Month: July 2014

Health Minister Harsh Vardhan Tuesday formed a core group to spearhead measures to eradicate the dreaded disease kala azar from the country by 2015.

The minister has named Ranjit Roy Chaudhury, a leading clinical pharmacologist who headed the World Health Organisation’s rational use of drugs in India programme, to coordinate the core group.

Kala azar, globally known as visceral leishmaniasis, usually strikes during the monsoon months. It is the second deadliest vector-borne disease after malaria.

India Tuesday said that the United Nations Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP) has been asked to vacate its government-provided accommodation here.

A communication has been sent to the United Nations that UNMOGIP has “outlived” its relevance, said the external affairs ministry.

“As far as we are concerned, we have always maintained that UNMOGIP has outlived its relevance. This is a consistent stand we have taken and articulated over the time,” ministry spokesperson Syed Akbaruddin told the media here.

The Trinamool Congress would launch state-wide rallies from Tuesday evening to protest the “deprivation and humilation” meted out to West Bengal in the Railway Budget, a state minister said.

“The budget is directionless. We have decided to protest against the Railway Budget. The state has been insulted and deprived. Our workers will take out rallies from this evening (Tuesday) without causing inconvenience to the people,” said state Education and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Partha Chatterjee.

He said the rallies would also protest the hike in fares.

Budget passenger carrier SpiceJet Tuesday launched another promotional fare scheme offering all-India travel options starting from Rs.999, excluding taxes.

According to the low cost carrier, it has placed 10,00,000 seats starting from Rs.999, that can be booked between 8 and 10 July for travel from 6 January to 24 October 2015 to destinations across India.

In the recent months, SpiceJet has launched four nation-wide discount schemes and several sector-wise fare reduction plans.

The travel trade industry welcomed the move which expected to be followed up by other players.

Malaika Arora Khan feels her husband and actor-filmmaker Arbaaz Khan resembles tennis star Roger Federer.

In fact, after Federer lost the Wimbledon final Sunday, Malaiks teased Arbaaz.

“In fact, yesterday I had it on my phone, it was all over. I couldn’t help it. The minute he (Federer) lost, I told Arbaaz ‘I am so sorry you lost today’s match’ and all our friends were saying the same thing,” the 40-year-old said here Monday at the launch of the new edition of Savvy magazine featuring her on the cover.

Being filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt’s daughter doesn’t make her privileged. Being successful doesn’t make her snobbish. And despite all the luxuries and luck, Alia Bhatt says her survival in filmdom is as difficult as any outsider and she has to work harder too to stay put.

“We get a platform, but we work as hard as an outsider. It’s not my fault that my father is a director. He has made a mark, so I can’t go with that tag for the rest of my life,” said Bhatt and Soni Razdan’s daughter.

YSR Congress party president Jagan Mohan Reddy paid floral tribute to his father and late chief minister Dr YS Rajasekhara Reddy on his 65th birth aniverssary at his “samadhi” here on Tuesday.

YSR Congress Party honorary president Y S Vijayamma, daughter Sharmila, daughter-in-law Bharathi, YSR’s brother Vivekananda Reddy and other leaders observed silence and paid rich tributes to YSR. Hundreds of followers also paid rich tributes to Dr YSR and recalled his welfare measures for the society.

China’s concerns over US support to Japan and East Asian countries over its maritime disputes and undervaluation of Chinese currency are expected to dominate the Sino-US bilateral dialogue beginning here tomorrow as the top two world powers grapple to maintain a steady relationship amid increasing tensions.

Union Culture Minister Shripad Yesso Naik Tuesday said the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has schemes of financial assistance for the preservation of unprotected monuments.

“ASI is dealing with the scheme of financial assistance to unprotected monuments less than 100 years old, under which the applications for sanctioning of financial assistance for preservation of monuments, sites or remains of historical or cultural value, not protected by the ASI or the state departments of archaeology are considered,” said Naik in a written reply in the Lok Sabha.

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa Tuesday commended Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Railway Minister D.V. Sadananda Gowda for bringing before the nation the true status of the Indian railways.

Welcoming the proposal to introduce new trains connecting the state with other places, she expressed the hope that priority would be accorded to allocating funds for some of the long-pending projects in Tamil Nadu for their completion.

Former MP G Vivek on Tuesday strongly opposed the proposed move by the Centre of delegating more powers to the Governor in the GHMC limits.

Changes in the winds blowing over Antarctica are warming the waters under the continental ice shelf, says a new study.

The changing winds have been linked to a drying climate in southern Australia and now it appears that they are warming the ocean in West and East Antarctica.

Former MP Ponnam Prabhakar on Tuesday advised Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao to focus on resolving the problems of farmers in Telangana State.

Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan today deplored the “derogatory remarks” by a BJP leader, who had said that he would bring women from Bihar to ensure all men in Haryana get married.

The issue was raised in the House by Congress member from Supaul Ranjita Ranjan who said that BJP National Kisan Morcha chief OP Dhankar’s reported remark is an “insult” to women.

If you are smart and can also play well with others, you are more likely to reach the highest rungs on the corporate ladder than those who have just one quality — either book-smart or socially adept, says a new study.

Individuals who reach the highest rungs on the corporate ladder are both smart and social, the findings showed.

“The people who are both smart and socially adept earn more in today’s workforce than similarly endowed workers in 1980,” said economist Catherine Weinberger from University of California, Santa Barbara in the US.

Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh Tuesday termed the railway budget a “disappointment” for the state.

“The railway budget neither contains the proposal of extensions of rail lines nor the conversion of existing rail tracks into broad gauge,” he said in a statement.

“I had personally pursued the state issues for extension of the Bhanupalli-Bilaspur-Beri-Leh rail line via Manali, which was important from the strategic point of view and also the Bhanupali-Bilaspur-Beri line till Pathankot,” he said.

A 72-year-old woman was found dead inside her home here in the capital, police said Tuesday.

The body was discovered by fire department officials when a call was made from the woman’s house in Greater Kailash area of south Delhi Monday night.

Police said when fire officials reached the spot, they found smoke emanating from inside.

The woman’s servant, who was working there for the past two years, has been detained.
(IANS)

The National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) has agreed to set up 4000 MW Power Generation Plant at Ramagundam adjacent to their existing units as an expansion unit.

Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao assured the NTPC Chairman and Managaing Director Dr. Arup Roy Choudhury, who called on him on Tuesday at the State Secretariat that the required coal linkage with NTPC, Government of India and the State will be taken up by the Telangana government.

He has agreed to provide the required land in Toto either from out of the available land or from acquiring from Singareni.

State-run NTPC is expected to commence work on the first unit of the proposed 4,000 mw (5×800) power plant at Ramagundam in Telangana immediately.

NTPC chief Arup Roy Choudhury called on Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao and the duo discussed details of the plant, a press release by the Telangana government said today.

Former railway ministers Nitish Kumar and Lalu Prasad Tuesday criticised the NDA government’s first railway budget.

Nitish Kumar described the railway budget as “directionless” and said: “The railway budget has no clear-cut direction to move ahead.”

Lalu Prasad said the railway budget has made it clear that the government will pave the way for private investment and will hand over railway to private players.

In a first since its inception, the National Museum here will host an exhibition featuring artefacts from a private donor’s collection, an official said Tuesday.

The month-long “A Passionate Eye” exhibition will open Friday and showcase around 100 works from the private collection of art connoisseur C.L. Bharany and his father which they collected from across India.

Sculptures in stone, bronze and wood, besides paintings on paper and cloth, manuscripts and textiles from over the past two millennia will be shown in this exhibition curated by three experts.

A high-level committee will assess pollution on Goa beaches, Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar said Tuesday.

Responding to a calling attention motion in the Rajya Sabha, he said a high-level committee, with representatives from the Coast Guard, Shipping Directorate, National Environment Engineering Research Institute, Pollution Control Board and the Goa government will address the issue.

“The committee will meet this month to assess reasons behind pollution on Goa beaches and prepare a road map for its redressal,” Javadekar said Tuesday.

Controlling blood sugar levels may be a lot easier for diabetics as researchers have discovered that consuming whey protein before a regular breakfast reduces the blood sugar spikes seen after meals.

Whey also improves the body’s insulin response.

“Whey protein may, therefore, represent a novel approach for enhancing glucose-lowering strategies in type-2 diabetes,” the researchers noted.

The study included 15 people with well-controlled type-2 diabetes who were not taking any medications except for sulfonylureas or metformin (oral diabetes drugs).

Nepal has proposed purchase of two advanced light helicopters (ALHs), generically named HAL Dhruv, from India at a highly subsidised price.

The Nepali proposal, forwarded at the 11th Bilateral Consultative Group meeting here, envisages a 40 percent down payment by Nepal and an Indian waiver on the remaining 60 percent, a top diplomatic source told IANS following the conclusion of the two-day talks Monday.

The Indian side was reportedly positive on Nepal’s request but detailed negotiations for procuring the ALHs will be carried out later, said the official.

Criticising the central government for “neglecting” West Bengal in the rail budget, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee Tuesday accused the Narendra Modi government of “selling off the country” by introducing FDI in several sectors like defence and railways.

Railway Minister Sadanand Gowda presented the Railway Budget for 2014-15 in parliament Tuesday.