Aamir Khan says Anna Hazare deserves greater support than cricket team

NEW DELHI: Actor Aamir Khan says the country should extend greater support to Anna Hazare's struggle for a strong anti-corruption law than it did to the Indian cricket team's quest for the World Cup. In a letter to the social activist, who is on fast unto death demanding that the government co-opt the civil society in drafting the Lokpal Bill, the actor said the struggle against corruption was "infinitely more important, and affects each and every one of us". 

In the letter sent on April 6, the actor called Hazare an inspiration for the youth of India and said that he had written to Prime Minister Manmohan Singhasking him to pay heed to Hazare's appeal. 

In his letter to the Prime Minister, Khan said: "I would like to humbly submit to you that, based on all the material that I have read, what Mr Hazare is saying makes a lot of sense to me." 

"I am one of over a billion citizens of this country who is affected by, and most concerned about, corruption in our country. The last few months have witnessed some shocking exposés. In fact our society has been plagued by this sickness over the last few decades. I am one of the many who feel that strong steps need to be taken as corrective measures," the actor wrote to the Prime Minister. 

He further wrote: "It is therefore with great hope and all humility that I request you to pay heed to the voice of Mr Anna Hazare. I would like to submit to you that the nation is slowly but surely collecting behind Mr Hazare in appreciation for what he is fighting for. I am merely one of many who support Mr Hazare and have come to appreciate that this upright 72-year-old man is willing to sacrifice his life in the fight against corruption."

Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Aamir-Khan-says-Anna-Hazare-deserves-greater-support-than-cricket-team/articleshow/7889058.cms

Pranab's son owns assets worth Rs 5 cr

Nalhati, West Bengal: Union Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee's son Avijit, who has filed his papers as a Congress nominee for the West Bengal Assembly polls, owns assets worth over Rs 5 crore jointly with his wife. 

In affidavits submitted while filing his nomination from Nalhati in Birbhum Tuesday, the junior Mukherjee said he had movable assets worth Rs 58,22,890 (Rs 58.2 lakh). This includes four four vehicles and jewellery. His wife Chitralekha owns movable assets worth over Rs 90 lakh, including jewellery of Rs 52 lakh. 

Avijit also possesses agricultural land and non-agricultural land currently valued at around Rs 30 lakh, while his wife owns agricultural land worth Rs 42,31,930. Both own residential property worth over Rs 1 crore each. 

The income statement for the fiscal 2009-10 mentioned in the affidavits shows Avijit and Chitralekha have earned Rs 21,16,740 and Rs 2,06,259 respectively. 

Avijit, who worked as a general manager at Steel Authority of India Limited, took voluntary retirement recently for testing his fate in politics. 

IANS

Source: http://www.zeenews.com/news697981.html

Security forces vacate 1,225 buildings in J&K

Jammu: Committed to decreasing the footprint of security forces in Jammu and Kashmir, the state government has ensured that the forces have been vacated from 1,225 buildings in the state till date.

"As many as 1,225 buildings including 427 government buildings have been vacated from occupation of the security forces in Jammu and Kashmir till date," officials of the state Home Ministry said here. 

Apart from the 427 government buildings, 766 private houses and 32 hotels were vacated from the occupation of the security forces, they said. 

The officials said 100 government buildings were vacated in 2010-11, including 39 educational institutes and 8 health institutions. 

The buildings were vacated by shifting the security forces to alternate accommodation being constructed in a phased manner, they said, adding that Jammu and Kashmir government is committed to lessen the footprint of the security forces in the state, depending upon the improvement in the security situation. 

Source: http://www.zeenews.com/news698003.html

Jahangir portrait sells for a record Rs 10 crore

NEW DELHI: A life-size portrait of Emperor Jahangir, dating back to the 17th century, has become the most expensive Mughal painting sold at auction. The work, which went under the hammer at Bonhams Indian and Islamic Sale inLondon on Tuesday, fetched a king-size price — 1.4 million pounds (Rs 10.2 crore). 

Curators of the National Portrait Gallery, who had featured this work as a star exhibit in a show last year, billed it as the largest painting to come from the Mughal empire. 

Dating from 1617, Jahangir is opulently painted in gold and watercolour on a cotton canvas. He is seated on a European-style chair, with a halo around his head and balancing a globe in his right hand. These allude to his honorific name, Nur al-Din ('Light of the Faith') and to the name that he took on his accession to the throne, Jahangir, meaning 'world-seizer'. Abu'l Hasan, the highest ranking painter of the time, has been suggested as the artist. 

"This is one of the rarest 17th century painting ever to come to auction," said Alice Bailey, head of Indian and Islamic Art at Bonhams. The auction house said the buyer was a Middle Eastern museum. The last time this picture came up at auction was in 1995 when it sold for 573,000. 

While the medium of watercolour and gold on cotton would have been familiar to Mughal artists, experts say the portrait's scale and colouring derive from European oil painting. Large-scale European paintings were known at the Mughal court and Jahangir is reported to have displayed English portraits behind his throne at the New Year festival in 1616-17.

Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Jahangir-portrait-sells-for-a-record-Rs-10-crore/articleshow/7880460.cms

Andhra govt team to assess Saibaba trust takeover

HYDERABAD: As thousands of devotees of Satya Saibaba continued to pray for the recovery of their spiritual leader, a concerned state government dispatched a five-member team to Puttaparthi on Tuesday evening with the specific mission of finding out whether there is a need for the state to take over the affairs of the Satya Sai Central Trust. ( Read: Baba's health condition 'stable' ) ( Read: Pall of gloom in Puttaparthi ) ( Read: Broken idol of goddess reinstalled ) ( Read: 'Satya Saibaba not out of danger' ) ( Read: Secrecy about Sai Baba's health angers kin ) 

The five-member team comprises principal secretary, finance, L V Subramanyam, principal secretary, health, P V Ramesh, director of medical education Dr Raghu Raju, Osmania General Hospital (OGH) cardiologist Dr Laxman Rao and OGH general physician Dr Bhanu Prasad. 

"While the doctors will ascertain as to the actual health condition of Satya Saibaba, others will interact with the trust members to find out whether there is any system in place for running the scores of charitable schemes conceived by the Baba under the umbrella of the central trust," said one official. 

According to estimates by the income tax department, the Satya Sai Central Trust is worth more than Rs 40,000 crore. 

All donations to the trust receive complete tax exemption. 

What is said to be of key concern to the state is that the trust receives at least hundreds of crores of rupees annually as donations from foreign individuals. "What this team will find out is whether there is a proper accounting system and spending mechanism in place in the trust. If it is not there, the state might consider the option of taking over the trust," said top government sources. It is to study the accounting system that the state has sent the principal secretary, finance, to Puttaparthi, they added. 

The Satya Sai Central Trust runs the university complex, a speciality hospital, a world religious museum Chaitanya Jyoti, a planetarium, a railway station, a hill-view stadium, a music college, an administrative building, an airport, an indoor sports stadium and a sports complex in Puttaparthi. 

Besides, there are an estimated 1,200 Satya Saibaba centres in over 180 countries running schools and health and cultural centres.

Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Andhra-govt-team-to-assess-Saibaba-trust-takeover/articleshow/7880018.cms

Hrithik Roshan does not mind being called 'mad'

After going experimental,Hrithik Roshan has decided he wants to be called 'mad'. He would love to be called mad, he says. Most celebs would react harshly to any suggestions of madness, but Hrithik takes it as a compliment.

In what seems an attempt to show his philosophical side to the world, Duggu says madness is the genesis of genius and genius is the genesis of madness. "I would love to be called mad because of the extreme passion (that genius involves) and this extreme is what makes them different from others," says the Guzaarish actor.

The actor has been working passionately for all the characters he has played so far. He wants the world to know that whether his films work or not, he ensures he gives his best to all his films.

The actor adds: "It reflects your passion. Madness is a state of mind in which we do extreme things without bothering what the world may think. In this process, I can work better because I become the slave of my mind. Your passion helps you break rules and achieve your dream and I have always followed this path." Is this a genius in the making, or just the Sanjay Leela Bhansali effect?

Source: http://indiatoday.intoday.in/site/Story/134457/movies/hrithik-roshan-guzaarish-mad.html

Airline regulatory body does not have a single pilot on rolls

MUMBAI: It is strange that the organization mandated to regulate the aviation sector doesn't have a single pilot on its rolls. The pilots who work with the Directorate General of Civil Aviation(DGCA) are those employed with airlines and other aviation companies and are paid by respective companies and work part time with DGCA to make up for the regulator's lack of technical experts. 

No wonder that scams which involve incompetent pilots and unscrupulous chief flight instructors take a while to be unearthed. "Nearly 62 out of the 265 permanent personnel (does not include aircraft engineering directorate) that DGCA employs are senior officials and the rest are administrative staff, assistants, clerks, peons, etc," said an aviation source. None has a valid pilot licence. 

To compensate, DGCA appoints consultants and officials on a temporary basis. "The DGCA has 63 consultants appointed on short-term contract basis, including pilots," the source added. For airline-related issues, for instance, DGCA gets help from airline pilots. Though these pilots are members of DGCA's Flight Standard Directorate, they draw their salaries from their respective airlines. 

That this arrangement does not take care of all technical needs is clear from the recent experiences DGCA has had with its investigations. The investigation report on a May 2010 incident onboard a Dubai-Pune Air India Express flight in which the aircraft plunged several feet over the Arabian Sea is a case in point. The commander had left the cockpit to go the washroom when the aircraft pitched down and started plunging. The co-pilot had frozen at the controls. The aircraft regained its straight and level flight several seconds later after the commander took over. The DGCA report said that the aircraft's autopilot remained engaged throughout the uncontrolled descent. "But the autopilot could not have remained engaged when the aircraft started plunging. 

"Also with the amount of force applied by the commander to bring the nose back to level, the autopilot would have surely disengaged," says Captain M Ranganathan, adding that this was just one of the several flaws in the report. In the Kingfisher Airlines case where an aircraft overshot theMumbai airport runway in 2009, the DGCA investigation team drew a wrong conclusion. "It was a clear case of skidding, though the DGCA report stated another reason," says Ranganathan. Both the investigation reports were put online on its website by DGCA only to find pilots pointing out technical flaws. Both the reports were removed for amendments. 

Another department that could do with a pilot is the DGCA's Flying Training directorate. The DGCA website states that it has a senior pilot on its roll. "But the said personnel does not hold a valid pilot licence. He was formerly employed with the agriculture department of the government and so was from a different field altogether," said an aviation source. "The training imparted by flying clubs cannot be monitored as the DGCA has no permanent employee who has the technical knowledge to handle that," he adds. 

A case in point is that of the Central Examination Organization of the DGCA. It sets question papers for pilot licence exams. "Question paper for pilots are set by graduates and engineers. It is not a healthy practice," said a DGCA official.

Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Airline-regulatory-body-does-not-have-a-single-pilot-on-rolls/articleshow/7870539.cms

World Cup trophy lifted by Team India is a fake

It was a moment cherished by a billion Indians on Saturday. The moment India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni lifted the glitteringICC World Cup, ending a 28-year drought of World one-day championship wins for a cricket mad nation. But that moment may be irreparably tarnished, not just for Team India, but all Indian fans.

Because the trophy that captain Dhoni and his teammates so passionately kissed, hugged and adored - and millions of fans worldwide cheered - was a fake.

A mere replica, not the original. This has never happened in the 36-year history of the cricket World Cup.

Did the Indian players know that the cup that Sharad Pawar, president of the International Cricket Council (ICC) and India's agriculture minister, presented to them, the gold-and-silver trophy that President Pratibha Patil lovingly touched at a reception on Sunday, was not the real one?

Interestingly, a day before the final, Dhoni and his Sri Lankan counterpart Kumar Sangakkara had customarily posed with the same replica. And whether their teammates were aware of that? Chances are they were not.

The real trophy, valued at about $130,000 in money terms, but priceless for any cricket lover, was not at the Wankhede stadium, as the world had been led to believe.

It was rotting at a secure government godown, having been seized by the Mumbai Customs on its arrival from Colombo after the Sri Lanka-New Zealand semifinals on March 29.

The reason: The trophy, according to India's Byzantine customs rules, was not eligible for exemption from import duty! And a combination of bumbling babudom, and the ICC's bungling, ensured that it stayed under lock and key at the airport. Now, it will be flying back to the International Cricket Council's (ICC) Dubai headquarters on Monday - without having once being actually touched by the team which had fought so hard to win it.

A top official of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and an ICC official confirmed that the trophy was going back to the ICC headquarters. "The trophy is being taken back to Dubai," said Suru Naik, World Cup tournament director (India). An ICC official confirmed: "The trophy is returning to Dubai on Monday."

The ICC, meanwhile, is getting in a tangle of mis-statements as it tries to desperately cover up its bungling. The ICC spokesperson insisted that the real trophy is never presented to the winning team, and that only the replica is presented to the winners.

But photographs of Australia captains Steve Waugh (1999) and Ricky Ponting (2003, 2007) receiving the original trophy, which was instituted in 1999, prove otherwise.

The base of the original trophy has names of all the winners since 1975 engraved on it while the one presented to Dhoni at the Wankhede Stadium had a blank black base.

A customs official at Mumbai's Chhatrapati International Airport confirmed the shocking development, and added a fresh twist to the sorry tale. "The ICC has been insisting that the trophy which came on the flight from Colombo (after the Sri Lanka-New Zealand semi-finals on March 29) is a replica of the original World Cup trophy that is already at the Wankhede Stadium," he said on Sunday.

So, if the original trophy was indeed at the Wankhede Stadium, then why were ICC officials desperate to have the 'replica' released from the customs. What would they have done with it by taking it inside the city? And if the real trophy was at the Wankhede, why wasn't it presented to Dhoni? These questions remain unanswered.

"ICC officials told us that that this trophy has no commercial value as it is used for promotions only. However, when examined by a valuer, the trophy was estimated to be worth Rs 60 lakh or so, made of pure silver and gold. The payable customs duty is about Rs15 lakh. If it is a replica, then does it have to be exactly of the same value as the supposed trophy?

Moreover, the ICC letter that the official was carrying said that it was the World Cup trophy. Nowhere did the letter say that it was a replica and it should be let out," the official said.

Interestingly, the department of revenue of the finance ministry had issued, "in the public interest", a notification (No. 7/2011-Customs) on February 9, 2011, to allow certain items to be imported. It listed five broad categories with specific conditions, but there is no mention of the 'World Cup trophy' in the list. It includes "sport equipments; medical instruments; photographic and audio-visual equipment and supplies; broadcast equipment and supplies; computer and other office equipment".

While BCCI and ICC officials are trying to play down the issue, government officials blame the BCCI for all the confusion. "It is clearly a lapse on the part of the ICC or BCCI. They should have added the words 'World Cup trophy' while applying to the government for customs exemption," a senior tax official said. "Moreover," he added, "why couldn't ICC and BCCI, which are extremely rich, pay the customs duty? The duty would be peanuts for them."

The Prudential Cup was the trophy that was presented in the first editions, from 1975 to 1983, when the Kapil Dev-led Indian team won it.

In 1987, it was called the Reliance Cup after the sponsors, as the tournament moved out of Britain for the first time .

In 1992, a crystal trophy was presented to Pakistan captain Imran Khan. In 1996, it became the Wills Trophy and in 1999, the ICC instituted a permanent trophy.

Source: http://indiatoday.intoday.in/site/Story/134246/top-stories/india-vs-sri-lanka-world-cup-final-icc-trophy-lifted-by-team-india-is-a-fake.html

CMO murder: UP police announces cash reward

Lucknow: The Uttar Pradesh police has announced a cash reward of Rs 2 lakh to any person providing information in the Chief Medical officer Dr BP Singh's murder case. 

The Director General of Police Karamveer Singh has announced the cash reward to a person providing vital information regarding assailants of the CMO, officials said. 

The DGP has assured that the identity of the person would be kept secret, they said. 

The information can be given to Special DGP Brij Lal, DIG Lucknow, STF or the district police, they said. 

Singh was shot dead by two unidentified motorcycle-borne assailants on Saturday, near his Gomti Nagar residence when he had gone out for the morning walk. 

Protesting against the incident, doctors of Provincial Medical Services went on a state-wide flash strike, which was called off last night after a meeting with the government officials. 

Meanwhile, security has been provided to Singh's family and other eye-witnesses, who were present on the spot when the CMO was killed, they said. 

PTI 

Source: http://www.zeenews.com/news697562.html

Pak shrine bombings: Death toll climbs to 49

Islamabad: The toll in the suicide bombings that tore through a crowded Sufi shrine in Pakistan's Punjab province on Monday climbed to 49 as doctors raced to treat over a hundred people who were wounded. 

The toll in the suicide blasts near Sakhi Sarwar shrine has reached 49, Dawn News reported on Monday. 

Last year, there had been several suicide blasts at shrines across the country. One such attack in Lahore in July last year claimed the lives of at least 37 people and injured over 170. Shrines at Karachi and Quetta have also been targeted in the past. 

On Sunday, the first blast in the shrine in Dera Ghazi Khan district took place at about 5.40 pm. 

Rescue monitoring in-charge Muhammad Ahsan said the blast took place near the main gate of the shrine, where faithful had gathered for a three-day festival. 

The second blast occurred at the rear of the shrine located on top of a mountain. 

A third blast took place about an hour later when devotees were busy helping the injured people at the site. Some reports, however, said that the bomb had been defused. 

Hundreds of people, including women and children, had gathered at the shrine in the afternoon. 

The condition of several injured was critical, district official Iftikhar said. 

Police said the blasts were suicide attacks. The suicide bomber in the first blast who died on the spot was aged between 17 and 22. 

Another alleged suicide bomber - hailing from the northwestern part of the country - was taken into custody and his suicide jacket was defused. He was later taken to an undisclosed location. 

As the shrine is located on a mountain, rescue workers faced difficulties in shifting the injured people down to the plains, officials said, adding that many critically injured people died before they reached hospital. 

Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani strongly condemned the attack and ordered a probe. 

Media reports said the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) had claimed responsibility for the attack. 

IANS

Source: 

End of Yuvraj's worst year as cricketer, says mother Shabnam

MUMBAI: Khaate peete ghar ka lagta hai (Looks like he comes from a prosperous family). Till a month ago, if you walked to any chowk and overheard a conversation on cricket, that's what you would have perceived about Yuvraj Singh. (Read: Yograj credits son's success to God ) ( Read: Favourite 'kadhi chawal' awaits Yuvi ) 

Yuvraj? 36" waistline, under-arm biceps, paunch.World Cup haath se gaya bhaiyya (The World Cup is already gone). It looked like a terrible decision when he was selected to play the World Cup. His form had touched its lowest ebb yet. Less than 1,300 runs in 47 one-day innings and one injury after the other seemed like the beginning of a national crisis. The fielder in him too looked lost in the woods. He was also supposed to be supercilious, almost faking his way into the team and He was living on reputation alone. 

Yuvraj was finished, wasn't he? "He used to come home, go to bed and suddenly get up in the middle of the night. He couldn't get a grip on what was happening around him. Overnight he went from being one of the nation's best batsmen to one who was struggling to find a place in the team. It had to be his worst year as a cricketer," says Shabnam, Yuvraj's mother. She couldn't understand what fans, media, experts and those who were not so expert wanted from him. "I don't know what people expected from him." 

In India, where national and regional politics, the movie industry, information technology and art and culture sell like nobody's business, cricket tops the list. 

Yuvraj couldn't understand why his two fifties in 14 innings in 2010 and a batting average of 31.73 were not cutting any ice with selectors. "It came like a jolt when I was dropped," he now admits. During this phase, a reporter called Yuvraj's father to ask him what was going wrong with his son's cricket. "Mera bachcha sher hai lad ke wapas aayega" (My son is a tiger, he'll fight back), said a confident Yograj Singh. 

As his career hit an all-time low, there were reports suggesting that had started contemplating quitting the game. Thankfully, he shrugged them off. "I would like to thank my parents and my gurus (Guru Ram Singh and Guru Ajit Singh) and my friends," says Yuvraj. 

Yuvraj is a religious man and if he has respect for certain people, it remains that way. Parents and gurus, friends and family members and one Sachin Tendulkar form the crux of those certain people. In fact, Tendulkar is the 'special person' for whom he famously declared, after India's quarterfinal victory against Australia, that he wanted to do well in this World Cup. "But this win is not just for Sachin or any team member alone. This is for all of us and the nation. We fought like champions and won the Cup. And we're very proud of it," he says. 

To many Yuvraj may come across as arrogant, brawny and egotistic even. Those close to him say these are traits that make the myth, not the man. When he says, for instance, "Our nation had been waiting for this moment for long and we're glad we've achieved it" those who know him well insist how much this means to him. 

As his mother puts it "He was challenged and he fought back." In the process, he not just changed the way people think of him but simply made them stand up and clap in awe. 

Khaate peete ghar ke ladke ne World Cup jeeta diya! The boy from the prosperous background wonIndia the World Cup.

God's own challenges

At 5.45 in the morning, the only sounds at the beach in Fort Cochin are the cawing of crows. They swirl around the gigantic Chinese fishing nets spread out on the sand. A South Korean tourist, Kim (she refuses to give any other name) takes pictures.

In the photo-friendly light of dawn, her otherwise perfect pictures are marred by one little detail - a rash of bright lights on the horizon from the International Container Transshipment Terminal, or ICTT, inaugurated in February by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

Even as Kerala prepares for assembly polls in April, the setting - the fishing nets, the tourist and the terminal - perfectly represents its economy's past, present and future. The fishing nets (along with agriculture) point to its traditional economy focused on its natural resources like fertile land and abundant water. The second element, tourism, is its present, powering job creation and currently contributing about eight per cent to the state's gross domestic product, or GDP. 

Snapshot

Kerala's economy grew at 9.89% in 2009/10, faster than the national average

Tourism accounts for 8% of the state's GDP

77% of the state's resources are being spent on revenue expenditure as salaries and pensions

In terms of per capita income, the state is fourth nationwide

A serious shortage of white collared labour and militant unionism are crippling manufacturing in the state

Agriculture employs below 30% of the state's workforce and contributes just about 12% of the state's GDP

Revenues from tourism have almost doubled since 2005. And the future of the economy lies in the creation of infrastructure like the ICTT and roadways. Yet each of these sectors faces its own sets of challenges.

Ostensibly, Kerala's economy is breezing along. Soaring commodity prices, growth in remittances from non-resident Keralites - which according to some estimates account for nearly a fourth of the state's GDP - and a construction boom have fired the state's growth rate to 9.89 per cent in 2009/10, which is above the national average. "A boom in the prices of commodities like rubber, cardamom and coconut lead the growth that we are witnessing," says Deepak Aswani, Chairman of the Kerala Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Rubber prices have nearly quadrupled in the last two years, Kerala has witnessed a tax revenue jump of 20 per cent in 2009/10. Its per capita income is the fourth highest in the country.

"The so-called Kerala model of development, characterised by high human development parameters but low per capita income, no longer applies to Kerala," says K.P. Kannan, Professor at the Thiruvananthapuram-based Centre for Development Studies, or CDS. Now, per capita income is high as well, while the success in delivering universal primary education, a high level of health care and combating hunger continues.

Yet the growth story faces challenges - some intrinsic and some external. In the traditional economy, agricultural growth has slipped. "Agriculture is going through a phase of stagnation," says Kannan, pointing out that the share of agriculture and related activities in the state's income has fallen from 22 per cent in 2004/05 to about 12 per cent last year. Employment in agriculture has fallen from about 57 per cent to less than 30 per cent. The reason: the state's educated workforce is unwilling to work at manual jobs, resulting in a decline in the gross cropped area.

Observers say that because of employment guarantee programmes like the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme, or MGNREGS, farm wages have shot up significantly. A cashew farm labourer can charge up to Rs 350 a day and a skilled carpenter close to Rs 450. "Today, the bulk of the farm labourers are from the eastern states of India," says Kannan.

The situation is worse in some other sectors, too. Keralites complain that many waiters in their hotels now hail from the North-east, and being unfamiliar with local cuisine, often mix up their orders. The third phase of Technopark - Kerala's oldest and largest information technology, or IT, park - is being constructed by migrant labour.

"You would probably pay Rs 300 to unload a truck in Raipur. To do the same thing in Kerala you would have to pay Rs 1,000. Thanks to the militant unionism in the state, the wages for manual labour are unrealistic," says Aswani. Even today, no news broadcast on any of the state's TV channels ends without the word samaram - Malayalam for strike - being used at least once. Over the past year, truck drivers, bus owners, port workers, postgraduate medical students, autorickshaw drivers, taxi drivers, teachers, bankers, surgeons, and public broadcasting employers have all been on strike at some point.

When the Communist Party of India (Marxist), or CPM-affiliated trade union CITU prevented goods brought in by electrical equipment manufacturer V-Guard from being unloaded at a warehouse near Kochi, the 60-year-old Managing Director of V-Guard, Kochouseph Chittilappilly, personally unloaded the cartons. Industry watchers also point out that the multiplicity of unions in the state, each one backed by a political party, makes resolution of industrial disputes very tough.

Will Kerala ever be successful at manufacturing? CDS's Kannan asks a counter question: "Should an ecologically-sensitive, densely-populated, land-scarce state like Kerala focus on manufacturing at all?" Maybe not.

Kerala faces the handicap of geographical location when it comes to manufacturing

Mithun Chittilappilly Executive Director, V-Guard

"Kerala faces the handicap of geographical location when it comes to manufacturing," says Mithun Chittilappilly, Executive Director of V-Guard. "It lies on the southernmost tip of India and almost every raw material has to pass through several states to get here." V-Guard has manufacturing hubs in Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh and Tamil Nadu even though nearly 30 per cent of its revenues come from Kerala.

If manufacturing is not the way forward, how does the state create jobs for its largely educated workforce? The answer lies in investing in knowledge sectors like IT and tourism. Technopark's CEO Mervin Alexander sees bright prospects for the IT sector in the state. "At Technopark, there are over 240 companies, employing 28,000 people.

In the next five years, we will look at doubling that number," says Alexander. Technopark is also promoting a fully-integrated 450-acre township called Technocity near Thiruvananthapuram. It has already signed on Tata Consultancy Services, or TCS, to set up its Global Learning Centre at Technocity. TCS is expected to invest Rs 1,500 crore. Kerala also deserves credit for the way it has tapped into the tourism market. However, there is some concern that interest in Kerala tourism - especially among foreigners - is waning. The number of foreign tourists visiting the state fell to 557,258 in 2009/10 - a seven per cent drop from the previous year. Kerala Tourism Development Corporation Chairman Cherian Philip feels the recession in the West has affected tourist arrivals. "But we are now focusing on newer markets like the Gulf and Russia. Tourists from the Gulf usually come during the monsoon or the off season," says Philip.

Tourists are welcome, but other arrivals from the Gulf may not be good news. According to CDS's Kannan, nearly 220,000 Keralites, or nearly 17 per cent of its 1.3 million strong workforce, work outside the country, mostly in the Gulf countries. If the revolutionary cold that Egypt and Libya have caught spreads to the Gulf countries, Kerala will experience much more than a sneeze. Already, there are sniffles in Bahrain. "That's a nightmare scenario for the state. The bulk of the workers who will come back will not be the skilled workers but cab drivers and manual labourers. Their rehabilitation will be the biggest challenge the state has ever faced," says a Kochi political observer.

In the last two months, the ruling Left Democratic Front, or LDF, which has been accused of being investor-unfriendly by its critics, has been trying to speed up work on some long pending projects like the next phase of the ICTT in Kochi, the Vizhinjam Port near Thiruvananthapuram and the Smart City project in Kochi. Given the state's record of voting out every incumbent government since 1977, it is unlikely that the voting public of Kerala will view these last-ditch make-up attempts favourably.

Source: http://businesstoday.intoday.in/story/tourism-and-remittances-challenges-for-kerala/1/13895.html

Govt clears direct subsidy payout plan

The government has approved a three-step strategy to create a foolproof system for transferring fertiliser subsidy directly to farmers.

The decision was taken yesterday by a Group of Ministers (GoM) headed by Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee.

“The plan will be carried out in three phases,” a senior Department of Fertiliser (DoF) official told Business Standard.

In the first step, the government plans to track the movement of fertilisers from factories to farmers via retailers. This is expected to be over by December. After this, based on the collected data, it would start paying retailers.

According to DoF, there are around 230,000 retailers who will be paid based on the quantity of fertiliser they receive from companies or through the wholesale route. In the third stage, the government would gradually start paying farmers directly.

“The government should first conduct a dry run to create a database of farmers by recording details (of beneficiaries) at dealerships,” said Satish Chander, director general, Fertiliser Association of India.

However, industry officials, who refused to be named, said the strategy would increase transaction costs. Moreover, as dealers would have to bear the entire cost, the payout should be expeditious, they said.

Fertiliser companies said the strategy might cause delays and the deadline of March 2012 for directly transferring kerosene, LPG and fertiliser subsidies to consumers could be missed.

In order to account for all subsidy liabilities and lower the outgo, the government has set up a task force under Nandan Nilekani, the chairman of the Unique Identification Authority of India. It is expected to come out with its interim report soon. It has been given a deadline of March 2012.

The revised estimates put the subsidy bill — food, kerosene and fertilisers — at Rs 1,64,153 crore for 2010-11. The subsidy bill for food, petroleum and fertilisers is estimated at Rs 1,34,210 crore for 2011-12.

“Direct subsidy transfer is positive for the industry, as it removes the working capital issues which arise from delayed payments and underrecoveries,” said Tarun Surana, research analyst, Sunidhi Securities & Finance Ltd.

Source: http://www.business-standard.com/india/news/govt-clears-direct-subsidy-payout-plan/430684/

Four killed in Syria protests

Cairo/Sana'a/Dubai: Syrian security forces killed at least four people and wounded dozens when they opened fire on protesters on Friday while hundreds of thousands of Yemenis held what appeared to be the largest demonstrations in more than a month of protests and the Bahraini government detained several people in crackdowns across the nation.

Thousands of Syrians arched on Friday in the southern city of Daraa, which has become the epicentre of an extraordinary protest movement, as security forces deployed across the country, said witnesses.

Activists dubbed Friday a “Day of Martyrs” and called for mass demonstrations to honour more than 70 people killed during two weeks of protests.

President Bashar Assad dashed expectations he would announce sweeping reforms this week and instead blamed the popular fury that has gripped Syria on a foreign conspiracy.

Huge marches in Yemen

Hundreds of thousands of Yemenis packed a square in Sana'a and marched in villages and cities across the nation on Friday in what appeared to be the largest demonstrations in more than a month of demands the country's long-time ruler step down.

Many mosques in the capital shut down — a move unprecedented for Friday, the Muslim day of prayer.

President Ali Abdullah Saleh escalated his confrontation with the rapidly expanding uprising a week ago, taking on emergency powers that give him a freer hand to quell protests. He has been hit by a wave of defections by military commanders, ruling party members and others. The Sana'a crowd was supported by soldiers with anti-aircraft guns and rifles to prevent intrusions by the President's loyalists.

Arrests in Bahrain

Bahrain released a prominent blogger but detained several people, including a pro-opposition doctor, the latest in a series of arrests since the kingdom's crackdown on street protests, opposition sources said on Friday.

The tiny island's Sunni rulers have stepped up arrests of cyber activists and Shias, with more than 300 detained and dozens missing since the crackdown on pro-democracy protests earlier this month.

Source: http://www.hindu.com/2011/04/02/stories/2011040267002000.htm

Ind vs SL: Bookies favour India for World Cup final

MUMBAI: With everything looking good for the Indian team on the eve of the cricket World Cupfinal against Sri Lanka, the team has attracted the attention of followers of form. Besides, playing at Wankhede Stadium, the home of cricket in India, also made the hosts clear favorites in the betting market. 

Major betting sites like Ladbrokes, Betfair and Bet365 are offering average odds of around 60 paisa per rupee for an Indian victory while rivalsSri Lanka are available at an average odds of rupees 1.50 for every one rupee. 

That bookies are offering lucrative odds against Sri Lanka also reflects that doubts over the participation of Muttiah Muralitharan in this high stakes game have not gone unnoticed by punters. 

However, these odds are likely to change drastically once it becomes clear whether Murali will play the final or not on Saturday afternoon. In case Murali is ruled out, the odds on India's win are expected to come down to 50 paisa and odds for a Sri Lankan victory go up to rupees 1.60. 

According to early betting patterns, the prospect of Sachin Tendulkar scoring his 100th international century looks great with a lot of bets being placed on him. 

The maestro scoring a 100 and India lifting the Cup is available at a combined odds of 8/1 on Betfair. Betting is also heavy on Yuvraj Singh and Virender Sehwag scoring a century, with odds of 6-to-1. 

But the actual scene will unfold on Saturday once the game begins. A lot will depend on who bats first and how the innings progresses. "As of today the volume of betting that has taken place till now is far below our expectations. However, given that the Indians are in with a real chance to win the Cup, we expect the scene to change by 2.30 p.m. tomorrow," says a bookie. 

Betting options & odds on offer 

Indian win: Ladbrokes (8/13); Betfair (8/13); (60 paisa in the Indian market); SL win:Ladbrokes (5/4); Betfair (13/8); (14/10 in Indian market); Sachin Tendulkar: Scoring 50 (2.68/1); scoring 100 (6/1); scoring 100 and Indian winning (8/1) and MoM (7/1) - all from Betfair; Leading scorer in tournament: Tendulkar (10/11); T Dilshan (11/10); K Sangakkara (9/1) - all from Ladbrokes.

Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/cricket/cricket-world-cup-2011/off-the-field/Ind-vs-SL-Bookies-favour-India-for-World-Cup-final/articleshow/7847797.cms

Scam effect: Course in biz ethics must at new IIMs

BANGALORE: After playing out in the courtrooms and boardrooms, some of India Inc's scams have crashed into the classrooms of the Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs). 

A slew of scams, including Satyam, 2G, Bhopal gas tragedy ( Dow Chemical Company) and their protagonists have become a talking point at the new IIMs. Business ethics and values will now be taught as a part of the flagship postgraduate programme in management. 

The newest IIM at Trichy, mentored by IIM-Bangalore, will introduce a full credit mandatory course in ethics, corporate social responsibility and values this summer for its maiden batch. ''India has always been known for its values and ethics. But things have changed in recent times. We believe each student passing out of the institute should act as change agents with socially responsive behaviour. During the interview stage, we are looking for qualities like ethical behaviour, integrity and spirit of inquiry among prospective students,'' said IIM-T director Prafulla Agnihotri. 

Aditya Somani, a first year student at IIM-Ranchi, recently completed a second term course in business ethics and values. He said, ''The course did not teach him how to be ethical per se but focused on ethical decision making. ''I remember the Bhopal tragedy case where we discussed what ought to be done and what happened in reality. Professors throw up situations and we discuss how to tackle them.'' 

Heads of some of the biggest corporate houses, who hold honorary positions at IIMs, had pitched for these courses. Tata Motors vice-chairman Ravi Kant, who is chairman, board of governors at IIM-Rohtak, suggested a re-jig of the curriculum to include ethical business practices and CSR. In the first board meeting of the B-school in June 2010, he stressed the need for ''sensitisation of budding managers on sustainable profit making in long-term perspective versus short-term profitability.''

Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Scam-effect-Course-in-biz-ethics-must-at-new-IIMs/articleshow/7847306.cms

India vs Sri Lanka: Film stars now head to Wankhede to cheer for Team India

As the formidable Men in Blue look to end the 28-year World Cup drought, their fans in Bollywood are also ensuring that they are there to cheer the team as it takes on the unpredictable Sri Lankans at Mumbai's Wankhede Stadium on Saturday.

While most of the commoners have been striving to secure a ticket for the finals to fulfil their dreams to witness the clash of titans, some Bollywood A-listers have already got their seats booked in the stadium.

Superstar Aamir Khan and wife Kiran Rao, who were seen cheering Team India against archrivals Pakistan in Mohali, would be there for the finals too.

Actor Lara Dutta would also stand by the Indian cricket team along with her friends. A true cricket fan, she has committed to be there for the match instead of supporting her newly married husband, tennis star Mahesh Bhupathi, who is playing in Miami.

Dino Morea, who was in the midst of his Pakistani fans in Mohali during the Indo-Pak clash, is now heading towards Wankhede trailing Dhoni and his boys.

Actor Suniel Shetty, along with wife Mana and son, actress Minissha Lamba and Jeetendra's actor son Tusshar Kapoor have also booked their tickets at Wankhede.

Source: http://indiatoday.intoday.in/site/Story/134011/top-stories/india-vs-sri-lanka-film-stars-now-head-to-wankhede-to-cheer-for-team-india.html

Extraminds.com (Free Education)

Extraminds.com is a Social networking plus educational website where they provide free education for all the students covering all classes as per CBSE. This is  a very unique opportunity for the students of all classes where they can find their study solutions with video tutorials. As we all know Facebook.com its also social site where we can make our personal Account & do chat,messaging,email,like,comment & share. There we can make our personal Account. Its same like facebook but plus point is they provide free education for all the students for all the classes. This  information is for all the students.

Source: http://www.extraminds.com/Home.aspx?Logout=123

Spectrum scam is Jayalalithaa's return ticket in Tamil Nadu: Opinion poll

Piggybacking on corruption and price rise issues, the Amma of Poes Garden will ride back to power in Tamil Nadu in the ensuing assembly elections. The grand alliance, stitched together byAIADMK supremo J. Jayalalithaa, is expected to bag 164 out of 234 seats and send chief minister M. Karunanidhi's DMK-led coalition packing.

These are the findings of the Mail Today-India Today-Headlines Today-Aaj Tak-ORG opinion poll. According to the survey, the AIADMK alliance - which has the CPM, CPI and DMDK as its members - will get 50 per cent of the total votes polled. The poll shows there is a decisive distance of 5 per cent votes between Amma's alliance and the DMK-led coalition.

The projection for the DMK alliance stands at 68. It's a near complete reversal from 2006, when the AIADMK had managed 69 seats, while the DMK combine had bagged 163. The result clearly goes to show how Jayalalithaa has understood the virtues of stitching the right coalition to maximise electoral gains.

Unsurprisingly, graft - particularly the 2G spectrum allocation mega scam - is likely to be the thorn in the DMK's side. As many as 50.5 per cent voters believe corruption is a significant issue in these elections. When asked whether they understand the 2G scam involving DMK leader A. Raja, 50.5 per cent respondents have said they are aware of it.

Price rise is the main issue for a big 59.3 per cent chunk of the respondents. Over 43 per cent of the voters have highlighted basic necessities such as electricity, roads and water as a crucial deciding factor. Unemployment, too, will impact the decision of 37.5 per cent of the electorate. The majority of

the people are also unhappy with the way the DMK has handled the killing of Indian fishermen by the Sri Lankan Navy.

The survey predicts that the DMK alliance - which also includes the Congress, PMK, VCK and IUML - will get a vote share of 45 per cent.

In another interesting result, 39.3 per cent of the respondents feel the DMK patriarch is more corrupt than Amma. When asked if they will favour a change of guard in the state, almost 51 per cent have responded in the affirmative.

While 36.1 per cent of the voters back Opposition leader Jayalalithaa as the next CM, 34.1 per cent favour the continuation of Karunanidhi.

Though Karunanidhi wants his son and deputy CM M.K. Stalin as his successor, only 3.5% of the respondents want the latter to be assigned the top post. Just 24 respondents (0.6 per cent) want Union home minister P. Chidambaram as their next CM.

Film star Vijaykant's DMDK, which contested the 2006 assembly polls and 2009 Lok Sabha elections alone, will get the vote of 11.3 per cent respondents.

Just 1.3 per cent of the electorate would have voted for the MDMK, which has decided not to contest following differences with the AIADMK.

Source: http://indiatoday.intoday.in/site/Story/133975/top-stories/spectrum-scam-is-jayalalithaas-return-ticket-in-tamil-nadu-opinion-poll.html

Slower Indian population growth may benefit economy

India's population grew at its slowest pace since independence in the decade to 2011, the government said on Thursday, a trend welcomed by some since it may lead to higher living standards and sounder public finances in a country with enough young people.

Unlike the advanced countries of the West or even Russia and China, where ageing or shrinking populations have sparked worries about the impact on economic growth, India has long sought to bring down population growth to a level it can handle.

Its population, pegged by the Census of India at 1.21 billion at the beginning of 2011, has been a drag on economic growth, with successive governments unable to find the schools, jobs or food productivity to match the demographic bulge.

The growth of 17.6% from 2001, the last time Indians were counted, compared with 21.5% in the previous decade, the preliminary census report said.

"Reducing the growth rate is our objective. What we already have is a large youth population without enough schools or jobs for them," said Abusaleh Shariff, chief economist at the National Council for Applied Economic Research.

"It (the decline) reflects the desire of even poor people to educate their children and for a better life. They know that having too many children will be counter-productive," he said.

India stands in contrast to neighbouring China, which faces the prospect of not having enough young people to support a fast-ageing population.

Beijing's strict one-child policy has brought down annual population growth to under 1% and the rate is projected to turn negative in another three decades.

India's population is projected to overtake China's by 2025 and its large youth population means it can look forward to a demographic dividend that includes ample supply of labour, rising productivity and plenty of younger workers to fund the pensions of those who have retired.

A decline in population growth means India's national income may break out of the trend of increasing just ahead of population growth, potentially freeing millions of dollars the government now spends on welfare schemes.

The census report showed literacy had improved during the decade by 9.2 percentage points to 74%.

But the number of females per 1,000 males in the 0-6 age group fell to 914 from 927 during the past decade, pointing to the continued practice of selective abortions.

The census data will be used by governments to design welfare schemes and calculate what funds should be set aside for food and fuel subsidies.

India will also use the census to issue a unique identification number to all its citizens and to target beneficiaries for welfare schemes, which it hopes will provide better access to such schemes and help it trim its subsidy bill.

"In the long term, in terms of social-sector schemes, the burden on the government will be less. That is the straightforward conclusion," said NR Bhanumurthy, an economist at the National Institute of Public Finance and Policy, referring to the slowing population growth.

Source: http://www.business-standard.com/india/news/slower-indian-population-growth-may-benefit-economy/130893/on