News and events accross and related to India , April 2010

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The thread is dedicated to news and events across India and related to our country in April, 2010
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http://www.ptinews.com/news/598604_None-pressurized-me-to-clear-illegal-mines--Kamat

None pressurized me to clear illegal mines: Kamat

STAFF WRITER 23:22 HRS IST

Panaji, Apr 6 (PTI) Even as a group of seven dissident non-Congress legislators in Goa continued to sulk against the state government they support, Chief Minister Digamber Kamat today ruled out that his stand against illegal mining has triggered the rebellion.

"No one has pressurized me (to get their illegal mines cleared). Even if someone tries to pressurize, I won?t concede to their demands," Kamat said today.

A day after the seven MLAs, including three of NCP, two of Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP), one of United Goans Democratic Party and an Independent, revived their rebellion against against the state government, the Chief Minister feigned complete ignorance on the demands placed by the dissidents.

"I don?t know. They are discussing the demands with my high command. I have no idea," Kamat told reporters.

"Congress President Sonia Gandhi will take a decision on this by meeting NCP high command.
 
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http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/India-was-aware-of-hacking-threat-/articleshow/5767977.cms

India was aware of hacking threat
Indrani Bagchi, TNN, Apr 7, 2010, 03.21am IST

NEW DELHI: Last week, Indian cyber security officials were in Toronto to meet the researchers from Munk School of Global Affairs whose year-long project, `Shadows in the Cloud', tracked cyber espionage attempts against computers and servers in some 31 countries, but overwhelmingly in India, including the national security and defence establishments. Other "entities of interest", according to the report, included private sector servers like The Times of India.

Over the past few months, after the first reports of a China-based network of cyber spies emerged, Indian officials in key departments have been on a silent overdrive to stop the attacks and monitor servers.

To this extent, sources told TOI they had even placed "ploys" on different servers that were being targeted, as bait to entice cyber warriors to track them to their source.

Sachin Pilot, minister of state for IT and telecommunications, said, "We need to be extra vigilant about cyber terrorism, because this can inflict attacks of an assymetric nature, and is therefore that much more dangerous." Pilot has been tracking cyber espionage and has even been in touch with the Canadian researchers. He observed that government systems had not been compromised.

Cert-IN, the official emergency response unit of the government, has suggested counter-measures to guard against such espionage. Pilot said new products were getting introduced regularly and software not tested properly contained zero-day vulnerabilities.

In fact, Indian agencies have been on alert for some time now, and their preventive actions have been reasonably successful. The national security establishment, defence and intelligence agencies follow a complex, multi-layered system to avoid access to their information. Officials said the really classified stuff was not on open networks at all.

However, other parts of the government, for instance, the finance ministry, have been compromised according to sources familiar with developments, because their security may be that much more lax.

A quiet effort is underway to set up defensive mechanisms, but cyber warfare is yet to become a big component of India's security doctrine. Dedicated teams of officials, all underpaid of course, are involved in a daily deflection of attacks. But the real gap in the Indian system is that a retaliatory offensive system has not yet been created to counter them. And it's not difficult, said sources. Chinese networks are very porous, and India is an acknowledged IT giant.

During M K Narayanan's tenure as national security advisor, the NSC had developed a comprehensive cyber security policy, but this was never implemented.
 

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http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Army-braces-for-cyber-attacks/articleshow/5767805.cms

Army braces for cyber attacks
Rajat Pandit, TNN, Apr 7, 2010, 03.19am IST

NEW DELHI: After the real world, the armed forces are on a red alert in the virtual world as well. Even as they tackle Chinese troop intrusions on the ground, they are grappling with a sharp increase in online espionage attacks from across the Line of Actual Control as well.

Top sources say the Army-CERT (computer emergency response team) recently issued the high alert to all military formations and installations to guard against "focussed large-scale cyber attacks'' that are being planned on "internet facing'' government organisations, prominent brands and corporate groups.

Quoting "reliable'' information, the alert ominously warns the cyber-attacks are likely to be launched from this month onwards. The date mentioned, in fact, is March 31. Effective measures must be taken to protect networks from data-thefts, "distributed denial-of-service attacks'', paralysing computer viruses and the like, it says.

Sources said several military establishments, including the Defence Services Staff College at Wellington, had even refrained from using computers directly connected to internet modems for three-four days over the last week as a precaution. Though the alert holds the cyber-attacks can originate from any country across the world, the suspicion is firmly on Chinese hackers.

This comes even as a group of Canadian and American cyber-security researchers in the new report, `Shadows in the Cloud', held that China-based online espionage gangs have accessed classified documents from several Indian defence and security establishments.

The defence ministry preferred to remain quiet, only saying that it was "studying the report'' which had "lot of grey areas''. Blasting this "clueless state of affairs'', experts said Indian agencies really needed to bolster cyber-security measures as well as sharpen their own cyber-warfare or information warfare skills.

China, in particular, has made cyber-warfare one of its topmost military priorities, with Chinese hackers regularly breaking into sensitive computer networks of countries like US, UK, Germany and India. In December last year, for instance, Chinese online espionage agents had even tried to penetrate computers in the Indian national security adviser's office.

The new report, for instance, says the researchers came across one Indian encrypted diplomatic correspondence, two documents marked `secret', six as `restricted' and five as `confidential' which were accessed by the Chinese hackers.

Moreover, the "affected'' institutions ranged from National Security Council Secretariat and several Indian embassies to the 21 Mountain Brigade in Assam and the Air Force Station at Race Course in New Delhi, which is bang opposite the PM's official residence.

Apart from files related to India's surface-to-air missiles systems and Shakti artillery command and control systems, the people `compromised' included even an officer of the directorate-general of military intelligence.

"Cyber-warfare can be even more destructive than missile strikes, crippling as they can economic, communication and strategic networks and infostructure,'' said a senior officer.
 

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http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/...egular-staff-proposed/articleshow/5789956.cms

Termination of ‘non-regular’ staff proposed
TNN, Apr 13, 2010, 05.44am IST

LUCKNOW: Over 100 employees of UP Technical University (UPTU) find themselves pushed on the edge with an official move that could lead to an end of their services. The university administration has sent a formal proposal to the state government, declaring these employees as "non-regularised'' and seeking termination of their services. It has also sought a permission to go through a formal procedure which essentially comprises advertisement of the posts followed by fresh interviews.

Talking to TOI, UPTU registrar US Tomar said that the decision was taken after repeated consultations with various departments like technical education, human resource and legal, on various occasions. He said that the university would soon begin the recruitment exercise. "The decision also comes in the wake of a supreme court ruling which says that no employee can be recruited without advertising posts and conducting proper interviews,'' he said.

The decision is all set to effect some 115 employees working for the university on a scale, surprisingly, varying from Rs 2,550-Rs 3,200 to Rs 8,000-Rs 13,500. Tomar said that all these employees do not have any appointment letter as such. But how come these employees were recruited and given such a pay scale? No one in the university wants to come on record on this issue.

However, according to former registrar UPTU, A K Damele's letter sent to technical education department on May 21, 2005 (TOI has a copy of it), it all started after constitution of the university itself. The letter categorically points out the delay on the part of the state government while constituting the posts and issuing of a government order to that effect. The letter says that posts came into existence almost an year after (April 26, 2001) the university was created. It was then a question of defining eligibility of candidates which was decided nine months later, that is on January 25, 2002. What's more, the final government order was issued only after one-and-a-half years (on November 24, 2003).

This period was long enough to be waited for as the university had already started functioning. As a stop-gap arrangement, the employees were therefore recruited earlier, the letter says.

Back to present: The employees now find themselves in a no man's land with the university administration trying to shield itself from a supreme court order of 2006 which restricts appointment of employees without following necessary procedures. "The matter has been discussed at various high level meetings and at the executive council of the university,'' said Tomar.

However, the university, on its part, is contemplating to give priority to the same set of employees when it conducts interviews. Tomar said that it is one of the conditions and they have told it to the employees. "It is not until a final decision is taken that it holds any ground,'' said a senior official.

Significantly, the employees smell a rat in the entire scheme of things. "What if that priority does not turn into a reality? Who is going to ensure that the recruitment was proper? an employee shot a series of question, on being told about the proposed condition.
 

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http://www.ptinews.com/news/606978_Cheaper-call-rates-for--jawans--in-border-areas

Cheaper call rates for 'jawans' in border areas

STAFF WRITER 20:41 HRS IST

New Delhi, Apr 12 (PTI) The government today reduced call charges to Re 1 per minute from Rs 5 per minute for satellite phones used by forces along the border areas.

The reduction in charges will be for the para military forces like ITBP and BSF serving along the border outposts throughout the country, a DoT statement said.

Telecom PSU BSNL has been providing the forces with satellite phones to ensure that these 'jawans' enjoy access to telecom services, the statement said.

This decision was taken after a recent visit of Union Minister of State for Telecom and IT Sachin Pilot to the North Eastern border areas where it was brought to his notice that 'jawans' were required to pay Rs 5 per minute for using the satellite phones to make calls to their families.
 

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http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/...-to-various-ministers/articleshow/5814310.cms

'SMS threats were sent to various ministers'
Rahul Tripathi, TNN, Apr 16, 2010, 02.54am IST

NEW DELHI: Investigations into the threat-SMS sent to Union minister Shashi Tharoor revealed that nearly 47 such SMSs to various ministers were sent using the same mobile number. The number (9210783038), according to police, has been procured on the documents of one Manik Verma (25), a resident of Hari Nagar and a gym instructor at Constitution Club.

Verma, who was questioned by Delhi Police again on Thursday, revealed that he had been facing queries from the Haryana police as well and said that someone who wanted to settle scores with him had allegedly sent those SMSs. Cops have also detected another SIM number, which was procured on the IDs of Verma.

The Tata Indicom number used for sending the SMSs is a prepaid connection and has been obtained on Verma's Hari Nagar address at west Delhi. The number has been active for the past twenty days, even after the threat-SMS to Tharoor's OSD, but cops are yet to zero in on its location. Police also ruled out any underworld involvement in the threat-SMS and termed it a prank and are confident they will soon identify and arrest the person behind it.

Tharoor's aide received an SMS on Wednesday claiming it was from the Mumbai underworld and asked the minister to keep away from IPL as it was linked to D-company or face consequences.

"We have identified the man behind these threat SMSs. They seem to be pranks intended to trouble Manik Verma, whose identity has been used. We also examined Verma and have zeroed in on a few suspects. The person will be nabbed soon," said joint CP (New Delhi range) Dharmendra Kumar. Police also added that the same number was used to send obscene SMSs to CPI(M)'s MP Brinda Karat and also to Rajya Sabha MP Masood Madani.

Police added that Verma's antecedents have been verified and it has been found that he has been working as a gym trainer for the past few years.
 

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http://www.ptinews.com/news/611206_Karuna-puts-gag-on-partymen

Karuna puts gag on partymen

STAFF WRITER 18:46 HRS IST

Chennai, Apr 15 (PTI) DMK patriarch and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi today put a gag on his partymen from speaking on policy issues and alliance matters.

"I, as the President and K Anbazhagan as the General Secretary, are alone authorised to speak about the decisions taken on important issues and alliance, which are to be decided by the party's executive and general council", Karunanidhi said in a statement.

The interviews given by partymen in their personal capacity at a time when the state is to go to polls within a year, were "twisted" by a section of "mischievous" media, which would "destroy" the party discpline, he said.

Karunanidhi's statement assumes significance in the wake of his elder son and Union Minister M K Alagiri's remarks that he would contest the party Presidential polls in case it was held to select a successor to his father.
 

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http://economictimes.indiatimes.com...ohan-Singh--Hu-Jintao/articleshow/5814154.cms

India, China are partners, say Manmohan Singh & Hu Jintao
16 Apr 2010, 0130 hrs IST,PTI

BRASILIA: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Chinese President Hu Jintao on Thursday said that India and China were not competitors but partners as they decided to push further their strategic partnership and agreed to give greater market access to each other's products to boost trade.

Hu, who warmly welcomed Singh here on the sidelines of the India-Brazil-South Africa and Brazil-Russia-India-China Summits, said he agreed with the Prime Minister's remarks that the world was large enough to accommodate the aspirations of both India and China.

During the 45-minute talks, there was no reference to contentious issues like China issuing stapled visas to Kashmiris and participating in developmental projects in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir as these were taken up External Affairs Minister S M Krishna during his recent China visit.

The two sides agreed that the Special Representatives would meet as early as possible to discuss the boundary question, pending whose resolution the two countries would maintain peace and tranquillity along the border.

The Prime Minister introduced to the Chinese President National Security Adviser Shivshankar Menon, who was nominated as the new Special Representative of India about three weeks back, succeeding M K Narayanan.

Chinese Special Representative for the boundary talks Dai Bingguo was also present at the meeting. The two sides have already held 13 rounds of Special Representative-level talks.

During the meeting, it was emphasised that India and China were not competitors but partners, External Affairs Ministry spokesman Vishnu Prakash told reporters.

Hu said he agreed with Singh's remarks that the world was large enough to accommodate the aspirations of both India and China.

Both sides were of the view that cooperation and friendship between India and China would be a "win-win" situation and beneficial for peace, stability and prosperity of the region and world at large, Prakash said while giving details of the conversation.
As the two leaders met, Singh told Hu: "It is always a matter of great pleasure to meet you".

He refereed to his earlier meeting with Hu Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao and said he has "become wiser" after these interactions.

"We hold you in great regard," Singh told the Chinese leader and conveyed to him greetings from President Pratibha Patil and Congress chief Sonia Gandhi.

The two leaders noted that the Strategic and Cooperative Partnership between the two countries had gained in strength.

The Prime Minister said India was fully committed to taking it forward, Prakash said. Hu responded by expressing the similar desire.
 

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http://economictimes.indiatimes.com...on-Vedanta-University/articleshow/5813698.cms

BJP flays Naveen for going soft on Vedanta University
15 Apr 2010, 2304 hrs IST,Nageshwar Patnaik,ET Bureau

BHUBANESWAR: The Bharatiya Janata Party on Thursday flayed the Naveen Patnaik government for not taking any action on the findings of Lok Pal on Vedanta University Project and trying to "shield" political leaders and bureaucrats who facilitated illegal transfer of lands in favour of the said project.

"The Lok Pal report says in no uncertain terms about the gross irregularities committed to favour the Vedanta Group with regard to their university project. But the chief minister's office, in stead of taking any action, has come out a press release that says the report could not be made public and published in media unless it is tabled in the state Assembly. This is just a plea to avoid responsibility," senior BJP leader Bijoy Mohapatra said.

He added that there was no law that prescribed that a report on Lok Pal could not be published in media.

He alleged that the chief minister was himself trying to suppress the irregularities in Vedanta University project as "it was born in his office."

BJP Legislature Party Leader, Mr K.V. Singhdeo, said that the reports which the government does not agree and sends back to the Lok Pal are sent to Governor for his perusal. "Such reports of disagreement are called special reports and these documents are tabled in the House," he said.

Mr Mohapatra said the state government could not hide its favouritism shown to the Vedanta as the Lok Pal report has come out with minute details on irregularities.

"The more the government wants to cover up its wrongdoings, the more trouble it will invite," Mr Mohapatra warned adding, the BJP would thoroughly expose the political leaders and officials who caused "irreparable loss" by compromising with the state interest.

The veteran leader observed that the press statement issued by the chief minister's office aimed at denigrating the officer of the quasi judicial body.
 

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http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/...ari-and-brother-Afzal/articleshow/5823793.cms

BSP expels Mukhtar Ansari and brother Afzal
TNN, Apr 17, 2010, 06.21am IST

LUCKNOW: BSP pesident and Uttar Pradesh chief minister Mayawati on Friday expelled mafia-turned-politician Mukhtar Ansari and his brother Afzal from the party for their "involvement in criminal activities".

The party said while joining BSP in 2009, Ansari brothers had promised to mend their ways but recent raids in Ghazipur jail proved otherwise. Mukhtar is facing 30 criminal cases including that of murder and kidnapping.

BSP will also not take the support of Muhammadabad SP legislator Sibgatulla Ansari, another brother of Mukhtar. While Mukhtar is an independent MLA from Mau, Afzal is ex-MP from Ghazipur.

The Ansari brothers had joined BSP just before the 2009 LS polls. Mukhtar and Afzal unsuccessfully contested the LS elections on BSP ticket from Varanasi and Ghazipur respectively. Mukhtar is currently in jail as an accused in the murder of BJP MLA Krishnanand Rai in November 2005. Afzal too is a co-accused in the case. Mukhtar's name has also figured in the 2005 Mau riots. Sibgatulla too has a criminal record.

Recently, during a raid in Ghazipur jail, authorities recovered mobile phones and other objectionable material from Mukhtar's possession. He was also found to be regularly meeting people and running his criminal empire from the jail premises.

Following this, he was last week shifted to Mathura jail and from there to Azamgarh jail on Friday.
 

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http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/...source-in-Delhi-AERB-/articleshow/5824586.cms

No new radioactive source in Delhi: AERB
PTI, Apr 17, 2010, 12.14pm IST

NEW DELHI: Nuclear experts have scanned hundreds of shops in a west Delhi scrap market but have not found any new radioactive source, the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB) said on Saturday.

Eleven sources of radiation were detected in the Mayapuri scrap market in the recent days where Cobalt-60 was recovered, injuring 11 persons including three scrap dealers. However, scientists were yet to pinpoint whether the origin of radioactive material was from domestic or imported scrap.

The radioactive sources recovered from Mayapuri were in the form of Cobalt-60 pins which experts have been saying are not produced domestically.

A senior AERB official said the radioactive material recovered from Mayapuri is being examined in a "remotely handled facility" at the Narora Atomic Power Station in western Uttar Pradesh. The official said they were also planning to conduct a thorough scanning of the market before declaring it a safe zone.

"We have already scanned all the shops in the market. It is somewhere between 600 and 800," another official said.

Cobalt-60 is a radioactive isotope of cobalt, which is a hard, lustrous, grey metal. It is used in cancer therapy machines and other medical equipment.

Cobalt-based colours and pigments have been used since ancient times for jewellery and paints, and miners have long used the name kobold ore for some minerals.
 

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http://www.ptinews.com/news/613570_Japanese-tourist-gangraped

Japanese tourist gangraped

STAFF WRITER 11:3 HRS IST

Gaya, Apr 17 (PTI) A 25-year-old Japanese tourist was gangraped by five unidentified men at Bodh Gaya in Bihar, police said today.

The five pulled the woman out of an auto-rickshaw carrying her to the Gaya railway station before committing the crime at an isolated place last night, Superintendent of Police, Sushil Khopade told PTI.

The victim lodged an FIR with the Amawa police station this morning, he said.

The Japanese woman is a resident of Itabolutachi in Tokyo and is currently on a tour of various Buddhist pilgrim towns in India.

Two persons have been detained for interrogation, he said, adding raids are on in the area to arrest all the culprits.
 

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All's not well as UPA approaches first anniv

PTI | New Delhi

Only less than a year ago, the UPA won a convincing victory in the elections but it appears "all is not well" as the first anniversary of the government nears.

Even its allies are maintaining that the Congress needs to do more to run the coalition which will complete one year on May 22 and battles problems of price rise, Maoists and issues that affect its image like the one involving Minister Shashi Tharoor.

Opposition is painting a bleak picture of the performance of the government, claiming that it would not get more than three out of ten marks.

"Better coordination among the partners will definitely strengthen the UPA," insists Trinamool Congress leader Sudip Bandyopadhyay.

NCP General Secretary DP Tripathi, whose party is also part of the coalition puts it diplomatically, "UPA is good. It has to become better".

BJP spokesman Prakash Javadekar is expectedly critical. He says that the experience of the people of the UPA-II is "disastrous".

"The Government has failed the test. It will not get more than three out of ten marks... Its main failure" is on the price front, he says.

Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress, the second largest party in the UPA-II, hints that much needs to be done by the Congress to run the coalition smoothly.

"We want the UPA government to become stronger," says Bandhopadhyay, underlining the need for more interaction with the alliance partners. This, he says, should be done at least once in 45 days.

Congress, however, dismisses all talk about poor performance of the Manmohan Singh government and dubs the problems facing the government as "ephemeral and transient" issues. It insists that these issues are "not game changers".

"These ripples should not be seen as a reflection on the stability, solidity, longevity and success of the UPA-II," says Congress spokesman Abhishek Singhvi as the leadership grapples with the Shashi Tharoor issue.

A leader of an allied party of the Congress says on condition of anonymity that the government is facing problems due to "inability" of the ruling party to run the coalition as a coalition.

"After gaining 206 seats in the Lok Sabha, the Congress has become far less democratic," he says.

Bandyopadhyay says interests of UPA constituents should be looked after by the major party in government.

"As the situation prevails in West Bengal where our grassroot level workers are being brutally killed by CPI(M), the major party should rise to the occasion," he adds.

While plans are afoot in the UPA to bring out a 'Report to the People' on its first anniversary, a leader of one of its constituents, wonders what happened to the promise on "100 days performance" of the government.

AICC reshuffle uncertain

PTI | New Delhi: With the party and the government facing a series of problems, the reshuffle in the AICC Secretariat has been put on the back-burner.

In the wake of Shashi Tharoor-IPL controversy and the remarks of AICC General Secretary Digvijay Singh against Home Minister P Chidambaram's approach towards Maoist menace remaining unresolved, no one in the AICC talks of a reshuffle of the work allocation within
the party.

The much-awaited reshuffle has been pending for a while and the latest controversies have ensured that it will take more time to effect changes in the AICC.

Now, there are about half a dozen vacancies in the party hierarchy, but sources indicated that a reshuffle has been postponed.

They said there was no "political urgency" for filling the posts and adhere to the 'one-person one-post' formula as no elections were near, except the assembly elections in Bihar later this year.

Four party general secretaries were inducted into the Union Council of Ministers in the second term of the UPA government -- Ghulam Nabi Azad, Mukul Wasnik, Prithviraj Chavan and V Narayanasami, leaving them with little time to concentrate on party work.

Azad is in-charge of party affairs in Tamil Nadu and Orissa while Wasnik is in-charge of Rajasthan and Delhi. Chavan looks after party affairs in Haryana and Jammu and Kashmir.

Law Minister M Veerappa Moily is in-charge of Andhra Pradesh, where a panel is looking into the Telangana issue.

Among others holding dual charges are CP Joshi, the Union Minister for Rural Development who is the Rajasthan Congress chief and Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee, the PCC chief of West Bengal.

Now, there are nine general secretaries. Party sources said the number could go upto 12 when the reshuffle takes place after the second part of the budget session.

Congress has embarked on a year-long celebration to mark 125 years of the formation of the party which will end with a session of the AICC in the last week of December this year.

In addition, membership drive is going on and the organisation elections are scheduled to be completed by December next year.
 

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http://www.ptinews.com/news/618833_WSG-denies-any-wrong-doing-in-IPL-deal

WSG denies any wrong doing in IPL deal

STAFF WRITER 22:43 HRS IST

New Delhi, Apr 20 (PTI) Facing allegation that it received 80 million dollars as facilitation fee for IPL broadcast rights from Multi Screen Media, WSG today claimed that it had done no wrong and would take appropriate action to uphold its reputation.

"Any allegation that WSG has used any funds received in connection with its sub-licence of these rights for inappropriate or unlawful activities is completely unfounded and without substance," World Sports Group (WSG) said in a statement in response to media queries.

There were reports that WSG, which holds IPL's overseas rights owed 2.5 million dollar to Modi Entertainment Network, and it was given rights at favourable terms by IPL commissioner Lalit Modi for settling old dues.

Strongly refuting any "impropriety" in relation to these matters, WSG said it had acquired media rights for IPL in January 2008 for 10 years following public tender process.
 

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http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/...ty-police-have-failed/articleshow/5838323.cms

Shiv Sena legislators say city police have failed
TNN, Apr 21, 2010, 06.07am IST

PUNE: The incidents of crime in the city this month may have fuelled the demand for the transfer of Pune police commissioner Satya Pal Singh.

Shiv Sena legislator Neelam Gorhe had raised the Pune issue in the legislative council and demanded Singh's transfer.

When the upper house was discussing the law and order situation on Tuesday, minister of state for home Ramesh Bagwe told agitated members that he was "unhappy" with Singh's performance as several gang rapes, molestation and other crimes against women had taken place in the city in recent months.

"The government will replace Singh with a new commissioner who can take stock of the situation and prevent such crimes from recurring," he told the House.

"We have been seeking Singh's transfer and finally the announcement has been made by Bagwe. However, it remains to be seen whether it takes effect and is implemented," she added.

"The security of women in the city is at stake and Pune is no longer safe. Heinous incidents are taking place. Besides, several major cases, including the Deepak Mankar land-grab case and the beating up of journalists took too long for action," she added.

"I have met a few victims in Pune and they told me that the investigating officers were insensitive. Such officers should be punished by denying them promotions and increments," Gorhe said.

Gorhe said these issues were brought to Patil's notice at a meeting of MLAs last week in Mumbai.

Shiv Sena MLA Mahadev Babar said, "There is a steep increase in the rape and murder cases in the city which do not seem to stop. There are various issues related to externment orders of criminals and the sale of illegal liquor, but the police have repeatedly failed to curb such incidents."

Babar added that the police strength for the city needed to be increased substantially and the issue had been raised several times with home minister R R Patil.

Shiv Sena MLA Chandrakant Mokate said, "For a population of 60 lakh, we have just about 7,000 policemen. We have been demanding more personnel for a long time. The police are not strict and this has emboldened criminals."
 

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http://www.tribuneindia.com/2010/20100422/main5.htm

Dalits' houses set ablaze in Haryana
Tribune News Service

Hisar, April 21
A man and his disabled daughter were killed when a group of villagers torched over a dozen houses belonging to the Dalits at Mirchpur village near here today. Several others were injured in the attack.

The clash took place before noon. An armed group of villagers stormed the locality housing Dalit families and set about a dozen houses ablaze. While the able-bodied fled, the disabled girl, Suman, was trapped inside. Her body was recovered by firemen.

The girl's father, who was badly burnt, died in hospital.

Tension between two communities in the village has been surfacing off and on for the past more than a decade. In 2000, Dalit families wanted to dig a pond on a piece of land which they claimed had been in their possession since 1947.

However, other communities in the village opposed the move. Since then there have been intermittent clashes between these communities. Sources say tension in the village had been brewing since two days following a minor incident. A youth belonging to a "higher caste" was passing by some Dalit houses when a dog barked at him. The youth flung a stone at the animal. This triggered an argument between Dalit youths and villagers from other communities.

This morning police officials had gone to the village to defuse the tension, but in vain.

The Deputy Commissioner and the Superintendent of Police are in the village to ensure the situation does not worsen and to provide relief to the families who have lost their homes. The police has registered a case and detained 25 persons.
 

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http://economictimes.indiatimes.com...ks-staff-get-pay-hike/articleshow/5865792.cms

46 Indian banks' staff get pay hike
28 Apr 2010, 0205 hrs IST,IANS

MUMBAI: Employees' unions and the Indian Banks Association (IBA) on Tuesday signed here a five-year wage agreement providing for a 17.5 percent hike in pay from 2007 to around 775,000 staffers of 46 banks whose annual wage bill will go up by Rs 5,200.

"We are satisfied with the wage agreement that is effective from 2007. The new settlement, apart from increasing the wages for clerical staff and officers, would also provide the employees one more option to join the pension scheme," C.H. Venkatachalam, convenor of the United Forum for Bank Unions, told IANS from Mumbai.

The settlement covers 26 public sector banks, 12 private banks and 8 foreign banks and would benefit 477,000 workmen employees and 275,000 officers. According to Venkatachalam, the additional cost for the government banks will be Rs.4,816 crore. For private banks, the financial load would be Rs.400 crore.

Under the agreement all the remaining 260,000 employees and officers who are now covered by contributory provident fund would be given a chance to join the pension scheme, a long pending demand of the unions. "More than 50,000 retirees will also get the option to join the pension scheme," Venkatachalam said.

The settlement will be effective from November 2007 to October 2012. Employees' unions and the IBA negotiated the wage settlement for nearly 30 months.
 

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