Arunachal CM

Braving inclement weather, two Mi-17 helicopters early on Monday launched a massive search and rescue mission to trace the chopper carrying Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Dorjee Khandu that went missing some 48 hours ago along the India-Bhutan border, officials said. "Two Mi-17 helicopters took of
f from Tawang at 6.15 am for search and rescue mission despite very bad weather," Ranjeeb Sahoo, spokesperson of the Eastern Air Command of the Indian Air Force, said.
Aerial operations were abandoned Sunday following heavy rains in the northeastern state of Arunachal Pradesh.
The Pawan Hans AS350 B-3 helicopter carrying the chief minister and four others went missing after it took off from Tawang at 9.50 am on Saturday.
The last radio contact with the ground was about 20 minutes after take off as it flew over the Sela Pass along the Chinese border perched at an altitude of 13,700 feet.
"There is no news yet of the missing helicopter. Search operations are on with hundreds of army, police and paramilitary troopers conducting an intensive ground search along the route the helicopter flew, besides a coordinated operation is also on in Bhutan," said senior minister Nabam Tuki.
On Sunday, two satellites from the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) had taken images but the images were hazy due to bad weather.
Two Sukhoi-30 aircrafts from a base in Bareilly also completed aerial mapping over Arunachal Pradesh Sunday in an attempt to get definite clues about the missing helicopter.
"We are expecting a report of the satellite images later in the day," the minister said.
A sense of despondency prevails in Arunachal Pradesh.
"We are hoping against hope now to get some news about the helicopter and its occupants. There are prayers being held in all the Buddhist monasteries for some good news," said Tsewang Dhondup, Congress legislator from Tawang.
Yeshmi Lamu, the lone woman occupant in the helicopter, is the younger sister of Dhondhup. "She was in the helicopter with the chief minister for some medical checkup in Itanagar."

"Everybody is praying for the chief minister and the other four. We also want a clarification from the governor for making such an irresponsible statement about the safe landing of the helicopter," Baman Felix, a civil rights leader in Arunachal Pradesh said.
The helicopter in question, AS350 B-3, is a single-engine chopper. In case of an engine failure, there are very slim chances of the helicopter making a safe landing.
The incident comes just days after another Pawan Hans helicopter crashed in Tawang April 19, killing 17 people and injuring six.
The Pawan Hans Helicopter Services Limited (PHHL) has been operating five helicopters across Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim, Meghalaya, Nagaland and Tripura and daily Guwahati-Tawang services for the past nine years. It is one of the major lifelines of the landlocked Arunachal Pradesh.

Sathya Sai Baba Samadhi

A kilometre -long line of Indians and foreigners queued for hours in the blistering afternoon sunshine Tuesday for their chance to circle past the glass coffin of Indian spiritual guru Sathya Sai Baba and pay their respects.
State-run All India Radio said that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and the leader of the ruling Congress party Sonia Gandhi were expected to visit his ashram or spiritual centre in Puttaparti, the southern Indian town where the guru was born.
The 84-year-old's Sunday death triggered an outpouring of grief from followers who included Indian politicians, movie stars, athletes and industrialists. Most remembered him as a pious, selfless person who worked to help others with the billions of dollars donated to his charitable trust. However, he had also been dismissed by some in the past as a charlatan who passed off magic tricks as miracles.
Within India, Sai Baba was a well-known face and his photograph, with a halo of frizzy dark hair and orange robes, adorned millions of homes, car dashboards and lockets worn by Indian and foreign believers.
His body has been kept in a glass casket inside the main auditorium of his ashram since Sunday evening.
On Tuesday, hundreds of volunteers -- men dressed in white trousers and shirts with blue scarves, and women in saris and yellow scarves -- handed out plates of food and packets of cookies and drinking water to the long line of mourners.
A canopy stretched several hundred feet (meters) to protect the mourners, but the serpentine queues were over a mile (kilometre) long and thousands waited under the beating sun.
Afternoon temperatures in Puttaparti can soar to well over a 100 degrees Fahrenheit (37 degrees Celsius) in April.
Narendra Modi, the top elected official of the western state of Gujarat, was among the mourners Tuesday.
Sai Baba's body will be on display through Tuesday, and hundreds of thousands are expected to visit before his state funeral Wednesday morning.
Sai Baba spiritual centres, or ashrams, exist in more than 126 countries. The guru was said to perform miracles, conjuring jewelry, Rolex watches and "vibhuti" -- a sacred ash that his followers applied to their foreheads -- from his hair.
But rationalist critics called him a charlatan and his miracles fake. Several news reports alleged he sexually abused devotees -- accusations he denied as smear campaigns.
The allegations and criticism did not reduce the intense devotion from his followers.
Health problems forced Sai Baba to reduce public appearances in recent years. He had been hospitalized for nearly a month.

The trust -- estimated to be worth at least $8.9 billion and possibly much more -- has no named successor.

Kanimozhi

Kanimozhi

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Monday named five more people, including Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi's daughter Kanimozhi, co-accused in the case involving the award of second generation (2G) phone spectrum.

The supplementary chargesheet, the second thus far, filed by the premier probe agency in a special court here also names as co-accused Sharad Kumar of Kalaignar TV, Karim Morani of Cineyug Films, Asif Balwa and Rajiv B Agarwal of Kusegaon Realty.

"I don't want to comment now," Kanimozhi told IANS in Chennai.

Dayalu Ammal, wife of Karunanidhi and stepmother of Rajya Sabha member Kanimozhi, does not figure in the charges filed Monday as speculated by a section of the media.

Kanimozhi, Dayalu Ammal and Kumar have 20, 60 and 20 per cent shares in the channel respectively.

The CBI had earlier told the court that Rs 200 crore connected with the 2G spectrum scam had travelled from a partnership firm of Balwa to Kalaignar TV.

The agency had said the money travelled through a "circuitous route" through Kusegaon Fruits and Vegetables Pvt Ltd, a DB group company and Cineyug Films Pvt Ltd.

"Investigations have also revealed that in furtherance of the conspiracy, Dynamix Realty, a partnership firm of DB Realty Ltd and other DB group companies, paid Rs 200 crore to Kalaignar TV Pvt Ltd during December 2008 to August 2009, following a circuitous route through Kusegaon Fruits and Vegetables Pvt Ltd and Cineyug Films Pvt Ltd (DB group holds 49 per cent equity in it)," CBI said in its first charge sheet filed on April 2.

The probe agency had first named as accused former communications minister A. Raja, his personal aide R.K. Chandolia, former telecom secretary Siddhartha Behura and Swan Telecom promoter Shahid Balwa.

Later, five more corporate executives were added to the list as co-accused -- Vinod Goenka of Swan Telecom, Sanjay Chandra of Unitech and three officials of Anil Ambani Group: Gautam Doshi, Hari Nair and Surendra Pipara.

All nine are in judicial custody.

The case involves award of telecom spectrum to private players, which the investigative agency says was done in a fraudulent manner, causing losses worth billions of rupees to the exchequer.

The case had taken a serious turn after Raja, a leader of the DMK, resigned Nov 14 as communications minister. This was after the official auditor held that his policy on spectrum allocation had led to a loss of several billion dollars to the exchequer.

While the former minister was arrested by the probe agency in the national capital on February 2, along with Behura and Chandolia, Swan Telecom promoter Balwa was arrested from Pune on February 8.

Raja, his aide and officials from the Department of Telecom (DoT) face charges for their roles in awarding radio frequency. The former minister also faces charges of forgery, while Chandolia and Behura have been accused of misusing their official positions.

Sathya Sai Baba Miracles

Sathya Sai Baba

Sathya Sai Baba was without a doubt the most powerful of all the spiritual gurus that the nation has seen. Every Indian prime minister and president had called on him and sought his blessings. The prime minister was always part of the convocation ceremony at Puttaparthi.

But what made Sathya Sai Baba so much more popular than the rest of the spiritual gurus across the nation?

Shanthanu, a regular at Puttaparthi, shares his belief.

"I guess the primary difference between him and the rest was that people saw him as God and not as a godman. There is a very big difference in this. I always came down to Puttaparthi for solace; I find this place to be very peaceful."

Other devotees too agree with Shanthanu.
The common man will remember him for his services to mankind like the hospitals, drinking water projects and also his educational institutions.

However, what really drew people to Puttaparthi were the miracles, which many claimed to have seen.

Although there have been critics who termed it as a plain illusion when Sathya Sai Baba pulled out ash, gold chains from thin air or a shiva linga from his mouth, the spiritual leader continued to draw a huge round of applause whenever he did so. For his devotees it was not magic, but a miracle by God.

Sathya Sai Baba, according to the more neutral people, was a combination of both God and a great human being.

His motto was service to the mankind -- the one aspect that kept most of his critics quiet.
His devotees believe that the structures at Puttaparthi came up in no time and this takes place only because of a miracle. They say only God and not godmen can do things like this.

The devotees add that it was their privilege to see Sathya Sai Baba, as it was only once in a life time that one could get to see God in flesh and blood.

"We know Baba has left his body, but we will get to see him very soon as Prema Sai Baba," they say in hope.

"What are the critics talking about, Puttaparthi resident Papamma asks, adding, "Today we have world class facilities over here -- the best hospital, very good educational system, an airport etc. Swami has not taken a penny from any of us to do all this. We saw all this happening overnight. What else do u call it but a miracle?"
Puttaparthi has been no stranger for the high and mighty.

Celebrities, politicians, industrialists and scores of other high profile personalities were regulars at the ashram.

Many in Puttaparthi feel that it is only the real devotee who will finally remain or even visit the ashram. The rush of politicians except staunch devotees will come down drastically now that Sathya Sai Baba is not there.

A lot of politicians believed that being seen with Sathya Sai Baba was a sure shot way to get the ballot box ticking. The spiritual leader had such an influence over people and any one seen close to him was considered to be his man.

Suresh Kalmadi

Suresh Kalmadi

Former Commonwealth Games Organising Committee chairman Suresh Kalmadi was finally arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Monday afternoon in relation to irregularities in the conduct of the sporting event last year.


Kalmadi was arrested by the CBI after being quizzed in the morning for irregularities in the Queen's Baton Relay event held in London before the Games and also for those in the Rs 107 crore contract awarded to a Swiss time keeping company.


He will be produced in court on Tuesday, a CBI spokesperson said.


Close aides -- former OC secretary general Lalit Bhanot and former director general V K Verma -- were arrested in February for the time deal.


The CBI asked Kalmadi to appear before it on Monday to clarify new issues which surfaced during the visit of the agency's officials to London in connection with Queen's Baton Relay scam.
Kalmadi had expressed his inability to appear before the CBI citing his foreign visit, saying he would return home only after April 19. But even after returning from his visit abroad, he did not turn up before the sleuths saying he was still not in Delhi, sources said.


The CBI conveyed to him to appear before it on April 25 for clarifying details gathered during the trip of two-member team to London in connection with cases related to alleged irregularities in hiring AM Films and AM Car and Van Hire Limited during QBR held in 2009, sources in the agency said.
The team managed to speak to the London-based owner of both the companies – Ashish Patel – who has given a lot of information and documents with regard to the allegedly overvalued deal.


The documents and records made available by Patel will be provided to the CBI officially in reply to their Letter Rogatory issued to British Authorities, sources said.


AM Car and Van Hire company in London was engaged during Queen's Baton Relay in 2009 to provide services like taxis for the guests and OC members. The AM films was hired to provide display monitors during the event.


The team had also questioned other companies which were in fray for the lucrative contract, they said.


The agency sent a two-member team comprising Additional Director V K Gupta and DIG S K Palsania to London which got "clinching" details about the payments made to the two companies allegedly with the sanction of Kalmadi, they said.
CBI sources said the team now wants Kalmadi to reply to the new pieces of information on the monetary transactions with the two companies.


Monday was the third time Kalmadi appeared before the CBI to face questions about Games irregularities.

Prashanti Nilayam

Sathya Sai Baba,

The body of spiritual leader Sathya Sai Baba, who died on Sunday morning, will be kept at Prashanti Nilayam - his ashram in this pilgrim town - for two days to enable devotees to have a "last darshan".

According to the statement released by Sathya Sai Central Trust, the body will be kept at Sai Kulwant Hall at 6 pm on Sunday. The body will lie there on Monday and Tuesday.

The trust is silent about the last rites but it is likely to be performed on Wednesday at Prashanti Nilayam with full state honours. The trust has appealed to devotees not to rush to the hospital and have a last glimpse of Baba in an orderly manner.

It was at Prashanti Nilayam that Baba has been giving darshan and blessing his devotees for over four decades.

Sai Baba, whom his devotees worshipped as god, was suffering from multi-organ dysfunction. He breathed his last at the Sathya Sai super-speciality hospital, where he was admitted on March 28 with cardiac problems. He was 85.

Puttaparthi

Puttaparthi

The mortal remains of Sathya Sai Baba will be buried at Puttaparthi on Wednesday and a samadhi will be erected.
Baba, who passed away at the age of 85, on Sunday morning at 7.40 am, will be laid in state for two days at the Sai Kulwant Hall.
Baba's body has now been shifted out of the Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Medical Sciences at Puttaparthi. It is now being taken to the Yujuramma temple in the city and will be bathed.

Following this process, it will be taken to the Sai Kulwant Hall where it will lay in state for the next two days. Devotees can see the body after 6 pm on Sunday.
The fact that Baba will be buried was a known fact all along. It is a tradition in India that all God realised persons are buried and not cremated. The case was similar in the case of Shiridi Sai Baba.

Meanwhile, security has been tightened as the body was shifted from the hospital. There are over 6,000 police security personnel in Puttaparthi and the entire area has been cordoned off.
The members of the trust and several devotees have pitched in to ensure that there is no chaos or commotion during the funeral.

Puttaparthi is expecting over 3 lakh devotees from across the world in the coming days. Various states have made special arrangements to transport devotees. However, the devotees will need to walk at least eight kilometres in order to reach Sai Kulwant Hall as the roads leading up to Puttaparthi have been cordoned off.
When the body reaches the Sai Kulwant hall, only devotees will be allowed inside and the media has been barred.

However, the burial will be in the presence of the members of the trust and family members apart from some Andhra Pradesh government ministers and officials. This would be barred for the devotees as well.
The Andhra Pradesh government has declared four days of state mourning. A holiday has been declared at the Ananthpur district on Wednesday when the burial takes place.

Sathya Sai Baba Death

Sathya Sai Baba Death

The death of spiritual leader Sathya Sai Baba has left a question mark on the future of the Sri Sathya Sai Central Trust (SSSCT), estimated to have assets worth Rs 40,000 crore ($9 billion).
As Baba, who was chairperson of the trust, left no successor to the massive empire, his death might trigger a fight for succession among the trust members which include his nephew R.J. Ratnakar.

While some eminent devotees of Baba believe that with personalities like former chief justice of India P.N. Bhagvati on the board, the trust will carry on in a smooth manner various charitable work in India and abroad, they also fear the government might take over control in case of any rift among the members.

"There is no rift among the trust members but I can't say this about Baba's family members," a retired police officer, who is an ardent devotee of Baba told IANS on condition of anonymity. He said the government might take over if such a situation arises.

Ever since Baba was admitted to hospital with multi-organ dysfunction last month, speculation of differences among trust members were doing the rounds. Ratnakar, son of Baba's brother, reportedly wanted cheque power which is presently with trust member secretary A. Chakravarthi, a retired Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer, who quit his job on Baba's advise to join his network.

Though not a member of the trust, Satyajit, Baba's personal caregiver, is allegedly trying to have a greater say in the financial matters as Baba had reportedly promised him last year a key post on the trust.

Reports in a section of vernacular media suggest that suitcases full of money and gold were taken out of Prashanti Nilayam, the ashram of Baba. However, some well-known devotees have denied the reports.

"Since all the contributions to the trust come in the form of cheques and it does not accept cash, there is no scope for misappropriation of even a single rupee," said former judge of Andhra Pradesh High Court J. Eswara Prasad.

According to Prasad, Bhagvati recently met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to brief him about the activities of the trust and to clear the air in view of the "rumours". Sai Baba had formed the trust in 1972 to run the affairs of his massive spiritual empire. It is under SSSCT that dozens of trusts in about 160 countries are running educational institutions, hospitals, drinking water schemes and undertaking various other service activities.

Besides Bhagavati, Chakravarthi and Ratnakar, S.V. Giri, a former chief vigilance commissioner, Indulal Shah, a chartered accountant-turned entrepreneur and Venu Srinivasan of TVS Motors are members of the trust.

Ratnakar was inducted by Baba last year following the death of his father Janakiram. Nobody from the children of Baba's two other brothers and sisters have any say in the trust.

The trust always kept itself away from the media. Not much is known about the donations it receives from India and abroad, which are exempt from tax. Since Baba's devotees include heads of states and governments, rich businessmen and celebrities.

The trust is believed to have received donations running into billions of rupees from across the world. The lack of transparency, however, has given rise to suspicion. Following the recent allegations, Ratnakar had denied any fund diversion. He also stated that all the foreign donations are deposited in a separate bank account as per the norms approved by the union home  ministry under the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act, 1976.

The trust runs the Sathya Sai University complex, the 220-bed Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Medical Sciences, where Baba breathed his last; a world religion museum; a planetarium; a railway station; a hill-view stadium; a music college; an administrative building; an airport and an indoor sports stadium in Puttaparthi.
It also runs a specialty hospital in Bangalore, several other hospitals and dispensaries in the backward district of Anantapur. It also funded several drinking water projects, including one for 731 villages in Anantapur district, and Krishna water supply to Chennai.

Patna High Court

Patna High Court

A division bench of the Patna high court, comprising Justice S K Katriar and Justice Samarendra Pratap Singh, here on Thursday directed the circle officer (CO) of Maner in Patna district to consider a fresh representation of the petitioner challenging construction of an Anganwadi Kendra on the order of mukhiya of Sadiqpur gram panchayat on a public land adjacent to National Highway (NH) 30.
In his PIL, petitioner Ratnesh submitted that Bihar Public Land Encroachment Act was violated in the construction of an Anganwadi Kendra on public land which is being used as a thoroughfare and drainage outlet. The petitioner submitted that in future if the NH 30 is widened, the Anganwadi Kendra would have to be removed.
Bihar cricket: A single bench presided by Justice S N Hussain on Thursday issued a directive for production of common list of life members of both the Bihar Cricket Association and Association of Bihar Cricket.
The order was passed during hearing of a petition of Bihar Cricket Association seeking permission to operate its bank accounts on the ground that it is the only true representative of Bihar cricket. The Assoociation of Bihar Cricket disputed the claim of the Bihar Cricket Assocation. The court adjourned the hearing of the case to May 5.

Chandigarh Police

Chandigarh Police

The Chandigarh Police have become the first police force in the country to procure an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) — ‘Golden Hawk’ — for policing. The UAV, which will keep a “bird’s eye on criminal activities” taking place in the city, will help the police maintain law and order.


On Wednesday, senior scientists from Defence Research Development Organisation (DRDO) — from where the UT Police have procured the Golden Hawk — demonstrated its functions to senior police officers at Sarangpur village.


“The UAV will help the UT Police in policing, traffic management, securing areas during visits by VVIPs, disaster management, research and development, defence and security. Now that we have procured one UAV, we have become the first police force in the country to possess such a machine,” Inspector General of Police K Srivastava told mediapersons on Wednesday. It will be used whenever there is a need, he added.
The UAV has been manufactured by the Aeronautical Development Establishment (ADE) — one of DRDO’s premier laboratories based in Bangalore — which has been designing and developing UAVs for the Army.


Director of National Programme-Micro Air Vehicles, ADE, V S Chandrashekar, said: “The Golden Hawk runs on battery and is equipped with a powerful small camera which can record the activities on ground zero. The machine has an operational range of 2 km and can take video from an altitude of 80-100 m. The machine flies for about half-an-hour and it returns to its station with the footage.”

Sathya Sai Baba

Sathya Sai Baba

Though the condition of spiritual leader Sathya Sai Baba is worsening, some of his devotees are confident he will recover and live for 96 years as he had once predicted. A group of eminent devotees, including former judges, police officers and physicians, believe that the 85 year old Sathya Sai Baba
's present condition is because he has taken on himself the sufferings of one of his devotees.

Devotees of Sathya Sai Baba also appealed to the people not to believe in rumours on the godman's health and asked the media to "respect" their sentiments.
In a joint press conference organised by Sri Sathya Sai Baba Devotees forum in Hyderabad on Thursday, prominent devotees urged people not to believe in rumours on Sai Baba's health and reports in a section of press on Sri Sathya Sai Central Trust.
As the guru battles for life at the Sathya Sai super speciality hospital at Puttaparthi town in Anantapur district, a group of devotees on Thursday held a press conference, to say he would recover and appeal to the media to respect their sentiments.
"Sai Baba is incarnation of god. He will recover and will live for 96 years as he himself had once said," said R Prabhakar Rao, former police chief of Andhra Pradesh.
Some devotees said Sathya Sai Baba himself was god and hence not like other human beings. They believe he is passing through the current phase of illness as he has taken human form. The group also said that faith had no logic.
The eminent devotees dismissed reports in a section of the media that Sathya Sai Baba died 20 days ago and that his death was not being announced to get funds from his devotees in India and abroad.
Former chief justice of Andhra Pradesh high court J Eswara Prasad claimed that Sathya Sai Baba had cured his childhood paralysis when doctors had termed it incurable.
"He always protected me and I did not even avail the official security during some key assignments," said the former judge.
Eminent agricultural scientist and former vice chancellor of Andhra Pradesh Agricultural University MV Rao said he, too, believed that Sathya Sai Baba would come out of the present illness and go on to live for 96 years.
"Though as a scientist I see everything scientifically, the powers of Baba and his extraordinary social work impressed me," he said.
Former police commissioner of Hyderabad Appa Rao said the Sathya Sai Baba possessed supernatural powers and he had seen him materialise objects like wristwatches and rings out of thin air.
Facing a volley of questions, the devotees did not respond to a query if they would stop believing Sathya Sai Baba was an incarnation of god if he did not live for 96 years.
Physician and vice president of Narayana Hrudayalaya-Malla Reddy Hospital Anil Kumar said only four organs of the guru had either failed or not functioning well and claimed that there were hundreds of instances where such patients lived on ventilator for 25 years.
Anil Kumar quoted doctors attending on Sathya Sai Baba as saying that he was not in coma.
He said though millions of devotees had come forward to donate their organs, it was not possible to transplant the vital organs.

Bhawani Singh

Bhawani Singh

Sawai Bhawani Singh, the last titular maharaja of Jaipur, passed away at a private hospital in Gurgaon, his family said Sunday. He was 79.
‘Bhawani Singh died late last (Saturday) night due to multi-organ failure,’ a source close to the family told IANS.
His body was brought here Sunday morning where Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, Tourism Minister Bina Kak, Health Minister A.A. Khan, Chief Secretary S. Ahmad and people from all over the state came to pay their respects.
‘The funeral procession will start at 11 a.m. tomorrow (Monday) from the City Palace and proceed to Jaleb Chowk, Badi Chaupar, Chhoti Chaupar, Gangauri Bazaar and will reach Gaitor Cenotaph for the last rites,’ the source said.
Bhawani Singh was the eldest son of the late Maharaja Sawai Man Singh II of Jaipur. He was born October 22, 1931, and received his early education at SheshNag (Jammu and Kashmir), Doon School (Dehradun) and Harrow (Britain).
Singh was married to Sirmur princess Kumari Padmini Devi, the daughter of Rajendra Prakash Bahadur, a ruler himself.
The couple has one daughter, princess Diya Kumari.
Bhawani Singh had adopted his grandson, Padmanabh Singh, as his heir in 2002.
In 1951, Bhawani Singh was commissioned into the Indian Army in the 3rd Cavalry Regiment as a second lieutenant. In 1954, he was selected for the Presidents’ Bodyguard. In 1963, he was posted to the 50 (Independent) Parachute Brigade.
From 1964-1967, he was adjutant at the Indian Military Academy in Dehradun. In 1967, he volunteered for the new special forces unit and was posted to 10 Para Commando as second-in-command. The following year he became the elite unit’s commanding Officer.
In 1970, he helped in training the ‘Mukti Bahini’, the rebel army in Bangladesh against then Pakistani rule.
In 1970, after the death of Maharaja Sawai Man Singh II, the president of India recognized him as the successor and ruler of Jaipur and a notification was issued for this.
During 1971 India-Pakistan war, he was awarded the second highest wartime gallantry award — the Mahavir Chakra.
His unit, the 10 Para Commando, also received 10 gallantry awards for their action in the war. He took voluntary retirement in 1974.
When the Indian Army was in action in Sri Lanka in the 1980s, Bhawani Singh went to Sri Lanka at the request of then prime minister Rajiv Gandhi to boost the morale of the soldiers.
For this the president of India bestowed upon him the rank of brigadier for life.
Bhawani Singh was also the first resident high commissioner to Brunei from 1993 to 1997.

Binayak Sen

Binayak Sen

The Supreme Court on Friday granted bail to Dr Binayak Sen, who has been convicted for sedition and sentenced to life by a Raipur court in Chhattisgarh.

A bench comprising Justices HS Bedi and CK Prasad passed the order on the petition moved by Sen challenging the order of Chhattisgarh High Court denying him bail.

What is sedition?

The section 124A of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) deals with sedition.

Definition: Whoever by words, either spoken or written, or by signs, or by visible representation, or otherwise, brings or attempts to bring into hatred or contempt, or excites or attempts to excite disaffection towards, the Government established by law in India.

Explanation 1: The expression "disaffection" includes disloyalty and all feelings of enmity.

Explanation 2: Comments expressing disapprobation of the measures of the Government with a view to obtain their alteration by lawful means, without exciting or attempting to excite hatred, contempt or disaffection, do not constitute an offence under this section.

Explanation 3: Comments expressing disapprobation of the administrative or other action of the Government without exciting or attempting to excite hatred, contempt or disaffection, do not constitute an offence under this section.

Punishment: Imprisonment for life, to which fine may be added, or with imprisonment which may extend to three years, to which fine may be added, or with fine.

Chitra Daughter

Chitra 

Singer KS Chitra's eight-year-old daughter Nandana drowned in a swimming pool in Dubai on Thursday morning, according to sources close to the family in Kerala.

The girl's body would be brought here, sources said.

Chitra, 47, popularly known as "South Indian Nightingale", and her family
were in Dubai to take part in a stage show later in the day.

In January, she completed three decades as a playback singer. The singer has rendered more than 15,000 songs in Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Oriya, Hindi, Assamese, Bengali and Punjabi films.
Her husband Vijaya Shankar is an engineer and it was in January this year that they moved into their new home here.

She has won six National Film Awards (in four different languages), five Filmfare Awards and more than 30 different state film awards.

Noida Sisters

Noida Sisters

Two sisters, who were locked up in their home for seven months, were rescued from their house in Noida in a state of acute starvation, police said on Tuesday.

According to the police, the sisters, around 40 years of age, had shut themselves in their house for seven months after their father's death.

Neighbours said they never came out of the house for seven months.

The two women have been taken to district hospital in Noida.
Sources: www.Times of India.com

Ambedkar Jayanti

Ambedkar Jayanti

 The truncated week continues as the Indian stock Market i.e. the BSE and the NSE will remain shut on Thursday on account of Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Jayanti.

On Wednesday, the markets bounced back sharply after being under pressure for four straight trading session amid positive cues from the international equity markets and receding crude oil prices.

The BSE Sensex ended at 19,697 surging 434 points. It had earlier touched a day's high of 19,737 and a day's low of 19,101. It opened at 19,187. While, the NSE Nifty shot up by 126 points to close at 5,911.

Among the BSE sectoral indices, the BSE Capital Goods index was the top gainer, the index gained 2.7% followed by BSE Auto index adding 2.5%, while, BSE Banking index gained 2.3%. BSE Mid-Cap index and BSE Small-Cap index gained 1.4% and 1.3% respectively.

The European markets were trading with in the green, the FTSE index was up 0.9%, CAC index was up 0.7% and DAX index was up 1%.

Outside the index, the major gainers were Concor, Colgate, Siemens and Godrej Ind. Among the major losers were Core Projects, Marico, Engineers India and Rajesh Exports.
Sources: http://www.indiainfoline.com

Anna Hazare Latest News

Anna Hazare

After successfully leading the agitation on Lokpal Bill, Gandhian Anna Hazare on Saturday struck a note of caution, expressing apprehension over parliamentarians' readiness to pass a strong anti-corruption legislation and asked his supporters to be prepared for a "bigger battle". Addressing t
he media, the 73-year-old social activist said "power-hungry" politicians will not easily accept any bill having stringent provisions against corruption or "shed" the power they enjoy.

"But on this issue, people will get together," he said adding, MPs and MLAs were being elected to serve the people and not to be their masters.
"But they (elected representatives) have forgotten this."
Hazare, who has set August 15 as the deadline for passage of the bill, said, "I feel there will be need for a bigger agitation in future (to get the bill passed in Parliament)."
"I don't think they (MPs) will easily accede to the passage of the bill as they feel it will cut down their powers."
He said there is no fear among those who indulge in corruption. The proposed Lokpal Bill will act a deterrent for the corrupt and put a "big break" on the menace, Hazare felt.
Agencies like the CBI, the CVC and others are under government control and so they cannot fight corruption effectively, he said adding, when the Lokpal Bill comes into effect, the authority will have autonomy and no one will be able to put a spoke in its functioning.
Replying to a question, he dismissed the possibility of misuse of the proposed law for political purposes.
Admitting that he did not expect the groundswell of support for his campaign witnessed in the last five days, he said people joined him in such large numbers as they were fed up with corruption.
"They have had enough of it."
Asked if he has come out as a "national hero" to the youth like Mahatma Gandhi, Hazare said, "I am not worthy of even sitting at Gandhiji's feet. But he has influenced my thought process."
Sources: http://www.hindustantimes.com

Anna Hazare Latest News

Anna Hazare

Will Anna Hazare end his fast tonight? After a meeting between the government and social activists this evening, a breakthrough is likely, says Arvin Kejriwal, who was present at the latest round of negotiations over a new law to combat corruption in the government.
Telecom Minister met this evening with social activists Arvind Kejriwal, Kiran Bedi and Swami Agnivesh. At Jantar Manatar in Delhi, a short drive away, 6000 men, women and children sang "We shall overcome" in support of  what began as a hunger strike and cascaded into a people's revolution.
Jantar Mantar has become the Ground Zero of this movemet; its icon is Anna Hazare - the 72-year-old Gandhian who went on a "fast-unto-death" on Monday. He has two demands: That the government introduce a bill to tackle corruption immediately, and that politicians alone not be in charge of drafting that bill.  Several activists and lakhs of Indians have merged as one umbrella group - India Against Corruption. In cities across the country. Fasts and rallies are held everyday, daring the government to ignore the power of a people earlier desperate and now determined for change.

Mr Hazare spends his days and nights addressing the large crowds that gather before him.  His negotiations with the government are conducted via letters (he wrote again to the Prime Minister and Sonia Gandhi today) and through Swami Agnivesh and Mr Kejriwal.  In talks  yesterday with Telecom Minister Kapil Sibal, the activists managed to win a major concession. -the government agreed that a committee to draft the anti-corruption law or Jan Lokpal Bill would have five ministers and five representatives of civil society.  The sticking points were who would chair the committee, and what its legal status would be.
Activists first said they wanted Mr Hazare as Chairman. Mr Hazare said he wanted to be a member, not the head.  He then suggested that former Chief Justice of India JS Verma or retired Supreme Court judge Santosh Hegde be  made the Chair.  Mr Sibal said this morning that ministers would not be a part of a committee chaired by a non-elected representative.

The government also said that it cannot sanction Mr Hazare's request for a formal notification on the committee - an informal announcement will have to suffice. Activists say that without legal status, the committee will not be taken seriously." But this evening, Congress spokesperson Abhishek Manu Singhvi said, "No government can abdicate its Constitutional responsibility by accepting the impossible condition."

This evening, Mr Hazare offered a compromise - two chairmen, one from the government, one from civil society.

He also wrote to the Prime Minister and Sonia Gandhi, urging them to be more proactive in ending the impasse.

He urged Sonia Gandhi and her National Advisory Council - set up to interface with civil society and provide legislative and policy inputs - to discuss the "broad content of the Lokpal Bill...and recommend the outcome to the govt."  Mr Hazare has urged the Prime Minister to reconsider appointing Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee as the head of the committee to draft the Lokpal Bill. "People are demanding non-political person as chair. I am not interested in this role. I propose Justice Verma or Justice Hedge as chair," he wrote. 

The government says that protocol and precedent must both be weighed.  Allowing non-elected representatives to help draft legislation is dangerous, suggested Mr Sibal.  And that is why, he said, the committee cannot be formally notified in Parliament.  Instead, an announcement would have to suffice.  Activists including Mr Hazare say that's not good enough - without legal status, the committee's suggestions will not be taken seriously.

As the government tries to hold its ground, Mr Hazare is being urged by lakhs of Indians across the world not to cede his. Mr Hazare has long used hunger strikes as his tool of protest.  But a younger audience of Indians has made his acquaintance through his India Against Corruption campaign.  In colleges across the country, students are fasting in solidarity with him.  In cities across the country, housewives, executives and schoolchildren are taking the time to join rallies that have a singular agenda - zero-tolerance for corruption.
Since September last year, India has confronted corruption scams of unprecedented scale. The list is topped by a telecom swindle that saw 2G spectrum being sold at throwaway prices in 2008 by then Telecom Minister A Raja.  He is now in jail. His actions are estimated to have cost the government upto Rs. 1.76 lakh crore. As a series of financial skeletons have tumbled out of the government's closet, public anger has risen along with a determination to be the change.
Sources: http://www.ndtv.com

Venugopal CEO Of Software Firm

Actress Of TheTollywood Industry Yamuna

Bangalore Police have arrested the famous actress of theTollywood industry Yamuna on prostitution accusations on Friday night. Yamuna has been detained from a five star hotel in Bangalore.
On Thursday, Yamuna, Venugopal, a CEO of a software company and one more man, portended to be a broker, were being held for alleged involvement in a prostitution racket during a raid.
As said by the police, they had received information that the actress arrives in the city in the noon time, whereas the CEO has came at the hotel in the evening time. The detained people were being taken to the CCB office.
In the meantime, police meanwhile are suspecting a high profile prostitution racket after the occurrence.
As said by some sources, Bangalore’s Special Task Force (STF) has raided the most luxurious hotel on ITC Royal Gardenia Hotel, Bangalore on Thursday evening based on exact evidences.
It is likely to be a shock and hot news for the entire ‘Tollywood’ industry together with her fans.
As per the reports, together with Yamuna, there are eight other people have also been detained on Friday night.
Yamuna has acted in well famous Telugu, Kannada and Tamil films. She is also a CEO of a software firm.

Science Olympiad Foundation

Science Olympiad Foundation

The Science Olympiad Foundation is scheduled to publish the 13 NSO Result today i.e. Jan 22, 2011 for the 2010 Olympiad. These results can be checked on this official websitewww.sofworld.org, once declared. There is an official communication on the aforesaid site that the results would be declared soon today.

The Science Olympiad Foundation (SOF) promotes Science, Computer Science, Mathematicsand English. It conducts four competitions every year which are National Science Olympiad (NSO), the National Cyber Olympiad (NCO) International English Olympiad (IMO) and the International Mathematics Olympiad (IMO) at various centres across the country.

Rank holders till 500 would be given inspiring prizes ranging from Gold, Silver and Bronze Medal along with Laptops and cash scholarships. Rank holders between 101 & 500 would be provided with 500 cash and enlightening compact discs.