like the geographical location, organization size and work experience. Industry positions generally pay higher than academic, nonprofit, or government positions in this field. Starting salary for a M.Sc. holder in this field can range between Rs. 25,000 to 40,000. Those with experience and specialisation can even earn up to a lakh per month. For example, A toxicologist with a veterinary or medical degree, and a postgraduate qualification can draw above Rs. 50,000 a month.

CAREER IN TOXICOLOGY
Toxicology as a profession is very important, as people are concerned about the potentially harmful affects of products they use, medications they take, and the chemicals they're exposed to in their everyday lives. Without toxicologists we would not understand what could potentially poison or harm living things as well as the environment around us. Toxicology, the science which deals with toxic properties of substances, involves the study of the effects that toxins or chemicals have on humans, animals, plants and other living organisms. Toxicologist is one who explores the effects of chemicals on living organisms. The field studies the harmful effects of drugs, environmental contaminants and naturally occurring substances. Toxicology covers two main areas- One deals with the effects that toxic materials have on humans, and the other with their impact on the environment. Toxicology is a field that requires candidates from various interdisciplinary branches like biology, mathematics, veterinary sciences, pathology, physiology, immunology, and genetics. Not only do toxicologists figure out chemical makeup, they use their knowledge of biology, chemistry, and the environment to devise strategies to reduce or control exposure to these chemicals. Toxicologists use scientific principles in order to determine the prevalence, quantity and effects of a certain chemical on the environment and people's health. Researching the safety and potential harm caused by chemicals is the job of a toxicologist. Their tasks range from testing for the effects of particular chemicals, determining their concentrations, assessing risks by interpreting data, and searching for mechanisms of toxicity. The main aim of toxicologists is to examine the threats and hazards surrounding man and the environment and conduct research and experiments to provide protection to the private, public, commercial and industrial sectors. Toxicologists give information related to substances like food, cosmetics, chemicals or other substances which are safe to human beings and also to other living organisms, like animals. There are various roles played by toxicologists. They may work in a teaching role, a consulting role, or they may stay true to their background and work in a research or scientific role. Toxicologists, who work as consultants, may need to travel to represent their company or clients in meetings. Research is the main part of toxicologists work. As people become more health conscious, there is a greater need for those who study toxins. At present, organisations in India are unable to meet the demand because most toxicologists are attracted by lucrative positions and better research facilities in other countries. There are various fields of toxicology and hence there is potential to grow within toxicology in different ways. Many industries employ toxicologists to assist in evaluating the safety of their products. Toxicologists work as consultants in companies which deal with food, chemical or cosmetic products. Numerous career avenues for toxicologists exist in chemical, food, pharmaceutical, and environment related industries; in teaching and research, and in government organisations dealing with regulation of chemical usage. Biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries are the largest employers of toxicologists. Pharmacovigilance (monitoring and preventing harmful effects of medicines), which is gaining prominence in India, is expected to absorb more toxicologists. Toxicologists can also work for epidemiological surveys done by health authorities. A Toxicologist's responsibilities will depend on the institution they work for. Depending on their area of work, toxicologists can be divided into eight distinct groups: industrial, pharmaceutical, academic, clinical, forensic, regulatory, occupational, eco-toxicology. Industrial toxicology is a specific area of environmental toxicology that deals with the work environment and constitutes a significant part of industrial hygiene. The industrial toxicologist plays a crucial role in developing a wide range of effective and safe products including petrochemicals, medicines, pesticides, cosmetics, food and drink, and household products. Often, an industrial toxicologists work closely with regulatory authorities to ensure that a company's products and production processes conform to local, national and international regulations. Pharmaceutical toxicologists determine the efficiency, mechanism of actions, and the potential adverse health effects of the active pharmaceutical ingredients being produced. Clinical toxicologists work in the medical field. A clinical toxicologist study the harmful effects of chemicals, drugs, pesticides and other substances on humans through clinical diagnosis of symptoms and detection and diagnosis of biological poisoning. Clinical toxicologists may work in hospitals or pharmaceutical companies.

LOK SABHA GIVES NOD TO AVIATION UNIVERSITY BILL

NEW DELHI: The Lok Sabha on Friday passed the Rajiv Gandhi National Aviation University Bill, 2013, which aims to set up the institution as an autonomous body to train a skilled workforce for the sector's growth. The institution will be set up in Rae Bareli district of Uttar Pradesh, the parliamentary constituency of Congress chief Sonia Gandhi. Civil aviation minister Ajit Singh moved the bill which was passed after a short discussion. The university will cost around Rs 200 crore. According to the bill, skilled and competent workforce is essential to create a safe and efficient aviation industry. The university aims to facilitate and promote aviation studies, teaching, training and research with focus on emerging areas of studies such as aviation management, aviation regulation and policy. It will also focus on aviation history, aviation science and engineering, aviation law, aviation safety and security, aviation medicine, search and rescue, transportation of dangerous goods, environmental studies and other related fields, and also to achieve excellence in these and connected fields in emerging areas and such areas as may emerge in future. The university will also be a knowledge partner to safety and security regulators by providing required academic inputs to help them execute their enforcement responsibility better.

Most toxicologists work in a lab or office environment and work in a team with other toxicologists and scientists. ELIGIBILITY Educational To become a toxicologist one must take science stream for plus two. After that one can opt for a bachelor degree in botany, chemistry, zoology, biochemistry, medicine, veterinary science, pharmacy, biochemistry, biotechnology, microbiology, environmental biology or some other life science based discipline. For the student interested in entering the field of toxicology, a Bachelor of Science degree is the minimum requirement. After bachelors, one can go for master of science in toxicology i.e M.Sc. Toxicology. There are various specializations in toxicology, and each one requires a specific background in some or the other subject. Jamia Hamdard, Delhi, Department of toxicology is one of the few universities in India to offer a master's in general toxicology. Personal attributes As a toxicologist, it is important to be able to work in a group or as a team. They need to report their research findings for which strong interpersonal and communication skills are essential. Patience is an asset in this profession. Toxicologists also require excellent analytical abilities, logical thinking, attention to detail and problem solving skills. Also, one should develop strong writing and computer skills. Knowledge of environmental issues may be an added advantage. JOB PROSPECTS & CAREER OPTIONS

Japanese universities woo Indian students

schools and colleges. The fair will also be held in Bangalore and Pune. "India's huge student population is a great attraction and we definitely want to increase our share in the pie," Satoshi Hata, general manager of the Ritsumeikan University in Kyoto said. Acknowledging that Japanese universities were not very popular in India, Hata said that currently only about 550 Indian students study in Japan as compared to 1.5 lakh in the US. However, "affordable higher education", when compared to the US, UK and Australia, as well as a "holistic learning environment" tilts the scale in favour of Japan, Hata said. The universities are offering English-only degree courses available at both the undergraduate and postgraduate levels, as well as an improvement in student support services like opportunities to learn Japanese and chances of an internship at Japanese companies. "Japan's relationship with India has improved significantly, especially in terms of economic welfare. We now need to take this effort one step ahead and enhance human relationships. Education will play a major role," Japanese ambassador to India Takeshi Yagi said. According to a 2012 report by the Indian Institute of ManagementBangalore, the number of Indian students going overseas rose a stunning 256 percent -- from 53,266 to 189,629 -- between 2000 and 2009.

MUMBAI UNIVERSITY MAY ASSESS ENGINEERING PAPERS ONLINE

MUMBAI: Answersheets of engineering students who will appear for their semester-end exams in November may be evaluated online. Mumbai University is planning to launch a project for online assessment of answersheets with the engineering exams this year. It will be introduced in phases and soon extended to other courses. Currently, a pilot project for revaluation of answersheets for engineering students is being carried out. Principals, however, are apprehensive about the smooth implementation of the project. The university was in talks with three software firms to provide technology for the process. The system will require university officials to scan the answersheets and upload them. The papers will then be accessed by teachers for evaluation using a password. Sources claim that every sheet will have submit and edit tabs. A column on the left side of every page will be meant for the teachers to add scores. Teachers can even go back to the page and edit the scores if need be, added the source. Teachers will be able to evaluate the papers from home once the system is introduced, reducing the travelling costs. Engineering faculty is chosen over others for the pilot project as they are well versed with technology claimed an official University pro vice-chancellor Naresh Chandra said a pilot project is currently being executed for revaluation of answersheets for engineering courses. "If the pilot project is successful, we will implement it this year. We plan to introduce it in phases in all courses soon," said Chandra. The plan might also be floated in the upcoming meeting for management council members on September 11 for their approval. Principals from engineering colleges, however, are apprehensive about the implementation of the system. "The university should instead increase the remuneration for teachers for better results. Even if there are mass scanning machines, it will be very inconvenient for teachers to evaluate the papers online. There are chances of inaccuracy creeping in too. They will also have to take care of the layout of the answer sheets. It does not look like a foolproof system to me," said the principal. Another principal added that other reforms can be introduced to make the system better such as appointing more teachers. In June, the state government issued directives to all universities asking them

NEW DELHI: Promoting itself as an "affordable" destination for higher education as compared to the west, 20 Japanese universities participated in an education fair here Friday to attract Indian students aspiring to study abroad.

Organised under the " Global 30" project which aims to invite 300,000 foreign students to Japan, the third annual Japanese education fair provided guidance and first-hand counselling to over 1,000 students from Delhi's

IIMA'S EXCHANGE PROGRAMME BEGINS

AHMEDABAD: The Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad (IIM-A) welcomed 69 students from different international universities as part of the institute's annual student exchange programme. The visiting students will be staying at the B-school for three months. Of the 69 students, 44 are male and 27 female. Going by ethnic composition, the largest number are French (24 students) followed by German (19 students). Of the 69 students, 44 are male and 27 female. Going by ethnic composition, the largest number are French (24 students) followed by German (19 students). A meet-and-greet session was organised to give a chance to the new students to get to know the institute and their fellow students better. It was attended by IIM-A director Prof Ashish Nanda, dean Prof Ajay Pandey and staff. Prof Nanda called upon the exchange students to "be brave and embrace new possibilities" by interacting with as many people as possible, both within the institute and outside, and not restrict themselves to hanging out only with people they are familiar with. An exchange student from France said he had been preparing very intently at his school to get a chance to be selected for IIMA's exchange programme. "It is one of the most sought after exchange destinations at our school and I look forward to having a wonderful time here," he said. This year, 107 students from IIM-A have opted to pursue their studies abroad for one term. This is significantly higher than last year when 77 participants had opted for studies abroad.

'UK looking to collaborate with universities in Punjab'

CHANDIGARH: While the debate in India continues over the United Kingdom's visa norms getting stricter by the day and widespread criticism over its proposed "visa bond" scheme remains, British deputy high commissioner to India Davit Lelliott said his country wished to see more of Indian students. "The UK is looking at a range of collaborations with universities in Punjab," Lelliott told TOI. The British diplomat said the commission was in talks with institutions like the Guru Nanak Dev University in Amritsar, which he visited along with a delegation of Indian and British students, to tie up for collaborative projects and student exchange programmes. "Just as we love to see British students spending time in India, we would like to see more of Indian students coming to the UK," he said. Lelliott also said that the UK was open to business tie-ups with India and collaborations with Punjab on clean energy programmes. On the UK's stringent visa norms that have recently led to a decline in the number of Indian students migrating to Britain, the diplomat said the "visa bond" scheme only aimed to target "illegal immigrants". "The visa bond is a pilot project that applies to only a small proportion of students migrating to the UK. It is only to check high risk visitors and not meant to deter the Indian student population," Lelliott said. He added that a majority of visitors - the "right" student population - would not have to pay the bond. UK's recent proposal to levy a 3,000 security bond to visitors from 'high-risk countries' to obtain visas has drawn harsh criticism from south Asian countries. Comparing the two nations, Lelliott said being in India was entirely about experiencing the hospitality. "While visiting UK means being outdoors and exploring, it is more of being in homes and experiencing the culture in India," he said. On his third visit to Panjab University, Lelliott also delivered a talk on business prospects in UK to an audience of British and Indian students. The deputy high commission office in Chandigarh caters to the UT, Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Rajasthan.

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STUDENT AGE SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER, 08, 2013

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UDAYAN NAMBOODIRI
The death of Veena Mazumdar went practically unnoticed in the Indian media in May. Thats hardly surprising because the newspapers and other aspects of the Indian establishment celebrate the very mindset that Binadi documented with painstaking, dignified skepticism throughout her career. Whatever people may hold dear of her electric persona and her witticisms rooted in the dry tradition produced by the Anglo India-Bengali literature encounter which doubtless shaped her earliest sensibilities, these will remain but perishable reminiscences. What would remain her lasting legacy, however, is the richness of the books and reports she authored to demolish patrician hegemonies in the power structure. Without womens studies as a structured academic disciple there could never be a womens rights movement, leave alone feminism. Documentation, data assemblage followed by their dispassionate analyses must precede policy articulation and its necessary advocacy. The happy coincidence of having as a personal friend the one-time Shantiniketan ashramite prime minister, Indira Gandhi, played no undistinguishing part in institutionalising multi-disciplinary address of the myriad and complex problems bedeviling Indian womanhood in the last three decades of the twentieth century. In 1972, Indira appointed Binadi Member Secretary of the Committee on the Status of Women in India, a body mandated by United Nations resolutions to scientifically inquire into the status of Indian women. Wrote Vibhuti Patel, director of post-graduate studies in SNDT University, Mumbai, Binadis unique contribution while preparation of the landmark report Towards Equality to explain the material and ideological conditions that determined womens predicament in India made her the most-sought-after scholar and activist during the 1970s, 1980s, 1990s and the millennium era. In 1975, Binadi was appointed Director, Programme of Womens Studies, Indian Council of Social Science Research. She went on to be the founder-director of the Centre for Womens Development Studies, New Delhi, and after leaving that post in 1991 served as senior fellow at Centre for Womens Development Studies and and was JP Naik National Fellow, ICSSR, for two years. From 1996 till her death she served as the chair of Centre for Womens Development Studies. Now, coming to the specifics of her legacy, what the present generation needs to know is that it was Binadi who in 1974 identified, using tools of scholarly probity, how ingrain to the national psyche was the preference for the male child. Under her direction, the All India Institute of Medical Sciences conducted

EDITORIAL Rape: What should be the Rights response?

Appointment of judges
The Congress-led UPA Government has been unwise in not heeding to the Bharatiya Janata Party's demand in the Rajya Sabha to refer the Constitution (120th) Amendment Bill, 2013, to a Parliamentary Standing Committee. Since the amendment Bill proposes a very significant change in the appointment of judges to the Supreme Court and the High Courts, it should have been put through elaborate scrutiny, opinions of prominent jurists from the country and abroad ought to have been invited and the judiciary should have been consulted. The views thus collected could then have been incorporated to the optimum extent, and only thereafter the Bill should have come before the House for approval. But the Government has abruptly sought to scrap the collegium system and wishes to arrogate to itself the absolute right to appoint judges. The Government's haste in doing so is inexplicable, since the principal Opposition had said that it was not per se against a constitutional amendment to re-look at the appointment of judges. By rushing through the Bill in the Upper House, the regime has strengthened the belief that it wants to as soon as possible control the appointments. Experiences of the Emergency are still fresh in memory when some judges of the Supreme Court went out of their way to endorse changes in the law to benefit Indira Gandhi to the extent that they thought nothing of even the suspension of Fundamental Rights. That was the era when the Government appointed and promoted judges, often superseding the inconvenient ones by their more pliant junior colleagues. Since then, changes have come about and it's not possible even for a willing judge to now tinker with Fundamental Rights. But, it is also true that the collegium system comprising senior judges needs a review. This is not just an outside opinion; many respected jurists and former judges of the apex court and the High Courts have pointed to the defects lack of transparency and the absence of an inclusive character of the collegium, for instance. Thankfully, the Government did not show similar obstinacy over a Bill to amend the Right to Information Act. The amendment seeks to negate an order of the Central Information Commission that national political parties fall in the ambit of the RTI Act. Much to the regime's amazement, consensus was missing. Political parties that were uncomfortable with the idea of having some of their activities questioned through RTI applications, realised that a distasteful haste in pushing through the RTI (Amendment) Bill, 2013, will reflect poorly on them and reiterate the impression many people carry that the political parties are averse to greater transparency in their functioning. This is virtually an election season, and while most parties are opposed to the CIC order, they would want the matter to be deeply debated before a final decision is arrived at. (Left to itself, the Congress couldn't have cared less because it has set new records in being brazenly opaque about and unashamed by the slew of corruption scandals that has tarnished its image beyond redemption as it prepares to leave office.) A Parliamentary Standing Committee will now consider the Bill and the Government will later have the opportunity to bring it before the House for discussion and voting.

Theres no Indian post-feminist movement: even feminism was left incomplete because the Left, which arbitrated its course earlier, ditched womens causes in the 1990s except through episodic, clichd responses to ghoulish rapes, vigilantism, etc. And, as for the Right.
a sample survey on Amniocentesis to find out about foetal genetic conditions and enrolled 11,000 pregnant women as volunteers. It turned out that once the results were out, all those who were informed of imminent female births, queued up for abortion which was perfectly legal at the time. Alarmed, Binadi rushed to Indira Gandhi and that set the ball rolling for legislations to end the abuse of Amniocentesis for sex selective abortions. Hijacked by the Left Binadis appropriation by the Left is not only a truism, but also sad reflection of the intellectual insufficiency in the Indian Right. She was anything but an opponent of traditional values. Even the staunchly leftist Mainstream magazine had to admit in its obituary, With all her rebellious traits she remained an essentially Indian woman whose foremost duty had been and even till the last day remained to her family in its old traditional style. (She) was a delectable amalgam of the traditional Indian womanhood and a defiant and aggressive rebel. Yet hardly anybody in the Right was even aware of her existence, confirming in the process the Rightist as the stereotypical chaddiwallah-Hindi-HinduHindustani. So, apart from becoming Sitaram Yehchurys mother-in-law, she unwittingly got linked with a retrograde movement which let Indian women down after economic liberalisation solidified the maal-maa (CommoditisationDeification) dichotomy incidentally a term coined by Binadi herself to explain the binary perspective that defines the Indian psyche. Under Communist domination, the Indian Left not only spoke with a forked tongue on the threats to everything decent posed by marketnomics, they also colluded with big business to demolish the hard won rights of the Indian feminist struggle. Turn, for example, to the air hostesses on Indian carriers. Up to the 1970s, female cabin crew were grounded by even governmentowned airlines at 25 (a term used to describe the withdrawal of rights to flying and redesignation as ticket girls) even though their male counterparts were allowed to continue till the normal retirement age. Parity Thanks to Binadis advocacy, based on a mixture of response to official pseudo-science (which sought to explain away the discrimination as necessitated by female biology) and stirrings of human rights, air hostesses on Indian Airlines and Air India won parity of pay and work conditions with stewards and flight pursers. We are not sex symbols but an essential part of flying ran the campaign to hammer home the first anti-sexist struggle in modern Indian history. But liberalisation changed all that. Today, with private airlines dominating the aviation sector, the attitude reserved for female cabin crew harks back to the 1930s when their presence lent a lascivious aura to flying. Short-term contracts are back as are the short skirts. Do the feminists of India weigh in here? They dont they parrot St. Markets doctrine that exposing skin is empowerment for womanhood. Sexism not just the glass ceiling but entry level discrimination dominates the worksphere for women in ways that would have awed even Binadi in the 1970s. This is not just the Indian, but global experience. In recent years, a book that has shaken up the complacency of western, specifically British, society to the dangers posed by sexism let loose by market economics is Kat Banyards The Equality Illusion (London, 2010). It shatters many of the myths about womens role in the modern economy. For instance, women are finding it harder to get jobs while at the prime of their reproductive life -governments wink as corporates get around the maternitywith-pay rule by simply not hiring women. At another level, women are the subject of rampant ageism-notice how prettier and younger the journalists reading the news on even desi private channels are getting? The Lefts betrayal of the Indian worker is secular and gender neutral. The question is, why did the Right not grab this place? Masculinity Today, the summum bonum of the Indian Right seems to be asserting the masculine dimension of Indian statehood strong India through Westminster-approved methods. Its shrill spokespersons both sexes are hardly ever distracted by the lived experience. The image of strength based on macro-economic progress is at variance with the contemporary experience (the trickle down theory of growth has been disowned by its founder) as is the relevance of militaristic assertion in post-Pokhran South Asia. Whats interesting in this context of such balefulness is the utter insensitivity to the concerns of one solid half of Indias population its women. What Indias women need is another Binadi who would win them adequate representation (which was her idea

originally and basis of a lifelong crusade) at the highest level and hundreds of other rights over looked by the patrician order. What women need is a system that recognises them as equal stakeholders from foetus to grave. Exactly what would they benefit from a strong India is unclear to Indias women. Did Britains women -except the miniscule who lived and died as show windows of their husbands wealth gain anything from Pax Brittanica? Leave alone equality, they didnt even have suffrage till the 1930s. Beyond rapes The December 16 gang rape has produced a focused response to sexual predators in Indian society. But along with the positive eruption of urban Indian self- righteousness, its ugly underbelly has also got exposed. Beyond the debate why tears for Nirbhaya and not the 478 that followed? another cold fact has emerged. The media, polity, everybody in the patrician order, seems to be enjoying this one-dimensional, made-for-TV feminism. Its easier demanding death for rapists than dismantling the infrastructure that facilitates rape. And this means more than ill-lit streets and unskilled policewomen. It calls for confronting the culture of commodification of women which sustains the so-called free market economy. At the bedrock of their vanity, Indian liberal feminists are conspicuously ignorant of contemporary neo-feminist maxims. They mouth slogans approved by Indias political masters and sting only selectively for fear of upsetting the very pernicious system that sustains them. Jayati Ghosh, a doyen of Marxian economics in India, surprised her interviewer in Der Speigel recently by linking the spate of rapes in recent times to the lop-sided growth paradigm adopted by the Manmohan Singh government. Greater the rich-poor divide more the rapes, goes this latest jewel from the Marxian thoughtshop. Reading this, my mind went back to the Class XII economics texts from the 1980s which listed as one of the reason for Indias huge population, the lack of entertainment opportunities for the poor especially in rural India.Isnt it amusing that despite the explosion of cable TV from the 1990s onward, the population rate has not ebbed? How wonderfully inconvenient is the fact that the highest number of rapes happen not in poor India and sub-Saharan Africa, but super rich Sweden and Australia. In the United States, about 300,000 rapes were reported in the decade 2000-09. But the US Justice Department cautioned that this figure may be an understatement. The real figure could be hold your breath 3 million. Reason? In sexually liberated societies (the Indian Lib-Lefts paradise) women are not the beneficiaries of the sexual revolution, but the victims. I think there is a case for right-wing feminism by revisiting the foundations of Binadis movement. An intellectual movement which recognises the next choice rape as the symptom of a deeper social disorder is the need of the hour.

India should provide military aid to Karzai

HIRANMAY KARLEKAR
The killing of the Indian author, Sushmita Banerjee, outside her home in Afghanistans Paktika Province, where she lived with her Afghan husband, Mr Jaanbaz Khan, bears the unmistakeable imprimatur of the Taliban. The crime once again raises the question of the Afghan National Security Forces, and particularly of its main component, the Afghan National Armys ability to hold the Taliban at bay once the bulk of the American and North Atlantic Treaty Organisations forces depart in 2014. The assessments, earlier uniformly pes-

The leopard and its spots

By the time Escape from Taliban released in 2003, the militant group had already been flushed out of Kabul by Western troops and there were hopes that a new era of peace and stability had finally dawned in Afghanistan. A decade later, the killing of Sushmita Banerjee the Indian wife of an Afghan businessman whose experience under Taliban rule was depicted in the Manisha Koirala starrer is a gruesome reminder of how little has changed in that war-torn country. In fact, the situation has tragically come a full circle. Banerjee, who had braved the Taliban and fled Afghanistan in 1995, had in recent years returned to that country to be with her husband and offer her services as a trained nurse at a local dispensary. In the early hours of Thursday, the Taliban arrived at her home, much like they would do in the early 90s to threaten her to convert to Islam; only this time around, they were even less tolerant. They dragged her out of the house, pumped 20 bullets into her and dumped her body. Banerjee's story is reflected in Afghanistan's overall socio-political trajectory ousted in 2001, the Taliban have since re-grouped and returned stronger. Once blacklisted by much of the world, today they are legitimate and a strategic partner in the West's Afghan dialogue; and by all available accounts, they may gain more influence when US-led Nato troops withdraw from Afghanistan in 2014. In this context, Banerjee's death should serve as a potent symbol of how a Talibani takeover next year could reverse much of the West's hard-won gains in Afghanistan. Much will depend on the Afghan National Security Forces and how successful they will be in keeping the militants at bay. The international forces have already transferred all security responsibilities to the locals and now only provide them will logistical support. The Afghan forces have performed remarkably well in many cases but they are still under-staffed, under-trained and under-armed. Without continued international support, they will find it difficult to hold fort. In this context, possibly the most important aspect of the 2014 withdrawal will be the number of Western security personnel that stay back in Afghanistan and also the extent of support that countries such as India and Russia (that have a direct stake in Afghanistan) offer in terms of military support. Banerjee's murder has also put the focus on another kind of soldiers who are fighting a different part of the war against the Taliban the humanitarian workers. While the 49-year-old Calcuttan may have been targeted for any number of reasons for one, she was an Indian woman who had consistently defied them on their own turf there is reason to believe that the Taliban were not too pleased with her working as a nurse. Healthcare professionals like Banerjee particularly, and aid workers in general, have routinely been targeted by militants, putting them in fact on the frontlines of the war.

Will the Afghan National Security Forces be able to hold their own after the Americans leave? The killing of an Indian author is a chilling reminder of the dangers that lurk post-2014
simistic, are now mixed and even offer a glimmer of hope that the ANSF and ANA may succeed. In this context, a report by Azam Ahmed, carried by The New York Times on August 30, stands out for being different from the usual doomsday forecasts in Western media. It shows how Afghan forces have not only held on but have had an impact on the situation in Pech Valley in eastern Afghanistan where, following heavy casualties, American forces had to abandon in 2011 an offensive, Operation Nazish Hussain, Khanjar (curved sword), they had launched against the Taliban in 2009. Understandably, a contingent of American troops that returned to the rugged stretch of terrain that had been so violent that they had christened it Valley of Death, and where its soldiers did not expect the Afghans to last even for weeks on their own, were surprised. Equally understandably they began wondering how such an unthinkable eventuality came about! Their conclusions are important as indicators of how the security situation in Afghanistan can unfold in the future. One of these is that the withdrawal of foreign troops has removed an irritant and the local Taliban often hesitated to attack Afghan Government troops who were Muslims like them. There seemed in some cases to have been an understanding between the two sides as to what was off limits for each other. Also, the performance of the Afghan troops had improved with intensified training, better arms and combat experience. Finally, an aggressive campaign of American drone strikes in Pech over the past year and a half had devastated Taliban networks and killed the organisations leaders including Dost Muhammad Khan, Nuristans shadow governor, and a crucial asset for Al Qaeda and their facilitators. The question is whether the Afghan National Army will be able to hold on to its gains after the Western withdrawal. It is one thing to succeed in Pech which is only one area, albeit with a record of deadly violence, and quite another to prevail over the whole of Afghanistan. Significantly, according to a report by Ben Farmer in The Daily Telegraph of August 18, it has been a somewhat different story in the southern district of Sangin where Afghan forces, suffering heavy casualties from a Taliban offensive that began in late May, called for help from the British who had earlier fought the Taliban in the area at great cost to themselves in terms of human lives. The 80-man strong British mission which led to the neutralisation of more than 30 IEDs and the killing and detention of a number of Taliban, cost the lives of a number of Afghan soldiers but not of any Britisher. In addition, Americans provided satellite images to help the Afghans target groups of Taliban and evacuated wounded Afghan soldiers by air, but, unlike in the past, did not fight or provide the air support. The result? The situation has been somewhat stabilised but Sangin remains a challenging area. According to a report by Steven Swinford in The Daily Telegraph of September 5, Nato commanders, while believing that the ANA

READER SPACE

Reprieve for RTI Vanzaras god

Dear Editor, At last, some good sense seems to have prevailed on the government (Reprieve for RTI as bill to insulate parties is deferred, Sept. 6). Members of civil society, RTI activists and MPs Dinesh Trivedi and Baijayant Panda, vocal opponents of the proposed amendment, deserve to be lauded for their efforts. However there is no reason to be happy because the bill has only been referred to a standing committee which again consists of MPs. Had the government really intended to respect the public sentiment, it would not have introduced the bill at all. It has only postponed matters. Yours, etc., B. Harish, Jammu

via-e-mail

Dear Editor, Trigger-happy policemen, euphemistically called encounter specialists, always say they acted on the orders of their bosses when the law eventually catches up with them (Fallen God, Sept. 5). IPS officer D.G. Vanzara claims that he and his officers were only following the Gujarat governments conscious policy of encounters. Surely, he must have known that he was extinguishing innocent lives for the sake of his god? Had the law not caught up with him and had he been rewarded suitably by his god, would he have offered to resign as he is doing now? Yours, etc., S. Devarajan,

via-e-mail

Vanzara & Modi

Dear Editor, The deep sense of betrayal experienced by D.G. Vanzara has perhaps made him lose his reverence and admiration for Narendra Modi (Fallen God, Sept. 5). The differential treatment meted by the Modi government to the police officers jailed for their alleged involvement in a series of fake encounters and Amit Shah seems to be Mr. Vanzaras grouse. The police officer does not admit that the encounters he was associated with were fake but laments his adherence to the conscious policy of the government. The officers plight should serve as an example to those who readily submit their conscience to the socalled conscious policies of their political bosses. Yours, etc.,

Too little
Dear Editor, This refers to the report that a self-regulatory body of television channels has asked a private channel to apologise to actor Ranjitha for showing morphed video clips of hers with a godman. The expression of apology by running scrolls every two hours for seven days seems to be too meagre a compensation for the damage caused to the actors reputation. The TV channel deserves severe punishment for befooling the public. Unfortunately, the Indian media, under severe marketing pressure, has created a sensation-mongering section of viewers and thrives on it. Yours, etc., B. Ganapathysundararaman,

via-e-mail

has the ability to fight the insurgency, are concerned that they lack technical and logistical expertise. It quotes a senior military source as saying that as a result, Nato soldiers might be required in a non-combat role for three to five years beyond December 2014, and were likely to provide casualty evacuation and logistics to the Afghan National Army beyond the official draw-down in December 2014. In fact, the source suggested that Britains military involvement after the draw-down was likely to be far more significant than previously thought. Two things are going to be critically important the size of the Afghan Army, which will have to shoulder the bulk of the military operations, and the kind of air an artillery support they received. The ANA had a strength of 2,00,000 at the beginning of the year, and the ANSF, which includes Afghan National Police and other law enforcement organisations as well, of 3,52,000. This is highly inadequate. As Lieutenant General (Retired) RK Sawhney points out in his chapter Afghanistan Today in Afghanistan: A Role for India, the US counter-insurgency doctrine prescribed the presence of 20 to 25 counter-insurgency personnel for every 1,000 residents. Afghanistans population of roughly 28.4 million (some put it at 30 million) call for the deployment of anything between 5,68,000 and 7,10,000 troops. Instead of trying to raise the ANSFs strength to either level, the US and its allies are talking of reducing it to 2,28,000 by 2017. This will be absolutely disastrous, particularly since the ANA does not have the air force and heavy artillery support it needs the second of the two critically important factors to prevail over the Taliban. It is important, therefore, that the Americans and their allies provide ANA with both and continue to provide adequate support in the interim. A matter of serious concern here is funds. According to reports, the US and the Nato countries involved would not be able to spend around six billion dollars annually on the ANSF which they have been doing, and would be able to afford only $4.1 billion dollars which would sustain an ANSF strength of 2,28,000. As of now, only a part of the revised amount has been accounted for and it seems doubtful whether the total will be available. If this happens, others will have to step in. India, whose foreign policy has of late been marked by incredible cravenness, has reportedly refused military aid to President Hamid Karzai. The Government should be compelled to change its policy and coordinate with countries like Russia and others, which have a stake in the region, to prevent a Pakistanbacked Taliban-Al Qaeda takeover of Afghanistan. The consequences of such an eventuality need hardly be spelt out.

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NATIONAL

Let Modi remain Gujarat CM: Uddhav Thackeray

MUMBAI, SEPTEMBER 07: Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray on Saturday urged the BJP to let Narendra Modi continue unhindered as Gujarat chief minister till 2017. "Narendra Modi has publicly declared that he has no prime ministerial ambition. He has been given public mandate to rule Gujarat till 2017 and would continue to serve the people of that state," Thackeray said in an editorial in the party mouthpiece "Saamna". At a function in Gujarat Sep 5, Modi told a young school student that those who dreamt of

becoming prime minister were often destroyed. "Instead of harbouring such dreams, I think it is more important to achieve something for the country," said Modi, who has been made the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) campaign chief for the 2014 Lok Sabha polls. Thackeray lauded Modi for his stance. He, however, said that though the Gujarat strongman had probably succeeded in satisfying the curiosity of the school student on the issue, "but how will he explain this to the BJP big boss-

es who are bent upon declaring him as the next PM candidate?" He said many in the BJP feel that under Modi's stewardship, the party could achieve the target of winning 272 Lok Sabha seats in the next parliamentary elections. Now, he said, Modi has decided not to step out of Gujarat till 2017 and brought his own "prime ministerial horse" to a sudden halt. There are several ground realities and political permutations and combinations even within the BJP which have prevented the party from declaring his candidature for the top executive post so far, Thackeray said. "There are many who have dreamt of occupying the top post but failed to achieve it. Even Sharad Pawar had announced his candidature on several occasions in the past but suddenly backtracked. Now, Modi has done the same," Thackeray said. On the other hand, the Shiv Sena president said, those who never dreamt of occupying the top post were catapulted there like Rajiv Gandhi, Chandrashekhar, HD Deve Gowda, IK Gujral and Manmohan Singh. "Modi has learnt these lessons of history. Now, who will teach the same lessons to BJP leaders like Rajnath Singh, Amit Shah, Smriti Irani, Balbir Punj and others," Thackeray wondered.

Policemen detain supporters of creation of a separate state of Telangana from the current southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh, during a demonstration in Hyderabad.

Pro-Telangana stir intensifies, Seemandhra employees attacked

H Y D E R A B A D , SEPTEMBER 7: ProTelangana forces on Saturday pelted stones at police and employees from AndhraRayalaseema regions in a bid to thwart a rally organised here by AP Non-Gazetted Officers Association even as the 24-hour bandh called by the Telangana JAC disrupted life in the state capital. Scores of pro-Telangana elements, masquerading as students, gathered clandestinely in the Nizam College hostel building adjacent to the Lal Bahadur Shastri Stadium, the venue of "Save Andhra Pradesh" rally, and hurled stones at employees from Andhra-Rayalaseema regions, who were making way into the stadium. "We were quietly walking on the road leading to the stadium when suddenly we were pelted with stones. Two of my colleagues were wounded in the incident," Visweswara Rao, a government employee from Adoni in Kurnool district, said. Police, who entered the hostel building to disperse the violent mob, were also greeted with stones. However, police in riot gear took several "outsiders" into custody and whisked them away from the hostel building, a senior police officer said. Police had to open teargas as violent Telangana elements, in the garb of students, rained stones on them. Then they tried to march from the Osmania University campus to LB Stadium to spoil the rally, police said. Notwithstanding the appeal made by TJAC and proTelangana parties for calm, several miscreants virtually ran riot both at the Nizam College hostel as well as the university. Aggravating the tense atmosphere in the city, legislators belonging to the Telangana Rashtra Samiti rushed to the assembly in the afternoon to stage a "deeksha" at the statue of Mahatma Gandhi, protesting the discriminatory attitude of the state administration. The TRS MLAs had a faceoff with police at the assembly when the latter tried to foil the former's plan. "This is a dark moment when our rights as legislators have been denied," TRS floor leader in the assembly E Rajender said. Half-a-dozen TRS MLAs then staged a dharna on the assembly premises even as Independent MLA Nagam Janardhan Reddy, who recently joined the BJP, also joined them. Meanwhile, Telangana Gazetted Officers Association leader Devi Prasad announced that they were planning to hold a rally either in Visakhapatnam or Vijayawada in coastal Andhra in support of the state's division. "Misuse of official power and machinery in today's 'Save Andhra Pradesh' rally is glaring," he said and claimed the Telangana bandh was a "total success".

6 sentenced to life term in NLSIU student gang-rape case

BANGALORE: A city court in Bangalore on Friday has sentenced six men to life term on charges for gang-raping an undergraduate student of the National Law School of India University (NLSIU) on Bangalore Universitys Jnanabharathi campus, on October 13 last year. The convicted are Maddura, 20, Doddaheeraiah, 19, Shivanna, 20, Eeraiah alias Eera, 20, Yaliyaiah alias Kumara, 23 and Rama, 50. One accused, Raja, 24, is absconding. The eighth accused is a minor whose case is before the juvenile justice court. Justice Krishnamurthy B Sangannavar found the six persons guilty of all the charges levelled against them under abduction (Section 366 of the IPC), gang rape (376 -2G), dacoity (397) and assault (323 and 324). The convicts, residents of Mettari Doddi in Dasegowdana Doddi village on the outskirts of Bangalore, regularly trespassed into the university campus in search of sandalwood trees as well as firewood. On October 13, they were looking to poach sandalwood trees, when they came across the law student and her male friend in a car. They attacked the male friend of the girl and gang-raped her. The six men were arrested based on the description given by the rape survivor to the police. They reportedly confessed to the police that they had been involved in several crimes, including rapes. Police produced before the court clinching evidence of details of the calls made by the accused using the victims mobile phone.

Five injured in stone-pelting in Muzaffarnagar

M U Z A F FA R N A G A R : Tension gripped Basikala village on Saturday when at least five persons belonging to a particular community were injured in alleged stonepelting by members of another community, police said. The incident took place when people travelling in a tractor were going to Nagal to participate in a meeting organised to demand for withdrawing cases registered in connection with the Kawal incident, they said. Meanwhile, security has been tightened in view of Nagal meeting, organised for a second time and prohibition orders have been imposed in the area, police added. Several people had participated in the first meeting despite the ban imposed by district authority.

Heavy polling in Maldives Flood situation grim in Arunachal Pradesh

MALE, SEPTEMBER 7: Maldivian Elections Commission and independent observers said that polling in the second multiparty elections to elect a new President was largely incident free. A large number of Maldivians lined up even before the scheduled opening of polling booths at 7-30 am. By 2-30 pm, 136,000 of the 239, 593 voters had cast their vote. We are yet to get information from 90 more ballot boxes. Many of these are from the resort islands, said Elections Commission Chairperson Fuwad Thowfeek. In all, there are 470 ballot boxes in polling stations in the 192 inhabited island, 41 resorts and six overseas cities. Under-trials too got a chance to vote. The EC conceded that there were minor incidents during the polls. Most of these related to delay in beginning the process of polling. Concurring with the EC, an independent body, Transparency Maldives said that nearly all polling station officials were in place ahead of the polls. Police were present at 95 per cent of the tion consisting of former chief election commissioners J.M. Lyngdoh, B.B. Tandon, N. Gopalaswami and former High Commissioner of India to Maldives S.M. Gavai are in Maldives for the polls. One team is in the far south of Maldives, at Addu atoll, and another covers the northern atolls of Haa Dhallu and Haa Alifu. Two more teams are in Male, which has about a third of all registered voters in the Maldives. According to reports reaching here, overseas stations too recorded brisk voting. The ballot boxes in international destinations are in Colombo (two booths, one for 2096 voters, and another for 1078), Kuala Lumpur (1085 voters), Thiruvananthapuram (857 voters), New Delhi (125 voters), Singapore (144 voters) and London (223 voters). Counting will begin half an hour after close of polling in each booth, and the results will be collated at the Elections Commission at Male. Trends will be available by around 9 pm on September 7, and a provisional result will be in by 11 pm. I T A N A G A R , SEPTEMBER 7: Heavy rainfall over the last one week has triggered floods in several districts of Arunachal Pradesh, affecting several villages. Most of the state's rivers, including the Siang, are in spate. A BRO personnel died following a landslide in Lohit district. With the Siang flowing above the danger mark, several pockets of Pasighat in East Siang district are battling with a flood-like situation. Low-lying areas such as the Sibokorong-Siang confluence point, Komlighat and Raneghat have been inundated. According to a source, the flood situation in Mebo subdivision in East Siang district remained grim. A log bridge at Kadang has been washed away. Transport along NH-52 has also been disrupted between Pasighat and Mebo as the overflowing river has severely damaged the Siku bridge. East Siang deputy commissioner Nidhi Srivastava convened an emergency meeting at Pasighat on Thursday. The meeting was attended by SP Pushpendra Kumar and other departmental heads. Srivastava discussed about the availability of relief materials and flood preparedness, the source said. As a precautionary measure, the DC asked people living in low-lying areas along the river to be careful. She also instructed fishermen not to venture out into the river. The DC informed the officials that the authorities are fully prepared and have made all arrangements for temporary shelter. She also instructed the officials of disaster management department, army personnel of Rayang division and police to remain prepared for any eventuality. According to a report from Tezu, the headquarters of Lohit district, surface communication between Tezu and Tinsukia in Assam and Tezu to Hayuliang and Hawai was disrupted due to mudslides along Tezu-Parsuram Kund road. At least 13,246 people of 11 villages of the district have been affected, the report said. "It is very difficult for our labourers to clear the road here, even with the help of machineries, Putting their lives at risk, our personnel have been pressed into round-the-clock service to clear the road. We lost one of our members, M L Sharma, mechanic in-charge, on Thursday," said P K Gupta, OC 1446 Border Construction Company, Demwe. He said a team has been assigned to find the body.

Four held for gang-rape of Bihar woman

PATNA: Four of the six men, who barged into a house and gang-raped a married woman in Bihar, were arrested on Saturday, police said. The 25-year-old woman was gangraped on Thursday night in Tarma village in Muzaffarpur district, about 70 km from here, police said. "We have arrested four accused and search is on to nab the other two," police official Kanchan Kashyap said. On Thursday, the woman along with her husband and five-year-old son were sleeping in their rented house, when the six men attacked them. They tied her husband and son to a nearby tree and forcibly dragged her to a field and raped her, a district police official said. The victim and her husband, who works as a labourer in a local thermal power plant, approached police on Friday. The woman has identified three of the accused, police said.

Ex-deputy sarpanch killed by Naxals in Chhattisgarh

RAIPUR: Naxals Friday allegedly killed a former deputy sarpanch, suspecting him to be a police informer, in Maoistaffected Bastar district of southern Chhattisgarh, police said. Sohan Mandavi (28), the ex-deputy sarpanch of Burgum village under Kodenar police station limits, was killed in the forests near the village, Bastar Superintendent of Police Ajay Yadav said. The incident came to light this morning when some villagers informed police that the blood-stained body of Mandavi was found on a road, nearly 3 kms away from his native village, the SP said. "Soon after getting the news of the incident, security forces were rushed to the spot," he said.According to the SP, construction of a police station has been approved near Gurdum village on the demand of the villagers, which the naxals are opposing. Preliminary investigation suggested that Naxals suspected Mandavi of being a police informer, he said. A search has been launched in the forest to nab the attackers, he added.

observed polling stations at opening time, it said in a statement. Of the four candidates in the fray, former President Mohamed Nasheed is widely tipped to top the votes. But that will not be enough in Maldives, since its Constitution requires that a candidate should secure 50 per cent plus one vote to occupy the top job. President Mohamed Waheed, brother of former dictator Maumoon Abdul Gayoom Yameen Abdulla and a multi-millionaire resort owner Qasim Ibrahim are the others in the race. A high-level Indian delega-

Parliament passes bill to allow those in jail to contest polls

NEW DELHI, SEPTEMBER 7: Negating a Supreme Court order, Parliament on Friday passed a bill that maintains the right of those in jail to contest polls, with the government saying the court verdict was wrong and the Legislature has Constitutional duty to correct it. The Representation of the People (Amendment and Validation) Bill, 2013 was rushed through in the Lok Sabha and passed within about 15 minutes after a brief discussion. Some members wanted an elaborate debate on the bill but the overwhelming majority of the House, including Leader of Opposition Sushma Swaraj, pushed for its passage even without discussion. The Bill negates the July 10 order of the Supreme Court which held that those in jail cannot vote as per RP Act and hence cannot qualify for contesting elections to Parliament or state legislatures. The Bill was passed by Rajya Sabha on August 27. Moving the bill for consideration and passage, Law Minister Kapil Sibal said, The Supreme Court is right because it is final, it is not right because it is right. Talking about the apprehensions caused by the apex court verdict, he said, If an SHO decides to detain you on the eve of elections, then you cannot file nominations. He said, It is our constitutional duty to correct it (the verdict). Mr. Sibals views were on the lines of some of the mem-

ATS on wrong trail, 13/7 perpetrators on the loose, says Bhatkal

MUMBAI, SEPTEMBER 7: The confessions of the alleged Indian Mujahideen leader Yasin Bhatkal are becoming more and more embarrassing to Maharashtras anti-terrorism squad. He has told interrogators that wrong people were arrested for the 13/7 serial blasts, which killed 27 people in Mumbai, and that the real culprits are still at large, according to informed sources. The ATS arrested four people in the 2011 case. In 2012, it filed a charge sheet against alleged IM members Naquee Ahmed, Nadeem , Kanwar Pathrija and Haroon Naik. Six others including Yaseen, Tabrez and Tehseen, were shown as wanted. However, Bhatkal has told the National Investigation Agency that the four men arrested had nothing to do with the blasts. He corroborated the Delhi Police claim that Naquee and Nadeem were in fact police informers, intelligence sources said. Of the arrested men, the ATS had focussed on Haroon Naik. It claimed he was a Lashkare-Taiba operative and prize catch. And that he was higher than Yasin in the IM hierarchy. However, Bhatkal could not even recognise Naik from the photographs shown to him. He refuted the ATS claim that Naik was handling the IMs financial operations, the sources said. Bhatkals statement also raises questions about the ATS account of Naiks indoctrination. In its charge sheet, the ATS claimed Naik had attended LeT camps in Pakistan, and that he had met Osama bin Laden while at a camp in Bahawalpur in that country in 2001.

Six arrested in connection with death of man in Apr 25 clash

CHENNAI: Six persons have been arrested by Crime Branch CID of Tamil Nadu Police in connection with the death of a man in the April 25 clash between PMK cadres and villagers near Marakkanam in Kancheepuram district. The arrested have been remanded and a charge sheet filed in the court yesterday, a police statement said. A man from Venman Kondan village of Ariyalur district was killed in a clash between villagers of Kancheepuram district and PMK cadres, who were on their way to a function at Mamallapuram on April 25 this year, it said. Though a case of death due to rash and negligence act was registered initially by police, it was later altered as a murder case and the probe transferred to the CB-CID. "CB CID investigating officers examined more than 100 witnesses and used forensic techniques in investigation of the case," it added. The April 25 incident led to large-scale violence in the northern districts of Tamil Nadu, resulting in damage to public properties.

bers, including Kirti Azad (BJP) and Dara Singh Chouhan (BSP). The Amendment Bill seeks to add a proviso to sub-section (2) of section 62 of the RP Act to state that a person cannot cease to be a voter while in detention as his or her right is only temporarily suspended.

Sibal apologises for pushing bill through RS

NEW DELHI, SEPTEMBER 7: The Opposition on Saturday forced Law Minister Kapil Sibal to apologise in the Rajya Sabha for failing to get a Constitution Amendment Bill passed in the Lok Sabha, alleging that he misled the Upper House while getting it passed in haste". Attacking Mr. Sibal for not sending the bill to the Standing Committee as desired by majority of members in the Rajya Sabha, the BJP created ruckus leading to two adjournments soon after the House met for the day. The BJP also charged the government with not doing its home work. I say once again that despite our best efforts, I am sorry that the bill could not be passed in the Lok Sabha. I regret it, Mr. Sibal said silencing the opposition which was not allowing the House to function till he apologised. Sibal had earlier had expressed regret saying, I am deeply anguished with the fact that Constitutional Amendment Bill could not be taken up by Lok Sabha. Ravi Shankar Prasad (BJP), however, said, Home work was not done. We were misled into passing it...The Minister has committed a mistake, he should feel sorry for his act. Law Minister should apologise to the House. He must apologise, anguish would not do. Mr. Sibal told the House that there was some error in the title of the bill. When introduced, it was titled 120th Constitution Amendment Bill, but when passed it should have read as 99th Constitution Amendment Bill. The Secretariat realised some error has taken place. The patent error was immediately intimated to the Chairman who corrected it and transmitted to the Lok Sabha. The bill was printed and ready for passage. However, I regret despite our best efforts it could not be taken up by the Lok Sabha. It was not intentional, he said. Earlier, Mr. Prasad said the entire opposition wanted such an important bill to be sent to the Standing Committee as it was an important judicial legislation which paves the way for creation of a Judicial Appointments Commission (JAC) to replace the present collegium system to appoint judges to higher courts. Mr. Prasad said the bill concerned the functioning of the Supreme Court, High Courts and judiciary and the opposition had demanded that it be brought in the next session but there is complete inconsistency. P Rajeev (CPI(M)) said the bill should have been sent to the Standing Committee but the minister gave an assurance that Lok Sabha will pass it and then it will be sent to state legislatures.

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INTERNATIONAL & ECONOMY

Hafiz Saeed leads antiIndia march to Islamabad

7
relaxed its immigration rules giving greater flexibility to students and businesses that employ and sponsor international migrants, a move likely to benefit Indians. According to the new rules, visitors to the UK will be allowed a short period of study or training as part of their stay. Multinational firms will be able to bring their own auditors to the UK on business visitor visas. Business visitors will also be able to do a short course of study while they are here. The changes, announced on Friday, will make the UK more attractive to international students by allowing them to take up corporate internships after completing their degree and making it easier for graduate entrepreneurs to take up skilled jobs, an official statement said. The British home office also made changes to the IntraCompany Transfer (ICT) visa system to enable employees to

UK relaxes business and Obama tells nation that Syria is education 'not another Iraq or Afghanistan' LONDON: The UK has immigration rules
WASHINGTON: President Barack Obama told his warweary country on Saturday that America needs to use limited military force in Syria to deter future chemical weapons attacks, but said he did not want to enter into another costly and protracted war. "This would not be another Iraq or Afghanistan," Obama said in his weekly radio and internet address, previewing arguments he will make in a nationally televised address on Tuesday. "Any action we take would be limited, both in time and scope - designed to deter the Syrian government from gassing its own people again and degrade its ability to do so," Obama said. A week ago, Obama said he felt limited strikes in Syria were needed, but added he wanted to ask Congress to authorize the use of military force. Neither Democratic nor Republican lawmakers have been enthused about the prospect, partly because Americans strongly oppose

ISLAMABAD: Jamaat-udDawa chief Hafiz Mohammad Saeed on Friday led thousands of his supporters to an anti-India rally from the garrison city of Rawalpindi into the federal capital Islamabad on Friday. JuD is an offshoot of the designated terror organization Lashkar-e-Taiba. The rally, which was addressed by Saeed in Rawalpindi after Friday prayers, marched towards Islamabad at snail's pace and reached the capital's blue area late in the evening. "We do not want to fight with India but only demand our rights," Saeed said before highlighting his long list of demands, accusing India of ceasefire violation in Kashmir, claiming water dispute, and alleging India supports insurgency in Pakistan's south-western Baluchistan province. Saeed urged Prime Minister

Nawaz Sharif to raise all outstandingissues with India during his upcoming meeting with his Indian counterpart on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly session in New York end September. "The entire nation would support you (Sharif) if you demand Pakistan's rights during talks with India. We do not speak of war with India but demand our rights," Saeed said at Rawalpindi's Liaquat Bagh, the place where the country's former premier Benazir Bhutto was assassinated in December 2007. Saeed lashed out at India and the US, accusing Washington of deliberately pushing its war in Afghanistan onto the streets of Pakistan. It took several hours for Saeed to arrive in Islamabad. Life very nearly came to standstill in the twincities as the main road linking Rawalpindi with Islamabad remained jammed for hours.

getting involved in another Middle Eastern conflict. A Reuters/Ipsos poll on Tuesday said 56 percent of Americans believed the United States should not intervene, while only 19 percent supported action. "I know that the American people are weary after a decade of war, even as the war in Iraq has ended, and the war in Afghanistan is winding down. That's why we're not putting our troops in the middle of somebody else's war," Obama said in his recorded address. Obama and his top officials plan an intensive lobbying effort on Capitol Hill next

week, scheduling meetings with undecided lawmakers. Obama said failing to respond to the August 21 attack that Washington blames on President Bashar al-Assad's government and that killed hundreds of children and more than 1,400 people in total, would threaten US national security by increasing the chance of future chemical attacks from the Syrian government, terrorist groups, or other nations. "We are the United States of America. We cannot turn a blind eye to images like the ones we've seen out of Syria," he said.

extend their stay without having to take a language test. The ICT route is already wellregarded with business customers describing it is "the most user-friendly in the world", the statement said. "The UK is open for business: we are building an immigration system that works in the national interest and supports growth," immigration minister Mark Harper said. . Minor changes have also been made to the family rules to benefit UK citizens applying to bring their Non-European Economic Area spouses and children to the country as they will be given greater flexibili-

ty. Changes to the general visit visa will enable tourists to complete training courses in topics such as English and leisure activities, the statement said. The UK is still an attractive education destination for Indians, even after a 24 per cent drop in Indian students coming to Britain was reported during the 2011-12 academic year. With the new rules, it will become easier for Arts Council-endorsed artists "with exceptional promise" to come to the UK to work rather than just those who have established themselves globally.

Pakistan militants prepare for war in Syrian regime shelling near Damascus kills 16 Afghanistan after foreign forces withdraw
ISLAMABAD: Militants in Pakistan's most populous province are said to be training for what they expect will be an ethnic-based civil war in neighbouring Afghanistan after foreign forces withdraw in 16 months. In the past two years, the number of Punjab-based militants deploying to regions bordering on Afghanistan has tripled and is now believed to be in the thousands, says analyst Mansur Mehsud. He runs the FATA Institute, an Islamabad-based think tank studying the mix of militant groups that operate in Pakistan's tribal belt running along much of the 2,600kilometre Afghan-Pakistan border. Mehsud, himself from South Waziristan where militants also hide out, says more than 150 militant groups operate in the tribal regions, mostly in mountainous, heavily forested North Waziristan. Pocked with hideouts, it is there that al-Qaida leader Ayman al-Zawahri is believed to be hiding and where Afghanistan says many of its enemies have found sanctuary. While militants from Punjab province have long sought refuge and training in the tribal regions, they were fewer in number and confined their hostility to Pakistan's neighbour and foe, India. All that is changing, say analysts. "Before, they were keeping a low profile. But just in the last two or three years hundreds have been coming from Punjab," said Mehsud. BEIRUT: Heavy government shelling of rebel positions near the Syrian capital killed 16 people on Saturday, activists said, as US secretary of state John Kerry lobbied European allies to back Washington's proposed military action against the ruling regime. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the mortar and artillery fire on the Moldokhiya agricultural area south of Damascus killed 14 rebels. A child and another civilian also died in the shelling, it added. The group also reported heavy fighting between rebels and troops loyal to President Bashar Assad around the Christian village of Maaloula. The rebel advance into the area that began on Monday was reportedly spearheaded by

Bombers strike restaurant in Somali capital, at least 15 dead

MOGADISHU: A car bomb and suspected suicide bomber struck a popular restaurant in the Somali capital on Saturday, killing at least 15 people, Ahmed Nur, a senior police officer at the scene, said. The blast underscored the ongoing security threats in Mogadishu; despite the withdrawal by Islamist militant group al Shabaab from the city in 2011 under military pressure. It was not immediately clear who carried out the attack on the Village Restaurant, owned by well-known Somali businessman Ahmed Jama, who returned to his home country from London to set up business against the advice of friends. In September last year two suicide bombers hit the same restaurant, killing at least 15 people. Mohamed Yusuf, spokesman for the Mogadishu authorities, said that after the car bomb went off, a suicide bomber immediately blew himself up in the restaurant.

al-Qaida-linked fighters, exacerbating fears among Syrians and religious minorities in particular that Islamic extremists are playing an increasingly important role in the rebellion. Fighters from the Westernbacked Free Syrian Army have also participated in battles around Maaloula, destroying two government checkpoints near the town

earlier this week, according to a statement by the main opposition coalition on Friday. The fighting comes as President Barack Obama's administration presses ahead with efforts to win congressional backing and international support for military strikes against Syria over an alleged chemical attack in August outside Damascus.

The Obama administration says Assad's forces fired rockets loaded with the nerve agent sarin on rebelheld areas near the capital before dawn on Aug. 21, killing at least 1,429 people. Other estimates put the death toll from the attack at more than 500. Back in Washington after a trip to Europe that included a two-day visit to Russia to attend a Group of 20 summit, Obama will intensify his efforts to sell a skeptical Congress and a war-weary American public on a military strike against Syria. A passionate debate is already underway in Congress and the administration's lobbying campaign culminates Tuesday, the evening before a critical vote on the possible Syria action is expected in the Senate.

ECONOMY

Govt will take hard decisions to curb inessential imports: FM

NEW DELHI: Grappling with the stressed economy, finance minister P Chidambaram on Saturday said "hard decisions" would be taken in the next few days and weeks to trim wasteful expenditure and curb import of "inessential" items. "We are going through a period of stress...we have to take some hard decisions. Many of these measures are being taken, and many measures will be announced in next few days and weeks. Some measures to curb import inessential items will also be announced. "All these measures taken together will have beneficial impact", he said, winding up a debate on Appropriation Bill in the Rajya Sabha. Describing inflation as the worst form of taxation which hit the poorest the most, he said, the govern22 announcement of the US Federal Reserve regarding withdrawal of monetary stimulus, he said the government will take more measures to increase flow of capital to contain volatility in forex market. Chidambaram said, "When you are facing gloomy situation, wasteful expenditure has to be curbed....You call it austerity measures, you can call it cut in non-plan expenditure...while we must continue to spend and continue to find money for productive investment." Stating that there was need to curb all inessential imports, he said, "When you have the money, you can import anything and it does not make any difference to the economy. But when you are facing a stressful situation, you have to curb inessential imports."

Yuan among most traded currencies

'Forex volatility may affect fin stability of EMs'

T. PETERSBURG: Taking on board India's concerns, the G-20 Summit on Friday acknowledged that excess volatility of financial flows and disorderly movements in exchange rates can affect economic and financial stability of emerging markets and called for sound policies to address it. Coming against the backdrop of the battering that rupee suffered in recent weeks, the 27-page G-20 Leaders' Declaration committed itself to cooperate to ensure that policies implemented to support domestic growth also support global growth and financial stability and to manage their spillovers to other countries. The Summit also shared Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's views on the need for orderly exit from the monetary stimulus undertaken in the context of 2008 economic crisis. "In the five years since we first met, coordinated action by the G-20 has been critical to tackling the financial crisis and putting the world economy on a path to recovery. But our work is not yet complete and we agreed that it remains critical for G-20 countries to focus all our joint efforts on engineering a durable exit from the longest and most protracted crisis in modern history," the declaration said.

ment would be coming out with more measures to deal with the price situation. On the issue of hiking oil prices in the backdrop of rising prices in the international market and rupee depreciation, Chidambaram said "no decision has been taken and no decision will be taken in haste" and the government

will weigh pros and cons before announcing any step. Responding to the suggestion for cutting taxes on petroleum products, he said the matter could be considered provided states too agree to reduce the incidence of tax on oil goods. Attributing the sudden fall in the value of rupee to the May

China buys into Karvy Computershare launches business giant Kazakhstan intelligence tool for mutual funds distributors oilfield for $5 billion HYDERABAD: Karvy have launched 'FundSight' to tap tier 2 markets apart
Computershare Pvt Ltd has launched 'FundSight', a business intelligence (BI) tool that will help the distributors of mutual funds to understand the market dynamics and develop their businesses. "Unlike many parts of the world, mutual funds distribution in India is served by an independent financial advisers (IFA) fraternity. Given the scaled yet fragmented network, distributors need a strong Business Intelligence (BI) tool. As a result, we which will immensely benefit the distributor fraternity," Karvy Computershare chief executive officer V Ganesh said. According to the company, the internet-based platform will provide distributors a highly customizable multi dimensional view of various industry trends in their desired formats. The company pointed out that the number of IFAs is set to grow as the mutual fund industry has been trying hard from strengthening its base in the top cities of the country. "FundSight's future proof market insights and peer segmentation will help these IFAs to focus on their core competencies and open up new business avenues. This will help the industry to grow, supported by well informed distributors," the company said. "Tools like these should help mutual fund distributors achieve these long term objectives." Ganesh added.

HONG KONG: China's yuan has joined the ranks of the most traded currencies for the first time, underlining the growing might of the world's second-largest economy. The yuan became one of the top 10 traded currencies in 2013, rising to No. 9 on the list due to a "significant expansion" in offshore trading, the Bank for International Settlements said in a report. It's a sharp jump from the bank's last survey in 2010, when the yuan, also known as the renminbi, was No. 17 on the list. Turnover in trades involving yuan surged to $120 billion a

day on average in April 2013, three and half times more than the $34 billion in 2010. Still, that figure is dwarfed by the dollar, which accounted for about $4.7 trillion daily. The Bank for International Settlements, which is an international organization of central banks, said the yuan along with the Mexican peso, which rose to No. 8, "saw the most significant rise in market share among major emerging market currencies." China's leaders want the yuan to become an international currency and have been promoting its use as an alternative to the dollar.

MFN status will be given to India: Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has assured the International Monetary Fund (IMF) of granting the most-favoured nation (MFN) status to India. In a written assurance to the IMF, Pakistan said it was moving forward with eliminating the negative list on trade with India as part of its overall trade policy. "We are moving forward with eliminating the negative list on trade with India and extending India most-favoured nation status, and shifting to 'sensitive list' under Safta regime to facilitate increased regional trade," Pak finance minister Ishaq Dar .

RBI's notification on 20:80 schemes aim at consumer awareness

CHENNAI: The Reserve Bank of India's notification advising banks against upfront disbursal of loans without considering the stage of construction has been issued in order to prevent indiscriminate lending under such schemes by banks. "The increasing popularity of the 20:80 scheme during the past one year has prompted RBI to sound out an advisory to banks," ratings agency CRISIL said in a recent report. Under the notification, the central bank has particularly advised banks against upfront disbursal of a significant portion of the loan amount to the developer without linking the same to the stages of construction. Typically, construction finance for real estate projects carries an interest rate of 15% to 18% as it involves high risk. "Under the 20:80 schemes, on the other hand, developers receive funds at the same rate as retail home loans, i.e. 10%-11%," CRISIL said. Moreover, RBI has also emph asized that banks must ensure that the buyer is made aware of all risks and liabilities undertaken by him/her under such schemes. Notwithstanding the notification, CRISIL's interactions with market participants have revealed that the move is unlikely to have any major impact on developers, as very few of them have been given upfront disbursement of funds under such schemes.

Workers threaten strike at Hero MotoCorp's Gurgaon plant

NEW DELHI Tension is brewing at Hero MotoCorp's plant at Gurgaon with workers threatening to go on a strike on Saturday, protesting against alleged management action against some colleagues. The development comes at a time when a section of workers at the company's plant in Haridwar continue to stay away from work after a tool-down strike last month-end. "We are protesting against action taken by the management, which has filed unjustified police cases against some of our colleagues. We will go on strike anytime unless our demands are met," Hero MotoCorp Workers Union (HMCWU) President Kanwalpreet Singh said. We contacted, a company spokesperson said some "misguided elements in the Union body" assaulted supervisors in the shop floor of the plant yesterday after a conciliation meeting. However, in view of this gross act of indiscipline inside the plant, the management remains determined to deal with the incident swiftly, fairly and firmly, he said. Accordingly, nine workmen involved in the incident have been suspended pending inquiry, he added. Explaining the genesis of the current problem, he said when a three year wage settlement was signed in April this year, union representatives at the Gurgaon plant had "promised to ensure that all workmen will put in honest work.

ASTANA: President Xi Jinping on Saturday will oversee China's entry into Kashagan, a vast oilfield in Kazakhstan, as he tours postSoviet Central Asia to secure hydrocarbons for the world's largest energy consumer. The $5 billion deal futher increases China's rising clout in Central Asia, once Russia's imperial backyard, and blocks an attempt by global rival India to get a stake in the oilfield, the world's largest oil discovery in five decades. Kazakhstan will sell 8.33 percent of the offshore oilfield to China for about $5 billion in a deal to be signed during Xi's visit to the capital Astana later on Saturday, Kazakh government sources said.

DRP, ITAT entitled to set right defect in Vodafone case: Bombay HC

MUMBAI: The Bombay high court verdict in the battle between Vodafone India and the income tax sleuths runs into over 200 pages and holds that "IT appellate authorities are entitled to set right any defect". The HC ruling by a bench of Justices Shiavax Vazifdar and R Y Ganoo has while declining to interfere with an order of additional commissioner of Income Tax ( Transfer Pricing), Mumbai, which suggested addition of over $ 2 billion as equipped to deal with the issue. The bench said, "Once the TPO (transfer pricing officer) proceedings concluded the question of entertaining a writ even if he lacks inherent jurisdiction doesn't arise and the assessees (in this case Vodafone) must be relegated to remedy provided in the Act". The court essentially held that Vodafone must go back to the IT authorities.

Vodafone's taxable income in 2007 from undisclosed international transactions, has however, held that the ministry's dispute resolution panel is

STUDENT AGE SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 08, 2013

MISC
Sharma will like to keep Sandeep Patil and Co interested in him with a long season coming ahead. The New Zealand have a more or less same side that fought doggedly during the two 'Tests' with only change being shorter format specialist Andrew Ellis taking over captaincy from Tom Latham, who led in the longer version. Squads: India A: Unmukt Chand (captain), Robin Uthappa, Aditya Tare, (WK), Kedar Jadhav, Mandeep Singh, Ashok Menaria, Sanju Samson (wk), Sachin Baby, Dhawal Kulkarni, Basant Mohanty, Sandeep Sharma, Shrikant Wagh, Rahul Sharma, Jalaj Saxena. New Zealand A: Tom Latham, Luke Ronchi, Matthew Henry, Anton Devcich, Andrew Ellis (captain), Colin Munro, Scoot Kuggeleijn, Corey Anderson, Carl Cachopa, Todd Astle, Mark Gillespie, Doug Bracewell, Ish Sodhi, Daryl Mitchell, Adam Milne. MONZA: Sahara Force India's chances of snatching back the fifth place from McLaren were dented by a poor qualifying as Adrian Sutilmanaged 14th and Paul di Resta 16 place on the grid for Sunday's Italian Grand Prix. Both the Force India drivers were eliminated in Q2 when Sebastian Vettel, Mark Webber and Nico Rosberg came out for their final laps in the dying moments of the session. Both the McLaren drivers will start ahead of Force India cars which means the British side will have the chance to increase the lead

8
courtesy Button's sixth-place finish. Defending champion Sebastian Vettel grabbed the pole, his fourth of the season, and joining him in the front row is his Red Bull teammate Mark Webber. Nico Hulkenberg was a surprise third in his Sauber while Felipe Massa out-qualified his Ferrai teammate Fernando Alonso. They are fourth and fifth respectively. Nico Rosberg was sixth in his Mercedes and following him is Daniel Ricciardo in his Toro Rosso. Jean-Eric Vergne claimed the 10th spot in second Toro Rosso.

Redemption time for Unmukt as India A Force India drivers fail to make Q3 for Italian GP take on NZ A in one-day opener
VISAKHAPATNAM: After a string of low scores in List A as well as first-class games, talented opener Unmukt Chand will like to make amends as he leads India A against New Zealand A in the opening encounter of the three match one-day series on Sunday. The India A's one day squad is quite different to the one which played two 'Tests' against the Kiwis. The likes of Manprit Juneja, Vijay Zol and Abhishek Nayar, who scored centuries in those two first-class games, are not a part of the limited overs side. Instead, there will be Karnataka dasher Robin Uthappa -- a 'veteran' of 38 ODIs and 11 T20 international, is expected to open the batting with Chand, who will be equally desperate to get a substantial score under his belt. Uthappa recently hired former India batsman Praveen Amre as his personal coach and also flew down to

over the Indian side. Sergio Perez will start eighth and former champion Jenson Button ninth.

McLaren (65) had snatched fifth place from Force India (61) in the last race at Spa by taking a four-point lead,

Mumbai to train under the latter. The middle-order has some flashy yet exciting players like former India U-19 captain and Rajasthan left-hander Ashok Menaria, Maharashtra's pint-sized hard-hitter Kedar Jadhav and the immensely talented wicketkeeper-batsman Sanju Samson, who has been the find for Rajasthan Royals during the last edition. The Indian bowling attack

will be led by Dhawal Kulkarni, with Vidarbha's Shrikant Wagh, Punjab's Sandeep Sharma and Odisha's Basant Mohanty being the other option. The lanky Odisha seamer Mohanty has been very consistent for his state as well as for East Zone during past couple of seasons. While off-spinner all-rounder Jalaj Saxena will be manning the spin department, the lanky leg-spinner Rahul

Punjab govt want to rope in Present era spinners don't attempt to take wickets: Prasanna Yuvraj for cancer awareness
CHANDIGARH: The Punjab government is keen to rope in cricketer Yuvraj Singh as the brand ambassador of their campaign to spread awareness about cancer. The star all rounder, who himself fought with the dreaded disease, is being approached for a partnership, a senior official of Punjab Health and Medical Research department said on Friday. The Punjab government is working on a partnership with "Youwecan" for this purpose. The state government will commence the drive with a mega cancer awareness and screening camps in all 22 district civil hospitals on September 28 and 29, the official said. You we can will be awareness partner with Yuvraj being the awareness ambassador for these camps. Yuvraj will feature in the printed collaterals like posters, brochures and banners, the official said. Besides, Yuvraj will use his social media channels to promote the screening camps for cancer, the official added.

We've to manage time to avoid burnout during IBL: Nehwal

B A N G A L O R E : Considering the grand success of the inaugural IBL that has put a halo around Indian badminton, ace shuttler Saina Nehwalsays the franchisebased meet should be held in such a way from next year onward that players don't miss out on any other major tournament due to burnout. "Playing in a long tournament like the Indian Badminton League, players of course will get a little tired. We need to manage time or whatever, but this will happen slowly. "From next year of course myself and IBL organisers will find a way so that we don't get tired and are able to play in all tournaments," Saina told reporters after the launch of Yonex-Sunrise Store on Saturday. What followed the muchhyped Indian Badminton League, held from August 14 to 31, was pull-outs by quite a few players, including during the IBL. People know many shuttlers because of IBL. This will only help badminton grow in India," Saina, who guided Hyderabad Hotshots to inaugural title, said. Replying to a query, the London Olympics bronze medallist and a winner of a host of major international tournaments said she was happy with the IBL's comparison to the popular Indian Premier League (IPL). "I am really, really happy with the way it went off and I am sure it will get more popular in future. Right now people want to compare IBL with IPL, but I think it is too early to do so," she said. Former badminton champion Prakash Padukone said IBL has opened a new chapter in the sport's history, but hoped organisational matters could be improved in future. "As far as coverage was concerned it was very well received and crowd support too was very good," he said.

Saina, from world-level tournaments due to exhaustion. The shuttle queen from Hyderabad is skipping the upcoming China Masters and Japan Open Super Series in order to regain her energy before the European circuit. She, though, will compete in the Denmark Open, according to national coach Pullela Gopichand.

Few other shuttlers who had competed in the IBL also pulled of the Japan open, besides missing the Chinese Taipei Grand Prix Gold. Saina said it was important for shuttlers to play in the IBL to make badminton popular in India. "In fact we have been playing in many tournaments, but we weren't noticed as it was done

SLC VP K Mathivanan 'forced' to resign

COLOMBO: Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) vice president K Mathivanan on Friday resigned after he was forced to withdraw his nomination to the top job in the election of his cricket club. Mathivanan, until Friday, was the president of the Colombo Colts Cricket Club. "I have decide to resign from the vice presidency," Mathivanan said. "There is no point in continuing at SLC when I am not allowed to be re-elected to head my club." Sources said Mathivanan was forced to give up his nomination for the re-election to the presidency of Colts at the AGM of the South Colombo club, scheduled for tonight. Mathivanan withdrawal would now allow SLC secretary Nishantha Ranatunga to take up the post unopposed.

Refurbished Kanga league starts today

MUMBAI: For a few months now, Mumbai cricket has been in the news for all the wrong reasons. The internal bickering and mud slinging has left a sense of negativity in the minds of the maidan faithful. But that now can take a back seat as the 66edition of Dr HD Kanga Cricket League rolls from Saturday in its new avatar. The sight of men in whites and the sound of the leather on wood will go along way in soothing the minds. The Kanga League 'A' division will now be called as Police Shield while the 'B' and 'C' Division will be named as Purshottam Shield, Young Comrade respectively. The Mumbai Cricket Association has also given the other division shield names. Unlike the previous seasons where wet wickets and slushy fields aided the bowlers - the batsmen are likely to make the most on truer pitches. "The

To promote and generate awareness about these cancer awareness camps, Yuvraj had volunteered to attend the meetings with the state government. A special campaign door-todoor cancer detection survey in Punjab lanuched in the recent past had revealed that the incidence of cancer in Punjab is higher than accepted national and international average. A comparison with WHO figures regarding the incidence of cancer reveals that 90 people in a population of one lakh are suffering from cancer in Punjab. While 215 people per lakh have died of cancer, another 318 per lakh are suspected of suffering from the disease, the survey revealed.

MUMBAI: Not too impressed with the current lot of spinners in international cricket, the legendary Erapalli Prasanna said not a single tweaker of the present era attempts to take wickets. "Honestly tell me, which bowler is attempting to take a wicket. I have never seen an individual bowler, especially an off-spinner in the present era attempting to take a wicket. Instead, he is attempting to hit the pad to get a leg before decision," Prasanna said. "When a bowler is attempting to do that (get LBW), he is sacrificing his talent. If a bowler is not attempting to take a wicket, who will give you a wicket," he added. Prasanna recalled his playing days as he highlighted the significance of aiming for wickets. "When we were playing Test match, we believed in bowling to the field. Bishen (Singh Bedi) and

Chandrasekhar were at midon and mid-off and within a matter of six strides, I had to think, how least the ball would go to them. What actually happened was that it developed my bowling skills. "I had to bowl in such a way that the ball would go to the close fielders like Ajit Wadekar, Eknath Solkar. The true cricket follower appreciated the contest between the bat and the ball, which was very very important, which is not there now," he added. Prasanna further said he and Bedi would have been successful in the shorter format of the game. "We would have been successful, there is no doubt on that issue because we had deception on us, we had the flight. These days even when they try to flight the ball and the commentators say they toss the ball. When a ball is tossed up, you get hit. If there is deception and spin, you will win," he said.

1st Test match: Pakistan rip through Zimbabwe to win by 221 runs
HARARE: Pakistan took nine wickets in an extended morning session to beat Zimbabwe by 221 runs on the fifth day of the first Test at the Harare Sports Club on Saturday. Zimbabwe, set an unlikely 342 to win, were bowled out for 120. Left-arm fast bowler Junaid Khan made the initial breakthrough, taking two wickets in his first eight balls of the day after Zimbabwe resumed at 13 for one. Then spinners Abdur Rehman and Saeed Ajmal took over, finishing with four wickets apiece. Left-armer Rehman, who followed up Junaid's opening burst by taking the next three wickets, took four for 36, while Ajmal wrapped up the tail to take four for 23. Off-spinner Ajmal finished with match figures of 11 for 118. It was the fourth time he had taken 10 or more wickets in a match. Resuming at 13 for one, Zimbabwe were in trouble from the sixth ball of the day when captain Hamilton Masakadza gloved a short delivery from Junaid to gully. Overnight batsman Vusi Sibanda was out in Junaid's next over when he was leg before wicket to reduce the home side to 19 for three. Sikandar Raza and Malcolm Waller, who shared a century partnership in the first innings, provided some resistance with a fourth wicket stand of 30 before Waller swept left-arm spinner Rehman to backward square leg where the tall Rahat Ali stretched skywards to hold a catch. Raza was dropped by wicketkeeper Adnan Akmal off Rahat when he was on 17 but made only seven more runs before he was caught at short leg off Rehman.

batsmen will play without the fear of muck splashing on to their faces," Ravi Savant quipped the other day. The Mumbai Cricket Association president had faced a lot of resistance and criticism from all quarters for restructuring the tournaments. But Savant has always maintained that the idea is to "revive a tiring

Lahiri two off the lead, Jeev misses out at European Masters
CRANS MONTANA: Finishing blues saw Anirban Lahiri slip down the leaderboard but he was still only two shots behind the leader, while Jeev Milkha Singh missed the cut after the second round of the Omega European Masters at the picturesque Crans-sur-Sierre. Lahiri, who shot eight-under 63 in the first round, hit a double bogey on 16th and slid down. He was two-under through 15 holes in second round and in shared lead, when a double bogey on the par-three 16th cost him heavily. He finished the second round at even-par 71 and a total of eight-under, the same as first day. But he slipped from first to eighth, as veteran Thomas Bjorn (66) and Stephen Gallacher (65) were in tied first place at 10-under. Five players, Danny Willett (69-67), Victor Dubuisson (68-65), Richard Finch (67-

system." "Cricket leagues across the world are getting streamlined and professionalised. We also needed to do that. We are not undermining the contributions of earlier formats to Mumbai cricket, but we felt the change was a necessity," Savant said. There's also the welcome news of the 13-year-old Arjun Tendulkar making his debut. The left-hander will play on Sunday in the Summer Vacation Shield for a club that is still being identified.

Elton Chigumbura took advantage of ultra-attacking fields to strike 28 off 35 balls, with five fours, before he became Rehman's third victim, caught at slip. Wickets tumbled and play was extended when Zimbabwe were eight down at the scheduled lunch break,

enabling Pakistan to complete an early victory in a match in which Zimbabwe had the better of the first three day's play. An unbeaten double century by veteran Younis Khan gave Pakistan the edge, and he was later named man of the match.

Bhullar aims for repeat win at Yeangder Tourament

TAIPEI: Buoyed by the Arjuna award conferred on him this year, rising Indian golfer Gaganjeet Bhullar is determined to pull off a repeat victory at the Yeangder Tournament Players Championshipnext week. The talented Indian received a huge confidence boost ahead of his campaign for the second half of the Asian Tour season when he received the Arjuna award from the President of India, Pranab Mukherjee last week. "It is exciting and a great achievement to be able to receive the Arjuna Award at such a young age. I'm very proud," said the 25-year-old Bhullar, who joined fellow Indian golfers Jeev Milkha Singh, Shiv Kapur, Jyoti Randhawa and Arjun Atwal a sensationalrun of form on the Asian Tour where he went on to win the Venetian Macau Open for his second title in 2012. He ended the year fifth on the Order of Merit for his career's best finish so far. "The Yeangder TPC was a tournament that gave me a lot of confidence. Before that, I was giving it 100 per cent but the results were not showing. That week, I realised my game was coming back and I just needed to get into contention and get a victory under my belt, which I did," said Bhullar. "I was hitting the ball so good that week and I played well on the par fives. I was very focussed, calm and relaxed. I just told myself to give it whatever I could and not hold back," he added. Bhullar, currently second on the Order of Merit, has been working hard on his fitness during the Asian Tour's summer break. He hopes the extra training will push him towards more success on the region's premier Tour which is celebrating its milestone 10th season this year. "I play in so many tournaments, so whenever I get the opportunity I will try to improve my fitness. Fitness is one of the reasons to staying healthy and injury free. These are the few points which I worked on during the break," he said. "After a successful season in 2012, you set yourself more goals and expectations. It is not pressure but more motivation. People are expecting more from you but we work hard on and off the Tour. Success is definitely some-

66) 65-68), Tommy Fleetwood (65-68) and Miguel Angel Jimenez (6568) were all tied at nineunder. Shiv Kapur ensured he would play the weekend rounds with cards of 70 and 69, while Gaganjeet Bhullar, who shot 68 in first round, battled to an even-par 71. Kapur and Bhullar were tied 30th at three-under 139. Jeev was set to make the cut

at one-under as he overcame early problems to get back to two-over for the day but then a double-bogey on the 18th saw him miss the cut. He earlier had four bogeys and a double bogey besides four birdies in his 75 after a first round 68. SSP Chowrasia (73-71), C Muniyappa (71-74), Digvijay Singh (78-68) and Himmat Rai (73-74) also missed the cut.

as recipients of the award. With his confidence boosted, Bhullar will now aim for a successful title defence at the $500,000 Yeangder TPC at

the Linkou International Golf and Country Club from September 12 to 15. His victory at the Yeangder TPC 12 months ago sparked

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