Month: January 2013

Claiming that Gujarat is now leading the country in the manufacturing sector, Chief Minister Narendra Modi today asked the industry to adopt a ‘zero-defect’ model while producing goods. “For our manufacturing sector to shine it needs to adopt a ‘zero-defect mantra’. None of our products must be rejected. Give importance to packaging and branding,” Modi told the industry representatives here. “There should be no corner of the world where people are not drawn towards buying products made here and I can tell you it is possible,” he added.

Renowned Pakistani singer Attaullah Khan today visited the shrine of sufi saint Khawaja Moinuddin Chisty in Ajmer city. Accompanied by his son and family members, Khan paid obeisance at the revered saint’s ‘dargah’ and halted at the state capital on his way back to Delhi. He also met Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot and tourism minister Bina Kak here. Late ghazal singer Mehdi Hassan’s son Mohammad Arif was also present with him and extended his gratitude to the chief minister for offering help when his father was critically ill.

Former Australian fast bowler Glenn McGrath joined fellow 2012-13 inductees-West Indian Brian Lara and England’s Enid Bakewell as members in the ICC Hall of Fame.

McGrath became the 68th male member in the ICC Hall of Fame during the lunch interval of the ongoing third Test between Australia and Sri Lanka here.

While Lara and Bakewell were inducted in September at the ICC Awards, McGrath was inducted at his home ground of the SCG by ICC President Alan Isaac, along with Cricket Australia chairman Wally Edwards in front of a large and appreciative crowd.

The National Human Rights Commission organized a day-long National Conference on ‘Right to Food’ in New Delhi today.

Addressing it, Mr. Justice K.G. Balakrishnan, Chairperson, NHRC said that the Commission has always been concerned with the issue. Due to it’s intervention, there is a lot of improvement now in Kalahandi, Bolangir and Koraput (KBK) Districts of Odisha which reported starvations deaths.

The NHRC Chairperson said that there is improvement in food grain production, but its stocking and distribution among the needy is a point of concern.

Kolkata Police today relieved three policemen from duty at the Karaya police station here for allegedly harassing a young man after which he self-immolated last month and died of his injuries on January 1. The family members of Mir Aminul Islam demanded action against the three policemen and a retired constable for allegedly harassing him when he took a rape victim to the police station for filing a complaint against one Shahajada Bux. Islam had immolated himself before the police station on December 3 last year in protest against alleged police inaction on the rape and his harassment.

A district court here today permitted police to take blood sample of father of a teenager Navroona, who is missing for over 100 days, for DNA matching test. The permission was granted by Chief Judicial Magistrate S P Singh. 14-year old Navroona is suspected to have been kidnapped by unknown persons on September 18, 2012 in Muzaffarpur and the police has no clue about it till now. Social workers are agitating over the issue regularly. In November last year, a dead body was recovered from near the house of Navroona.

Union Home Minister Shri Sushil Kumar Shinde has said that government wants to make use of technology in bringing greater transparency and accountability into government functioning, and added that Crime and Criminal Tracking Network and Systems (CCTNS) is an important step forward in this direction.

Speaking at the pilot launch of CCTNS here today, Shinde said that the key to success of the project requires a significant change management effort.

Madhya Pradesh High Court’s Indore Bench today issued notices to the Centre, Madhya Pradesh government and the National Investigation Agency (NIA) on a habeas corpus petition. Petitioner Pradeep Upadhyaya has alleged that NIA sleuths took away his brother Sudeep Upadhyaya when the latter had gone to Sanver court for some work on December 19. The application, seeking that NIA produce Sudeep before the court, was heard by the division bench of Justices S S Kemkar and Moolchand Garg. The court has sought replies from NIA, the Centre and the state on the issue, said Pradeep’s lawyer, Anil Ojha.

A minor girl was allegedly raped by an autorickshaw driver at Nathavaram mandal in the district, police said. The accused has been identified as Nimma Somiraju (19) and a woman security guard of a girl’s hostel allegedly helped him, in the incident that took place on December 19 last year. The matter only came to light today after her family members lodged a complaint in this regard. The former woman security guard of the hostel, K Simhachalam, took three girls from there, including the student of class X, to Kotavuratla mandal in district in an autorickshaw, police said.

Four police constables were today arrested for allegedly extorting money at a spa in Mulund in central Mumbai. Constable-drivers Hanumant Kawale and Shekar Shinde were arrested yesterday at Rudhrakshini Spa. The two had gone there and tried to extort money, but the employees called the police, locking up Kawale in a toilet in the meantime. Probe revealed that it was their second visit. On December 22, constables Madhukar Killare and Dashrat Jankar had accompanied them, when they extorted Rs 10,000 from the spa owner.

The prime accused in the murder of a 24-year-old post-graduate student of Osmania University here, has been arrested from Pune, police said today. Shiva Kumar, who too is a post-graduate student at the university, was on the run after the young woman and his former classmate, Aruna, was found dead at his house on December 31. Chatrinaka police had yesterday arrested his brother Prabhu and his friend Praveen.

A local court here today directed the police to conduct investigations into allegations that a magazine article had drawn derogatory comparison of Guru Gobind Singh, the tenth spiritual leader in Sikhism. Complainant Indrajitsinh Bhatia has taken objection to an article in ‘Khalsa Times’, a local magazine. Bhatia alleged the religious sentiments of the Sikh community had been hurt because the Guru was compared with a person who faces criminal cases. Police have been asked to file a report in four weeks. PTI

Minister of State for Tourism K. Chiranjeevi has said that India as a part of its the look east policy is sparing no effort to add more content to its ‘strategic partnership’ with Vietnam, in the fields of defence, economic, scientific-educational and cultural cooperation.

Breaking his silence, the male friend of the Delhi gangrape victim tonight severely criticised the Delhi Police for its tardy response and bemoaned public apathy after both of them had been badly injured and thrown out of the bus after she was gangraped by six men. He said that they had been lured into boarding the private bus on December 16 night at Munirka in South Delhi. “The bus occupants had everything planned. Apart from the driver and helper, others behaved like they were passengers. we even paid Rs.20 as fare. Then they started teasing my friend and same led to a brawl.

Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, on Friday said that the world is facing a moral crisis, and emphasised on self-discipline on the basis of moral ethics to combat it.

Dalai Lama, along with Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, inaugurated a Buddha statue at a shrine here today.

The Nobel laureate said that the ramping up police force would not resolve moral issues.

Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf today reached out to Pakistan’s top political leadership, including PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif, to thwart a cleric’s plans to pressure the government on the formation of a caretaker administration to oversee the upcoming general election. Ashraf contacted several political allies and foes, including Awami National Party chief Asfandyar Wali Khan and Sharif, and held a meeting with senior PML-Q leaders during the day to discuss the threat posed by Tehrik Minhaj-ul-Quran chief Tahir-ul-Qadri.

Madhya Pradesh Industry Minister Kailash Vijayvargiya, who stirred a controversy by advising women to stay within the ‘Lakshman rekha’ to avoid unwanted consequences, has withdrawn his remark.

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) chief spokesperson Ravi Shankar Prasad earlier in the day made it clear that the main opposition party rejects his opinion.

“The party doesn’t approve of it and dissociates itself from the same. The party has asked the Minister Kailash Vijayvargiya to kindly withdraw it,” he told mediapersons in New Delhi.

The Maharashtra government will earmark 25 out of 100 fast track courts across the state exclusively to deal with women-related cases, Home Minister RR Patil announced in Mumbai on Friday.

He said that the Bombay High Court would be requested to do whatever was necessary so that women-related cases can be disposed of quickly and in a timebound manner.

The government has asked the Supreme Court to give it the right to introduce a mechanism to monitor crimes against women by Khap Panchayats.

The Supreme Court had earlier sought the government’s reply while hearing the public interest litigation matters related to the issue of women safety on Friday.

A two-judge bench of the apex court, comprising Justices K.S. Radhakrishnan and Dipak Misra had on Thursday said it was aware of the gravity of the issue, and would take up the PILs for review and argument.

Two men were arrested in Namagiripet on Friday for allegedly raping a 16-year-old girl, police said.

The accused entered the victim’s house early on January 1, forcibly covered her mouth, took her to a nearby government school and raped her, they said.

The girl, a mill employee who had come to her home from Tiruchirapalli to celebrate the New Year, opened the door thinking it was her sister when she was taken away and raped, police said.

——PTI

The bravery and courage of young Pakistani education activist Malala Yousufzai, is an inspiration for all, the US said on Friday lauding the teenager who is to undergo a cranial surgery in the UK.

Malala, who was shot in the head by Taliban militants, was discharged temporarily from a London hospital on Friday before she undergoes a surgery.

“Our thoughts and prayers remain with her and with her family. And her bravery and courage are just an inspiration for all of us,” State Department spokesperson, Victoria Nuland, told reporters at her daily news conference.

The Goa government on Friday launched the Griha Aadhar scheme, which will give a monthly allowance of Rs 1,000 to housewives to combat inflation.

Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar disbursed cheques of Rs 1,000 to beneficiaries under the scheme at a function in Panaji on Friday evening.

“Over 7,703 sanction letters were given to the beneficiaries today (Friday). There are many more to come. Rs 1,000 goes to those housewives who have to face rising costs and inflation to run their kitchens,” Parrikar said.

Bangladesh has formally invited President Pranab Mukherjee to visit the country and the trip could take place in the early part of 2013, making it possibly the first foreign visit of his tenure.

“We are ready to welcome him (President Mukherjee) anytime.. the formalities of the visit are being processed by the respective foreign ministries,” said a diplomatic source, declining to be identified.

Bangladesh President Mohammad Zillur Rahman and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina have “formally invited him (Mukherjee) to visit and President Mukherjee has agreed in principle”, the source said.

A six-year-old boy was allegedly sodomised and strangulated to death by a young man at a village in the district, police said on Friday.

The 20-year-old accused, Kawadi, has been arrested. The boy was missing since December 31 and his body was recovered from a bush in Karadakal village on Thursday, Yadgir SP D Roopa told PTI.

The accused had allegedly taken the boy to an abandoned place, sodomised and strangulated him to death, the SP said.

——PTI

The Centre on Friday accused the West Bengal government of creating hurdles in the East-West Metro Corridor project. The state government has withdrawn a petition pertaining to land acquisition on a particular stretch in the metro project from the Kolkata High Court and has advocated a change in the alignment.

“The change in the alignment at this stage will not only delay the project further but cost will also escalate many fold. The state government should facilitate in executing the project instead of delaying it,” said Minister of State for Railways Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury in New Delhi.