Whoever participates or is involved in hostilities outside the Kingdom or joins radical religious and intellectual groups or currents, will be sentenced by no less than three years and not more than twenty years in prison. However, the punishment will be increased to no less than five years and no more than thirty years in prison for armed forces servicemen, a royal order stated here today.
Citing the purposes of Islamic Sharia to preserve the nation's religion, security, unity and cohesion, maintaining the State's entity, and blocking the pretexts targeting the enforcement of Islamic law and public order and interest, the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud issued the royal order which will go into effect after 30 days of publishing it in the official Gazette.Following is the text of the Royal Order:"We, Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, King of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia,Emanating from the purposes of Islamic Sharia in maintaining the nation's religion, security, unity and cohesion, and staying away from sedition, fighting and struggle in accordance with the following verses of the holy Quran :"And hold fast, all of you together, to the Rope of Allah" and "And this is my straight path (sirati mustaqiman), Follow it, then, and follow not other ways that take you away from His path" and as the Prophet Mohammed, (peace be upon him), said :" Whoever distances a span from the group, is driven out of Islam", and based on the rules of Islamic Sharia to set the necessary guarantees to save the state's entity against whoever dares to tamper with the stable constitutional approach of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, or its public order on which its security was built and its people have become unanimous on by the guidance of Allah and on the basis of our duty towards curbing the pretexts conducing to incurring our legitimate approach and have it subjected by those who adopt strange thoughts which jump beyond the regularities of freedom through abstract adoption of ideas and interpretations to practices defecting public order, targeting security, stability, tranquility and public tranquility and damaging the status of the Kingdom at the Arab, Islamic and international levels as well as its relations with other countries, including offending the country and its figures and after having reviewed a number of pertinent articles of the Rule's Statute and based on the public interest of the nation, we have ordered the following:First: Whoever commits any of the following acts will be sentenced to no less than three years and no more than twenty years in prison:1- Participating in hostilities outside the Kingdom, in any way, as per the referred above prescription in the preamble of this order.2- Belonging to a radical religious or intellectual currents or groups, and the like, or those classified as terrorist organizations internally, regionally or internationally, or supporting or adopting its ideology or approach in any way, or vowing sympathy with it by any means, or providing any financial or moral support for it, or instigating for any part of that or encouraging or promoting it by saying or writing in any way.If the perpetrator of any of the above mentioned acts belongs to the military forces, he will receive imprisonment for no less than five years and no more than thirty years.Second: What have been stated in provision (First) of this order will not contradict with any penalty prescribed in the kingdom's legislations or laws.?Third: All rulings mentioned in laws controlling terrorist crimes and funding them will be applied on all acts mentioned in the first provision of this order, including the rulings regarding apprehension, arrest, inquiring, investigation, prosecution and trial.Fourth: A committee is to be formed from representatives of the Ministry of Interior, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Islamic Affairs, Endowments, Call and Guidance, Ministry of Justice, Grievances Board and Bureau of Investigation and Prosecution to set up a list, periodically updated, of currents and groups mentioned in (paragraph 2) of provision (First).Fifth: The Minister of Interior is to submit to us without delay the occurrence of arrests, apprehensions, investigation, and prosecution on the crimes mentioned in provision (First) of this order.Sixth: The above provisions of this order will go into effect after thirty days of publishing it in the official Gazette".Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud.
Saturday, February 15, 2014
Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Orders to Award Financially A Saudi Diplomatic Employee
The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud has issued his order to disburse a financial reward and promote a Saudi diplomatic employee at one of the Kingdom's embassies abroad for refusing to accept a great financial bribe offered to him to bypass the regulation in granting Hajj visas.
This honoring for the employee came as an appreciation from the King for the faithfulness and sincerity of the Saudi diplomat and his colleagues.Friday, February 14, 2014
Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Sends Message to Bahraini King
?Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud sent a message to King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa of Bahrain, inviting him to attend the opening ceremony of 29th National Festival for Heritage and Culture.The message was delivered by Saudi Ambassador to Bahrain Dr. Abdullah bin Abdulmalik Al Al-Sheikh during a meeting with King Hamad today.During the meeting, King Hamad thanked the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques for his generous invitation, praising the depth of relations binding the two countries.
Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques To Patronize 8th Islamic Conference of Ministers of Culture in Madinah
???Under the patronage of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, the 8th Islamic Conference of Ministers of Culture will be held in Madinah on January 21-24, 2014 AD, announced the Minister of Culture and Information Dr. Abdulaziz bin Mohieddin Khoja.Dr. Khoja expressed in a press statement his thanks to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques for patronizing this conference, harnessing all potentials for its success in a way that befits the status of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and sensing the current situations surrounding the Islamic nation and their impact on the culture and ideology of its people.He said that the Conference entitled "For the promotion of cultural rights in the Muslim world in the service of dialogue and peace "comes at the conclusion of events of selecting Madinah as the Capital of Islamic Culture for the year 2013, noting that the Conference will name the capital of Islamic culture for the year 2014.Dr. Khoja pointed out that the conference will discuss among the main topics "The initiative of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques for dialogue between followers of religions and cultures : achievements and future prospects" , and the results achieved after its adoption in the 7th Conference.The Minister of Culture and Information stressed that in implementation of the directives of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques and the Crown Prince, the Ministry of Culture and Information has harnessed all its potentials and its efforts for the success of this conference.He expressed his appreciation for the efforts exerted by Prince Faisal bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, Governor of Madinah region and Chairman of Supreme Committee for the selection of Madinah as Capital of Islamic Culture for the year 2013 in the success of the events and activities throughout the year.?
Crown Prince Receives Indian Finance Minister
?Crown Prince Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Deputy Premier and Minister of Defense, received here today Indian Minister of Finance Palaniappan Chidambaram and the accompanying delegation.
The Minister conveyed the greetings of President Pranab Mukherjee of the Republic of India to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and the Crown Prince. For his part, the Crown Prince sent his greetings to the Indian President.During the meeting, they reviewed bilateral relations between the two countries and ways of enhancing them in all fields.The audience was attended by the Minister of Commerce and Industry Dr. Tawfiq bin Fawzan Al-Rabiah; Saudi Ambassador to the Republic of India Saud Al-Sati; and Indian Ambassador to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Hamid Ali Rao.?
The Minister conveyed the greetings of President Pranab Mukherjee of the Republic of India to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and the Crown Prince. For his part, the Crown Prince sent his greetings to the Indian President.During the meeting, they reviewed bilateral relations between the two countries and ways of enhancing them in all fields.The audience was attended by the Minister of Commerce and Industry Dr. Tawfiq bin Fawzan Al-Rabiah; Saudi Ambassador to the Republic of India Saud Al-Sati; and Indian Ambassador to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Hamid Ali Rao.?
Pakistan's International Islamic University Awards Honorary Doctorate to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques
????The International Islamic University of Pakistan awarded the Honorary Doctorate of Politics and International Relations to Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, in recognition of his pioneer role in achieving security and stability at regional and international levels.Pakistani President Mamnoon Hussain, who is also the University's Supreme President, handed over the certificate today to Rector of Imam Mohammed bin Saud Islamic University Dr. Suleiman bin Abdullah Aba Al-Khail, during the University's graduation ceremony which was attended by a number of Pakistan's senior officials and Saudi Ambassador to Pakistan Abdulaziz bin Ibrahim Al-Ghadir.
Crown Prince Receives Commander of U.S. Central Command
????Crown Prince Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Deputy Premier and Minister of Defence, received here today the Commander of U.S. Central Command General Lloyd Austin and his accompanying delegation.At the outset of the reception, the Crown Prince welcomed the Commander of U.S. Central Command in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, wishing him and the accompanying delegation a pleasant stay.For his part, General Austin expressed his happiness to visit the Kingdom and meet the Crown Prince, commending the interest of the leaderships of the Kingdom and the United States of America in relations between the two countries.During the meeting, they reviewed the prospects for cooperation between the two countries and the latest developments in the Middle East.The audience was attended by Prince Salman bin Sultan bin Abdulaziz, Deputy Minister of Defense; Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, Chief of Crown Prince's Court and Special Advisor; Saudi Ambassador to the United States of America Adel bin Ahmed Al-Jubeir; Chief of General Staff General Hussein Al-Qabil; Deputy Chief of General Staff Lieutenant General Abdulrahman Al-Bunyan; and a number of officials.?
Monday, February 3, 2014
Pawar not to contest Lok Sabha polls in 2014
Krishna Kumar | Mail Today | Mumbai, January 6, 2014 | UPDATED 10:44 IST 
Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar on Sunday said he will not contest this year's Lok Sabha elections to make way for the party's young leaders. He might vie for a Rajya Sabha seat instead, he added. "I have decided to stop. This will enable me to devote maximum time to party work. I am not averse to being in the Rajya Sabha," he said.
Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar on Sunday said he will not contest this year's Lok Sabha elections to make way for the party's young leaders. He might vie for a Rajya Sabha seat instead, he added. "I have decided to stop. This will enable me to devote maximum time to party work. I am not averse to being in the Rajya Sabha," he said. The announcement came as the party, which has governed Maharashtra with the Congress for more than 14 years as part of the Democratic Front, decided against yielding any of its share of seats to its ally. The decision was announced following a meeting of the NCP - attended by Sharad Pawar, daughter Supriya Sule and NCP leader Praful Patel, among others - on Sunday.
After the meeting, Patel said, like 2009, the NCP will contest 22 seats in 2014 as well. He added, however, that the party might exchange "one or two seats" with the Congress.
The relationship of the coalition partners has been in the doldrums of late following a dispute over their seatsharing agreement.
Of the state's 48 Lok Sabha seats, the NCP and the Congress contest 22 and 26 seats, respectively. The coalition won 25 seats in the 2009 Lok Sabha polls.
With several NCP leaders - most famously, Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar - accused of involvement in scams, the Congress is afraid that the party faces a rout in the upcoming election. It has thus asked the NCP to yield two-three of its share to the Congress.
Discussions between the two have failed to end the impasse, with the state Congress leadership sticking to its demand.
Sources said the NCP was willing to comply, but changed its mind following the Congress's disastrous showing in the 2013 Assembly polls.
NCP sources said the party has already finalised a list of 10 candidates for the 2014 Lok Sabha polls - a clear sign to the Congress that it is not prepared to wait endlessly for it to make up its mind on the seat-sharing issue.
Andhra saw terror strikes, protests over Telangana
Hyderabad: 2013 saw terror raising its ugly head in Hyderabad again after two blasts rattled Dilsukhnagar area killing 17 people and injuring over 100 even as pro and anti-Telangana protests across Andhra Pradesh during most part of the year kept the state police on tenterhooks.
The blasts triggered by powerful IEDs planted near Konark and Venkatadiri theatres in Dilsukhnagar on February 21 were carried out on alleged instructions of Indian Mujahideen's Pakistan-based founder Riyaz Bhatkal.
National Investigation Agency (NIA) probing the case arrested IM's co-founder Yasin Bhatkal and his close associate Asadullah Akhtar in connection with the blasts.
A police team from Tamil Nadu and commandos from Andhra Pradesh's OCTOPUS (Organisation To Counter Terrorist Operations) succeeded in arresting two terror suspects Panna Ismail and Bilal Malik from a hide-out in Puttur town of Chittoor district in the state on October 5.
Besides many other cases, Ismail and Malik were wanted in connection with the planting of a pipe bomb on the yatra route of BJP leader L K Advani near Tirumangalam in Madurai district in 2011 and also in connection with the killing of Tamil Nadu BJP leader Auditor Ramesh and Velliappan, leader of a rightwing Hindu organisation, Hindu Munnani.
The state police arrested 134 Maoists till December 11, 2013 compared to 274 in 2012 while the number of Maoist incidents came down to 23 in the year gone by compared to 39 in the previous year.
Hardcore Maoist Sriramula Srinivas alias Sudarshan, wanted in connection with several cases including the killing of former Home Minister A Madhava Reddy, was arrested in Khammam district in March while another senior cadre Pusa Sivanarayana, who was also the incharge of the Central Committee protection platoon was arrested in Medak district in October.
Police had a tough time dealing with pro-Telangana agitations in the city and different Telangana districts in first half of the year and in the Coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema regions which witnessed large-scale protests over the Centre's decision to carve out separate state by bifurcating Andhra Pradesh.
An anti-Congress sentiment swept the two regions as protesters attacked the houses of APCC president and state minister Botsa Satyanarayana at Vizianagaram and several other ministers and leaders.
Several incidents of clashes were reported at Osmania University here besides in Vizianagaram and Anantapur districts, where the pro-Telangana activists and Samaikhyandhra held protests.
All India Majlis-e-Ittehad-ul Muslimeen's (MIM) floor leader in the Andhra Pradesh assembly and MLA Akbaruddin Owaisi, who faced multiple cases for his alleged "hate speech", was arrested by police in January 2013 and was sent to jail.
Similarly, MIM chief and Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi, against whom a non-bailable warrant was pending in a 2005 case, was also sent to judicial remand by a court in Sangareddy town of Medak district.
Asaduddin, along with his brother Akbaruddin, was among others booked by the Patancheru police for obstructing the then Medak Collector A K Singhal from discharging his duties besides other charges.
Both the Owaisi brothers were subsequently released. In July, former Andhra Pradesh minister and Secunderabad Cantonment Congress MLA P Shankar Rao was arrested in connection with a dowry harassment case lodged against him by his daughter-in-law.
In October, two cab-drivers Satish and Venkateshwarlu were arrested by Cyberabad Police on charges of raping a 22-year-old woman software professional near a forest area on the city outskirts after abducting her in their car.
Eleven undertrial prisoners undergoing treatment for mental sickness at the Institute of Mental Health in Eragadda here escaped from the prisoners ward of the hospital even as nine of them were subsequently nabbed.
In December, Cyberabad Police resolved the sensational bank burglary case at a private bank here in which 15 kg gold worth Rs 4.5 crore was stolen, with the arrest of a gold appraiser M Brahma Chary, working at the bank besides his wife and son.
Dismissed Police Transport Organisation (PTO) head constable Giriprasad Sarma, who was on the run in connection with the abduction of a PTO official Ramana Rao was arrested here in August.
A hardcore terrorist of terror module Indian Muslim Mohammadi Mujahideen, Mohammed Aijaz Ahmed alias Aijaz, who was absconding since 2006 was arrested from Kuwait and brought to the city by Andhra Pradesh Police in October.
Following a court order, police registered an FIR in December against Bollywood actor Salman Khan and producers of the reality TV show "Big Boss 7" for allegedly hurting religious sentiments.
Crime file: Priest held for sexual harassment in Karnataka; college girl alleges rape by student, sets herself afire and more
Priest held for sexual harassment in Karnataka
Raichur: The Deodurga police on Sunday arrested a priest at Shambulinga temple near Deodurga town, who was absconding for the past one-and-a-half month, on charges of sexual harassment.
The arrested has been identified as Veeresh. A case had been registered against him at the Deodurga police station on November 1 under the Information Technology Act-2008 and Section 354 (assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty), 392 (A) and 417 read with 34 of Indian Penal Code.
Read here: Bodos abduct AP engineer
Superintendent of Police M.N. Nagaraj said on Monday that the arrested priest had sexually harassed four women under the guise of offering special pujas.
The priest would ask the women to take off their clothes, while performing the puja. He had also captured the nude puja rituals on his mobile phone.
A complaint had been filed by Ranappa, an eyewitness, the SP said. A team, led by Deodurga circle inspector Ramesh Methi, was constituted to nab the accused.
“Acting on a tip-off, the team arrested Veeresh from the house of his elder sister in Chiragunti village in Muktal taluk of Andhra Pradesh. Attempts are being made to arrest two more accused – Basavaraj Sindhanur and Nagaraj Kambar,” he said.
Next: College girl alleges rape by student union leader, sets herself afire
Crime file: 11 tribal girls in AP hostel allege sexual abuse by tutor; mentally-ill woman raped, murdered and more
11 tribal girls in AP hostel allege sexual abuse by tutor
Hyderabad: Eleven minor tribal girls residing in a students' hostel run by an NGO in Nalgonda district of Andhra Pradesh, have alleged sexual assault by their tutor for the past five months, police said on Saturday.
According to Nalgonda Superintendent of Police T. Prabhakar Rao, a case wason Friday registered against accused R. Harish following a complaint by the victims.
Harish, who was appointed by the NGO management was also staying in the same hostel in Enemeedha Tanda under Tungaturthy Gram Panchayat, where the abuse happened. He allegedly threatened the girls and sexually abused them, a police official said.
As many as 78 students comprising boys and girls are staying in the hostel.
"Harish was on leave for three days last week, when girls came out and informed their kin about their trauma. We immediately swung into action and sent the girls for medical examination. All the children are below 13 years of age. We formed special teams to catch the accused," Rao told PTI.
However, sources in the department said that police have already nabbed Harish and are questioning him.
The couple - Srinivas and Sarita - who are running the NGO will also be questioned on any violations in running the hostel, the police official said. As of now, a case under relevant sections of protection of children from sexual assault besides cheating, has been registered, he added.
Meanwhile, a police official from Nalgonda district said that a case under Nirbhaya Act was being filed against the accused. A social organisation has also filed a complaint with the State Human Rights Commission demanding justice for victims.
Next: Polish woman alleges rape by cab driver in Delhi
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Exactly a year ago, a 23-year-old physiotherapy student was gang raped on a moving bus in Delhi. That led to a national outrage with people questioning inefficiency of the government to provide security to women. There was such anger with protests across the nation that anyone would have thought it would be the last rape in the nation. That wasn't to be. 
Safety of women in the national capital was questioned, and in fact that was one of the reasons why chief minister Sheila Dikshit and the Congress suffered a humiliated defeat at the hands of political newcomer Arvind Kejriwal and his party Aam Aadmi Party. Political implications apart, the December 16 gang rape made headlines in international media, exposing how insecure women are in India. Despite the magnanimity of the most brutal rape of the country, very little has changed in one year.The conviction rate for rape is a mere 27 per cent which is why rapists aren't scared.The four accused in the December 16 rape case, gym instructor Vinay Sharma (20), bus cleaner Akshay Thakur (28), fruit-seller Pawan Gupta (19) and Mukesh Singh (26) were awarded death penalty as the court felt it was a rarest of rare cases. Main accused Ram Singh was found dead in jail while another is a minor.Notwithstanding pressure, the Central government in April amended the Anti-rape bill, which now provides life-term or death sentence for rape convicts. According to the new law, an offender can be sentenced to rigorous imprisonment that is not less than 20 years. The law also fixed age for consensual sex at 18 years. One thing that has changed is, none will take things lying down. But it doesn't mean that the incidents have gone down. Shockingly, a rape is reported every 20 minutes in India. A young girl's sexual harassment complaint resulted in the arrest of Tehelka editor Tarun Tejpal. The girl was bold enough to report against her boss, putting her career at stake. Neither death sentence nor new law has acted as a deterrent. The number of rape cases in Delhi have almost doubled. Till November this year, 1,450 cases of rape cases were registered against 706 in 2012. There is an element of positivity about it, as police say that more women are coming forward to report rapes. But as Indian women are known for, not all aren't comfortable reporting about rape.The only mistake of a 23-year-old software engineer, who was kidnapped and raped in a cab Hyderabad, was that she trusted the cab drivers to take her to her hostel. But she ended up being raped.Unlike the Tehelka journalist, this girl was scared to report it, she filed a false complaint that there was an attempt to rape her. But the incident came to light when the police arrested the cab drivers, who admitted to raping her.Rapes are tarnishing the image of the country as a whole. Internationally, India is perceived as the rape capital with governments of foreign countries warning women against travel to India.A photojournalist was gang raped when on duty in Mumbai. That wasn't the first time for the accused, who thought when others didn't complain why would she? Experts debate if raping is a psychological problem? Most of the rapists won't have any remorse or guilt feeling. In many cases, they deny the crime or feel what they did wasn't wrong.There is a need for a systemic social change and the solution doesn't lie in the law, but in changing the mindset of people. Microsoft Word has an Assamese clone
Itanagar: A group of volunteers from different parts of Assam have made an innovation of sorts by designing an Assamese word processor similar to the Microsoft Word with a spell checker and word suggestions to boot.
Named Jahnabi, the word processor has came as a boon for those who need help in writing the language and can be easily used by those with a rudimentary knowledge of Assamese.
"The website www.jahnabi.org has received more than 60,000 hits and the free-of-cost software downloaded by more than 1,000 people since it was launched online on November 25 last," says Mridul Kumar Sharmah, one of the members of the team.
The Unicode compliant software with a size of 7 mega bytes has at present nearly 2.5 lakh Assamese words and 108 readymade Assamese phrases in its dictionary and counting.
"The programming of the processor is based on dotnet platform and C# language containing around 15,000 lines of code," Utpal Phukon, the only programmer in the Jahnabi team, said.
It took almost 25 days to complete the beta version of the software and the final software was designed in four months, he said. The software contains automatic suggestions for words. Just type the alphabet K and all the words beginning with Ka would appear like Kalam and Kamal.
There are also 600 Assamese idioms. The user has the option to create a shortcut for frequently used idioms. There is also a facility to add words to the user’s dictionary. "If one types the alphabets K and M, words like Kamal and Kamtapur would be listed. All one has to do is click on the word which is required from the list. This makes it easy for people who do not have an in-depth knowledge of the language," Sharmah said.
Man finds daughter of sister abducted 60 years ago
A Saudi man searching for his sister who was abducted nearly 60 years ago is believed to have found her daughter who has responded to his pleas through newspapers.
Fraij Al Rabei, now in his 70s, said his sister, Dalima, was nearly nine years old when an unknown man on camel back snatched her while she was collecting wood for winter with her mother and sisters in their central town of Aflaj.
He said his sister was sighted in the western Saudi town of Makkah nearly five years ago, prompting him and relatives to launch a fresh search. Rabei published an appeal through Sabq daily and other local newspapers for help to locate his sister.
“Sabq has received a phone call from a woman saying she is Dalima’s daughter and that her mother died nearly 10 years ago,” the paper said.
It said the woman lives in the capital Riyadh and that she has just had a phone conversation with Rabei, in which she affirmed to him that she is Dalima’s daughter.
“Rabei said he would soon go to Riyadh to meet this woman but added that what she told him make him believe 95 per cent that she is his niece,” the paper said.
“The woman promised Rabei that she would tell him more and show him pictures about her mother while Rabei says he will seek DNA tests to confirm her claims.”
Sabq quoted the woman as saying her mother told her that she was abducted by an unknown man who later sold her to a tribal sheikh. She then married a local man and her name was changed to Madina Ali Al Dousari.
Saudi killed in bull attack
A Saudi farmer died after suffering from serious injuries during an attack by a bull at his farm in the Gulf kingdom, a newspaper reported on Sunday.
The bull suddenly went mad and attacked the farmer with his massive horns, causing bleeding in various parts of his body and fractures in the back and neck.
The farmer from the eastern Saudi province of Ihsa was rushed to hospital in a serious condition and was admitted to the intensive care unit.
“He spent nearly 20 days in hospital but died this week because of the injuries inflicted by the bull which was born and raised in his farm,” Ihsa newspaper said.
Sunday, February 2, 2014
Need more efforts to create jobs, curb inflation: India Inc
New Delhi: Concurring with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, India Inc today said more efforts are needed for reviving the manufacturing sector, promoting SMEs and removing supply constraints to bring down food prices.
"We agree with the Prime Minister that a turnaround in manufacturing has yet to be achieved while the persistence of inflation continues to be a problem," CII Director General Chandrajit Banerjee said after Singh's press conference.
"Increase in food supplies as also improved marketing and logistic support are crucial to rein in inflation especially pertaining to food prices," he added.
Raed here - Inflation a concern, India heading for better times: PM
Referring to the issue of job creation, Singh said the government had not been able to do as well as it would have liked to and was working "hard" to improve the situation.
"We fully share the PM's concerns that there has not been enough generation of employment in the economy. At the end of the day, we cannot have jobs without growth," Ficci President Sidharth Birla said.
Admitting the government's failure to contain inflation, Singh also said that high prices have helped farmers and asserted that the country was heading for better times.
"Food inflation can be tackled through actions addressing supply-side bottlenecks including through better logistics. The country also requires amendment of APMC Act by all states and at least the UPA-led states can immediately address this," Birla said.
Rupee has first gain in New Year, up 10 paise
Assocham President Rana Kapoor said: "The manufacturing sector could not generate the desired number of jobs. The reason for this was economic slowdown, coupled with lack of determined policies to give a great push to the manufacturing. SMEs hold the key to job creation, which should be encouraged."
On this issue, the Prime Minister had said, "We need a much stronger effort in support of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) which can be a major source of good quality employment. Our manufacturing strategy gives high priority to this objective for the future."
Elaborating on the steps needed to encourage SMEs, PHD Chamber of Commerce President Sharad Jaipuria said: "Efficiency and competitiveness of the MSMEs through continuous technology innovation, quality improvement, easy access to finance, diversification into new markets, better infrastructural facilities and skill up gradation must be addressed".
Deira Dubai’s multi-level car park to shut down for most of February
The old multi-level car park in Al Sabkha, in Dubai’s Deira district, will be closed for nearly the whole month in February, the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) announced.
“The RTA announces a complete temporary closure of the old multi-level car parks in Deira effective Saturday [2-02-2014] until Wednesday [26-02-2014] due to the maintenance and renovation of this utility so as to ensure a better service and raise customer satisfaction,” the statement reads.
During the closure, road users may park in the new car park, which is positioned behind the old facility and offers 470 parking slots.
Further, the area is served by several public transportation options, points out Adel al Marzouki, Director of Parking at the RTA. “There is a bus station right next to the car park and we have Dubai Metro in the area, with the stations Banyas Square and Al Ras. These options are all within a 100 meter radius from the car park.
“We encourage the use of public transportation. But if people like to come by car, the new car park is available,” he added.
Al Sabkha is located in the heart of Old Dubai, and therefore is one of the busiest neighbourhoods in the area. The place is traditionally known for its parking problem, which led Dubai Municipality to build the new car park in 2006.
Botsa Satyanarayana: Chandrababu Naidu has rights on corruption
Hyderabad: PCC president Botsa Satyanarayana alleged that TD chief N. Chandrababu Naidu alone has a patent on corruption.
The PCC chief said he will make public his assets on January 3. Speaking to the media at Gandhi Bhavan on Monday, Satyanarayana condemned the remarks made by Naidu on AICC president Sonia Gandhi.
On a caustic note, the PCC chief said Naidu is the one who has encouraged corruption; he has looted public money by making a business of politics.
When corruption charges were levied against him he went to the court and got stay orders, Satyanarayana said adding that everyone is asking how a man who owned only two acres of land has earned Rs 2,000 crore and acquired huge properties.
The PCC chief said it is surprising that such a person promises to eradicate corruption in the country.
Satyanarayana reminded that it is the Congress that has passed the Lok Pal Bill. The PCC chief accused some members of the media belonging to a particular community who are trying their best to ensure that Naidu is the next chief minister.
But Naidu has lost his credibility amongst the people.
Satyanarayana said media hype and playing mind games will not help bring Naidu success in the forthcoming elections.
Government chief whip Gandra Venkata Ramana Reddy said Naidu should remember that he was the one who introduced corruption in state politics and it is ironical that he is the one accusing Congress chief and others of corruption.
Video: Yemeni girl cries stones instead of tears
A 12-year-old Yemeni girl has baffled doctors as her eyes oozed out stones instead of tears, triggering panic in her rural area that it could be either magic or epidemic.
Doctors said they still could not give an explanation for such a phenomenon since the girl, Saadiya Saleh, is not suffering from any know disease.
A YouTube film aired by Yemen’s Azal satellite TV channel showed doctors gathered a small box full of stones that dropped out of the girl’s eyes in just a few hours.
“This case in the second strange phenomenon in the region,” Azal’s presenter said in a report from the western Yemeni province of Hudaidah.
“The case has triggered panic in the area where this girl loves….some say the girl could be gripped by a magic spell while others say it might be the devil….others fear it could be the start of a dangerous epidemic.”
2014 to usher in new face as PM after LS polls
Chennai: A new person will become the Prime Minister of India after the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, which will also see the rout of the Congress.
Also, stability woes will haunt the new government in the national capital till June in the New Year, according to noted astrologer Yadartha Jothidar Sehlvi.
The Congress will face troubled times and its leader Rahul Gandhi, who has a role in the future, may not make it to the Prime Minister’s post, he says. “The year 2014 will see a ‘new face’ become the Prime Minister,” Sehlvi adds.
The year comes under the influence of (planet) Ketu. Its number is 7. It will be in Aries till June 22 and afterwards, transit to Pisces and remain there throughout the year, he said, explaining the planetary positions.
Planet Saturn will be in Libra and Jupiter will transit to Cancer from Gemini in June. The yearly general predictions will be made according to these planetary positions.
“The year 2014 is not a good period for agriculture. So, the government should concentrate on preserving agricultural produce. Blackmarketing of foodgrains will increase, weather forecast will be misleading and bacterial infections and new disease outbreak will cause concern in the nation. Most of all, political instability will prevail till June and after June 22 the government will become stable. Unexpected happenings will occur much to the pleasant surprise of the government and these new occurrences will make the new government happy,” he says.
Judgments would be delivered against corruption cases and also cases pertaining to crime against women and children. Good laws will be enacted and women’s reservation bill will be passed.
“This is so because Ketu has the power to ensure a lot of good things for women. So, safety of women and children would be highlighted and this is indicated for this year. Also, the government will come forward to improve cleanliness, roads and impose penalty on the wrong-doers. Ketu is the Lord for purity and divinity. He will guide people to God by creating travails. Only troubles make one realise God."
Destruction of natural resources is the main cause for natural disasters, so laws to prevent plundering of natural resources will be passed.
Since Ketu could be controlled by Lord Ganesh, people should worship Lord Vinayaka from January 1 onwards. But, one must not ignore one’s family deity.
So, regular worship of Lord Ganesh and family deity will yield beneficial results.
Generally, 2014 will be a troublesome period. There are likely to be natural disasters, sea level may rise, cyclones, fires, industrial fire and negligence may happen.
Terrorist activities may cause more trouble. We should be careful in all things during a Ketu year. Those in authority should take precautions to protect people, he elaborated.
Ketu is gnanakarakan. He will first inflict troubles and then bestow knowledge. He will introduce sorrows to infuse faith in God.
A person who is happy will not go to the temple. Ketu is the main power forcing people to undergo struggles to seek divine intervention.
He is likely to create problems for the country through the neighbours. Border areas will become a big problem for India.
So, the government has to put the military on high alert and put in place a strategy to overcome the problems posed by the neighbouring countries.
Dubai's real estate growth cycle has just begun: Dubai Investments CEO
The growth cycle in Dubai's real estate market has just begun and prices are still far below the peak of 2007-2008, Dubai Investments Chief Executive Officer Khalid bin Kalban told Emirates 24|7.
"Prices fell from the peak of 2007 and 2008 by a maximum of 60 per cent and a minimum 40 per cent; we even haven't reached that 40 per cent. Though we have seen increase of up to 20 per cent, we haven't really come back to the value of 2008. Generally, it's a five-year growth cycle... we are just at the start of the first year and so you still you have four years of growth," he states.
“The world economy is just picking up and financial markets are growing... usually there is 12 to 24 months gap between the growth of stock markets and growth in real estate. And if you go back, you can see that the stock market crisis started in 2006, but the real estate market crashed only in 2008.
"So we are confident that in the coming three to five years we wouldn't see anything affecting this growth... all indications tell us that growth is sustainable," Kalban asserts.
US-based Goldman Sachs Group said earlier that fears of Dubai's real estate market experiencing a bubble are "exaggerated", stating property prices were still 36 per cent below their 2008 peak even after rising by about a-third from a low in the second quarter of 2011.
Knight Frank, UK-based consultancy, expects property prices in Dubai to increase by 10 to 15 per cent this year with the emirate being placed third in the list of world's 20 most dynamic cities.
Shortage of housing units
According to Kalban, Dubai Investments Park (DIP), a 2,400-hectare mixed-use development, is already currently facing shortage of residential units.
"There is a severe shortage of residential units in DIP and we are looking to build more to meet the demand. Even those who rented land from us earlier, and were planning to build commercial buildings, have now opted to covert them into residential.”
DIP is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Dubai Investments, the largest investment company listed on Dubai Financial Market.
Even though DIP isn't located in any close proximity of the most happening districts of Dubai, property prices and rents almost match that of other master communities.
"There is definitely a huge shortage here and hence prices and rents are going up," Kalban states.
Average rents for two-bed apartments in DIP are Dh75,000 per annum, while three-bed are between Dh110,000 to Dh120,000 pa.
New villa project
In fact, increasing demand for villas has led to Dubai Investments to add a new phase to its popular Green Community.
"We will soon be launching the phase three of Green Community. Construction will start as soon as we get approval from Dubai Municipality," he reveals.
Ritaj sold out
Asked about Ritaj, the flagship residential project of Dubai Investments Real Estate Company (DIREC), the real estate arm of Dubai Investments, Kalban says it is nearly sold and leased out.
"Ritaj is nearly sold and leased out. The units that remain unoccupied are ones sold to investors."
Though Dubai Investments held back some inventory in the project, which has been leased, it now plans to sell their retained stock in the market.
"We had held back some inventory that we had opted to rent as we did believe its value would definitely go up. Prices are going up and hence we are activating the sale of these units based at the new prices."
The current sale price ranges between Dh700 to Dh800 per square feet. It had fallen to below Dh500 per square feet between 2009 and 2010.
"People who have built residential are also seeing not just their rentals going up, but also the value of their buildings. The area, overall, witnessed an increase of 15 to 25 per cent between June 2012 and end of 2013.”
Hotel with a spa
Kalban rules out plans to build any mega shopping mall in Dubai Investments Park, saying, “All the residential communities have a small retail component… there are schools, shops, nurseries, hotels, etc and hence they are self sufficient.”
But, there is a one thing that DIP does need - a hotel with a spa.
“We are exploring options to build or lease the land to some third party willing to build a hotel with spa, but if no one comes up in the next six to 12 months with any offers, DIREC will start work on the project,” he reveals.
Sensex dips on New Year day
Mumbai: The benchmark Sensex gave up initial gains in a lacklustre session on Wednesday following the absence of global triggers and ended with a 30-point loss, logging a drop on the opening trading day of the year for the first time since 2006.
Most global stock markets, including those in Asia, Europe and New York, are closed on Wednesday. Reliance Industries, TCS and Infosys shares were the biggest drag on the index, which received some support from Bharti Airtel.
Wipro and Tata Power fell. Three of the 12 BSE sectoral indices fell — IT, technology and oil & gas. The realty sector index notched up a huge jump while the others eked out minor gains.
The S&P BSE Sensex opened higher and climbed to 21,244.35. It traded in a 110-point range before ending at 21,140.48, a loss of 30.20 points or 0.14 per cent. It was the first drop for the index on day one of the year since January 2, 2006, when the Sensex fell 7.8 points.
The broader, 50-share CNX Nifty on the Nati-onal Stock Exchange (NSE) was down 2.35 points to 6,301.65.
Air-conditioned pedestrian bridges for Dubai tram users
Dubai tram project is on in full swing. The RTA has now awarded contract for the construction of four footbridges to serve tram users.
The Board of Directors of the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA), chaired by Mattar Al Tayer, Chairman of the Board and Executive Director, endorsed the award of a contract to construct four covered and air-conditioned footbridges for Dubai Tram users.
Two bridges will be constructed over Al Safouh Street to serve tram users and residents on both sides of the street, and the other two will link Tecom zone with the locality on the opposite side of the street as well as the Dubai Marina Mall, thus providing safe transit means for street crossing in those busy areas.
"The construction of new projects stems from RTA's keenness on improving and upgrading main roads network in Dubai city, maintaining the safety of pedestrians, linking business and residential neighbourhood, and minimizing run-over accidents. All of these new bridges will be covered, air-conditioned and fitted with electric elevators/escalators. They also boast architectural design patterns compatible with the eye-catching designs of the tram coaches and stations as well as the urban appearance of residential units at the locality. Attention has also been made to offering high levels of convenience to users through the installation of lifts and slipways for wheelchairs users among special needs and seniors," said Al Tayer.
"The RTA assigns paramount attention to road users, particularly pedestrians, and is keen on providing safe transit means for them while crossing roads. Positioning the bridges was guided on traffic studies built on the intensity of population movement between the two sides of the street, locations of corporate and retail facilities, and sites that saw increasing number of run-over accidents (black points).
"The RTA has so far constructed 94 pedestrian bridges, including footbridges of the Dubai Metro stations. Work is up-and-running in the construction of 11 bridges, seven of which have been opened and the remaining 4 are set for opening as early as next month. According to its master plan for pedestrian bridges and traffic safety, the RTA will release a tender for constructing seven pedestrian bridges this year," added Al Tayer.
It is worth-mentioning that the RTA has approved last year a plan for constructing 17 pedestrian bridges in 2013 - 2016 spanning various vital locations in Dubai emirate. In the initial stage (2013 - 2014), nine bridges will be constructed costing about 45 million dirham.
Bridges spread over a number of vital areas, namely: two footbridges at Bani Yas Road (one near the building of the Dubai Municipality), and a bridge at each of Damascus Road (near the Public Library), Al Mina Road, Baghdad Road, Al Maktoum Road, Al Khawaneej Road (near Arabian Center), Al Khail Road (near Al Qouz Industrial Area), and a bridge near Emirates Towers.
In the second phase (2015 - 2016), eight footbridges will be constructed in several key locations, namely: two bridges at Al Awir Road, and one bridge at each of Amman, Meydan, Damascus, Al Khawaneej, Al Quds and Doha Roads. Among the bridges recently completed by the RTA is a pedestrian bridge over Al Saada Street opposite to the Dubai World Trade Center (Conventions Center), spanning 92 meters and fitted with two lifts at each side in order to handle the huge number of visitors of the Center. Two bridges have also been completed; the first is over the Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Road (near the Fruits and Vegetables Market at Al Awir) stretching 100 meters, and the second is near Workers Accommodation at Muhaisnah spanning 86 km.
RTA Chairman of the Board and Executive Director called on citizens and residents of Dubai to use footbridges '&' subways designated for crossing roads, and urged drivers to abide by the speed limits and slowdown at the approaches of pedestrian crossings for their own safety and the safety of road users.
Fox meat makes an ass of Wal-Mart's China donkey product
Beijing: Global retail giant Wal-Mart Stores has recalled a donkey meat product from some Chinese stores after tests found traces of other animals' DNA, the company said today, after authorities said it contained fox meat.
The world's largest retailer will reimburse customers who bought the "Five Spice Donkey Meat" 50 yuan (USD 8.25), a spokeswoman told AFP.
The company would also independently DNA test all of its "high risk" meats in China, a procedure which is not required by retailers under Chinese food laws, the spokeswoman said.
Wal-Mart would also cooperate with food officials in the eastern province of Shandong with their probe into the "adulteration incident", said a statement posted on Sina Weibo, a Chinese Twitter equivalent.
The Shandong Food and Drug Administration had previously said the "Five Spice Donkey Meat" product contained fox.
"We are deeply sorry for this whole affair," said Wal-Mart's China president and CEO Greg Foran according to the Weibo statement, posted yesterday.
It did not give an explanation for how the contamination happened, but Foran added that the company would increase its focus on "supplier management".
Donkey meat is not a Chinese staple meat dish, but is commonly consumed as a snack.
China has seen several food safety scares in recent years, including one in which the industrial chemical melamine was added to milk formula in 2008, killing at least six babies and making 300,000 ill.
Wal-Mart plans to open up to 110 new stores in China over the next two years, according to the company's website.
Dubai Police SOS calls: A touch that goes wrong
Though otherwise very useful, smartphones sometimes hinder the working of the police’s operations room, says Brigadier Omar Abdul Aziz Al Shamsi, Director, Command and Control Centre, Dubai Police.
According to Brigadier Al Shamsi, some smartphones have an emergency icon on their desktops and many users touch this icon by mistake which connects them instantly with the police’s ‘999’ room.
Dubai Police received as many as 49,105 emergency calls by mistake out of the total of 568,279 calls to ‘999’ last year. Such callers usually apologise as soon as the call is answered, saying they touched or pressed the emergency icon by mistake, Al Shamsi added.
However, the ‘SOS’ icon helps the police to locate the caller and thus help the police to reach the place quickly, he added.
The operations rooms aims to respond to 97 per cent of all emergency calls within 10 seconds or three telephone rings and reach the place of emergency within 15 minutes, he said.
Brigadier Al Shamsi called on the public to be careful while using their smartphones so that the operations room’s work is not delayed or hampered. All ‘999’ calls are seen and treated as emergencies, he added.
Mistaken ‘999’ calls could delay police response to a real emergency call which could cause loss of human lives, Al Shamsi said.
Crime file: Teenage girl gangraped in Jaipur; IAF sergeant kills wife, attempts suicide and more
Teenage girl gangraped in Jaipur
Jaipur: A 17-year-old girl was allegedly gangraped by three youths in a hotel here, police said today. In an FIR moved through a court's order, a woman alleged that on November 23, her daughter was taken by Phoolchand Meena (25) in a car to a hotel in Daulatpura where he and two of his friends raped her, Vishwakarma SHO Kishan Singh said.
The accused had threatened the victim of dire consequences if she revealed the incident to anybody, the SHO said. Meena's two friends are yet to identified, the SHO said, adding that a case under various sections of the IPC and Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act has been registered against them.
Meanwhile, a 16-year-old girl was allegedly raped by Bunty (23) in a slum area of Transport Nagar on November 28, SHO of TP Nagar police station Babulal Vishnoi said.
The accused also went to her house and threatened her uncle before trying to molest her again, he said. Bunty has been arrested under various sections of the IPC and the POCSO Act, he said.
Next: IAF sergeant kills wife, attempts suicide
1234567891011121314151617181920Exclusive: The future of the UAE, according to Mohammed bin Rashid
The United Arab Emirates' goal is to achieve the Number 1 rank on all global indices, according to His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai.
This is "an unwavering strategic goal and rank that we are keen to accomplish," said His Highness giving his 'inside perspective' in thebusiness year: Dubai 2013 magazine.
Global Trade Hub
Sheikh Mohammed pointed out that the UAE enjoys a "distinguished geographical location" at the centre of the world.
"We have chosen to strategically invest in building sustainable infrastructure that would establish our country as the main gate for trade in the region and beyond.
"Today, we feel proud of our world-class and highly-ranked sea and air ports, which have strongly positioned the UAE as a main hub for trade and travel worldwide," His Highness said.
Tourism Leader
Another goal set for the nation by Sheikh Mohammed is for the UAE to be the world leader in family tourism.
"The UAE [has] fulfilled all necessary requirements, especially those catering to family tourism, which we seek to lead globally."
He said the UAE possesses the necessary constituents to attract tourism. "We gave this vital sector significant attention; especially in the light of emerging global trends such as the growth of the middle class in the Far East region and the remarkable increase in its travel budgets."
Sheikh Mohammed pointed out that the emergence of China as one of the new tourism exporting countries will definitely have an impact on the global tourism industry.
"Scrupulously monitoring and measuring these fast-paced changes, we are prepared to handle their global implications.
"Our reliable and state-of-the-art infrastructure underlines our capability to meet the growing demand for our country as the preferred tourist destination in the Middle East," His Highness said.
Strongly Pro-Business
Sheikh Mohammed explained that since the early stages of the country's development journey, the leadership has been very keen to pursue the diversification of our national economy.
"The improvement of all economic sectors was emphasised, and global trends were closely monitored to identify opportunities that we could utilise towards achieving desired progress.
"Determined to create a healthy, inviting environment attractive to investment and supportive of the private sector, we embarked on setting a comprehensive and solid framework for our relations with the local and international business community based on the principle of partnership toward success."
Leveraging Opportunities
Sheikh Mohammed said he has no doubt that the fast changing global political, economic and cultural trends have a greater and deeper impact on the future of nations.
"Economic growth has become chiefly dependent on the extent of a nation's pursuit of those trends, the level of flexibility in handling their implications, and the necessary actions take to cope with them.
"Our country has shown the utmost flexibility in coping with surrounding variables.
"Due to its precise goal-bound economic strategies and solid policies, the UAE has achieved outstanding progress on global economic indices," he said while explaining that "progress was obtained through strong emphasis on the human factor, which is the foundation of the development system that enables the UAE to achieve its goal of ranking Number 1 on all global indices.
"Under the leadership and directives of His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE, our country recently ranked 19th overall on the Global Competitiveness Index (GCI), which was a five-rank improvement compared to 2012 - an achievement we are proud of and that gives us an incentive to work harder to obtain further progress and top the world in this and other indices," Sheikh Mohammed said.
Remarkable Transformation
Sheikh Mohammed pointed out that since inception of the UAE four decades ago, the country has exemplified the true definition of success and rightfully claimed stature as a symbol of growth and prosperity.
"Perhaps the UAE's barren desert climate gave birth to unequivocal will and an unparalleled purpose to overcome every challenge it encountered.
"Hence, it remarkably transformed itself in a very short period of time into a beacon of success and development in the region."
Building a Better Future
Sheikh Mohammed said he looks to the future with hope and faith.
"We have placed our trust in the capabilities of our citizens and their ability to achieve further success in various sectors, equipping them with all the necessary tools to sail into new horizons and build a better future for the coming generations.
"We shall continue to invest in developing our human resources, updating our legal and regulatory frameworks,
upgrading and further strengthen our infrastructure, and pursuing new levels of development and seeking to further establish ourselves as key partners in forming the future of humanity," Sheikh Mohammed concluded.
Russia under attack: Two blasts in two days
Photo for representational purpose only Moscow: Ten people were killed today in a blast on a trolleybus in the southern Russian city of Volgograd, a day after a deadly suicide bombing at the city's main train station, officials said.
"According to initial information, 10 people were killed and 10 were wounded" in the explosion, the spokeswoman of the local branch of the emergencies ministry Irina Gogoleva told the Interfax news agency.
The United States and the United Nations have condemned the terrorist attack in Volgograd in Russia that killed at least 16 people. "The United States condemns in the strongest terms today's terrorist attack in Volgograd," the State Department spokesperson Jen Psaki said yesterday.
"We send our sincere condolences to the families of the victims and stand in solidarity with the Russian people against terrorism of any kind," she said in a statement.
According to news reports, at least 16 people were killed and dozens injured yesterday when a suicide bomber blew herself up in a train station in the Russian city of Volgograd ahead of February's Olympic Games in nearby Sochi.
At the United Nations headquarters in New York, the UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon, condemns the terrorist attack. "He extends his deepest sympathies to the families of the victims as well as to the Government and people of the Russian Federation," said a UN statement.
"The Secretary-General calls for the perpetrators of his heinous act to be brought to justice. He stands in solidarity with the Russian Federation in the face of terrorism," it said.
In another statement, members of the UN Security Council condemned the strongest terrorist attack and called for bringing to justice, the perpetrators and sponsors of this reprehensible act of terrorism.
"The members of the Security Council reaffirmed that terrorism in all its forms and manifestations constitutes one of the most serious threats to international peace and security, and that any acts of terrorism are criminal and unjustifiable, regardless of their motivation, wherever, whenever and by whomsoever committed," the UN Security Council said.
Saturday, February 1, 2014
Enoc and Eppco make 20 more petrol stations self-service
The fuel self-service introduced by Emirates Petroleum Product Company (Eppco), to further enhance operational efficiency, has been extended to 15 more Eppco stations and five Enoc stations from midnight to 6am.
This takes the total number of fuel stations in the Enoc/Eppco network offering fuel self-service during night hours to over 45. Enoc/Eppco plans to implement the system across its entire network. Announcements for the public informing about the introduction of the service have been made at all the sites.
Among the new stations where self-serve is introduced are 10 service stations, which had earlier been closed from midnight to 6am. The introduction of the self-serve facility to these service stations adds to the convenience of motorists, who can conveniently meet their fuel requirements even during late-hours.
A company spokesperson said: “An increasing number of motorists are now utilising the fuel self-service facility. The recent activation of ViP (Vehicle Identification Pass), a radio frequency identification (RFID) based fuel retailing system at Enoc/Eppco service stations, further adds to the convenience of commercial users and fleet owners, who can conveniently meet their fuel requirements securely. Our forecourt staff will extend all support to users of the ViP and self-serve.”
At the sites where the fuel self-service has been introduced, customers can now fuel themselves and pay at the pump. Commercial users and fleet owners who have registered for the ViP service will benefit from automated operations, and can fuel on-the-go without the need to pay in cash or use credit cards. ViP automatically recognises the registered vehicle being fuelled, and deducts the cost from the registered user’s account without the help of a service attendant.
Across the network, advanced and fully secure fuel dispenser systems have been introduced that are easier to use for the motorists. The introduction of self-service will result in no staff redundancies as affected staff members are being deployed in other service stations within the network.
The Enoc/Eppco stations that operate as self-service during late hours are in Al Twar, Al Garhoud, Sheikh Zayed Road, Al Rasheed Road, Port Rasheed Road, Dubai-Al Ain Road, Al Waheeda Road, Jumeirah Beach Road, Ras Al Khor, Al Ghusais, JAFZA, Al Aweer Road, Al Quoz, Al Badaa and Al Nahda.
Banks free to charge 'reasonable ATM fees': RBI
Mumbai: Amid growing clamour from banks to charge customers for transactions at ATMs to make them economically viable, RBI Deputy Governor K C Chakrabarty on Thursday said the regulator will have no objections if the lenders charge "reasonable fee" for such services.
"If banks charge a reasonable fee on ATM transactions then the RBI will have no objections," Chakrabarty, in charge of banking services at RBI, told reporters on the sidelines of an event here this evening.
The senior-most Deputy Governor said till now, no request has come from the banks to raise the fees for transacting at ATMs. Ideally, the issue of charging customers for ATM usage should be left to competitive market forces and banks should be allowed the liberty to decide their own offerings, the commercial banker-turned-central banker said.
Following a brutal attack on a woman inside an ATM of Corporation Bank in Bangalore in November last, banks have been asked to ensure round-the-clock armed security at their cash dispensing kiosks.
This did not find favour with banks, who argued it would be unfeasible to have 24-hour security at ATMs. Reports said lenders are considering charging customers on a per transaction and shutting certain ATMs at odd hours. At present, a customer can use his/her bank's ATM as many times in a month, while free transactions at cash outlets of other banks are capped at five a month.
A bank pays Rs 15 plus taxes for every transaction to the other bank even for the free transactions. "If banks are going into losses they will have no choice but to raise charges," Chakrabarty said.
Banks are learnt to be discussing the issue within the apex industry body Indian Banks Association and will be coming out with a decision soon. Meanwhile, commenting on the recent Financial Stability Report's suggestion to reduce the cap on single entity or group exposure caps, Chakrabarty said, "not only RBI but all international regulators are looking into risks of corporate exposure."
Congress sets up 105-member executive committee for Kerala
New Delhi: Congress veteran K Karunakaran's son and daughter K Muraleedharan and Padmaja Venugopal figure along with senior leaders A K Antony, Vayalar Ravi, Chief Minister Oomen Chandy and PCC chief Ramesh Chennithala in the 105-member list of Kerala Pradesh Executive Committee.
The list also includes party MP Peethampara Kurup, who was in controversy recently over molestation charges by actress Shweta Menon, which were later withdrawn by her.
The jumbo committee announced by Congress chief Sonia Gandhi today, an exercise aimed at making the party fighting fit for next Lok Sabha polls, has tried to accommodate all factions of Kerala Congress giving representation to MPs and MLAs with an emphasis on youth.
Union Ministers Shashi Tharoor, K C Venugopal, Mullapally Ramachandran and K V Thomas are other prominent members in the committee with Deputy Chairman of Rajya Sabha P J Kurien, party MP and spokesperson P C Chacko, Kodikunnil Suresh, M I Shanavas, K Sudhakaran and K P Dhanapalan.
P P Thankachan, the convener of United Democratic Front as well as former PCC chief Thennala G Balakrishna Pillai also find a place in the committee. Rahul Gandhi's pick and former AICC secretary Shanimol Usman is among the 12 women leaders in the list.
Soon, tone deaf could become musical geniuses too
Washington: Researchers have suggested that a little bit of neural tweaking in adulthood, the part of brain that makes understanding music so tough, can be fixed.
In the study, researchers gave adult mice " histone-deacetylase" or HDAC inhibitors - used as mood stabilizers and anti-epileptics - and found that the animals began exhibiting perfect-pitch qualities, Mashable reported.
The same drugs were then given to adult men, who then suddenly began identifying pitches that they couldn't before.
Apparently, these HDAC inhibitors allow the brain to learn something, which it would be incapable of after reaching puberty.
Subrata Roy moves SC seeking permission to go abroad
New Delhi: Sahara Group chief Subrata Roy, who has been restrained from going abroad for failing to refund Rs 20,000 crore investors money, on Thursday moved the Supreme Court seeking its permission to go overseas for business purposes.
A bench of justices K S Radhakrishnan and J S Khehar said that it would hear his plea on January 9 when the main case for handing over title deeds of Rs 20,000 crore of group's unencumbered properties to SEBI would be taken up for hearing.
Senior advocate C A Sundaram, appearing for Roy, submitted that his client has some business overseas and he is needed there. He submitted that Roy would come back to country within three days of the notice period.
The bench, after hearing his arguments, said that it would consider the plea on January 9 and also asked the SEBI to respond on the nature of title deeds handed over to it by the group.
Tightening the noose around Sahara group for not refunding Rs 20,000 crore investors money, the Supreme Court had on November 21 last year barred Roy from leaving the country and also restrained it from selling any of its properties.
The apex court had said its order for handing over title deeds of Rs 20,000 crore unencumbered properties to SEBI was not followed by the group in "letter and spirit" and prevented Roy along with other directors of the group Vandana Bhargava, Ravi Shankar Dubey and Ashok Roy Choudhary from leaving the country.
In his application, Roy pleaded the apex court to consider his plea sympathetically and allow him to visit UK and USA.
Three contempt petitions filed by SEBI against Roy, the two firms--Sahara India Real Estate Corp Ltd (SIREC) and Sahara India Housing Investment Corp Ltd (SHIC)--and their directors are pending before the court.
It had on August 31 last year directed the Sahara group to refund Rs.24,000 crore by November end.
The deadline was further extended and the companies were directed to deposit Rs 5,120 crore immediately and Rs 10,000 crore in first week of January and the remaining amount in first week of February.
The group, which had handed over the draft of Rs 5,120 crore on December 5, has failed to pay the rest of the amount.
The two companies, their promoter Roy and directors Vandana Bhargava, Ravi Shankar Dubey and Ashok Roy Choudhary were told to refund the collected money to the regulator.
Earlier, the Group agreed to hand over documents of its 71 properties which it claimed to be worth Rs 20,000 crore as security with the SEBI for refunding investors money.
The court had granted time to SEBI to verify the genuineness of the property deeds submitted by the company and posted the case for the next hearing on January 9.
Sahara said the properties submitted are spread across cities such as Mumbai, Cochin, Noida, Ajmer, Aligarh, Haridwar, Muzaffarnagar, Raipur, Amritsar, Jhansi, Kanpur and Faridabad.
Crime file: Kolkata Police asks rape victim's father to return body to Bihar; Man held for online harassment of girl; Woman kills 2 kids, herself over dowry and more
Kolkata: The father of the 16-year-old gang rape victim who died in a city hospital after attempting suicide, today alleged that Kolkata Police asked him to leave the state and return to Bihar with his daughter's body.
"The police officials last night threatened me and asked me to leave the state and return to Bihar with the body. The police officials and some local toughs also threatened that if I did not they would stop me from driving my taxi," said the victim's father, who is a taxi driver.
There was a tussle between the Left parties and Kolkata Police last night over the cremation of the body of the girl, who died in a city hospital on Wednesday due to injuries sustained when attempting to set herself on fire at her home on December 23.
The Left leadership will meet Governor M K Narayanan during the day over the issue and submit a deputation, party sources said. The girl's father, who is close to the CITU, said it was decided by the family and the trade union that the body would be kept in Peace Haven mortuary in the city and a condolence rally would be taken out during the day. But the body was taken away forcefully by the police for cremation while being taken to the mortuary late last night without the family's consent, the girl's father and CITU sources said.
"The police took away the body forcefully and tried to cremate it at Nimatala Ghat crematorium but could not as the death certificate was with the girl's father. After the news spread we too rushed to the crematorium and protested forcing the police to retreat," CPI(M) state secretariat member Rabin Deb said.
"The police gave the excuse that the condolence rally with the body cannot be allowed as there is dearth of policemen due to New Year celebrations," he alleged.
Rubbishing the allegations Joint Commissioner of Police (HQ) Rajeev Mishra told PTI, "It is a totally false allegation. Whatever was done was done in consultation with Bidhahnagar police, under whose jurisdiction the girl's house falls, and the family members. We did not forcefully take away any body."
Deputy Commissioner of Bidhannagar Police (Detective Department) Arnab Ghosh said, "The incident happened in the jurisdiction of Kolkata police so we can't comment on it." The body is presently in the custody of the family and CITU, which has decided to go ahead with the condolence rally in the city this afternoon.
The girl's family has also alleged negligence by R G Kar Medical College Hospital, where she had been admitted. Ruling Trinamool Congress has accused the Left Front of launching a "false propaganda" against the state government.
"The CPI(M) is alienated from the people and they are desperately trying to launch a wrong propaganda against the government over this (gang rape) issue. But the people will not accept this," TMC General Secretary Mukul Roy said. He said the girl's death was a sad incident and the administration did whatever was necessary to bring the culprits to book.
"The accused are in jail and a charge sheet has been filed against them."
Doctors at the hospital said the girl was admitted with nearly 80 per cent burns and damaged lungs and she died at around 2 PM yesterday. The girl had been gang raped at Madhyamgram in the northern fringes of the city. She was first gang raped on October 25 and found lying in a field near her house. She was forcibly taken away by the same gang and raped and brutalised when she was returning home with her parents after lodging a complaint at the local police station.
The severely injured girl was later found lying unconscious near the railway track at Madhyamgram the same day. Her family had changed residence from Madhyamgram to Dum Dum in the city after the brutal incident.
Six people were arrested after local residents demanded immediate action against the gang, but the victim's family members alleged that on December 23, a close associate of the gang leader Chottu had visited their Dum Dum residence and threatened them with dire consequences if the girl did not withdraw her complaint. She attempted suicide the same day.
Man held for online harassment of girl, created fake FB account and posted pictures
Visakhapatnam: A 28-year-old man Sirigudu Kishore of New Colony in the city was arrested on Tuesday on the charges of defaming his girlfriend by posting her photographs and her father’s phone numbers on the Facebook with a fake account.
Kishore, an M.Com post-graduate, was employed as a computer operator at the Prakash parcel service. He developed friendship with the victim, even though he was engaged with a distant relative already.
The girl fell in love with Kishore believing his words. However, the girl refused to continue friendship with him after she came to know that Kishore would marry another girl.
With an intention to take revenge, Kishore downloaded the photographs of the girl from her Facebook account and posted them on the fake account.
He also posted the phone numbers and abusive messages in the name of the girl and asking the prospective customers to call the phone numbers.
Some persons started calling the girl after seeing her images on the Facebook. Irritated over calls, the girl lodged a complaint with II Town police station on December 4 and subsequently the case was transferred to Cyber Crime Investigation Cell (CCIC).
Based on the complaint, CCIC inspector K. Satyanarayana Rao and his team investigated the case.
Additional deputy commissioner of police (Special Branch), Mohammad Khan said that based on IP address of the accused, police arrested Kishore near Lakshmi Talkies on Monday evening and seized an assembled CPU and a communications modem from him.
Next: Woman kills 2 kids, herself over dowry
Centre to ease FDI rules to attract foreign money
New Delhi: Commerce and industry minister Anand Sharma on Wednesday indicated that the government will further liberalise the FDI policy in the new year.
“The bold decisions of the UPA government for liberalising foreign direct investment policy in key sectors such as civil aviation, retail and telecom have resonated with the global community and we have seen results in the last few months. The government will continue its endeavour for liberalising the FDI policy further in the coming weeks to ensure that India retains its leadership position for attra-cting foreign investments,” said the minister.
The ministry is now working to relax FDI norms in construction activities.
Sharma claimed that in 2013, India was rated as the most favoured investment destination globally.
Last year, the government has relaxed foreign direct investment (FDI) norms in several sectors such as telecom, defence, PSU oil refineries, commodity bourses, power exchanges and stock exchanges.
Sharma noted that coming months will see a greater push for development of industrial corridors across the country and work will commence for establishment of the first few cities along the Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor.The minister said that manufacturing seems to be on the mend and there is visible rebound in industrial activity. “The Indian economy has inherent strengths which give it resilience from external pressures and the series of steps taken by the government both on the fiscal and current acco-unt front have yielded positive results,” Mr Sharma said.
Railways to get FDI shot
New Delhi: The government is likely to allow foreign direct investment (FDI) in high speed trains and other projects, including development of rail lines between project sites and existing network.
“The commerce and industry ministry has sent the Cabinet note on the matter and a decision is likely to be taken this this month only,” a government official said.
Besides, proposing 100 per cent FDI through automatic route in the cash-starved railway sector, the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP) has also proposed to de-license and de-reserve few areas of the sector.
However, FDI will not be allowed in train operations and safety.
At present, there is a complete ban on any kind of foreign direct investment (FDI) in the railways sector except mass rapid transport systems.
According to the proposal, foreign investment would also be allowed in “sub-urban corridor, high speed train systems and dedicated freight line projects implemented in PPP mode,” the official said. It has suggested widening the definition of ‘infrastructure’ by including railway line and railway sidings.
Friday, January 31, 2014
New Year to see Rahul Gandhi as PM man
New Delhi: It could all become official with speculation gaining ground that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh intends to declare AICC vice-president Rahul Gandhi as the Congress’ candidate for Prime Minister on January 3.
With the BJP racing ahead by naming Narendra Modi to lead the NDA in the 2014 general election, the chorus to project Rahul Gandhi as the Congress’ PM candidate has been growing in his party over the past few months.
On Monday, finance minister P. Chidambaram, while speaking to a TV channel, also favoured the view in the Congress about naming its PM candidate. “I think today in parliamentary elections as well as state elections voters tend to ask who is the leader. Therefore, in my view, the party should project a person as the leader of the party who will become PM if the party forms the government,” Chidambaram said.
After being routed in Assembly polls in four states, the Congress feels that naming Gandhi as PM candidate could change the grim scenario for the party and enthuse party workers.
PM will not quit early
Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi has been trying to send signals that he is set to cleanse the party and is in no mood to tolerate corruption. Stepping out of his shell, Rahul Gandhi has been speaking on a number of issues, ranging from the Lokpal Bill to the Adarsh housing scam in Mumbai.
The Prime Minister, who is expected to make this announcement at his press conference on January 3, had earlier made it clear that he was willing to work under Rahul Gandhi. “I have always maintained that Rahul Gandhi would be an ideal choice for the PM post after the 2014 elections. I will be happy to work in the Congress under the leadership of Rahul Gandhi,” Dr Singh had said on his way back from the G-20 Summit in Russia in September. The Prime Minister is also likely to release a report highlighting the achievements in 10 years of UPA rule.
Meanwhile, the PMO on Tuesday denied reports that Dr Singh was going to step down as PM before the 2014 polls. While the PMO issued a statement saying “the Prime Minister will complete his tenure”, information and broadcasting minister Manish Tewari attacked the media for its “baseless” speculation. “I know on December 31 there is little news but this does not mean that absurd, baseless and incorrect news stories should be run,” Tewari fumed. For him, “Prime Minister, UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi are the trinity of the Congress.” On being asked about Rahul Gandhi being projected as the Congress’ PM candidate, Tewari said: “Rahul Gandhi is the natural leader of the Congress.”
In his bid to sound positive and optimistic, Tewari, while talking about the Congress being routed in four states, argued “that as a party, may be as a government, they have been disappointing. But if you look at them in perspective, out of 29 states which went to polls in the last five years, the Congress won 12 of those states.”
The BJP, however, maintained that naming Rahul Gandhi as the PM candidate would not change the Congress’ slide at the national level. “If they make Rahul Gandhi their PM candidate, then everybody knows what happened to the Congress in the Assembly elections. The whole country knows that Rahul Gandhi could not click anywhere,” BJP leader Mr Yashwant Sinha said.
AICC vice-president Rahul Gandhi has a degree from Cambridge University, but when it comes to politics, he has his backroom boys as advisors. From what he wears to what he talks, everything is scrutinised. This is the team, comprising Oxford scholars to former bureaucrats, that stands by Rahul as he takes on BJP's PM candidate Narendra Modi in the forthcoming general elections.
An Oxford graduate, Kaushal Vidyarthee is currently the programme manager at Rajiv Gandhi Mahila Vikas Pariyojana. As a student, he was vice-president at Oxford University Student Union. What caught Rahul's attention was avid blogger's interest in research, especially the one on incorporation of Dalits in the economy. (photo courtesy: vidyarthee.com) As part of the committee in-charge of electoral strategy, Dr. Mohan Gopal provides academic insight into party's decisions. The second ever all India president of the National Students Union of India (NSUI) Gopal plans training programmes for Congress Youth members.Koppula Raju, a 1981 batch IAS officer from Hyderabad who quit his job two months ago to join Rahul, is the chairman of the Congress cell on schedule castes. He travels extensively with Rahul, holding parleys with state unit leaders. He was one among the bureaucrats, who were kidnapped by the erstwhile People's War Group Naxalites, in Gurtedu, in East Godavari district, in 1987. Kanishka Singh, an investment banker, gave up his job at the World Bank to join politics in 2003, the year he was part of the team that helped Delhi CM Sheila Dixit's sweep in the assembly polls. Ever since Congress won Amethi seat in 2004, he has been a companion of Rahul. Singh, a computer engineer and MBA from Wharton, was in charge of door-to-door campaigning in the Saraini Assembly segment.K B Byju, former SPG sharp shooter who provided protection to the Gandhi family, quit forces three years ago to take a plunge into politics. He is the point person for Rahul's (in pic) outstation tours as he coordinates with security personnel and at times, he acts as media coordinator too. (Byju's pic was not available)Sachin Rao, a graduate of the Michigan Business School, manages matters concerning internal surveys and also Youth Congress. Alankar Sawai, a former banker, is now in-charge of documents and social media in the Rahul's team. Like Sachin Rao, Sawai also looks after Youth Congress affairs. (Alankar's pic wasn't available)Apart from this core team, Rahul has others providing him advice on many fronts. Congress leader Digvijay Singh is commonly known as Rahul's mentor or personal loud speaker. Lok Sabha MP from Mandsaur in Madhya Pradesh, Meenakshi Natarajan, is often referred by Rahul as a politician who has made success despite not having pedigree. She lives by her rules as taking public transport. Sending vulgar messages, pictures amounts to outraging modesty: HC
Chandigarh: Sending vulgar messages and posting objectionable photographs of young girls on internet tantamount to outraging modesty of woman, the Punjab and Haryana High Court has observed while denying anticipatory bail to an accused. It said such incidents have been "tremendously increasing day-by-day, ruining the social fabric of our society" and need "to be curbed with heavy hands".
The observation was made by Justice Mehinder Singh Sullar while hearing an anticipatory bail plea of Adarsh Singh who was booked by Amritsar police along with another co-accused on charges of outraging the modesty of a woman and other offences under the IPC and the Information Technology Act, 2000 on April 24 last year.
Rejecting the anticipatory bail plea of the accused, the Judge observed "the learned state counsel has also produced on record the copies of vulgar messages, notes, abuses and objectionable photographs. The abuses and messages etc which were sent by the accused to the complainant, are so vulgar, that it is very difficult to describe them in black and white and the same have been kept in a sealed cover".
There is prima facie sufficient evidence on record to support the allegations assigned to the accused, he noted.
The prosecution had claimed that the marriage of complainant was scheduled to be solemnised on November 28 last year. "The petitioner has sent very vulgar messages to her and her other relatives for the purpose of extortion.
He has blackmailed her by projecting and displaying her objectionable photographs on internet. The complainant did not delete and saved the messages in her mobile phone as a matter of proof," the Judge noted. The investigating officer obtained the details of messages and photographs of the complainant displayed on the internet and obtained arrest warrants against the petitioner.
"Perhaps, it cannot possibly be denied that, the tendency and frequency of sending such vulgar messages and projecting the objectionable photographs on internet of innocent young girls by such accused, have been tremendously increasing day-by-day, ruining the social fabric of our society, which needs to be curbed with heavy hands," the Judge said. The order came in December.
Telangana bill to be tabled in parliament in February: Reddy
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New Delhi: Union Minister Jaipal Reddy today said the Telangana statehood bill would be tabled in Parliament in the first week of February.
Briefing reporters here, Reddy, who is a senior Congress leader from Telangana region, said he was confident the bill would be passed.
"I am not only a cabinet minister but also a senior parliamentarian. I have my own assessment," he said. Asked about the change in portfolio of a Andhra Pradesh minister, which has kicked up a political storm in the state, he said any move by the (state) government and the Chief Minister are irrelevant to constitutional process.
"The wisdom of those doing this is limited," he charged without naming Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy who effected a minor reshuffle of portfolios by allocating Legislative Affairs to S Sailajanath from Seemandhra region, as an addition to the School Education portfolio he has been holding.
Civil Supplies Minister D Sridhar Babu, belonging to Telangana, was divested of the additional portfolio of Legislative Affairs and given charge of Commercial Taxes Department.
The portfolio re-jig seemingly sought to alter the regional equations at a time when the state legislature is set to take up a crucial debate on the draft AP Reorganisation Bill-2013, referred to by the President, from January 3.
Jaipal Reddy sought legislators to express their opinion about the Bill in the assembly. "If you do not discuss, it is the loss of the assembly," he added.
The President had given time till January 23 for the legislature to return the draft bill after due deliberations.
After keeping mum for sometime, Andhra Pradesh chief minister Kiran Kumar Reddy has once again raised voice against the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh to form a separate Telangana. He cautioned millions of farmers in Seemandhra and Telangana regions of the serious consequences of division of the state.
According to him, the bifurcation was done without addressing key issues of water, power and infrastructure, which could lead to deficit and bigger problems. He fears the lapses in water distribution would erupt.In Andhra Pradesh, the dams located in one region serve the needs of other region. For example, Srisailam dam is located in Rayalaseema, but it serves the irrigation needs of Rayalaseema, Telangana and Andhra regions. So, Kiran is worried as how can that waters be shared. Telangana comprises 68 pc of the catchment area of the Krishna river and 79 pc catchment area of Godavari river. Utilising these resources for the development of the region will be a big challenge for the state.Andhra Pradesh's major rivers include Godavari, Krishna and Pennar. According to the Krishna tribunal award, Maharashtra gets 560 tmc feet of water, Karnataka 700 TMC and Andhra Pradesh 811 TMC. The Srisailam and Nagarjunasagar dams are central to the Krishna river in Andhra Pradesh. (1 TMC equals 28.3 billion litres).The Nagarjunasagar dam is right on the border of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana and caters to the irrigation needs of Andhra and Telangana. Kiran feels the new state would badly hit irrigation projects.Godavari is less exploited as compared with Krishna and most of the water flows into the Bay of Bengal. The Godavari Waters Disputes Tribunal in 1975 awarded 1,480 TMC to Andhra Pradesh, but proponents of separate Telangana are demanding more than 60 pc of that water share.As for agriculture is concerned, Seemandhra regions are better irrigated and account for 60 pc of total crops cultivated in Andhra Pradesh. Telangana has over 65 pc agriculture pumpsets. But with Telangana expected to face at least 40-50 pc power shortage, the irrigation projects will be affected.Currently in Andhra Pradesh, the power generation is only 57 million units per day against a demand of 115 MU. Though Telangana boasts of major coal deposits, Seemandhra has more gas-based stations with higher installed capacity of power. The Ramagundam thermal power station is in Telangana but is controlled by the Centre.Kiran accused TRS chief K. Chandrasekhar Rao of misleading farmers with a promise to bring 10,000 MW from Chhattisgarh since the installed capacity of the neighbouring state was only 6300 MW.Before bifurcating the state, the Centre, Kiran feels, must have clarity on the status of Hyderabad, which several people from Seemandhra made their home after the formation of AP decades ago.Even as APNGO members are protesting against shifting of the secretariat employees to Seemandhra, Kiran rejected the TRS statistics and said out of 18,856 employees identified as non-locals under GO 610, 9,174 were repatriated and 4,062 were exempted as per the rules.As the capital of united AP for nearly 60 years, Hyderabad city has witnessed enormous growth and transformed into a large metropolis. In the process, many other regions of the State have been neglected. People from Andhra and Rayalaseema are heavily dependent on Hyderabad for health facilities, education and employment opportunities.
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