Team Is Mentally And Physically Fit For Long Season: Ms Dhoni

MUMBAI: The Indian cricketers are geared up for the long season ahead and are both physically and mentally ready for the packed calendar, captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni said.

"The team is all fit from the physical and mental aspects. The one and a half months break (after last IPL) was very good from the physical and mental aspect.

"Even on the tour of Sri Lanka (where the team played five ODIs and a lone T20 game against the hosts) we had breaks between each game. We are quite ready for the packed season ahead," said Dhoni at the launch of a new national T20 jersey by the Indian Cricket Board's apparel sponsors Nike.

"Slowly we will get into the Test format now and then the T20s. There is lot of cricket ahead ending with the IPL. We have to look ahead every 15 days," he said.

Dhoni was referring to the start of the first home series of the season - against New Zealand - beginning with the Test match at Hyderabad on August 23. The visitors will play one more Test at Bangalore before ending their tour with two T20 Internationals at Vizag and Chennai.

This will be followed by the ICC World T20 Championship in Sri Lanka from September 18 to October 7. The season will continue with the visit by England and Australia before the IPL.

Virender Sehwag, Yuvraj Singh, Virat Kohli, Irfan Pathan, Ajinkya Rahane and Rohit Sharma were the other Indian cricketers present at the launch of the new T20 jersey for Team India.

Dhoni also said that with the return of Yuvraj in the team, the dressing room atmosphere will become very lively once again.

"When Yuvraj was not there Virat had taken upon that job. We missed Yuvraj as a character in the dressing room apart from his batting skills. With him being back the atmosphere in the dressing room will become livelier again," he remarked.

Yuvraj, who has recovered from a rare germ cell cancer, said he had trained hard at the NCA in Bangalore for the last two months and was feeling good but a bit nervous too after the long break from cricket.

"I am feeling good. I have worked hard for the last two months. I am nervous. I never thought I will get another chance (to play for India). I feel as if it is the first game for me," said Yuvraj who has been chosen in the Indian team for the series against New Zealand and the World T20.

Talking about the new T20 jersey, Dhoni remarked in a lighter vein that he did not know whether the research that has gone into it would translate into extra runs for the team.

"Lots of research has gone into it. I don't know whether the research will result in extra runs but we will definitely feel more comfortable.

"This is a very good start. When people are swapping channels they see white and immediately know it is Test cricket and blue with One Day cricket. Now that we have a T20 shirt there will be a strong association between the format and the T-shirt," said the captain.

Key features of the uniform include the new collar, a dash of tricolour near the left shoulder and three stars above the BCCI's logo signifying the three World Cup victories.

Sehwag said that the non-sweaty nature of the jersey would help the cricketers in the hot and humid conditions in South India and Sri Lanka.

"When I wear the india colours I have to give my best. That's what I always focus on. The jersey also has the colour of the national flag on it (along with blue) which is close to my heart. Makes it very special," Sehwag said.

Pathan said the new jersey felt lighter than the ones he had worn earlier.

"Pretty stylish. Colour and design are eye-catching," said Kohli about the jersey.

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Indian Defence Bases Well Protected: Army Chief Gen Bikram Singh

NEW DELHI: Against the backdrop of attack by militants on a Pakistani air force base, Army chief Gen Bikram Singh on Thursday said Indian military installations are "well protected and defended".

"We have our procedures in place. All our bases are protected and there are standard operating procedures and our bases are well defended," the Army chief told reporters on the sidelines of an event to felicitate Army sports persons.

Gen Singh said the armed forces also had the "means to generate intelligence regarding such threats that may come up to these bases".

Indian armed forces have taken several measures to strengthen their security to protect against such threats in the last few years, he said.

A group of terrorists armed with sophisticated weapons and suicide vests on Thursday stormed a key Pakistan Air Force base in Punjab province that is believed to house nuclear weapons, triggering an intense gun battle that left seven attackers and a security personnel dead.

Asked to comment on the violence in Assam, Gen Singh said the Army was "fulfilling its constitutional obligation" there.

Fresh incidents of violence were reported in Assam's Baksa and Kamrup (Rural) districts where unidentified persons set ablaze a car, a bus and a wooden bridge.

Baksa, in lower Assam and under the Bodoland Territorial Autonomous District (BTAD), was one of the districts affected in the recent clashes between Bodos and immigrants that has claimed 77 lives so far.

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Chinese Influence In Nepal A Matter Of Concern: Seema Sashastra Bal Ig

KOLKATA: Avinash Chandra, inspector general, Seema Sashastra Bal (SSB), Siliguri Frontier, said on Wednesday that increasing Chinese influence in Nepal is a matter of grave concern. He also referred to the ISI's activities in Nepal and the sponsorship of terror activities. The IG was delivering a speech on the occasion of Independence Day at Ranidanga in Darjeeling. The SSB is in charge of patrolling the Indo-Nepal border.

""Difficult times are ahead as the Chinese influence in Nepal is increasing. Pakistan's ISI activities and sponsorship of terror activities too has increased. Hence, there is a need for each one of us to focus on our priority areas and not allow any scope for cross-border crimes to take shape. We need to be resolute in seizing FICN, drugs and narcotics, preventing human trafficking and the smuggling of arms and ammunition," Chandra said.

On Wednesday, Indian and Chinese troops participated in a Special Border Personnel Meet at Nathu-La (14,130 feet) in East Sikkim. The meet was organized to celebrate Independence Day at the historic silk route between the two ancient civilizations. The Indian and Chinese delegations were led by Brigadier Ravi Jhaldiyal and Senior Colonel Wang Ji Ping. A joint cultural program was organized to showcase the cultures of both countries.

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Manmohan Appeals For Peace As Northeasterners Continue To Flee Bangalore

BANGALORE/DELHI: Southwestern railway has sold over 2020 tickets for passengers from northeast who had booked tickets to go to Assam by 2pm on Thursday. The authorities have announced another special train to Guwahati, departing from Bangalore City station at 8pm.

The railways have already sent over 6900 natives of northeast home by two special trains and the regular Bangalore City-Guwahati express on Wednesday night. On Thursday, the situation at the city railway station was chaotic as thousands of northeast people and Nepal, Bhutan and Tibet nationals thronged to get tickets and leave the city, as early as possible. Many of them have not even got any tickets but are not ready to get back to their houses in Bangalore.

While most of them said that they heard some news on word of mouth that there is a threat to their lives, many said that their parents called them back to their native and some others shared their experiences of being harassed by unknown people.

"We work in the TVS company and we heard it from others of our clan in the city that there is a threat to our lives. The company officials asked us to leave the city until safety is reassured. We came by a train from Hosur and now waiting here to get tickets to go to our village in Odalguri district in Assam," said Pabitro Borua.

Even security guards and office helpers from Fortis Hospital and hotel workers of Bowring Institute have informed their offices and are fleeing from the city. "We are afraid what is going to happen. We have only heard of instances in Neelansandra where some of the northeast natives have been killed. We do not know who are these people who are threatening us, whether they are Muslims or Hindus but we are just scared and we trust no one," said Akash Ali, native of Tripura and an office helper in Fortis Hospital on Bannerghatta road.

"We got calls from our families in Assam that there is violence against northeast residents in Bangalore and south India. Although we are afraid of going home because the situation over there is equally worse, but we would be rest assured if we are amidst our people. We definitely feel insecure in these states," said Nirol Nagajhari, native of Odalguri district in Assam.

Nagajhari was working in a quarry in Kerala. He is now going back with many young boys, who had come to work with him from his village, in hope of earning money and helping their families.

Most of these folks who are afraid and who have received such messages or heard from others are either security guards or hotel workers or service boys or salon employees. Students in colleges and people working in IT sector or companies in the city belonging from the northeastern states were not among the ones who are thronging the railway stations.

Railway authorities and state police have deployed platoons of police force to monitor the chaos at the stations and also to ensure their safety here.

Manmohan calls for peace

Against the backdrop of panic among the people from northeast in Karnataka created by rumours, a concerned Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Thursday said all parties should work together to give confidence to affected people and peace must be maintained at any cost.

Singh, who has spoken to Karnataka chief minister Jagdish Shettar, Maharashtra chief minister Prithviraj Chavan and Assam chief minister Tarun Gogoi, underlined the need for remaining vigilant and maintaining communal harmony.

"All political parties must work together to give a feeling of confidence to all affected people," he told reporters at an Iftaar party hosted by him at his residence.

He was asked about the exodus of people hailing from Northeast from Karanataka after panic gripped them because of rumours that they could be targeted.

Singh said he had spoken to the Karnataka chief minister and the state government was doing its best to quash those rumours.

On his message to Shettar during the phone call yesterday, Singh said "we must work together to ensure that people from other states do not feel threatened by rumour-mongering and SMSes. We have to maintain peace at any cost."

Singh said the Karnataka chief minister was good enough to send his Home Minister to Bangalore railway station where people from northeast had gathered to board trains to Guwahati.

"They (Karnataka government) are taking all the steps to quash rumour-mongering," the Prime Minister.

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Unhealthy At 65: India Has 76% Shortfall In Government Doctors

After spending around 1% of gross domestic product (GDP) on health in the past five years, the government is proposing an increase in public spending by half a percentage point to make it 1.58% for the coming five years (2012-17) under the 12th Plan.

This is what the draft chapter on health in the Plan document says. Health experts and activists are up in arms at this meagre increase because even the Planning Commission's high-level expert group and the steering committee on drafting the Plan had suggested at least 2.5% of GDP as the public health spend.

But, what happens with low spending? The Planning Commission's own analysis of the state of the country's healthcare system reveals the rot within.

The latest available rural health statistics for 2011 show a shocking shortfall of human resources, be it doctors, nurses or other healthcare personnel . According to the Planning Commission's draft, the country's government-run healthcare system is hamstrung because the number of doctors is short of the target by a jaw-dropping 76%, there are 53% fewer nurses , specialist doctors are short by 88%, radiographers are short by 85% and laboratory technicians are short by 80%.

What the shortage of personnel means is that in many states where infrastructure is largely present, the absence of doctors and nurses renders the whole facility meaningless. Thus, Gujarat has only a 5% shortfall of community health centres but only 76 out of 1,220 specialists required are available. In Odisha, there are 377 CHCs although only 327 are required as per norms. But of 1,570 specialists required , only 438 are at work.

Health infrastructure poor in states

The shortfall of medical personnel in several states tells a sorry state of affairs of the health machinery. This is the situation after the Centre spent Rs 33,390 crore, that is 52% of its total NRHM budget, on human resources.

The picture is grim on physical infrastructure too, consisting of the gigantic network of health sub-centres (SC), primary health centres (PHC), community health centres (CHC) and district hospitals (DH). There are supposed to be 1,78,267 SCs in the country on the basis of about one per 1,000 population. In reality, there are only 1,48,124 — about 17% short. Even among the functional ones, more than 40,000 are working out of rented buildings ; buildings for 13,000 sub-centres are still being made. A quarter of them don't have water and a similar proportion has no electricity.

The situation is no different as one goes up the ladder. There is an 18% shortfall in PHCs, and an alarming 34% shortfall in CHCs. District hospitals are only 4% short of the target but since all lower centres are short and ill-equipped , the rush to district hospitals causes massive crowding. This is the result after the government spent Rs 17,380 crore or about 27% of its total NRHM budget on setting up infrastructure in the last five years.

Even the physical infrastructure available is unevenly spread across the country. In states like Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Odisha, J&K, Himachal Pradesh and many states in the northeast, there is no shortfall of CHCs. But in states like Assam, Bihar, Karnataka, MP, Maharashtra , UP and Bengal, the shortfall ranges between 33% and 91%. This clearly shows that as much as finances , political will at the state government level is also a key determining factor in the fate of public healthcare.

So, by under-investing in key areas like infrastructure and deployment of qualified personnel, the government appears to have constrained the spread of health facilities for all — and apathy at the state governments' level has further worsened the situation.

Times View

The figures make it quite clear how abysmally successive governments have performed in putting in place a working public healthcare system. No wonder then that Indians spend more out of their pockets for illnesses than almost any other nation. This is a shame for 65-year-old independent India. More needs to be done to beef up the infrastructure. Much more importantly, the infrastructure that does exist must be adequately staffed. This is what our government must focus on urgently. If we do not provide for this very basic need for our citizens, we would have failed to keep the tryst with destiny that Nehru so eloquently spoke about 65 years ago.

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118 Pakistani Hindus Arrive In India

ATTARI, PUNJAB: With uncertainty writ large on their faces, 118 Pakistani Hindus arrived in India on board the Samjhauta Express, the peace train between India and Pakistan, here on Thursday.

Though most of the people arriving from Pakistan remained tight-lipped about their stay and future in India, some of them said that they were not sure whether they will return to Pakistan.

The Pakistani Hindus are under a cloud of fear following recent incidents of being forced to convert to Islam by Islamists in Pakistan. The Pakistani Hindus have complained that they were being subjected to threats, kidnappings and murders for refusing to convert to Islam.

"We have still not decided whether we will go back or stay here," said Anil Kumar, who arrived on Thursday with his family.

Authorities in Pakistan have been forcing Hindus there, who are coming to India, to sign documents assuring that they (Hindus) will return to Pakistan.

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Pranab Mukherjee's Resignation From Isi Fake: Sushama Swaraj

SHIMLA: Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha Sushama Swaraj today launched a fresh attack on UPA's presidential candidate Pranab Mukherjee and alleged Mukherjee's signature on the letter resigning from Indian Statistical Institute (ISI), Kolkata, was not genuine.

Swaraj, who was at Kangra in Himachal Pradesh to inaugurate the 3-day meeting of the national executive of hartiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM), said "it was painful that Pranab Mukherjee who forgot to resign from the post of ISI chairman, an office of profit, and when BJP raised doubts, he submitted his resignation that had forged signatures on it".

Claiming that Mukherjee had not quit the post of ISI chairman before filing his nomination for presidential polls, the BJP leader said his papers should have been rejected by the Returning Officer since the post was an "office of profit", which was a disqualification if the candidate held the post at the time of filing nominations.

Terming Mukherjee's resignation as "fake", Swaraj alleged that in a bid to save the UPA nominee's papers, a letter of resignation was "prepared hurriedly and forged signature put on it".

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Dgca Launches Probe Into Jharkhand Cm's Chopper Crash

NEW DELHI: Aviation regulator DGCA today launched a probe into the helicopter accident in Ranchi in which Jharkhand chief minister Arjun Munda suffered injuries.

"We have appointed assistant director (Air Safety) Sanit Kumar as the investigating officer," Director general of civil aviation E K Bharat Bhushan said.

The twin-engined helicopter, Agusta AW 109, crash-landed at the Birsa Munda Airport at 12:30 pm while trying to make an emergency landing following a technical problem.

All aspects of the accident, including the reported technical snag, would be investigated by the DGCA probe panel, official sources said, adding the chopper turned turtle after hitting the ground.

Ranchi superintendent of police Ranjit Kumar said the chief minister was admitted to a hospital.

The helicopter was returning to Birsa Munda Airport around noon after it could not land at Kuchai in Sareikela-Kharsawan district, about 100 kms from here.

"The helicopter fell from a height apparently due to a technical problem while landing," a close aide of the chief minister said.

The chopper suffered damage in the mishap, he said.

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Karnataka Police Arrest Terrorist In Bihar, Nitish Takes Umbrage

DARBHANGA/PATNA: The Karnataka police have arrested a suspected terrorist from Bihar's Darbhanga district, prompting chief minister Nitish Kumar to raise objection against the unilateral police action.

The police team from Karnataka arrested Kafil Ahmed from Barasmela village two days ago in connection with the 2010 Chinnaswamy Stadium twin blasts, superintendent of police Garima Malik said.

Fifteen people were injured when two low-intensity bombs exploded outside a packed Chinnaswamy cricket stadium on April 17, 2010.

"The Karnataka police did not contact the local police nor inform us about the arrest of Ahmed," the SP said, adding that the Darbhanga police came to know about the arrest of the suspected terrorist from his family.

In Patna, chief minister Nitish Kumar said, "The Karnakata police has brazenly violated an established law about giving prior information to the local police about arrest of a person from its jurisdiction."

The Bihar DGP has lodged a strong protest with his Karnataka counterpart, Kumar told reporters.

The chief minister said that he had sought a report from the Darbhanga SP and on the basis of it, a formal protest will be lodged with the Karnataka government and the Union home ministry.

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Mayawati Spent Rs 86 Crore Of Public Money On Her Bungalow

LUCKNOW: BSP chief Mayawati spent over Rs 86 crore of public money to renovate her 13 Mall Avenue bungalow that she is entitled to as a former chief minister. The renovation work began after Maya took over as chief minister in 2007 but the bulk of the work got completed towards the end of her tenure.

This was revealed in an RTI application that SP leader Shivpal Yadav filed when he was the leader of Opposition during Maya's tenure. Though the RTI plea dates back a year, the estate department revealed the details recently.

"We are still assessing the total cost incurred and indications are that the money spent might even exceed Rs 100 crore," a senior estate department official said on the condition of anonymity.

The house sprawls over 5 acres of prime land in Lucknow's Mall Avenue and is guarded by 20-feet-tall walls made of sandstone from Rajasthan. Originally, 13 Mall Avenue comprised only 2.5 acres, but Maya added an adjoining plot which housed the cane commissioner's office and had this building demolished.

The main building is single-storeyed and has six inter-connected rooms. They open on to a wide corridor, which contains rows of lockers. On a wall in this corridor hangs a neatly framed large picture of Mayawati taking her first oath as UP chief minister in 1995. Outside the corridor is a verandah with only two windows, both fitted with bullet-proof glass. Each window cost Rs 15 lakh and was specially designed for the house in Chandigarh.

There's a separate two-storeyed well-furnished guesthouse with 14 bedrooms on the same campus. All rooms have pink Italian marble flooring in keeping with Maya's fondness for pink stone. This building also has a meeting hall, a security room, garages and drivers' rooms.

The lush green lawn of the house that used to be its beauty was converted into a floor made of pink granite. There are two 20-feet statues on the premises, one of Mayawati and the other of her mentor later Kanshiram. Besides, there are five marble statues of elephants.

The buildings were not finished at one go, but involved tearing down of interiors several times because Maya was often not fully satisfied. One bathroom in the main building was redone about a dozen times because Behenji did not find it to her taste, an official said.

To secure the house, the home department put up a barbed fencing round the boundary walls. A close-circuit TV network kept close watch on visitors.

The renovation of this bungalow was clubbed with the building of parks and memorials erected in memory of Dalit icons. The job was assigned to the Nirman Nigam, which accorded top priority to the bungalow's renovation.

Shivpal Yadav, who's now PWD minister, said an inquiry has been ordered and action will be taken against those found guilty of any lapses and irregularities.

Estate department officials wished not to be quoted but said 80% of the funds spent were provided by the estate department. The remaining was spent by the Nirman Nigam and some other agencies like the Lucknow Nagar Nigam, home department and department of cultural affairs.

The Nirman Nigam, sources said, refused to take note of the estate department's repeated queries about its activities. The then director estate, Prabhat Mittal, though a letter dated August 27, 2008, had even asked the Nirman Nigam to furnish details about the money spent by it on demolishing the cane commissioner's officer. But the Nirman Nigam ignored the query.

Records show that 13 Mall Avenue was earlier known as the Speaker's House. This was long occupied by former Congress minister, late Baldev Singh Arya, who was even a minister in the first UP assembly of 1952. Mayawati occupied this house in 1995 when she became chief minister for the first time. In 2007, during her fourth stint as CM of the one of the poorest states in India, she decided to expand the property and do the building up in a royal style.

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Maoists Making Forays Into Southern States: Govt

NEW DELHI: Government on Wednesday said that the Maoists were spreading their network beyond the traditional Red Zone by gradually expanding their activities in southern states including Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu.

"The CPI(Maoist) is making forays into Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu under the supervision of its South West Regional Bureau and planning to link up the Western Ghats to the Eastern Ghats through these states", the minister of state for home affairs, Jitendra Singh, said in Rajya Sabha.

In response to a Parliament Question, Singh in his written reply said: "Their (Maoists) plan include creating a base on the border of Kerala and Karnataka".

Government agencies have recently found that the CPI (Maoist) cadres are engaged in efforts aimed at establishing a forest route from Wayanad district to Mysore district of Karnataka.

Singh said that the central government had sensitized the state governments of Kerala, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu in this regard and had also advised them to take "necessary preventive and pre-emptive measures to foil the efforts of the CPI (Maoist)" -- which is the most powerful naxal group in the country.

The CPI (Maoist) and other naxal outfits are, currently, fully active in seven states - Chhattisgarh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha, West Bengal, Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh - and marginally present in Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh. It is believed that the Red outfits have started to move into new states after security agencies had stepped up their operations against them in their traditional strongholds in the past one year.

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120 On Board Indian Airlines Flight In Leh Escape 'Minor' Mishap

SRINAGAR: One hundred twenty passengers on Srinagar bound 447-Indian Airlines plane escaped injury on Wednesday morning when the tyres of the plane deflated and caught fire at the runway at Leh airport.

According to the manager of Indian airlines in Srinagar, Mohammad Iqbal, it was a minor problem. "Deflation of one of the tyres cannot be described as a major mishap," Iqbal said.

However, one of the passengers , Devinder Batra said the tyres caught fire immediately when the pilot applied brakes as he was taking off from the Leh airport at about 7.45am. "However, all the passengers are safe. The authorities brought another plane from New Delhi and flew us to Srinagar," he added.

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Punjab CM Badal Invites Jayalalithaa To His Swearing-In Ceremony

CHENNAI: Punjab chief minister Parkash Singh Badal on Saturday invited his Tamil Nadu counterpart J Jayalalithaa to participate in his swearing-in ceremony on March 14.

The AIADMK supremo, however expressed her inability to attend the ceremony as she was scheduled to begin her campaign for the March 18 Sanakarankoil assembly bypoll on that day.

Having conveyed her inability to attend the swearing-in ceremony though she would have liked to, Jayalalithaa said she will depute her party MPs Dr V Maithreyan and M Thambidurai on her behalf, an official release here said.

She told Badal that her campaign schedule had already been announced.

The ruling SAD-BJP combine had retained its hold in the just concluded Punjab Assembly elections and Jayalalithaa had earlier congratulated Badal on his poll success.

Punjab Assembly Elections 2012

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Govt Ready For 2G Fight Round-II

NEW DELHI: The government will seek a presidential reference under Article 143 asking Supreme Court to clarify on the constitutionality of the 2G verdict that struck down the first-come-first-served (FCFS) policy for allocating natural resources like airwaves as arbitrary and inherently flawed.

The Cabinet is expected to approve the presidential reference on Saturday evening, with the government likely to seek a review of the SC order that auctions should be the only means by which precious resources like minerals or airwaves are allocated.

The government has filed a review petition in the SC challenging the constitutionality of the February 2 ruling scrapping 122 scam-tainted telecom licences issued during the tenure of jailed ex-telecom minister A Raja. Under Article 143 the president can seek the court's opinion on a matter of "public importance".

The Supreme Court's "advisory jurisdiction" can be invoked under Article 143 and in the past its opinion has been sought in cases like the Ayodhya dispute, which it refused to consider, and on aspects of the implementation of an India-Pakistan agreement on exchange of enclaves along the border with erstwhile east Pakistan.

Sources said the Cabinet will consider the presidential reference that is likely to raise questions over whether the apex court overstepped its jurisdiction in pronouncing on policy on the ground that this is the preserve of the executive. The Centre's review does not contest the decision to cancel licences but argues that ruling all options other than auctions will lead to absurd results.

The government's discomfort with the order is reflected in the review petition and the detailed presentation made to the parliamentary joint committee on telecom in which it has said that the SC violated the principle of "separation of powers" between the judiciary and the executive.

The order is "contrary to settled law" and it is "not permissible for the court to take this exercise upon itself and engage in policy-making, both for the reason that it is not its role to do so and it does not have the expertise to do so," the government told the JPC.

While it did to challenge the cancellation, the Centre has in its review petition sought a relaxation in the four-month deadline set by the court for the licences to be scrapped. The order has resulted in some foreign firms that bought equity threatening their Indian partners with litigation. Others have said they will invoke bilateral agreements.

The SC order is troublesome for the government as it spreads the 2G stain beyond Raja as the FCFS policy for spectrum allocation has been stoutly defended by the Centre. It has been felt that faulting the policy will put top figures in the government - not just an ally like DMK - in the dock as well. The government is keen that this part of the judgement be revised.

Earlier, telecom minister Kapil Sibal had said that the SC ruling has implications for other sectors like mining giving the example of a scenario where a private enterprise spends considerable money prospecting and then a decision is taken to auction the finds after the entity has shouldered the risks.

Policy making, the government insists, must take into account the "weighing and balancing of different values and considerations" and this remains the job of an elected executive that is accountable to Parliament.

On the practical aspects of the SC order, the government feels that gap in the cessation of licenses and completion of auctions may result in disruption of services to 69 million subscribers. It also feels it needs to be decided whether auction should determine both price and allotee in all cases or if other considerations like preventing monopolies, ensuring level playing fields and inter-se or priority among bidders can be taken into account.

The impact on tripartite agreements between licensor, licensee and banks and fallout on firms holding 3G spectrum whose 2G licences have been quashed, legalities of other licences are other issues that the government proposes to raise in course of the hearing on its March 2 review petition.

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Top Woman Maoist Surrenders, Mamata Says Holi Gift

KOLKATA: Top woman Maoist Suchitra Mahato, suspected to have been with rebel leader Kishenji when he was killed during a shootout last year, surrendered here Friday, a development described by West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee as a "big gift for Holi".

"I am happy that Suchitra Mahato came here to surrender today. Very recently she got married. Her husband is also here. My best wishes for the newly-wed couple. They have surrendered, responding to our peace process," Banerjee told a media conference at the state secretariat where Mahato was present with her new husband Pradush Garai.

Squad commander Mahato, widow of slain Maoist Sasadhar Mahato, surrendered with Garai. They got married Feb 25, 2012.

The security personnel had been on the lookout for Mahato, who was reportedly injured in the shootout in which Kishenji or Mallojula Koteswara Rao, a politburo member of the outlawed Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist), was killed.

According to the official version, Kishenji died in a battle with paramilitary forces and state police in a forested region of West Midnapore Nov 24. Maoists and human rights groups, however, did not agree.

The Association for Protection of Democratic Rights (APDR) alleged that Kishenji was killed in a "fake encounter", while Telugu poet and Maoist sympathiser P. Varvara Rao charged the state government with murdering him in police custody. Banerjee said Mahato had first surrendered before the inspector general of police and then met her.

Describing the top woman Maoist's surrender as an achievement for the state government and a Holi gift, she said the government would ensure that everything would be done, according to the package, to enable the rebel couple to lead a normal life.

"I am proud that my Maoist brothers and sisters are surrendering. This is an achievement of the government... this is a joint achievement of the government and my brother and sisters," she said.

"At the time of encounter Suchitra also got injured. She got bullet injuries in her waist. We will treat her," Banerjee said.

Standing beside the chief minister, Mahato, dressed in a sari, said: "I have come here as Mamata di (big sister) called for peace and called upon Maoists to come back to the mainstream."

Asked whether she was arrested in the aftermath of Kishenji's killing, Mahato replied in the negative and said: "I came and surrendered today."

To a query from a scribe as to where she had been staying for the last few months, she said she had been living in the village.

However, Mahato refused to answer any more questions, contending that she was not in a position to say anything more now.

Her husband said he had been involved in the Lalgarh movement in West Midnapore district that flared up after alleged police excesses following a landmine blast targeting then chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee's convoy at Salboni Nov 2, 2008.

"There are lot of reasons behind the surrender. We cannot give all details now," he said.

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Sp's Akhilesh Yadav To Be Youngest Chief Minister Of Uttar Pradesh

Uttar Pradesh is set to get its youngest chief minister in 38-year-old Akhilesh Yadav, with the Samajwadi Party (SP) legislature party on Saturday unanimously electing him as their leader.

Akhilesh, the parliamentarian son of SP chief and former chief minister Mulayam Singh Yadav, is to be sworn on March 15.

The decision to give him the top post was finalised at an hour-long meeting of the newly elected SP legislators in Lucknow on Saturday.

Akhilesh's name was proposed by senior leader Mohd Azam Khan. Akhilesh's uncle Shivpal Yadav seconded the proposal, after which the former bowed to his father and touched his feet.

The spadework for Akhilesh's coronation was scripted at a late night parley on Friday between Mulayam Singh, Azam Khan and Shivpal Yadav.

It was at this meeting that the party supremo made "his mind clear about Akhilesh", a close aide of Mulayam Singh said.

With the newly elected party legislators already pitching for Akhilesh as chief minister and with a brute majority of 224 in the 403-seat house, leaders with a different opinion on the matter fell in line.

Both Azam Khan and Shivpal Yadav were reported to be unhappy with the decision to make Akhilesh, a youngster in the party compared to both of them, the chief minister.

"For someone who has grown in front of them, you must understand that it is not easy for anyone to see him as a boss," said a close aide of Azam Khan. The differences were thrashed out Friday night.

An MP from Kannauj, Akhilesh is largely seen as a game changer in UP politics and credited with the massive mandate in favour of the party in the assembly polls.

An environmental engineer from Sydney University, Akhilesh was appointed state president of the SP in 2009. He slogged it out for the party in hostile situations, with Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati at the helm of affairs.

After his elevation as chief minister, Akhilesh would now quit his seat as MP from Kannauj and is likely to contest elections for the state assembly from Jaswantnagar, a seat for long held by Shivpal Yadav.

Before Akhilesh's election as the chief minister, Mayawati was the youngest Uttar Pradesh chief minister at 39 years of age.

Akhilesh stakes claim to form government
Chief Minister designate Akhilesh Yadav met Uttar Pradesh Governor B.L. Joshi and staked claim to form the next government in the state.

Flanked by Samajwadi Party leaders Shivpal Yadav and Mohd Azam Khan, Akhilesh Yadav handed over a letter to Joshi stating he had been elected the party's legislature leader.

The trio reached the Raj Bhawan together.

Later, they posed for the media, with Shivpal Yadav flashing a victory sign. Azam Khan refused to interact with the press and quietly sat in the car even as Akhilesh Yadav shook hands with officials.

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Bjp Tells President Pratibha Patil To Reconvene Parliament For Lokpal Bill

NEW DELHI: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Thursday asked President Pratibha Patil to reconvene the winter session of Parliament for a vote on the Lokpal bill that could not be passed after the Rajya Sabha was adjourned on December 29 midnight.

"We urged (the president) to reconvene the winter session for the passage of the Lokpal bill before the budget session," BJP leader Ananth Kumar told reporters, after party leaders, including president Nitin Gadkari and star LK Advani, met Patil to complain about what they said was "subversion of parliament" over the pending legislation.

Rajya Sabha leader of opposition Arun Jaitley told reporters after meeting Patil at the Rashtrapati Bhavan that they "complained that there has been a subversion of parliament institution".

Jaitley accused the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government of resorting to "contrived disturbances" to adjourn parliament to avoid voting on the anti-graft Lokpal bill as they did not have the required majority in Rajya Sabha.

"This is the first time in the country that to avoid voting, the government resorted to contrived disturbances in the parliament," Jaitley said.

"In our memorandum we have urged the president to intervene in this matter," he said, adding that the party has asked the president to suggest to the government that parliament session be reconvened and the voting procedure resumed.

Lok Sabha opposition leader Sushma Swaraj, former party president Rajnath Singh as well as M. Venkaiah Naidu, SS Ahluwalia and Ravi Shankar Prasad were amongst those who went to the Rashtrapati Bhavan.

Advani said BJP leaders sought the president's intervention.

"Our national president and all us met the president and requested her to intervene. Our complaint and dissatisfaction is on what happened in the Rajya Sabha," Advani said.

The Lokpal bill could not be passed in the upper house even after a three-day extension of the winter session. The Rajya Sabha was adjourned midnight on Dec 29 without scheduled voting.

The BJP has termed this the "murder of democracy".

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Anna Hazare Not To Campaign In Poll-Bound States: Kiran Bedi

PUNE: Ailing social activist Anna Hazare won't be campaigning in five poll-bound states as he had planned earlier, his aide Kiran Bedi said on Thursday.

Bedi, a core Team Anna member, told reporters here that Hazare was recovering in a hospital but has been advised rest by doctors.

"Anna needs complete rest. Doctors have advised him not to travel. My opinion is also that Anna should be taking rest. So he won't be travelling or campaigning," Bedi said.

Team Anna had threatened to campaign against those parties that opposed the Jan Lokpal bill -- their version of the Lokpal bill -- in Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Goa and Manipur that are going to polls in the next two months. The campaign was particularly targeted against the Congress.

Hazare has been in a Pune hospital since Dec 31 after he developed health complications due to acute chest congestion.

Bedi said that the 74-year-old activist was recovering and his condition was stable.

The former police officer, who is one of the closest Hazare aides, said that the core group of their team would meet on Saturday to devise its further strategy.

Hazare due to his ailing health was earlier forced to call off his three-day scheduled hunger strike in Mumbai on December 28, less than 36 hours after he began it.

He had threatened to launch a sit-in outside the residences of Congress president Sonia Gandhi and her son Rahul Gandhi, a party general secretary. This was also cancelled after Hazare's health deteriorated in Mumbai.

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Ratan Tata Admits To Making Mistakes With Nano

NEW DELHI: The boss of Tata Group conceded on Thursday that the company had made mistakes with its Nano, the world's cheapest car, saying it now wanted to change the perception it was a "poor man's" vehicle.

The Rs 1,40,000 Nano has failed to take off as expected since its launch in 2009, with analysts blaming poor marketing and a series of technical problems including some highly publicised engine fires.

Sales have been a fraction of the 25,000 a month the company once expected, falling to a low of just 509 units in November 2010. In December, the company sold 7,466 units, a rise of 29 per cent from the same month the previous year.

"I don't think we were adequately ready with an advertising campaign or a dealer network," chairman of the Tata conglomerate Ratan Tata explained to reporters on Thursday, referring to the early days of sales.

Speaking on the sidelines of the Auto Expo show in New Delhi, he added: "I think we wasted an early opportunity but have not, in fact, seen much in terms of competition for the pricing of the car."

Tata, chairman of the Tata Group which owns Tata Motors, added that he was still confident about the car's potential in a country where millions are moving into the middle classes.

Analysts say the Nano was seen as a vehicle for Indians to buy once they could afford to upgrade from a motorbike, meaning it failed to appeal to the status-conscious and aspirational new middle classes.

"We've never pushed it as a poor man's car but an affordable, all-weather, family car," Tata said, adding that "whatever stigma has been attached to it, we will undo going forward."

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Tea Should Be Declared As The National Drink : Kalam

JORHAT: Tea got a new ambassador, when former President of India, Dr APJ Abdul Kalam said that the brew can be the official drink of India on Tuesday.

Even as the chief minister of Assam, Tarun Gogoi declared tea as the State Drink, Kalam said that on the basis of the size of its consumers tea can be declared the national drink of India. Kalam was inaugurating the three-day World Tea Science Congress at Tocklai Experimental Station (TES), Jorhat, Assam.

Over 51% of India's tea and 13%of global production comes from Assam. The tea industry in the state is a source of about five lakh permanent employment and five lakh seasonal workers. Another 10 lakh are dependent on it for employment and services.

Gogoi said that declaring tea as the state drink would help increase its value and promote Assam tea as a brand. "Moreover, my government will persist with its effort to secure the recognition of tea as our National Drink," said Gogoi.

On the occasion Dr Kalam released a number of souvenirs, a documentary titled 'Young at 100' directed by Charukamal Hazarika, a tea table book titled, "Tocklai and Tea" and a tea soft drink at the function.

Giving his inaugural address and presenting a blueprint for the tea industry, Kalam proposed formation of tea cooperatives so as to address the problems of the small tea planters and their workers.

In order to boost the industry and give it a global edge the former President also stressed on diversification and development of value-added products such as medicinal tea, organic tea and flavoured tea.

Envisaging a leading role for TES in tea research and helping the tea industry develop a futuristic vision, Kalam suggested it to be named 'Tocklai Research Centre.'

Kalam further advocated for genetically modified varieties of tea to protect the crops from pests, instead of use of chemical pesticides. He also said that a multi-dimensional research will help tea occupy the world market with its exotic products.

Promising state government's support to the tea industry, Gogoi thanked Kalam for supporting the call to grant national drink status to the beverage. While urging the industry to follow the roadmap presented by Kalam, the chief minister said the industry need to diversify, prepare for the changing business environment worldwide, upgrade the skills of the workforce and carry out research on the impact of climatic changes on the tea industry.

Tea Research Association chairman D P Maheshwari said the organisation had acquired world class infrastructure for the station and formed a corpus fund of Rs 6 crore for setting up centenary chairs from the Rs 20-crore grant given by the centre to the organisation on Tocklai's centenary.

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