Papers forged to force Army chief to cut short tenure?

NEW DELHI: Squabbling among generals over the age of Army chief General VK Singh has plunged to a new low, with a case of crude impersonation and forgery emerging in Pune. Investigators are frantically trying to trace one Rafique Shaikh, who forged papers to show that General Singh was born in 1949 as part of what is seen as a plot to shorten the tenure of the army chief. 

The certificate with a forwarding letter from a Member of Parliament was sent to defence minister A K Antony and circulated among media to muddy the waters over General Singh's age. 

The Kirkee Cantonment Board in Pune filed a police case alleging that Shaikh forged General Singh's "birth certificate" to show that he was born in 1949 and not in 1951 -- the year of birth shown in the Army chief's class X certificate. R C Jagtap, Chief Executive Officer of Kirkee Cantonment Board, in his police complaint has said "Mr Rafiq Shaikh with malafide intention submitted an application to obtain a certificate for his son" and used it to create the purported birth certificate of Gen Singh. 

The birth certificate manufactured by Shaikh was riddled with loopholes, with a non-existent maternity home as his birth place. But it brought out the resolve of vested interests and a faction in the Army to push Singh out by May 2012. 

At the root of the controversy is what General Singh has for years called a typo in his application to the Union Public Service Commission for admission to National Defence Academy. The teacher who filed the application for Singh entered 1950 as the year of his birth instead of 1951 as recorded in Class X certificate. The Supreme Court has laid down that details in the Class X certificate are to be treated as the relevant date for all official purposes. The discrepancy resulted in two dates of birth for Singh in the Army's records. While the military secretary's branch recorded 1950 as the year of birth based on the UPSC form, the adjutant general's office maintained that it was 1951. 

General Singh tried to get the anomaly rectified several times. Even the ministry of defence asked the Army to reconcile the records when the chief was being appointed a corps commander. Strangely, however, the divergence was allowed to persist. 

A strong section in the Army as well as the defence ministry suspects that the controversy is now being exploited by vested interests hurt by some of the recent measures as well as patrons of some officers whose career prospects are better served by uncertainty over the succession order. 

Defence Minister AK Antony has now stepped into the issue, in the wake of an RTI application, a law ministry opinion saying that Gen Singh's birth year should be 1951, and several media reports. He has asked the ministry to carry out fresh verification, with orders to "go by records" and not to give any opinions. The MOD finding will have to be approved by the Cabinet Committee on Appointments, a senior MOD source said. 

A legal opinion given by the ministry of law and justice too has said that General Singh's birth year should be 1951. If this is accepted, then Northern Army Commander, Lt Gen KT Parnaik, would become the next chief in March 2013. 

However, if the UPSC application showing 1950 as Singh's year of birth is taken into consideration, then Lt Gen Parnaik would be eliminated from the race and Lt Gen Bikram Singh, currently heading the Eastern Command, will take the baton after Gen Singh retires in May 2012. 

Feuds among the Army brass are hardly unknown. But what differentiates the current bout is the lengths travelled by those wishing Gen Singh to retire early. Retired officers have been circulating Gen Singh's alleged birth certificates and select pages from documents, triggering suspicions whether heartburn over his tough actions are in play. 

The measures taken by the Army chief on the Sukna and Adarsh scams have left behind a trail of bitterness, even generating a sense of betrayal. 

Meanwhile, sources said investigation over the past 24 hours by the Pune police have failed to trace Shaikh. There was no one by the name at the address given by him (house No 28, Salisbury Park, Pune). 

Investigators have recovered CCTV recordings from the Kirkee Cantonment Board office, and a woman clerk in charge of birth and death certificates has recognised Shaikh, or the person who pretended to be Shaikh, sources said. Shaikh had visited the office earlier too, and located birth details of an unnamed male child, born on June 9, 1949, with registration number 210, and claimed it was his son. He demanded the birth certificate for this child. 

The lady clerical staff has told investigators that she gave a blank birth certificate in good faith to Shaikh. The certificate was later used to produce that of General Singh, showing his year of birth as 1949.

Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Papers-forged-to-force-Army-chief-to-cut-short-tenure/articleshow/8121817.cms

Air tickets to get cheaper from Mumbai, but not Delhi

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Tuesday ruled that the airport development fee ranging between Rs 100 to Rs 1,300 levied per passenger per trip at Mumbai, Delhi and other airports was illegal since it was not authorized by the Airport Economic Regulatory Authority (AERA). 

While this verdict will lead to lower fares in Mumbai, fliers from Delhi will continue to cough up the tax since the operator obtained AERA's permission to collect the sum in 2010. 

The order by a bench comprising Justices R V Raveendran and A K Patnaik will be welcomed by millions of flyers who have resented the levy as an unjustified burden particularly when airfares and prices in general have soared. They, however, will not get refunds, with the apex court ordering the airport development fee to be deposited withAirport Authority of India (AAI) for upgrading airports and passenger amenities. 

The bench held that the GMR-led Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL) and GVK-managedMumbai International Airport Limited (MIAL) started collecting development fee from passengers transiting through the two airports from March and April 2009 merely on the strength of an authorization from the ministry of civil aviation, and without the requisite sanction from AERA.DIAL got the sanction from the airport regulator in 2010, while MIAL has not been permitted till date. 

Justices Raveendran and Patnaik prohibited MIAL from collecting airport development fee of Rs 100 per domestic trip and Rs 600 per international trip. The airport developer was permitted by the ministry to levy the fee till 2013. 

Though DIAL was permitted to collect Rs 200 per domestic trip and Rs 1,300 per international trip from passengers for three years since March 1, 2009, the court said it could have legitimately done so only from April 23, 2010, when it got AERA nod. 

The bench said it was still open for the petitioners to challenge the April 23, 2010 order of AERA allowing DIAL to collect the fee without determination of the rate. 

However, the court said both MIAL and DIAL cannot keep the money collected from passengers by them and would now have to account for the entire sum they got as development fee since 2009 to AAI. Delhi airport had handled 25 million passengers in the year 2009-10, while Mumbai airport in 2010 had seen a passenger traffic of 28.1 million. 

The airport developer in Delhi was allowed to collect the tax to cover a deficit of Rs 1,827 crore when the project cost was estimated to be about Rs 9,800 crore. But now with the project complete and the cost escalating to Rs 12,718 crore due to, among other reasons addition of the new domestic terminal 1D, the funding gap has gone up to Rs 3,481 crore. To cover the additional gap of about Rs 1,700 crore, DIAL has accordingly asked the Airport Economic Regulatory Authority (AERA) to be allowed the charge the ADF of Rs 200 and Rs 1,300 for four years and eight months from March 1, 2010, an extension of two years and eight months. 

Writing the judgment for the bench and partly allowing a petition filed by NGO "Consumer Online Foundation', Justice Patnaik said: "We declare that with effect from January 1, 2009, no development fee could be levied or collected from the embarking passengers at major airports under Section 22A of AAI Act, 1994, unless the Airport Economic Regulatory Authority determines the rate of such development fee." 

"We direct that MIAL will henceforth not levy and collect any development fee at the major airport at Mumbai until an appropriate order is passed by the AERA under Section 22A of the 1994 Act as amended by the 2008 Act," the Bench said.

Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/business/india-business/Air-tickets-to-get-cheaper-from-Mumbai-but-not-Delhi/articleshow/8095224.cms

Note had warned PM Raja planned to ignore 2G advice

NEW DELHI: The brazenness with which arrested telecom minister A Raja bent rules to distribute telecom licences and 2G spectrum allegedly in exchange of bribes could not have surprised Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. 

An internal note warned Singh that the telecom ministry under Raja intended to ignore advice to refer allocation of 2G spectrum to an empowered group of ministers (EGoM) and that such a course of action violated rules of government business. 

The note, put up to the PM in November 2007 in the wake of rising concern over Raja's bid to ram through the 'first-come, first-served' policy, clearly said that differences between law and telecom ministries over the need for wider consultations should be resolved by the Cabinet. 

The PM did ask his office to examine issues, but despite the pitfalls in Raja's interpretation of his policy domain, the DMK leader not only pushed ahead with his controversial implementation of his preferred policy but also managed to subvert the cabinet system in the process. 

If these revelations contained in PMO and Cabinet Secretariat's communication with the Public Accounts Committee find reflection in the committee's report likely to be submitted this week, it will set off fresh confrontation between the government and opposition. The PAC, headed by BJP leaderM M Joshi, is expected to refer to systemic failures in the 2G episode. 

The PMO assessment followed Singh himself asking his office for a note on "whether the action proposed to be taken by the (telecom) ministry is correct or not; whether it is justified in doing what it plans to do." Raja had insisted in a November 2, 2007 letter to the PM that the EGoM route was "totally out of context''. 

Significantly, the PMO is not clear on whether it should have stopped Raja from having his way. Responding to criticism that it failed to ensure his adherence to the 2003 Cabinet decision that pricing of airwaves be jointly decided by telecom and finance ministries, the PMO told the PAC, "Not giving effect to a Cabinet decision is tantamount to varying or reversing the same… it is incumbent on the department to bring it before the Cabinet." 

However, it did not agree that PMO was mandated to ensure the former telecom minister played by rules. "There is no specific requirement for PMO to enforce cabinet decisions nor is this the general practice," PMO told the committee. 

With regard to then finance minister P Chidambaram's January 15, 2008 letter on the need to review telecom ministry's decision to price spectrum, the PMO said: "Prime Minister saw the finance minister's note. No action was formally taken by PMO on the note." It also said that Chidambaram's objections seem to have been resolved by July 2008.The response is in sync with the PM's assertion that in the final analysis finance ministry agreed with Raja's stand that spectrum need not be auctioned. 

Both PMO and Cabinet Secretariat make it clear that the decision in December 2006 to delete pricing of spectrum from the terms of reference of a group of ministers set up in February was approved by the PM. The PMO informed Cabinet Secretariat on November 27, 2006, that the PM had "approved the revised terms of reference", on the urging of Raja's predecessor Dayanidhi Maran. 

When various concerns were brought to his notice even after his November 2, 2007 letter to the PM, Raja did not budge and wrote on November 15 that he was only continuing with the existing spectrum policy. 

Later on December 12, 2007, the telecom ministry candidly told PMO that new licences would be granted to those who fulfilled the letter of intent conditions. The ministry anticipated a rush of applicants as it said "an applicant who fulfils LoI condition first will be granted licence first, although several applicants will be issued LoI simultaneously." 

Raja assured the PM that "discussions with the external affairs minister and the solicitor general (Goolam Vahanavati) have further enlightened him to take preemptive and pro-active decisions. PMO says that it outlined a course of action for the PM's consideration but does not spell it out.

Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Note-had-warned-PM-Raja-planned-to-ignore-2G-advice/articleshow/8094760.cms

Adobe India doles out up to 200% bonus

BANGALORE: At Adobe's India centre, bonuspayouts are not just linked to meeting key result areas (KRAs) or targets, but also to how innovative employees have been through the year. 

This year, the company doled out bonuses up to 200 per cent, a reflection of the firm notching up 200 patent applications to its name over the years, second only to the number of patents applied from its US office. 

The company has 40 per cent of its global research and development talent in India and one of its most profitable global business units, the firm has five in total, is fully managed here. 

"In India, the opportunity for us is talent arbitrage, not cost arbitrage. We choose the best people from the highest ranked colleges like the IITs and other tier I technology schools and make every effort to keep them together," says Jaleel Abdul, senior director, human resources, Adobe Asia-Pacific. 

To keep the flock together, the company is paying top dollar for top-notch talent, 50-60 per cent higher than most other tier I firms. It has promoted 30 per cent of its engineering staff last year and ensured that employees have full ownership of products that are commercialised and are not involved with just a part of the product, as is often the case with global technology firms which has research centres here. 

Employees also get customer feedback on products. Adobe pumps in significant resources to see a patent application through to its end, a process that could take several years and keeps its employees updated through the process. "A patent is a measure of technical excellence and that probably is the biggest high. It is about saying I invented something no one else thought of before," Abdul said. 

"The annual incentive plan or bonus payouts are based on the company's performance and individual performance. Performance is measured with reference to the Leading to Win criteria which includes thought leadership, results leadership, people leadership and personal leadership. The payouts are contingent on differentiated value added by recipients on all four quadrants of Leading to Win criteria. In addition to this, the company also gives out significant special bonuses to employees who work on innovative ideas that get patented," he added. 

The company has seen a significant increase in the number of patents it has been applying for every year. A growing headcount is also lifting the number of the patent filings, now at almost one every year. 

At a time when most technology firms have been a grappling with huge churn, Adobe says attrition has been in single digits and one sign of employees staying with the company for long periods is that today is because large part of its leadership team has come through the campus route. 

Adobe has also increased hiring significantly this year. It has 1,800 employees and has been increasing headcount at 15-17 per cent a year in the past. In the first three months of this year the company has already hired 350 people.

Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/tech/news/software-services/Adobe-India-doles-out-up-to-200-bonus/articleshow/8087920.cms

CWG scam: UK firm owner may turn approver

NEW DELHI: Arrested former Commonwealth Games Organizing Committee chief Suresh Kalmadi may be headed for more trouble with Ashish Patel, the UK-based owner of AM Cars and Films, likely to turn approver in the Queen's Baton Relay case. 

After his arrest in irregularities in the timing, scoring and results contract for the Commonwealth Games, Kalmadi can be booked for payments made to the UK firm for hire of cars, screens and portable toilets for the October 2009 function flagged off by the British Queen in London. 

No contract was entered into with the firm on the plea that the OC had to respond to last-minute demands by British authorities — an argument that is undone by evidence that the organizers were in touch with Patel much earlier. Evidence has also surfaced of Kalmadi himself authorizing payments to the firm quoting paucity of time. 

Now, Patel could be an approver in the two cases related the QBR contract registered by CBI in November 2010. A two-member CBI team that went to London to question Patel, who is also an accused, and to gather other evidence said the businessman had been cooperative. 

"Ashish Patel was questioned twice and he has given us important details on the whole contract. We showed him documents which we have collected during investigations. We told him where he stands," said a source. Officials added that if Ashish Patel did not cooperate, CBI will soon begin the process for his extradition. As he is a British citizen, Patel cannot be arrested by CBI but he was questioned at length on exchange of emails between arrested OC officials Sanjay Mohindroo and T S Darbari, release of payments and the so-called contract. Patel could not explain the documents though CBI could not get a statement given his nationality. 

Patel is expected to submit his reply to the Scotland Yard police department which will pass it on to the CBI. "We have substantial evidence against Patel of his complicity with Darbari and Mohindroo. Being an accused, he could turn approver declaring that he was also part of the conspiracy," said an official. 

Before questioning Patel, CBI took permission of UK's Serious Fraud Office. CBI is also hopeful the SFO will register a case against the car rental firm (AM Cars) for alleged overpricing. 

In its FIR, CBI stated, "It is alleged that in relation to the QBR held on October 29, 2009, the OC awarded the work of transportation to the AM Car and Van Hire Ltd at exorbitantly high rates without following the standard tender process." 

CBI has registered nine FIRs in different cases related to alleged corruption in the mega sporting event held in Delhi on October 3-14 last year.

Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/CWG-scam-UK-firm-owner-may-turn-approver/articleshow/8085335.cms

Review: Sony Xperia Arc

NEW DELHI: Rarely (make that "never") have we seen so many features in a device that is so slim and stunning to look at. Although mainly made of plastic, the Xperia Arc is a sight for sore eyes. 

The front is dominated by the 4.2 inch, 854 x 480 pixel (jargon alert) Reality Display, powered, we are told, by the Sony Bravia Engine. SuperAMOLED it is not, but it is remarkably clear and bright. 

There are three metal buttons beneath the display for menu, home and back — no search button here, much to our surprise. There is a metallic accent along the sides which houses the volume rocker, the dedicated camera button, the micro USB port and headset jack, while the top houses the power and screen on/off buttons and a microHDMI port. 

But impressive though the front and side is, it is the back that is breathtaking —arching inwards to give the device an incredible 8.7mm thickness at its thinnest point and housing an 8.1-megapixel camera lens with single LED flash. 

There is a fair bit inside the sleek casing — a Qualcomm MSM 8255 processor, which combines a 1 Ghz processor with Adreno graphics, 512 MB RAM, 320 MB onboard memory (an 8GB card is bundled with the package ) and stacks of connectivity options. The phone tips the scale at a mere 117 grams — quite a feat! Powering all this is Android 2.3, over which Sony Ericsson has placed its skin with the Timescape for social networking alerts on your homescreen. 

Honestly, we are not great fans of Timescape as the cool factor of flicking through your latest updates wears out soon. The large screen is terrific for reading, browsing the Net, viewing videos and even for tweaking images. Sony Ericsson has also thrown in a document viewer (QuickOffice). 

Sound quality was excellent when it came to playing music, but for some reason, seemed to fade while making calls, even with the volume maxed out. We occasionally had to strain our ears a bit to find out what the person on the line was saying. 

Where the Arc really shines is in the camera department. It has numerous shooting options and the results, especially in daylight, border on the brilliant with sharp images and almost life-like colours. Credit for this goes to the mobile CMOS sensor in the camera — a rare case of specs being backed up by performance. 

HD (720p) video was very good too and on par with what we had seen on the Nokia N8. We could not find much fault with the Arc, except the plastic construction and tiny buttons. And of course, there is the "charge-a-day" syndrome that affects all Android handsets, when all notifications — from mail to news to social networks — are running. 

At 28,500, the Arc is not exactly cheap and goes up against some very stiff competition, especially from HTC, which has the likes of the Desire HD and Incredible S with similar specs (the Desire HD has a bigger display), although neither's camera or appearance can hold a candle to that of the Arc. 

And that really sums up the Arc's main strength — it's a terrific option for those who want a good-looking smartphone with a terrific camera. Android finally has a shooter!

Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/tech/personal-tech/gadgets-special/Review-Sony-Xperia-Arc/articleshow/8064765.cms

Sai Baba to be buried on Wednesday, 5 Lakh expected for funeral

PUTTAPARTHI: One of India's most revered spiritual leaders with a following of kings and commoners alike, Sri Sathya Sai Baba, passed away on Sunday morning at 7:40 am of cardio-respiratory failure at the Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Medical Sciences here. He was 85. 

Sai Baba's death was announced at 10.15 am by hospital director Dr A N Safaya, who said, "Bhagwan Sri Sathya Sai Baba is no more with us physically. He left his earthly body on April 24, 2011, at 7.40 am due to cardio-respiratory failure." He was admitted to the hospital 28 days ago with cardiac problems and his condition deteriorated with many of his organs failing. 

The Baba's body will lie in state at Sai Kulwant Hallin Prasanthi Nilayam Ashram until Tuesday for his devotees and followers to have a last darshan. He will then be buried close to his Yajur Mandir residence on Wednesday in line with the practice adopted for Hindu spiritual leaders. Sanyasis are said to symbolically submit their bodies to fire at the time of renunciation by donning saffron or flame-coloured robes. 

"The exact time of burial will be announced later," said Andhra's industries minister Geeta Reddy. Five lakh people are expected for the funeral that will include national and international dignitaries.

Before announcing Sai Baba's demise, the police ordered a complete shutdown of Puttaparthi. All shops were closed and roads barricaded. Those arriving from Bangalore (barring mediapersons and government officials) had to stop 8km out of town. 

"His body was wrapped in orange clothes and covered up to the eyes. Nobody uttered a word. Everybody wept," said Sai Kumar, 33, a local businessman and a devotee. "I spoke to him on March 18 for two minutes and took his photograph," he said, tears rolling down his cheeks. 

At 3 pm, the body was shifted to Sri Kulwant Hall in Prasanthi Nilayam (the highest abode of peace), where Sathya Sai Baba gave discourses and met devotees daily for over four decades.

Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Sai-Baba-to-be-buried-on-Wednesday-5-Lakh-expected-for-funeral/articleshow/8076038.cms

Left Front has failed to govern West Bengal: PM

KOLKATA: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Saturday said that the Left Front (LF) government had failed to govern the West Bengal and now it was time for the new alliance of Trinamool and Congress to run the government. 

The prime minister is campaigning at Katwa in favour of Congress candidate Rabindranath Chatterjee. Singh appealed to the voters to vote in favour of the Trinamool and Congress candidates. 

Singh while addressing a rally at Katwa said that if the Congress and Trinamool Congress combine came to power then the priority would be to give justice to the people, as law and order had collapsed in West Bengal. He said that in education sector too Bengal was lagging behind small states. 

He said that the UPA government would help in all possible manner the new Trinamool and Congress government. "Congress and Trinamool combine can only give good governance to the people of Bengal," he said. 

He said that the industrial base needed to be revamped in Bengal as small industries were closed and even tea industry was suffering in the state. 

Bengali youth go out of the state in search of jobs and minorities have been ignored too. The central funds were misused and not properly utilized, he said. "Several central schemes were not been implemented properly in Bengal by the LF government." 

The state government has failed to implement National Rural Health Mission scheme along with NREGA scheme and the funds provided by the UPA government had not been used by the LF government. 

"It is clear that for this failure, the LF government must go. Bengal needs change," the Prime Minister said. He said that Bengal's CPM had failed to deliver peace and development to the people. 

"For that Sonia Gandhi and I urge you to vote for change, so that necessary change can take place in your life and development can take place in Bengal." Singh urged.

Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/assembly-elections-2011/west-bengal/Left-Front-has-failed-to-govern-West-Bengal-PM/articleshow/8064827.cms

Khurshid rules out changes in Lokpal committee

NEW DELHI: Amid roiling controversy overLokpal Bill drafting committee members, Union minister Salman Khurshid on Saturday ruled out any changes in the panel and said the government is looking forward to receiving inputs from Justice Santosh Hegde on the bill. 

"I value his (Hegde) contributions enormously and hold high respect for him. I hope he will be able to be with us. We want his contributions. We (government) are looking forward to having his inputs and we sincerely hope so," Khurshid, who is a part of the 10-member committee, told reporters here. 

Replying to a question whether there would be changes in the committee, he said "there is no question of changing the committee members." 

Upset over "vilification campaign", Karnataka Lokayukta Justice Hegde, had said in Bangalore that he was thinking of resigning but he would consult his colleagues in the anti-corruption movement in Delhi and take a decision on the issue today. 

He was angry that Congress General Secretary Digvijay Singh had attacked him that he was protecting Karnataka chief minister from corruption charges. 

"Let us examine the bill on its merit, rather than discussing the characters of people," Khurshid said on the sidelines of a function. 

About allegations on Hegde, he said, "We are neither endorsing anyone nor speaking against anyone. We are not concerned about anything beyond the committee." 

Khurshid said, "I, alongwith other nine colleagues are concerned about forming a good bill...we will not be distracted by any controversies or claims outside the committee. These are independent matters (the Bhushan CD-controversy) and apart from what we are doing in the committee." 

Asked about Uttar Pradesh Mayawati's demand for inclusion of an "apolitical scheduled caste member" in the committee, he said, "we should trust the ten members. Let them present their product...we should give them a chance. After the product comes out, we can see and examine it and put forth our objections if any."

Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Khurshid-rules-out-changes-in-Lokpal-committee/

As Sai Baba's condition worsens, succession war hots up in Puttaparthi

HYDERABAD: Even as devotees continue to be on edge about the health situation of Sathya Sai Baba, the names of his nephew R J Ratnakar and his caregiver, Satyajit, are emerging as possible persons who may have a bigger say in the Satya Sai Baba Central Trust. 

Sai Baba is the chairman of the trust that controls various activities being carried out in his name. 

Ratnakar (39) controls the cable TV transmission in Puttaparthi and also is a dealer of a Hindustan Petroleum petrol pump in Puttaparthi. Satyajit (33) who joined the Satya Sai school at the age of 5, studied at the Satya Sai Institute of Higher Learning where he completed his MBA standing first in the university. He offered to serve the Baba for his entire life and rose to become his personal caregiver. 

Even as doctors were attending the Baba — his weight has dropped to a mere 32 kg on his 25th day of hospitalization — the family members of the spiritual leader engaged with trust members about who will lead the organization in the post-Sai scenario. 

"Both the trust members and Baba's close family members agreed that Ratnakar and Satyajit could have a greater say in running the trust post-Sai Baba," said a source. 

Ratnakar is said to have some political links, though he himself is not a member of any party. His father Janakiramaiah, younger brother of Baba, was vice president of the Anantapur district Congress Committee from 1989 to 2000. He is the only family member who was made a member of the trust by Baba. 

On the other hand, Satyajit has been serving as personal attendant of Saibaba since 2002 and is reputed to be the only person who can allow access to any outsider to Yajur Mandir, the sanctum of Saibaba in Prasanti Nilayam. 

Some of the devotees of Saibaba and his family members are said to be upset over the fact that the trust is dominated by Tamils. 

"The central trust has as its members K Chakravarthi and R V Srinivasan. Now, Satyajit, also a Tamil Brahmin, is being foisted by them to run the trust affairs," said a family member who did not want to be identified. However, some sources say Saibaba hinted two days before his 85th birthday in November last year that Satyajit should be made a member of the central trust. 

On Thursday, at meeting among trust officials, family members and Andhra Pradesh government representatives Geeta Reddy (major industries minister) and L V Subramanyam (principal secretary, finance), the trust and family members agreed not to air any adverse comment against one another and maintain public decorum.

Source:http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/As-Sai-Babas-condition-worsens-succession-war-hots-up-in-Puttaparthi/articleshow/8052662.cms

Concerted campaign to scuttle Lokpal Bill: Santosh Hegde

BANGALORE: In less than a fortnight of its formation, the joint committee for drafting the Lokpal Bill is falling apart. Even as civil society representatives Shanti Bhushan and Prashant Bhushan are battling attacks on their integrity, another civil society leading light, Justice NSantosh Hegde, is thinking of quitting the panel. 

Stung by Congress general secretary Digvijay Singh's references to his ineffectuality in dealing with corruption in Karnataka, Hegde, who is the Karnataka Lokayukta, told TOI: "I'm angry and hurt. I came to know through the media thatDigvijay Singh said I was trying to protect Karnataka CM B S Yeddyurappa on corruption charges. I've tried to be honest in my entire career."

He said he was reconsidering his decision to join the committee, but would take a final decision on Saturday after meeting the other civil society activists. He said there was a concerted campaign to discredit the civil society members of the joint committee. It would appear he was not prepared to face up to the campaign. 

While Hegde seemed to be wilting under the pressure, Anna Hazare himself appeared to be distancing himself from the controversy. He was heard saying on TV that he had nothing to do with the Bhushans. 

Hegde said, "There is a concerted effort to scuttle the Lokpal Bill, which has been pending for 42 years. It's something like former CM HD Kumaraswamy giving me suo motu powers for prosecution but governor Rameshwar Thakur declining sanction. Politicians do not like their conduct to be examined." 

He added, "I am apolitical and committee members from civil society don't belong to any political party. First, they targeted Anna Hazare. When that did not stick, their focus has been on Shanti Bhushan. While Arvind Kejriwal was too smart for them, I am their latest target." 

Clarifying that he did not want to go into the CD controversy relating to the Bhushans, Hegde said the smear campaign was only designed to nix the formulation of a strong anti-corruption law against politicians and bureaucrats. 

"Our concern should not be about how good or bad Shanti Bhushan is but how good or bad the proposed Lokpal Bill will be. The legislation has nothing to do with any panel member's conduct. It aims to create an institution," he said

Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Concerted-campaign-to-scuttle-Lokpal-Bill-Santosh-Hegde/articleshow/8051534.cms

Empty stores greet Blackberry Playbook

TORONTO/NEW YORK: Research In Motion'sPlayBook tablet computer launched in almost empty stores on Tuesday, in a far cry from the frenzy that accompanies the debut of anything from rival Apple. 

At an Office Depot in Midtown New York, just three PlayBooks, RIM's answer to the Apple iPad , left the shelves in the 20 minutes after the store opened, a store employee said. 

"It's going to be a tough sell to the consumer," BGC Partner analyst Colin Gillis said of the PlayBook, a sleek but flawed gadget that doesn't yet offer the secure email that is the trademark of RIM's ubiquitous BlackBerry. 

The stakes could not be higher for RIM, whose security-focused BlackBerry once reigned supreme in financial, corporate and government circles. 

RIM has struggled to compete since Apple's iPhone and a slew of devices running Google's Android entered the smartphone fray, and early reviews panned the WiFi-only PlayBook for lacking email and organizer applications -- the gadget needs a BlackBerry to access those. 

In a likely blow to RIM, key U.S. carrier AT&T said it will not support the BlackBerry Bridge function that lets the PlayBook mirror a BlackBerry smartphone. 

AT&T, the second largest U.S. carrier, said it was still testing the secure software that lets existing BlackBerry users get email and other services on the larger PlayBook screen without incurring additional fees. 

"We just got the app for testing. Before we make it available to our customers we want to make sure we deliver the type of experience our customers would expect," AT&T spokesman Mark Siegel said. "We have to test this app." 

RIM shares were down 2.2 percent at $53.62 on the Nasdaq. The stock is up some 14 percent since RIM unveiled the PlayBook in September, despite a recent slip from a peak above $70. Apple's shares are up some 17 percent in the period. 

Slow burn likely 

The PlayBook launch was a stark contrast to the frenzy when Apple launched its iPad 2 a month ago and consumers lined up overnight to buy the gadget. 

Apple, which established the tablet market a year ago, sold almost 15 million iPads in 2010; RIM is expected to move 3 million PlayBooks in a similar window in 2011, according to 18 analysts polled by Reuters. 

Analysts say RIM should stay in the hunt with the PlayBook despite a likely slow start, as it overhauls its creaky platform with the QNX operating system it acquired last year. The Canadian company expects large businesses to buy PlayBooks in "the tens of thousands." 

Gartner, a research outfit focused on technology, estimates one in 10 touchscreen devices sold in 2015, or some 30 million, will be powered by QNX, which will likely also find its way onto RIM's smartphones in the next 12 months. 

That would place it third behind Apple at almost half the market and Android at just under 40 percent, leaving little room for Hewlett-Packard's soon-to-launch WebOS tablet and completely ignoring a possible Windows tablet platform. 

Retailers say solid pre-orders suggest there will be pent-up demand for a capable alternative to the iPad. 

"Based on those numbers coming in, we expect it to be successful," said Steve Coffin, operations manager at a Future Shop big box store near Toronto's financial district, dismissing the absence of lines of eager shoppers and highlighting strong pre-orders.

Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/tech/news/hardware/Empty-stores-greet-Blackberry-Playbook/articleshow/8034446.cms

Zarine's still on Sallu's radar!

Once a Salman protege, always a Salman protege. If you thought that he had forgotten Zarine Khanwho he had launched in Veer, you have another thing coming. 

She still reaches out to him whether she needs advice/help. And yes, he is guiding her career and has been instrumental in her meeting with key people in the industry. The girl is now starring in his buddy Sajid Nadiadwala's Housefull 2 and has also done an item number in Salman Khan's Ready. 

Clearly she managed to get these movies only because he is trying to help her find her feet in the industry after her dud-ly debut. Salman can't help but help out these girls. But Zarine is misreading his goodness and is totally fida over him. She has been telling the world how much she adores Salman and how without him she would be a nowhere. Wow, she figured that out! 

Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/bollywood/news-interviews/Zarines-still-on-Sallus-radar/articleshow/8025682.cms

Exports rise 37.5% to a record high of $246bn

NEW DELHI: India's exports rose 37.5% in 2010-11 to touch a record $246 billion as traders targeted new markets and gained from improved sentiments in the US and Europe. Provisional numbers released by the commerce department on Tuesday showed that engineering goods and petroleum helped exporters close the year with nearly 25% higher exports than the $200 billion targeted by the government (see table). 

But oil appeared to be the main culprit when it came to imports, which rose 21.5% to $350.3 billion during the last financial year. Oil imports crossed the $100 billion mark to close the year at $101.7 billion, with the possibility of upward revision. Higher-than-budgeted exports, however, helped the economy deal with a lower than estimated trade deficit of $104.4 billion, which may be revised to $105-110 billion. At the present level, it was lower than $109 billion in 2009-10. 

With trade adding up to nearly $600 billion in 2010-11, it now accounts for nearly 50% of India'sgross domestic product (GDP). While there was all-round cheer and expectation of reaching the $450 billion export target ahead of the 2014 deadline, the government warned that a steep rise during the current financial year might be a tough task. To begin with, commerce and industry minister Anand Sharma warned of the possible adverse impact of higher global oil prices, which would push up production costs. 

Commerce secretary Rahul Khullar added growth worries in the US and Europe and problems in Japan to the list. "At the moment, 2011 is not looking very good," he said while adding that the government would try to push for a 25% growth in the current financial year too. In March, exports went up by 43.9% to $29.1 billion, while imports rose 17.3% to 34.7 billion, resulting in a trade deficit of $5.6 billion.

Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/business/india-business/Exports-rise-375-to-a-record-high-of-246bn/articleshow/8032392.cms

Another malady, another Pulitzer: Indian Doc's book on cancer wins prize

WASHINGTON: She is an interpreter of maladies. He's the biographer of one of the great maladies of all time. Dr Siddharth Mukherjee, a New Delhi-born oncologist, has been awarded a Pulitzer Prizefor his book "The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer," more than a decade afterJhumpa Lahiri won the prize for her similarly-titled collection of short stories. 

While the New York-based Lahiri won the 2000 Pulitzer for fiction, Dr Mukherjee, 41, who also lives in Big Apple, has been awarded the 2011 prize for general non-fiction. In its citation, the Pulitzer committee described the book, which has won rave reviews, as "an elegant inquiry, at once clinical and personal, into the long history of an insidious disease that, despite treatment breakthroughs, still bedevils medical science." 

Mukherjee joins a growing band of Indian-origin physicians who seem endowed with literary DNA. Among them, Dr Abraham Verghese, who began his writing career in the late 1980s with "My Own Country: A Doctor's story," which centered on the AIDS in the US, Dr Atul Gawande, a staff writer for the New Yorker and most recently author of 'The Checklist Manifesto," and Dr Deepak Chopra, the new age spiritual guru of mind-body dynamics, whose books are numerous. 

Mukherjee, who is currently serving as Assistant Professor of Medicine at Columbia University and is also a staff cancer physician at Columbia University Medical Center, began his writing career more recently after an encounter with a patient who had stomach cancer, who told him she was willing to go on fighting, but she needed to know what she was battling. He couldn't point her to a book that could explain cancer, and he began writing as an answer to her query. 

Mukherjee tells the stories of several cancer patients and survivors, while recognizing pioneering researchers, including the breakthrough provided by the Indian scientist, Yellapragada Subba Rao (1895-1948) who synthesized the Folic Acid for the first antifolate clinical trials conducted by Sidney Farber, who initiated the treatment of childhood leukemia. 

Largely unrecognized and forgotten both in India and in the US (where he spent much of his career), Subba Rao is also credited with developing Methotrexate, one of the first cancer chemotherapy agents and still in widespread clinical use. In his book, Mukherjee muses about why Subba Rao, who came from the provincial town of Bhimavaram in Andhra Pradesh, never got his due (his peers won the Nobel), describing him as "a reclusive, nocturnal, heavily accented vegetarian who lived in a one-room apartment downtown, befriended only by other nocturnal recluses." 

Mukherjee came from a slightly different India to a more welcoming US. After schooling in New Delhi (St. Columba's, five years junior to Shah Rukh Khan), he went on to major in biology atStanford University, before winning a Rhodes scholarship to Oxford University where he earned a Ph.D. in immunology. After graduation, he attended Harvard Medical School to train as an internist and won an oncology fellowship at Massachusetts General Hospital. He is married to the artist Sarah Sze, who is herself an accomplished sculptor and a recipient of the 2003 MacArthur Fellows "genius grant." 

Incidentally, Lahiri and Mukherjee are not the first Pulitzer winners of Indian-origin. That honor belongs to Gobind Bihari Lal, a US-based science writer (and contemporary of Subba Rao), who shared the 1937 Pulitzer with three other Americans "for their coverage of science at the tercentenary of Harvard University," -- the same university which denied Subba Rao a regular faculty position forcing him to go work at Lederle Laboratories. 

Although the Pulitzer award carries a modest prize of $10,000, the book will get another publicity bump, adding to the already significant critical acclaim. Published by Simon and Schuster in 2010, it was nominated as a National Book Critics Circle Award finalist and made the Top Ten list under various categories in The New York Times, Time magazine and The Oprah magazine. 

Among the finalists Mukherjee pipped in non-fiction category were Nicholas Carr for "The Shallows: What the Internet Is Doing to Our Brain," and SC Gwynne for "Empire of the Summer Moon: Quanah Parker and the Rise and Fall of the Comanches, the Most Powerful Indian Tribe in American History."

Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/us/Another-malady-another-Pulitzer-Indian-Docs-book-on-cancer-wins-prize/articleshow/8029070.cms

Only 6% of doctors held for sex-selection practices convicted

NEW DELHI: Only around 6% of cases filed against doctors involved in sex-selection practices in the 17 states, which have the most skewed sex ratio, have ended up in convictions till date. 

According to Union health ministry's latest data — prepared for a crucial meeting of health secretaries of the 17 states on Wednesday — a total of 805 cases have been filed in court against doctors till March 31, ever since the revised Pre-conception and Pre-natal Diagnostic Techniques Act ( PC and PNDT Act) came into force. Only 55 convictions have been recorded since then. 

The rest of the cases are either in progress or dropped for "poor investigation and insufficient evidence against the accused". Convictions were highest in Haryana (23), followed by Punjab (22), Gujarat (4), Maharashtra (3), Delhi (2) and Chandigarh (1). Interestingly, the highest number of cases against doctors was filed in Rajasthan (161), but none has resulted in conviction. 

Maharashtra filed 139 cases, Punjab (112), Gujarat (82), Madhya Pradesh (70), Delhi (61), Uttar Pradesh and Haryana (54), Andhra Pradesh (19), Bihar (10), Uttaranchal (9), Chhattisgarh (5), Jharkhand (3) and Chandigarh (2). 

Gujarat leads the pack in sealing of ultrasound machines (168), followed by Haryana (133). While, Maharashtra sealed 82 machines, Rajasthan (76), Orissa (68), Delhi (48), Punjab (26), UP (37), Jharkhand (13) and Andhra Pradesh (12). 

"On Wednesday, the meeting will emphasize on following up on court cases, building a strong case for prosecution and putting in place the mechanism for legal assistance and engaging with state legal services authorities apart from training workshops for judiciary and public prosecutors," an official said. 

Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Only-6-of-doctors-held-for-sex-selection-practices-convicted/articleshow/8032214.cms

Union health ministry Ghulam Nabi Azad has been very proactive in rectifying the nation's shameful sex ratio. 

An official added, "India's conviction rates are shockingly low. That's because doctors who carry out the search and seizure operations aren't good with filing legal cases and presenting a full-proof investigation. Hence, violators go scot free." 

On Wednesday, these 17 states will be told by the Union health ministry to identify and map their worst-affected districts, blocks and even localities. 

Once identified, vigilance will be heightened in these places on doctors and clinics to "nab those involved in sex selection" in clinics or by use of portable ultrasound machines. 

In the meeting — the first since the provisional Census figures were released — the states will also be told to register every ultrasound clinic and machine (portable or stationary) being used as per the Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques Act (PC and PNDT Act). Violation of any provision in this Act will entail a three-year jail term and Rs 50,000 fine. 

"States will be told to approach ultrasound manufacturers as per the Act to identify how many machines have been sold and to whom," sources told TOI. 

Pressure will also be intensified on states to get every ultrasound clinic to fill up Form F. According to the Act, every radiologist is required to fill Form F before conducting an ultrasound on a would-be mother. The form has important questions, including the reason for conducting sonography along with details of the patient and the doctor. 

Clinics that carry our prenatal selection and selective abortion leave most of the details incomplete, deliberately skipping sections mentioning the doctor's name, signature, the patient's address, age of the fetus and record of the would-be mother's previous children. 

"A careful examination of the form — which doctor referred the patient and why, if the ground for an ultra sound test is vague and if it is self referred instead of a doctor — will tell us who is involved in sex determination," an official added. 

States will also be told to improve or put in place inter-state, and more importantly inter-border coordination for regulating ultrasound clinics in border districts. 

As per the agenda of the meeting, the states will be told to dedicate a PNDT cell in the state, follow up on court cases, set up of a state supervisory board, which will meet once every four months, notify a multi-member state appropriate authority and take action in case of default. 

At the district level, some states have given the district collector supreme power, search and seize illegal and unregistered ultra sound machines while other states have put the chief medical officer in charge. Workshops to sensitize judiciary, public prosecutors and advisory committees will also be held. 

A ministry official said, "The latest Census figures show that the female girl child is still a curse and unwanted. Their number has fallen to an all-time low since Independence. The sex ratio for 2011 stands at 914 girls — down from 927 girls for 1,000 boys in 2001."

Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Only-6-of-doctors-held-for-sex-selection-practices-convicted/articleshow/8032214.cms

After Pakistan missile test, India flexes muscle

NEW DELHI: Diplomatic re-engagement may have begun afresh but both sides are keeping their powder dry. The 1.13-million strong Indian Army is honing its war-fighting machinery with a major combat exercise, codenamed "Vijayee Bhava'' (Be Victorious), in the Thar desert to practice "high tempo'' operations to cut across the border. 

Squeamish for long with India's "pro-active conventional war strategy'', or what is colloquially dubbed the "cold start'' doctrine, Pakistan in turn test-fired a new nuclear-capable ballistic missile Hatf-IX on Tuesday. 

Given that Hatf-IX has a strike range of only 60 km, it is clearly intended for brandishing as a "battlefield nuclear weapon'' to deter Indian armoured forces from launching rapid thrusts into its territory. 

"Pakistan already has the long and medium range Shaheen and Ghauri series of missiles, acquired with help of China and North Korea, to act as the delivery mechanism for strategic nuclear weapons,'' said a senior Indian official. 

"So, with this new missile, Islamabad seems to be looking at tactical nuclear deterrence against advancing enemy formations. But it is being foolhardy if it thinks nuclear weapons are war-fighting weapons,'' he added. 

India, of course, has its own nuclear and missile plans. It may be steadfast about adhering to a "no first-use'' of nuclear weapons but has made it amply clear that a nuclear retaliation to a first strike will be "massive and designed to inflict unacceptable damage''. 

The "Vijayee Bhava'' exercise, of course, is more conventional in nature, even though the combat manoeuvres may be simulated under "a NBC (nuclear, chemical, biological) overhang''. 

The exercise, which will enter its peak phase in early-May, is being primarily conducted by the armoured corps-intensive 2 Corps, considered to be the most crucial of Army's three principal "strike'' formations tasked with virtually cutting Pakistan into two during a full-fledged war, said sources. 

Incidentally, the 2 Corps based in Ambala is aptly called the `Kharga Corps', taking its name and formation sign from the deadly scythe wielded by Goddess Kali to vanquish enemies. 

"In 2009, the 2 Corps had conducted the `Hind Shakti' exercise to fine-tune the pro-active strategy, which is all about mobilizing fast and hitting hard at several border points to catch the enemy unawares and gain momentum,'' said a source. 

"The `Vijayee Bhava' exercise, which will also include elements from other Western Army Command (WAC) formations like the Jalandhar-based 11 Corps, will further validate operational concepts,'' he added. 

With hundreds of tanks, artillery guns and over 30,000 soldiers, the exercise geared for "network-centric operations'' will see the extensive use of satellite imagery, helicopter-borne surveillance systems, spy drones and a wide array of land-based radars to "achieve battlefield transparency''. 

As reported by TOI earlier, after Operation Parakram in 2002 took almost a month to reach D-Day readiness, India has reorganized Army formations all along the western front to enable a more swift and powerful offensive punch. 

It was under this overall plan that the South-Western Command (SWAC) was created at Jaipur in 2005 as the Army's sixth operational command. With the Mathura-based 1 `Strike' Corps and Bhatinda-based 10 `Pivot' Corps under it, SWAC is responsible for offensive operations on the western front in conjunction with the Western Army Command (Chandimandir), which controls the 2 `Strike' Corps. 

The Northern and Southern Army Commands, with the latter having the Bhopal-based 21 `Strike' Corps, at Udhampur and Pune respectively, will of course also play a crucial part in the event of a war but it will be SWAC and WAC which will assume the pivotal roles. 

Moreover, both the western and southwestern commands of IAF have also stepped up coordination with the different Army commands in the western theatre to synergize efforts to build "an integrated and organic'' air-land war-fighting machinery.

Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/After-Pakistan-missile-test-India-flexes-muscle/articleshow/8031113.cms

Coca-Cola to take on Rasna at 5 price point

MUMBAI: Coca-Cola India is re-entering the Rs 300 crore branded powdered ready-to-drink market after it pulled the plug on its Sunfill brand six years ago. Interestingly, the global beverage maker has chosen the Rs 5 price point to make a comeback to the space dominated by home-grown brand Rasna. Coca-Cola will hitch a ride on its orange soft drink brand Fanta for its return. However, the company plans to test market the product before going pan-India. 

India is the only market where the world's largest beverage maker is getting into the concentrate category with Fanta and only the fifth market where a powdered offering of any of its brands would be made available. Confectionery maker Cadbury India, part of Kraft Foods, has also recently upped its ante with its Tang brand in this market. The orange flavour is also the largest segment in the powdered soft drink industry where Rasna controls over 90 % of the market. 

Talking to TOI, Srinivas Murthy, director, marketing (flavours), Coca-Cola India, said, "We are targeting the consumer segment at the bottom of the socio-economic pyramid as we will introduce the product at an attractive price point. Even the retail touch points chosen for the product will be the traditional FMCG outlets where you do not need refrigeration to store the product the way it is for bottled soft-drinks." 

Coca-Cola introduced the Sunfill brand in 2001 to take on Rasna but withdrew the product after four years. The company said it was ahead of the time then. After taking a time-off, it now intends to use the learnings of its past venture for the launch of this new product-Fanta Fun Times. This was also the time when the 200 ml soft-drink used to be priced at Rs 5. "The market wasn't ready then and the segment was yet to evolve to the level where a ready-to-drink as well as powdered offering for the same brand could exist," Murthy said. The company may look at launching more brands in this category if the script goes according to plan. 

Fanta has 9% share of the Rs 9,000 crore soft drink market and stacks up below Thums Up, Coca-Cola and Sprite in the Cola-Cola portfolio. Along with rival PepsiCo's Mirinda, the orange flavoured drinks have a combined market share of 15%. 

Coca-Cola is globally present in the powdered beverage market with brands like Eight O' Clock juice and juice drink in Philippines and the Sunfill brand in Hong Kong, Kenya and the US. 

The Rs 5 entry level price point was first introduced by soft drinks makers in early 2000 but was raised to Rs 8-9 a few years later as it put strain on their bottomlines. "For FMCG companies, these low-unit packs have been used as a strategy to build the brand appeal. They act like brand ambassadors even as they contribute a major chunk of volume sales," said Harish Bijoor, a brand consultant. The Rs 5 entry price point has been traditionally used by pure play FMCG companies to penetrate households in the lower income group seen as a large opportunity for marketers. Categories such as tea, shampoo, biscuits, chips, soaps have proved commercially viable for companies.

Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/business/india-business/Coca-Cola-to-take-on-Rasna-at-5-price-point/articleshow/8022169.cms