Month: March 2014

Maharashtra to sell 100 MW power to BEST

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For the first time, Maharashtra’s state power distribution company, MahaVitaran, will sell 100 MW to the BrihanMumbai Electricity Supply & Transport (BEST), which supplies electricity to south Mumbai, an official said here Thursday.

The power will be sold to BEST for a one year period starting April 2014 till March 2015, at Rs.3.25/unit.

The development follows the state attaining self-sufficiency in electric supply since the past eight months, the official said.

Mercury touches 40.5 degrees in Odisha

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Many parts of Odisha Thursday came under the grip of a heat wave condition, with a town recording the highest temperature in the state at 40.5 degrees Celsius, an official said.

Titilagarh town in Bolangir district, about 400 km from state capital Bhubaneswar, recorded the highest temperature of the season so far, an official of the Bhubaneswar Meteorological Centre told IANS.

Other places which witnessed high temperatures included Bhabanipatna (40.2 degrees), Bolangir (39.2 degrees) and Phulbani (39 degrees Celsius), he added.

Calcutta CAT bench head alleges phone tapping

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Justice Pratap Kumar Ray, a retired Calcutta High Court judge and current head of the Central Administrative Tribunal’s (CAT) Calcutta bench, has complained to the home secretary that his mobile phone is being tapped.

“I use this number to contact so many dignitaries including the CAT chairman. But of late whenever I call I hear a sound. It seems my conversations are being recorded. So I have written to the union home secretary,” Ray told IANS.

Pak spy used email, fax to send info: cops

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Police today uncovered a “sophisticated mechanism” via which official information was transferred to Pakistani intelligence agencies by the spy who was arrested yesterday.

Pak spy Lovedeep Singh, arrested yesterday, used the business solution of ‘Fax My Way’, located at Ashok Vihar of New Delhi, to fax and email official and secret documents obtained through espionage to a fake email ID controlled by his Pakistani handlers, SSP, state Special Operation Cell, Manmohan Singh said.

Modi urges Maoists to shun violence, attacks Congress, JD-U (Roundup)

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BJP’s prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi Thursday urged the Maoists to shun violence and took potshots at the central and Bihar governments for being soft on terrorism.

“This land of Buddha has blood. The same land that gave message of peace to the world has blood. There should be no terrorism and terrorists must be punished, but can those sitting in Delhi and Patna do this,” Modi said in Bihar’s Gaya, recalling the blasts in Bodh Gaya.

Kejriwal to tour Haryana from Friday

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AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal will embark on a three-day election tour of Haryana starting Friday, a party leader said.

The Aam Aadmi Party chief will start from Jhajjar and cover Rohtak, Bhiwani and Jind areas Friday.

On Saturday, he will hold road shows in Kaithal, Pehowa and various towns of Karnal, Kurukshetra and Ambala districts, the party leader said.

The former Delhi chief minister will return to Delhi Sunday evening following campaigns at Ambala, Chandigarh, Panipat and Sonipat.

India certified as polio free by WHO

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India was certified as a polio- free nation by the World Health Organisation ( WHO ) on Thursday after going three years without an endemic case of polio.

Five years ago, India was home to nearly half the global polio cases.

The last case of polio in the country was reported in West Bengal in January 13, 2011. (ANI)

Veteran sports journalist Arnab Ghosh dead

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Former sports journalist Arnab Ghosh, passed away Wednesday night following a brief illness, the Calcutta Sports Journalist Club (CSJC) said Thursday in a statement. He was 78.

Ghosh, a chronic asthma patient, suffered a heart attack and breathed his last at a city nursing home. He is survived by wife and son.

Starting his journalistic career with Amrita Bazar Patrika in mid-1960s, he joined The Hindu’s Kolkata bureau in 1977.

Eight people killed in Iraq violence

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Eight people, including a candidate for upcoming parliamentary polls, were killed in violence across Iraq Thursday, police said.

In Iraq’s northern province of Nineveh, Wathiq Memdouh, a candidate for Mutahidoun political bloc, was shot dead by gunmen while he was driving his car in the city of Mosul, some 400 km north of Iraq’s capital Baghdad, a local police source told Xinhua.

Memdouh, who is also head of relations department in Nineveh’s provincial government, was supposed to run in the April 30 parliamentary polls.

Judicial custody illegal, violated rights, says Sahara chief

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The Supreme Court was Thursday told that its March 4 order sending Sahara Group chief Subrata Roy and two other directors to judicial custody was foundationally illegal and unconstitutional and must go.

While assailing the March 4 order passed by the bench of Justice K.S. Radhakrishnan and Justice Jagdish Singh Khehar, the judges were told to recuse themselves from hearing the matter.

Azam invites Jaswant to join SP

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Samajwadi Party leader Azam Khan today invited rebel BJP leader Jaswant Singh to join his party saying that its doors were open for him.

“I invite him (Jaswant) to join SP. Doors of my party are open for him…,” Khan said.

After being denied ticket from Barmer, senior BJP leader Jaswant Singh has filed nomination from the seat as an independent candidate.

He has also attacked his party for treating him like a piece of furniture.

Indore RTO seizes cars ferrying Varun, Nargis, Ileana

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Bollywood stars Varun Dhawan, Ileana D’cruz and Nargis Fakhri faced an awkward situation in the city when the luxury cars in which they were travelling were seized midway by the Regional Transport Office (RTO).

The incident took place yesterday when the trio arrived here for the promotion of upcoming film ‘Main Tera Hero’.

RTO inspector Yogendra Rana said the cars had not been registered despite the fact that they were were being used for a long time.

As both the BMWs were seized, Varun and others had to travel in another car.

Government agrees to commutation of death sentence to Devinder Bhullar

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The government told the Supreme Court on Thursday that it had no problem with the commutation of death penalty of convict, Devinder Pal Singh Bhullar, in the 1993 bomb blast in New Delhi, which killed 12 people and injured 29 others, to life term.

Bhullar, a Khalistan Liberation Force (KLF) militant, was sentenced to death in 2001 for causing a car bomb.

The government said that a delay in the deciding mercy plea was ground enough for commutation of Bhullar’s death sentence.

Capt Amarinder asks Jaitely whether he counts Amritsar in BJP’s 160 club

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Former Chief Minister and Congress candidate from Amritsar Capt Amarinder Singh today asked his BJP rival Mr Arun Jaitely whether he had included or excluded Amritsar parliamentary constituency from the BJP’s now famous “160 club”.

In a statement issued here today, Capt Amarinder revealed that it was a well known fact that Mr Jaitely was one of the chief architects of the BJP’s “160 club” which did not want the party to win more than 160 seats to queer pitch for Mr Narendra Modi.

Philippines’ Oliver Barbosa wins Kolkata Open chess title

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Grandmaster Oliver Barbosa of Philippines edged out MR Lalith Babu of PSPB on a better tiebreak to win the 6th Kolkata Open (19th International Open GM Chess Tournament) here Friday.

Both scored 7.5 points over ten rounds at the tourney organised by the Alekhine Chess Club at the Gorky Sadan.

Oliver also won a cash prize of Rs.4 lakh and Lalith Babu had to be content with the runner up spot and collecting Rs.2.75 lakh for his splendid efforts.

CCI slaps Rs.1 crore penalty on Google

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The Competition Commission of India (CCI) has imposed a fine of Rs.1 crore upon Google for failure to comply with the directions given by its director general seeking information and documents, an official statement said here Thursday.

The order was passed on a reference made by the official to CCI alleging non-cooperation by Google in the pending investigations.

Andhra local body results to be announced after May 7

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The Supreme Court Thursday directed the Andhra Pradesh State Election Commission not to declare the results of local body elections before May 7.

Hearing a petition challenging the panel’s decision to announce the results of panchayat raj elections on April 13, the court asked the election authorities to declare the results after May 7.

The petitioner had argued that the results could impact the simultaneous elections to state assembly and Lok Sabha scheduled in two phases on April 30 and May 7.

‘Cervical Cancer Killing 3 Lakh Women every year’

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Basavatarakam Indo-American Cancer Hospital & Research Institute, in association with PINCC (Prevention International No Cervical Cancer), USA, is creating sustainable programs that prevent cervical cancer by education and treating women, training medical personnel and quipping facilities.

Banks and Income tax offices to remain open on March 29, 30 & 31

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In order to facilitate the payment of taxes by the tax-payers before the close of the Financial Year 2013-14, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has decided on request of Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) that all agency banks shall keep open the counters of their designated branches conducting Government Business on Saturday, March 29, 2014. The said counters shall remain open for extended hours till 8.00 pm. At locations where Monday, March 31, 2014 has not been declared as a public holiday, the said counters shall remain open for extended hours till 8.00 pm.

National conference on “Mega Food Parks”

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Ministry of Food Processing Industries (MoFPI), Government of India in Association with Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (Assocham) is organizing a National Conference on “MEGA FOOD PARKS: Attracting Investment in Food Processing Sector” to promote the rising industry in Andhra Pradesh at Golconda Hotel, Masabtank on Friday (March 28, 2014).

Govt releases Rs 6.9 Crores to collectors for disbursement under Apathbandhu Scheme

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The State Government has sanctioned and released a total of Rs 6.9 crores to all the district Collectors in the State at the rate of Rs 30 lakh each for implementing the Apathbandhu Scheme for payment of Rs 50,000 for each death as ex-gratia to the BPL families (white ration card holders/Anthyodaya/ Annapurna Card holders) of the State in case of accidental death on or after November 2 last year as per Apathbandhu guidelines issued.

Imperial Servcorp Announces Virtual Office Concept

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Considering the Indian entrepreneurship potential, Imperial Servcorp today announced major plans to boost their virtual office concept. It said virtual offices will be the most cost-effective and smart choice that would pave way for greater opportunities in future.

National seminar on organisational and structural changes at Air Force Academy

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Several important issues like emerging security environment, organisational, doctrinal and force structure changes for overcoming future challenges in the perspective of transformation of Indian Air Force from being an air power to aerospace power were discussed at a high level national seminar held today at the Air Force Academy, Dundigal near Hyderabad.