VOL: 3 ISSUE 7
No Balochistan dossier from
Pakistan: PM tells Parliament
New Delhi, July 29: Prime
M i n i s t e r
Manmohan Singh
on Wednesday
dispelled reports
that Pakistan has
handed over any
d o s s i e r o n
Balochistan to
India.
H i s
clarification came
during the debate
on the Indo-Pak
joint statement
issued at Sharm-el-
Sheikh after his
meeting with Pak
PM Yusuf Raza
Gilani.
Seven seas will not wash shame at
Sharm el-Sheikh: BJP
New Delhi, July 29 : The
BJP Wednesday launched
a frontal assault on the
government for
compromising on India's
stated position on Pakistan
in the Sharm-el-Sheikh
joint statement and said the
'waters of the seven seas
will not be able to wash the
shame' brought on the
country through this flawed
initiative.
"The distinction
between the aggressor and
the victim has been
completely obliterated,"
Bharatiya Janata Party
leader Yashwant Sinha,
also a former foreign
minister, said while alluding
to a line in the joint
statement that says both
countries recognise
terrorism as the "chief
threat".
Sinha was
speaking during a debate
on the July 16 India-
Pakistan joint statement in
parliament that was issued
after talks between Prime
Minister Manmohan Singh
and his Pakistani
At the start of
the debate, senior BJP
leader Yashwant Sinha
counterpart Yousuf Raza
Gilani at Sharm-el-
Sheikh in Egypt. The
controversial statement,
which delinks action on
terror from the composite
dialogue process, has
been decried by the
opposition as a
capitulation to Pakistan
over the issue of
terrorism.
Sinha also
exposed what he called
"a complete turnaround"
in the government's
position on terrorism
emanating from Pakistan
in less than a month from
Manmohan Singh's
meeting with Pakistan
President Asif Ali Zardari
in Yekaterinburg on June
16 and his meeting with
Gilani on July 16.
A t
Ye k a t e r i n b u r g ,
Manmohan Singh had
told Zardari within
earshot of the media that
he had "a limited
mandate" to tell him that
the Pakistani territory
should not be allowed to
be used for terror attacks
against India. A month
later, the discussions
moved beyond terrorism
to cover other issues as
well, Sinha contended.
" I n by a section of the media
Yekaterinburg, the prime
minister was confident
and assertive and we
were proud of him. But
there was a complete
turnaround in the stated
Chennai, July 29, 2009
tried to corner the said that the PM walked handing over a dossier pertaining to the talks with
government into the Pakistani camp in detailing India’s alleged Pakistan, the end user
o v e r t h e Egypt. role in Balochistan been agreement with US and
alleged “sell Sinha also handed in Egypt. parlays at the G8.
off” to Pakistan came down heavily on The PM, at this In another major
in Egypt. He the PM over the inclusion juncture, intervened and related development,
alleged that of Balochistan in the joint said, “No dossier on media reports are now
India has statement. He pointedly Balochistan has been quoting Pak PM Gilani as
committed a asked the PM to come handed over to me.” saying that they have
blunder by clear on the issue and However, the sought no information on
agreeing to de- asked him whether PM will later give a India’s role in Balochistan.
link action reports of Pakistan detailed reply on all issue
against terror
by Pakistan to
the resumption
o f t h e
composite
dialogue.
Launching a
personal attack, Sinha
position in less than a
month," Sinha said,
describing the November
2008 Mumbai carnage
as "an attack of Pakistan
on India".
Sinha also
attacked the government
for including a reference
to Balochistan in the joint
statement that has
emboldened Pakistani
leaders to accuse India
of involvement in
fomenting insurgency in
the region.
"Why was
Balochistan included in a
bilateral document? No
sooner was the ink dry on
the joint statement,
Pakistani leaders were
accusing India of
supporting insurgency in
Balochistan?" he said.
"All the waters
of seven seas will not
wash the shame at
Sharm-el-Sheikh," Sinha
said amid applause from
opposition benches.
This elicited a quick
intervention from
Manmohan Singh. The
prime minister told
parliament that Pakistan
did not give any dossier
to India on Balochistan
when he met Gilani in
Egypt, as was reported
in Pakistan.
"No such
dossier was given,"
Manmohan Singh said.
Page 2 Times Chennai E-Paper
TNAU develops herbal insect repellent
Coimbatore, July 29 : The
scientists of Tamil Nadu
Agricultural University
(TNAU) have developed a
herbal insect repellent
based on the physio-
chemical properties of
sweet flag (Vasambu in
Tamil), commonly used in
households for its
therapeutic values.
Dr S Jayarajan
Nelson, Professor
(Entomology), Agricultural
Trial run on newly converted
broad gauge on July 31
Tiruchirapall, July 29 :: The
trial run on the newly
converted broad gauge
railway line, between
Mayiladuthurai and
Villupuram, will take place
on July 31, Divisional
Railway Manager S
Subramhanyan said today.
Ta l k i n g t o
newspersons here, he said
Tamil Nadu orders crack down
of illegal cracker units
Virudhunagar, July 29 ::
Rattled by series of
explosions in private
cracker manufacturing
units that claimed 22 lives
in a span of nine days, in
and around Sivakasi town,
known for its fireworks
manufacturing reputation,
Tamil Nadu government
has ordered for a major
crack down against
unlicensed cracker units,
godowns and units lacking
adequate safety norms.
As part of the
major drive, officials of
police and revenue
departments begun a joint
operation, this morning.
L e d b y
V i r u d h u n a g a r
Superintendent of Police
Krishnamurthy, a team,
comprising two Revenue
Budget session of Puducherry
Assembly begins on August 3
Puducherry , July 29 : The
budget session of the
Puducherry assembly will
begin from August 3, with
the customary addess by
the new Lt Governor Iqbal
Singh.
Chief Minister V
Vaithilingam, holding the
Finance portfolio will
present the full budget on
August 5. This will be his
first budget since he
assumed the post after
replacing N Rangasamy on
September 4 last year.
This will also be
the first full budget session
after the Lok Sabha poll on
May 13 in which Congress
College and Research
Institute, Killikulam,
Thoothukudi District,
said, ''The extract from
the rhizomes of this plant
contains an alkaloid,
which is a potent insect
repellent.'' ''This extract is
now made into a dust
form to enable farmers to
apply on crops. It is
reported to be very
effective against rice ear
head bug. This herbal
gauge convertion in 120
km distance, between
Mayiladuthurai and
Villupuram, had been
completed at a cost of Rs
220 crore.
Referring to the
proposed Rs 900 crore
doubling project between
Villupuram and
Tiruchirapalli, he said
Divisional Officers, 21
V i l l a g e
Administrative Officers
and more than 600 police
men drawn from
Virudhunagar and
Madurai divided into
several groups, were
conducting intensive
search in the cracker
units.
In an informal
chat with newspersons,
Krishnamurthy said the
teams seized illegally
manufactured and stored
crackers worth Rs 20
l a k h f r o m
Vijayakarisalkulam and
Vetrilaiurani villages and
arrested three women in
this connection.
The raid, which
was going on as per the
instructions from District
n o m i n e e V members. The Congress
Narayanasamy (who has
since become Union
Minister of State for
Planning, Parliamentary
Affairs and Culture)
wrested the lone Lok
Sabha seat from PMK.
The Assembly
has 30 elected members
and three nominated
To advertise in
this paper mail to:
adsales@timeschennai.com
Tamil Nadu
repellent is highly eco-
friendly without any
problem of pesticide
residues,'' according to a
TNAU press release
here today.
The TNAU has
given licence to M/s
Bhuvi Care (Private) Ltd,
Tirunelveli, for largescale
production and
marketing of this herbal
insect repellent, the
release added.
work in the 53 km
distance between
Ariyalur and Valadi would
be taken up in the first
stage.
The whole
project would be
completed within 18
months, he added.
Collector Ms Sigy
Thomas Vaidhyan, would
continue for some more
days, he added.
One of the
teams seized 20 bundles
of unaccounted crackers
from the house of a Sub-
Inspector of Police at
Vijayakarisalkulam
village during the raid.
The police
official, Gurusamy, who
served in Sivakasi town
police station and later
suspended for
dereliction of duty a few
months ago, was
presently working in
Chennai. The house was
given for rental by him.
Further investigations
were on, the sources
added.
has 10, DMK seven,
PMC and Independents
three each. The
opposition AIADMK has
three members, PMK
two CPI and MDMK one
each. The three
nominated members are
one each on the side of
Congress, CPI and PMK.
HC stays single judge order
in defamation case
Chennai, Jul 29 : The
Madras High Court today
stayed the operation of a
single judge's order to
impose cost on Union IT
Minister A Raja and his
wife in a civil defamation
case.
While admitting
the petitions filed by Mr
and Ms Raja, a division
bench comprising
Justices K Raviraja
Pandian and A
Janarthana Raja
d i r e cte d th e J u n i o r
Vikadan Publications to
file their counter within
two weeks.
On July 23,
Awareness expo on
NCDs inaugurated
Tiruchirapalli, Jul 29 : A
two-day awareness expo
on Non Communicable
Diseases (NCDs),
organised by the the
Confederation of Indian
Industry, Tiruchi Zone,
was inaugurated here
today.
Inaugurating
the expo, District
Collector T Sounidah
called on the student
community to take the
advantages of
development of science
to plan their lifestyle.
Speaking on
the occasion, Dr N
Detention of PDK gen secy quashed
Chennai, July 29: The
Madras High Court today
quashed the detention of
Periyar Dravidar
Kazhagam general
s e c r e t a r y K s wife challenged his
Ramakrishnan under the
National Security Act.
The detention
was set aside by a
Division Bench
comprising Justice S J
Mukhopadhaya and
Justice K Chandru
dismissed Union Minister
A Raja's plea for
extension of a stay
restraining the Tamil by-
weekly magazine from
publishing articles
relating to him and his
family over allegations of
irregularities in allocation
of spectrum to telecom
players.
Justice K
Chandru imposed a cost
of Rs 10,000 on Mr Raja
and his wife Ms
Parameswari, to be paid
to the bi-weekly 'Junior
Vikatan' and held that
public gaze was a
Balasubramanian, Dean
of Dr K A P Viswanatham
Government Medical
College here, said the
medical college hospital
had recorded as many as
46,662 diabetes cases,
77,849 hyper tension
cases, 38,884 nuro
decease cases and
41,876 cardiology
disorder cases during the
last year and the expo
like this would bring
down such higher rate of
patients in the future.
D r S was 3.78 million in 1990, he
Chandrakkumar,
Chairman, Healthcare
Justice Raja Elango on a
Habeas Corpus Petition
filed by Ramakrishnan's
wife.
Ramakrishnan'
detention under the Act
for alleged involvement
in the attack on an army
convoy on May 2 this
year at Sulur in
Coimbatore district by a
mob believing that the
July 29, 2009
necessary corollary to a
person holding a public
office which cannot be
avoided.. The judge cited a
S u p r e m e C o u r t
observation that ''at times
public figures have to
ignore vulgar criticisms and
abuses hurled at them''.
On April 28 last,
the court on an interim
application from Raja on a
defamation suit had
restrained the magazine
from carrying articles and
publishing photos of him,
his advocate, wife and
other family members,
including his minor
daughter.
panel, CII Trichy Zone, said
knowledge about risk
factors would provide an
opportunity to prevent
dreaded diseases.
Stating that
epidemics were
accelerating in India as in
other developing countries,
he said the number of
deaths due to lifestyle
diseases in the country
was projected to rise to
7.63 million in 2020,
straining the country’s
healthcare infrastructure. It
added.
convoy was carrying arms
and ammunition to Sri
Lanka.
Claiming that her
husband had nothing to do
with the attack, she said he
was taken to police station
at 4pm on May two and the
next day the Palladam
Judicial Magistrate
remanded him to judicial
custody till May 13.
July 29, 2009
Govt must ensure relief material
reach Lankan Tamils: AIADMK
New Delhi, Jul 29: The
AIADMK today expressed
concern over non-
disbursement of relief
material sent for Sri Lankan
Tamils due to dispute
between the Red Cross of
India and Sri Lanka and
urged the Government to
ensure that the material
sent for the hapless people
living in refugee camps
reach them.
Raising the issue
during Zero Hour in the
Rajya Sabha, AIADMK
leader V Maitreyan said the
people across the world
collected relief material for
about three lakh Sri Lankan
Tamils living in refugee
camps and sent them in 20
containers in a ship to Sri
Lanka.
Eight Chinese firms to participate
in Chennai exhibition
Chennai, July 29 : Eight
Chinese hospital
equipment makers will
showcase their products in
the “Medicall” hospital
equipment exhibition,
which will start here Friday,
organisers of the event
said.
The fourth edition
of the event is expected to
attract around 4,500
Chennai marathon postponed
to September 27
Chennai, July 29: The
Chennai Marathon, which
was scheduled for August
22, has been postponed to
September 27, organisers
said today.
The organisers
said the event, whose
proceeds are meant to be
used for charity works, has
Few takers for IT courses in
TN engineering colleges
Chennai, July 29 : The
global economic meltdown
seems to have influenced
the choice of engineering
courses in Tamil Nadu with
Information Technology,
one of the most favoured
options till a few years
back, losing its sheen.
I n t e r e s t i n g l y,
around 190 out of the 426
engineering colleges have
found no takers for IT
Season tickets for unorganised workers
Chennai, July 29: The
Railway Ministry is
introducing monthly
season tickets (MSTs)
priced at Rs.25, inclusive of
surcharges, for travel up to
100 km for those working in
the unorganised sector
with a monthly income not
exceeding Rs.1500.
The MSTs under
the new ‘Izzat’ scheme will
be issued for journeys with
Times Chennai E-Paper
Initially, the Sri
Lankan government
refused to accept it on the
ground that the ship
contained cargo sent for
LTTE and the ship
remained near Chennai
coast.
However, after
protests by the people,
the Indian government
took the relief material
and after consulting the
Sri Lankan government
sent it through the Red
Cross to Colombo in
another ship.
However, now
the relief material is lying
in Colombo port due to a
tussle between the Red
Cross of India and Sri
Lanka over the
transportation costs.
visitors comprising
hospital owners, doctors
and medical equipment
and consumables
d e a l e r s t h i s y e a r,
organisers said.
“The three-day
exhibition will feature
around 280 companies of
which eight are from
China making monitors,
critical medical
been rescheduled
because the date
c l a s h e d w i t h Wo r l d
Athletics Championship
to be held in Germany
from August 15-23.
"The date has
been changed to ensure
the participation of
national level
courses. Further, only
around 3,450 seats for IT
have been filled up, out of
the total of 15,000 plus
available seats in the first
phase of the admissions,
counselling for which
ends today, sources said.
S o u r c e s
attributed the reversal in
trend to the global
economic meltdown, with
students apprehensive
effect from August 1. The
passes will be issued on
production of income
certificate of the
applicant from any one of
the following: District
Magistrate; Lok Sabha
MPs for persons of their
own constituency; Below
Poverty Line (BPL) card
or any other certificate
issued by the Central
government under a
The Indian
government says that it
has ensured that the
material reached Sri
Lanka while the latter
claims its humanitarian
aspect by allowing the
material in the country.
However, the relief
material has not yet
reached the people living
in camps.
' ' W e a r e
disturbed, perturbed and
concern over the issue,''
he said and urged the
Government to ensure
that the External Affairs
Ministry takes up the
issue with Sri Lankan
government so that the
relief material reaches
the people it is intended
for.
equipment, hospital
furniture and other
products,” said S.
Manivannan, chief
executive of Medicall,
which organises the
event.
The number of
exhibitors has doubled
this year, he said.
participants as the date
clashes with the world
championship.
"Further, many
slow runners wanted the
race to be held during a
cooler season,"
organisers said in a
statement.
about taking up the
course.
Only 6212
seats of the total 21,397
seats in the Computer
Science stream have
found takers at the fag
end of counselling for
engineering admissions,
Anna University statistics
reveal.
recognised poverty
alleviation programme.
The MSTs will
be issued by the Station
Master/Booking Office
on collection of the
photocopy of the income
certificate and should be
preserved for future
reference. But, at the
time of issue of ticket, the
original income
certificate will be verified.
Fund raising lecture
Rotary District
3230 in association
with Alma Matter is
organising a fund raising
event. One of India’s
finest orator’s on Life
Change and Progress.
Mr. T. T. Rangarajan,
Founder, Alma Mater,
will deliver a talk on “
Complete Adulthood” on
Sunday 2nd August 2009
2-day seminar on futuristic
green buildings
An all-India
seminar on ‘Futuristic
buildings: Green,
intelligent and smart
buildings’ is being held
on August 22 and 23 at
the L&T Convention Hall
in Manapakkam. Papers
on various aspects of
Rs 30 lakh allotted
DMK Rajya
Sabha MP Kanimozhi on
Tuesday sanctioned Rs
30 lakh from MP local
area development fund
for works to upgrade the
bus terminus at
Job fair for differently-abled
The Tamil Nadu
Handicapped Federation
Charitable Trust and the
Need Trust are
conducting a job fair for
the differently-abled,
‘Disable the Disability’.
Applications can be
downloaded from
www.tnhfctrust.in or
collected from the
organisations’ partners in
various districts. The last
date for receiving filled-in
application forms is
August 12. The fair is
Ration card registration:
Last date extended
Chennai, July 29: The
last date for registering
address at ration shops
has been extended up to
August 15, an official
release stated here on
Tuesday. The date for
C h e n n a i , Ti r u v a l l u r,
Kancheepuram, Madurai
and Sivaganga districts
has been extended for
the benefit of residents.
Ration card
holders need not record
their names in the
register maintained at
ration shops. It is enough
if they inform the shop
staff whenever they
come to buy materials. If
someone has shifted
their house within the
same street, it would be
from 4.00 to 6.00 p.m at
The University
Centenary Auditorium,
Chepauk. The proceeds
from this programme will
go towards the “Final
Push of Eradicating Polio
from India”. This is the
first time Mr. Rangarajan
is doing a programme for
an NGO because of the
cause, Polio which
green and energy-
efficient buildings would
be presented by civil
engineers, interior
designers, architects and
professors from the
departments of
architecture and
environment, Anna
Tiruvottiyur in North
Chennai. Passengers
have been suffering due
to waterlogging during
the monsoon as the level
of the terminus is about
two feet lower than that of
open to people with all
kinds of disabilities,
including epilepsy and
multiple sclerosis, apart
from those listed in the
Persons With Disabilities
Act. Completed forms
should be sent to the
Need Trust, New No. 33
(Old No. 14), 48th Street,
9 t h Av e n u e , A s h o k
Nagar, Chennai 83, or
m a i l e d t o
careerforyou@ymail.co
m. Candidates selected
for interview on the day of
better if the change of
address is incorporated
in the ration card through
t h e A s s i s t a n t
Commissioner/Zonal
Supply office.
Those who do
not buy anything from the
ration shops need not
register their address
there. It is not
compulsory for the head
of the family to come and
register at the shop.
To advertise in
this paper mail to:
adsales@timeschennai.com
Page 3
affects children. It will be of
interest to all Corporates
and Individuals to attend
this oration, since his
speech will be so
meaningful. Donor passes
are available at all Odyssey
outlets and for other
details please contact
Mr.Murali 98408 34430 &
Mr. Krishna 99404 17775.
University. Corporation
officials and other industry
stakeholders are expected
to attend the seminar
organised by the Tamil
Nadu State Centre of the
Institution of Engineers.
the road. According to a
release, 75,000 people use
the terminus everyday and
buses have been operating
from there on 24 routes.
The fund would be spent to
upgrade it.
the fair will be intimated by
post. The fair is also open
to corporates if they want to
h i r e d i ff e r e n t l y - a b l e d
people. There will be a
seminar on employment,
social rights and other
issues related to disability.
The fair will be held on
August 28, between 9am
and 4pm at Kamaraj
Arangam. For more details,
call 9841267034 or
9841267035.
Anyone whose name is
entered in the card can
come and do so. In case of
senior citizens, they could
send their representative
with a letter.
For clarifications,
the city residents can
contact Assistant
Commissioner (South) on
28551026 and North
28551028, the release
added.
Page 4
BMW case: SC upholds
conviction of R K Anand
New Delhi, July 29 : The
Supreme Court on
Wednesday upheld the
conviction of advocate R K
Anand for contempt of
court by attempting to
influence controversial
witness Sunil Kulkarni in
the infamous BMW hit-and-
run case.
A three-judge
Bench of Justices B N
Agrawal, G S Singhvi and
Aftab Alam, however, set
aside the conviction of
Special Public Prosecutor I
U Khan, who was also
debarred by the Delhi High
Court from practising for
four months along with Mr.
Anand.
Referring to the
criticism about the sting
operation carried out by a
news channel, the apex
court noted that it was not a
typical case of trial by the
media but rather a sting
undertaken in public
interest.
While acquitting
Mr. Khan, the apex court,
however, observed that his
conduct as Special Public
Prosecutor in the case was
not appropriate.
Mr. Khan, and
Stop asking questions; prosecute
Saeed: PC to Pak
New Delhi, July 29:
Taking on Pakistan for its
apparent reluctance to act
against JuD chief Hafiz
Saeed citing lack of
evidence, Home Minister P
Chidambaram on
Wednesday said that
enough proof has been
provided and it’s time that
Pakistan starts to
act against the perpetrators
of the 26/11 attacks.
Criticising
Islamabad for inaction,
Chidambaram said, “They
should stop asking
question and get on with
the job. There is enough
evidence provided in the
dossier given to Pakistan.”
Yesterday, Pak
Interior Minister Rehman
Malik had said, “We cannot
arrest him (JuD chief Hafiz
Saeed) till adequate proof
is provided. There is no
proof."
I n c i d e n t a l l y,
news reports are claiming
today that Pakistan
investigation agencies
have, for the very first time,
revealed that they have
adequate proof of the
banned Lashkar-e-Toiba
(LeT) being directly
involved in the 26/11 terror
attack.
“The investigation
has established beyond
any reasonable doubt that
the defunct LeT activists
conspired, abetted,
planned, financed and
Times Chennai E-Paper
counsel Mr. Anand, were
on August 21, last year
convicted by the Delhi
High Court for trying to
influence witness
Kulkarni, a scandal
exposed through the
sting operation by the TV
channel.
The two senior
advocates were
convicted for obstructing
administration of justice
and, as a punishment,
barred from appearing in
the High Court and other
subordinate courts for
four months and fined Rs
2,000 each.
They were also
stripped off their
designation of senior
advocate by the court.
Reacting to the
court's verdict, S K
Aggarwal, counsel for Mr.
Khan said, "Justice has
been done as far as my
case is concerned, we
should respect the
judgement. It is a good
judgement and we are
happy about it."
Mr. Aggarwal
had contended that Mr.
Khan's case stood on a
different footing during
e s t a b l i s h e d
communication network
to carry out terror attacks
in Mumbai,” the report
states.
The report
discloses that training
sessions for the attackers
was codenamed
‘Azizabad’ (Azizabad is
o n e o f t h e
neighbourhoods of
G u l b e r g To w n i n
K a r a c h i ) . T h e
investigators seized
militant literature,
inflatable lifeboats,
detailed maps of the
Indian coastline,
handwritten literature on
navigational training and
an intelligence course
manual.
Pak has been
continuously flip-flopping
over the issue of Saaed.
First he was put under
house arrest, after the
UN named him in its
terror list, then all of
sudden he was let off for
want of ‘solid evidence”
justifying his continued
house arrest.
Earlier this
month, Pakistan had
handed over a dossier to
India admitting its
nationals were involved
in the attacks. The
dossier came days
before the July 16 Gilani-
Manmohan Singh
meeting on the sidelines
of the Non-Aligned
National
the arguments in the
case before the apex
court.
Both Mr. Anand
and Mr. Khan were
shown in the sting as
colluding to influence
Kulkarni in the BMW hit-
and-run case in the sting
operation on May 30,
2007.
A day later, the
High Court had taken suo
motu cognisance of the
sting operation showing
Mr. Anand, in collusion
with Mr. Khan, allegedly
offering money to Mr.
Kulkarni to depose in
favour of Sanjeev
Nanda, the prime
accused in the hit-and-
run case.
Mr. Nanda, the
grandson of retired Naval
chief S M Nanda, was
recently sentenced to
two years prison term by
the Delhi High Court for
mowing down six
persons, including three
policemen, on January
10, 1999.
He was earlier
handed down five years
imprisonment by a trial
court in the case.
Summit at the Egyptian
resort of Sharm el-
Shaikh.
Prime Minister
Manmohan Singh after
meeting his Pakistani
counterpart Yousuf Raza
Gilani in Egypt had said
that Gilani has informed
him that "common
consensus" was being
evolved and that "action
will have to be taken
against him (Saeed)".
Saeed is the
founder of the Laskhar-e-
Toiba (LeT) terror group
that New Delhi accuses
of also staging the Dec
13, 2001 attack on the
Indian parliament. The
LeT had morphed into
the JuD after it was
banned in the aftermath
of the attack.
Ajmal Amir
Kasab, the lone gunman
captured alive during the
Mumbai mayhem, has
admitted to being a
Pakistani national and to
being trained by the LeT
for the Nov 26-29, 2008
Mumbai attacks that
claimed the lives of over
170 people, including 26
foreigners.
Pakistan has
charged five men,
i n c l u d i n g L e T
commander Zakiur
Rehman Lakhvi with
involvement in the
Mumbai mayhem.
Menon briefs Congress MPs
on Indo-Pak joint statement
New Delhi, July 29:
Foreign Secretary Shiv
Shankar Menon on
Wednesday briefed the
Congress MPs about
various aspects of the
Indo-Pak joint statement
issued at Sharm-el
Sheikh, hours ahead of
Prime Minister
Manmohan Singh's
intervention on the issue
in Parliament.
M r. M e n o n
HC dismisses petitions challenging
telecast of 'Sach Ka Samna'
New Delhi, July 29 : The
Delhi High Court on
Wednesday dismissed
two petitions seeking a
stay on the controversial
TV show 'Sach Ka
Samna', saying that
moral policing is not its
function.
A Division
Bench headed by Chief
Justice A P Shah
suggested the petitioners
IGNOU launches new age
tourism, hospitality programme
New Delhi, July 29:
Indira Gandhi National
Open University
(IGNOU) has launched a
degree course that
focuses on training in
security aspects in the
tourism and hospitality
sectors.
" T h i s
programme has potential
to produce nearly one
lakh skilled workers in
t o u r i s m , h o s p i t a l i t y,
catering technology and
management sectors
every year in India and
abroad," Pro-Vice
Chancellor Prof K R
Srivathsan said, adding
this is for the first time any
HC issues notice to DMRC
on metro mishap
New Delhi, July 29: The
Delhi High Court on
Wednesday issued a
notice to the Delhi Metro
Rail Corporation
(DMRC) on a petition that
stated that the DMRC
was grossly negligent in
connection with the
Zamrudpur mishap.
The petition
called for the setting up of
an independent
committee to investigate
the Zamrudpur – in South
Delhi - incident, in which
six persons were killed.
On July 24, the
High Court had issued a
notice to Gammon India,
a contractor of Delhi
briefed a group of party
MPs from both the
Houses on the technical
details of the statement
so that they were aware
of all the details of the
communique before the
discussion on the issue,
sources said here.
The Indo-Pak
joint statement, issued
after the meeting
between Dr. Singh and
his Pakistani counterpart
to approach the central
government over it.
"It is for the
government to decide
whether the programme
should be banned or not.
It is not the function of the
court ... There are far
more serious problems in
this country which we
have to settle," the Bench
said.
Two petitioners,
university has
incorporated security
issues in the curriculum
so comprehensively.
Addressing a
function in the campus
recently, Srivathsan, who
heads the IGNOU School
of Tourism Hospitality
S e c t o r a l
M a n a g e m e n t
(SOTHSM), said: "We
are specially putting in
Information and
Communication
Technologies (ICTs) and
Security aspects as
essential components in
the studies of Tourism
Hospitality Sectoral
Management (THSM).
Metro Rail project, on a
petition filed by family
members of victims of
the July 12 mishap,
seeking compensation.
F a m i l y
members of four persons
who lost their lives in the
July 12 mishap have filed
a joint petition in the High
Court.
Justice Rewa
Kshetrapal adjourned
the case till August 20
and asked the company
to file response by then.
The petitioners
pleaded before the court
that the family of the
deceased should get a
compensation of Rs 50
July 29, 2009
Yousuf Raza Gilani, came
under attack from all sides
for delinking of terror from
the composite dialogue
process and the reference
to Balochistan.
Dr. Singh's
intervention has assumed
significance in view of the
fact that the Congress has
so far failed to openly come
out in support of him on the
issue.
Deepak Maini and Prabhat
Kumar, had approached
the court seeking a stay on
the show being telecast on
Star Plus channel alleging
that the programme was
against the values of the
Indian society.
Rejecting it, the
court said, "Our culture is
not so fragile that it would
be affected by one TV
programme."
This will help the pass-outs
immensely at their
workplaces."
There are two
aspects in the Bachelor of
Arts International
Hospitality Management
(BA-IHA) programme --
Tourism and Hospitality.
For the Hospitality
programme over 50
centres all over the country
have been created to
impart the niche training,
he said.
The Hospitality
programme is in tie up with
the American Hotel &
Lodging - Educational
Institute (AH&LEI).
lakh each while injured
persons should be given
Rs 25 lakh each, from the
Gammon India Company.
Six persons,
including an engineer,
were killed and over a
dozen others injured when
an under-construction
over-bridge of the Delhi
Metro collapsed on July 12
near Nehru Place in south
Delhi. (ANI)
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July 29, 2009
Govt takes steps to ensure
transparency in AICTE
New Delhi, July 29: To
ensure transparency in the
functioning of AICTE,
whose top brass is facing
corruption cases, the
government will make it
mandatory for the agency
to display information
online about progress in
the applications of
institutes for approval or
accreditation.
The government
is set to launch e-
governance system in All
India Council of Technical
Education under which the
representatives of
institutes will not have to
come to the agency's office
to track their cases.
Under the e-
governance project, any
institute can know online
the status of its application
pertaining to approval for
new courses, increasing
intake of existing
p r o g r a m m e s o r
accreditation to its
programmes.
"The purpose is
to bring transparency in the
system. By this e-
governance system, every
institute will be able to track
the progress in their
applications on line. They
need not come to AICTE
SP wants Deora's resignation
on gas issue, LS adjourned
New Delhi, July 29: The
Ambani brothers' gas
dispute echoed in the Lok
Sabha on Wednesday with
s o m e m e m b e r s
demanding resignation of
Petroleum Minister Murli
Deora, forcing
adjournment of the house.
The Samajwadi
Party members, led by
President Mulayam Singh
Ya d a v, d e m a n d e d
resignation of Deora over
the government's failure to
ensure supply of gas for
the Dadri Power project in
Uttar Pradesh.
Grave injustice is
being done to Uttar
Pradesh by denying gas to
the Dadri Power plant and
this in turn could cost the
national exchequer Rs
30,000 crore, Yadav
contended.
Anil Ambani had
yesterday hit out at the
Petroleum Ministry for
colluding with elder
brother Mukesh's RIL in
blocking gas supply for its
power projects despite a
firm commitment, upheld
thrice by the Bombay High
Court.
W i t h S P
members rushing to the
Well of the House and
creating an uproar, the
House witnessed two
adjournments till the lunch
recess.
Times Chennai E-Paper
office. This will help
reduce corruption," a
source told reporters.
This will be
similar to the PNR
number system of
railways under which
passengers are able to
know progress in
confirmation of their
tickets.
"The AICTE will
also display if there is any
laxity on part of the
institute which seeks
a p p r o v a l o r
accreditation. The
institutes can fulfil the
deficiencies and comply,"
the source said.
T h e s t e p
assumes significance in
the backdrop of the arrest
of its member secretary K
Narayan Rao this month
by CBI in a corruption
case.
While Rao was
arrested for allegedly
accepting bribe for
inspection and approval
of an engineering college
in Hyderabad, the
agency registered
corruption cases against
its chairman R A Yadav,
Advisor H C Rai and
Deputy Director
Robinder Randhawa in a
While Yadav or
other SP members did
not name the Ambani
brothers nor the fight
between them, the
reference to Dadri
project and resignation
of the Petroleum
Minister was indication
enough of their plea.
The issue was
raised by Yadav soon
after the House met for
Question Hour. He was
highly critical of the
Petroleum Minister and
demanded a statement
from the government on
the issue.
F i n a n c e
Minister Pranab
Mukherjee had
yesterday called a
meeting with Deora and
Law Minister Veerappa
Moily after Anil openly
charged the Oil Ministry
with siding with RIL to
help it renege
commitments on gas
supply to NTPC and his
group firm RNRL.
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this paper mail to:
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National
separate corruption
case.
T h e H R D
Ministry is waiting a
detailed report from the
CBI in this case after
which disciplinary action
will follow against the
officials, sources said.
Under the e-governance
project, the regional
offices of AICTE will be
inter-linked. A high-level
committee has been set
up to go into the
modalities for
implementation of the
project.
T h e H R D
Ministry has also
directed higher
educational institutions
to provide information in
their website relating to
availability of
infrastructure and
physical assets, grants-
in-aid provided by the
government and its
utilization and admission
criteria.
The institutions
will have to furnish
information on all
c o u r s e s o f s t u d y,
including degree or
diploma programmes
and those conducted in
distance mode.
The Supreme
Court will on September
o n e c o n s i d e r
admissibility of a
government petition
seeking annulment of a
gas supply pact between
RIL-RNRL.
SP members
Reoti Raman Singh and
Shailendra Kumar
demanded resignation
of Deora.
When Yadav sought to
raise the issue again
after Question Hour,
Speaker Meira Kumar
disallowed him telling
the SP leader would not
get another chance.
A s S P
members rushed to the
Well, the Speaker
adjourned the House for
15 minutes. It was
similar story when the
House reassembled
when Sumitra Mahajan
was in the Chair. She
adjourned the House till
2:00 pm.
Govt to look into CAG criticism
on Gorshkov deal
New Delhi, July 29:
Stung by CAG criticism
for escalating cost of
second-hand aircraft
carrier Admiral Gorshkov
bought from Russia, the
government on
Wednesday assured
Rajya Sabha that it would
finally agree to a fresh
price for the warship only
after going through the
audit report.
" B e f o r e
entering into any
contract, the government
will go through all details.
We will assess the
criticism, including that of
CAG, on the issue. At
present, the Gorshkov
price escalation is in
negotiation stage.
Nothing has been
finalised," Defence
Minister A K Antony said
during Question Hour.
India had
bought the 45,000-tonne
Gorshkov from Russia in
January 2004 at a total
cost of USD 974 million,
which included its refit
and repair.
As the repair
and refit of Gorshkov
began in the Sevmash
Shipyard, Russians
made an additional
demand for USD 1.2
billion towards the
escalating cost of the
work.
After revising
the repair costs three
times since 2007, Russia
made a final demand for
additional USD 2.9 billion
in February this year.
The CAG report
for 2008 laid in
Parliament last week had
Legal body hails conviction
of R K Anand
New Delhi , July 29:
The legal fraternity on
Wednesday hailed the
Supreme Court verdict
on the BMW expose
case holding noted
criminal lawyer R K
Anand guilty of contempt
of court.
Noted criminal
lawyers Ram Jethmalani
and K T S Tulsi
welcomed the verdict,
saying that it would help
in restoring the dignity of
the profession.
"I am glad with
the judgment but still
things remain hidden and
some day they are to be
exposed. It is good for us
and for the legal
machinery. He (Anand)
deserved it as he was
trying to make money at
the cost of his client," Mr
Jethmalani,
who defended Sanjeev
Nanda in the BMW hit-
and-run case in Delhi
High Court, said.
Anand, the
slammed the Defence
Ministry for buying the
old warship at the price of
a new aircraft carrier.
The CAG had
noted that till 2008 the
escalated cost was about
USD 1.82 billion for the
warship and another
USD 52 million for the
sea trials, which was
originally pegged at USD
27 million in the 2004
contract.
" W e h a d
entered into a contract
with Russia in 2004 to
buy Admiral Gorshkov.
However, that country
faced a lot of difficulties
during the intervening
period. Subsequently
government was quoted
a fresh price by Russia,"
Antony said.
Accepting that
repair and refit of
Gorshkov was coming at
a "substantially huge"
price, he said "we have
not entered into any
contract with Russia (on
the fresh price), and are
only having negotiations
with them."
He said when
India started searching
for an aircraft carrier,
there were very few
manufacturers in the
world. "After an elaborate
search, no country
except Russia was
willing to give it to us. The
decision to acquire it was
taken in consultation with
the Navy, as per the price
quoted by Russia then,"
Antony said.
However, the
minister said Russia was
quoting a fresh price, as
defence counsel, was
shown in a sting
operation carried out by a
news channel on May 30,
2007 as colluding with
the then Special Public
Prosecutor I U Khan to
influence controversial
witness Sunil Kulkarni
during trial of the case.
"Truth has
triumphed. There was
never any doubt about
the authenticity of the
recordings of the tape. It
is indeed sad that it took
so long for the final
verdict to come but I am
glad the Supreme Court
has again reiterated the
importance of legal
profession and its duty to
the society and to the
court," Tulsi said.
Advocating
self-introspection for
lawyers in view of the
judgment, he said, "We
lawyers need to
remember that legal
profession is not trade or
business but a noble
Page 5
most of the parts of the
Kiev-class carrier are
manufactured in Ukraine.
Earlier, Minister of
State for Defence M M
Pallam Raju said the
country was building an
aircraft carrier
indigenously, while the
Navy had another aircraft
carrier in service.
"The government
sanction for the indigenous
aircraft carrier was
accorded in November
2002. The construction of
the Indigenous Aircraft
Carrier (IAC) is
progressing at Cochin
Shipyard, with the launch
scheduled in 2010.
However, the final delivery
of the ship is likely in 2014,"
Raju said.
R a j u s a i d
induction of ships in the
Navy, including aircraft
carriers, is driven by the
need to maintain the
desired force levels.
" F u t u r e
requirements of aircraft
carriers could be met either
from indigenous or from
foreign sources depending
on the required capabilities
and envisaged time
frames," he said.
Antony had laid
the keel of the indigenous
aircraft carrier at Kochi in
February, while two more
indigenous aircraft carriers
have been sanctioned.
T h e N a v y
currently operates INS
Viraat, a 28,000-tonne
Centaur-class aircraft
carrier, which has served
both British and Indian
Navy for 50 years.
profession."
Te r m i n g t h e
judgment as one in right
spirit, advocate Prashant
Bhushan said Anand
should be debarred from
practising law for life as it
was a "gross professional
misconduct" on his part.
"It is not an
isolated case. Witnesses
are being influenced in
many cases and the Bar
Council fails to take any
action against influential
lawyers. This case will set a
precedent for erring
advocates," he said.
The apex court, in
its verdict, upheld the
conviction of Anand for
contempt of court for trying
to influence Kulkarni during
the trial in the BMW hit-
and-run case.
Though the court
acquitted the then
prosecutor Khan, it termed
his conduct as
"inappropriate".
 Page 6 Times Chennai E-Paper
Indian-American shortlisted in
world technology network honour
Washington, July 29: An Amit Goyal of
eminent Indian-American the Oak Ridge National
scientist has been elected Laboratory's Materials
fellow of the prestigious Science and Technology
World Technology Network Division has also been
named a finalist for the
W o r l d Te c h n o l o g y
Network's materials
award, said a media
release issued by the US
Department of Energy's
Oak Ridge National
Laboratory (ORNL).
Goyal received
his doctorate in materials
science and engineering
from the University of
Rochester, New York, in
1991 and joined ORNL
that same year. With
more than 300
publications and 53
for his innovative work in
patents, Goyal has also
been recognised as a
the field of material
science.
Battelle Distinguished
Car bomb injures 46 at
Spanish police barracks
Madrid, July 29: A car All the windows
bomb exploded outside a are broken. It's very
Civil Guard barracks in the damaged so it's almost a
northern Spanish city of miracle no one was hurt
Burgos early on more seriously," he said,
W e d n e s d a y, s l i g h t l y adding that the barracks
injuring 46 people, an had been evacuated and
emergency services fire fighters were going
spokesman said. through the building.
Part of the E TA i s h e l d
barracks facade collapsed responsible for killing
into the street when the more than 800 people in
bomb went off around 4.30 the past 40 years in a
a.m. (10:30 p.m. EDT). A campaign to carve out an
spokeswoman for the Civil independent Basque
Guard, Spain's paramilitary homeland in northern
police force, said the attack Spain and southern
was probably carried out by France. It typically uses
Basque separatist rebels shootings and car
ETA. bombs, often parked
Most of the outside police and army
injuries were cuts and barracks.
bruises and no one was in The most recent
serious condition, although killing blamed on the
38 had been transferred to group was on June 19,
hospital in the historic when a police inspector
cathedral town, according died in a booby-trapped
to the emergency services car in the northern city of
spokesman. Bilbao.
China seizes North Korea-bound
missile component: Report
Seoul, July 29: China Va n a d i u m i s
seized 70 kg of a strategic used to sharpen steel
missile-making metal and prevent rust in
bound for North Korea, making missile cases or
South Korean media naval ships.
r e p o r t e d We d n e s d a y, The seizure is
quoting a local Chinese part of China's own trade
newspaper. practice to restrict the
The seizure took export of strategic metals
place Friday at Dandong on like vanadium and to
the Chinese border with protect its domestic
North Korea. While industry.
inspecting North Korean- The action was
bound trucks, a Dandong interpreted as a sign from
customs agent discovered China in support of US-
the metal vanadium hidden led sanctions, which
under a fake fruit box, the were mounted to curtail
Dandong News reported. North Korea's
In all, 68 bottles arms trafficking in
were seized totalling 70 kg response to its May 25
of vanadium, valued at nuclear test.
200,000 yuan ($29,280). The tightened
sanctions are considered
World
Inventor.
Along with
Goyal's distinguished
recognition in the World
Technology Network, he
and fellow team
members recently won
an R&D 100 Award for
superconducting wires,
his third R&D 100 Award.
He is also a
fellow of six other
professional societies:
t h e A m e r i c a n
Association for
Advancement of
Science, the American
Physical Society, the
World Innovation
Foundation, the
American Society of
Metals, the Institute of
Physics and the
American Ceramic
Society.
T h e David Miliband on
organization is under
pressure to show it can
still mount attacks
despite having been
weakened by a series of
arrests including that of
its suspected top
c o m m a n d e r, J u r d a n
Martitegi, in April. His
capture brought to four
the number of
commanders caught in
less than a year.
Eighteen more
alleged ETA members
were captured in a three-
week period in June and
July.
Prime Minister Jose Luis
Rodriguez Zapatero's
Socialist government
broke off peace talks with
ETA after the rebels killed
two people with a car
bomb at Madrid airport in
December 2006.
relatively ineffective
without Chinese
participation. China is a
major source of trade
cash, energy and food for
North Korea.
The action
comes amid a UN-led
call on China to tighten
control of trafficking into
North Korea to
implement the tightened
sanctions.
Read
Times Chennai
E-Paper
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US to hire 4,600 police as part
of economic recovery plan
Washington, July 29:
More than 4,600 new
police officers are to be
hired across the US at a
cost of one billion dollars
as part of the country's
economic stimulus plan,
administration officials
have said.
The grants will
be awarded to some
1,046 law enforcement
agencies in all 50 states
and will provide the full
salary and benefits for
4,699 officers for three
years, according to a
Justice Department
statement yesterday.
There is also a
provision that
departments receiving
the funds retain the
US, Britain talks on Afghanistan,
Iran, Mideast
Washington, July 29:
Secretary of State Hillary
Clinton prepared to host
extensive talks
Wednesday with British
counterpart and top ally
Afghanistan, Iran, the
Middle East and North
Korea, a US official said.
The talks come
after Miliband told PBS
television Tuesday that it
was in Britain's "national
security interest" to keep
troops in Afghanistan as
most anti-British terrorist
plots had links with the
region.
T h e U S
television network had
asked him what his
government tells Britons
who, opinion polls say,
now form a majority in
believing the seven-year
US-led war is
unwinnable and wanting
their troops pulled out.
Clinton and
Miliband, who have set
aside several hours of
meetings, will discuss
"bilateral issues as well
as global issues, such as
Iran, North Korea,
Afghanistan and the
Middle East," a US
official told AFP on the
condition of anonymity.
The official did
not elaborate but
President Barack
Obama's administration
has put efforts to stabilize
both Afghanistan and
neighboring Pakistan at
the heart of the US-led
struggle against
terrorism.
With 9,000
troops in Afghanistan,
Britain is the second
largest troop contributor
after the United States,
which has deployed an
estimated 56,000 troops
in the country. Both sides
have increased their
contributions ahead of
national elections in
August.
Britain is also a
key diplomatic partner
with the United States in
efforts to halt Iran's
sensitive nuclear
programs, which both
sides fear is aimed at
positions for at least a
fourth year.
The measure
falls under the American
R e c o v e r y a n d
Reinvestment Act of
2009, the 787-billion-
dollar stimulus package
signed by President
Barack Obama in
February aimed at
ending the worst US
economic crisis since the
1930s.
"A big part of the
Recovery Act is about
building communities --
making them as strong
as they can be, allowing
every American family to
live a better life than the
one they are leading
now," Vice President Joe
building an atomic bomb.
London also
supports the Obama
administration's drive for
a comprehensive Arab-
Israeli peace, backing
the creation of a
Palestinian state living
side by side in peace with
a secure Israel.
Britain has also
condemned recent North
Korean missile and
nuclear tests, but is not a
party to the six-country
nuclear disarmament
talks. The six-party talks
involve the two Koreas,
the United States, China,
Japan and Russia.
A total of 22
British troops have been
killed this month alone
after British forces went
on the offensive in
Operation Panther's
Claw, just weeks before
crucial presidential
elections.
Four more
fallen soldiers' bodies
were flown home to RAF
Lyneham, southwest
England, before a
solemn procession
through the nearby
village of Wootton
Bassett.
"It's good to see
that people, not just from
the military community,
the general public, are
paying tribute to our
fallen comrades," said
Carlton Wray, who left
the army last July, and
joined hundreds lining
the street as the cortege
passed through the
village.
T h e the Afghan government
ceremonies in the town --
which has become a
focus of grief and support
for British troops -- came
after two more soldiers
were killed Monday in
Helmand province, the
front line in the battle with
the Taliban.
The surge in deaths has
sparked a political row
over resources for troops
in Afghanistan, with
Prime Minister Gordon
Brown forced to defend
Britain's strategy after
calls for more equipment
and more boots on the
July 29, 2009
Biden said at an event in
Philadelphia
where he was joined by
Attorney General Eric
Holder and several state
governors and city mayors,
according to the statement.
"And we can't
achieve the goal of
stronger communities
without supporting those
who keep our streets safe."
The government
was swamped with
applications for the grants,
with more than 7,200
agencies applying for
funding for 39,000 officer
positions since the launch
of the stimulus plan, the
department said.
ground.
But according to the
opinion poll in the
Independent newspaper
Tuesday, more than half of
Britons now think the war in
A f g h a n i s t a n i s
"unwinnable" and want to
see an immediate troop
withdrawal.
Fifty-eight
percent see the offensive
against the Taliban as a lost
cause. Only 31 percent
disagree, according to the
ComRes telephone poll
conducted for the
newspaper between July
24 and 26.
Fifty-two percent of the
1,008 Britons polled want
the troops out while 43
percent want them to stay
put.
Britain has
around 9,150 troops in
Afghanistan, most of them
in Helmand.
"The problem in
Afghanistan cannot be
overcome by such
statements by Miliband or
Karzai," Yousuf Ahmadi
told AFP.
"This problem can
only be solved if the foreign
countries withdraw their
forces from this country
and Karzai leaves (office)
and repents -- then we will
be ready for talks and this
issue will be solved."
In a speech at NATO
headquarters in Brussels
on Monday, Miliband
stressed the need for the
Afghan government to
engage with moderate
Taliban elements.
"We need to help
exploit the opportunity, with
a more coherent effort to
fragment the various
elements of the insurgency
and turn those who can be
reconciled to live within the
Afghan constitution," he
said. Afghan President
Hamid Karzai welcomed
the British move, saying it
was "a confirmation of the
rightful position of
Afghanistan". But a Taliban
spokesman reiterated
there could be no talks
without the withdrawal of
foreign troops in
Afghanistan.
July 29, 2009
Hardening of rates due to govt
borrowings a worry: Assocham
Tokyo, July 29: Hardening
of interest rates in future
due to huge market
borrowings by the
government remains a
concern, even as RBI kept
all its signalling rates
unchanged in the first
quarterly review of the
m o n e t a r y p o l i c y,
Assocham president
Sajjan Jindal said in
Tokyo Wednesday.
"Interest rates
could inch up due to huge
government borrowings.
That is a worry," Jindal, who
is heading a visiting
business delegation to
promote SEZs, said while
reacting to the RBI's
quarterly review.
He said the RBI's
move not to change policy
rates or reserve ratios is on
expected lines.
H o w e v e r, t h e
central bank is
conservative so far as GDP
growth rates projections
are concerned, he said.
RBI has projected
the Indian economy to grow
by six percent this fiscal.
Jindal said
Assocham in its study said
the Indian economy could
PNB Q1 net profit up 62% at Rs 832 cr
Mumbai, July 29: State-
run lender Punjab National
B a n k o n We d n e s d a y
reported a 62.39 percent
growth in net profit at Rs
832.05 crore for the first
quarter ended June 30,
2009.
Total income of
the country's second
largest PSU lender
Anand Sharma to consult FM on
Foreign Trade Policy
New Delhi, July 29:
Commerce and Industry
Minister Anand Sharma on
Wednesday said that he
will hold consultations with
Finance Minister Pranab
Mukherjee shortly before
finalising the Foreign Trade
Policy.
Replying to
questions in Rajya Sabha,
he said the Export-Import
or Foreign Trade Policy for
2009-10 fiscal would be
announced in August.
"We will be
discussing again with
Finance Minister before we
roll out foreign trade policy
in August," he said.
The discussions
with Finance Minister
would be on the fiscal and
monetary measures that
may be required for exports
to tide over global
economic slowdown.
S h a r m a ,
however, did not say when
he would be meeting
Mukherjee.
Times Chennai E-Paper
clock a growth rate of
seven percent this fiscal.
Even then, GDP
growth is not stable or
high, he said, adding any
upward pressure on
interest rates due to high
government borrowings
could impact the
economy.
A s s u c h ,
interest rates should not
be allowed to move up,
he suggested.
T h e problem due to its
government has pegged
its borrowings at over Rs
4.5 lakh crore for the
current fiscal, 70 percent
of which would come in
the first half itself, to
finance the ballooning
fiscal deficit, projected to
widen to 6.8 percent of
GDP during 2009-10.
In the quarterly
review of the monetary
policy yesterday, RBI
also said managing the
government’s borrowing
programme for 2009-10
remains a challenge. The
apex bank will meet the
challenges of spurring
private credit demand by
maintaining policy rates
and liquidity conditions
increased to Rs 6,177.58
crore during the April-
June quarter, from Rs
4,594.62 crore in the
corresponding period a
year-ago, PNB said in a
filing to the Bombay
Stock Exchange (BSE).
Interest income
rose 26 percent to Rs
5,207.42 crore during the
Slowdown in
developed and
industrialised economies
has "adversely impacted
our trade," he said adding
exports had sharply
declined since October
2008.
But during last
two months they have
recovered, he said
pointing to arresting of
the steep fall.
Wo r l d Tr a d e
Organisation has
projected that global
Corp Bank Q1 net profit
up 42% at Rs 261 cr
Mumbai, July 29: Public sector lender Corporation
Bank on Wednesday reported a 41.75 percent growth
in net profit to Rs 261.24 crore in the first quarter ended
June 30, 2009.
Total income increased to Rs 2,101.52 crore
in the latest quarter to Rs 1,446.28 crore in the
corresponding year-ago period.
Shares of Corporation Bank were trading at
Rs 349.15, up 1.22 percent over previous close on the
BSE.
Business
conducive, it added.
Many quarters
have expressed
concerns that huge
borrowings will jack up
interest rates and crowd
out private investment,
while the government
has allayed these fears.
J i n d a l
suggested that the
government should
further promote FDI to
counter any liquidity
borrowing programmes.
In fact, FDI of
USD 25-30 billion is
expected also for the
current fiscal as imports
have fallen due to
softening crude prices,
he added.
The central
bank also said large
fiscal deficit, if continued
beyond the recovery
period, can crowd out
private investment and
trigger inflationary
pressures.
The central
bank said the
government will need to
return to the path of fiscal
consolidation.
June quarter, while the
interest expenditure
stood at Rs 3,345.61
crore, up 24 percent over
the year-ago period.
Shares of PNB
were trading at Rs
741.50, up 2.62 percent
in morning trade on the
BSE.
trade will shrink by 9-11
percent because of the
recession in developed
countries like the US,
Europe and Japan. IMF
has projected 12 percent
drop.
"The dec line is
sharper in developed
countries where
economy, for first time in
30 years, will go in
negative because of fall
in demand and drop in
prices of capital goods,"
he said.
Govt launches 'Lean Manufacturing
Scheme' for MSMEs
New Delhi, July 29:The
government on
Wednesday launched
'Lean Manufacturing
Scheme' for the micro,
small and medium units
to enhance the
manufacturing
competitiveness of the
sector, battling the global
demand recession.
The objective of
this scheme is to
e n h a n c e t h e
manufacturing
competitiveness of the
micro, small and medium
enterprises (MSMEs) by
applying lean techniques
to identify and eliminate
w a s t e i n t h e
manufacturing process.
"The scheme
would be implemented
initially in 100 clusters (in
the industries having
p o t e n t i a l f o r
improvement in
competitiveness and
productivity) on pilot
basis in one year,"
Minister of State,
Independent Charge,
MSME, Dinshaw Patel
said.
He said, initially,
Economy to maintain growth
rate of 6.7% in 2009-10: Pranab
New Delhi, July 29: The
economy is expected to
maintain a growth rate of
6.7 percent in 2009-10,
same as last fiscal, as
some signs of pick-up
are visible, Finance
Minister Pranab
Mukherjee said on
Wednesday.
"We have
ended 2008-09 at 6.7
percent. I do hope, this
level of growth, we will be
able to maintain (in 2009-
10)," he said while
NRL surges, RIL dips in early trade
Mumbai, July 29:
Shares of RNRL on
Wednesday surged
nearly five per cent on
the Bombay Stock
Exchange in the morning
trade, a day after its
Chairman Anil Ambani
lashed out at the oil
ministry and the Mukesh
Ambani-led Reliance
Industries.
However,
Reliance Industries fell
by 1.1 per cent to
1,889.05 per cent on
BSE.
R N R L
continued its uptrend for
the fifth consecutive
trading day and rose by
4.83 per cent to Rs
86.70. It had opened at
Rs 82.50.
Launching an
under this scheme the
government has made a
provision of Rs 31 crore.
The clusters,
each a group of about 10
units, would be selected
from different parts of the
country and would
u n d e r g o l e a n
interventions for about a
year, MSME secretary
Dinesh Rai said.
During the end
of the first year, an impact
assessment study would
be carried out for these
100 clusters and the
outcome of the report will
form the basis for
upscaling this
programme to cover
another 300-500 clusters
in the subsequent year,
Rai said.
Consultants
would be deployed to
identify cluster- specific
needs who will suggest
specific lean techniques
for intervention in the
selected mini-clusters.
As engaging
consultants is quite
expensive for MSME
units, the government
will contribute up to 80
commending the
Finance Bill in the Rajya
Sabha.
H e s a i d
although some signs of
recovery are visible, it is
too early to point out that
whether they would be
steady.
Mukherjee
hoped the stimulus, both
in terms of financial
concessions, fiscal
policy and the monetary
measures announced by
RBI, will have its "desired
attack on the Petroleum
Ministry, Anil Ambani told
the RNRL shareholders
at its AGM yesterday that
"it is evident that the
apparently biased stance
commenced in 2006,
coincided with the
changes in the ministry".
"I'm sure all
private companies in
India wish that if they
make commercial
decisions, they wish to
get out of, they too had a
saviour to help bail them
To advertise in
this paper mail to:
adsales@timeschennai.com
Page 7
percent of this fee while the
remaining charge will have
to be borne by the
beneficiary units as part of
the scheme, Rai said.
The purpose of
the lean techniques would
be to assist MSME units in
r e d u c i n g t h e i r
manufacturing costs
through proper personnel
management, better space
utilisation, scientific
inventory management,
improved process flows
and reduced engineering
time.
L e a n
Manufacturing Programme
will also lower costs and
improve the quality of
products, which will enable
these products to compete
in national and
international markets, Rai
added.
There are about
13 million MSME units in
the country which employ
over 42 million people. The
sector contributes over 45
percent to the country's
industrial production and
40 percent to the total
exports.
impact".
The Finance
Minister said the early
signs of improvement in the
Indian economy are seen
despite no big recovery
visible in the global
economy.
He said trillions of
dollars would have been
injected in Europe and
North America. "But there
is no immediate restoration
of the (global) economy,"
he added.
out as in the case of RIL,"
he said.
R e l i a n c e
Industries scrip opened
weak for the fourth
consecutive trading
session at Rs 1,900 on the
BSE. Later it fell to Rs
1,889.05, down by 1.10 per
cent over its previous
closing price.
Over 1.8 lakh
shares of RIL changed
hands, while more than
77.95 lakh shares of RNRL
got traded on BSE.
Page 8
Bangladesh beat Windies
in 2nd ODI, win series
Roseau , Dominica, July
29: Bangladesh won its first
one-day cricket series
against a current test
nation when it defeated
West Indies by three
wickets in the second
match at Windsor Park on
Tuesday.
Two days after
beating West Indies in a
one-dayer for the first time,
Bangladesh chased down
the home side's 274-6 in 50
overs, including an
unbeaten century by Travis
Dowlin, by reaching 276-7
with an over to spare.
Bangladesh can
go for the two-test and
three-ODI sweep on Friday
at St. Kitts.
Bangladesh was
led by captain Shakib-al-
Hasan, who cracked 65 off
61 balls, and Mohammad
Ashraful, who hit 64 off 77
deliveries.
They had solid
support from the entire top
order.
Left-handers
Tamim Iqbal (29) and
Junaid Siddique (23)
shared an opening stand of
46, while Raqibul Hasan
(20) and Mushfiqur Rahim
(31) helped steel the
middle order.
David Bernard
was responsible for
removing both openers as
Bangladesh slipped to 64-
2.
First, he claimed
Siddique with the ball then
pulled off a sensational
one-handed catch at
midwicket off pacer Kemar
Roach to dispatch Tamim.
Ashraful then
forged two half-century
partnerships to tilt the
balance back to the Tigers.
He and Raqibul
added 52 for the third
wicket, followed by an even
more destructive stand of
74 off 64 balls with his
skipper.
Bernard claimed
Raqibul to a lofted drive to
extra cover but that failed to
halt Bangladesh's
momentum.
Ashraful and
Shakib were cruising when
Ashraful gifted his wicket
Wardrobe malfunction fails
to deter gold medallist swimmer
New York, July 29 : An
Olympic gold medallist
swimmer from US suffered
a major wardrobe
malfunction after his
bodysuit split just as he
dived into the pool at the
world championships in
Rome.
Ricky Berens,
who won a gold medal at
the Beijing Olympics, tore a
hole in his swimming
costume while stretching
before the start of the of the
men's 4x100 relay at the
Fina swimming world
Times Chennai E-Paper
as he lofted legspinner
Rawl Lewis to
long-off at 190-4 in the
37th over. Ashraful, who
also hit a half century in
the opening match
victory, struck three fours
and a six off 77 balls.
Shakib and
Mushfiqur soon dulled
the home crowd again in
a stand of 48 for the fifth
wicket.
But in a frantic finale, the
tourists almost threw it
away.
Darren Sammy
grabbed the wicket of
Shakib, who sliced a
catch to short third man
after hitting two fours and
a six off 61 balls.
Wicketkeeper
Devon Thomas, on
debut, was called out
from behind the stumps
once Roach had been
banned from the attack
for two beamers and the
19-year-old grabbed two
wickets to suggest a
fairytale ending for the
home team.
Mahmudullah
clipped to square leg
while Mushfiqur slapped
a full toss to extra cover at
261-7.
But Naeem
Islam and Abdur Razzak
were levelheaded as
they led their side home
with an unbeaten stand
of 15 off 18 balls.
Razzak hit the
winning boundary with a
sliced four over short
third man off Bernard.
Earlier, Dowlin's
brilliant, unbeaten 100 off
117 balls gave West
Indies hope. The 32-
year-old, in only his
second match, struck six
fours and a six off 117
balls. He paced his
innings superbly, with his
first 50 occupying 88
deliveries before he
exploded for 50 off his
next 29 balls.
Before he
appeared, West Indies
received an encouraging
start after winning the
toss.
Dale Richards
(20) and Andre Fletcher
championships in Rome
on Sunday.
"I kind of
freaked out for just a
second," Berens said.
"I felt like (the
split) was almost down to
my knees. I felt like I was
putting on a pretty good
s h o w, " l o c a l m e d i a
quoted him as saying.
T h e malfunction did not deter
aerodynamic full-body
swimming costume
critics claim gives
swimmers an unfair
advantage. Earlier this
SPORTS
(22) added 33 off the first
five overs but
Bangladesh struck back
once spin was
introduced.
F l e t c h e r
perished to the first ball
from skipper Shakib's
left-arm spin, slicing a
catch to cover.
Richards fell at
52-2, run out as he ended
up in the same crease as
Smith after a mix-up.
Smith and
Dowlin gradually rebuilt
the innings in the face of
a disciplined Bangladesh
spin attack.
Just as they
were beginning to
blossom, Smith also
departed to a run out.
This time, it was Tamim's
brilliant direct hit from
deep square leg that did
the damage.
Smith struck
one four and one six off
62 balls.
Captain Floyd
Reifer's tortured return to
international cricket
continued when he fell
for 7 as he slapped a
wide ball from Naeem to
backward point at 134-4
in the 33rd over.
But Dowlin and
the home team's
allrounders rallied in the
latter overs.
The last 10
overs realized 98 runs,
including the batting
powerplay of five overs
that produced 50 runs.
Bernard struck
two fours, Lewis
launched two sixes and
Sammy closed the
innings with a flurry that
included four fours.
Dowlin, who
missed out on a maiden
century when he fell for
95 in the second test,
endured one bit of luck
when Syed Rasel just
failed to cling onto a
diving return catch with
Dowlin on 97.
The Guyanese
brought up his century of
the second ball of the
final over, with a nudge
into the off side.
month, Fina (the
International Swimming
Federation) ruled that, in
competitive events from
2010, men's swimsuits
may, at most, be from the
waist to the knee, while
women can wear suits
that at most cover from
the shoulder to the knee.
The wardrobe
the 21-year-old swimmer
from winning the gold
medal for the US team.
Somdev loses in LA Open first round
Los Angeles, July 29:
India's Somdev
Devvarman failed to
make headway after
reaching the main draw
of the LA Tennis Open
and lost to fifth-seeded
Russian Igor Kunitsyn 5-
7, 2-6 in the first round.
Devvarman,
who turned pro a year
ago, should have won
the first set, having
broken the Russian's
service twice, but could
not press home the
advantage on Tuesday.
Kunitsyn, who
has not won consecutive
matches since reaching
the Memphis quarter-
finals in February, took
the second set
comfortably and with it
the match, though tennis
bookies had favoured the
Indian to win it over three
sets.
For the 24-
year-old Indian, twice
NCAA singles champion,
this was the second
successive defeat
against the Russian,
having lost to the world
number 37 in his first pro
tournament, Legg
Mason Tennis
Safin wins; Isner upsets
No. 7 seed Becker
Los Angeles, July 29:
Eighth-seeded Marat
Safin of Russia beat
America's Robby
Ginepri, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 in
the first round of the L.A.
Tennis Open on Tuesday.
The win was the former
No. 1's first in three
meetings with Ginepri,
who won the tournament
at Indianapolis last week,
but the two had not
played in four years.
Safin won just
one point in the final
three games of the
opening set. He took
control of the second set
by winning the first three
games and repeated that
in the third set while
breaking Ginepri's serve
twice.
``Robby is
playing really well,
coming from a title last
week. He is a tough
player. It was a well-
played match from both
of us,'' Safin said. ``I was
able to go up a break in
Afridi to lead Pakistan in T20
Islamabad, July 29:
Allrounder Shahid Afridi
will lead the Pakistan
cricket team in the next
m o n t h ' s Tw e n t y 2 0
international against Sri
Lanka.
``Chairman
PCB (Ijaz Butt) has
appointed Shahid Afridi
as captain for the
Twenty20 match against
Sri Lanka,'' the Pakistan
Cricket Board said in a
Classic, 4-6, 1-6, after
winning his first career
ATP match defeating
Taylor Dent.
Devvarman, a
graduate of the
University of Virginia,
slumped 25 ranks to 152
on ATP charts released
Monday from a career-
best 125 last week.
Kunitsyn next
plays Argentinean
Leonardo Mayer who
beat French qualifier
Josselin Ouanna 6-2, 6-
3.
American John
Isner fired 15 aces and
dropped only four points
on his first serve in
clinching two tough tie-
breakers to surprise
seventh-seeded German
Benjamin Becker 7-6(8),
7-6 (3) as he carried his
form that took him into
last week's Indianapolis
semi-finals.
Isner, a 2007
NCAA finalist at Georgia
Tech, improved to 3-0
head-to-head against
Becker, the NCAA winner
at Baylor in 2004. Isner
started the week at a
career-high ranking of
77.
the beginning of the
second set and that
helped me to turn the
match around.''
John Isner of
the United States upset
German No. 7 seed
Benjamin Becker 7-6 (8),
7-6 (3), in an earlier
match.
Isner, who had
mononucleosis and was
absent from the ATP Tour
for three months,
returned to action last
week at Indianapolis,
where he lost to eventual
champion Robby Ginepri
in the semifinals.
Isner said he
was ``maybe a little bit
tired today'' after
Tuesday's 2-hour, 5-
minute win that came on
the heels of four matches
at Indianapolis.
``I've just got to
get in a little better shape,
match shape,'' he said.
``When you take a month
off and don't do anything
you lose a lot.''
statement Wednesday.
Afridi will
replace Younis Khan,
who retired from 20-over
game after leading
Pakistan to win the
Twenty20 World Cup in
England last month.
Afridi, 29, was
instrumental in
Pakistan's success in
England, hitting an
unbeaten 54 off 52 balls
his side beat Sri Lanka in
July 29, 2009
Former Australian
Open finalist and World No.
8 Marcos Baghdatis of
Cyprus saved eight of nine
break points he faced to
defeat Indianpolis semi-
finalist Frank Dancevic 7-6
(3), 6-3 to reach the second
round, where he will play
Isner.
The Cypriot, who
is also a former Wimbledon
semi-finalist, has slipped to
N o . 1 4 6 o n t h e AT P
Rankings.
Baghdatis began
the year strongly with a
fourth-round showing at
the Australian Open and a
quarter-final appearance in
Johannesburg, but he last
won consecutive matches
on the ATP World Tour back
in February at Delray
Beach, when he also
reached the quarters.
In other first round
matches, Latvian Ernests
Gulbis, loser in eight of his
last ten matches, beat Yen-
Hsun Lu of Chinese Taipei
7-5, 6-2; Australian
qualifier Carsten Ball beat
Frenchman Marc Gicquel
6-2, 7-6 (6); and American
qualifier Ryan Sweeting
defeated compatriot Taylor
Dent 6-4, 2-6, 6-3.
There were just two service
breaks in the match, both in
the second set. Becker got
the first, to take a 3-1 lead,
then had what he called ``a
5-minute mental letdown''
and lost his serve.
That was the only one of
eight break points
converted by Isner, but it
got him back on serve and
eventually into the
tiebreaker, where he won
the final four points.
Fifth-seeded Igor Kunitsyn
of Russia got his title bid
under way with a 7-5, 6-2
win over Indian qualifier
Somdev Devvarman, while
sixth-seed San Querry of
the United States beat
Denis Istomin 6-2, 6-0.
Ernests Gulbis of Latvia
beat Lu Yen-hsun of
Taiwan 7-5, 6-2; qualifier
Ryan Sweeting topped
Taylor Dent, 6-4, 2-6, 6-3,
in a matchup of Americans;
and Australian qualifier
Carsten Ball eliminated
France's Marc Gicquel 6-2,
7-6 (6).
the final.
He has played in
2 3 T w e n t y 2 0
internationals, scoring 371
runs at an average of
19.52, as well as claiming
33 dismissals at an
impressive average of
15.57.
Pakistan will play
Sri Lanka in a Twenty20
match on Aug. 12 after a
five-match one-day series.
July 29, 2009 Times Chennai E-Paper Page 9
Page 10 Times Chennai E-Paper July 29, 2009

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