Battle lost in Moga, it's war of words in Congress

CHANDIGARH: With the poll campaign cacophony and din of celebrations over, both the winning and losing parties in Moga are busy citing weak links in the chain and fixing accountability. For Congress, the uneasy silence that settled over the party after its latest defeat has been shattered by a war of words breaking out between Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee president Captain Amarinder Singh and...

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Army to banish Bofors bogey, adopt indigenous, US routes

NEW DELHI: With defence minister AK Antony pushing for greater indigenization in the defence production sector to avoid scams, the Army is now pinning its hopes on two "prototypes" of artillery guns developed by the Ordnance Factory Board (OFB) to boost its long-range, high-volume firepower. Even as the force eagerly awaits the "user-trials" of these 155mm/45-calibre field guns in June, it's also...

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Sariska villagers block tourists’ entry

ALWAR: About 2,500 villagers on Thursday blocked the main entrance of the Sariska Tiger Reserve, protesting their relocation from areas near the sanctuary. Sariska field director RS Shekhawat said the villagers had locked the entrance and didn't allow tourists to enter the park. "We are trying to sort out the problem on a priority basis," Shekhawat said. The villagers, who are on an indefinite sit-in,...

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CBI seeks more documents, looks at tweaking of specifications

NEW DELHI: The CBI on Wednesday said it had sought more documents related to the AgustaWestland helicopter deal from the defence ministry as it prepares to question suspected beneficiaries about alleged kickbacks received in the Rs 3,600 crore deal. The agency will also seek all documents related to changes made in the specifications of 12 VVIP choppers by the office of former IAF chief S P Tyagi...

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Amarnath Yatra registration from March 18

JAMMU: Jammu and Kashmir governor and chairman of Shri Amarnath Shrine Board, N N Vohra, on Tuesday reviewed the arrangements made for the Amarnath Yatra which is scheduled to take place from June 28- 21. He was told that 422 branches of different banks spread across the nation will start registration for the Yatra from March 18. The Board's CEO Navin Chaudhary briefed Vohra about all the measures...

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94% women feel unsafe travelling alone in India, survey finds

NEW DELHI: The Delhi gang-rape incident has not just bruised the image of the national Capital, but the country as well. A travel survey has found that 94% women feel unsafe traveling alone, while 84% voted for Delhi as the most unsafe metro. The findings come at a time when an increasing number of women admitted that they preferred to travel alone both for work and leisure. TripAdvisor, a leading...

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BJP eyes votes with Rs 500cr largesse to mutts in Karnataka

BANGALORE: In the past five years, the BJP has doled out several goodies to mutts — totalling over Rs 500 crore. The party may be expecting sweet returns in the forthcoming elections but the mutt heads are singing a different tune: that of being apolitical. The largesse has come under severe criticism from the opposition, but the beneficiaries defend the largesse and dispute the claim that government...

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Stuck to rubber, terrorists let go of gun

AGARTALA: Ranjit Debbarma still remembers the day 11 years ago when, as an area commander with banned terrorist group NLFT, he trekked for two months -- from the Jampui hills to Rangamurra and then to border areas of Bangladesh before finally reaching Burma -- to carry back Ak 47, 56, M 16 and SK guns for the insurgency back home in Tripura. Today, though, the 37-year-old can be seen going from...

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Hyderabad, hotbed of home-grown terror, under lens

NEW DELHI: For the veterans of security establishment the bomb blasts have revived concerns about the critical nature of Hyderabad and surroundings in the growth of home-grown terrorism in India.Officials point out that Hyderabad has been intricately linked to the growth of the present phase of domestic terrorism. When the first definite information about Muslim youth going to Pakistan for terror...

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Haryana: Budget session begins today, expected to be stormy

CHANDIGARH: Even though Haryana's opposition leader Om Prakash Chautala is in jail following his conviction in the JBT recruitment scam, the budget session of the state assembly, scheduled to commence on Friday, is likely to be stormy as the House is set to discuss issues ranging from corruption to rape cases.At present, four MLAs of the 90-member House are lodged in jails. Chautala, his MLA son...

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Cabinet nod sought for appointing Prasar Bharti finance member

NEW DELHI: The information and broadcasting (I&B) ministry has sought the approval of the Union Cabinet for the appointment of Prasar Bharati's member (finance). The crucial position has been vacant for over three months.Sources said that there was an administrative need to take Cabinet approval because of a recommendation by the Group of Ministers (GoM) that said that the Prasar Bharati board...

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BSE adds S&P brand to sensex, inks strategic pact

MUMBAI: BSE, the oldest stock exchange in Asia, and S&P Dow Jones Indices, a global leader in index construction and management, has joined hands to calculate, disseminate, and license sensex and other indices managed by the bourse. The association will result in BSE sensex being renamed S&P BSE sensex with immediate effect, Ashihskumar Chauhan , MD & CEO, BSE, said. The association...

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Britain wants to be India’s partner of choice: UK PM

MUMBAI: British Prime Minister David Cameron is seeking a special relationship between Britain and India, one that goes beyond business. Kicking off his India visit, Cameron said India will be one of the leading nations in this century and Britain wanted to be its partner of choice. He was speaking at the head office of Hindustan Unilever (HUL), the Indian subsidiary of Unilever, where an announcement...

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Central staff strength down from 32 lakh to 23 lakh in a decade

NEW DELHI: The central government's cut on plan and non-plan posts over a decade has had an adverse impact on the bureaucracy. In the last 12 years, strength of central staff has come down by nearly 28% -- from 32 lakh in 1999 to almost 23 lakh in 2011, excluding the paramilitary forces. A recent review carried out during preparation of the Union account 2011-12 shows the cut has been made across...

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Curfew relaxed in Kashmir as protests continue

SRINAGAR: The rigid curfew imposed across the Kashmir Valley to prevent protests against Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru's execution last week was lifted on Saturday. But reports said businesses mostly remained shuttered in response to separatist leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani's two-day strike call to protest the execution. Private vehicles were back on the streets. Protests were reported from...

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People who have mandate to rule are typical 'bullies', CAG Vinod Rai says

MUMBAI: Comptroller and Auditor General Vinod Rai, whose reports on various scams had raised the hackles of those in the government, says people who have the mandate to rule are typical "bullies". Rai, who is due to retire in May this year, also said on Friday that time alone will tell whether he will join politics. The government auditor said that public officials often make the statement that...

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PIL for cancellation of Yasin Malik's passport dismissed

CHANDIGARH: The Punjab and Haryana high court on Thursday dismissed a public interest litigation (PIL) seeking directions to the home ministry for cancellation of passport of YasinMalik, chairman of the Jammu & Kashmir Liberation Front, for his alleged anti-national activities.The division bench headed by Chief Justice AK Sikri refused to entertain the petition on jurisdictional grounds and directed...

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Terror groups in Pak vow to avenge Afzal

ISLAMABAD: In a show of strength in the Pakistani capital, several banned anti-India militant groups, including the Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed, on Wednesday vowed to take "revenge" for the execution of Afzal Guru and step up their "jihad" in Jammu and Kashmir. Scores of members of the groups gathered at the National Press Club for a conference organized by the United Jihad Council to...

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Businessmen scared to complain against tax officials

NEW DELHI: The finance ministry's plan to stamp out corruption in customs and excise departments across the country and address other grievances by appointing ombudsmen hasn't taken off with businessmen reluctant to file complaints against tax officials fearing reprisals. S Dutt Majumdar, the ombudsman for Delhi, Haryana, Punjab, Himachal and J&K, said he was facing a peculiar problem - he...

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Markanday Katju slams scribe’s detention

NEW DELHI: Describing detention of journalist IftikharGilani by the Delhi police as "undemocratic" Press Council chairman MarkandayKatju asked Union home secretary for action against the police officials involved and criminal charges pressed against them.Responding to a complaint filed by Gilani, Katju said that the Delhi police's behavior exposed a high-handed and outrageous behaviour. In a letter...

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