India's first midnight satellite launch set for Monday

CHENNAI: The countdown for the Monday midnight launch of an Indian navigation satellite is progressing smoothly with the liquid fuel filling for the fourth stage engine getting completed, an official said on Sunday.

"Yesterday (Saturday) evening, the filling of the liquid fuel in the fourth stage was completed and the fuel for the second stage will be filled during the countdown. In addition, pressurisation of the stages with gases will also be done," a senior official at the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) said.

The 64.5 hour countdown began at 7:11am Saturday.

The 44-metre-tall Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle-XL (PSLV-XL) weighing 320 tonnes at lift-off is a four-stage rocket powered by solid and liquid propellants alternatively.

The solid fuel hydroxyl-terminated-poly-butadiene comes readily cast while the liquid fuel - unsymmetrical dimethyl-hydrazine-hydrate and 25 percent of nitrogen tetroxide for second stage and mono-methyl-hydrazine and mixed oxide nitrogen for fourth stage - are filled during the countdown.

The PSLV will blast off into the dark skies from Sriharikota, around 80 km from here, Monday night around 11.41pm carrying India's first navigational satellite the 1,425 kg IRNSS (Indian Regional Navigational Satellite System)-1A.

"We have had late evening and early morning launches. But this is the first time ISRO is launching a rocket around midnight," the ISRO official said.

The official said the launch time has been fixed taking into account the orbit and inclination at which the satellite will be injected into the space.

According to him, the weather at Sriharikota is fine and it may not pose any hindrance for the rocket launch.

He said ISRO chairman K Radhakrishnan is expected to have a brief meeting with the media at the rocket port post-launch which will be around 12.45am on Tuesday.

Around 20 minutes into the launch, the rocket PSLV-XL will eject the navigational satellite at an altitude of 501 km.

The satellite is intended to provide terrestrial, aerial and marine navigation services and help in disaster and fleet management.

The satellite with a life span of around 10 years is one of the seven satellites constituting the IRNSS space segment -- a regional navigational system developed by India designed to provide accurate position information service to users within the country and up to 1,500 km from the nation's boundary line, ISRO said.

The IRNSS will provide two types of services - standard positioning service and restricted service. The former is provided to all users and the later is an encrypted service for authorised users.

ISRO had planned to launch IRNSS-1A last month. But it had to put it off after finding a problem in one of the electro-hydraulic control actuators in the second stage engine.

The rocket was fully assembled with the satellite when the problem was detected during checks.

The second stage had to be dismantled to replace the actuator which is an assembly of several components. It weighs around 20 kg.

Following the Monday launch of the navigational satellite, ISRO is planning to launch its communication satellite G-Sat 14 using a heavier rocket - Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) - powered by a domestic cryogenic engine some time in August this year.

Preparatory work for the G-Sat 14 launch is going ahead at the rocket launch pad in Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh, around 80 km from here.

It will be followed by the mission to Mars later this year. The launch of one more remote sensing satellite is also being planned before the end of the year.

Nawaz Sharif to send Pak power minister to India to tackle energy crisis

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan's Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has directed his water and power minister to India to address the severe energy crisis facing the country.

"We are facing acute electricity shortage and any assistance in the power sector will help us in addressing the problem," Sharif said while speaking to members of the Pak-India Joint Business Council at the Prime Minister's Office yesterday.

Sharif told the meeting that he had directed Khawaja Muhammad Asif, minister for water and power, to visit India and explore potential areas of cooperation between the two countries, the official APP news agency reported.

Earlier, Asif had said that the energy crisis in Pakistan will take at least two years to be resolved.

Asif said that due to shortage of power the country had sustained a huge loss of Rs 1,000 billion in the last five years. Pakistan is currently facing a power deficit of 4,000-5,000 megawatts per day.

Earlier this month, Pakistan had sought 500 MW of electricity from India by laying a transmission line from Punjab into Lahore. The proposal to buy power was made when an expert group visited Pakistan to discuss energy cooperation.

India is willing to help and is exploring the points which can be used to hook-up to the grid in Pakistan through a high-voltage direct current (HVDC) line, government sources in New Delhi has said.

Sharif has earlier said that tackling the energy crisis will be among the top priorities of his government. 

Taj Mahal ranked third among top landmarks in the world

NEW YORK: Travellers from across the globe have ranked India's Taj Mahal among the top three landmarks in the world, a leading travel website has announced.

According to TripAdvisor's 2013 Travellers Choice Attractions Awards, Taj Mahal was ranked third in the list of Top 25 landmarks.

The top two places were taken by Machu Picchu in Peru and Angkor Wat in Cambodia respectively.

"The winners of Travelers' Choice Attractions awards were determined based on the quality and quantity of traveler reviews of attractions," said a company statement.

Taj Mahal, listed among the new seven wonders of the world, is renowned the world over for its architecture and aesthetic beauty.

Built by Mughal emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his late wife Mumtaz Mahal, the white marble mausoleum in the northern Indian city of Agra is also a symbol of enduring love.

In 1983, it became a Unesco World Heritage Site. The Taj Mahal attracts 2-4 million visitors annually, with more than 200,000 from overseas.

It shares the latest honour alongside Petra World Heritage Site in Jordan and Bayon Temple in Cambodia, which are ranked fourth and fifth respectively in the list of 25 top landmarks in the world.

3,000-year-old rock art found in Chhattisgarh

BILASPUR: Five unique rock art, apparently dating back to about 3,000 years, was discovered from the dense forests of Suarlot hills in Korba district of Chhattisgarh.

The rock art, found by archaeologist Hari Singh Chhatri in the dense forests, show the concepts in the form of geometrical drawing. These drawings in red ochre are of humans, mermaids, animals including goat, and a geometrical pattern which resembles a 'viman' or an aeroplane.

"The rock art is still safe as it is located in dense forests. I have found pictures of a male and a female with a specific difference in their height. This could be of Lord Ram and Sita," archaeologist Hari Singh Chhatri told TOI.

"There was a place called 'Kharoud', which is also known as Khar Dusan (demon) Nagri. It is just 34km from Korba. And, the famous Shivrinarayan is just 3km from Kharoud," he said adding that these places could have links with the places where Lord Ram visited during his exile.

Rock Art Society of India secretary G L Badham said, "It is an excellent discovery. Of course, the period of Ramayana had connection with Chhattisgarh forests for which there are evidences. These rock art are one of them".

"Since it is for the first time that the concept of 'viman' is being suggested, the Rock Art Society proposes to carry out an extensive work. We had found some rock art in neighbouring Raigarh district. But, the present design is surely different from the one found in Raigarh and can be called a 'viman' till it is confirmed," he added.

Scientists seek patent for chicken-gongura pickle

Hyderabad: City-based National Research Centre on Meat’s  application for patent for  its ‘chicken-gongura pickle’ was published by the official journal of the Controller General of Patents this month, and it is one step away from being granted a patent.

NRCM scientists claim that they have invented an effective process for extraction of meat and broth from the deboned chicken and they are using gongura as a natural acidifier instead of vinegar to make the pickle.

NRCM senior scientist Dr B.M. Naveena, one of the inventors of the process, said, “Traditionally, people make gongura pickle or chicken pickle. Our’s is chicken-gongura pickle with a specific process involving at least eight steps. It is made without the use of vinegar, citric acid or lemon. That is the difference. Three steps in the process are entirely different and new.” NRCM said the chicken-gongura pickle can be stored for up to five months at room temperature sealed in polyester pouches.

Legal experts say such patent claims need to be examined properly and the scientists have to prove their innovation with documentary evidence.

Nalsar University professor Dr Madabushi Sridhar said, “Many households have traditional recipies for making non-vegetarian pickles. NRCM will have to prove how its method is different. If the process  invented by NRCM is not different, they can’t be given monopoly on the chicken-gongura pickle. Mmore importantly, the combination of  chicken and gongura is a mere aggregation and cannot be claimed.”

Narayana Murthy seeks airport near electronic city

Bangalore: Infosys Executive Chairman N R Narayana Murthy has pitched for a small airport near Electronics City, the biggest hub of Bangalore's IT industry that houses the main Infosys campus, as he called for improving the infrastructure facilities in Karnataka.

"We are not asking for anything extraordinary. We are asking for reasonably good roads, electricity, water, clean air and some English schools. We need reasonable connectivity to the airport. Ideally, we would like a small airport near Electronics City," Murthy said at a Bangalore Chamber of Industry and Commerce event on Friday night.

While putting forward industries wish list to the state government he also said the software sector has made big contribution towards the economy of the state.

"Ours is an industry that contributes about 25 per cent of the state's GDP (Gross Domestic Product),has created half a million jobs with an average monthly salary of Rs 50,000 and 1.5 million jobs in the secondary and tertiary sectors of the economy. It earns net foreign exchange of Rs 55,000 crore a year and has a capital output ratio of 1:5," he said.

PTI

Mumbai police rescue 15 women forced into flesh trade

Mumbai: The social service branch of the Mumbai Police and members of Rescue Foundation raided a flat in central Mumbai city and rescued 15 women forced into the flesh trade. One person was arrested.

"We got the information that some girls were being forced into prostitution at Kamathipura. So to rescue them, we took the help of the S S branch and we have succeeded in freeing them. Some 15 girls have been rescued," said Rescue Foundation investigation officer, Nitin Narayan Mangekur.

It is speculated that one or two girls might be minors but the officials said they would get a clear picture only after medical tests are conducted and police have filed charges under the PITA (Prevention of Immoral Trafficking Act).

According to United Nations Office for Drugs and Crime (UNODC) officials, hu

man trafficking is one of the fastest growing crimes in South Asia, as over 150,000 people are known to be trafficked within the region every year - for sex work, labour, forced marriages and as part of the organ trade.

Traffickers often take advantage of impoverished communities, luring girls and young women with promises of jobs as maids or nannies in wealthy households in the cities.

ANI 

Rahul to ensure 50% representation for women in AICC

New Delhi: Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi on Saturday vowed to ensure 50 per cent representation to women in AICC and other party wings as he held his first formal interaction with newly-appointed party office bearers, the team set up by him for the 2014 Lok Sabha poll.

"Gandhi talked about how to ensure 50 per cent representation to women in AICC...It's not about reservation. It's about their representation.

"When he observed that their (women) presence is not in the proportion it should be, he said the presence of women is less but it will definitely be 50 per cent in the coming two-three years," party spokesperson Bhakta Charan Das told reporters after the meeting.

Ambika Sonia is the only women among the 12 AICC general secretaries, while of the 44 secretaries only five are women.

Gandhi also made it categorically clear to the office bearers, mainly general secretaries and secretaries, that those who have been given responsibility will also be held accountable.

As the reshuffled AICC now wears a younger look with 52 being the average age of office bearers, he also chose the occasion to remind the party leaders that youths should move forward by respecting seniors and taking the help of their experience.

The statement is seen as a move by Gandhi to allay misgivings, if any, among the old guards in the party and some sort of assurance that senior leaders won't be overlooked.

Invoking Mahatma Gandhi, the Congress vice president emphasised on the need to connect the party with masses and directed party leaders to focus on strengthening the organisation more than anything else.

The issue of alliances was not discussed in the meeting, a party leader said, adding that there was no mention of any other party or its leader during the interaction session that lasted for more than two hours.

Asked whether Narendra Modi was discussed in the meeting, Das said, "Do you think we take interest in such things? We do not give importance to him. We totally ignore him."

The newcomers thanked Gandhi for putting his trust in them and giving them responsibilities in the organisation.

"Trust begets trust and we should trust people," he said.

The Congress vice president has in his last several meetings with the party workers had laid great emphasis on working together.

To a question whether Gandhi taking most of the party building initiatives is an indication that the command is now in his hand rather than Congress president Sonia Gandhi, Das said, "Sonia Gandhi is Congress president. She is respectable for all and our top most."

The meeting came at a time when Assembly elections in four states - Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and Delhi - are on the cards this year.

Besides AICC secretaries and general secretaries, the meeting was also attended by party treasurer Motilal Vora.

Prior to this meeting, Gandhi had held one-to-one interaction with general secretaries in-charge of various states, especially the poll-bound states.

Party leaders have been insisting that Gandhi has been impressing upon partymen to concentrate on building up the organisation and not to focus on other issues, including alliances.

PTI 

PM sets target for infrastructure projects, approves proposals for 2 international and 50 domestic airports

New Delhi: In a bid to ramp up investor sentiment, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Friday set an investment target of Rs 1.15 lakh crore in PPP (public private partnership) projects across infrastructure sectors in rail, port and power in the next six months. The proposals include Mumbai elevated rail corridor (Rs 30,000 crore), two international airports in Bhubneshwar and Imphal (Rs 20,000 crore) and power and Transmission projects (Rs 40,000 crore).
The decisions were taken at a meeting the Prime Minister held to finalise infrastructure projects for 2013-14 which was attended by Finance Minister P Chidambaram, Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia and the Ministers of Power, Coal, Railways, Roads, Shipping and Civil Aviation.
The meeting decided that the proposal for creating a rail tariff authority will be accelerated and brought before the Cabinet soon. The Prime Minister highlighted the need for ramping up investment in infrastructure to revive investor sentiment.

"For this purpose, a target of rolling out PPP projects of at least Rs 1 lakh crore in the next six months was set. A steering group is being formed to monitor the award and implementation of projects on priority basis," a PMO release said.
The Prime Minister emphasised that a lot of work was needed to be done to improve infrastructure sector and there should be no slackening of the pace of work, the release said. Ahluwaila also made a presentation about the performance of the six infrastructure ministries and the targets for 2013-14. The government, the release said, decided to form a steering group to monitor the award and implementation of projects.
Besides airports and Mumbai's elevated rail corridor projects, the group will also monitor two Locomotive projects (Rs 5,000 crore), accelerating E-DFC (Eastern-Dedicated Freight Corridor) (Rs 10,000 crore) and port projects (Rs 10,000 crore). In the civil aviation sector, apart from two new international airports, 50 new low cost small airports will be taken up by the Airports Authority of India.
Besides, a target for awarding eight greenfield airports was set for this year in PPP mode at Navi Mumbai, Juhu (Mumbai), Goa, Kannur, Pune (Rajguru Nagar Chakan), Sriperumbudur, Bellary and Raigarh. The statement said airport operations and maintenance through PPP contracts will be introduced in AAI airports and the airports considered for these are Chennai, Kolkata, Lucknow, Guwahati, Jaipur and Ahmedabad.
Besides new low cost airports would be set up at 51 places in Andhra Pradesh, Jharkhand, Bihar, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Maharashtra. As far as ports were concerned, it stated that both the new ports on PPP mode -- one at Sagar (West Bengal) and the other Durgarajapatnam (Andhra Pradesh) -- approved by Cabinet will be awarded.
For funding of railway projects, the statement issued by PMO said an Inter-Ministerial Group of Railways, Finance and Planning will be formed for coming up with a "financing-cum- implementation mechanism in two months for clearing the large backlog of sanctioned projects of over Rs 200,000 crore in a prioritised and time-bound manner". As far as roads sector was concerned, the PMO emphasised that the slowdown in award of road projects should get reversed in view of the large number of relaxations that have already been provided to PPP road projects.
Concerned over delay in execution of the PPP projects, the Prime Minister asked ministries to ensure proper implementation and monitoring of projects especially roads, an according to an official. The PMO said, "Expressways will get focused attention and the Planning Commission will work with the Ministry of Road Transport & Highways to suggest an implementation mechanism for expressways."
Sources said given the poor performance of the Road Transport and Highways Ministry during 2012-13 when it could award barely 1,321 km of the 9,500 km target on account of factors like bidders shying away from projects, the PMO set a target of 5,000 km for the current fiscal. The target set was higher by about 1,000 km as the Road Ministry was in favour of fixing a target of 4,028 km for 2013-14.
As far as the target for award of roads on OMT (operate, maintain and transfer) mode was concerned, the PMO was in favour of fixing a target of 3,110 km. However, sources said the Road Ministry put its foot down and ultimately the target was revised to 1,295 km. On power front, the statement said, the Ministry will work with Planning Commission and Finance Ministry to resolve issues in the power sector and improve generation and transmission capacity.
Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Ahluwalia said that shortage in fuel supply was hurting the power sector. "The supply as part of the system has not been able to deliver as much fuel as was necessary," Montek said. "New policies for ramping up coal production will be put in place," PMO said.
Coal Secretary SK Srivastava said India will have to import 140 MT during the fiscal as compared to 135 MT last fiscal, of which 110 MT was imported for the power sector. Talking about the shortfall, Ahluwalia said production was much below the target during the 11th Plan and exuded hope that output will increase. Srivastava said coal production target has been fixed at 604 million tonnes (MT), including 482 MT for Coal India, for 2013-14. Last fiscal the production was recorded at 557 MT against the targetted 578 MT.

Villagers rescue 43 foreigners

DEHRADUN: Villagers from Didsari near Uttarkashi, whose houses were washed away, rescued 43 foreigners stuck in the Himalayas for over a week. The tourists from the US, UK, Sri Lanka and other nations were there to participate in a 'Himalayan retreat'.

"We're alive because of the villagers. They saw us struggling to get out of the centre up on the hills and came to help though they themselves struggled for food, water and shelter," said Catherine from Canada, one of the survivors. She said 40% houses in Didsari villages were washed away.

The foreigners arrived at the Uttarkashi Tapovan - a yoga centre — on June 14. "On June 16, we saw the bridge — the only link between the town and the hilly region — washed away. The water scaled up the ashram's steps. We were scared. Some stayed up all night to check the water level. The villages lower down were badly hit," said Anjali Mehta, an NRI from the US. She said they contacted embassies of the US, Brazil and Canada and others to send helicopters. Nothing helped. Some of them then climbed down towards the village.

"Ram, Kuldeep, Shikhar were the boys who came to help with their families. Some of the boys trained at the National Institute of Mountaineering (NIM) helped us walk down the steep slope to the Maneri helipad," said Mehta. The tourists now plan to help the villagers financially and with rations. "When we left, some said they had only two days of ration left," said a tourist. NIM's principal Col Ajay Kothiyal said these trained locals had so far rescued 6,000. "They know how to fix ropes, create new tracks etc to bring down people, especially old and sick."

Guard of honour for 20 bravehearts who died in Uttarakhand chopper crash

DEHRADUN: Home minister SushilkumarShinde led the nation in paying tributes to the twenty bravehearts, who died in Tuesday's chopper crash while rescuing stranded people in flood-ravaged Uttarakhand.

Shinde, tourism minister K Chiranjeevi, Uttarakhand chief minister Vijay Bahuguna, Army chief Gen Bikram Singh, senior officials of Army, Air Force, ITBP and NDMA paid their respect to the personnel at a special function organised by the Uttarakhand government and NDMA.

The 'guard of honour' — a ceremonial mark of respect — to the 5 Air Force, 6 ITBP and 9 NDRF personnel was led by Shinde.

The NDRF personnel were from ITBP on deputation to NDRF. Those killed in the chopper crash included Wg Cdr Darryl Castelino, Flt Lt K Praveen, Flt Lt Tapan Kapoor, JWO A K Singh, Sgt Sudhakar Yadav (all IAF).

The men from NDRF who died were commandant Nitya Nand Gupta, inspector Bhim Singh, sub inspector Satish Kumar, constables K Vinaygan, Bassavaraj Yaragatti, Santosh Kumar Paswan, Sanjiva Kumar, Shashi Kant Ramesh Pawar and Ahir Rao Ganesh.

Six ITBP personnel who lost their lives were commandant Nand Ram, sub inspector Jayender Prasad, constables Jomon P G, Bibhuti Roy, Sarvesh Kumar and Ajay Lal.

The sophisticated Mi-17V5 helicopter of IAF had crashed in bad weather during a rescue mission in the flood-ravaged hill state.

Shinde said the nation would not forget the supreme sacrifice of these 20 brave men who gave their lives while rescuing thousands of people in the Uttarakhand floods.

"The guard of honour to the 20 bravehearts is a little step from our side to remember their supreme sacrifice for the service of the nation. We offer our prayer to all those who lost their lives," he said.

pictures from operation surya hopes

www.suryahopes.in

SSA scheme: Students to get uniforms free of cost in Goa

Panaji: For the first time in Goa, around 25,000 school students would be provided two pairs of uniforms free of cost under the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyaan (SSA).

The students are from SCs, STs and below poverty line families, SSA Goa project director Minanath Upadhye told.

This would be in addition to the Goa government's programme under which students in the government-run schools are provided a set of uniform.

Around 1,019 government primary and middle schools would be covered under this ambitious scheme, for which the Centre has sanctioned Rs 80.63 lakh, Upadhye said.

The SSA officials have decided to route the fund through School Management Committees (SMCs), which will decide on the purchase and distribution of the uniforms.

"As per SSA guidelines, uniforms are to be distributed at SMC level and not by inviting tenders at the centralised level," Upadhye said.

As many as 15,921 students would be provided two pairs of uniforms, while 8,473 students from Class I-III, who are already getting uniform from the state government, would be provided with an additional pair, he said.

During this academic year, the SSA has also provided free text books for 1.37 lakh students in primary and upper primary schools.

A total of 65,358 students from primary and 71,773 from upper primary schools ? government and aided ones -- would be provided free text books, Upadhye added.

PTI

Gas-based fertiliser plant at Ramagundam

Hyderabad / New Delhi: The Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy on Thursday thanked the Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh and UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi for agreeing in principle for the removal of FCI's (Fertiliser Corporation of India) Ramagundam Plant from the BIFR's (Board for Industrial and Financial Reconstruction) list of sick industries and for initiating action for its revival. The Government of India agreed in principle to establish a gas-based Fertiliser Plant at Ramagundam Plant with an estimated cost of Rs 5,000 crs with latest technology.

It may be recalled here that recently a high-level delegation under the leadership of Civil Supplies Minister D Sridhar Babu along with Karimnagar MLA and people's representatives from Karimnagar District met the Chief Minister and urged him to pursue this issue with the Government of India. The Chief Minister repeatedly requested the Government of India for the establishment of the plant at Ramagndam. The Chief Minister also requested the Centre to lay gas pipeline from KG Basin to Y Jaypore of Gujarat via Kataram, Karimnagar District to supply gas to the proposed plant.

It may be mentioned here that during 1992 under Sick Industries Companies Act, this plant was referred to BIFR. The BIFR declared it as a sick industry. It was a coal-based fertiliser plant, first of its kind in Asia and provided employment to 1,500 people directly producing 1,500 tonnes of urea per day.

The proposed gas-based plant will be established jointly by National Fertilisers Ltd, Engineers India Ltd and FCI. The Civil Supplies Minister D Sridhar Babu thanked the Chief Minister, Prime Minister and Sonia Gandhi.

Australia extends help to check pollution in Ganga river

KOLKATA: To save the Ganga from industrial pollution, the Victorian government in Australia is preparing an eco-friendly business model for tanneries, which discharge effluents into the river.

Experts from 'Sustainability Victoria', an Australian agency working on environmental issues in the state of Victoria, would visit India next month to kick-start the Tannery Waste Management Programme from Kanpur.

"The idea was given to us by IIT-Kanpur which will act as our local partners in the project. We will lend our expertise in finding a sustainable and viable solution to safe disposal of waste discharged by tanneries," CEO of Sustainability Victoria, Stan Krpan told during a visit to the city.

Funded through the Australian development 'AusAID', the project aims to clean the river that is one of the five most polluted rivers in the world today.

Krpan said that experts from the agency would explore social, environmental and technical solutions for Kanpur's tannery industry to provide it a sustainable basis.

"We will prepare a road map for the tannery industry by looking at all angles including finding a technical solution for waste management, community engagement for saving the river and regulatory issues as well," the official said.

It is envisaged that successful outcomes of this work in Kanpur will be replicated in other parts of the Ganga basin.

Under extreme pollution pressure, the Ganga river faces significant threats to its biodiversity, environmental sustainability, and both the quantity and quality of its flow.

Saina Nehwal jumps to third spot in badminton rankings

New Delhi: A quarterfinal finish at the Singapore Super Series helped ace India shuttler Saina Nehwal climb a place to the third position at the latest Badminton World Federation (BWF) women's singles ranking released today.

The London bronze medallist had dropped to the fourth place after failing to defend her title at the Indonesian Super Series Premier but a last eight finish at Singapore last week enabled her to achieve 73510 points and reach the third spot.

The 23-year-old Indian had been enjoying her career-best ranking of world number two since March this year but her failure to defend her titles in Thailand and Indonesia saw her slip to the fourth place.

Malaysia Open winner P V Sindhu, who missed three back-to-back tournaments in June because of an knee injury, was steady at the 12th position, while rising shuttler Arundhati Pantawane gained 10 places to reach the 49th spot.

Chinese duo of Li Xuerui (87713.42) and Yihan Wang (74655.77) holds the first and second position in the ranking.

In men's singles, a dip in performance reflected in Parupalli Kashyap's ranking as he slipped two places to the 13th spot. The Indian lost in the first round in Indonesia and Singapore.

RMV Gurusaidutt and Ajay Jayaram improved one place each to reach the 22nd and 24th positions in the men's singles ranking. B Sai Praneeth gained five places to reach a career-best ranking of 40, while Thailand Grand Prix Gold champion K Srikanth also jumped a place to the 41st spot. Sourabh Verma was static at 37th place.

Women's doubles pair of Pradnya Gadre and Ashwini Ponnappa jumped four places to reach the 28th spot.

Varanasi police to act as guardians for mentally challenged kids

VARANASI: The Varanasi police will soon be in an Avatar of guardians for the mentally challenged children of the district.

It sounds surprising but the Varanasi police are all set to take this responsibility as a part of community policing. It will be formally launched by the ADG (law and order) Arun Kumar on Saturday.

This initiative is a brainchild of a deputy SP and circle officer Sadar, Rahul Kumar, who got this idea during his past posting in Noida where several parents of mentally challenged children met him with the worries about future of their wards.

After it he studied the problem and also worked with some NGOs on this issue. But when he got posting in rural belt here he noticed that many of those children are ill-treated or even killed to end their claim on property. The trafficking of these children and killing for other reasons also takes place for monetary reasons but most of these cases remain unreported.

After it he conducted survey in Rohania, Jansa and Lohta police station area of his circle that resulted in detection of 300 mentally disabled children. However, the records of social welfare department shows only 200 such children in the entire district.

Not only this but before meeting the SSP AK Mishra to give a proposal for launching this programme as a part of community policing he also sought help of Dr Tulsi of Deva International Society for Child Care, who is also one of the directors Association for Rehabilitation under National Trust Initiative of Marketing (ARUNIM national trust) of ministry of disability affairs of government of India.

When Rahul and Dr Tulsi met the SSP with this proposal he also agreed for this initiative. They said that this programme is aimed at searching each and every mentally disabled child, ensuring availability of certificates of ailment for each mentally retarded child from CMO, benefits of the schemes of ministry of disability affairs, ARUNIM national trust, their training and counseling with the help of NGOs.

As per the guidelines of ministry the district magistrate becomes the legal guardian of such child after identification but cent percent identification of those children is proving a difficult task in existing system. To make the programme effective the SSP decided that each beat constable will adopt two of the mentally disabled child. These cops will check the condition of beneficiaries and also progress in their health and behaviour on weekly basis. The men in khaki are hoping that their initiative will ensure the availability of benefits of government schemes for these children apart from their safety.

Engineering students design 8 mobile games

HUBLI: You thought students only played mobile games? Here are computer science students of BVB College of Engineering & Technology who have designed eight mobile games which can be run on four operating systems.

The games designed by these VI semester students are Back Flip, Crazy Archer, Parking 2D, Bulldozer, Lasers, Gold Diggers, Doddal Blink and Spooky Hoofs. These games can be played on various operating systems like Android, Windows phone and IOS.

Abhishek, one of the student designers, said that college has given them an opportunity to design the games and C Logic, a private company, provided specifications to design them. ''We did it and it has given me a real time experience. It was exciting to learn how to develop the games for various operating systems,'' he said.

Gopal Joshi, professor of computer science department, said that earlier they had initiated the move of designing games by students which can be accessed on the Android operating system, but this year students designed games which can be played on different operating systems.

The college authorities first put the games on trial by inviting some school students to play them. The designer team noted the difficulties the school students faced and reworked on the games. Now, the college will release them in the market.

Each game has two versions. The team was given three days training by the company. Students had designed 29 games in 2011 and 30 games in 2012. This year, again students have designed the games in two versions.

Doctor claims breakthrough in race for spinal 'cure'

HONG KONG: A leading researcher into severe spinal cord injuries today said trials for stem-cell therapy showed groundbreaking results in giving immobile patients the ability to walk again.


After progress in a second round of tests using stem cells to regrow nerve fibres, the China Spinal Cord Injury Network (ChinaSCINet) has applied for regulatory approval in China for a third and final phase, which it hopes to start in the autumn.

PM interacts with school children on board train to Kashmir

Banihal: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Wednesday undertook a train journey through the 11-km long tunnel under the Pir Panjal mountain ranges along with school children most of whom travelled by rail for the first time.

Singh interacted with students during the 18-km train journey from Banihal to Qazigund which reduces the distance between the two towns by nearly half.

The Banihal-Qazigund rail section includes an 11-km long tunnel, the country's longest, built at a cost of Rs 1,691 crore.

Singh asked one of the girl students seated next to him whether she had travelled by train earlier, to which she replied in the negative.

UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi was seated a couple of rows behind the Prime Minister and was seen chatting with the students.

The train travel by Singh and Gandhi was being planned for almost a week and was kept under the wraps for security reasons.

Singh and Gandhi boarded the train after the flagging off ceremony at Banihal this afternoon. Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, Railway Minister Mallikarjun Kharge were also in the train.

The train will start regular operations from Banihal to Baramulla from tomorrow making five trips daily beginning at 7.10 AM from Banihal and 7.35 AM from Baramulla.

PTI 

Goa govt launches scheme to strengthen infra in schools

Panaji: Schools in Goa would now be able to upgrade or set up infrastructure, including for IT services, and even acquire land for the purpose, courtesy a dedicated scheme announced by the state government on Wednesday.

Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar told reporters that the scheme has been approved by the state Cabinet with the financial implication being pegged at Rs 50 crore annually.

"While primary schools will be given Rs 50 lakh each, high schools Rs one crore each and higher secondary schools Rs two crores for the purpose," Parrikar

said.

The chief minister said that 50 per cent of the total allocation would be made in the form of grants and rest as interest-free loan, which can be repaid over next 15 years.

Though nearly 276 schools are eligible for this scheme, only 30 schools would get the benefit for the current academic year, Parrikar said.


"The funds provided for the infrastructure creation can also be used to acquire land and also to install IT services like wi-fi and CCTV," he said.

State-run Education Development Corporation has been named as a nodal agency to implement the scheme, a revised version of the earlier scheme wherein schools were asked to mortgage their properties to avail the benefit.

PTI

Nano car drives into Guinness World Records

BANGALORE: Tata Motors' small car Nano entered the Guinness World Records for driving on a longest journey covering the entire country, the company said on Monday.

"The expedition was accomplished in 10 days (March 21-30) covering 10,218 km in a Tata Nano from Kanyakumari in southern Tamil Nadu to circumnavigate the country and return to Bangalore," Tata Motors president Ranjit Yadav said at an event held here.

The car entered the Guinness World Records, breaking the previous record of 8,046 km.

The car was driven by city-based motoring enthusiast Srikarunya Subrahmanyam and his team.

"Tata Nano has put India on the world motoring map by demonstrating its robustness, reliability and frugal engineering. We will encourage motor expeditions to enable customers experience the brand's value," Yadav said.

India's first Formula One motor racing driver Narain Karthikeyan felicitated Subrahmanyam and the team for the record achievement on the occasion.

Karthikeyan also released a book 'Atop the World' authored by Thomas Chacko, a 63-year-old Kochi-based motoring enthusiast who accomplished a 78-day long national expedition driving in a Nano across the country in July 2012.

"I have seen a new breed of traveller emerge, one who has a streak of adventure and passion for motoring. I have known people who have driven long distances for the fun of it despite the option of taking a flight or a train being always there. This is the spirit that encourages enthusiasts like Srikarunya and Thomas to overcome challenges of driving long distances," Karthikeyan said.

3 cooks saved 100 pilgrims from dying of starvation

INDORE: At a time when some state governments selectively helped and airlifted pilgrims of their state from flood-landslide torn Uttarakhand, three young cooks and sweet makers from Madhya Pradesh and Delhi exemplified unity and integrity in troubled times.

Forming part of an 81-strong group of pilgrims from Madhya Pradesh, including Indore, Rewa and Guna, the three young cooks Virendra Thakur (Sagar), Gal Bahadur Singh (Satna) and Hari Om (Delhi) not only ensured timely succor to their group members, but also prevented 50-100 pilgrims from other states, from being starved to death in the jungles near Mussoorie.

The group coordinated by a tour and travel operator from Indore, after offering prayers at Yamunotri shrine managed to climb down to a place near Mussoorie and erected a camp by themselves between June 17 and June 19.

"The trio started a big kitchen at the camp to ensure timely breakfast, lunch and dinner to the entire group, that had not eaten anything for two days," a member of the group Ravi Chauhan told TOI.

Chauhan, a native of Indore's Veena Nagar locality, who returned home with 23 other Indoreans (forming the group) on Tuesday, recounted that just when the big kitchen was started by the three young cooks, out of the provision which the group took along with it, the group came across 50-100 pilgrims from other states stranded in nearby jungles.

"These pilgrims (including children) hailing from Gujarat, Maharashtra, Rajasthan and UP, besides Chatarpur district of Madhya Pradesh were hungry and thirsty for at least three days and were virtually begging for food and water. Even before we could decide on how to help these pilgrims, the three cooks sprung into action," Chauhan added.

With the consent of the group from Madhya Pradesh, the cooks opened a totally free of cost bhandara for the other pilgrims, serving them timely lunch and dinner.

"Overwhelmed by their spirit, the members of the group even skipped one time food to ensure that our group as well as other pilgrims were served proper lunch and dinner from June 18 to June 20, before the army men came to the rescue of the stranded pilgrims," Chauhan reminisced.

The pilgrims, particularly those from Gujarat, included many wealthy families who had turned into virtual beggars, after having lost their vehicles and valuables in the flood and landslide were ready to got to any extent to save themselves from being starved to death.

Nasa to partner Isro in India's Mars mission

MUMBAI: The US would support India in its much-awaited Rs 450-crore Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM) slated for lift off from Sriharikota in October-November 2013.

"Nasa is providing the deep space navigation and tracking support to this mission during the non-visible period of the Indian Deep Space Network," said a US state department announcement.

The decision to cooperate was taken at the fourth meeting of the US-India joint working group on civil space co-operation held in Washington on March 21. But the details of the meeting were made public on Monday through the US-India joint fact sheet. Its release coincided with the Indo-US Strategic dialogue, and the talks between Isro chairman K Radhakrishnan and Nasa administrator Charles Bolden in New Delhi.

Nasa will provide support from its facilities at Goldstone in the US, Madrid in Spain and Canberra in Australia.

The teaming up for the Mars mission assumes significance in the context of Bolden calling for strengthened co-operation in this programme, when he addressed Isro staffers nationwide on Tuesday afternoon from the Ahmedabad-based Space Applications Centre.

The American state department document also stated that both countries have "agreed to co-operate in potential future missions to the moon and Mars".

Isro officials have not ruled out a second mission to Mars, which they said will have more scientific content. TOI has also learnt that Nasa was keen on participating with Isro in the analysis of data from the Methane Sensor For Mars, which is one of the five instruments on board the present Indian Mars orbiter.

But Isro has not given any firm response so far.

Nasa discovers ten thousandth near-Earth object in space

WASHINGTON: Nasa has discovered the 10,000th near-Earth object (NEO) that could pass close to our planet in the future.

The 10,000th near-Earth object, asteroid 2013 MZ5, was first detected on the night of June 18, 2013, using Pan-Starrs-1 telescope in Hawaii, located on the 3,000-meter summit of the Haleakala crater.

Ninety-eight per cent of all near-Earth objects discovered were first detected by Nasa-supported surveys, the US space agency claimed.

"Finding 10,000 near-Earth objects is a significant milestone," said Lindley Johnson, programme executive for Nasa's near-Earth Object Observations Programme at Nasa Headquarters, Washington.

"But there are at least 10 times that many more to be found before we can be assured we will have found any and all that could impact and do significant harm to the citizens of Earth," Johnson said.

Near-Earth objects (NEOs) are asteroids and comets that can approach the Earth's orbital distance to within about 45 million kilometres.

They range in size from as small as a few feet to as large as 41 kilometres for the largest near-Earth asteroid, 1036 Ganymed.

Asteroid 2013 MZ5 is approximately 300 meters across. Its orbit is well understood and will not approach close enough to Earth to be considered potentially hazardous.

"The first near-Earth object was discovered in 1898," said Don Yeomans, long-time manager of Nasa's near-Earth Object Program Office at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena.

Of the 10,000 discoveries, roughly 10 per cent are larger than six-tenths of one kilometre in size - roughly the size that could produce global consequences should one impact the Earth.

However, the Nasa's NEOO programme has found that none of these larger NEOs currently pose an impact threat and probably only a few dozen more of these large NEOs remain undiscovered.

The vast majority of NEOs are smaller than one kilometre, with the number of objects of a particular size increasing as their sizes decrease, Nasa said.

A NEO hitting Earth would need to be about 30 meters or larger to cause significant devastation in populated areas. Almost 30 per cent of the 460-foot-sized NEOs have been found, but less than one per cent of the 100-foot-sized NEOs have been detected.

2 Smartphone apps developed at Kochi's Startup Village among 10 best

Kochi: Two smartphone applications developed by firms at Kochi's Startup Village have been named among the 10 best apps designed for the security of women, by IT industry body NASSCOM.

Sentinel developed by MindHelix Technosol Pvt Ltd and iFollow from Aucupa Innovative Solutions were among winners of NASSCOM’s first all-India App Fame Contest to search for mobile tools to aid personal safety of women and to help deal with emergencies, a press release said.

Sentinel is a GPS-based application developed by MindHelix for Android devices and iPhone. It can make SOS calls and send text alerts and emails with location information to pre-saved emergency numbers and IDs at the touch of a button.

The application works even in situations where the user is unable to trigger the alert manually or the phone is destroyed or there is no internet access. It can be downloaded for free from Google Play and the App store.

Aucupa's iFollow is an Android app that automatically dials voice calls to emergency contacts pre-configured on the device.It is activated if the phone is shaken continuously for five seconds, and on standby works silently in the background to reduce power consumption and CPU usage. iFollow is also a free application that can be downloaded from Google Play.

MindHelix and Aucupa are both fledgling companies incubating at Startup Village. The latest award follows a series of honours and recognition for products and services developed by young innovators at India’s first telecom technology incubator.

NASSCOM’s App Fame Contest received entries from around the country. The awards were presented at a function in Delhi on June 19. 

Braveheart from Jaipur travels to rain-ravaged Uttarakhand to help victims

JAIPUR: He is a habitual rescuer. Be it serial blasts or a fire incident, 35-year-old AbhishekPandit is the most sought after person by the fire department and the Jaipur police. This time Abhishek along with a 50-member team of volunteers rushed to Dehradun on June 18. He is still there to help the stranded people. Likewise, many others volunteers from Jaipur have gone to Rishikesh irrespective of the fact that they have no relative trapped there.

On June 11, 2011, when a house-cum-chemical factory caught fire in the Walled City, Abhishek arrived on the scene within minutes and rescued three women trapped inside the compound. He was even felicitated by the Jaipur police and civil defence team for his work.

"I was going through the reports of devastation at Gauri Ghat, Kedarnath, Badrinath and other temples. On June 18 I packed my bags and rushed to Rishikesh to help the victims. Later I went to a few villages which had witnessed heavy destruction," said Abhishek, a native of Baba Harish Chandra Marg in the Walled City over phone from Dehradun.

He is with a team of 50 youngsters who have gone with relief material including blankets, biscuit packets, water bottles and first-aid boxes.

"We are in touch with the Army and are urging them to take us in the rescue teams. I have shown my certificates including an appreciation letter by the government of Rajasthan. They said they don't have permission to allow civilians to participate in the rescue operation," said Abhishek.

He said that in the last couple of days the volunteers visited local hospitals in Dehradun where they supplied water, blankets, quilts and other aid to the victims.

"None of my relatives are in Uttarakhand but I know at this time any kind of help and work can help the government authorities here who are engaged in the rescue work," he said.

Bangalore-Mysore highway to be upgraded to six lane

BANGALORE: The state government plans to upgrade the existing 4-lane Bangalore-Mysore highway to 6-lane road.

Public works minister H C Mahadevappa on Monday maintained that upgrading of Mysore-Bangalore road to 6-lane was being actively considered. "Everyday, about 70,000 vehicles use this road and the existing 4-lane is not sufficient to carry that big traffic," he said. The PWD official said the government was in process of land acquisition for the 6-lane. The proposal will be placed before the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), he said.

The minister said the the toll collection on state highways is being done only in few places and it would be extended to at least seven other highways soon. "Toll collection was necessary for maintenance of the roads," he said. In the wake of complaints from the road users that toll was on higher side, Mahadevappa said he would review the collection in those highways.

The minister also said the government will review the allotment of 600 acres of excess land to Nandi Infrastructure Corridor Enterprise (NICE) around Bangalore. In an affidavit filed before the Supreme Court, the state government has admitted that it had allotted 600 acres excess land to NICE.

Manmohan in Srinagar, says Centre ready to talk to anyone shunning violence, but will not yield to terror

SRINAGAR: On a visit to Jammu and Kashmir, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Tuesday expressed government's readiness to talk to anyone who shuns violence but made it clear that it would not succumb to terrorists efforts to destabilise the state.

"I have always said that those who shun violence, we are ready to talk to them," he said in a brief interaction with select journalists. The Prime Minister was replying to a question whether the government was willing to consider holding talks with separatists Hurriyat Conference and others. Singh said Monday's terror attack in Srinagar that had claimed the lives of eight soldiers was "most unfortunate".

However, he hastened to add that "this should not frighten leaders or our opponents to conclude that we will succumb to terrorists efforts to destabilise Jammu and Kashmir, destabilise our economy. "I can only say that this is most reprehensible and cowardly act on the part of the terrorists."

The Centre has often made clear its intentions for holding a dialogue with the separatists and other organisations, who have not taken to arms. Moderate factions of Hurriyat Conference have always maintained that they would be ready to participate in any dialogue with the Centre but before that they would prefer some Confidence Building Measures (CBMs) like withdrawal of the controversial Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) and repatriation of all Kashmiri prisoners lodged in various jails.

Mehsana chips in with helping hand

AHMEDABAD: A group of citizens from Mehsana will set off for Dehradun with relief material for flood-ravaged Uttarakhand on June 26. Mitra Mandal, the group, will go door-to-door to markets, societies and different parts of the town for three days to collect donations for victims.

"We collected food items like rice, jaggery, cooking oil, biscuits from wholesale market on the very first day. The footwear market has promised to donate 1,000 pairs of shoes," said Jaydeep Dabhi, president of Mitra Mandal. They will start their journey to Uttarakhand in trucks and hand over the collection to the Army.

The Gujarat government on Monday held a review meeting to enable easy transit and provide greater relief to those affected by the flash floods in Uttarakhand.

The Gujarat government announced Rs 2 lakh ex gratia each for the kin of pilgrims from Gujarat who died whle on the char dham yatra. Moreover, the state government has decided to grant another Rs 3 crore to the Uttarakhand government as part of the relief package. Earlier, the government had announced Rs 2 crore relief. The total amount now is Rs 5 crore.

Maharashtra to get 15,000 micro-ATMs from Centre for rural inclusion

Mumbai: In order to facilitate financial inclusion of people from remote areas in the state, Maharashtra will get around 15,000 micro-ATMs from Centre.

Moreover, as many as 20,000 Business Correspondents (BCs) will be appointed for the purpose of taking banking to the doorstep of the people in remote areas by allowing them to do transactions at Point of Sale or PoS (the micro ATM).

The four Aadhaar-enabled basic types of banking transactions can be done through micro-ATMs are balance enquiry, cash withdrawal, cash deposit and Aadhaar to Aadhaar funds transfer.


At present, there are about 500 BCs and their number will be enhanced considerably so that Mahatma Gandhi National Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGA) funds can be disbursed to the labour force immediately.

This assurance of micro ATMs was given by Nandan Nilankeni, Chairman of the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI), to Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan here recently.

According to Information Technology Secretary Rajesh Agrawal 6.35 crore Aadhar card enrolments have been done in Maharashtra.

"On a daily basis, we are doing 1.5 to 1.8 lakh enrolments which is the highest in the country. At 70-75 per cent, one crore enrolments have been done in Mumbai," he informed.

He said that 50 per cent of Aadhar card machines in the state will be shifted from schools to housing societies to facilitate the penetration.

"50 per cent of the total 4000-5000 Aadhar card machines in the state will be shifted from schools to housing societies. There are about 500 machines in Pune and Thane," Agrawal said, adding that the state will cross 85 per cent enrolment by March 2014.

PTI

Maha govt plans biometric system to facilitate pensioners

Mumbai: In a bid to provide relief to pensioners from submitting yearly life certificates to avail pension, Maharashtra government plans to set up biometric reader machines for online finger print authentication.

Officials in the Department of Information and Technology (IT) said the plan is to set up biometric reader machines in all villages. The machines are proposed to be in PDS shops, citizen service centres and government offices providing e-services.

"The initiative will be useful to state government employees who settle in their native place after retirement. Every year, they have to produce life certificates from tehsildar offices to be submitted to respective banks.

"Instead, the pensioners with Aadhar cards can do their finger print authentication, which will be directly matched with the UID card number stored in the data hub in Ba

ngalore and the banks will get direct intimation about it," the officials said.

They said the state government is awaiting clearance of its proposal by the Centre.

Aadhar card numbers would be made mandatory for sale and purchase of property so that benami transactions can be curbed, officials said.

PTI

Goa may adopt two Uttarakhand villages for rehabilitation

PANAJI: Goa government plans to rehabilitate two villages of flood-ravaged Uttarakhand and announce a relief fund.


Goa chief minister Manohar Parrikar said here on Monday that a special account has been opened in the State Bank of India in the name of 'Chief Minister's Uttarakhand Relief Fund', to which the state government would seek donations.

Goa government plans to contribute Rs 5 crore to the fund while Parrikar has also decided to donate his month's earnings, which amounts to Rs 1,29,500, to the fund.

Ruling Bharatiya Janata Party's legislative wing will also appeal to all members to donate their one month's salary to the fund, Parrikar said.

Goa has set a target to collect Rs 15 crore to be spent on rehabilitating two villages in Uttarakhand.

Parrikar recalled Goa government had taken up a similar project by adopting a village in Gujarat when that state was hit by a major earthquake in January, 2001.

Andhra Pradesh to issue notification on recruiting 20,000 teachers: CM

Hyderabad: In a major recruitment exercise, Andhra Pradesh government would issue notification for recruitment of 20,000 teachers by end of this month, Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy said.

Speaking at an event organised in East Godavari district today as part of the 'Education Fortnight', he said the state government has filled up 30,000 vacancies in recent times.

The government has filled about 1.23 lakh vacancies in government departments and another 60,000 would be recruited this year, he said, adding the recruitment was done in a transparent manner.

He said notification to recruit 20,000 teachers would be issued by end of the month.

He said the 'education fortnight' was being organised for the last three years during which several measures were taken.

He also said that the government has involved several departments to ensure that all children in the state go to school.

Humanity is above all religions, Godhra muslims set example for everyone !!

Many Hindu widows could barely make two ends meet with her meager earnings. There are many who struggles with the expenses of their children. But on this historical Sunday, they got help from a society they least expected.

A Godhra-based Muslim charitable trust ( Hamdard Charitable Trust) ensured that widows of Hindu family does not go hungry for the next three months by giving them provisions and eatables.

This initiative comes from a place (Godhra) which was epicentre of communal Riots in 2002. They call it sadbhanva and setting an example for many humanitarians.

" First we are humans, then we follow any religion." It is such an example which has to potential to create history of 'Sadbhavna".

"Godhra earned a bad name after the 2002 riots and there was a general perception that Hindus and Muslims don't stay in harmony here. The trust decided to extend support to Hindu widows and strengthen the unity between two communities," said Mufti Haroon Sindhi, president of HCT.

Leaders of Hindu and Muslim communities shared the stage at the Sardar Nagar Hall at the function that displayed community camaraderie.

"I am sure that this Sadbhavna will go a long way in forging strong ties between both the communities. Women, especially widows, are neglected in our society, so we felt the need to help them lead a respectful life. We will continue supporting Hindu widows," Sindhi said.

"It was a touching gesture from the Muslim trust and I cannot express how much this means to me," said Sharda Bhoi (50), whose husband died in an accident 15 years ago.

Nalin Bhatt, a community leader from Dahod who attended the event, said, "It's a sign of Sadbhavna from Muslims and I hope that Hindus too reciprocate. Both the communities have always stayed together in Godhra.

Kerala gets 72 percent surplus rainfall

Thiruvananthapuram: Ushering in brighter prospects for the power sector, Kerala has received over 72 per cent surplus rainfall since the onset of Southwest monsoon on June 1, after passing through a rain-deficient year that witnessed severe energy crisis and grim drought conditions.

According to India Meteorological Department, till June 19 the state as a whole received 665 mm rainfall against the normal 386 mm for the period.

While all parts of the state received good rains without long pauses, it is all the more significant that Idukki district, where reservoirs of major hydro electric projects are located, got 93 per cent excess rainfall, state power board sources said.

Among the 14 districts, Kannur in north Kerala received the highest amount of rainfall with a surplus of 114 percent.

Last year, the rainfall received by the state was deficient by 24 per cent during the southwest monsoon and 35 per cent during the northeast monsoon periods.

The shortfall pushed the state into one of its worst power crisis, forcing the Government to clamp 90 minutes load-shedding, half of which was during peak hours in the evening, curbs in consumption by non-domestic consumers. rainfall, replenishing reservoirs in that area.

With the prospects brightening, Kerala State Electricity Board last week lifted the one-hour day-time load-shedding and the 30-minute peak-hour cut.

According to KSEB, generation from hydro-electric projects accounts for bulk of the power available in its grid, with supply from thermal plants and small and small and micro projects and non-conventional sources yielding just a minor portion of the demand required.

PTI

SBI to hire 10,000 officers, employees in current fiscal

Mumbai: State Bank of India plans to hire 10,000 officers and employees in the current fiscal to spruce up its operations.

"We will be hiring 10,000 people this year, including 1,500 probationary officers, the process for which started in April. Around 7,500 will be retiring this fiscal," SBI Chairman Pratip Chaudhuri told PTI.

"We have upgraded our branches, all have become air-conditioned. We have adequately staffed our branches. In the last quarter, we recruited 20,000 assistant grade employees at front office," he said.

The bank plans to open about 1,200 branches in the country and another eight branch offices overseas, including China and the UK, in the current fiscal.

Public sector banks hired around 63,000 persons in the last financial year.

The country's largest bank SBI alone recruited 20,000 clerical staff and 1,200 officer level employees.
Besides, other public sector banks hired 22,000 officers and 20,000 clerical staff in the last fiscal.

There were 84,489 vacancies at various levels in the state-owned banks at the end of 2010-11.
Most of the state-owned banks have undertaken recruitment drives in recent years.


The public sector banks had a sanctioned strength of about 8 lakh employees as on March 31, 2012. PTI

Northeast rural areas to have LPG connections

Jorhat: LPG connections will be available in rural and remote areas of the north east region by next year, a senior official of Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) said on Saturday.

With adequate LPG cylinders available for distribution in towns and cities, the

Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas has decided to extend the facility to rural and remote villages of the region, IOC Executive Director (Marketing) Pryovat Dey said.

The Rajiv Gandhi Grammin LPG Vitrak Yojana (RGGLVY) scheme will end the cutting and felling of trees, prevent deforestation and save the environment benefitting villages, thereby increasing the people's economic activity.

Initially the people's response would be limited as also investment in LPG distributorship, but would increase over time, Dey said.

Meetings have already been held in the identified remote areas of the region to make people aware of LPG, its benefits and safety measures while using the cylinders, he said.

Under the scheme, small distributors with capacity for 1,000 to 1,200 cylinders and small godowns will be permitted to operate in the rural areas.

The scheme would have to be implemented by 2015 when a minimum 75 per cent of the rural households are expected to be covered and benefited, according to the government mandate.

IOC is the only oil marketing company to cater to all the north eastern states, he said adding it aims to go to the interior areas to supply LPG cylinders to the rural people so that they can enjoy the benefit of using LPG cylinders, Dey added.

PTI

Pension scheme for aged unmarried women launched

MYSORE: State government has decided to launch an ambitious pension project to provide succor to unmarried women who have crossed 40 years and hail from BPL families.

Disclosing this at a first ever pension adalat held at Koodlapur village in Nanajangud taluk, the revenue minister V Srinivasa Prasad said the scheme will be launched after the budget session.

" I am amused to hear from officials that the highest number of unmarried women are from Nanjangud taluk in the district" he said adding that this scheme is intended to instill confidence among the unmarried women and provide social security to them.

Minister said the success of the scheme depends on the people and the officials who are implementing it . "While officials should ensure the selection of beneficiaries and schemes success people should help the officials in identifying the right beneficiaries" he added.

People should develop the habit of questioning the government's intentions and the programmes and their implementation" he said ruing the failure of the pension schemes due to lackadaisical approach of the officials. Many government schemes though are good in their intentions , they have failed to yield results due to officials apathy , he alleged disclosing the governments proposal to hold pension adalat at gram panchayat level positively in the first two weeks of a month . "I am happy that this state level scheme is being launched from my constituency" he said.

Minister said officials should shoulder greater responsibilities and ensure that the beneficiaries , particularly the widows identified for the pension scheme should visit the office only to receive the order and not for any other work related to sanctioning of the pension. " I am firm to ensure that in next six months all the people who are eligible for benefits under various government schemes should receive the facility" he said adding that no one in the state should be deprived of the facility of a social scheme announced by the government. Minister said government will not hesitate to supersede the GPs which fail to hold Grama Sabha's regularly .

In all 1085 pension beneficiaries from Koodlapura gram panchayat and Yemmaragala grampanchayat comprising about 13 villages received pension sanction orders.

Auto driver’s son leaves IT job for army

MUMBAI: Graduating out of a top college and then landing a lucrative job with the Larsen and Toubro seem a dream career graph for many. But Abhay Kadam (21), son of an auto rickshaw driver, felt there was more to life than taking up the offer and climbing up the corporate ladder.

Today, Kadam is among the chosen few selected for commission in the Indian Army, a career path seldom trodden by youngsters from the financial capital. Of the 1.49 lakh candidates who took the Combined Defence Services exam, 239 were picked after a round of an examination and medical test conducted by the UPSC. And Abhay is beside himself with excitement at the opportunity he has got to watch life on the line, to be present there to tell the real cost of a war and the price of peace. "How do I explain the thrill I feel to be able to serve the country, without sounding dramatic or fake ?" he said. It is probably only natural that Abhay made the choice. "My grandfather and great-grandfather were both jawaans in the Maratha infantry," he said.

But taking the final decision was not easy for Abhay, who kept dreaming of a "bright future". Every evening, as his father walked home, after dropping off his rented auto at the owner's place with the day's earnings, Abhay pondered on how to make it big in life, how to free his family from the cycle of the Rs-9,000-a-month income.

"Abhay initially wanted to join the merchant navy, which pays handsomely. But when he joined the NCC and interacted with officers, he was attracted to the uniform," said his trainer, Rtd Lt Col Pradeep Brahmankar. Abhay is a Naval wing NCC cadet and has done his NCC 'C' certificate in 'B' grade. His only possession from those days is a bronze medal he won in the 1,200-m race in college. Abhay is now filled with an overwhelming sense of satisfaction as he looks at his selection letter and remembers his life so far—his schooldays, the time he spent at B N Bandodkar College in Thane, his small tenement with paints peeling off its walls. "A chapter is over. Another one will begin. I am ready for it."

Boy, 13, cracks IIT-JEE

Patna: A Bihar farmer’s 13-yearold son has become India’s youngest student to crack the IIT-JEE for the second consecutive year as he was unhappy with his rank last year.

Satyam Kumar, from Bakhorapur village in Bhojpur district, had secured an all-India rank of 8,137 in 2012 at the age of 12 and cleared the IIT-JEE (Advanced) this year with an all-India rank of 679.

In 2012, Satyam had sat for the IIT entrance tests even before passing his Class XII examinations, in which he had appeared with a special permission from the CBSE. For the IIT entrance, he received coaching in Kota.

“He has shown extraordinary academic skills since his early childhood and always worked hard with a regular timetable,” said his proud father Sidhnath Singh.

With his two successive achievements in the IIT entrance tests, Satyam has broken the record set by Sahal Kaushik of Delhi, who cleared the IIT-JEE at the age of 14 in 2010.

Deeply interested in the wonders and possibilities in information technology, he is keen on setting up a more innovative social networking company like Facebook getting a computer engineering degree from the IIT in Mumbai or Kanpur.

Meanwhile, the underprivileged students of “Super 30” here have yet again made it big at the IIT entrance examination with 28 out of the total 30 students qualifying.

Narendra Modi lands in Uttarakhand, flies out with 15,000 Gujaratis

DEHRADUN: In the two days that NarendraModi has been in Uttarakhand, he has managed to completely rile not just the Congress government of Vijay Bahuguna but also the administrative staff involved in rescue operations at Kedarnath, Badrinath and Uttarkashi. But above all, he has also managed to bring home some 15,000 stranded Gujarati pilgrims.

The Gujarat CM, who flew in on Friday evening, held a meeting till 1am with his crack rescue team of five IAS, one IPS, one IFS and two GAS (Gujarat Administrative Service) officers. Two DSPs and five police inspectors were also part of his delegation. They sat again with the nitty-gritty of evacuation in a huddle that a senior BJP leader said lasted till 1am on Sunday.

Around 80 Toyota Innovas have been requisitioned to ferry Gujaratis to safer places in Dehradun as have four Boeings. On Saturday, 25 luxury buses transported a bunch of grateful people to Delhi. The efforts are being coordinated by two of the senior-most IAS officers of Gujarat, one currently stationed in Delhi and another in Uttarakhand.

As if that was not enough to thumb his nose at a government accused of large-scale mismanagement in handling the crisis, Modi later in the day even offered to "completely rebuild" the temple at Kedarnath using "the latest technology available" in such a way that no natural calamity would ever shake it again. The Uttarakhand CM is believed to have dismissed the statement.

What cannot be dismissed, though, is Modi's now trademark style of micro-management, something his supporters say is the need of the hour for India. "It's amazing what he has done here," said Anil Baluni, a BJP leader. "If someone doesn't like it, what can we do?'

Modi's men have not only para-dropped a complete medical team in Hardwar, they have also set up camps across th flood-hit regions. Prominent BJP workers in villages across the state are dealing directly with members of the rescue committee, telling them where food is to be sent, people given shelter and medicines administered. That seems to have helped. When a car owned by a Gujarati was stuck in a road-block by angry residents demanding aid in Badkot, Uttarkashi, an urgent message was immediately sent out by an IAS officer and the vehicle taken to safety.

Asked about the "new model" of rescue and relief operation by Modi that has helped 15,000 Gujaratis get out of Uttarakhand, an angry Congress legislator said, "See, that's what we mean. His model works only for Gujaratis."