NEWS IN BRIEF – APR 19, 2012
1. Tatra: CBI raids ex-army men, Vectra Executive’s House Searched, BEML Chief Quizzed Again: New Delhi: The CBI on Wednesday
conducted raids at the residences of two retired Army officers and a Vectra executive in Delhi and Noida in connection with the Tatra scam. [TOI p9]
2. Mamata should grow up: Katju: New Delhi: Press Council of India chief Markandey Katju on Wednesday said West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee should grow up and function in a democratic manner. He was responding to a query on the recent cartoon row that Mamata has been involved in. [TOI p14]
3. Get Your Act Together: RSS to BJP, Message conveyed to BJP brass
during a meeting with RSS leaders: NEW DELHI : A month after the
assembly polls verdict, RSS is understood to have asked BJP to get its act
together and cash in on the ‘anti-Congress sentiment’ to face future
elections. [ET p2]
4. Go for FDs now, deposit rates will be cut soon : Mumbai :If you are a
risk-averse investor, lock your savings in long-term fixed deposits — with
a maturity period of two to three years — as soon as you can. The reason:
Following the Reserve Bank of India’s move to cut the rate at which it
lends to banks by 0.50%, experts say the banks may respond by lowering
not only their lending rates, but the deposit rates, too.[HT p1]
5. GST Bill can be passed by April 2013: Modi : New Delhi :There could
be renewed momentum in pushing through the much-delayed Goods and
Services tax (GST) proposal in the coming days. The Parliamentary
Standing Committee on Finance that is currently vetting the Constitutional
(Amendment) Bill is expected to commence discussions on the bill after
the end of the Budget session, chairman of the Empowered Committee
(EC) of state finance ministers, Sushil Modi, said today..[IE p15]
6. First thaw? BJP says it will back pension Bill : New Delhi :Leader of
Opposition in Rajya Sabha Arun Jaitley said here today that the Bharatiya
Janata Party would support the government and facilitate the smooth
passage of the pension bill (Pension Fund Regulatory and Development
Authority Bill) in the budget session of Parliament. The budget session is
set to reconvene post recess on April 23.[IE p1]
7. Mamata to back Mulayam choice for President : Lucknow :SP
president Mulayam Singh Yadav’s emissary Rajya Sabha member
Kironmoy Nanda held a meeting with TC supremo and West Bengal Chief
Minister Mamata Banerjee in Kolkata recently. After the 45-minute
meeting, both parties decided to go together in the Presidential
election.[Pioneer Daily p1]
8. BJP awaits end to JVM-Cong talks on Jharkhand RS poll : Ranchi
:Success or failure of the Congress-JVM negotiation over the candidature
issue for the Rajya Sabha election in Jharkhand, could be the key point of
BJP strategy which has still not decided whether to field a candidate or
not.[Pioneer Daily p1]
9. Singhvi CD personal matter : AICC : New Delhi : Despite the All India
Congress Committee (AICC) sidelining Mr Abhishek Singhvi as the party
national spokesman over an alleged CD with objectionable content and
containing conversation allegedly between him and a woman lawyer, the
AICC has continued to be mum on the issue.[The Statesman p5]
10. Gadkari on Modi : Cannot discuss problem, will solve it : New Delhi :
Conceding a “problem” between him and Narendra Modi, BJP president
Nitin Gadkari said that the last conversation he had with the Gujarat chief
minister was several weeks ago at the wedding reception of Zee head
Subhash Chandra’s son.[IE p1]
11. RSS tells BJP to involve its cadre directly : New Delhi :The BJP has
been advised by the RSS to ‘reach out’ to its cadre and involve them
directly as they are the link between the party and people. The party was
also told that it lacks ‘inspirational leaders” and also needs to fine tune its
strategies. keeping in view the 2014 general polls.[AA p2]
12. BJP : UPA faces policy paralysis : New Delhi : Alleging that the UPA
government is suffering from “policy paralysis and ‘indecision’, which has
caused an inertia in the economy, the BJP on Wednesday suggested that
the Congress-led UPA should look at avenues which provide jobs as well
as contribute to asset creation.[AA p2]
13. MLAs spent less than EC limit : Chandigarh : It may seem improbable
but MLAs in Punjab’s recently-concluded state elections have spent far
less money than the permissible limit of Rs 16 lakhs set by the Elections
Commission.[AA p2]
14. Gen Singh to unveil statue of ex-PM Chandra Shekhar : New Delhi :
After visits to educational and religious institutions as he winds down his
tenure, outgoing Army Chief General V K Singh is scheduled to unveil on
Sunday a statue of former Prime Minister Chandra Shekhar at a function
in Ballia, UP, the constituency of the late socialist leader.[IE p1]
15. Govt eases citizenship rules for Pak refugees : New Delhi :There’s a
ray of hope for thousands of Pakistani refugees who fled to India over the
past few decades. The Centre has removed the main roadblock to their
acquiring Indian citizenship and intends to tell the states to reach out to
12,000 eligible Pakistani nationals to complete formalities to become
Indian citizens.[HT p1]
16. Deadline lapses, people’s court to decide MLA fate : Bhubaneswar
:The Maoists who have kept MLA Jhina Hikaka hostage on Wednesday
threatened to decide his fate in a “people’s court” even as the Odisha
government said it would take steps to withdraw prosecution against 13
rebels.[HT p8]
17. SC upholds EC norms for party symbol: New Delhi: The Supreme
Court on Wednesday upheld the constitutional validity of an election law,
which entitled a political party the status of “State Party” and common
symbol for its candidates only if it polled 6% or more votes in assembly
polls and returned two of its candidates as MLAs. [TOI p14]
18. Woman in UK watched lover in Delhi slash himself to death over 10
hours, Cops Broke Into S Delhi Flat, But It Was Too Late: New
Delhi/London: This bizarre deathwatch occurred across continents
11,000km apart over four months back, but few knew about it until now. A
British automobile consultant slashed his throat and wrists in his rented
Green Park flat in south Delhi while his girlfriend watched in horror on
Skype from Reading in the UK. [TOI p1]
19. Guj HC quashes sedition cases against TOI, Throws out Ahd Ex-Top
Cop’s Plea: Ahmedabad: The Gujarat high court on Wednesday
quashed the charges of sedition that former Ahmedabad police
commissioner O P Mathur had filed against The Times of India’s
Ahmedabad edition in June 2008. The court quashed all five FIRs, which
accused the resident editor and the correspondent of inciting people
against the police. [TOI p1]
20. More women in MCD than men: New Delhi: For 14 years, Rajkumari
began her day with a long-handled broom on the road. But starting next
week she will be called to account for not only the cleanliness in her south
Delhi ward but also issues like water supply, schools, potholed roads and
choked sewers.[TOI p1]
21. Rajasthan passes resolution on Vidhan Parishad : Jaipur :Rajasthan
moved a step forward towards establishing an Upper House with the State
Assembly passing a resolution in this regard.[The Hindu p5]
22. Rane cries foul, moves privilege motion against media, BJP member
: Mumbai :Maharashtra Revenue Minister Narayan Rane on Wednesday
moved in the Assembly a breach of privilege motion against a Bharatiya
Janata Party legislator and four media houses including the Shiv Sena
mouthpiece Saamna for naming him in a leaked Comptroller and Auditor-
General report, which talked of corruption in land allotment to
politicians.[The Hindu p12]
23. Akhilesh opens door shut by Mayawati : Lucknow :Janata Darbar was
revived in Uttar Pradesh on Wednesday with Chief Minister Akhilesh
Yadav holding an interactive session with people at his 5, Kalidas Marg,
official residence here.[The Hindu p7]
24. ‘Party needs to connect with people’, Sheila Denies MCD Split
Backfired, Says Poll Verdict Not A Referendum: New Delhi: After the
poor show in the municipal polls, it is stock-taking time for the Congress. A
loss of “contact” with the people may have been a cause for the debacle,
feels chief minister Shiela Dikshit. “It (Congress) needs to get in touch with
people.[TOI p4]
25. Azam: Picking up Haleem for Haj panel a mistake : Lucknow :Uttar
Pradesh Minority Welfare Minister Azam Khan on Wednesday said the
inclusion of Khwaja Haleem, who had been expelled from the Samajwadi
Party, in the newly constituted State Haj Committee was “a mistake”. Khan
said he did not know about Haleem’s expulsion from the party.[IE p4]
26. Govt wants SC to decide Ram Setu status : New Delhi :Steering clear
of further controversy, the Central government plans to leave it to the
Supreme Court to decide whether the Ram Setu could be declared a
national monument or not and hence, chart the fate of the
Sethusamudram Ship Canal Project.[IE p7]
27. Kalmadi allowed to go abroad for meet : New Delhi : A Delhi court
Wednesday allowed Suresh Kalmadi, who is facing trial in a CWG-related
corruption case, to visit Kazakhstan to attend a meeting of the Asian
athletics Association Council.[IE p7]
28. Criticism unfair, it wasn’t my election to win, says sheila : New Delhi :
Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit has said she is not to be blamed for the
Congress’s defeat in the MCD elections and that there was a wave against
the party in the capital.[HT p1]
29. Three-fourth candidates lose deposits : New Delhi :Of the 2,423
candidates who contested the MCD elections, 1,783 – or roughly threefourth
– lost their security deposits as they could not secure 16.6 per cent
of the total votes polled.[HT p4]
30. Fall in vote share taints BJP’s rosy picture : New Delhi : BJP may
have termed its victory in two of the three corporations as a “clear-cut
referendum” of people’s support but a closer inspection of the vote
percentage tells a different story.[HT p4]
31. Urban vote shift worries Cong, Debacle in Delhi, Mumbai Civic Polls
Causes Unease In Party: New Delhi: Congress’s sweeping defeat in
Delhi’s municipal elections is causing disquiet in the party as the results
are being seen as part of a growing body of evidence of the mood in urban
areas souring against the ruling coalition at the Centre. [TOI p17]
32. BJP cosying up to rebels for magic figure : New Delhi: After a
spectacular win in the municipal elections, BJP is reaching out to its rebels
to become the ruling party in the South Delhi Municipal Corporation. The
party lost a good number of seats here due to the rebel factor and could
get only 44 seats. [TOI p4]
LEGAL/CRIME NEWS
33. Arrest Nupur by April 30, court tells CBI, Agency To Wait For SC
Hearing: New Delhi: The special CBI court in Ghaziabad slammed the
Central Bureau of Investigation on Wednesday for not arresting Dr Nupur
Talwar in the Aarushi-Hemraj murder case despite the court having issued
a non-bailable warrant against her. The court, however, gave the agency
time till April 30 to execute the warrant and file a report. [TOI p3]
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
34. After Bravado, Hafiz Saeed Runs to Court: LAHORE : LeT founder
Hafiz Saeed has petitioned the Lahore high court, to stop Pakistani
authorities from taking any adverse action against him under pressure
from the US. He requested the court to ask the government to also
provide security to him as his life was not safe and any mishap could
happen. [ET p2]
35. India, Pak should solve Siachen issue : Islamabad : Noting that
withdrawal of troops from Siachen is necessary to improve atmosphere,’
Pakistani army chief Gen Ashfaq Parvez Kayani on Wednesday said the
issue needs to be resolved by Pakistan and India.[HT p17 ]
