sana

New Delhi, July 08: Dismissing BJP’s allegation that Varun Gandhi has not been provided with adequate security, Home Minister P Chidambaram on Wednesday said action has been initiated on the protection of the young MP taking into account the inputs provided by intelligence agencies.

Responding to BJP’s deputy leader in Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj’s statement that Varun did not get “satisfactory” and “logical” response from him after seeking upgraded security, Chidambaram said the government has acted on the letter given by Varun on March 20.

Srinagar, July 08: Violent protests brought normal life to a near complete halt in this Jammu and Kashmir summer capital Wednesday after the body of a youth who was reported missing for the past five days was found in an old city area.

The body of Asrar Ahmed Dar, 20, a student who was reported missing from uptown Maisuma area since Saturday, was found in Rainawari.

Mystery shrouded the cause of his death even as locals blamed police and other security agencies of having picked him up and later killed him.

Ahmeddabad, July 08: After the Gujarat Electricity Board (GEB) allegedly failed to satisfy the charter of demands made by the GEB Engineers Association, more than 4,800 engineers across Gujarat wore black ribbons to protest against the GEB management.

According to the association, the management failed to maintain the service condition of the employees they had demanded.

Chandigarh, July 08: After correspondence at the official level failed to tackle the Administration’s helplessness in issuing Scheduled Caste certificates to persons born in UT after November 1, 1966, Administrator General (retd) SF Rodrigues has sought Home Minister P Chidambaram’s intervention in the matter.

Asking the Home Minister to resolve the matter at the earliest, Rodrigues shot off a letter to him saying, “The matter is pending with the Government of India since long.

Lucknow, July 08: Three years after her nine-month-old son Rajkumar was allegedly forcibly taken and given up for adoption, Narayani has a ray of hope.

Following the intervention of the National Human Rights Commission, an FIR has been registered in the case, naming among others the Gorakhpur DIG, who was then the SSP of Bareilly.

Lucknow, July 08: As many as 23 files and not just seven as reported, relating to the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid dispute, were missing in the Uttar Pradesh Government’s records, according to an affidavit submitted by Chief Secretary Atul Gupta to the Lucknow Bench of the Allahabad High Court on Tuesday.

According to official records, the files were last taken away by an Officer on Special Duty (OSD) in the state Home Department’s Communalism Control Cell way back in the nineties. The official later died in an accident.

Kolkata, July 08: Just a day after he allocated Rs 1,000 crore for relief and rehabilitation of Cyclone Aila victims in his Budget, Union Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee on Tuesday released Rs 478 crore from the National Calamity Fund as first installment to the state and promised to release the more soon.

Kolkata, July 08: With the state government firm on its stand on ban of all polluting vehicles by the end of the month, various unions in the city have already started outlining their protest plans.

While the bus, taxi and auto unions are meeting on Wednesday afternoon to decide on a joint stand against the government, the state government has decided to implement the High Court’s decision in advance from July 25.

Mumbai, July 08: With UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi calling for expediting infrastructure projects in the city during the inauguration of the Bandra-Worli Sea Link, the state government has swung into action to chalk out a new financial model for the 22.5-km Mumbai Trans Harbour Link (MTHL).

The government had put off the Sewri and Nhava sea link project after 13 companies, which had evinced interest in it, failed to submit bids. The Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) is now reworking its financial model.

New Delhi, July 08: More than two decades after it was conceived, India’s first indigenously built nuclear submarine, for long called the Advanced Technology Vehicle project, is set for a quiet launch towards the end of this month.

Christened INS Chakra after the Charlie class nuclear submarine taken on lease from the Soviet Union in 1988 for three years, it will be put out in the waters of the Bay of Bengal in Visakhapatnam harbour for sea trials.

Chennai, July 08: The Madras High Court has directed the Government Pleader to file a detailed counter affidavit, along with supporting documents on a petition filed against the cradle-baby recipient scheme. A Division Bench, comprising Justices D Murugesan and K Venkataraman, yesterday posted the matter for July 16.

In its petition, the Development Education and Environment Protection Society at Pennagaram in Dharmapuri, submitted that the scheme was not a positive alternative to prevent female infanticide.

New Delhi, July 08: India faces greater terror threat than what it had faced few months back and would ask Pakistan during the Foreign Secretary level talks on July 14 to take ”demonstrable action” to curtail the activities of terror groups operating on its soil and bring perpetrators of Mumbai terror attacks to justice, highly placed government functionaries said today.

New Delhi, July 08: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has said the current global financial and economic crisis has highlighted the weaknesses in the approach to financial regulations and demanded reform in the United Nations, including Security Council, to make it more democratic, creation of new global financial architecture and early conclusion of Doha Round of trade negotiations.

New Delhi, July 08: Senior BJP leader L K Advani on Tuesday cautioned his party’s MPs against falling into the trap laid by corporate lobbyists on asking
questions in Parliament. He also asked them to carefully scrutinise the antecedents of people before enrolling them as their private assistants.