India makes U-turn, to send small tri-Service delegation to China-Toi-8.1.12

Team Will Leave Today; IAF Officer From Arunachal Won’t Be Part Of Trip

New Delhi: In an overnight U-turn, India has decided to go ahead with sending a military delegation to China next week but curtailed it to 15 members, instead of the original 30, after Beijing refused to issue a visa to an IAF officer, who hails from Arunachal Pradesh. 
    The 15-member tri-Service delegation will leave for China on Sunday, as was scheduled earlier, to hold talks with their People’s Liberation Army (PLA) counterparts as well as visit military establishments in Beijing, Nanjing and Shanghai from January 10 to 13, said officials on Saturday. 
    Group Captain M Panging, the chief operations officer at the Sukhoi-30MKI fighter airbase at Tezpur, will, however, not be part of the truncated delegation. The visa denial to Group Captain Panging had led to the delegation’s visit being put on hold on Friday, with the defence and external affairs ministries speaking in different voices, asreported by TOI. 
    Given its over-cautious attitude about not doing anything to ruffle a prickly Beijing, India in the past has avoided sending officials hailing from Arunachal Pradesh for defence and other exchanges with China. The defence establishment seems to have inadvertently included Group Captain Panging in the 30-member delegation, which included eight officers each from Army, Navy and IAF as well as six from the integrated defence staff, much to the external affairs ministry’s consternation. 
    Consequently, a 15-member delegation, led by an air vice marshal, will now be heading for China as “a reciprocal visit” to the one made by a 29-member PLA delegation here in the last week of December. This was one of the “net outcomes” of the 4th India-China annual defence dialogue, held in New Delhi on December 9, which had decided to enhance “the range and scope of bilateral exchanges at various levels” as a confidence-building measure between the world’s two largest armies. If the delegation’s visit next week had been called off, it would have been the second time in less than two years that India would have taken such a step. Earlier, in July 2010, India had frozen all military exchanges with China after Beijing had denied a proper stamped visa to the then Northern Army commander Lt-General B S Jaswal on the grounds that he was commanding forces in the “disputed and sensitive” region of Jammu and Kashmir. The ice was broken only after an Indian delegation, led by Major-General Gurmeet Singh, commanding a Rashtriya Rifles division in J&K, visited Beijing in last June.

India makes U-turn, to send small tri-Service delegation to China-Toi-8.1.12

Team Will Leave Today; IAF Officer From Arunachal Won’t Be Part Of Trip

New Delhi: In an overnight U-turn, India has decided to go ahead with sending a military delegation to China next week but curtailed it to 15 members, instead of the original 30, after Beijing refused to issue a visa to an IAF officer, who hails from Arunachal Pradesh. 
    The 15-member tri-Service delegation will leave for China on Sunday, as was scheduled earlier, to hold talks with their People’s Liberation Army (PLA) counterparts as well as visit military establishments in Beijing, Nanjing and Shanghai from January 10 to 13, said officials on Saturday. 
    Group Captain M Panging, the chief operations officer at the Sukhoi-30MKI fighter airbase at Tezpur, will, however, not be part of the truncated delegation. The visa denial to Group Captain Panging had led to the delegation’s visit being put on hold on Friday, with the defence and external affairs ministries speaking in different voices, asreported by TOI. 
    Given its over-cautious attitude about not doing anything to ruffle a prickly Beijing, India in the past has avoided sending officials hailing from Arunachal Pradesh for defence and other exchanges with China. The defence establishment seems to have inadvertently included Group Captain Panging in the 30-member delegation, which included eight officers each from Army, Navy and IAF as well as six from the integrated defence staff, much to the external affairs ministry’s consternation. 
    Consequently, a 15-member delegation, led by an air vice marshal, will now be heading for China as “a reciprocal visit” to the one made by a 29-member PLA delegation here in the last week of December. This was one of the “net outcomes” of the 4th India-China annual defence dialogue, held in New Delhi on December 9, which had decided to enhance “the range and scope of bilateral exchanges at various levels” as a confidence-building measure between the world’s two largest armies. If the delegation’s visit next week had been called off, it would have been the second time in less than two years that India would have taken such a step. Earlier, in July 2010, India had frozen all military exchanges with China after Beijing had denied a proper stamped visa to the then Northern Army commander Lt-General B S Jaswal on the grounds that he was commanding forces in the “disputed and sensitive” region of Jammu and Kashmir. The ice was broken only after an Indian delegation, led by Major-General Gurmeet Singh, commanding a Rashtriya Rifles division in J&K, visited Beijing in last June.

16,000 crore planets present in the milky way – Eenadu -13.1.12

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Corporate companies destroying ecology in Godavari district, says Medha Patkar-Eenadu-11.1.12

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Punjab voters swing to cocktail of drugs, liquor, cash-The Pioneer-14.1.12

It is a heady cocktail of drugs, illicit liquor and money employed to woo voters in the poll-bound States,  specially in Punjab. In less than a month s i n c e   e l e c  t i o n s   w e r e announced in five states, the E  l             n   C  ommi s s i on   h a s seized huge quantity of  contraband drugs in Punjab ahead of Assembly polls in  he State on January 30. Besides the regular contrabands including poppy husk, heroin, smack, the  urveillance s  q u a d   c on s t i t u t e  d   b y   t h e Election Commission and State police have seized  arge quantities of a local drug called ‘lahiri’ and medicine drug powder and tablets. According to  nformation  procured by the Commission, 40,344 kgs of ‘lahiri’ have been seized till date while medicine tablets numbering 1.57 lakh were recovered from private persons and vehicles by the surveillance  eams.  Aware of the large-scale use of drugs in the State, the EC had tightened vigil on the borders. In  his connection it had even met the Director General, Narcotics to request for cooperation and support in  ntelligence sharing and tracking of s  o u r c e .   I n   a d d i t i o n ,   t  h e Commission had recovered close to 8 kg of heroin, smack and 1.55 lakh kg of poppy husk. The swift action of the Commission has  aught drug peddlers by surprise. But the initiative has won accolades from civil society, which has openly backed the EC action to curb use of drugs in elections. Increased  vigilance during election time has also  trengthened the hands of law enforcing agencies.  Last week a foreign national arrested with five   ilograms of heroin near Ferozpur in Punjab was later found having l ink s  wit h   t e r  ror  i s t  out f  it Hizbul Mujahuddin. On his tip-off, the Punjab Police arrested another man from whom foreign currency  orth 2.30 lakh was recovered along with a   S IM  c a rd   b  e l on g  i n g   t o  Pakistan. If maximum drug  eizure from Punjab is a cause for alarm, the Commission is equally concerned about the maximum cash  eizures from Uttar Pradesh, the big State where a seven-phase poll is s  c h e du l e d .   E C   g u i d e l i n     restrict carrying cash above 1 lakh in poll-bound States. According to figures made available by the  ncome Tax department sleuths to the EC, a total of  35 .80 crore has been seized since the date of  announcement of polls. Of this, UP alone accounts for 26.8 crore with Punjab adding 8.67 crore to the  tally. While traders and businessmen have objected to EC action being detrimental to  their business  nterests, EC sources said, “There would be inconveniences. We are here to implement the law which is   in place. It is up to those who complain to ensure the cash transactions made during this t  i me   a r e   t      nsp.

Madhyapradesh’s Suryanamaskar draws 70 lakh, sets record – The Pioneer – 13.1.12

It was a different morning for students in Government schools and colleges and most of the private  nstitutions in M a d h y a   P r a d e s h .   T h e  y reached the premises to set a world record to be  egistered in the Guinness Book of World Records. The School Education Department claimed around 70  akh people, including students from more than 6,000 schools in the State took part in the event. Defying  he fatwa issued by s  om e   Mu s l i m   b  o  d i e s   i n Madhya Pradesh, a large number of Muslim  tudents were a l so   s e en  par t i c ipat ing   in   t h e   r e c o rd   m a k i n g   Su r  y a Namaskar event. Rajeshwari Rai, a Class VII student of the prestigious Cambridge Higher Secondary School said, “Though  t was very cold in the morning, we p a r  t  i c ip at e  d   i n   t h e   Su r  y a Namaskar held in the ground of our school. It was heartening to see our teachers too stretching out with us.” However, the young girl was not aware that the event w a s   p  a r  t   o f   a n y   r e  c o r d   creating exercise.  Alima Khan, a  lass   student of the Government Bab-e-Ali school in the Walled City said, “We participated in the Surya  amaskar event held in the school despite it being very cold. As it was a collective exercise we enjoyed it  nd are happy  that  we  are  part  of  the world record team.”  Abdul Sami, a Class V student  of   Jawa har          ehr u School said that while participating in the event, he did not repeat some mantras recited on the  ccasion, but he enjoyed the stretching exercise. Sajid Siddiqui of the Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI), who was one of the  Continued on dozen Muslim organizations that had opposed the  Surya Namaskar,  and brought fatwa against the event, while speaking to The Pioneer, declined to comment  ver the participation of Muslims students in the event, saying, “We had opposed the event as it was  gainst the Constitution. Five organizations of Muslims had opposed the event and appealed to the Muslim parents not to send their wards to school on the day. The event is being held in the schools of  adhya Pradesh  for the past four years on the birth anniversary of Swami Vivekanand, but this was the first time when the Government is claiming for world record. T h e   S  ch o  o l   E  du c at  i on Department had already intimated the officials of Guinness Book of World Records regarding this  xercise. For the purpose, special arrangements were made by installing video cameras in all the   ampuses where Surya Namaskar was organised. The recording will be sent for review to those who  andle the Gu i n n e s s   B  o  o k   o f  Wo r l d Records. Thursday’s event was an effort to break the  azakhstan’s record of holding world’s largest aerobics demonstration. The Gu i n n e s s   B  o  o k   o f   o       Record in largest aerobics d e m o n s t r a t i o n   i s   w i t  h Kazakhstan in which 48, 45,098 people had  articipated. The event was held on September 27, 2003 simultaneous multi location aerobics display was  eld,  supported by Kazakhstan’s Presidential administration, to promote a healthy lifestyle. Chi e f  Mini s          hiv  r aj S i n g  h   C  h ou  h an   w a s   s  e  e n stretching not just himself as a participant, but also a part  f the record bid. The signal to begin the Surya Namaskar was given via All India Radio. The enthusiastic  hief Minister was seen stretching out on the occasion, along with others at the local Nave  en Hi g he r   S      ondar  y School despite the fact that he was recently operated in his left palm. With 15 stitches, bandage was visible in his palm. Official sources said it could take around a month for the decision of Guinness  ook of World Records when Madhya Pradesh could set a new record.  Me  a nw  h  i  l  e ,   t  h  e   I s  a I Mahasangh (IMS), that had been opposing the event stated that it would approached the Gu i n n e s s    o r l d   R e c o rd s authorities asking them not to include the event, as it promotes communal discord in    ultireligious society. IMS Convener Fr Anand Muttungal told, “We are waiting for the news published in  his regard. We would approach the authorities with the news clippings,” he added. 

6  crore fake currency caught in Delhi, sent from Pakistan – The Pioneer

T h e   D  e l h i   Po l ice on  Thursday recovered over  s i x   c r o r e   F a  k e   I n d i a n Currency Notes (FICNs) from a godown in  abri area of South West Delhi. Two persons have been arrested in this regard and raids are continuing. This is one of the biggest ever hauls of FICNs by Delhi Police in the recent past.  Elhi Po l i c e   C  om m i s s i o n e r   B K Gupta indicated that more people will be arrested as the investigations were still going on and the figure of the total recovery may go even further. The recovery  as made by a Special Cell team that raided many places across the country during the past 10 days. The  wo arrested persons h a v e   b  e  e n   i d e n t i f  i e  d   a s Mo h a m m a d   a n d   H a s  a n . Sources  aid Iqbal is the third person in this network who has been picked up for questioning a l o n g   w i t h   H a               Mohammad. The consignment of FICNs was routed to Delhi from Nepal and the notes were in the  enomination of  500 and 1,000 printed in Karachi in Pakistan. Investigators say that  the consignment  riginated from Pakistan and was aimed at destroying the Indian economy by pumping in FICNs. Thursday’s seizure has bettered all the recoveries made by various units of Delhi Police in the past five  o  ix years. Delhi Police had recovered FICNs worth  8.39 crore, 5,800 US Dollars and 2,000 Euro. The currency notes recovered from Mohammad and Hasan are of very high quality with almost all the  ecurity features. “It looks as good as the original. The Delhi Police is in touch with officials of the CBI and RBI to check the quality of the FICNs”, Gupta said. The currency notes were hidden in 33 cloth bundles  nd were loaded in two tempos. It appears that the notorious Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) was behind this consignment, as very high quality paper was used to print the same. ISI has been exploiting the   rous Indo-Nepal border for pumping in FICNs. Experts in security agencies said such types of fake Indian Currency is printed under the watchful eyes of ISI in facilities situated at Sialkot and Tuxila. Special  ommissioner of Special Cell, PN Aggarwal said that the notes were concealed in a specially created cavity  etween the two layers of cloth bundles and were compressed to allay any suspicion. A team under the supervision of Additional DCP Bhisham Singh was on the job after a specific information was received  bout the movement of the two suspects with a huge consignment were to enter the National Capital.  he team worked day and night and success came after the couriers were identified, he said. A senior  olice official said that those involved in this nefarious trade of FICNs buy counterfeit Indian Currency at a  ate of 50-60 per cent of the face value of the notes and then sell them for 70-80 per cent of the face  alue, the official said. “The fake notes of the cons i g  n m e n t   r e  c o v e  r e  d   o n Thursday are so  ell  rinted that a common man wouldn’t be able to identify it. In fact, the notes have all the security  eatures. We have requisitioned the services of RBI and CBI officers to examine the FICNs. The CBI  ossess  etter facilities as far as FICNs are conc e r  n e d ,”   t  h e  D e l h i   Po l i c e Commissioner said.

Madhyapradesh’s Suryanamaskar draws 70 lakh, sets record – The Pioneer – 13.1.12

It was a different morning for students in Government schools and colleges and most of the private  nstitutions in M a d h y a   P r a d e s h .   T h e  y reached the premises to set a world record to be  egistered in the Guinness Book of World Records. The School Education Department claimed around 70  akh people, including students from more than 6,000 schools in the State took part in the event. Defying  he fatwa issued by s  om e   Mu s l i m   b  o  d i e s   i n Madhya Pradesh, a large number of Muslim  tudents were a l so   s e en  par t i c ipat ing   in   t h e   r e c o rd   m a k i n g   Su r  y a Namaskar event. Rajeshwari Rai, a Class VII student of the prestigious Cambridge Higher Secondary School said, “Though  t was very cold in the morning, we p a r  t  i c ip at e  d   i n   t h e   Su r  y a Namaskar held in the ground of our school. It was heartening to see our teachers too stretching out with us.” However, the young girl was not aware that the event w a s   p  a r  t   o f   a n y   r e  c o r d   creating exercise.  Alima Khan, a  lass   student of the Government Bab-e-Ali school in the Walled City said, “We participated in the Surya  amaskar event held in the school despite it being very cold. As it was a collective exercise we enjoyed it  nd are happy  that  we  are  part  of  the world record team.”  Abdul Sami, a Class V student  of   Jawa har          ehr u School said that while participating in the event, he did not repeat some mantras recited on the  ccasion, but he enjoyed the stretching exercise. Sajid Siddiqui of the Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI), who was one of the  Continued on dozen Muslim organizations that had opposed the  Surya Namaskar,  and brought fatwa against the event, while speaking to The Pioneer, declined to comment  ver the participation of Muslims students in the event, saying, “We had opposed the event as it was  gainst the Constitution. Five organizations of Muslims had opposed the event and appealed to the Muslim parents not to send their wards to school on the day. The event is being held in the schools of  adhya Pradesh  for the past four years on the birth anniversary of Swami Vivekanand, but this was the first time when the Government is claiming for world record. T h e   S  ch o  o l   E  du c at  i on Department had already intimated the officials of Guinness Book of World Records regarding this  xercise. For the purpose, special arrangements were made by installing video cameras in all the   ampuses where Surya Namaskar was organised. The recording will be sent for review to those who  andle the Gu i n n e s s   B  o  o k   o f  Wo r l d Records. Thursday’s event was an effort to break the  azakhstan’s record of holding world’s largest aerobics demonstration. The Gu i n n e s s   B  o  o k   o f   o       Record in largest aerobics d e m o n s t r a t i o n   i s   w i t  h Kazakhstan in which 48, 45,098 people had  articipated. The event was held on September 27, 2003 simultaneous multi location aerobics display was  eld,  supported by Kazakhstan’s Presidential administration, to promote a healthy lifestyle. Chi e f  Mini s          hiv  r aj S i n g  h   C  h ou  h an   w a s   s  e  e n stretching not just himself as a participant, but also a part  f the record bid. The signal to begin the Surya Namaskar was given via All India Radio. The enthusiastic  hief Minister was seen stretching out on the occasion, along with others at the local Nave  en Hi g he r   S      ondar  y School despite the fact that he was recently operated in his left palm. With 15 stitches, bandage was visible in his palm. Official sources said it could take around a month for the decision of Guinness  ook of World Records when Madhya Pradesh could set a new record.  Me  a nw  h  i  l  e ,   t  h  e   I s  a I Mahasangh (IMS), that had been opposing the event stated that it would approached the Gu i n n e s s    o r l d   R e c o rd s authorities asking them not to include the event, as it promotes communal discord in    ultireligious society. IMS Convener Fr Anand Muttungal told, “We are waiting for the news published in  his regard. We would approach the authorities with the news clippings,” he added.  

Bio fest on wheels for Medak ryots-ToI-14.1.12

Hyderabad: The 13^th edition of Deccan Development Society’s ‘Mobile Biodiversity Festival-2012’ gets on the road at Medak district’s Rechintal village on Saturday. Aimed at celebrating traditional crops and modes of farming, the month-long festival will tour 45 villages in the district over the coming few weeks. Participants, largely Dalit women farmers, will showcase crops and seeds that will be displayed on specially designed bullock-carts as folk artistes perform alongside to add colour to the show. 
    Cultural programmes apart, the event will be dotted with public meetings and discussions on various subjects related to organic farming. Along with farmers from India, scientists and farming organisations from other parts of the world such as Africa, Canada, Indonesia, and the Philippines will participate at these sessions. 
    “This is a festival where seeds are worshipped as gods. It is a platform for us to present and promote natural cultivation, which happens sans use of chemicals,” said PV Satheesh, director, DDS. “What started initially on a small-scale has now become an event of national importance with thousands of farmers and people working in this area, every year.” 
    Pointing to the commendable work being done by this group of women agriculturalists in Medak, Satheesh revealed that these farmers grow over 20-25 varieties of crops on a plot no larger than an acre-and-a-half. 
    “At a time when people everywhere are promoting ‘mono-cropping’ (growing one type of crop across several acres), it is an absolute delight to see these women practising something so unique,” the director said. 
    Although it has remained confined to Medak in the last decade, organisers of the annual festival hope to change that soon. Over the next few years, the event is expected to travel to other villages in Rayalaseema and coastal Andhra.

Al Quaeda preaching jihad through circulation magazines by post in Pakistan-The Pioneer

Al Qaeda continues to preach jihad or holy war through an Urdu monthly magazine that is delivered to  omes in cities across Pakistan by post, according to a media report on Monday. The 200-page magazine,  iteen, is named after the battlefield where Sultan Salahuddin Ayubi defeated the Crusaders and features  rticles that preach jihad and praise Osama bin Laden. The magazine was started in June last year, a  onth  fter bin Laden was killed in a US military raid in Abbottabad, The Express Tribune reported. Hiteen is  eing delivered to D  e  o b a n d i s ,   A h l - e - H a d i t  h   a n d Barelvis sects to convert them to Al Qaeda’s point of view, the report said. The seventh edition, which was sent out last month, opens with  he essay ‘Matyrdom of Sheikh Osama bin Laden and the International Jihad Movement’. The magazine  as the ‘sayings’ of Afghan Taliban commander Mullah Omar and some Al Qaeda leaders. There is also an  nterview with Sheikh Khalid Bin Abdul Rehman Al Husnain, who was once part of Kuwait’s Ministry of  slamic Affairs and has now joined Al Qaeda. There is a ‘fatwa’ by Muhammad Wa  l iu l l a h  Hu s s a i n    f   Jami atu l Uloomul Islami which declares that there is no bar on Muslims looting goods from NATO  ontainers. An editorial said it is not true that the mission of the ‘mujahideen’ has been damaged by bin  aden’s death. The mujahidden are still fighting with their full strength, it said. The editorial advised  eaders not to pay attention to “false reports about mujahidden from the hypocritical media” and to  continue the struggle. The fight, the editorial said, will continue till the US is removed from Muslim    countries and an Islamic Caliphate is established. An anonymous essay spoke of the need for another bin  aden who would fight non-Muslims and defend Muslims. The magazine thanked the many wings of Al  aeda all over the world. Hiteen does not carry the name of the editor and the only way to send feedback  s through two email addresses. A police officer of the Counter-Terrorism Department in Lahore,  peaking  n condition of anonymity, said police had knowledge of the magazine and that copies of it were in their  ecord. 

PC shoots down Diggy’s Batla theory-ToI-13.1.12

Says No Fake Encounter; BJP Gets Ammo
New Delhi: Home minister P Chidambaram on Thursday firmly rejected Congress leader Digvijay Singh’s claim that the Batla House encounter case was fake, ruling out reopening the case which resulted in the killing of Indian Mujahideen commander Atif Ameen. 
    “After looking into the matter, we came to the conclusion that the encounter was genuine,” Chidambaram said. His forthright remark came even as BJP attacked the Congress leadership and PM Manmohan Singh of indulging Digvijay Singh’s “dirty politics for the sake of votes” over the September 2008 encounter in Delhi. 
    “Every authority who has looked into it (the case) has agreed that it was a genuine encounter. So, while there is a difference of opinion, I think the matter rests where it stands today. I don’t think there is any scope for reopening that matter,” Chidambaram said. While he confirmed that Singh had doubts about the encounter in which Delhi Police lost inspector Mohan Chandra Sharma, one of its most decorated officers, he was firm in ruling out the demand for a fresh probe. 
    Chidambaram’s assertion is significant because Singh’s statements on Batla House have been widely seen as crafted to help the Congress attract Muslims on whose support the party’s prospects for UP are based. Singh, who made his latest intervention on the encounter at Azamgarh on after a group of Muslim youths heckled Rahul Gandhi and burnt his effigy, said on Thursday that he stood by his stand. 
    Significantly, BJP, which never misses an opportunity to target Chidambaram, seemed to be appreciative of him. “If the home minister says the encounter was genuine, how did Digvijay term it fake?” BJP spokesperson Ravishankar Prasad asked. The party sought clarification from the Prime Minister and Sonia Gandhi. 
‘EC order won’t impact quota plan’ 
    Playing down the EC order against the government’s 4.5% sub-quota plan, the government on Thursday said the order would not impact the implementation of quota for minorities this year. “It is not a setback...It is being put on hold for the period of elections that can only be until the 6th of March,” home minister P Chidambaram said, adding that the quota could be implemented for appointments and admissions made in 2012. Defending the decision, he said there was “nothing wrong” with the notification as it was made well before the model code of conduct came into force. He also rubbished reports of policy paralysis within the government. “The argument that there is a paralysis that has gripped the government is an argument that is patently incorrect, untenable and absurd,” Chidambaram said. 

Govt nod for anti-terror entity-ToI-13.1.10

New Delhi: Government on Thursday finally gave its approval to set up a ‘specialized’ anti-terror body, National Counter Terrorism Centre (NCTC), which will work as a single-window entity to pool together and collate terror-related intelligence inputs, draw plans to neutralize terror modules and coordinate action among different terror agencies to defuse threats. 
    A core team of this body comprising its director and other top officials will be put in place by end-March or early April, completing the counter-terror institutional architecture that Union home minister P Chidambaram had planned after the 26/11 strikes.Anti-terror unit to be part of IB 
    Although the NCTC will work as an “integral” part of the Intelligence Bureau, it will be exclusively focused on counter-terrorism on the lines of specialized anti-terror agencies in the US, the UK, Germany, France, Israel, Russia, China and Japan.
    As part of Centre’s post-26/11 blueprint, National Investigation Agency, National Intelligence Grid and NSG hubs designed to facilitate the spreading of the commandos across the country, have been set up. The NCTC, the remaining piece, was held up because of reservations among certain quarters of the government over its scope. The final design has accommodated the concerns of various wings of the government that were stakeholders in the decision. 
    Asked whether the proposed set up for the NCTC reflected a dilution of his earlier plans, Chidambaram said “it's not a comedown. This is a beginning. Eventually based on our experience, based on what we find our shortcomings, deficiencies or the safeguard that has to be built, itwill eventually grow into a kind of organization that I envisaged”. 
    Talking to reporters after the Cabinet Committee on Security gave “in principle” clearance to the NCTC, the home minister said its function will include drawing up of plans and coordinating all actions particularly counter terrorism and integrating all the intelligence pertaining to counter terrorism. 
    Chidambaram, who had been pitching for such an agency for about three years, said the core team will be the “nucleus” around which the NCTC will be built. After obtaining the necessary approvals from department of expenditure and DoPT, we will begin the work of appointing the core team, he said. 
    Spelling out the brief for the NCTC, Chidambaram said the agency will also coordinate with relevant probe and intelligence agencies to ensure that the perpetrators of terror are brought to justice, besides maintaining comprehensive database of terrorists, their associates and supporters. 
    “It will ensure that all agencies have access and receive all intelligence support”, he said, adding itwill be under Intelligence Bureau and report to its director, Union home secretary and the home minister. The home minister, however, did not disclose finer details of its functioning. At present, the IB’s anti-terror function is being looked after by the Multi Agency Centre (MAC) that will be subsumed into the NCTC. 
    Sources said that though this anti-terror body would not have exclusive ‘operation’ wing, it will enroll adequate trained personnel — drawn from NSG, paramilitary forces and state police on deputation — to assist state police in operations against terrorists. In other countries, such a specialized body also carries out ‘covert’ operations in neutralizing terror modules. 
    Rejecting suggestions that the NCTC will add to the multiplicity of agencies, he said there were specialized functions and in every country such functions were performed by specialized agencies. “Counter terrorism in today's day and age is a specialized functioning. There must be an organization that devotes its complete time and energy to anticipate and counter terrorists”.

Muslims can’t forgive Rushdie, says Asad-ToI-11.1.12

Cancel His Visa, Demand Community Leaders

Hyderabad: A section of politicians, religious scholars and social activists in the city urged the Centre on Tuesday to deny visa to controversial author of ‘Satanic Verses’ Salman Rushdie on the grounds that his participation at the literary conclave in Jaipur “would add to the hurt feelings of the Muslims.” 
    “How can you invite and give such a big platform to a person like Rushdie who did not hesitate in denigrating personalities that are held in high esteem by the Muslims,” asked MIM president Asaduddin Owaisi, cautioning that any concession to the writer would reflect badly on the government. The Muslims, according to him, would never forget or forgive what Salman Rushdie wrote in ‘Satanic Verses.’ The book is still banned in India. Owaisi added that he had condemned M F Hussain for his nude painting of Hindu goddesses, and on the same grounds, would never forgive Rushdie for his “blasphemous work.” “Recently in Parliament there was unanimity against the ban of the Bhagwad Gita by a court in Russia. Why shouldn’t there be similar unanimity on Rushdie,” he said. 
    While the All India Muslim 
Personal Law Board distanced itself from taking a stand on the Rushdie controversy as the subject is out of its purview, its joint general secretary M A Rahim Quraishi said: “My personal view is that Rushdie should not be allowed to enter India. The Centre has permitted Taslima Nasreen to live in India and now it is considering a visa for Rushdie. This is no way of showing respect to the religious sentiments of the Muslims,” he pointed out. 
    The state chief of Jamaate-Islami Hind, Khaja Arifuddin, as well as state Jamiat Ulema chief Hafiz Peer Shabbir took similar stands. They said that government should ensure that a writer like Rushdie does not enter the country. 
    Religious scholar Omar Abideen said that Islam forbids its followers from saying things against the gods of other faiths. “In its war rules, Islam prevents the faithful from causing any harm to women, children, people holding religious positions and places of worship. Against this backdrop, how can Salman Rushdie be allowed to get away with what he has written?” he asked. 
    Social activist Iqbal Ahmed Engineer said while there is no harm in taking a critical view of religion, writers and others should not cross their line and start attacking the religious personalities or faiths. 
    Meanwhile, Majlis Bachao Tahreek corporator from Azampura, Amjadullah Khan, organized a rally and burnt Rushdie’s effigy.

Another Cong quota googly in UP-ToI-10.1.12

Party Pledges 9% Sub-quota For Backward Muslims in Uttar Pradesh Government Jobs If Elected To Power

Delhi/Farrukhabad: Union law minister Salman Khurshid on Monday announced the Congress would provide 9% sub-quota to backward Muslims in UP government jobs if voted to power in the state, stepping harder on quota politics that the UPA set rolling by carving out 4.5% minority reservation within the central OBC category. 
    Addressing meetings for his wife, Congress candidate from Farukkhabad Louise, Khurshid said the Congress government in the state would give exclusive 9% reservation to Muslims in the OBC list. Sources confirmed that the promise of approximately 9% quota for Muslim OBCs will be among the highlights of the party’s manifesto. 
    The promise of a new sub-quota, double of what it gave at the Centre in December, is set to sharpen the rush for Muslim votes in UP polls and press the SP and the BSP hard for a counter after they dismissed UPA’s 4.5% move as tokenism. 
    The ‘Muslim quota’ politics appeared a planned Congress strategy to trap the rivals. Barely had Khurshid dropped the 9%bomb that the party’s lead campaigner Rahul Gandhi challenged Mulayam Singh Yadav to promise 18% quota in the SP manifesto as he had demanded while protesting the Centre’s 4.5% decision. “Mulayam should answer whether or not he will provide 18% quota to Muslims in government jobs… Will he include this provision in his manifesto?” Rahul asked in Gorakhpur. The challenge from the Congress heir apparent may only see the pitch turn shriller in the days closer to the seven-phase polls. 
    The opposition would be wary of the challenge which is a double-edged sword because of divergence in intra-backward interests. Though Mulayam cannot oppose the Muslim quota, he is unlikely to play the Congress game of categorizing OBCs since it would rile his vote-base of Yadavs and Kurmis — the “forwards among backwards” are seen as monopolizing the 27% Mandal reservation while the sub-quotas for Muslims would reduce their catchment area in jobs and education. SP’s aggressive “Muslim politics”, while riling its core base, would position the Congress better among the ‘most backwards’ whom it is promising a sub-quota on the lines of Muslims. Congress’s allout wooing of Muslims is also a challenge to the BSP which is eager to maintain its “dalit-plus” character post-2007. 
    While the rising sub-quota pitch of the Congress has riled the “forward among backwards”, the party has appeared comfortable with its possible fallout. Sources said the agitated groups were not Congress voters and their reaction would damage the SP. The nonchalance over OBC reaction was evident when, as reported by TOI, UP election campaign chief Sriprakash Jaiswal said that ‘Muslim sub-quota’ at the Centre was poised for a hike after the ongoing caste census.RESERVING SUPPORT Muslims | 18% of UP populationOBC Muslims | 80% of the community 
Congress | 9% 
sub-quota to Muslims 
out of 27% OBC quota pie 
Congress to bring eight more Muslim castes in the UP OBC list 
Quota share of Yadavs, Kurmis, Jats would be hit

70% milk in country adulterated – ToI-10.1.12

Goa, Puducherry Safest Places To Buy Your Milk; AP Too Fares Well

New Delhi: Beware, your daily glass of good health could actually be doing you harm. In the 33-state study, milk was found adulterated with detergent, fat and even urea, besides the age-old practice of diluting it with water. Across the country, 68.4% of the samples were found contaminated. 
    Only in Goa and Puducherry did 100% of the samples tested conform to required standards. At the other end were West Bengal, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Orissa and Mizoram, where not a single sample tested met the prescribed norms. 
    In the national capital New Delhi, as much as 70% of milk samples picked up by a government agency failed to conform to standards. Of the 71 samples randomly taken from Delhi for testing by the Food Safety Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), 50 were found to be contaminated with glucose and skim milk powder (SMP), which is usually added to milk in the lean season to enhance volumes. 
    Other prominent states fared just a shade better. Around 89% of the samples tested from Gujarat, 83% from Jammu & Kashmir, 81% from Punjab, 76% from Rajasthan, 70% from Delhi and Haryana and 65% from Maharashtra failed the test. Around half of the samples from Madhya Pradesh (48%) also meet a similar fate. 
    States with comparatively better results included Kerala where 28% of samples did not conform to the FSSAI standards, Karnataka (22%), Tamil Nadu (12%) and Andhra Pradesh (6.7%). 
    The samples for testing were collected randomly and analysed from 33 states totaling a sample size of 1,791. These were sent to government laboratories like Department of Food and Drug Testing of Puducherry, Central Food Laboratory in Pune, Food Reasearch and Standardization Laboratory in Ghaziabad, State Public Health Laboratory in Guwahati and Central Food Laboratory, Kolkata, for testing against the presence of common adulterants such as fat, neutralizers, hydrogen peroxide, sugar, starch, glucose, urea, detergent, formalin and vegetable fat. 
    Just around 31.5% of the total samples tested (565) conformed to the FSSAI standards while the rest 1,226 (68.4%) failed the test. 
    Detergent was found in 103 samples (8.4%). “This was mainly because the milk tanks were not properly washed. Detergents in milk can cause serious health problems,” FSSAI official told TOI. 
    The non-conforming samples in rural areas numbered 381 (31%) out of which 64 (16.7%) were packet milk and 317 (83.2%) were loose samples. 
    In urban areas, the number of non-confirming samples were 845 (68.9%) out of which 282 (33.3%) were packed and 563 (66.6%) were loose. 
    The most common adulteration was that of fat and solid not food (SNF), found in 574 (46.8%) of the non-conforming samples. This, scientists say, is because of dilution of milk with water. 
    The second highest parameter of non-conformity was skim milk powder (SMP) in 548 samples (44.69%) which includes presence of glucose in 477 samples. Glucose would have been added to milk probably to enhance SNF. 
    “The study indicates that addition of water to milk is most common adulterant,” the report on the findings said. “Addition of water not only reduces the nutritional value of milk but contaminated water may also pose health risk to consumers. It also shows that powdered milk is reconstituted to meet the demand of milk supply.” 
    The report asked state enforcement authorities to regularly check whether the new FSSAI rules are being complied with. “The study also indicated the presence of detergent in some cases. Consumption of milk with detergent may cause health hazards and indicates lack of hygiene and sanitation in milk handling,” it said. Times View 
    This only confirms that food adulteration is common in India. Even milk, consumed primarily by children, isn’t spared. What’s particularly worrying is the kind of substances used to adulterate, including toxic chemicals. This shows that the trade off between the risk of getting caught and the ‘reward’ of huge profits is skewed heavily in favour of the latter. The government must focus on raising the risks to the adulterator. One way of doing this is by hiking the penalty, including making it analogous to attempt to murder in extreme cases. It’s equally important to regularly check foodstuff for adulteration and ensure speedy trials.

Stop Rushdie from entering India: Deoband-ToI-10.1.12

Lucknow: Although Salman Rushdie has visited India dozens of time since the row over The Satanic Verses erupted and subsided almost two decades ago, the country’s top Islamic seminary, Darul Uloom, Deoband, has chosen the eve of UP elections to demand that the author not be allowed to enter India. Rushdie is expected for the Jaipur Literary festival later this month. 
    Darul-Uloom’s rector, Maulana Abdul Qasim Nomani, has appealed to the Centre and the UPA chairperson, Sonia Gandhi, to deny Rushdie visa, saying that “the man whose blasphemous writings have hurt the sentiments of Muslims all over the world must not be allowed to set foot on Indian soil”. 
    This puts the Congress, which is wooing UP’s Muslims, in a serious bind. Trashing the Maulana’s appeal may only derail its efforts to win over Muslims. Moreover, the 135-yearold seminary’s clout extends beyond UP to across India. With its rector pressing for Sonia’s intervention, the demand would be hard to ignore. 
    “We expect the government to be prompt and tough, the way it was over the Russian court’s ban on Bhagvad Gita for allegedly promoting terror activities,” Nomani said. “Rushdie’s visit is bound to affect the sentiments of the minority community and it must therefore evoke a sharp response as well. We hope that the government would not pursue a dual policy,” Nomani added.

Cheats use bluetooth, cell cameras to crack AIIMS test-Toi-10.1.12

New Delhi: Cheating in entrance exams has become sadly commonplace, but this gang took technological sophistication to another level. First, two of them scanned the question paper -- for the first All India Post Graduate Medical Entrance Examination being conducted by AIIMS -- using mobile phones strapped to the wrist, concealed under their shirt sleeves. 
    The images were then transmitted to a control room and downloaded. The paper was solved, and the answers dictated to candidates who had bluetooth devices stitched near the collar and were wearing minute earphones. 
    Fortunately, the scam was busted after barely two answers had been dictated, out of the 300 questions set for the three-and-a-half hour exam. The Crime Branch of Delhi Police has arrested five persons, including the main accused, identified as Mohit Chaudhry, a second-year MBBS student studying in Ujjain. Others arrested include two MBA graduates identified as Krishan Pratap (a graduate of IIMT Meerut) and Kapil Kumar (a graduate of Jamia Millia Islamia University). A computer programmer, identified as Bhishma Singh, who works for a private television channel, and one of the clients, Dr Amit Punia -- who completed his MBBS from PGI, Rohtak in 2011 -- have also been arrested. 
    At least six other MBBS doctors who were appearing for the exam are under the scanner for allegedly paying the gang between Rs 30 lakh and 40 lakh each, claimed cops. Aiims racketeers were fully wired 
    The exam was being conducted by Aiims this year under orders from the Supreme Court for admission into MD courses in government medical colleges across India. 
    “Our team nabbed the main accused, Mohit Chaudhry from Pragati Maidan after a tipoff. We had received inputs about the accused coming to the area in an Alto car. A trap was laid and we intercepted his car. A copy of the question paper along with several medical books was recovered from his possession. On his instance, other accused were nabbed from the examination centre – a school located in Noida. We are further investigating the case to ascertain more details and to find out at what level the gang was actually operating. Further arrests are likely,” said Ashok Chand, DCP (Crime). 
    Explaining the modus operandi of the accused, Chand said that in the first step, two online application forms for the exam were filled in the name of Krishan and Kapil --who never enrolled for any MBBS course – using fake registration numbers. The accused then arranged the gadgets they would need. A set of bright color checked shirts were purchased in which bluetooth devices were stitched near the collar for the examinees. Minute earphones, barely visible to others along with mics were also bought by the accused so that the examinees could listen to the answers uninterrupted. The cops recovered six such shirts, three from the accused’s hideout. 
    On Sunday, Krishan and Kapil allegedly equipped themselves and entered the examination centre in sector 28 in Noida. They strapped their mobile phones to their wrists and wore coats with holes to allow the phone cameras to operate. According to the cops, the duo along with their client, Dr Punia, entered the examination hall evading all security checks. Sources claimed no physical examination of the examinees was carried out. 
    The duo received the question paper and then used their mobile phone cameras to capture the images. Their mobiles had special software installed which automatically sent the photos in an email to a pre-decided user, cops said. 
    The images were allegedly immediately transmitted to Bhishma, sitting at their ‘control room' in Noida. Bhishma Singh allegedly received the images, downloaded them and took a print out of the question paper and handed it over to the main accused, Mohit, cops said. Mohit allegedly solved the papers using six medical books and with the help of some seniors and began to dictate the answers to his candidates. 
    DCP Chand said Mohit had dictated just two answers and was in the process of dictating more answers over the phone when he was nabbed from Pragati Maidan by constable Raja Ram, who had received a tip-off. “He was interrogated during which he accepted his involvement and told the names of his associates to the cops. Immediately, a team was sent to nab the rest of the accused. Cops nabbed Kapil and Krishan from the examination centre as they were preparing to flee from the centre and on their instance nabbed one of their clients, identified as Dr Amit Punia from there,’’ said Chand. 
    Sources though said Kapil and Krishan were the first to be nabbed along with Punia. “We had information and the name of the accused. We set up an inspector as a dummy candidate who caught the three accused red handed from the exam centre,’’ claimed the source.

Computer science research: China No.1-9.1.12

New Delhi: China is the undisputed leader in computer sciences in the developing world, even though India's trade volume in the information technology sector is pegged at an impressive $63.7 billion. 
    In the last five years up to 2010, while India produced 25,400 papers on computer sciences, China published 222,900 papers on the subject. These figures are based on 2006-2010 data from SciVal Spotlight, a research tool developed by leading scientific publisher Elsevier. 
    Data released by Elsevier's senior vice-president Michiel Kolman at the Indian National Science Congress on Thursday showed that India might be one of the leading lights of the IT sector but it does not produce top-end new research in computer sciences. 
    Not even half the papers published in computing science can be categorized as competency or leadership defined on the basis of article market share, citation share etc. India does, however, excel in chemistry. It produces 20.3% of the total pie of scientific literature on chemistry. Nearly 40% of the scientific papers recognized as "leadership articles" were also in chemistry, followed by engineering (14.7%), mathematics and physics (10.3%). 
    In medical sciences too, India is not doing much cutting-edge work if the leadership levels of published research are any indication. Only 4% of the published work was cited as falling in the leadership category, while overall 11% were brought out in medical sciences. China, although a leader in computer science, shows a similar trend in medical sciences. India, however, is among the top 10 when measured for output and is growing at one of the highest rates at 14%. The average quality of the papers is also increasing over the past five years. But in an odd phenomenon, the papers being published in collaboration with scientists and institutions from the rest of the world is falling over time. This could have to do with the fact that a lot of new research is coming out of centres that are not all that networked into the international community. 
    Though the growth in numbers is coming from universities and possibly new institutes, the established players in S&T research still occupy top 10 slots, headed by Indian Institute of Science and followed by CSIR labs on chemistry and physics and IIT-Kharagpur. In terms of quality of research, CSIR labs for chemistry and physics and Tata Institute of Fundamental Research are doing better in India.

Karnataka for Gita in school syllabus-ToI-9.1.12

Bangalore: Karnataka chief minister DV Sadananda Gowda on Sunday announced that the government was considering introducing the Bhagavad Gita in primary and secondary schools after seeking public opinion. 
    “Before introducing the Gita in schools, the government will have a thorough discussion with a cross-section of society. We don’t want any controversy in this regard,” Gowda told reporters on the sidelines of Bhagavad Gita Abhiyan organised by various religious mutts here. 
    “The Bhagavad Gita doesn’t belong to a particular religion or a sect as its teachings are universal. It aims at refining mankind and other religions have appreciated its philosophical teachings,” Gowda said. He expressed confidence that all sections of people would agree to the government’s proposal to include the Gita in school syllabus. “It is already being taught in MP,” he added.

EC says all Mayawati statues to be covered-ToI-8.1.12

Lucknow: Chief Election Commissioner S Y Quraishi on Saturday said all statues of chief minister Mayawati and elephants, election symbol of the Bahujan Samaj Party, will be covered ahead of the Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls. TOI had reported on Friday that the Election Commission was pondering over this decision. Though an official order in this regard is still awaited, Quraishi confirmed it would be issued soon. 
    The CEC also said that though he had only received complaints about statutes of the CM and her party’s symbol giving BSP an undue advantage, the EC would also ensure that statues of all political figures affiliated to parties were covered. 
    The bulk of the statues, in Lucknow, Noida and other places, will remain covered till the seven-phase polls are over. 
    Mayawati is the only leader to order her own statues to be built, and they tower beside those of Gautam Buddha and B R Ambedkar during her five-year rule. BSP had claimed the statues were built to honour the wish of Maya’s mentor, Kanshi Ram. 
    On a two-day visit to UP, Quraishi met representatives of political parties andadministrative officials of the UP government. He said: “The Commission is doing everything to ensure a level playing field for all candidates. We have taken into account the complaints made by the political parties. We have also warned officials that neutrality under all circumstances is non-negotiable.” 
    Though official word on the transfer of key UP government officials is still awaited, the CEC said all political parties who met him on Friday did apprehend partisan behaviour of some senior UP government officials towards the Mayawati government. 
    Key among the names cited by the parties were those of Cabinet Secretary Shashank Shekhar Singh, Director General of Police Brijlal and Principal Secretary Home, Kunwar Fateh Bahadur. Qureshi added, “We have taken note of all complaints. After we return to Delhi and assess the charges, the decision in this regard will be notified.”

India makes U-turn, to send small tri-Service delegation to China-Toi-8.1.12

Team Will Leave Today; IAF Officer From Arunachal Won’t Be Part Of Trip

New Delhi: In an overnight U-turn, India has decided to go ahead with sending a military delegation to China next week but curtailed it to 15 members, instead of the original 30, after Beijing refused to issue a visa to an IAF officer, who hails from Arunachal Pradesh. 
    The 15-member tri-Service delegation will leave for China on Sunday, as was scheduled earlier, to hold talks with their People’s Liberation Army (PLA) counterparts as well as visit military establishments in Beijing, Nanjing and Shanghai from January 10 to 13, said officials on Saturday. 
    Group Captain M Panging, the chief operations officer at the Sukhoi-30MKI fighter airbase at Tezpur, will, however, not be part of the truncated delegation. The visa denial to Group Captain Panging had led to the delegation’s visit being put on hold on Friday, with the defence and external affairs ministries speaking in different voices, asreported by TOI. 
    Given its over-cautious attitude about not doing anything to ruffle a prickly Beijing, India in the past has avoided sending officials hailing from Arunachal Pradesh for defence and other exchanges with China. The defence establishment seems to have inadvertently included Group Captain Panging in the 30-member delegation, which included eight officers each from Army, Navy and IAF as well as six from the integrated defence staff, much to the external affairs ministry’s consternation. 
    Consequently, a 15-member delegation, led by an air vice marshal, will now be heading for China as “a reciprocal visit” to the one made by a 29-member PLA delegation here in the last week of December. This was one of the “net outcomes” of the 4th India-China annual defence dialogue, held in New Delhi on December 9, which had decided to enhance “the range and scope of bilateral exchanges at various levels” as a confidence-building measure between the world’s two largest armies. If the delegation’s visit next week had been called off, it would have been the second time in less than two years that India would have taken such a step. Earlier, in July 2010, India had frozen all military exchanges with China after Beijing had denied a proper stamped visa to the then Northern Army commander Lt-General B S Jaswal on the grounds that he was commanding forces in the “disputed and sensitive” region of Jammu and Kashmir. The ice was broken only after an Indian delegation, led by Major-General Gurmeet Singh, commanding a Rashtriya Rifles division in J&K, visited Beijing in last June.