PM in Kerala for election campaigning

      Kochi (Kerala): Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh arrived here on Wednesday for two days of campaigning ahead of the first phase of Assembly elections in Kerala, scheduled to take place on April 22. Dr. Singh was received at Kochi Airport by Union Minster for Overseas Indians Affairs Vayalar Ravi and other Congress leaders. He left immediately by helicopter for Perumbavoor where he will be addressing an election rally. After the Perumbavoor rally, Dr. Singh will visit Thodupuzha in Idukki District. He will then return to Kochi, where he will address a press conference this evening. He will address election meetings at Pattambi in Palakkad District, Quilandy in Kozhikode and Iritty in Kannur District, before emplaning for Delhi from Kozhikode airport on Thursday. Security has been tightened in Kerala as the State is witnessing a spate of leaders coming in for campaigning. Entry of people has been prohibited from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. today. The Prime Minister will be putting up at the Taj Malabar Hotel tonight, Congress party sources said. The Prime Minister's visit to Kerala comes a day after Congress president Sonia Gandhi visited Kottayam, Pathanamthitta, Kollam and Neyyattinkara and addressed public meetings there before leaving for New Delhi on Tuesday evening.

     On Saturday, Assembly elections will be held in 59 of the 140 constituencies. Of the 59 seats, the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) holds 45 and the opposition Left Democratic Front (LDF) 14. The UDF is fielding 37 of these 45 legislators while the LDF has put up only nine of the 14. The Bharatiya Janata Party, which is fighting the election without any allies, is waiting for the arrival of Opposition leader L.K. Advani, party president Rajnath Singh and Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi to give a boost to their electoral campaign. A.B. Bardhan and D Raja of the CPM and Nationalist Congress Party leaders Sharad Pawar and P A Sangma are also scheduled to campaign for the LDF candidates this week. The outcome of the polls in the six districts--Trivandrum, Quilon, Aleppey, Kottayam, Pathanamthitta and Idukki district--is considered crucial by both the UDF and the LDF as political tilts in the area have often proved decisive in the formation of the government. The LDF is, however, hopeful after a pre-poll survey that predicted it will sweep the polls, winning 93 to 103 seats. In 2001, the UDF won almost 100 seats.

One injured: Jammu cigarette bomb blast (Go To Top)

      Masrie Bonjawah (Jammu): One person was injured when a cigarette containing explosive material, burst in Jammu on Wednesday. Hansraj Thakur, who was injured in the blast, said he found a packet of cigarette in a field. Thakur, who lives in Masrie Bojawah village of the Jammu region, said he picked it up and took it home. He smoked four cigarettes from the packet but while trying to light the fifth it blasted. "I got a cigarette packet. I smoked a few of them in the evening. I wanted to smoke another in the morning but when I was lighting it, it blasted. I got some injuries in my hand and my neck," Thakur said. Police rushed to the residence of Thakur, who lived in a sensitive region. On further investigation they found another bomb packed in the cigarette. Tens of thousands of people have been killed since militancy erupted in Jammu and Kashmir in 1989.

Patkar vows to continue campaign (Go To Top)

     Bhopal: Narmada Bachao Andolan pioneer and environmentalist, Medha Patkar on Wednesday led hundreds to a protest demonstration outside the residence of the Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan, demanding proper rehabilitation of people displaced by the Sardar Sarovar Dam project. The NBA has alleged that tens of thousands of families have been displaced by the Sardar Sarovar Dam, but not a single family has been given proper arable land and many have been forced to accept inadequate cash compensation. She vowed to continue her crusade against the increase of height of the dam and the slow progress of the rehabilitation programme. "It (the letter) clearly says that there is no land available in Madhya Pradesh, and only by decreasing the height of the dam, thousands of families could be saved. It is not only the question of acres of land drowning with people losing their livelihood, around 250 kilometres of land will be directly affected. Nobody wants to listen to our woes. The only way left for us is to resort to campaign and fight for the cause," she said.

    However, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan reiterated his stand on the rehabilitation work and appealed for cooperation. "I want to appeal to all the classes of society, especially for the people favouring the increase of height of the dam as well those against it, that they cooperate in the work of rehabilitation," he said. Early this week, the Supreme Court warned state authorities that it would stop work on increasing the height of the Sardar Sarovar Dam if the affected people were not rehabilitated properly. The warning from the Supreme Court came in response to a petition to halt work on the Sardar Sarovar dam in Gujarat until farmers who have lost their homes and fields to the project are given adequate compensation and suitable replacement land. Authorities began work last month to raise the height of the Sardar Sarovar Dam, the biggest dam in the multi-billion dollar Narmada Valley development project, by a further 12 metres to 122 metres (133 yards). But they ran into stiff opposition, led by Patkar, who has spearheaded a campaign to protect thousands of poor farmers displaced or threatened by the dam. In late March, Patkar, 52, began a hunger strike that lasted for nearly 20 days, which she broke only after the Supreme Court's order. Patkar has said that if the height of the dam is raised, more than 35,000 families, most of them impoverished tribal farmers, could have their homes and fields submerged when monsoon rains arrive in June and are still waiting to be resettled. Supporters of the dam have fought back with a media campaign, calling for the work to continue, as it will supply much needed water and power to the states of Rajasthan, Gujarat, Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh.

One killed in Maharashtra Naxal attack (Go To Top)
by Raj Karne

     Nagpur: One police constable was killed and 15 of his colleagues were injured in a landmine blast triggered off by Naxals in Maharashtra's Gadchiroli District, about 250 kms from here late on Tuesday night. The vehicle carrying 17 security personnel was ambushed at Phulbondi in Vidharbha. Constable Devendra Raspekar died on the spot, while the condition of sub-inspector Harish Madavi and two other constables was described as serious by doctors at the Government Medical College Hospital here. The other policemen received minor injuries and were being treated at a Gadchiroli medical dispensary when reports last came in. According to India Defence, an independent news and research outfit, the Naxal movement in Maharashtra is not recognized, but this has not stopped the Maoists from carving out a guerrilla zone in the underdeveloped tribal areas of eastern Maharashtra over the last two decades. It was during the 1980s that the Naxals entered from neighbouring Andhra Pradesh with the slogan 'liberation against state repression.' They managed to establish rapport with the local poverty stricken tribals by regularly visiting their villages.

     While the Naxals were making inroads into eastern Maharashtra, the government was terming them as the 'spill over effect' from Andhra Pradesh. Today, there are fifteen Dalams (Naxal outfits) working in Maharashtra, among which the Platoon Dalam, Tipagarh Dalam and Khobramendha Dalam are the most vicious, as they are known to use light machine guns and other sophisticated weapons during their attacks. The CPI (Maoist) has around 250 fulltime armed cadres and a strong contingent of 3,000 local supporters in Maharashtra. Gadchiroli has become the Red bastion in Maharashtra, whereas Chandrapur, Gondiya, Yavatmal, Bhandara and Nanded Districts have been declared "Naxal prone areas". All these districts adjoin the Naxal-infested regions of Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, and Madhya Pradesh. The Ministry of Home Affairs' Annual Report (2004-05) registered an alarming 15 per cent increase in Naxal violence in Maharashtra during 2004. Last year proved to be more eventful with the Naxals systematically choosing their targets and spreading their area of operation. Throughout the year, the Naxals have targeted security personnel, and what is even more surprising is their sustained attack on local self-government institutions. In and around Gadchiroli, police records show that more then 80 per cent of the people killed are tribals. Gadchiroli is one of the least developed districts in Maharashtra where the poorest of the poor live amidst extreme violence and abject poverty. The Vidarbha region has also witnessed highest number of suicides among the farmers in 2005. Although these deaths are not related to the problem of Naxalism, the Naxals have used this situation to win over the disgruntled farmers by criticising the failure of the state government to rescue of farmers. The state government has formulated a surrender policy that provides cash benefits to those surrendering and providing them self-employment and education. This policy can yield results only when people are confident about the government.

IIFA awards function in Dubai (Go To Top)

     Mumbai: The International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) awards ceremony will be held in Dubai in June, Bollywood screen idol Amitabh Bachchan told reporters on Wednesday. Bachchan, who has starred in 110 films and is an idol to Bollywood's hundreds of millions of followers, is a member of the IIFA's advisory board and the academy's global ambassador. Launched four years ago from Millennium Dome in London, IIFA Awards have been held in Sun City, Genting Island, Johannesburg, Singapore and Amsterdam earlier. Bachchan said the IIFA awards acted as a medium to promote Indian cinema and culture on a global platform. "The IIFA movement celebrates Indian cinema and exhibits it across the world. It gives us an opportunity to showcase our art and culture in front of other nations and they also come to know about our country more. This is a good medium to promote our films and culture to the world through IIFA," he said. The film awards are especially aimed at India's almost-20 million strong diaspora, that is proving both lucrative and indispensable in efforts to bring Bollywood, the Mumbai-based prolific film industry, to world theatres. There can be few better symbols than the extravagant four-day long awards function for nearly 400 Indian actors, directors, scriptwriters and producers. The event is scheduled to be held from June 14 to June 19. The Indian film industry, which makes three times as many films a year as Hollywood, has captivated cinema-goers around the world with its escapist musical extravaganzas.

India Weather Watch website launched (Go To Top)

      New Delhi: Union Minister for Science and Technology, Kapil Sibal, launched the weather portal www.indiaweatherwatch.org on Wednesday with a view to the growing requirement of weather and climate related information for day- to-day activities. The portal will disseminate current weather information for about 200 locations and five day forecasts for about 20 cities spread over the country. This information will be specially highlighted for the metros and major cities. The technical content will be based on forecasts given by the two major operational agencies under DST, viz., India Meteorological Department (IMD) and the National Centre for Medium Range Weather Forecasting (NCMRWF). Climatological information and research products of the Indian Institute for Tropical Meteorology (IITM), Pune will be also used. Links have been provided to various other national and international institutions for further information. The portal is positioned as a user friendly, application oriented, visually appealing and simply worded - one-stop basic weather information provider for public. In addition to the current weather and forecasts the portal will provide general and zone-wise weather bulletins with an exclusive page for severe weather events. Weekly agro-advisories will be provided for different agro- climatic zones with specific guidance on farm operations keeping in view the impending weather for the week. The portal has been designed and hosted by FICCI on public-private partnership.

Qatar Deputy PM meets Manmohan (Go To Top)

     New Delhi: Qatar's Deputy Prime Minister, Sheikh Hamad Bin Jassim Bin, called on Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Wednesday here. Jassim Bin, who is also Qatar's Foreign Minister, is in India on a four-day visit with the aim of boosting bilateral investments and the supply of natural gas to India from the Gulf state. He also met National Security Advisor M.K. Narayanan. India has strong energy ties with the OPEC producer and buys nearly one million tonnes a year of crude from Qatar. Qatar is home to the world's third-largest gas reserves after Russia and Iran and aims to export 77 million tonnes of LNG by 2012, besides spending 15 billion dollars in the next five years to add 70 vessels to its fleet of LNG tankers. Energy-hungry India, which imports 70 percent of its crude oil requirement and produces barely half the gas it needs, is seeking stakes in foreign oil and gas projects and taking steps to strengthen ties with large oil producers. Qatar has also stressed that it is keen to have defence cooperation with India and had in April last year finalised deals for the sale of 12 used Mirage 2005 aircrafts to New Delhi. India is the eighth largest market for Qatari export and the largest supplier of ready-made garments, tea and vegetables to it. The volume of bilateral trade has been increasing over the years, including non-oil trade volume, which stood at 776.11 million dollars for the current year as against 315.44 million dollars in 2003-04.

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