NEWS IN BRIEF – APR 06, 2012
1. CAG listed security gaps but it didn’t bother MPs, Reports More
Detailed Than Gen’s Letter: New Delhi: The political establishment was
outraged when Army chief Gen V K Singh’s letter to PM Manmohan Singh
highlighting the hollowness in India’s battle preparedness found its way
into the media. Many politicians had even asked for the chief ’s sack,
assuming that he had leaked the sensitive facts. But now it transpires that
the comptroller and auditor general (CAG) had in a report in December
highlighted the same critical gaps in India’s defence, only much more
starkly. [TOI p1]
2. Named by CAG, Deshmukh in Oppn line of fire, ‘Rampant Misuse Of
Government Land In Mumbai’: Mumbai: Calls for Union minister
Vilasrao Deshmukh’s resignation got shriller on Thursday as the BJP and
Shiv Sena cited the Supreme Court’s criticism of his land allotment to
Subhash Ghai and a yet-to-be-tabled CAG report naming him in murky
land allotments in Mumbai. [TOI p1]
3. Movement may have been cover against sacking, hints Lt Gen Panag
: New Delhi : A day after The Indian Express report on unusual
movement of troops that rang alarm bells in the Government, former
Northern Army Commander Lt Gen H S Panag has suggested that the
move to mobilise troops on January 16 could have been be linked to fears
that Army Chief Gen V K Singh would be relieved of his charge by the
government if he went to court on the age issue.[IE p1]
4. CPM meet : Karat under fire for snapping ties with UPA-I : Kozhikode
: The ghost of the Indo-US nuclear deal returned to haunt Prakash Karat
on Thursday as the CPM general secretary came under criticism from
Bengal delegates at the party congress here. [IE p3]
5. Trinamool, RLD Kept Out of GoMs, Rail minister Mukul Roy and
aviation minister Ajit Singh have no place even in groups overseeing
policy decisions in their own sectors: NEW DELHI : In a snub to
political allies with diminishing utility, the United Progressive Alliance
leadership has not included their Cabinet nominees in charge of railways
and civil aviation in critical ministerial groups overseeing policy decisions
even in their own sectors. [ET p3]
6. Can’t question loyalty of Army, Gen V K Singh, says BJP : New Delhi
:In the backdrop of the debate over whether a trust deficit persisted
between the Army and the government, the BJP on Thursday came out in
support of the Army and its chief General V K Singh, saying his loyalty
should not be questioned.[IE p4]
7. J&K: Case against Lt Gen Bikram Singh in HC next week : Srinagar
:The case regarding an alleged ‘fake’ encounter in which Army Chief-inwaiting
Lt General Bikram Singh was “injured” is likely to be listed in the
Jammu and Kashmir High Court next week.[IE p4]
8. 13 Rajasthan Cong MLAs target Gehlot, meet Rahul : Jaipur : A group
of disgruntled Congress MLAs from Rajasthan met AICC general
secretary Rahul Gandhi in New Delhi on Wednesday to “apprise” him of
poor governance and even a demand for a change in leadership. The
MLAs stated that there were several examples of bad governance in
Rajasthan and it was their “duty” to bring it to the notice of the Congress
high command.[IE p5]
9. Son-in-law of Bukhari in SP MLC list : Lucknow :Umar Ali Khan, the
son-in-law of Jama Masjid Shahi Imam Syed Ahmed Bukhari, figures in
the Samajwadi Party list of seven candidates for Legislative Council and a
lone Rajya Sabha seat. The list, announced on Thursday, includes Chief
Minister Akhilesh Yadav and Revenue Minister Ambika Choudhary.[IE p5]
10. CAG raps Andhra for Ghai deal : Hyderabad: Filmmaker Subhash
Ghai’s film institute is facing fresh trouble in Andhra Pradesh with the CAG
rapping the state over allotment of 20.10 acres of prime land to the
institute, allegedly in violation of rules. [TOI p10]
11. Maha has no database on land: CAG : Mumbai: Pointing out several
lapses in land management in Mumbai, for reasons ranging from official
ineptness to collusion, the comptroller and auditor general’s report said,
“Being a premium asset with increasing value, land management is to be
dealt with judiciously. However, neither the government nor the collector
has any database of land.” [TOI p15]
12. Army chief lashes out at ‘absolutely stupid’ report: New Delhi: Army
chief General V K Singh on Thursday dismissed as “absolutely stupid” a
newspaper report that the “unusual” movement of a mechanized infantry
unit and elements of a Para Brigade towards Delhi in mid-January had
“spooked” the government. [TOI p1]
13. Ramdev to invite Army chief to join June 6 fast: Patna: Yoga guru
Ramdev said on Thursday that he will invite Army chief General V K Singh
to participate in the ‘samuhik upwas’ (mass fast) at Jantar Mantar in New
Delhi on June 6, nearly three weeks after his retirement. [TOI p12]
14. Strong Lokpal Depends on Sonia, Jaitley: Kiran Bedi: BHOPAL :
Emphasising the need for political will to push through a strong Lokpal
Bill, Team Anna member Kiran Bedi on Thursday said if UPA Chairperson
Sonia Gandhi and Leader of Opposition Sushma Swaraj “wish”, the
country can get an effective anti-corruption legislation to ensure
decriminalisation of politics.[ET p3]
15. HC Asks Poll Panel to Order Probe by Specialised Agency, Rejects
writ petition seeking quashing of EC decision to countermand polls:
NEW DELHI | RANCHI : In a move that is likely to deter moneybags from
using Jharkhand as a route to get into the Rajya Sabha, the high court on
Thursday directed the Election Commission to order an inquiry by a
specialised agency, such as CBI, to look into the circumstances leading to
the countermanding of the election to the House of Elders. [ET p2]
16. Petrol dealers threaten strike : New Delhi : Petrol pumps may run dry
from April 24. Dealers, who run 40,780 pumps across the country, have
threatened an indefinite strike. The pump owners want their commission to
be increased to 5% of the per-litre cost of petrol and diesel. If accepted, it
will mean an added burden of R1.71 a litre on petrol and R1.13 a litre on
diesel for consumers.[HT p1]
17. Now, Andhra CM faces scam taint: Hyderabad: Andhra Pradesh CM N
Kiran Kumar Reddy allegedly flouted guidelines and ignored finance and
health departments’ objections to dole out several concessions to the GVK
group to acquire ambulance service in August last year.[TOI p15]
18. Koda Gets Bail, But Will Have to Stay in Jail: RANCHI : The Jharkhand
high court on Thursday granted bail to former state chief minister Madhu
Koda in a case of alleged illegal grant of mining leases. However, he will
remain in prison in connection with other cases. [ET p3]
19. EPF interest rate may be increased to 8.6% this yr: New Delhi: There
may be good news for Employees Provident Fund subscribers soon. The
EPF scheme may fetch 8.6% interest from 2012-13 if the Central Board of
Trustees of the fund agrees to raise the rate. [TOI p1]
20. Raj BJP MLA held in Dara Singh fake encounter case: Jaipur:The
chief whip of BJP in the Rajasthan assembly, Rajendra Rathore, was
arrested by the CBI on Thursday for his alleged role as a conspirator in
the Dara Singh fake encounter case of October 2006. [TOI p9]
21. Akhilesh Yadav to contest Vidhan Parishad poll : Lucknow : It’s
official. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav, who is a member of
Parliament from Kannauj, has been declared a candidate for the
forthcoming biennial election to the Vidhan Parishad (State Legislative
Council) on April 26. He is in the list of seven Samajwadi Party
candidates for the Parishad polls whose names were declared on
Thursday.[The Hindu p5]
22. Rahul invites UP leaders for poll postmortem, but cuts them short:
New Delhi: Rahul Gandhi on Thursday directed Congress workers to
watch the Akhilesh Yadav government on implementation of Samajwadi
Party’s poll promises, hinting at a renewed political battle. [TOI p13]
23. Rahul Analyses UP, Tells Party to Focus on ’14, Gandhi meets 153
candidates who polled over 20,000 votes in UP polls: NEW DELHI :
The Congress ‘war-room’ in Lutyens’ Delhi buzzed with activity once again
on Thursday, exactly a month after the party’s debacle in Uttar Pradesh
cast a deathly silence upon it. Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi
was back among the party candidates who lost but exhibited promise by
polling over 20,000 votes, listening to their assessment of reasons behind
the poll defeat and motivating them to re-energise and strengthen the
party organisation at the grassroots level for the 2014 general election.
[ET p3]
24. Patnaik announces names of 27 Maoists to be freed : Bhubaneswar
:Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Thursday announced the
names of 27 persons whose release the government will facilitate through
legal steps to ensure the release of Biju Janata Dal MLA Jhina Hikaka and
Italian tour operator Bosusco Paolo from the hands of the Maoists.[The
Hindu p12]
25. Anna Hazare resolves to be back in Delhi : Pune : It has been a year
since anti-corruption crusader Anna Hazare stepped into Jantar Mantar in
New Delhi, in what was the biggest attempt to bring corruption to the
limelight.[The Hindu p12]
26. Ministers get blame for Cong’s UP defeat : New Delhi :Central
ministers and MPS from Uttar Pradesh came under sharp criticism from
the state’s defeated Congress candidates at a meeting chaired by party
general secretary Rahul Gandhi on Thursday. The meeting was held to
analyse the outcome of the recent assembly elections in the politically
important state.[HT p1]
27. Modi continues to grab eyeballs in Western Media : Washington : The
Time magazine featured Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi on its
cover last month. And on Thursday, The Washington Post put the Modi
story on its front page, displaying a new-found Western fascination of
sorts for the “complex” man who has spearheaded Gujarat’s dramatic
growth and enthused American investments in the state, but is continued
to be denied a visa to visit the United States.[Pioneer Daily p1]
28. Mulayam faces CBI heat in ayurveda scam: Lucknow: While the CBI is
yet to complete its probe into the Rs 5,700crore NRHM scam, it has
suddenly got proactive about a Rs 26crore ayurveda scam that took place
in Uttar Pradesh between 1993 and 1995 when SP president Mulayam
Singh Yadav was the chief minister. [TOI p9]
29. Polls coming, Andhra CM, PCC chief smoke peace pipe : New Delhi :
After months of hostility that threatened to crack the Andhra Pradesh
Congress, chief minister Kiran Kumar Reddy and PCC chief Botcha
Satyanarayana declared a ceasefire on Thursday.[HT p10]
30. NRHM scam: 3rd chargesheet filed: New Delhi: The CBI on Thursday
filed the third chargesheet in the multicrore National Rural Health Mission
(NHRM) scam before a special court for alleged irregularities in purchase
of computers and peripherals in Uttar Pradesh under the centrally
sponsored scheme. [TOI p9]
31. 250 Delhi cops recruited on fake driving licences: New Delhi: Another
Commonwealth Games-related scam has been unearthed, this time in the
Delhi Police. It has emerged that as many as 250 out of 676 constables
recruited as drivers before the Games had submitted fake driving licences
to get the job. [TOI p1]
32. ‘Ex-servicemen must go from local bodies’: New Delhi: The Delhi
Andaman & Nicobar Islands Civil Service (DANICS) association has
written to the Prime Minister demanding that retired defence services
personnel serving on different posts in Delhi Development Authority (DDA)
and Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) should be replaced by officers
from their cadre.[TOI p7]
33. BJP attacks govt on new municipal posts, Says These Will Add To
Financial Burden: New Delhi: With Municipal Corporation of Delhi
(MCD) inviting applications for 19 director-level posts for the three new
corporations, BJP has launched a fresh attack on the Delhi government.
Mayor Rajni Abbi said the city government misled the Centre and that
creation of new posts will add to the burden. [TOI p7]
34. Cong blames BJP for MCD’s mountain of debt : New Delhi : A day
after it lambasted the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for using national
issues in local elections, the Congress blamed it for ruining the financial
condition of the civic body. Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee (DPCC)
president Jai Prakash Aggarwal claimed that the MCD had a liability of
more than Rs 4,000 crore.[HT p5]
35. Cong uses BJP’s ‘poor’ MCD work to deflect attack: New
Delhi:Congress thinks it has an answer to BJP’s poll strategy of
highlighting corruption and scams. The party is deploying
countermeasures by highlighting BJP’s “poor” record in MCD. [TOI p7]
36. Delhi’s urban landscape by 2021, The Master Plan 2021 has allocated
277 sq km for future urbanization in Delhi by 2021, says ET Realty
:New Delhi : The Master Plan of Delhi 2021 has been in force since
2007. Once this is reimplemented with the new land development policy,
Delhi will also offer options to thousands of homebuyers. The capital city
has still 27,628.9 hectares of land to fulfil the dreams of thousand of
homebuyers. [ET p19]
37. BJP finds scapegoat in Kushwaha : Lucknow : The BJP in Uttar
Pradesh has finally found a scapegoat for the party’s debacle in the recent
elections. At a meeting of senior BJP leaders that continued till late on
Wednesday evening, the party has conveniently blamed Babu Singh
Kushwaha for the debacle.[AA p2]
38. UP CM playing dangerous appeasement game :BJP : Lucknow :
Strongly objecting the SP government’s move to withdraw cases against
accused of serial blasts in court compounds in Lucknow and Faizabad
and at Dashashvmedh Ghat in Varanasi, the BJP on Thursday alleged
that CM Akhilesh Yadav was following the footprints of his father Mulayam
Singh of indulging in the dangerous game of Muslim appeasement for vote
bank politics.[Pioneer Daily p6]
39. SP, NCP may cut Maha Cong vote share : New Delhi :Maharashtra
Congress leaders fear that the Samajwadi Party and the Maharashtra
Navnirman Sena could make a dent in its political constituency in the state
if “corrective steps” are not taken urgently.[AA p2]
40. Delhi Cong chief denies allegations : New Delhi :Responding to the
show cause notice issued by State Election Commission, Delhi Congress
chief JP Aggarwal has denied the allegations levelled against him. In his
reply, Agarwal has stated that the news article for which Delhi BJP lodged
a complaint with State Election Commissioner should be
produced.[Pioneer Daily p2]
41. In Janakpuri, it’s high flyer versus son of soil : New Delhi :One
seldom finds a Congress candidate who projects himself over and above
the party in polls. In Uttar Pradesh it’s said, “Amethi Ka Danka, Beti
Priyanka”; in Delhi municipal polls its being sung “Sanjay Puri hain Janak
Puri”.[Pioneer Daily p23
LEGAL/CRIME NEWS
42. Nirmal Yadav moves SC over CJI nod to prosecute her : New Delhi :
Controversial former judge of the Punjab and Haryana High Court Nirmal
Yadav has moved the Supreme Court for a direction to quash the sanction
to prosecute her for corruption in the infamous cash-at-judge-door case of
2008.[IE p8]
EDITORIAL / OPINION
43. No country for saints : Rajdeep Sardesai : It is not without reason that
AK Antony is referred to as ‘Saint’ Antony. When you’ve spent four
decades in public life and don’t have a whiff of a financial scandal
associated with your name, then sainthood is truly deserved. Last year,
Antony declared just Rs 1.8 lakh in personal assets, while his wife
declared Rs 30 lakh and a Wagon R car.[HT p12]
BUSINESS NEWS
44. Sahara in Talks to Buy NY’s Plaza for $600 m, Subroto Roy looks to
move into super-luxury hospitality segment with 2nd overseas buy:
NEW DELHI : Little over a year after he snapped up London’s iconic
Grosvenor House hotel, Subroto Roy is about to do a similar deal across
the Atlantic. The Sahara Group is in exclusive talks to acquire The Plaza,
a 105-year-old landmark property in New York whose guests have
included Marilyn Monroe and the Beatles, for around $600 million (. 3,000
crore). [ET p1]
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
45. Saeed case an internal issue: Pak, PM Gilani Asks US To Provide
‘Concrete Proof’ On JuD Chief’s Terror Links: Islamabad: The case of
Jamaat-ud-Dawah chief Hafiz Mohammad Saeed is an “internal issue”
and any evidence against him should be provided to Pakistan so that the
courts can take action, prime minister Yousaf Raza Gilani said on
Thursday. [TOI p7]
46. No compromise on Kashmir : Pak on Zardari visit : Islamabad
:Pakistan on Thursday said it is looking forward to a “constructive
engagement” between President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister
Manmohan Singh at their upcoming meeting but there would be no
compromise on the “core issue” of Kashmir or maintaining credible nuclear
deterrence.[IE p8]
