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Vol.II. No.66
MARK INDIA Postal No : H/SD/476/13-15
ENGLISH DAILY
Edition : HYDERABAD
Tuesday, February 18, 2014
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Editor : L. Aseervadam
Aalochana Publications Pvt. Ltd. Publishers of
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PC LEAVES TAXES UNCHANGED New Delhi, Feb 17 : Leaving direct taxes untouched except for continuing the income tax surcharge on ‘super-rich’ individuals and corporates, the Interim Budget on Monday slashed excise duty on cars and twowheelers, and capital goods and consumer durables to boost manufacturing and growth. Presenting the Interim Budget for 2014-15 along with a vote-on-account for spending up to July, Finance Minister P. Chidambaram also provided service tax exemption for storage and warehousing of rice like it was done in the case of paddy last year. Also, blood banks have been exempted from its purview.The 10 per cent surcharge on ‘super-rich’ having income above Rs. 1 crore in a year and the up to 5 per cent surcharge on corporates imposed last year will continue.“In keeping with the conventions I do not propose to make any announcements regarding changes to the tax laws,” he said. The Budget document does not give figures of the indirect tax concessions, which are valid up to June 30, 2014 and could be reviewed later. They will be notified later.In a major relief to ex—
932 gm gold worth Rs 28 lakhs seized at RGIA Hyderabad, Feb 17 (IPT) : As many as 932 grams of gold, worth Rs 28 lakh was seized from two passengers at the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (RGIA) here today. According to Customs Officials from RGIA, 467 grams of gold seized from Mohammed Iqbal, hailing from Kerala. The gold was in the form of metal wires and was concealed in six pairs of women's inner clothing. As many as 465 grams of gold was seized from Shaik Jaleel, hailing from Hyderabad in the form of a chain and bracelet. Both the passengers arrived by an Air India flight from Dubai, the officials added.
Union Finance Minister, P. Chidambaram departs from North Block to Parliament House along with the Ministers of State for Finance, i Namo Narain Meena and Shri Jesudasu Seelam to present the Interim Budget 2014-15, in New Delhi on Monday. servicemen, the Minister announced that the government has accepted in—principle their demand for onerank-one-pension. The allocation for defence for the coming year has been enhanced by 10 per cent from Rs. 2,03,672 crore in Budget estimate of 2013-14 to Rs. 2,24,000 crore in 2014-15. Non-plan expenditure estimated at Rs. 12,07,892 crore. Of this expenditure on food, fertiliser and fuel sub-
sidy will be Rs. 2,46,397 crore, which will be slightly more than the revised estimate of Rs. 2,45,452 crore in 2013-14. Giving Budget estimates, the Minister said the current financial year will end on a satisfactory note with the fiscal deficit at 4.6 per cent, below the redline of 4.8 per cent, and the revenue deficit at 3.3 per cent.The fiscal deficit for 2014-15 has been pegged at 4.1 per cent, which
will be below the target of 4.2 per cent set by the new fiscal consolidation path. Revenue deficit is estimated at 3 per cent. Justifying the excise duty reliefs, Mr. Chidambaram said, “The current economic situation demands some interventions that cannot wait for the regular Budget. In particular, the manufacturing sector needs an immediate boost.”To encourage domestic production of mobile hand-
Chief Minister may quit today Hyderabad, Feb 17 : With the bill for formation of separate Telangana state set to come up for debate in Parliament Tuesday, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Kiran Kumar Reddy is preparing to resign. The chief minister will submit his resignation once the debate begins in Lok Sabha on Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Bill 2013, said sources close to the chief minister.Lok Sabha is likely to debate and pass the bill Tuesday. Kiran Reddy, who is strongly opposed to state's bifurcation, Monday night spoke to Chief Secretary P. K.
Mohanty and Director General of Police B. Prasada Rao, in what is believed to be his last meeting with the two top officials before submitting his resignation to the governor. The chief minister also reportedly issued orders, transferring some officials close to him in his office to different departments. Kiran Reddy's aides were Tuesday busy shifting his personal belongings from his office at the secretariat and also from his official residence. At a meeting with the ministers and legislators loyal to him Sunday, Kiran Reddy had said
that he would quit immediately after the Telangana bill was taken up for debate in parliament. E. Pratap Reddy, one of the state ministers from Seemandhra, said the chief minister would also float a new political party.The central government had last week tabled the bill in Lok Sabha amid unprecedented ruckus. A MP from Seemandhra used pepper spray and there was also a scuffle between lawmakers from Telangana and Seemandhra. The incidents led to suspension of 16 MPs by the speaker for the rest of the session.
Jagan detained while marching towards parliament
Jaganmohan Reddy is detained during a protest in New Delhi on Monday. New Delh, Feb 17 : YSR Congress chief Y.S. Jaganmohan Reddy was Monday detained along with
19 supporters while they were marching towards parliament protesting the centre's decision to bifurcate
Andhra Pradesh, police said. Jagan, as he is popularly known, and his supporters were stopped by police at
Parliament Street while they were marching from Jantar Mantar in central Delhi. "Reddy, along with his 19 supporters, was detained and taken to the Parliament Street police station. They were later allowed to go," a police officer said.Earlier, while staging a protest, Jagan said the chaos in the Lok Sabha was engineered by the Congress party."Congress engineered the chaos in the house," he alleged, noting that the person who used pepper spray in parliament - Lagadapati Rajagopal - was a Congress MP."Of the MPs suspended, majority of them belong to Seemandhra. Now there is nobody to protest in the house. So, the Congress party plotted it. The only way they could do this is create a scene," he added.Jagan was also among the 16 members suspended from the Lok Sabha by the speaker.
sets, he restructured the excise duty for all categories fixing it at 6 per cent with CENVAT credit or 1 per cent without CENVAT credit. Customs duty structure on non-edible grade industrial oils and its fractions, fatty acids and fatty alcohols has been pegged at 7.5 per cent to encourage to domestic production of soaps and oleo chemicals. Similarly, a concessional customs duty of 5 per cent on capital goods imported by Bank Note Paper Mill India Pvt. Ltd. has been provided to encourage to indigenous production of security paper for printing currency notes. Mr. Chidambaram said excise duty has been reduced from 12 to 10 per cent on capital goods and consumer non-durables falling under Chapter 84 and 85 of the Schedule to the Central Excise Tariff Act. Small cars, motorcycles, scooters and commercial vehicles will attract a lower excise duty of 8 per cent from the current 12 per cent, while SUVs will see a 6 per cent reduction in duty from 30 to 24 per cent. Large and middle segment cars will enjoy an excise duty of 24/20 per cent, down from 27/24 per cent.
Favour Telangana, but address Seemandhra concerns: BJP
New Delhi, Feb 17 : The Bharatiya Janata Party Monday said it was in favour of Telangana but also wanted Seemandhra's concerns to be addressed, as Congress ministers from Seemandhra met BJP leader L.K. Advani and sought his party's support for a financial package for the region. Advani told reporters at the Parliament House complex that a debate is needed on the Telangana bill. "We are in favour of Telangana but cannot disregard the problems that will arise for Seemandhra," Advani said."We must address problems of both the states when Telangana is carved out," he said.Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde and Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh also met Advani, Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj and her Rajya Sabha counterpart Arun Jaitley over the bill, sources said.Sources said union ministers from the Seemandhra region K.S. Rao, M.M. Pallam Raju and D. Purandeshwari met Advani and sought his party's support for a financial package for the region after the state is bifurcated as planned.The Congress ministers were accompanied by BJP leader M. Venkaiah Naidu. The meeting, which lasted nearly 25 minutes, was held at Advani's residence.The sources said Advani later briefed Sushma Swaraj and Jaitley on the demands raised by the Andhra ministers.
Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi interacts with a child during a meeting with NGO members at AICC headquarters in New Delhi on Monday.
Rahul Gandhi assures justice to Seemandhra New Delhi/Hyderabad, Feb 17 : Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi Monday assured central ministers and party MPs from Seemandhra that justice would be done to their region while carving out separate Telangana state. With Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Bill 2013 coming up for debate in Lok Sabha Tuesday, Gandhi held a meeting with Seemandhra MPs to seek their cooperation in passing the bill. Union Minister of State for Finance J.D. Seelam told reporters after the meeting that they submitted their demands in writing. "We hope that our demands will be considered," he said. The demands include making Hyderabad a union territory for a specific period, sharing of revenue of
Hyderabad between Telangana and Seemandhra and special packages for north coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema regions. Central ministers Kishore Chandra Deo, K.S. Rao, M.M. Pallam Raju, D. Purandeswari and others attended the meeting. Minister of state for railways K. Suryaprakash Reddy did not attend. Congress general secretary incharge of party affairs in the state Digvijaya Singh and Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh, who is a key member of Group of Ministers on Telangana, were also present. As some central ministers and Congress MPs from Seemandhra Monday staged protest in Lok Sabha over the issue of bifurcation, the ruling party began the efforts to placate them.
Congress chief for last-ditch effort to stall division Hyderabad, Feb 17 (IPT) : Andhra Pradesh state Congress chief Botsa Satyanarayana Monday appealed to the chief minister and chiefs of the TDP and YSR Congress to accompany him to Delhi for making last-ditch effort to stall the state's division.He wrote letters to Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy, Telugu Desam Party (TDP) president N. Chandrababu Naidu, YSR Congress party chief Y.S. Jaganmohan Reddy and Communist Party of IndiaMarxist state secretary B.V. Raghavulu, inviting them for a visit to the national capital. Satyanarayana suggested that the delegation meet Prime Minister
Manmohan Singh and leaders of national parties to urge them to keep the state united.He told reporters after a meeting with some state ministers from Seemandhra that fast-paced developments were taking place in Delhi and that he learnt from central ministers that the Telangana bill would be passed during the ongoing parliament session.On the reports that the chief minister is mulling to quit if the bill is taken up for debate in parliament, Satyanarayana said that his resignation would not serve any purpose at this stage. He remarked that resignation could have helped if it had come after the resolution by Congress Working Committee
(CWC) to divide the state. The state Congress chief, who is also a cabinet minister, held a meeting with some ministers, a day after the chief minister held consultations with ministers loyal to him.Satyanarayana and other ministers, who have differences with the chief minister, had stayed away from Sunday's meeting. Satyanarayana said the meeting called by him did not discuss the plans of the chief minister to quit and float a new political party on the plank of united Andhra."I want everybody from a worker to the chief minister to remain in the party," he remarked when asked to comment on the chief minister's plans.
Lok Sabha to discuss Telangana bill today New Delhi, Feb 17 : The Telangana bill will be taken up for discussion in the Lok Sabha Tuesday, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kamal Nath said.“Those who want to oppose can do so in a parliamentary manner,” he told reporters in the Parliament House complex Monday.The Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation bill was introduced in the Lok Sabha last Thursday amid ruckus and violent protests which saw an antiTelangana MP (Lagadapati Rajagopal) using pepper spray, leaving several MPs, Speaker Meira Kumar and dozens of journalists choking and coughing.Several opposition parties, including the Bharatiya Janata Party, the Trinamool Congress, the Biju Janata Dal, the Left and the Samajwadi Party,
which extends outside support to the government, had told the Speaker that the bill was not formally introduced in the house and should be introduced again.Meanwhile, the government reached out to the BJP to seek its support in passage of the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Bill with Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde wanting the opposition party to spell out its concerns on the issue.Sources said during the meeting in Parliament House where Mr Shinde was accompanied by Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh, BJP asked the government to put its own house in order and address the concerns of the Seemandhra region while cautioning it not to pass the bill amid din and without a discussion.
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New 'painless' treatment to repair teeth A novel "regenerative" technique to repair infected teeth -- claimed to be painless and cheaper than the traditional root canal treatment -- has been developed by doctors at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in New Delhi. Termed as "SealBio", the technique uses body's own stem cells and eliminates the need for cumbersome root canal fillings. Developed by doctors Naseem Shah and Ajay Logani at the Department of Conservative Dentistry and Endodontics, it has obtained an Australian patent, while an application with the US Patents office is under process.Root canal treatment demands rigorous training, clinical skills and several cumbersome sittings with dentist. It involves thorough cleaning and shaping followed by filling of the entire root canal with one of several sealer cements. The AIIMS technique is claimed to be the first that dispenses with the need for root canal filling. Instead of filling the root canal with artificial materials that may pose bio-compatibility problems, it makes use of regenerative potential of stem cells and growth factors available at the root of the teeth. Stem cells act as a repair system for the body capable of replenishing adult tissues.In case of this technique, the stem cells at the root of the decayed teeth are stimulated to induce regeneration and deposition of a natural tissue barrier (seal) to fill up the root canal in just one sitting. In other words, a "biological seal" is achieved at the root canal rather than attempting to seal it with artificial filling materials with all its drawbacks, the doctors say. The root canal is restored to health by gradual build up of tissue by stem cells over a period, extending from a few weeks to some months. The AIIMS doctors say that this treatment simplifies the whole procedure with minimal use of equipment, less time and cost of treatment. "Shah has been able to successfully carry out this new procedure in dozens of patients and the 4-5 years follow up results have been very encouraging," Seyed Hasnain, a professor at the Kusuma School of Biological Sciences of the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi, told reporters."In my opinion this is a path breaking innovation, a game changer," Hasnain said. He said that the success achieved by AIIMS doctors could trigger research in regenerative techniques in other clinical situations in dental science.
Why I raised a banner of revolt against mining I was not wearing a watch. But time did not matter. At the top of Essar's 21storey headquarters, we entered a zone where time was inconsequential. The job at hand kept us occupied -- our team of 14 climbers had scaled the building and had already draped it with a 36 ft x 72 ft banner. It read: 'We Kill Forests: Essar'. I looked down, a crowd seemed to have gathered on the ground, but from that height, they all looked like ants. Time, space, size everything was literally compromised. When I came down, it was evening -- a police van greeted us with its doors wide open. The rest of my team members were hauled up to the roof by a fire brigade crew. I was told that we had been up for five hours. It was only in the police lock-up that time began to stretch and the night seemed endless. The lock-up was not enough to fit all the 67 of us. Many of us had to sleep outside the lock-up. There were 14 climbers, 27 people from the Mahan forests in Singrauli, Madhya Pradesh, and the rest were youngsters of Mumbai, who like me, had signed up with Junglistan -- Greenpeace India's longest running campaign. The movement has inspired over a million people to take a vow in order to protect the forests of India from getting butchered. We were just a small fraction representing those million voices
and the policemen knew we were fighting for a cause. The villagers from Mahan had travelled all the way to Mumbai to reach out to the high and mighty in Essar. These people stand to lose their livelihoods and homes to a coal mine allocated to Mahan Coal Ltd -- a joint venture between Essar Power and Hindalco. The rich forest of Mahan is the main source of income for these villagers. It provides for them -- an austere yet comfortable lifestyle. Of course, they have to toil hard for it -- but the hard work pays off, when you work in harmony with nature. Collecting mahua flowers, tendu leaves and firewood, and grazing cattle cannot be compared to the apocalyptic effect that the mine would have on the forest. There are 14 villages in the region that are completely dependent on the forest for their daily bread. With a canopy density of 70 percent, the forest harbours some 164 species of plants including sal, saaja, mahua, tendu among others. Several threatened and rare animals such as leopard, sloth bear, hyena, wild dogs, chinkara, chousingha, nilgai and sambar have been coexisting together in the forest for ages. Even vultures such as the w h i t e - r u m p e d Gypsbengalensis and Indian Gyps Indicus and the redheaded Sarcogyps Calvus, which are on the verge of extinction can be seen in these forests.Tigers and el-
ephants too have been spotted here. But the Mahan coal block threatens to devour it all. Ninety four percent of the 1,182.35-hectare-coal block is pure forest. The Mahan coal block now awaits the Stage II forest clearance. It got the Stage I clearance (in principal) in 2012 by an empowered group of ministers. This, despite the fact that the former Union environment minister, Jairam Ramesh, had declared Mahan, a nogo zone -- which means no mining activity could take place in the forest. However, the Stage II clearance can only be granted if 36 conditions are fulfilled, which includes implementation of the Forest Rights Act. This means, communities living in the villages need to give their go-ahead to the mining proposal. This can be done only through a free and fair gram sabha. Unfortunately, not a single community forest right has been implemented in the region. The only gram sabha on FRA was held in Amelia village in March 2013, and in no way can it be termed as 'free and fair'. The final gram sabha resolution, which gives the NoC to the coal mine, has fake signatures of many villagers. What is even more shocking, it has signatures of residents who have been dead for over two years. Saner voices in the United Progressive Alliance government, like that of
were about to dismantle a fifth wildcat mine by sneaking up on the outposts on boats they said were supplied by Funai when Reuters visited them in mid-January. Armed with bows and arrows, they outnumbered the miners and were able to take over without anyone being hurt - this time.The Munduruku have not yet decided what to do with the mining equipment they confiscated. “The machinery will be idle for a month,” Chief Paigomuyatpu Manhuary said. “After that, the people will decide whether we close the mine or work the ones in places where the jungle has already been cleared, for the benefit of the community.” Tribal leaders also plan to resist the construction of the Teles Pires and Tapajós hydroelectric dams in Mato Grosso and Pará states. They have previously joined other tribes in protesting Belo Monte, which will be the world’s third-largest dam and flood large swaths of the Amazon once complete. The government says indigenous groups are consulted before energy projects that affect them are built, in accordance with international law.The Munduruku are sometimes called upon to do heavy labor for the miners, known as garimpeiros, in exchange for food, a small amount of gold or small sums of money, tribe members told Reuters. They also fear they
may already be the targets of hired hit men. Indians across Brazil say non-indigenous presence in their territories threatens their safety and unique culture, both of which are supposedly protected in the constitution. The farm lobby in Congress wants to amend the constitution to limit the amount of land that can be reserved for indigenous people. The constitution, written in 1988 shortly after Brazil emerged from a military dictatorship, enshrined the Indians’ right to “the lands they traditionally occupy,” and said the state is responsible for “demarcating them, protecting and ensuring respect of their property.” The Munduruku’s fears echo those of the GuaraniKaiowá Indians 2,000 km (1,240 miles) away in Mato Grosso do Sul state. They say they often receive death threats from ranchers and that they have been denied access to their ancestral territory, which is also occupied by sugar cane plantations. The cattle ranchers have argued that they must protect private property from invading Indians who claim the land as ancestral. In Mato Grosso do Sul, many ranchers have legitimate titles on lands that overlap with Indian territory. The government has said it is trying to buy some of the properties at the center of the conflict.
Brazil land disputes spread as Indians take on wildcat miners As Brazil struggles to solve land disputes between Indians and farmers on the expanding frontier of its agricultural heartland, more tensions over forest and mineral resources are brewing in the remote Amazon. The government of President Dilma Rousseff gave eviction notices to hundreds of non-Indian families in the Awá-Guajá reserve in Maranhão state in January and plans to relocate them by April, with the help of the army if necessary, Indian affairs agency Funai says. The court order to clear the Awá territory follows the forced removal of some 7,000 soy farmers and cattle ranchers from the Marãiwatsédé Xavante reservation last year, a process profiled by Reuters that resulted in violent clashes. Anthropologists say evictions from Awá territory could be even more complicated. It is thought to be a base for criminal logging operations and is also home to some indigenous families who have never had contact with outsiders, a combination that worries human rights groups lobbying for the evictions. The government missed a federal judge’s deadline to start carrying out the evictions last year but began ordering them after a high-profile campaign backed by the likes of actor Colin Firth. Now, other tribes from the Amazon as well as the long-
settled soy belt are lobbying to have non-Indians removed from their lands or have new reservations created at the same time Rousseff’s leftist government, faced with a sputtering economy in an election year, is trying to build dams, expand farmland and otherwise spur growth. South America’s largest country is still grappling with unresolved indigenous land issues more than a century after the United States finished carving out Indian reservations and has become one of the world’s clearest examples of the conflict between preserving indigenous culture and promoting economic development. “The Indians are showing ever increasing persistence in asserting their rights, which will likely increase conflicts with outsiders interested in their lands,” said Rubem Almeida, a Brazilian anthropologist. The federal government says it is strictly following the law and is taking pains to relocate non-Indian settlers when it removes them from indigenous territories. Each conflict is unique and requires a different approach, said Paulo Maldos, a senior presidential aide who works on social policy. “The only thing they have in common is the constitution, which says we must demarcate Indian territory and that land titles inside indigenous land are null,” he
said.“The Indians know where their lands are and are never going to stop trying to return to them; they have a very special relationship with the land.” TRIBE TAKES ON WILDCAT MINERS Take the Munduruku tribe in western Pará, a vast Amazon state that stretches to Brazil’s coast and is more than twice the size of France. Their more than 2 millionhectare (4.9 million-acre) slice of protected rain forest is being encroached on by efforts to dam the Tapajós river, build new roads for exporting soy and corn crops, and especially by wildcat miners in search of gold. The tribe’s leaders, who refer to themselves as warriors, traveled to the capital Brasilia last year to demand that the federal government remove non-indigenous miners from their territory. Rather than wait for a court decision to start the process, which took years for the Xavante and Awá, the Munduruku decided to take matters into their own hands and expel the wildcat miners in January. Miners operating without government licenses independent of large companies are common in both the Brazilian and Peruvian Amazon. They are known for using high levels of mercury that pollute local water sources. A group of 70 Munduruku
Union Minister of Tribal Affairs K C Deo, have come out in support of people in Mahan, but it is the more impatient people in the government who pose a threat. The new environment minister, M Veerappa Moily, is in a hurry to clear big ticket projects and is already said to have granted clearances to projects worth Rs 1.5 lakh crore in a matter of a few weeks. He has vowed not to rest and clear all pending files by February. Mahan's future thus hangs in the balance. The coal block in the region will feed a 1,200 MW thermal power plant owned by Essar Power. "We will produce electricity. We are pro-development. You are clueless youngsters living in cities, who know nothing about ground realities," an Essar manager tried to lecture me when I came down. Whose development was he exactly talking about? I come from Chandrapur, a small town in eastern Maharashtra, which was surrounded by forests. Slowly, coal mines started eating into the forests. Now, Chandrapur has mines on three sides, while on one side is the TadobaAndhari Tiger Reserve. Today, Chandrapur boasts of producing 8,000 MW of electricity, yet everyday for 16 hours, my native town is plunged into darkness. The manager did not have a lecture to counter this argument.In Chandrapur, this slow devouring of forests has led to numerous man-animal conflicts. As a volunteer with an organisation called EcoPro, I have been a part of many animal rescue operations. Twice, I have even led operations to rescue leopards, which have strayed into villages and even killed people. Through the 25 years that I have lived, I have seen Chandrapur transform from a sleepy town where you could breathe fresh air, to a smokefilled chimney where you gasp for breath. Mahan too awaits a similar fate. I migrated to Mumbai -to start my career as a music composer. Given my sound educational background, it was relatively easy for me, but it may not be easy for the villagers of Mahan. Will they ever get back their trees, animals and the fresh air they breathe? Some land in Sagar district, which is 500 km away from Singrauli, has been earmarked for afforestation, but no amount of afforestation and compensation is enough for these people. Many of them have been displaced as many as four times because of mining, hydropower or other big ticket infrastructure projects. I am a composer. Yet, I did not find it difficult to understand that for real development to take place, the energy map of India, which is highly dependent on coalbased power, needs an overhaul. In such a scenario, cleaner and renewable sources such as solar and wind energy seem to be the only way out. Unfortunately, people with higher degrees and cushier offices still fail to understand the true meaning of sustainable development.
Seven new genes for head, neck cancers discovered In a pathbreaking find, a new technique has discovered seven new tumour-suppressor genes for head and neck cancers whose role was previously unknown. The new technique takes a fraction of the resources and much less time than the traditional method for determining gene function. Earlier methods can take two years per gene in mice. Our technique can assess about 300 genes in a single mouse in as little as five weeks, claimed Daniel Schramek, a postdoctoral fellow at Rockefeller University's laboratory of mammalian cell biology and development here. The researchers used RNA interference, a natural process whereby RNA molecules inhibit gene expression. The non-invasive method avoids triggering a wound or inflammatory response that is typically associated with conventional methods to knockdown a gene in cultured cells and then engraft the cells onto a mouse. When the mice grew, the researchers determined which genes, when turned off, were promoting tumour growth, and what they found was surprising. Head and neck cancers are the sixth most deadly type of cancer worldwide. We have demonstrated that RNA interference method is highly useful in the rapid discovery, validation and characterisation of tumour suppressor genes that might otherwise be missed in a genetic screen." It can be applied to many kinds of cancers, such as breast and lung, the researchers added.
Alkalise your body - here's how
International celebrities like Victoria Beckham, Gwyneth Paltrow, Jennifer Aniston and Miranda Kerr are big fans of the alkaline diet. It can bring in a positive change in people's life, says an expert. Our bodies are naturally alkaline, but our eating and drinking habits and the stress we endure, creates acidity. This can stress the body and cause weight gain, lethargy, bloating, bad skin, concentration problems and all manner of other complaints," said Ilona Wesle, an expert nutritionist. Our hardworking, long-hours culture is a contributing factor to acidity as well. Stress and tiredness can actually cause acidity in the body. Hence, eating a diet that combines both some acid and more alkaline - a 20/80 split, ideally - has endless benefits, femalefirst.co.uk quoted Wesle as saying. Acidic food and drink items are a key cause. Check on your consumption of coffee, alcohol, processed foods, sugar, salt, dairy and too much red meat to keep acidity away. * Symptoms of an acidic diet: Digestive problems, ulcers, dull hair and split ends, weak nails, dental problems, fatigue, headaches, low body temperature, nervousness and even depression as some of the major side effects. * How to alkalise diet: Introduce a greater concentration of fruit and vegetables to your diet, especially broccoli, fennel, kale, beetroot, lemon, grapefruit and dates. Alkaline foods take the least effort for the body to digest, which frees up the body to do more important healing work. The benefits of eating alkaline are countless, but some of the best payoffs are: mental alertness, clear and springy skin, fewer colds and bugs, sleeping deeply, good digestion, stronger bones, deeper energy reserves, and sustainable weight loss.
Evolutionary tree of flu viruses can help assess health risks
A new study that reconstructs the evolutionary tree of flu viruses may have implications ranging from the assessment of health risks for populations to developing vaccines.The study challenges conventional wisdom and solves some of the mysteries surrounding flu outbreaks of historical significance. The study, published in the journal Nature, provides the most comprehensive analysis to date of the evolutionary relationships of influenza virus across different host species over time. In addition to dissecting how the virus evolves at different rates in different host species, the study challenges several tenets of conventional wisdom, for example the notion that the virus moves largely unidirectionally from wild to domestic birds rather than with spillover in the other direction. It also helps resolve the origin of the virus that caused the unprecedentedly severe influenza pandemic of 1918. The new research is likely to change how scientists and health experts look at the history of influenza virus, how it has changed genetically over time and how it has jumped between different host species, reported the Science Daily. "We now have a really clear family tree of theses viruses in all those hosts -- including birds, humans, horses, pigs -- and once you have that, it changes the picture of how this virus evolved," said Michael Worobey. Worobey is professor of ecology and evolutionary biology at the University of Arizona, and co-led the study with Andrew Rambaut, a professor at the Institute of Evolutionary Biology in the University of Edinburgh. "The approach we developed works much better at resolving the true evolution and history than anything that has previously been used." The team analysed a dataset with more than 80,000 gene sequences representing the global diversity of the influenza A virus and analyzed them with their newly developed approach.
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MARK INDIA, Hyderabad
Co-pilot hijacks Ethiopian plane, surrenders to Swiss police Geneva, Feb 17 : The copilot of a hijacked Ethiopian Airlines flight surrendered to Swiss authorities in Geneva on Monday after commandeering his aircraft to seek asylum in Switzerland, police said. The plane's second-in-command, who was not carrying a weapon, took control of the plane when the pilot left the cockpit to use the toilet. After landing, he left the aircraft via a cockpit window, without harming passengers or crew, police spokesman Pierre Grangean told a news conference. "Just after landing, the co-pilot came out of the cockpit and ran to the police and said, 'I'm the hijacker.' He said he is not safe in his own country and wants asylum," Grangean said. As passengers left the plane, which was parked near the end of the runway, they were checked by police as they held their hands on their necks, a Reuters witness said. Ethiopia, sub-Saharan Africa's second most populous country, is among the continent's fastest growing
economies. The opposition and rights campaigners accuse the government of stifling dissent and torturing political detainees. But it is rare for government officials and employees - Ethiopian Airlines is run by the state to seek asylum. The last senior official to do so fled to the United States in 2009. Flight ET702 departed the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa on Sunday evening and was bound for Rome. The plane was hijacked at about 0330 GMT (10:30 PM EST Monday) while over northern Italy, Grangean said. It landed at Geneva at 6:02 a.m. (0502 GMT). He said the co-pilot, an Ethiopian born in 1983, locked the flight deck door when the pilot went to the toilet. He then asked to refuel at Geneva, landed the plane, climbed down on an emergency exit rope from a cockpit window, and gave himself up. Robert Deillon, CEO of Geneva airport, said air traffic controllers learnt the plane had been hijacked when the co-pilot keyed a distress
code into the aircraft's transponder, "There is ... a code for hijack. So this co-pilot put in the code for 'I just hijacked the aircraft'," he said. As the plane was over Italy at the time, two Italian Eurofighters were scrambled to accompany it, he said. Ethiopian Airlines said in a short statement that the Boeing aircraft had been "forced to proceed" to Geneva. State-run Ethiopian television said there were 193 passengers on board the Boeing aircraft, including 140 Italian nationals. The last senior Ethiopian official to seek asylum was Ermias Legesse, a state minister of information who fled to the United States in 2009. The brief drama in Geneva on Monday morning caused the cancellation of some shorthaul flights and some incoming flights were diverted to other airports. Hundreds of passengers booked on disrupted flights sought to change their tickets. In an apparent recording of a radio communication between the Ethiopian plane and air traffic control posted
Thai PM under siege, lengthy protests take toll on economy Bangkok, Feb 17 : Protesters seeking to oust Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra surrounded Thai government headquarters on Monday in response to police efforts to clear them from the streets, as farmers besieged her temporary office to demand payment for rice. Thailand has been in crisis since November, when Bangkok's middle class and the royalist establishment started a protest aimed at eradicating the influence of Yingluck's brother Thaksin, a populist former premier ousted by the army in 2006 who is seen as the power behind her government. Data published on Monday showed the economy grew just 0.6 percent in the fourth quarter from the third and, with the country likely to be without a fully functioning government for months, the state planning board slashed its forecast for 2014.About 10,000 anti-government demonstrators surrounded Government House in Bangkok, taking back control of a road the police had
cleared them from on Friday in the first real sign of a pushback by the authorities after months of protests. These protesters view Yingluck as a proxy for Thaksin, who has chosen to live in exile since 2008 rather than face a jail term for abuse of power handed down in absentia that year. "We will use quick-dry cement to close the gates of Government House so that the cabinet cannot go in to work," said Nittitorn Lamrue of the Network of Students and People for Thailand's Reform, aligned with the main protest movement. It was a symbolic gesture, Yingluck having been forced to work elsewhere since January. Rice farmers helped sweep Yingluck to power in 2011, when her Puea Thai Party pledged to pay them way above market prices for their harvest, but the program has run into funding problems and some farmers have not been paid for months. Television showed farmers climbing over barbed wire
fences and barriers at a Defence Ministry compound where Yingluck has set up temporary offices. They pushed back riot police, who retreated from confrontation, but did not enter the building. "The prime minister is well off but we are not. How are we going to feed our children? I want her to think about us," said one protesting farmer. "Farmers are tough people, they wouldn't normally speak out but they are at the end of their tether." The country's anti-corruption agency is investigating allegations that Yingluck, who is head of the national rice committee, was negligent in her role overseeing the program. Bluesky TV, the anti-government protest movement's own channel, also showed demonstrators spilling into the grounds of the Ministry of Education near Government House. Many other ministries and state bodies have been forced to vacate their offices, adding to the dysfunction in government.
on social media site Twitter, a demand for asylum was made. "We need asylum or assurance we will not be transferred to the Ethiopian government," the voice in the recording, apparently the copilot, said. Reuters could not independently verify the authenticity of the recording. A flight tracking app for mobile devices showed the flight circling over the Swiss city several times before landing. Ethiopian nationals and the Horn of Africa country's flag carrier have been involved in several hijackings in the past. In 1993, an Ethiopian used a gun hidden in his hat to hijack a German passenger jet bound for New York. He was later sentenced to 20 years in a U.S. prison. Two years later, police in Greece overpowered an Ethiopian hijacker who held a knife to the throat of an Olympic Airways stewardess and demanded political as y l u m . A t l e a s t 5 0 people were killed when a hijacked Ethiopian Airlines passenger jet crashed in the Indian Ocean in 1996.
China sends top envoy to North Korea after purge: Official Beijing, Feb 17 : China's vice foreign minister is visiting North Korea, the ministry said Monday, making him Beijing's most senior envoy known to go to Pyongyang since its young leader executed his uncle, a key China interlocutor. The late Jang Song-Thaek was North Korea's second most powerful figure, and provided a valuable link between the two countries before being purged in December following a sidelining of other core leaders. "Vice foreign minister Liu Zhenmin will start his visit to the DPRK from today and the visit will last until February the 20th," Beijing foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said at a regular press briefing, referring to the North by its official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. She added that, "as far as I have learnt, it is a regular exchange of two foreign ministries".
Russia rejects US charge of 'enabling' Assad's regime
Moscow, Feb 17 : Russia on Monday dismissed US claims that it was "enabling" Syria's President Bashar al-Assad to stay in power and failing to push for a transitional government that could help end the bloody conflict. "We have done everything we have promised," Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told reporters, referring to Moscow's efforts to get the Damascus regime to hold direct peace talks with opponents. "First of all, we are working with the Syrian authorities on a daily basis, and second of all, statistics clearly show that the main problems are created not by the regime but by the terrorist and extremist groups that have spread across Syria and that do not answer to any political structure." Syria's civil war has killed more than 140,000 people in nearly three years of fighting. US Secretary of State John Kerry accused Russia on Monday of not doing enough to make sure the Syrian regime remained committed to the so-called Geneva II peace process that broke up in acrimony on Saturday without an agreement on further talks. Kerry said Russia "has stood up publicly with me on several occasions and said they're committed to that transition government... yet we have not seen the kind of effort to create the dynamic by which that can be achieved". Lavrov for his part noted that the Syrian opposition delegation at the Geneva negotiations was not represented by some of the most important members of the National Coalition umbrella group. "They (Washington) assured us that they will be doing everything possible to ensure there is a truly representative opposition delegation," Russia's top diplomat said. "For now, they have been having trouble doing this." Lavrov added that Russia was looking into reports about some foreign opposition backers working on the creation of a new Syrian opposition organisation that favoured the military overthrow of Assad instead of further British director Steve McQueen and Bianca Stigter at the Brit- talks. "They want this new group to replace the National Coalition," said Lavrov, without specifying which countries ish Academy Film Awards 2014 in London. were involved or where the information had come from.
Iran's Khamenei says not optimistic on nuclear talks: IRNA Dubai, Feb 17 : Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on Monday he was not optimistic about upcoming nuclear talks with world powers but was not opposed to them, the official news agency IRNA reported. Iran and world powers, grouped under the socalled "5+1," reached an interim deal last November whereby Tehran agreed to suspend for six months parts of its nuclear enrichment operations in return for modest sanctions relief. The two sides hope to build on those gains in Tuesday's talks in Vienna. "I have said before ... I am not optimistic about the negotiations. It will not lead anywhere, but I am not opposed either," Khamenei told a large crowd during a visit to the northwestern Iranian city of Tabriz, according to IRNA. "What our foreign ministry and officials have started will continue and Iran will not violate its (pledge) ... but I say again that this is of no use and will not lead anywhere." Khamenei, who has the final say in state affairs, has given guarded support to efforts by President Hassan Rouhani, a relative moderate, to negotiate a way out of the nuclear impasse, which has led to international economic sanctions against Iran. Western countries, led by the United States, suspect Iran of seeking to develop nuclear weapons. Iran says its nuclear program is entirely for civilian purposes.
US Secretary of State John Kerry, left, speaks as Indonesian Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa listens during a press conference, in Jakarta on Monday.
John Kerry seeks political solution in Syria Jakarta, Feb 17 : US Secretary of State John Kerry Monday appealed to international parties to work towards a political solution to the Syria conflict after the peace talks ended last weekend with no concrete progress. Kerry made these remarks at a press conference with Indonesian Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa in Jakarta, the third stop of his regional trip, Xinhua reported. "The international community needs to use this recess in the Geneva talks to determine how to use this time most effectively in order to bring about a political solution," Kerry said, accusing Syria's Bashar al-Assad government of not engaging in the discussions along the promised and required standard. UN-Arab League joint mediator Lakhdar Brahimi apologized Saturday to the
Syrian people after peace talks in Geneva to stop the three-year Syria civil conflict ended with little progress. Kerry said Syria was the tragedy of the world, saying that "the number of refugees within Syria has gone up about 50 percent and the number of refugees out of Syria has gone up about 33 percent since October". According to UN figures, more than 100,000 people have been killed since the conflict in Syria erupted in March 2011. About eight million have been driven from their homes in the war-torn country, with two million of them seeking refuge in neighbouring countries. "The talks are taking a recess at the moment,� Kerry said, adding that “all of us need to remember there is no recess to the people of Syria who are suffering". During the visit to Indonesia starting Satur-
day, Kerry co-chaired the Joint Commission Meeting under the US-Indonesia Comprehensive Partnership to strengthen bilateral ties and signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on South-South and a triangular cooperation and MoU on combating wildlife trafficking and promotion of wildlife conservation. In Jakarta, Kerry also discussed climate change with Indonesian authorities and pushed southeast Asia's largest economy to set up combating efforts. On Sunday afternoon, Kerry paid a courtesy call on the SecretaryGeneral of the ASEAN, Le Luong Minh, to underline the importance of US engagement with ASEAN in the bloc's headquarters. Kerry arrived in Indonesia after visiting South Korea and China and is scheduled to fly to Abu Dhabi Monday afternoon.
Iran says Russia could build nuclear reactor in exchange for oil Moscow, Feb 17 : Russia could build a second reactor at Iran's Bushehr nuclear power plant in exchange for Iranian oil, the Iranian ambassador to Moscow said in remarks published on Monday. Russia could also supply Iran with trucks, railroad tracks, mini-refineries or other goods to pay for the oil, ambassador Mehdi Sanaei told the daily Kommersant, under a deal Reuters revealed was being negotiated last month. Reuters reported Iran and Russia were negotiating to swap up to 500,000 barrels of oil per day for goods in the deal that would undermine Western efforts to maintain economic pressure on Tehran while global powers seek to curb its nuclear program. In an interview published a day before the six powers including Russia resume talks with Tehran on a nuclear deal, Sanaei confirmed Russia and Iran were
discussing supplies of "a few hundred thousand barrels per day"."Iran could use some of the proceeds (to pay for) the construction by Russia companies of a second unit at the nuclear power plant in Bushehr," he said. Russia built the first reactor at Bushehr, Iran's sole nuclear power plant. Sanaei said it was possible the oil deal, and a broad memorandum on economic cooperation, could be signed before August. Russian Economy Minister Alexei Ulyukayev is to visit Iran in April for talks on trade. Asked what Russia could supply in exchange for the oil, Sanaei said the sides were discussing a number of possibilities including the construction of small oil refineries, Russian investment in gas fields and supplies of electricity. In addition to the possibility of Russia building a second reactor at Bushehr, he said Tehran was inter-
ested in supplies of heavy trucks or their assembly in Iran, and other items. "Iran is interested in buying a huge amount of railroad tracks from Russia, as well as Russian involvement in the electrification of its railways. We are also interested in Russian grain." Western nations fear an oil-swap deal would badly hurt efforts to forge a permanent agreement ensuring Iran's nuclear program could not be used to make weapons in exchange for sanctions relief. An interim deal was reached in January. A top U.S. official said this month she believed the oil-for-goods swap would not go ahead in the near future after the United States warned both sides it would make reaching a nuclear agreement "more difficult if not impossible". Sanaei dismissed the U.S. concerns and said Russia should do the same, warning that European nations have sent
business delegations to Iran and that Moscow risked losing lucrative opportunities if it failed to act fast."Our Russian friends, who have stood by us at difficult moments, should have advantages on the Iranian market ... But Russian companies must hurry to get into their niche in our market and not hesitate out of fear of Western sanctions," he said. Russia approved four rounds of U.N. Security Council sanctions against Iran over its nuclear program but has sharply criticized additional measures imposed by the United States and European Union, calling them counterproductive. The United States for years urged Russia to scrap its contract to build Bushehr, saying the project could help Tehran develop nuclear weapons capability. However, a deal requiring Iran to return spent fuel to Russia greatly eased those conc
Matteo Renzi to be picked as Italy's youngest PM Rome, Feb 17 : Italian leftist leader Matteo Renzi is to be nominated Italy's youngest-ever prime minister on Monday after a daring power grab that has been welcomed by investors but has left many Italians skeptical. As head of the Democratic Party, Renzi engineered the ouster of his predecessor Enrico Letta- a member of his own partyaccusing him of failing to live up to reform pledges in his stormy 10 months in government. The 39-year-old will have to move quickly to form
a new government once he gets the mandate from President Giorgio Napolitano as expected at 0930 GMT, and then deliver his promise to lead Italy "out of the quagmire". The previous coalition of the Democratic Party, the centrists and the New Centre-Right party is expected to remain intact even though the leader of the latter, Angelino Alfano, has warned this is "not a given". The New Centre-Right is a minor partner in the coalition but its votes would be critical for Renzi as all other
parties say they are staying in opposition and he does not have a majority in parliament. If he succeeds in forming the government, Renzi would then have t o r e t u r n t o Napolitano for his nomination to be confirmed and would then be sworn into office. Analysts say the whole process could take a few days. The energetic and web-savvy Renzi, who is also mayor of Florence, has no previous experience in national government or parliament and is seen by many as having the right kind of
outsider credentials for the job. But his critics warn he risks burning out rapidly. Many people seem willing to give him the benefit of the doubt even though they would have preferred early elections, as long as Renzi delivers on his promises to combat rampant unemployment and boost growth. His on-the-ground local achievements like lowering some taxes, boosting recycling and encouraging innovation are seen as positive signs but analysts say he will really now have to prove himself on a much bigger scale.
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Tuesday, February 18, 2014
MARK INDIA, Hyderabad AIRHyderabad invites applications for News Editor & Reporters
T Gangi Reddy Principal District & Sessions Judge Mahabubnagar has sworn-in as UPA-Lokayukta of Andhra Pradesh by the Lokayukta of Andhra Pradesh on Monday in the Court Hall of Lokayukta.
No future govts can ignore ten vision tasks : Chidambaram New Delhi, Feb 17 : Claming there was a mild recovery in the economy, Finance Minister P Chidambarm today said no future government will be able to ignore the vision tasks identified by him in the Budget presented. Answering a spate of questions from the media at the customary post- Budget news conference here, Mr Chidambaram said there were ten vision tasks that he had underlined as a Finance Minister and sincerely worked on them. The Finance Minister averred that growth rate this fiscal would be in the region of five per cent,which was not the mean achievement given the fact that external situation was not so remarkable.The Finance Minister said there was a 'mild upturn' in the economy and India was one of the few economies that had kept its head up above the water in a year when global economy was in 'turbulence'.The Fi-
nance Minister made it an exception being present at the briefing, an event normally addressed by top bureaucratic brass of the Ministry.The Finance Minister earlier in the day presented a 'Vote on Account' in the Lok Sabha where he announced measures relating to hike in defence spending,more allocation for social sectors,spur to growth,sops for the auto sector and welfare measures for the common man. The visions included fiscal consolidation and a tight leash on the Current Account Deficit (CAD),price stability,growth and development of infrastructure,focus on manufacturing, better targeting of subsidies,steps to boost urbanisation,skill development, sharing of responsibility among the Centre and States and price control. Mr Chidambaram said he was not satisfied with the five per cent growth, however, the trend was 'certainly positive and must be sustained' rais-
ing it to six per cent next year.He said India was now 11th biggest economy in the globe and the country was set to become the third biggest economy of the world in the next three decades after United States and China. The Finance Minister said during the past decade the UPA I and UPA II had delivered an average 6.9 per cent growth since 2004-05 to 2013-14.The growth figure was comparable to 5.9 per cent growth witnessed during the NDA regime in 19992004. He said it was also during 2001-2003 that the country witnessed one of the worst growths since liberalisation where the growth rate plummeted to 4.2 per cent and four per cent. Much of this had to do with depression in the West where Europe is still struggling to overcome negative growth and United States economy is gradually coming out of the worst ever financial crisis, since the Great Depression of the
AP's requests for infra projects Ignored in Union Budget: LSP Hyderabad, Feb 17 (IPT) : Lok Satta Party national President Dr Jayaprakash Narayan today regretted that Union Finance Minister P Chidambaram in his Vote-onAccount Budget for 2014-15 totally ignored the requests for many infrastructure projects to address regional imbalances in Andhra Pradesh.There was not even a mention of the Visakhapatnam-Chennai Industrial Corridor.In a media
Initiatives on burning issues not found in Budget: BJP Hyderabad, Feb 17 (IPT) : BJP National Vice President Bandaru Dattatreya today criticised the Interim Budget 2014-15 presented by Union Finance Minister P Chidambaram. In a media statement, Mr Dattatreya alleged no initiatives were found on burning issues like price rise,inflation, farmers remunerating prices and weaker sections like SCs, STs and BC Welfare schemes in the budget. He described the budget as a financial minefield set by UPA through its management and lopsided policies.
1930s.The Finance Minister said average growth rate achieved during the last 32 years was 6.2 per cent adding that while the issue should be considered, the attitude of 'self flagellation' should be given up. Mr Chidambaram said no Government in future could ignore his ten identified visions for the economy and would require bipartisan and multi-partisan support to take India at a higher growth pedestal. Answering questions on the inability of the Ministries and Departments of the Central Government, the Finance Minister said the allocations will be on the higher side with a hope that economy would grow. When the growth was low, these Ministries are unable to spend and his Ministry regarded the unspent amount worth Rs 72,000 crore till the end of December as 'savings'. This money saved would be spent elsewhere and this trend will not impact the economy.
Upgrade skills, President tells ordnance officers New Delhi, Feb 17 : President Pranab Mukherjee Monday met probationer officers of Indian ordnance factories and asked them to keep upgrading their skills. "They (officers) should never forget that for every failed bullet or weapon, there is the life of a soldier at stake who is performing his call of duty for the country," Mukherjee said. "It's not about producing arms and ammunition only, it's about giving quality products, ensuring timely deliveries and strengthening the hands of our armed forces, paramilitary forces and police forces," he added. The officers would need "to continuously upgrade their skills in terms of developing, producing and upgrading the weapon systems", he said at an event at Rashtrapati Bhavan. Maintaining quality was of utmost importance, the president added.The group of 41 probationer officers of the Indian Ordnance Factories Service 2013 batch are training at the National Academy of Defence Production in Nagpur.They were here to attend a three-day training on parliamentary procedures and practices at the Lok Sabha Secretariat.
Bhopal, Feb 17 : A 29year-old -- residing at Vijay Nagar here -- has alleged that a Railway ticket collector raped her while they were in a live-in relationship. "The victim is a librarian at a private college. For the past one-and-a-half years, she was in the relationship with Rakesh Singh Baghel who is posted in Indore and hails from Ratlam. His wedding took place recently," Superintendent of Police (North) Arvind Saxena said.
employment. At a time tens of millions of young people have remained unemployed, the much-advertised National Skill Development Corporation has imparted skills to a mere 77000 people. Scores of projects entailing investments of lakhs of crores of rupees continue to languish. All that the Government has done in the last one year is to contain the damage caused by prolonged policy paralysis," he said.
New Delhi, Feb 17 : Terming as "extremely disappointing" and "a glorified exercise in self-congratulation" the Interim Budget for 2014-15, BJP's Prime Ministerial candidate Narendra Modi today said it is upto the people to decide whether the Economist Prime Minister and Finance Minister have been "hard working" or "hardly working" in their tenure. "UPA's last vote-on-account is extremely disappointing! It is nothing but a glorified exercise in self-congratulation," Mr Modi tweeted. The Gujarat Chief Minister said Finance Minister P Chidambaram said 296 projects worth Rs 6.6 lakh crore were cleared recently.
"Why were these projects held back at all? Is it not policy paralysis? While the FM may pat his own back, the fact remains that our youth is bearing the brunt of rising unemployment. Manufacturing is the Achilles' heel, deceleration in investment in manufacturing worryingthis is result of 'wonders' of UPA's policies," he said. Mr Modi said there was "a mere lip-service" by the Finance Minister on the return of black money and the UPA's "lack of commitment" towards bringing black money was on display yet again. "FM eats up plan exp, rolls over Rs 35,000 cr subsidies to next year to contain fiscal deficit even as non-
Interim budget in consonance with UPA policy of making growth inclusive: Cong
New Delhi, Feb 17 : The Congress today said interim budget for 2014-15, presented by Finance Minister P Chidambaram in the Lok Sabha today, is in consonance with the UPA government's policy of promoting inclusive growth.Talking to reporters here, AICC spokesperson Balachandra Mungekar said in order to stimulate growth, the Finance Minister has given importance to infrastructure in the Budget.On the Opposition charging the UPA of 'policy paralysis', Mr Mungekar said the Opposition charges were 'unacceptable' given the fact that in a financially difficult situation faced by the country, the Finance Minister has managed to address fiscal consolidation."The Finance Minister has done a commendable job within his constraints," Mr Mungekar said.The claim of the UPA of managing a high growth rate during its ten year rule, except in the last two years, was justified. While stating that inflation was still a cause for worry, he said a food production of 266 million tones, as against the earlier production of 255 million tones, gives hope that the government would be able to control inflation.
plan exp overshoots! Real hard work!" he commented. The BJP's PM candidate welcomed the decision on "one rank, one pension" for ex-servicemen. "Belated wisdom finally dawns on our 'hard working' UPA ministers. 'Hard working' Finance Minister also joins other illustrious UPA ministers who are seeking refuge in history to judge their 'performance.' It is upto the people to decide whether the Economist PM and FM have been 'hard working' or 'hardly working' in their tenure. The only solace one gets from the voteon-account is that this was UPA's final act of misery after a decade of decay and policy paralysis," he added.
VRO in ACB net Hyderabad, Feb 17 (IPT) : Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) today arrested Village Revenue Officer (VRO) on the charges of taking bribe. The VRO, Kodaveedu village, Guntur district was caught red-handed by the ACB officials at the Community Hall, Mydavolu in Guntur district, when he demanded and accepted the bribe amount of Rs 6,000 from the complainant for process and handed over the title deed related to the newly purchased land, a ACB release here said. The accused officer was arrested and produced befor the ACB court, Vijayawada.
State-of-the-art conference hall inaugurated
Hyderabad, Feb 17 (IPT) : South Central Railway (SCR)General Manager P K Srivastava today inaugurated the newly renovated GM's conference hall at Rail Nilayam, Secunderabad here. The Conference Hall is equipped with modern communication facilities for inhouse meeting as well as for video conferencing with all the Divisional Head Quarters of the Zone. Speaking on the occasion, Mr Srivastava expressed happiness over the hi-tech Audio and Video equipment set up in the newly renovated Conference Hall and stated the new ambience will surely result in enhancing conferencing standards amongst the railway officials.
statement, Dr Narayan described the overall budget as gloomy and disappointing. The only silver lining is that the Finance Minister has shown signs of fiscal consolidation after years of dithering. He has limited the fiscal deficit in 2013-14 to 4.6 percent of GDP by deferring some liabilities. "What is most disturbing is the fall in manufacturing and mining which give a boost to the economy and create
Hyderabad, Feb 17 (IPT) : All India Radio (AIR) Hyderabad invited applications from the candidates residing in the twin cities of Hyderabad and Secunderabad for news editors and reporters on casual assignment basis in Regional News Unit (RNU). The applicant should be a Graduate from any recognized University, an official release said here today. Degree or Post Graduate diploma in journalism with a duration of at least one year from a recognized University/ Institution or five-year experience in reporting/editing work in print/electronic media and proficiency in Telugu as well as English.Age of the candidates should be between 21 and 50 years.A nonrefundable processing fee of Rs 300 for general category and Rs 225 for SC/ST/OBC candidates will be charged. The Bank Draft in favour of Station Director, All India Radio, Hyderabad payable at Hyderabad may be sent along with the application on or before March 3. The selection procedure comprises two stages. Those qualifying in written test will be called for interview. Filled applications may be submitted with copies of educational certificates, DD and two passport sixe photographs to the Deputy Director General (Prog), All India Radio, Hyderabad, the release added
Modi terms Interim Budget ''extremely disappointing''
Raped during live-in relationship
Family members and party workers celebrate the 60th birthday of TRS President K. Chandra Sekhar Rao in city on Monday.
Tarun Tejpal charged with raping junior colleague Panaji, Feb 17 : Capping a two-and-half-month-long investigation, the Goa crime branch Monday formally charged Tehelka editor-inchief Tarun Tejpal with raping a junior colleague. Tejpal was also charged with sexual harassment and other sections of the new Criminal Law (Amendment) Act, 2013, in the 2,846-page charge sheet.The charge sheet filed with District and Sessions Judge Anuja Prabhudessai contains statements of over 150 witnesses and over 1,400 pages of annexure documents. The documents include sketches, hotel bill receipts, authenticated copies of email conversations, copies of CCTV grabs and the com-
plaint recorded before a magistrate.Police sources said a bunch of emails written by Tejpal to the woman journalist and to Tehelka's former managing editor Shoma Chaudhury virtually confirming a sexual encounter was a key evidence mentioned in the charge sheet. "The last days have been most testing and I squarely take the blame for this. A bad lapse of judgement, an awful misreading of the situation, have led to an unfortunate incident that rails against all we believe in and fight for," is a passage from an email from Tejpal that was quoted in the charge sheet.After the charge sheet was filed by Inspector Sunita Sawant, Deputy Inspector General
O.P. Mishra told reporters that the case was water-tight and that he was hopeful that the trial would be completed within 60 days as per provisions of the amended law after the Dec 16, 2012, gang rape. "The special public prosecutor will also request the trial judge to conduct the hearing on a day-to-day basis. Under amended section 309 (i) of the Indian Penal Code, the trial has to be completed in 60 days," Mishra said.Mishra also said that before being arrested Nov 30, Tejpal had led investigators on a hunt across India, with Goa Police teams having to fan out across Mumbai, Delhi, Noida, Hyderabad and Bangalore.Tejpal has been
charged under various charges, including sexual harassment, wrongful restraint, taking advantage of official position, and rape.The junior woman colleague accused Tejpal of raping her during a high profile conference organised by the Tehelka founder in Goa. Tejpal, who had initially evaded arrest, was subsequently arrested Nov 30 in full media glare.Mishra also said that attempts made to get Hollywood actor Robert de Niro's statement proved futile. "We have established contact with his attorney, who has been talking to us. Since he has been travelling, he has not been able to reply (to a police questionnaire) as of now.
Edited, Printed, Published and Owned by L. Aseervadam, Printed at Krashak Printer, Vidyanagar, O.U. Campus Road, Hyderabad. Published from Flat No: 106, Block - A, Archana Apartments, East Marredpally, Secunderabad 500 026. Phone : 040 40160906, 27712775, Fax : 040 -27712774, E-mail : markindiadaily@gmail.com, Editor-in-chief : L. Aseervadam, RNI. No : APENG/2012/47447