Month: May 2014

Dead mariner’s family wants CBI inquiry

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The parents of 19-year-old mariner Pradeep Sharma, who died after prolonged illness in Iran, Thursday demanded a CBI inquiry in the case.

The family also received the body at the Indira Gandhi international airport after it arrived from Iran in the evening, said an airport official.

Pradeep, who went to Iran for a merchant navy job last year, died May 13.

“My son was killed by the people who took him to Iran in place of Dubai. We want a CBI inquiry in the case,” Haridutt Sharma, father of dead mariner, told IANS over phone.

Even founder of Jana Sangh endorsed Article 370: NC

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Raising its pitch over Article 370 which grants special status to Jammu and Kashmir, the state’s ruling National Conference today claimed the constitutional provision had full endorsement of even Shyama Prasad Mukherjee, the founder of Jana Sangh, BJP’s earlier avatar.

“This constitutional proviso had full endorsement of even Shyama Prasad Mukherjee…

CPI(M) criticises Najma Heptulla’s comments

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CPI(M) Tamil Nadu unit on Thursday criticised Union Minority Affairs Minister Najma Heptulla for her comment that Parsis were minorities and not Muslims, saying it would harm the existing reservation policy.

The party’s two-day state Committee went underway here in the presence of CPI(M) General Secretary Prakash Karat, where a resolution was passed to this effect.

The comments by Heptulla reflected a ‘wrong viewpoint,’ the party said, adding, “it has the potential to harm the existing reservation policy” for Muslims.

Ordinance promulgated on Polavaram project

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As Telangana becomes the 29th state on June 2, government on Thursday promulgated an ordinance merging some villages and mandals of Telangana into Seemandhra in a bid to deal with resettlement and rehabilitation of those displaced by Polavaram power project.

The ordinance, cleared by the Union Cabinet on Tuesday, aims to facilitate smooth resettlement and rehabilitation on part of Polavaram multi-purpose project.

The amendment will enable land for land in the same revenue division where people will be displaced.

Dental care highly ignored: Lara Dutta

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Actress-producer Lara Dutta, who Thursday launched the new Colgate toothpaste, said people do not give sufficient attention to dental care.

“As a mother, I try to regulate as much as I can. I have been a strong believer of prevention before cure and there is one area which we very largely ignore. Dental care is a highly ignored area,” Lara told IANS.

Lara and her husband, tennis ace Mahesh Bhupati, raise daughter Saira.

The 36-year-old, who launched Colgate Maximum Cavity Protection Plus Sugar Acid Neutralizer, is concerned about the dental health of her daughter.

32 killed in attack near Nigeria-Cameroon border

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At least 32 people were killed Thursday as suspected Boko Haram gunmen stormed a village in Nigeria’s northeastern state of Borno along the Cameroon border, security officials said.

A military officer said the operation by the gunmen had similarities with that of Boko Haram, Xinhua reported.

According to police, the gunmen stormed the village on motorcycles, shooting sporadically throughout the one-hour-long attack.

Some people fled into neighbouring Gamboru that had earlier witnessed the massacre of over 100 people by Boko Haram.

Police Constable Hanging in Chatrinaka Police Out-Post

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A constable allegedly committed suicide by hanging to the ceiling in the Chatrinaka Police Out-Post where he was deployed on duty.,

The constable, Ch Kiran Kumar, 29, took the extreme step on Thursday evening. He joined the police force in 2007 and was a resident of Police Quarters of Yosufguda. He was recently posted to Chatrinaka Police Station. He is suspected to have committed suicide due to ill-health, according to Detective Inspector R Devender.

The body has been shifted to Osmania General Hospital for post-mortem. Further investigations are on. (INN)

Mothkupally flays KCR on ‘Bandh Call’

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TDP senior leader Motukpally Narasimhulu today said though TRS president K Chandrasekhar Rao is going to become chief minister of Telangana, there is no change in his attitude.
Speaking to reporters Motukpally said it was shame on the part of KCR who is going to take reigns of Telangana state to call a bandh. He is creating problems for general public by organizing bandhs.

POW terms P’varam ordinance ‘unconstituional’

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State General Secretary of Progressive Organisation of Women (POW) G Ghansi and other office-bearers have termed the Ordinance issued on Polavaram submergence areas, as ‘unconstitutional’ and ‘anti-girijans’.
In a statement, they demanded the Centre to take back the ordinance. They wanted the Supreme court to take the matter suo motu and protect the rights of girijans. (NSS)

Tata Hitachi plans to launch 100 ton dumper in 2016

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Construction equipment major Tata Hitachi Construction Machinery Company Ltd (Tata Hitachi) is hoping to get into off-the-highway vehicle segment by 2016 with its 100 ton dumper, said a top company official.

He said the company will also start shipping out its newly-launched excavators and reduce the content of imported components at the company level to 35 percent in two years time from the current 45 percent.

The Rs.2,300 crore turnover Bangalore-based Tata Hitachi is 40:60 joint venture between India’s Tata Motors and Japanese Hitachi group.

APTF Elects two state committees

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Andhra Pradesh Teachers’ Federation held its two-day state council meeting at Vijayawada yesterday and today.

The meeting formed two separate committees, one for Telangana state and the other for Andhra Pradesh and elected the office-bearers for the two committees. A press note said here today that N Raghurami Reddy and P Pandurangavara Prasadrao were elected President and General Secretary respectively of APTF.

B Kondal Reddy has been elected President of TPTF, V Manohara Raju as General Secretary and G Nataraju as Vice-President. (NSS)

Shyama Prasad Mukherjee endorsed article 370: NC

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BJP ideologue and Jana Sangh founder Shyama Prasad Mukherjee had fully endorsed article 370 of the constitution which guarantees a special status to Jammu and Kashmir, the state’s ruling National Conference said Thursday.

“How can they wish away this historical fact while generating passions over the issue?” Devender Rana, the party’s provincial president, said at a media conference here.

He was referring to debates in the Constituent Assembly where Mukherjee in his capacity as member never opposed article 370 and became a signatory to the constitution.

Stakeholders propose expert panel on Krishna-Godavari gas

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An expert panel has been agreed by the state-run Oil and Natural Gas Corp (ONGC) and Reliance Industries to ascertain if the private firm pumped more gas than entitled.

The agreement was conveyed to the Delhi High Court Thursday after a meeting among the officials of ONGC, Reliance and the regulator to appoint the expert panel was agreed upon.

A plea by the state-run company had alleged Reliance was not only pumping gas from its own entitled fields, but also from those of ONGC.

Congress suspends Kerala leader calling Rahul a ‘joker’

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Senior Congress leader T.H.Mustafa, who called Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi a “joker” and demanded he quit party posts, has been suspended from the party, a party leader said Thursday.

Addressing reporters, after the marathon 10 hours discussion of the executive of the state party unit to analyse the results of the Lok Sabha elections, Congress’ Kerala unit president V.M. Sudheeran said the decision was unanimous.

Bengal BJP leader threatens to behead Trinamool leader

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Infamous for his hate speeches and inciting party workers to unleash violence against rivals, Trinamool Congress leader Anubrata Mandal got a taste of his own medicine when a BJP leader in West Bengal’s Birbhum district threatened to behead him.

BJP Birbhum president Dudh Kumar Mondal issued a stern warning to Anubrata, his Trinamool counterpart in the district while addressing a party workers Wednesday.

Two Indian nationals jailed for shop heist in UAE

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Two Indian expatriates have been jailed for an year each for breaking into a garment store in the UAE and stealing 200 cheques worth 20 million dirhams (around $5,445,539), a media report said.

An Indian executive, identified only as W.R, 32, and employed as a merchant, along with a fellow Indian, working as a salesman and identified only as S.O., 36, broke into a shop Jan 4 this year and took away 200 cheques, along with 60,000 dirhams cash, valuables worth 9,000 dirhams and four passports, Gulf News reported Thursday.

Four killed in fireworks unit blaze in Tamil Nadu

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Four people, including a woman and a school girl, were killed in a fire which engulfed a fireworks unit in Tamil Nadu’s Coimbatore after an accidental blast Thursday, police said.

According to police, the accident happened when a cooking gas cylinder exploded in a house next to the fireworks unit in Pollachi, near Coimbatore, around 510 km from here and the resultant fire spread to it.

Police said those killed were making crackers when the accident happened.

Several houses were also damaged due to the fire.

The fireworks unit was found to be functioning without a proper licence.

Warm-up matches in England will help team: Pujara

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India batsman Cheteshwar Pujara feels the two warm-up games that the Mahendra Singh Dhoni-led team would play before the five-Test series against England would help the visitors adapt adequately to the conditions.

“We have some time, that is a good thing. We have two practice games before the Test matches, so it is a positive thing for us. We have enough time for preparation,” he said here ahead of tomorrow’s Indian Premier League Qualifier 2 between his team Kings XI Punjab and Chennai Super Kings.

Pak refugees can get rights in J&K without scrapping Art 370

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Amid raging controversy over Article 370 which grants special status to Jammu and Kashmir, the state’s ruling National Conference today said West Pakistani refugees can be given their rights under the existing legal framework, without scrapping the constitutional provision.

“Without scrapping Article 370, West Pakistani refugees can be given rights (in Jammu and Kashmir),” Jammu National Conference (NC) chief Devender Singh Rana told reporters here this evening.

Congress defends Rahul after T.H. Mustafa of Kerala unit calls him ‘Joker’

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The Congress on Thursday came out in support of Congress Vice-president Rahul Gandhi after a senior leader of party’s Kerala unit, T.H. Mustafa, criticised his leadership and apparently called him a ‘Joker’. Congress spokesperson Meem Afzal sidestepped Mustafa’s comment and asked party leaders to raise issues internally. “I haven’t seen his statement. But whoever has issued this statement should raise their grievances in the party forum,” said Afzal.

Former union minister Tapan Sikdar admitted to AIIMS

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Ailing BJP leader and former union minister Tapan Sikdar was Thursday airlifted to New Delhi and admitted to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS).

“Sikdar was airlifted to New Delhi and admitted to AIIMS. Though he is in ICU, his condition is said to be better,” Bharatiya Janata Party spokesperson Ritesh Tiwari said.

Sikdar, who unsuccessfully contested the Lok Sabha polls from Dum Dum, was admitted to a private hospital with kidney related ailment earlier this week. He was put on ventilator support Tuesday after his condition worsened.

Containing inflation priority for government, says Venkaiah Naidu

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Parliamentary Affairs Minister Venkaiah Naidu said on Thursday that containing inflation is a priority for the newly-formed government. After Prime Minister Narendra Modi chaired a cabinet meeting, Naidu said that it is an obvious priority for the government to contain price rise. “There is no need to elaborate. What is priority, it is a question of common sense. Naturally price rise is a priority,” said Naidu. He also downplayed the controversy surrounding the appointment of former TRAI chairman Nripendra Misra as Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Amway CEO now arrested by Khammam police, sent to jail

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Amway India managing director and CEO William S. Pinckney, arrested by police from Andhra Pradesh’s Kurnool district, was Thursday taken into custody by a police team from Khammam district where a court then sent him to jail for 14 days.

Pinckney was later shifted to Warangal central jail.

Earlier, the head of the direct-selling firm was taken into custody by Khammam police from Kadapa prison. A court in Khammam had issued Prisoner Transit (PT) warrant in connection with a case registered against the firm in the town.

Indian reinsurance regulations to affect life insurance business

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The new reinsurance regulations issued by the Indian insurance regulator will affect smaller life insurers and not the bigger companies but will surely affect reinsurers, industry experts feel.

The Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority (IRDA) came out last year with its new reinsurance regulations.

Simply put, reinsurance is a contract whereby a primary insurer passes on part of his risk to another insurer called the reinsurer.

Centre issues Gazette notification on P’Varam ordinance

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Unmindful of criticism that BJP Government at the Centre favored Seemandhra at the behest of TD Chief N Chandrababu Naidu, the Union Government today issued a gazette notification authenticating allotment of Telangana’s seven mandals of Khammam district to residuary state of Andhra Pradesh State in the wake of bifurcation.

Available on Union Home Ministry website, the notification was issued a day after President Pranab Mukherjee approved it. With this, seven mandals in Telangana will go under the purview of the AP Government. (NSS)