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Planning Commission's focus to be on infrastructure,
inclusive
growth: Montek New
Delhi: The reappointed Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission, Montek
Singh Ahluwalia, on Saturday said the commission would focus on infrastructure
development and inclusive growth. "President's address has given much emphasis
on infrastructure... when we say growth it is inclusive growth. We will have to
strengthen the infrastructure," he told reporters after the Prime Minister's Office
(PMO) cleared his reappointment as Plan panel's chief. On his re-appointment,
Ahluwalia said: "It is a great honour to be asked to serve again and I look forward
to getting down to work with new members of the Commission." Ahluwalia is the
first person to get the post of Plan panel Deputy Chairman for a second consecutive
term. Ahluwalia said Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has also consistently stressed
on an agenda of inclusive growth and the Commission would ensure that it happens,
he said. He added that the last two years saw a number of social sector initiatives
of the UPA government including the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, Gram
Sadak Yojana, Indira Awas Yojana and National Rural Health Mission. The government
has also retained Abhijit Sen, Syeda Hameed and B K Chaturvedi as members in the
reconstituted Commission. The new entrants to the Commission are Saumitra Chaudhuri,
former member of the PM's Economic Advisory Council, Narendra Jadhav, Vice-Chancellor
of Pune University and Mihir Shah, member, national executive of the Ministry
of Rural Development. Vice
Admiral Verma to be next Navy Chief Top New
Delhi: Vice Admiral Nirmal Kumar Verma has been appointed as the next Chief
of the Naval Staff with effect from the afternoon of August31, 2009. Vice Admiral
Verma presently Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief (FOC-in-C), Eastern Naval Command
will succeed Navy Chief Admiral Sureesh Mehta, who retires from service on August
31. Born on November 14, 1950, Vice Admiral Verma was commissioned on July 1,
1970, into the Executive Branch of Indian Navy. During his long and distinguished
service spanning nearly 39 years, he has served in a variety of Command, Staff
and Instructional appointments. Vice Admiral Verma's Sea Command includes Leander
class Frigate "Udaigiri", Guided Missile Destroyer "Ranvir" and the Aircraft Carrier
"Viraat". Before taking over as FOC-in-C, Eastern Naval Command, he was Vice Chief
of the Naval Staff at the Naval Headquarters. Vice Admiral Verma is an alumnus
of Royal Naval Staff College, UK and Naval War College, USA. He has instructional
experience at National Defence College as Senior Directing Staff and at Defence
Services Staff College, Wellington. He also commanded the Naval Academy at Goa.
Vice Admiral Verma was decorated with Param Vishist Seva Medal (PVSM) and Ati
Vishist Seva Medal(AVSM). He is one of the Honorary ADCs of the Supreme Commander.
He is married to Madhulika and the couple has two sons. Sikh
leaders perform Akhand Path on Blue Star anniversary Top
Amritsar: Shiromani Gurdwara
Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) president Avtar Singh Makkar and some Sikh leaders
gathered at the Akal Takht on Saturday to perform the "Akhand Path bhog" held
in remembrance of those who had died during Operation Blue Star in 1984. The radical
leaders, who were raising slogans in favour of Khalistan, were condemned by common
devotees, who had arrived there for paying obeisance. Harnam Singh Khalsa Bhindranwale,
chief, Damdami Taksal said that Sikhs will never forget attack on the Golden Temple
in 1984 by the Indian army. He reiterated the demand for raising of monuments
in the memory of the Sikh martyrs who had died during the operations. Later talking
to mediapersons, Makkar blamed the then Congress Government for ordering military
action at the Golden Temple. "The SGPC would rethink about raising a memorial
to Operation Blue Star," he added. Meanwhile, Sikh Disapora also registered their
protest against the Operation Blue Star. Talking from US to ANI, Dr. Amarjit Singh,
a Washington-based radical leader said that hundreds of Sikhs staged candlelight
vigil in front of the Indian Consulates in Chicago, San Francisco and New York.
They also staged protest at Otawa in Canada in front of the Indian Consulates.
Manmohan Singh, a Dal Khalsa leader in England, said, "Sikhs would never forget
the incident of 1984 when army attack on the Golden Temple and anti-Sikh riots
in Delhi." Sikhs in Europe also demonstrated their protest. Dr. Pritpal Singh,
Convenor, American Gurdwars Parbhadhak Committee (AGPC) said that how could we
pardon those who attacked on the Golden Temple. Today is the 25th anniversary
of "Operation Blue Star" marking the Indian Army's storming of the Sant Jarnail
Singh Bhindranwale and his group of armed extremists who had set up their base
in the temple complex. The Akal Takht, the spiritual seat of the Sikhs, was badly
damaged during the operations. Bhindrawale, who had entrenched himself in the
complex, was eventually killed along with several other Sikh militants. Former
Prime Minister Indira Gandhi was gunned down on October 31, 1984 by two of her
Sikh bodyguards, in retaliation for that operation. Her assassination led to riots
across the country in which Sikhs were violently targeted with tragic consequences.
US official
says no evidence of N Korea testing nuke Top
Washington: None of the four air samples taken
from the "cloud" from North Korea's purported May 25 nuclear test prove that North
Korea tested a nuclear device, Fox News has quoted a senior U.S. defense official,
as saying. The official added that the negative results in the atmospheric samples
do not rule out a nuclear test. The samples simply cannot prove for certain that
a nuclear device was detonated, and therefore it is impossible at this time for
the Pentagon to know with any accuracy what its potential yield was. U.S. intelligence
authorities are still operating under the assumption that a test took place last
month, he said. The United States has told South Korea it will impose its own
financial sanctions on the North apart from punishments that the U.N. has been
mulling for Pyongyang's latest violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions,
a news report said Friday. Last week, Pyongyang conducted a barrage of missile
launches and an underground nuclear test that violated previous U.N. Security
Council sanctions. The North also appeared to be preparing for more missile tests,
including one believed to be capable of reaching the US. |
