US warns of al-Qaida reprisals over bin Laden

WASHINGTON: The State Department is putting US embassies on alert and is warning Americans abroad of possible reprisal attacks from al-Qaida and its affiliates around the world after the killing of the group's leader Osama bin Laden by American forces in Pakistan. 

In a worldwide travel alert released shortly after President Barack Obama late on Sunday announced bin Laden's death in a military operation, the department said there was an "enhanced potential for anti-American violencegiven recent counterterrorism activity in Pakistan."

It said Americans living or traveling abroad, particularly in areas that have been hit by anti-American violence in the past should limit travel outside their homes and avoid large gatherings. 

The alert said US embassy operations would continue "to the extent possible under the constraints of any evolving security situation."

Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/us/US-warns-of-al-Qaida-reprisals-over-bin-Laden/articleshow/8140416.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

Sathya Sai Baba's last rites in Puttaparthi today

PUTTAPARTHI: While Prashanthi Nilayam looked like an ocean of humanity in which devotees flowed from all directions on Tuesday, hectic preparations were on for the 'maha samadhi' ofSathya Sai Baba on Wednesday at the Sai Kulwant Hall in Prashanthi Nilayam premises. 

Number 9 was Sathya Sai Baba's favourite and lucky number. When the clock strikes 9 in the morning, the final rituals will start and conclude by 10.30am. 

Sai Kulwant Hall is the place where Baba sat, delivered discourses and blessed people. According to the ashramites, many years ago, while interacting with the students, he had shown the place and expressed his wish that he should be buried in the Sai Kulwant Hall. 

Baba would be laid to rest in the pit (7ft deep and 12ft length), which was dug up 10ft behind from where his body was placed in the glass casket in the hall since Sunday evening. 

"The body would be lowered in the pit and filled with 'Kuruskshetra' matti (soil), salt, silver, gold and navaratnas," sources said. The body would be kept in the sleeping position in the samadhi. 

However, Prasanthi Nilayam would be out of bounds for devotees during the maha samadhi. Only key family members and Sai Central Trust members would take part in the last rites. The construction of a memorial and fixing of a golden statue of Baba would be planned in a few days time. Though Baba preached universal brotherhood and embraced all religions, his last rites will be performed as per the Hindu tradition.

Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Sathya-Sai-Babas-last-rites-in-Puttaparthi-today/articleshow/8095242.cms

How to clean up the junk on your PC

MUNICH: It's a familiar problem for anyone with an older computer: a PC may run lightning-fast and smooth when it's new, but over time it starts coughing up unusual error messages and unidentifiable icons appear on the taskbar. 

If the computer also starts getting slower at the same time as well, then it's time for a spring cleaning. 

'When any computer is used under normal circumstances, a certain volume of garbage data is automatically produced,' says Harald Goerl, a professor for operating systems and computer architecture at the Bundeswehr University inMunich, Germany. Goerl nevertheless sees no need for routine clean-ups. 'You only need to do this if you can really feel that the speed has been impaired,' he says. 

The primary culprit for PC slowdowns is software that is installed and then removed again. That's because many programs actually leave behind digital traces after uninstallation. The most common collection spot where junk data collects is the Windows Registry file. It's a database of information about all installed applications. 

Many programs 'forget' to delete their entry in the registry when being removed. That continues expanding the database, which means the computer has to search longer to find a specific entry. 'You can compare it with a telephone book,' Goerl says. 'The thicker it is, the longer it takes to browse through.' 

You can get help in cleaning up those clogged registry files with free programs such as CCleaner, WiseCleaner, and Advanced SystemCare. They search through the registry automatically looking for unnecessary entries, washing away the junk. 

Linux and Apple users are actually no better off in this respect, Goerl says. 'Deleted programs leave traces behind in Linux and Mac OS, too. Because there's no central registry, though, cleaning up can actually be more difficult in some cases,' he says. 

Programs that are not properly removed under Windows can create other problems as well. 'When some programs are being uninstalled, they also delete libraries still needed for other programs,' explains Joachim Geiler, dean of academic affairs at the IT working group at the Mittweida University of Applied Sciences in Germany. 

Libraries are files with information that multiple programs need to be able to access. If they are deleted by accident, then applications may stop functioning, either partially or completely. This problem can generally be fixed by reinstalling the affected program. 

Reinstalling the operating system is generally only needed in exception cases, says Goerl. 'Only in cases involving serious security problems should you have to reinstall the OS,' he says. 'If numerous files have been infected with tough-to-remove viruses, then reinstalling the operating system is probably the only remedy.' 

The best recommendation for boosting speed that you suspect has been degraded as a result of application detritus: clean up your hard drive. 'At least 10 per cent of a hard drive's capacity should always be free,' says Joachim Geiler. 

Otherwise files have to be split up across multiple sectors of traditional hard drives, and this results in data that is scattered in fragments throughout the hard drive, leading to slower access. The Windows defragmentation utility is needed to bring the files back to a contiguous state. 

If you don't push your hard drive to its capacity all the time, then defragmentation need only be a seldom-used tool. 'Routine defragmentation used to be a common thing. Modern file systems like FAT32 create the files intelligently from the start, meaning users don't typically have to get involved,' says Geiler. The exception is for users who frequently work with especially large files, such as those used for video editing. 

A clean hard drive is important beyond just the speed of the computer. It also makes work more relaxing. 'It's all about being able to find important files fast when you need them,' explains Joerg Schieb, who authored a book on keeping computers clean and running fast. For this reason he recommends routine cleanups every three months or so. 

There are programs to help clean up, too. 'Lay users in particular may be better served by those programs,' Schieb says. Applications like TuneUp Utilities, Twin 7 2.0 from Data Becker, or PC Check & Tuning 2011 from Magix cost between 30 and 40 dollars and offer a number of cleanup options.

Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/tech/personal-tech/computing/How-to-clean-up-the-junk-on-your-PC/articleshow/8064870.cms

'Successor of Sai Baba unlikely soon, trust will take work forward'

HYDERABAD: Sathya Sai Baba's death has left a huge question mark on the future of the Sri Sathya Sai Central Trust, which is said to control assets whose worth could range anywhere from Rs 40,000 crore to over Rs 1 lakh crore. The cause of the anxiety is the dispute among some trust members, evident from anonymous letters sent to cops in recent weeks. 

Sai Baba was the chairman of the central trust and the only person with cheque signing authority. The central trust is expected to lead, but what if its members do not resolve their disputes? 

Unlike other godmen, Sai Baba had maintained close links with his kin and they are now seeking a role. Baba's nephew R J Ratnakar, a cable operator and gas agency owner, is a member of the trust and is seeking a bigger role. 

Sathya Sai Baba's nephew R J Ratnakar, a member of the Sri Sathya Sai Central Trust, is seeking a bigger role for himself. Ratnakar earned a trust seat after his father R Janakaramaiah, Sai Baba's younger brother, died. 

Trust functionaries like secretary K Chakravarthy would rather have the organization run by professionals. 

Indications are that other trust members like former chief justice of India P N Bhagwati and former central vigilance commissioner S V Giri are aligned with Chakravarthy's thinking. Chakravarthy quit the IAS to devote himself to the work of Sai Baba. 

Evidence of dispute among trustees surfaced in the form of benami letters received by the district police last fortnight, alleging wrongdoing by some trust members. Pamphlets distributed in the pilgrim town last week also sought to target a key functionary of the trust. Compounding the problems are some politicians who have jumped into the fray. 

To add to the problem, the central trust deed registered on September 2, 1972, with the assistant commissioner (endowments) office in Ananthapur, is silent about who should succeed the founder trustee, Sathya Sai Baba. The Central Trust deed clearly states that any change of trustees will happen with the approval of the founder trustee and the founder trustee would have all the powers to appoint or remove any trustee. But there is no word about alternative arrangements in the absence of the founder trustee. 

The central trust is one of the many trusts carrying on the work of Sai Baba. But in the deeds relating to these trusts there is clarity about the trustees, their appointment and tenure. 

The Andhra Pradesh government at present is not seeking to meddle in the affairs of the Sai Central Trust. This was stated by the chief minister Kiran Kumar Reddy in Puttaparthi hours after Sai Baba passed away. 

Sources close to the central trust said that there will be no successor to Sai Baba soon and the trust will continue to take forward work entrusted by the Baba. ''May be the money used will come from the subsidiary trusts since nobody else has cheque signing authority in the Central Trust,'' an analyst said.

Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Successor-of-Sai-Baba-unlikely-soon-trust-will-take-work-forward/articleshow/8076119.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

57 Indian firms in Forbes Global 2000 list

WASHINGTON: As many as 57 Indian companies including Reliance Industries, State Bank of India and Oil & Natural Gas Corp. figure in TheForbes Global 2000 list of public companies based on their rankings for sales, profits, assets and market value. 

Reliance with sales of $45.3 billion is ranked 121st in the list with three public State Bank of India Group (136, $29.1 billion), Oil & Natural Gas Corp. (172, 22.6 billion) and Indian Oil (243, $52.1 billion) taking the next three places among the Indian firms. 

Other companies in India's top ten were ICICI Bank (288, $13.2 billion), NTPC (348, $10.8 billion), Coal India (418, $10.4 billion), Bharti Airtel (453, $9.3 billion), Larsen & Toubro(499, $9.8 billion) and Tata Motors (512, $20.2 billion). 

JPMorgan Chase is in the top spot for the second consecutive year as the world's largest company followed by HSBC, up six spots fuelled by a 121 percent growth in profits in the past fiscal year. 

In total, the Global 2000 companies now account for $32 trillion in revenues, $2.4 trillion in profits, $138 trillion in assets and $38 trillion in market value. These firms also employ 80 million people worldwide. 

The Asia-Pacific region led The Global 2000 again this year with 701 companies, including the most additions (11) to the list of the regions - Asia-Pacific, Europe, Middle East & Africa-EMEA, the Americas and the US - with doubled profits, by far the biggest increase. 

The biggest profit centre was China, as 121 companies, including PetroChina, ICBC and Sinopec, returned an aggregate profit of $168 billion. Japan and South Korea also showed impressive gains in profits and assets. 

With the US economy back on its feet, growing at a steady 3 percent clip over the past 12 months, American firms on The Forbes Global 2000 are growing far faster. Total sales were up 12 percent in 2010 over 2009, and profits continue to rise-up 69 percent, versus 56 percent for the S&P 500. 

Still, the US grip on The Global 2000 has been slipping since 2004, when the number of US constituents was 751. It's now 536. The US still accounts for the most firms among the top 100 with 28.

Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/business/international-business/57-Indian-firms-in-Forbes-Global-2000-list/articleshow/8063766.cms

Have enough evidence to convict 26/11 mastermind: Rehman Malik

NEW DELHI: Pakistan interior minister Rehman Malik has said that Pakistani investigators have collected enough evidence against the masterminds of the Mumbai 2008 terror attacks and he is confident that the courts will convict them. 

"We have enough evidence and I am quite hopeful that they will be convicted. But if I say some thing much, that means I'm overstepping my position because the matter has to be decided by the court," Malik told CNN-IBN channel in an interview. 

India has been unhappy over the slow pace of trial of the 26/11 masterminds in Pakistan. Most of the recent hearings have been immediately adjourned by the judge. 

"What I am confident is that all the evidence which has been collected, has been placed before the court and they will be convicted," he added. 

Malik, however, admitted that the trial was not going as fast as India wanted. 

"And for the fast track you know that there are certain problems in Evidence Act, and according to the Evidence Act we needed some information to be certified from the Indian authorities," he said. 

He appreciated that India had agreed to allow a judicial commission from Pakistan to visit and collect evidence. "I'm really grateful to the Indian authorities for allowing our commission to go, and once it is there and after fulfilling its assignment it comes back, the case will be on fast track," he said. 

Malik asserted that Pakistan had every intention of prosecuting the 26/11 masterminds. "The intention of Pakistan is clear. Our prosecutors are working hard and once those legal formalities are over we will expedite the process," he said. 

He thanked Indian Home Minister P. Chidambaram for the success of the meeting of the home secretaries last month. 

"I think it was a good success and the credit is dedicated to Mr Chidambaram who played a key role in it and also to the prime ministers. But basically what is important that what you discuss if you transform it into practicalities, that's the big deal. And I think the decisions taken in the group and now by the home secretary are all good decisions, like the focal point is the raise of official legal access and the visa relaxation, they all are good strategies," said Malik.

Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Have-enough-evidence-to-convict-26/11-mastermind-Rehman-Malik/articleshow/8064318.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/

Steve Jobs to return 'as soon as he can': Cook

SAN FRANCISCO: Apple's ailing chief executiveSteve Jobs remains involved in major strategic decisions at the company and hopes to return to work full-time as soon as he can, a top Appleexecutive said. 

"He is still on medical leave but we do see him on a regular basis," Apple chief operating officer Tim Cook told financial analysts during a conference call to discuss the company's fiscal second-quarter earnings. 

"And as we've previously said he continues to be involved in major strategic decision," Cook said. "I know he wants to be back full-time as soon as he can." 

Jobs, 56, went on medical leave in January, his third since 2004, but has retained his title of chief executive at Apple. 

Jobs underwent an operation for pancreatic cancer in 2004 and received a liver transplant in 2009, but Apple has not released any details about his latest health issues. 

Apple's fortunes have been uniquely linked to Jobs, who returned to the then flagging company in 1997 after a 12-year absence and introduced innovative and wildly successful products like the iPod,iPhone and iPad.

Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/tech/news/hardware/Steve-Jobs-to-return-as-soon-as-he-can-Cook/articleshow/8045885.cms

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

Law ministry proposes 20-yr term for babus

NEW DELHI: The law ministry has prepared a 10-point governance reforms agenda which envisages capping a bureaucrat's term to 20 years and seeks reforms in allocation of mining and land rights. 

The presentation made to key UPA functionaries, including Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress President Sonia Gandhi, says all new recruitments to central government jobs should be for 20 years and any extension beyond that would depend on the outcome of intense review, the law ministry has said in its presentation on governance reforms. 

It has also suggested several transparent systems for exploitation of natural mineral resources which include a comprehensive survey of all mining blocks, allocation of mining leases through competitive process such as electronic auctions and imposition of export tax to discourage exports of raw minerals. 

The government has been contemplating administrative reforms to improve governance in the country. There has been widespread criticism in recent year about the deterioration in governance and delivery of public services. 

Regarding reforms of the bureaucracy the law ministry says that all public servants shall be subjected to two intensive reviews on completion of 14 years and 20 years of service. It calls for specific tenures to be fixed for each post to ensure objectivity, continuity and autonomy and to avoid arbitrary transfers. 

To curb naxalism, the law ministry has suggested payment of reasonable monthly amount in cash to all below poverty line families in the affected areas. It says mineral processing areas should be set up in these areas and those who lose their land for setting up such units should be made stakeholders either through equity or employment or both. 

"To improve the quality of life and also to mainstream them it is necessary that bulk of the proceeds from the exploitation of natural resources in the tribal areas should be utilized for their welfare," the ministry said in its presentation. 

On urban land management, it calls for a ban on allotment by public agencies through discretionary quotas and has backed immediate survey and preparation of accurate urban property records. 

It also suggests that the Real Estate Regulation Bill being proposed by the Urban Development Ministry should be expedited and all natural resources such as spectrum should be allotted by a competitive transparent process. 

"Because of the pressures of rapid urbanization urban land has become a scarce and valuable commodity. This has encouraged speculation, black marketing and unauthorized land markets," the law ministry says. 

"This has been facilitated by the inadequacies in our urban property records and weak and pliable town planning. This has created a class of land mafia, which has become a source of black money and political clout." 

It says suggests the setting up of a district level ombudsman to ensure that rights of the citizens through the Right to Information Act, National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, Forest Right Act, Right to Education etc are protected and there is a redressal system at the grass-roots structure.

Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Law-ministry-proposes-20-yr-term-for-babus/articleshow/8052062.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

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

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

All property deals to come under tax lens

NEW DELHI: Under pressure to unearth black money, the Income Tax department has decided to review all recent property deals to check for use of cash. 

The plan is to start the scrutiny from Delhi and the National Capital Region, comprising Gurgaon and Noida, and subsequently turn it into an all-India exercise. 

Officials in the tax department, who announced the move on Monday, did not elaborate on the period for which the review would be undertaken. However, indications are that transactions starting in 2010-11 would come under the scanner. 

The initiative has been taken by the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) to unearth black money in property deals which largely going undetected due to differences in market price and registry rates set by state governments. 

The use of cash in secondary market transactions is very high though tax officials have also come across several instances even in the sale of property by builders. It has become commonplace for buyers to under-report the transaction to save on registration cost. For sellers, especially those who do not intend to use the money to buy new property, it means a capital tax burden, which they want to evade. 

In fact, the real estate sector has been identified as a key generator of black money in the economy. This is despite the fact that registrars across the country have to report all real estate transactions of Rs 30 lakh or more. The tax department then uses the software available with it to match the data with the tax returns using the permanent account number (PAN) furnished by taxpayers while registering property. It is unclear if the department plans to match all returns filed by registrars with the PAN numbers available with it. 

At present, the department has data for 2009-10 available with it, while information for 2010-11 will only be available starting August this year. 

Officials admitted that the challenge would be to review transactions of less than Rs 30 lakh. The government is likely to depend on developers to track these transactions. 

Under pressure from the Supreme Court on dealing with black money, especially wealth stashed away in tax havens, the government is keen to show that it is doing its bit to address the concerns. 

CBDT chairman Sudhir Chandra said the finance ministry has initiated steps to stop round-tripping. Already, 22 tax havens have been identified by the government and six Tax Information Exchange Agreements (TIEAs) have been signed with jurisdictions such as Bahamas, Bermuda, British Virgin Island, Cayman Island and Isle of Man. 

At a press conference, Chandra also said the I-T department had cleared a record 85 lakh refunds in 2010-11 to make manpower available to crack down on tax evaders and money launderers. "In the fiscal ended March 31, we have unearthed more than Rs 30,000 crore undisclosed income," he said. This certainly will go up as a large part of business income still goes unreported, he added. 

While CBDT made its stance of wielding the stick for tax evades clear, it also had some goods news for the honest taxpayer. 

Chandra assured taxpayers that if they filed e-returns, refunds could come within a month as most of the backlog had been cleared. 

He said this year, direct tax collection had been the highest so far. The government has collected an all-time high income tax of Rs 4.50 lakh crore in 2010-11, at least Rs 4,000 crore more than the revised budget estimates of Rs 4.46 lakh crore. Add to that Rs 78,000 crore of refunds issued in the 2010-11 fiscal and it comes up to Rs 5.28 lakh crore. 

In previous years, tax collection figures were bloated by delayed refunds, giving a wrong picture of net direct tax collection. The early refunds have also saved the government nearly Rs 4,500 crore towards interest payments. 

Simplified tax return forms have been launched this year for the convenience of taxpayers. While small businesses with less than Rs 60 lakh annual turnover will have to file a Sugam form where they can calculate their tax at flat 8% and pay the tax, for individuals, a much simplified Sahaj form is available.

Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/All-property-deals-to-come-under-tax-lens/articleshow/8022411.cms

Pantry car hero saves 150 lives in burning Rajdhani

NEW DELHI/MUMBAI/BHOPAL: Thanks to an unlikely hero, not a single passenger was injured as three bogies of the Mumbai-Delhi Rajdhani were reduced to cinders in a fire that started early Monday morning when passengers were fast asleep and the train speeding through western Madhya Pradesh. 

Passengers said pantry car in-charge Pawan Kumar`s quick response in stopping the train around 2.10am and urging sleepy passengers to get off, not only saved the lives of about 150 people in the affected 3-tier AC coaches but also helped contain the fire. 

"Please help the reporters congratulate the most important man," senior citizen Bahadur Mistri was heard telling co-travellers as they hugged and kissed their relatives when the train reached New Delhi station at 3.20pm. "He is the pantry car in-charge who knew quite a bit about the train AC system. His name is Pawan Kumar." 

Kumar was sleeping in the pantry car from where the fire started. "I got up and found smoke everywhere. The first thing I did was to pull the chain. I shouted to my boys to get going and wake up the passengers. We asked everyone to file out. I was screaming — bahar niklo, sab chhod ke bahar niklo (run out, leave everything and run out)," said Kumar, an employee of RaiIway caterers, IRCTC. 

Kumar said after stopping the train, he ran towards coach B7 as the wind was moving in that direction before collecting a fire extinguishers and running back into the pantry to fight the blaze. "Everyone pitched in,`` he added. 

Said Satyendra Singh, who was travelling in coach B7, "The shouting worked. I still do not know how we managed it, but by 2.20am all passengers in the coach were outside. The pantry car and the B7 coach were gutted within the next half hour, the B6 coach followed suit before the fire brigade arrived." 

"Pawan Kumar took me out and helped me get down. Everything my group was carrying — mobiles, digital cameras and even currency notes — were all burnded,`` said Dinoo Dalal, part of the 35-member group heading to Himachal Pradesh. 

The fire started when the train was between Vikramgarh Alot and Thuriya stations located in the Kota-Ratlam section of the West Central Railway. The train left Mumbai Central at 4.40pm on Sunday and was scheduled to reach Delhi at 8.45am. There were around 1,061 people on board. 

"The fire started from the pantry car which was totally ravaged,'' said Anil Saxena, Northern Railways spokesman. "Three coaches of the train were detached and passengers of the affected bogies shifted out. There was no injury, all passengers are safe." 

P Mathur, chief PRO, West Central Railway, told TOI from Jabalpur, "It has not been established that the fire started in the pantry car. The commissioner of railway safety, central circle, Chetan Bakshi, will carry out the enquiry." 

Railways said passengers of the coaches B6 and B7 will get Rs 5,000 as ex-gratia relief. 

The Railways arranged for breakfast for the passengers at Kota and lunch was picked up from Mathura. "Upon arriving at Delhi, we offered an ex-gratia help of Rs 5,000 to the passengers of all the three bogies —B5, B6 and B7. A couple of our own men burnt their hands trying to decouple the coaches,`` said spokesman Saxena. 

Passenger Satyendra Singh said railway engineers and gangmen from Thuriya helped in decoupling the three coaches but B5 was partially damaged too. "Coach B5 too was finally decoupled by two diesel engines arriving from both sides. By 4am, the fire was under control. The villagers gave us water, fed us and looked after us till the train left for Kota at 8.21am,`` he said. 

"The railways did everything they could do. There might have been some mistake on their part that led to the fire in the first place and loss of my entire luggage. But I am happy to be with my mother. Had it not been for Kumar and the other railway staffers, I would not be hugging her now,`` said Nidhi Bajaj, a mass communication student living in Uttam Nagar, west Delhi. 

A woman railway official who was on board the train told TOI: "The place the train was halted was like a jungle and the staff started moving people out with only necessary baggage. It was a full moon night so it helped us see well. The flames were spreading but the message had already reached the railway authorities. I was very impressed that they moved so fast. There was no panic and people were calmly helping each other."

Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Pantry-car-hero-saves-150-lives-in-burning-Rajdhani/articleshow/8022477.cms