NEWS IN BRIEF – JUL 05, 2013
1. CBI names Bansal as witness in rail cash-for-post case, Ex-Minister’s Nephew Is Key Accused: New Delhi: In a move that could cause some eyebrows to be raised, the CBI has not only let former railway minister Pawan Kumar Bansal off the hook in the Rs 10 crore cash for-post railway bribery case, but named him as one of the prosecution witnessesBansal’s nephew, Vijay Singla, is a key accused in the case. [TOI p1]
2. Antony flies to China, PLA general ‘warns’ India : Beijing: Hours before defence minister A K Antony’s arrival on a visit aimed at mending border fences, a top Chinese general on Thursday warned India against provoking the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) by increasing troop deployment along the Line of Actual Control (LAC). [TOI p1]
3. After spending nearly Rs 5,000 cr public money, UPA plans to privatise 15 airports for a song : New Delhi : As the countdown starts to the next general elections, the UPA government is heading towards privatising 15 major airports in the country which are now being managed by the Airports Authority of India (AAI). [Millennium Post p1]
4. China breathes fire, greets Antony with border warning : Beijing : India should stop provoking China and end stirring up trouble in the region to maintain peace along the long and disputed border, a senior People’s Liberation Army (PLA) general said on Thursday, striking a controversial note hours before \ defence minister, AK Antony was to land in Beijing.[HT p1]
5. Rift between Cong, NCP ministers slows down Mumbai infra projects Mumbai : The ongoing feud between NCP and Congress ministers
under whose purview fall two critical infrastructure agencies, MSRDC and
MMRDA respectively, has slowed down the pace of Mumbai’s
development, with some marquee projects running behind schedule and
others gathering dust.[IE p1] http://www.indianexpress.com/news/riftbetween-
cong-ncp-ministers-slows-down-mumbai-infraprojects/
1137949/
6. Russia says in race to bag mega sub deal : ST Petersburg : It is
considered an outsider in the race to bag the Indian navy’s contract for a
new generation, long endurance conventional submarine but Russia
maintains it is a strong contender as it will soon have the Air Independent
Propulsion.[IE p2] http://www.indianexpress.com/news/russia-says-inrace-
to-bag-mega-sub-deal/1137931/
7. Govt. may drop gag clause, wants judges to show restraint : New
Delhi : The government may not press ahead with a clause in the draft
Judicial Accountability Bill that seeks to curb casual observations (obiter
dicta) made by senior judges against the legislature and the executive
during the hearing of a case, Union Minister for Law and Justice Kapil
Sibal has said.[The Hindu p1]
http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/govt-may-drop-gag-clausewants-
judges-to-show-restraint/article4882020.ece?homepage=true
8. Delayed wages plague rural job scheme : New Delhi : The UPA’s
flagship rural job entitlement scheme is facing payment hitches as more
than 10 million beneficiaries were not paid on time in the last fiscal,
government data has revealed. [HT p1]
http://www.hindustantimes.com/India-news/NewDelhi/Delayedwages-
plague-rural-job-scheme/Article1-1087281.aspx
9. Vanzara said Modi cleared Ishrat kill: Cop : New Delhi : The CBI
chargesheet in the Ishrat Jahan case contains the testimony of DSP D H
Goswami who told a magistrate he had heard DIG of crime branch D G
Vanzara telling his junior officer G LSinghal that he had got permission
from Narendra Modi and Amit Shah for killing her in a fake encounter.
[TOI p1]
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10. Fight CBI moves at political level: NaMo : New Delhi: The BJP is
gearing up for a showdown with the Congress over the Ishrat Jahan case,
with a meeting of its senior leaders on Thursday discussing the need to
take on the CBI’s chargesheet labelling the death of the Mumbai teen a
“fake encounter”. [TOI p1]
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11. Vanzara said he had Modi’s nod to kill Ishrat: Guj DSP, CBI
Chargesheet Quotes Cop’s Statement Made In Mum Court:
Ahmedabad: The CBI chargesheet in the Ishrat Jahan case contains the
testimony of a police witness who told a magistrate that he had heard DIG
of crime branch, D G Vanzara, telling his junior officer G L Singhal about
having obtained permission from chief minister Narendra Modi and and
then junior Gujarat home minister Amit Shah for killing her in a fake
encounter. [TOI p1]
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12. Ishrat case a political conspiracy, feels BJP : New Delhi: A meeting of
the BJP parliamentary board and general secretaries on Thursday felt the
CBI chargesheet in the Ishrat Jahan case accusing Gujarat cops of
staging a “fake encounter” would boomerang on the Congress and
needed to be seen as a political conspiracy. [TOI
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13. ‘Cong hyping Ishrat case for political gain’ : Guwahati: As CBI’s
chargesheet in the Ishrat Jahan case triggered a political war, BJP chief
Rajnath Singh on Thursday demanded that the Centre disclose her “terror
links” while accusing the Congress-led UPA government of creating hype
for political gains. [TOI
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14. No plans to go for snap polls, say Cong leaders : New Delhi: Despite
intense speculation over early polls in the wake of the food security
ordinance and CBI’s investigation in the Ishrat Jahan case, Congress
circles discounted the possibility of a snap poll. [TOI
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15. Marathon meetings for ‘poll star’ Modi : New Delhi : Weeks after the
Janata Dal (United) ended its 17-year alliance with the BJP over Narendra
Modi’s elevation as the saffron party’s campaign face for 2014, the Gujarat
chief minister will telephonically interact with 1,500 BJP workers in Bihar
on Friday.[HT p1] http://www.hindustantimes.com/Indianews/
NewDelhi/Marathon-meetings-for-BJP-poll-star-Modi-in-New-
Delhi/Article1-1087275.aspx
16. BJP foils LK bid to thwart Modi : New Delhi: Former BJP chief Nitin
Gadkari is likely to be made in charge of assembly elections in the two
crucial states of Delhi and Rajasthan. Party president Rajnath Singh is
learnt to have already communicated this to Gadkari, who is abroad and is
expected back on July 8. The formal announcement is expected after his
return. [TOI p13]
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17. Modi Lays Down Blueprint, Initial plan for campaign includes a series
of meetings; social media to play an important part : NEW DELHI :
Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi has chalked out a hectic schedule of
campaigning over the next 210 days, a plan that he shared with members
of the BJP’s parliamentary board including senior leader LK Advani, who
had publicly opposed his anointment as the chairman of the party’s
national campaign committee. [ET p2]
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18. Rathyatra : Modi in Orissa July 16 : Bhubaneswar : The Orissa state
BJP unit is in high spirits after Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi
expressed his desire to visit the state on July 16 to see the Puri Rath
Yatra.[AA p2]
19. Rs 200-cr plan for fourth round of health survey New Delhi : Even as
the District Level Health Survey (DLHS) has kicked-off across the States,
Union Health Ministry is all set to dole out over Rs 200 crore to conduct
yet another almost similar exercise- fourth round of the National Family
Health Survey (NFHS) to get a “comprehensive” picture of the health,
nutrition and population in the country.[Pioneer Daily p5]
20. Praful for home made equipment in power plants : New Delhi : In a
bid to save domestic power equipment manufacturers from cut-throat
Chinese competition, Union heavy industries minister Praful Patel wants
mandatory usage of Indian equipment for new Ultra Mega Power Projects
(UMPPs).[HT p11] http://www.hindustantimes.com/Indianews/
NewDelhi/Praful-for-home-made-equipment-in-powerplants/
Article1-1087247.aspx
21. Feel insulted, may quit Cong: Beni : New Delhi: Union minister Beni
Prasad Verma slammed the Congress reprimand for criticizing Mulayam
Singh Yadav, raising the stakes for the party and himself in case of future
violation after a war of wits over six months. [TOI p11]
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22. CBI Skeptical About Functional Autonomy, Unhappy with GoM
recommendation on accountability panel : NEW DELHI : CBI is
skeptical about getting functional autonomy anytime soon, with a top CBI
official saying on Thursday that the GoM recommendations to amend the
Delhi Police Special Establishment (DPSE) Act could get stuck in
Parliament due to political differences.[ET p2]
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23. Red Shadow Over Ph-I of Bengal Polls : Kolkata : The first phase of
panchayat elections in West Bengal seems to be most crucial for Mamata
Banerjee’s government as the Maoists have given a call for vote boycott in
Jangalmahal which was once a stronghold of the red ultras.[ET p3]
24. Beni threatens to quit Cong : New Delhi : Notwithstanding the
reprimand, a “humiliated” Union steel minister Beni Prasad Verma on
Thursday said he will continue to attack Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam
Singh Yadav and threatened to quit the Congress if he was stopped from
doing so.[HT p15]
25. Cong, JMM move closer to govt formation in J’khand : New Delhi :
Congress and JMM on Thursday inched closer to government formation in
Jharkhand, with Hemant Soren holding a long meeting with AICC general
secretary BK Hariprasad, who is incharge of Jharkhand
affairs.[Millennium Post p6]
http://www.millenniumpost.in/NewsContent.aspx?NID=31860
26. Cong-JMM pact in a day or two : New Delhi : With a broad agreement
reached for a Congress-JMM alliance in Jharkhand, leaders from both
parties on Thursday discussed the nitty-gritty of government formation in
the state and the joint statement to be issued while announcing the
pact.[AA p2]
27. Central govt offers to build 10,000 houses in Uttarakhand : New Delhi
: Stepping up reconstruction works in flood-hit Uttarakhand, the
government on Thursday announced that it will rebuild 10,000 houses and
undertake other activities to develop infrastructure in all affected
municipalities.[Millennium Post p7]
http://www.millenniumpost.in/NewsContent.aspx?NID=31876
28. Ministries divided over VIP list for red beacon vehicles : New Delhi :
Nudged by the Supreme Court (SC), the government is formally
considering the option of a drastic cut in the list of VIPs allowed red
beacons. But it is still not clear if the home ministry will back the move.[HT
p14] http://www.hindustantimes.com/India-news/NewDelhi/Ministriesdivided-
over-VIP-list-for-red-beacon-vehicles/Article1-1087260.aspx
29. CBI gets choppergate documents : New Delhi : In a big boost to the
AgustaWestland probe in India, the Italian prosecutors have delivered
case documents consisting of around 110,000 pages and phone call
recordings of ‘hundreds of hours’ to the CBI, sources told HT.[HT p15]
http://www.hindustantimes.com/India-news/NewDelhi/CBI-getschoppergate-
documents/Article1-1087286.aspx
30. Sikh body to aid U’khand villages : Amritsar: After helping Army and
the state government in evacuation and distribution of relief material to
Uttrakhand flood victims, the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management
Committee (DSGMC) is to adopt four disaster-hit villages near Hemkunt
Sahib and rehabilitate the villagers. [TOI p5]
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LEGAL/CRIME
31. Red-corner notice likely against key Geetika witness : New Delhi: In a
development that will surely increase problems for former Haryana
minister Gopal Kanda, police have moved for a red-corner notice for
Chanshivroop, the key witness-turned-fugitive in the Geetika Sharma
suicide case. [TOI p2]
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32. HC asks DMK chief’s wife to move SC : New Delhi : The Delhi High
court on Thursday asked Dayalu Ammal, the wife of former Tamil Nadu
CM M Karunanidhi, to approach the Supreme Court for exemption from
appearing as a prosecution witness in the 2G spectrum scam case.[IE p5]
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/hc-asks-dmk-chiefs-wife-tomove-
sc/1137928/
33. HC extends Chautala’s interim bail : New Delhi : The Delhi High Court
on Thursday extended till July 22 the interim bail granted to former
Haryana chief minister Om Prakash Chautala on medical grounds. The
78-year-old INLD chief, who was handed a 10-year sentence by a CBI
court for his role in the 1999 JBT teachers’ recruitment scam, was granted
the bail for six weeks on May 21 to undergo a pacemaker implant
surgery.[IE p5] http://www.indianexpress.com/news/hc-extendschautalas-
interim-bail/1137929/
BUSINESS NEWS
34. Ajit Singh goes to Sonia with grouse over Jet-Etihad deal : New
Delhi: Civil aviation minister Ajit Singh on Thursday met Congress chief
Sonia Gandhi amid a controversy over the Jet-Etihad deal and the
minister’s unhappiness over a PMO press release distinguishing the deal
from a bilateral air services agreement with Abu Dhabi. [TOI p1]
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