shameen Only 24 percent of over 7,000 cities and towns in the country have developed their master plans, the Union Urban Development Ministry said on Wednesday and asked them to expedite the process of preparing documents to infuse more development.
The Ministry also said the process of developing GIS database for select 152 towns and cities across the country is on and that satellite image for all these places have been procured.
Rainfall next month is expected to be better as monsoon is unlikely to be influenced by El Nino weather pattern, helping rice and other kharif crop, Agriculture Secretary Ashish Bahuguna said Wednesday.
El Nino refers to abnormal warming of surface ocean waters in the Pacific that disrupts weather pattern causing drought and floods in many regions of the world.
Reserve Bank of India Governor D Subbarao has said the battle against inflation has not ended yet and high prices were mostly hurting the poor people, who do not have a mechanism to get their voice heard.
The inflation continues to remain high and needs to be brought down to “more acceptable” levels of five percent or less, Subbarao said here, while noting that the challenge was to calibrate interest rates to control inflation and support economic growth at the same time.
He is perceived to be a fearless batsman but flamboyant Virender Sehwag says he feels “nervous” and has butterflies in his tummy whenever he faces the first ball but never shows it to the bowler.
“Every time when I go to the crease and prepare to face the first ball, I?m nervous and there are butterflies in my tummy. I never show it because if the bowler senses it, he?ll come hard at me and try to put me under pressure”, Sehwag said.
The country`s largest realty firm DLF has decided to end its five-year long association with cricket tournament Indian Premier League as the title sponsor and did not renew its contract that was due by last month.
The company, however, said it will promote other sports and is currently exploring various such platforms for association. It had last week gifted luxury sports utility vehicle `Audi Q5` to four Olympic medal winners from Haryana.
India is to widen the scope of its cyber-security coordinator in the wake of incendiary internet data that swept the country earlier this month and forced an exodus of northeastern people from Pune and Bangalore but there is no move to take up the issue with Pakistan, a senior official said Tuesday.
India has also reiterated a demand made three years ago to toughen cyber laws to prevent such hate campaigns, the official said.
India is to widen the scope of its cyber-security coordinator in the wake of incendiary internet data that swept the country earlier this month and forced an exodus of northeastern people from Pune and Bangalore but there is no move to take up the issue with Pakistan, a senior official said Tuesday.
India has also reiterated a demand made three years ago to toughen cyber laws to prevent such hate campaigns, the official said.
The fourth vulture census conducted in Gujarat shows 36.2 per cent rise in the population of the critically endangered long-billed species between 2010-12.
The head count of long-billed vultures in Gujarat has gone up from 265 in 2010 to 361 in 2012, official statement said.
However, the white-rumped vulture population has decreased from 793 in 2010 to 577 this year.
The census puts the total vulture population at 1,043, in the state including the globally threatened species like Egyptian vulture (97) and Red-headed vulture (8), enumerated during the exercise for the first time.
The US appreciates India`s role in eradicating polio and the joint effort by both the countries towards ensuring child survival, US representative to the United Nations Susan Rice said here Tuesday.
“I appreciate India`s role in eradicating polio,” Rice said at the US embassy here to highlight the Call For Action initiative against child mortality led by India, Ethiopia and the US.
The Call For Action is a commitment by the countries to try and stop deaths of children below five years of age.
Children under three years given anaesthesia may have a higher risk of developing learning difficulties, says an Australian study.
The findings are based on an analysis conducted by the University of Western Australia (UWA) of the long-term effects of anaesthesia on children, based on 2,868 children born in the same region between 1989 and 1992.
Amidst confusion and speculation about the impending marriage of star couple Saif Ali Khan and Kareena Kapoor, Saif’s mother, actress Sharmila Tagore has confirmed that the wedding would take place in October in Delhi.
The veteran actress while speaking to a tabloid stated that the wedding ceremony would be in Delhi in October which will be a private affair attended only by close family members of both sides. The couple will later host a lavish reception for the film industry in Mumbai.
The makers of the movie `Joker` are leaving no stone unturned in terms of promotion, as they plan to screen it for Wing Commander (Retd) Rakesh Sharma, India`s only cosmonaut who flew on board a Soviet Soyuz T-11 as part of a joint Indo-Soviet space programme in 1984.
As many as 11 top-notch designers will participate in the forthcoming Aamby Valley India Bridal Fashion Week and they gave a sneak peek into their special creations at an introductory event here Tuesday.
Sonakshi Sinha was the special guest at the fashion event, which kick started with Miss India World Vanya Mishra walking the ramp in designer JJ Valaya`s A-line burgundy-coloured suit with golden embroidery.
The five-day fashion show will be opened by Tarun Tahiliani in Mumbai Sep 12.
Shah Rukh Khan, who is on his maiden shoot in the Valley for Yash Chopra`s untitled film, Tuesday said that he is enchanted by Kashmir, the land of sufis.
“How beautiful is Kashmir…How lovely the ppl & silences that can only be Nature`s voice. Feel blessed to be here in the land of sufis (sic),” Shah Rukh wrote on microblogging site Twitter.
SRK quoted Persian poet Rumi to describe his impressions of the Valley.
“Rumi time…`Who could be so lucky? Who comes to a lake for water and sees the reflection of moon.` So apt for Kashmir.”
In a veiled attack on Arvind Kejriwal, activist Kiran Bedi on Tuesday said erstwhile Team Anna has become “suspect” in its programme after a few chose the political route and suggested that Anna Hazare step in to provide direction.
Bedi also appeared to take a dig on the series of street agitations by India Against Corruption led by Kejriwal when she asked whether “are we a movement for a cause, which was Jan Lokpal Bill, Right to Reject etc or a mass of agitation-ists?”
President Pranab Mukherjee on Tuesday greeted the nation on the occasion of Onam, Kerala’s harvest festival.
“On the joyous occasion of Onam, I offer my warm felicitation and heartiest greetings to all my brothers and sisters belonging to Kerala,” Mukherjee said in a statement on Tuesday.
The festival, which marks the homecoming of Kerala’s mythological king Mahabali, will be celebrated on Friday.
“May this harvest festival instil in us the spirit of national integration and inspire us to work for further development of our country.
Crash diet takes a toll on your health, so eat healthy says actress Rukhsar Rehman, who was seen playing a fitness freak in TV show ‘Bhaskar Bharti’. She adds that size zero is not important, looking healthy should be the priority.
“I don`t believe in size zero. Women want to be in good shape. We all want to have weight at the right places. You have to be feminine,” she said in an interview.
A fitness enthusiast, she believes in healthy eating.
Shahid Kapoor has pulled out of a Yash Raj Films (YRF) project as his packed schedule is not allowing him to accommodate changes in creative aspects of the movie to be directed by Maneesh Sharma.
The film was originally scheduled to go on floor this September. Shahid couldn`t manage dates for the film, which has now been postponed.
Both Sharma and Jaideep Sahni, who has written the story and screenplay, along with Aditya Chopra have taken a creative decision to include lip-sync songs, which were earlier not part of the film.
Criticising the BJP for attacking Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on the issue of coal block allocation, state Congress media department chairman Manak Agarwal on Tuesday said the BJP should have consulted their governments in Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh before going hammer and tongs against the PM.
Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh has already rejected the CAG report on coal block allocation while Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan had asked for additional coal for a power project, Agarwal told a news agency.
Hitting back Congress President Sonia Gandhi on the issue of Parliament disruption, BJP today said it did not need a certificate of responsibility from Congress party.
It also reminded Congress of accountability towards Parliament and said it wants to hold a debate on the coal blocks allocation issue only for the sake of it.
Responding to Gandhi’s attack against it for not allowing Parliament to function, the opposition party said, “We don’t need a certificate of responsibility from Congress, we need conduct of accountability from them.”
For the first time, Indian Haj pilgrims will get SIM cards of Saudi Telecom company at a nominal cost before commencing for the pilgrimage, officials said.
“It will have talk time of 5 Saudi Riyals and incoming calls can be received with zero balance also. The SIM will be preloaded with contact numbers of all concerned officials of the Consulate as well as other important numbers,” Indian Consulate in Jeddah has said.
People envied for their normal weight surprisingly face a higher death risk than the obese — if they carry a prominent belly, according to latest research.
“We knew from previous research that central obesity is bad, but what is new in this research is that the distribution of the fat is very important even in people with normal weight,” said Francisco Lopez-Jimenez, senior study author and cardiologist at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota.
The UAE’s rapid economic and population growth over the last couple of decades has put immense pressure on its water resources. Currently, the country has a population of 5.1 million, and continues to grow at a rate of 3.28 per cent.
To meet the water demands of this escalating population and improve water connectivity, the government is looking at viable options such as desalination and infrastructure development.
New analysis from Frost & Sullivan finds that the market earned revenues of $2.75 billion in 2011 and estimates this to reach $5.61 billion in 2015.
Switzerland’s Roger Federer reacts after winning against US Donald Young during their men’s first round 2012 US Open match at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York on Monday. (AFP)
World number one Roger Federer produced a stunning opening performance at the US Open on Monday, but then said Novak Djokovic deserved to be the favourite for the title.
Five-times champion Federer ran through his full array of shot-making as he dismissed American Donald Young 6-3 6-2 6-4 to reach the second round.
In a direct repudiation of repeated claims of Pakistan, a top American general based in Afghanistan has said that reclusive Taliban leader Mullah Omar is hiding in Pakistan along with his commanders.
The statement contradicts Islamabad’s stand that the Taliban leader lives across the border in his own country.