NATIONAL TEAM OF BJP ANNOUNCED TODAY BY SH.RAJNATH SINGH JI

Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi appears set for a bigger role at the national level in BJP ahead of the next Lok Sabha polls with the party on Sunday re-inducting him into the Central Parliamentary board, its top decision-making body.

62-year-old Modi is the only serving Chief Minister to be included in the Parliamentary Board by BJP President Rajnath Singh, who announced his new 76-member teamto steer the party into the next general elections.

Modi comes back to the party's top body after a gap of six years after having been removed from the Board by Singh during his previous tenure as party president, ending speculation over the Chief Minister's future role at the national level in BJP.

Modi, who has been projected by a section within BJP as the party's Prime Ministerial candidate, has also been included in BJP's Central Election Committee, headed by Singh.

Singh's new team has 12 Vice Presidents, 10 General Secretaries, 15 Secretaries and seven Spokespersons, besides a 12-member Central Parliamentary Board, a 19-member Central Election Committee and a five-member Central Disciplinary Committee.

Among the new faces in Singh's team are former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Uma Bharti and Modi's confidant Amit Shah who have been made Vice President and General Secretary respectively. Pilibhit MP Varun Gandhi has also been elevated as the party's General Secretary.

Party's senior leader and former Finance Minister Yashwant Sinha has not found a place in Singh's team. Among those who have been dropped include Najma Heptulla, Hema Malini and Shanta Kumar as Vice Presidents and Vasundhara Raje as General Secretary.

Smriti Irani, who is a Rajya Sabha MP from Gujarat and considered close to Modi, has also been promoted as Vice President.

Former Karnataka Chief Minister Sadananda Gowda has been given the post of Vice President while Rajiv Pratap Rudy has been elevated as General Secretary.

Durg MP Saroj Pandey has been made the new president of BJP Mahila Morcha, while Anurag Thakur continues as Yuva Morcha President in the new team.

While Prakash Javadekar, Shahnawaz Hussain and Nirmala Sitharaman will continue as Spokespersons, the new additions are Vijay Sonkar Shashtri, Sudhanshu Trivedi, Meenakshi Lekhi and Capt Abhimanyu.

Ravi Shankar Prasad, who is BJP's Deputy Leader in Rajya Sabha, has been dropped as the Chief Spokesperson of the party.

Poonam Mahajan, daughter of late party leader Pramod Mahajan, has found a place in Singh's team and has been made a Secretary, while Punjab's former Health Minister Laxmi Kanta Chawla is also a new inclusion and has been given the post of Vice President.

S S Ahluwalia, who was earlier BJP's Deputy Leader in Rajya Sabha, will be a Vice President.

The new BJP team, which has adequate representation of women, includes tribal face Jual Urao as Vice President and Luise Marandi from Jharkhand as Secretary.

The 12-member Central Parliamentary Board headed by Singh has top party leaders Atal Behari Vajpayee, L K Advani, Murli Manohar Joshi, M Venkaiah Naidu, Nitin Gadkari, Sushma Swaraj, Arun Jaitley, Ananth Kumar, Thawar Chand Gehlot and Ram Lal in it, besides Modi who was inducted today.

All these top leaders alongwith Gopinath Munde, Jual Oran, Shahnawaz Hussain, Vinay Katiyar, J P Nadda and Dr Harshwardhan are part of the party's Central Election Committee. Mahila Morcha chief Saroj Pandey is the ex-officio member of this committee.

The new Vice Presidents also include Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, C P Thakur, Balbir Punj, Satpal Malik, Prabhat Jha, Bijyo Chakravarti and Kiran Maheshwari, while the other General Secretaries are Ananth Kumar, Thawar Chand Gehlot, J P Nadda, Dharmendra Pradhan, Tapir Gao, Murlidhar Rao and Ram Lal, who will continue as Organising Secretary of the party.

V Satish and Soudan Singh will be the new Joint General Secretaries (Organisation), while Shyam Jaju, Bhupendra Yadav, Krishan Das, Anil Jain, Vinod Pandey, Trivendra Rawat, Rameshwar Chaurasiya, Aaarti Mehra, Renu Kushwaha, Sudha Yadav, Sudha Malaiya, Tamil Isai and Vani Tripathi are Secretaries.

Sanjay Paswan has been made President of the BJP SC Morcha and Faggan Singh Kulaste President of the ST Morcha, Abdul Rashid will head the Minority Morcha and Om Prakash Dhankar will head the party's Kisan Morcha.

Rajya Sabha MP Piyush Goyal has been retained as Treasurer and O P Kohli as Headquarter Incharge, while former MP Ramkripal Sinha will be Office Secretary of Parliamentary Party and Shanmuknathan as Joint Office Secretary of the Parliamentary Party.

The party's Central Disciplinary Committee has Radha Mohan Singh as President, Jagdish Mukhi as Secretary and L Ganesahn, Hari Babu and Shyam Nandan Singh as its members

Serena Williams beat Sharapova lift 6th WTA Miami title;

 

Serena Williams won a record sixth Miami title as she came from a set and a break down to beat Maria Sharapova 4-6 6-3 6-0 in the Sony Open final.

The American, 31, reeled off 10 games in a row to record an 11th straight win against the world number two.
Sharapova, 25, has still to win in Miami after losing her fifth final.
Williams became only the fourth woman in the modern era to win the same event six times, following Chris Evert, Steffi Graf and Martina Navratilova.
She converted all seven of the break points she created to continue her dominance over Sharapova, whose only two wins in their 14 meetings were in 2004.

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It'd be a shame if you weren't part of the first group of supporters who stepped up to help build this organization's foundation.

Here's the supporter record associated with this email address:

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Luckily, you can change that right now.

Make a donation of $5 or more today:

https://donate.barackobama.com/Be-a-Founding-Member

Get ready to make history.

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Organizing for Action

Anand Sharma meets Zimbabwean PM
Zimbabwe seeks Indian Investment to Revive its Manufacturing Sector

The Union Minister for Commerce, Industry and Textiles Shri Anand Sharma yesterday met the Prime Minister of Zimbabwe, Mr. Morgan Tsvangirai during his visit to Harare for the India-Zimbabwe Joint Trade Committee (JTC) Meeting. Shri Sharma briefed the Zimbabwean Prime Minister on the fruitful discussions held earlier yesterday between the two sides in the JTC meeting. Shri Sharma informed the Prime Minister of Zimbabwe that India has offered various capacity building programmes, including scholarships and dedicated courses in bamboo craft development and handicrafts, that Lines of Credit (LOC) proposals worth USD 400 million from the Zimbabwean side will be considered and Zimbabwe could also avail the ‘Buyers Credit Scheme’ and the ‘pilot 2 % Interest subvention scheme’ for projects in Zimbabwe. Shri Sharma agreed to the request of Mr. Tsvangirai for providing assistance in revival of its textile industry and in developing its nascent diamond industry.

The India-Zimbabwe Joint Trade Committee (JTC) meeting was co-chaired by Shri Sharma and the Prof. Welshman Ncube, Minister of Industry and Commerce of Zimbabwe. During the JTC meeting, the two sides reviewed the bilateral trade and investment relations and held discussions on the following areas of cooperation: Textiles Sector, Agro/food Processing Sector, Gems and Jewellery, industrial cluster initiatives, Lines of Credit, capacity building programmes, establishing of Commodity Exchange in Zimbabwe. During the meeting, both the Ministers emphasized that the present levels of bilateral trade and investment were much below the potential. In the year 2012, the India-Zimbabwe bilateral trade was USD 166 million, with balance of trade heavily in favour of India. The Zimbabwean Minister sought investments and technical assistance from India to enable Zimbabwe in revival of its manufacturing sector, and to achieve greater value addition and beneficiation of natural resources, which will also enable Zimbabwe to increase the value of its exports. The Zimbabwean side also presented to the Indian side the potential joint venture investment projects from the Industrial Development Corporation of Zimbabwe for consideration of the Indian industry. InvestIndia portal launched during the 2nd India-Africa Forum Summit could play a leading role in identifying the potential investors. It was noted that India has already invested in various sectors in Zimbabwe notably in mining, pharmaceuticals and agro-processing. On being apprised of the difficulties being faced by the Indian businessmen in obtaining Business Visa for Zimbabwe, the Zimbabwean Minister assured that they will be addressing the issue expeditiously.

In his address during the JTC meeting, Shri Sharma announced that India had approved a Line of Credit (LOC) worth USD 28.6 million for Up-gradation of Deka Pumping Station and the River Water Intake System in Zimbabwe. Further, India is actively considering two more LOC proposals received from Zimbabwe, namely, the Rehabilitation of Small Thermal Power Stations and the Gairezi Hydro Electric Project, and Bulawayo Power Station Upgrade Project. Shri Sharma mentioned that India has been engaged in capacity building and human resource development efforts in Zimbabwe and is setting up a Food Testing Laboratory, a Rural Technology Park and a Vocational Training Centre in Zimbabwe under the India-Africa Forum Summit decisions. India has also set up three computer learning stations in Zimbabwe for children in high density areas. The number of annual scholarships to Zimbabwe under India’s ITEC programme is now more than 250.

Shri Sharma also informed that the National Institute of Design (NID) of India has successfully undertaken the Training Programme on Design Intervention for the Basketry Craft for Improvement of rural Women Artisans in Zimbabwe. The products made by the Zimbabwean crafts women were successfully showcased at an exhibition in New Delhi earlier this month, which evoked a positive response from the buyers. During the JTC meeting, the Indian side agreed to provide assistance to Zimbabwe in the development of the four clusters identified under its Industrial Development Policy namely, diamond cluster, clothing and textiles, leather and footwear, and agro-processing. The Zimbabwe side also acknowledged the role played by India in defending Zimbabwe’s interests in trading in diamonds through the Kimberly Process Certification Scheme. The two countries designated Minerals Marketing Corporation of Zimbabwe and Hindustan Diamond Company Private Limited from India as the two nodal agencies for greater commercial cooperation between both countries in the diamond sector. The two Ministers reaffirmed their commitment to consolidate the historical relationship between the two countries through partnership across various sectors, focussing on value addition and beneficiation of resources, capacity building, job creation and ensuring food and energy security for its people.

World News at Glance 30 March 2013

March 30, 2013

Four hundred thousand Syrian refugees sheltering in Lebanon – UN
UN is aiding nearly 400,000 Syrians across Lebanon, according to a new report published Friday. It was projected there would be over 500,000 refugees in Lebanon by the summer, but the current influx of people is outpacing estimates, local media said. The number of refugees waiting to register has increased to 145,524, and officials estimate there are between 200,000 and 500,000 more unaided refugees.Media agencies
Posted by Naresh Kumar Sagar
Mar
30
Pakistani Taliban claims Peshawar attack
Pakistani Taliban claims Peshawar attack that killed 10 near US Consulate.
The Pakistani Taliban has claimed responsibility for an explosion near the US Consulate in Peshawar on Friday. At least 10 people were killed and 31 injured in the blast, police said. A suicide bomber blew himself up near a Frontier Constabulary (FC) convoy in the city’s security area, by a military checkpoint near the US Consulate on Peshawar’s Fakhr-i-Alam Road. FC Commandant Abdul Majeed Marwat was reportedly targeted, but the senior paramilitary official managed to escape the attack in which 8 to 10 kilograms of explosives were supposedly used. Suicide blast kills 6 in Peshawar, Pakistan.A suicide bombing of a security convoy has killed at least six people, including two women, and wounded 15 more in the northwestern Pakistani city of Peshawar. According to police officials, the explosion targeted Abdul Majeed Marwat, the head of the Frontier Constabulary, Pakistan’s paramilitary police force. Marwat was not injured, while three security officers and three civilians died. No group has claimed responsibility for the terror attack in Peshawar, a city that borders Pakistan’s tribal region, a Taliban militant stronghold. Media agencies
Posted by Naresh Kumar Sagar
Mar
30
Anastasiades:The bank crisis had been “contained”
Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades said on Friday the island’s bank crisis had been “contained” following a tough bailout deal with the EU. “We have no intention of leaving the euro,” media quoted Anastasiades as saying in Nicosia. “In no way will we experiment with the future of our country,” the president added.
Cypriot central bank has announced that all domestic debit and credit card transactions are now unrestricted. On Thursday, Cyprus reopened the country’s banks following a 12-day shutdown, but imposed a 300-euro limit on all cash withdrawals. The Cyprus Stock Exchange extended its almost two-week shutdown, and will remain closed until April 1. The measures were introduced to deal with the worsening financial crisis in the country.
Cyprus Telecommunications Authority ‘Cyta’ will be offering free national calls to subscribers, both fixed line and mobile, for the month of April, said the company. Cyta added that it would not be disconnecting any of its subscribers who have not been able to settle their bills following the two week closure of the banks. The organization will review this decision on April 15 in light of the situation at the time. This measure is intended to help ease the blow from the economic crisis on the island.
Big depositors in lender the Bank of Cyprus are to receive shares in the bank worth 37.5 percent of their deposits over 100,000 euros, a source told media. The other depositors may never be paid back. 22.5 percent of deposits over the same amount will attract no interest and the 40 percent remaining will continue to attract interest. These conditions come in the wake of a banking crisis is Cyprus and are expected to be announced on Saturday. media agencies
Posted by Naresh Kumar Sagar
Mar
30
French troops to stay in Mali upto 2013
French troops to stay in Mali through end of 2013:Hollande. President Francois Hollande has said French troops will stay in Mali to fight Islamist militants at least through the end of 2013. However, the first of the more than 4,000 French troops in Mali will pull out in late April, Hollande said on France-2 television Thursday night. About 2,000 soldiers will remain deployed in the former French colony by July. By the end of the year, “1,000 French soldiers will remain,” the president said. The French troops could become part of a UN peacekeeping operation in Mali.
Posted by Naresh Kumar Sagar
t
Mar
30
China urges easing of tensions on Korean peninsula
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hong Lei called for an easing of tensions on Friday after North Korea put its missile units on standby to attack US military bases in South Korea and the Pacific.
The North’s move came after the US flew two nuclear-capable stealth bombers over the Korean peninsula.
Posted  by Naresh Kumar Sagar
Mar
30
Berlusconi ready for coalition with Italy’s center-left
Berlusconi ready for coalition with Italy’s center-left, opposes technocrat govt Former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has said he is ready to support a coalition government with center-left leader Pier Luigi Bersani. Berlusconi met President Giorgio Napolitano on Friday, after Bersani failed to form a government and end a month-long political deadlock since elections last month. Berlusconi rejected another technocratic administration like the outgoing one led by Mario Monti, Reuters said. Roberto Maroni, leader of Berlusconi’s Northern League ally, also rejected the technocrats, saying it would be better to hold another election.
Posted  by Naresh Kumar Sagar
Mar
30
France Uphold EU embargo on arms to Syrian rebels
French President Francois Hollande has stated that the EU arms embargo on Syria would remain in place as long as France could not be guaranteed that weapons deliveries to the Syrian rebels would not “fall into the hands of terrorists.
” France and Britain have attempted to push for a relaxation of the embargo, which expires on June 1.
Hollande now says that no weapons will be supplied to the opposition until France is certain “there is complete control of the situation by the opposition.” Media agencies
Posted 23 minutes ago by Naresh Kumar Sagar
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Mar
30
Kyrgyzstan sends nationalist MPs to jail
Kyrgyzstan sends nationalist MPs to jail for coup attempt. A court in Kyrgyzstan has sentenced three nationalist opposition MPs to up to 18 months behind bars for an attempt to seize power in the Central Asian republic. Prosecutors demanded a sentence of up to ten years for nationalist leader Kamchibek Tashiyev, Sadyr Zhaparov and Talant Mamytov. The three lawmakers of the Ata Zhurt party were arrested back in October, following a protest demanding the nationalization of the huge Kumtor gold mine in the former Soviet Republic. The rally resulted in clashes with police as protesters attempted to storm the parliament building in the capital of Bishkek. Several people were injured. On Friday, several hundred supporters of Tashiyev’s supporters were rallying near the court building demanding that the three MPs are released.Media agencies
Posted 24 minutes ago by Naresh Kumar Sagar
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Mar
30
Sicily revokes US military satellite station build up
Sicilian regional government in Italy has withdrawn permission for the US to build a satellite station aimed at boosting communications capacity for the US military and its allies, its governor said.
The ground station designed on a part of the ultra-high-frequency satellite network Mobile User Objective System (MUOS). Government overturn is on possible health risks, such as fears of cancer from the station’s electromagnetic waves, had provoked protests on the island.
The demonstrations could have compromised operations at Sigonella, a U.S. naval base in Sicily, the Italian government said. Rome stated that the decision of the regional government of Sicily, which in January issued a special decree to suspend work on the station’s construction, harms the strategic interests of the country.
Media agencies

India and Liechtenstein Sign TIEA

March 29, 2013

India and Liechtenstein Sign Tax Information Exchange Agreement (TIEA)
India and Liechtenstein have signed a Tax Information Exchange Agreement (TIEA) today at Bern, Switzerland. The Agreement was signed by Ms Chitra Narayanan, Indian Ambassador in Switzerland from Indian side and Madame Doris Frick, Ambassador of Liechtenstein in Switzerland on behalf of Liechtenstein.
Salient features of the agreement (TIEA) with Liechtenstein are:
• It is based on international standard of transparency and exchange of information.
• Information must be foreseeable relevant to the administration and enforcement of the domestic laws of the Contracting Parties concerning taxes covered by the agreement.
• There is a specific provision that the requested Party shall use its information gathering measures to obtain the requested information even though that Party may not need such information for its own tax purposes.
• There is a specific provision for providing banking and ownership information.
• It provides for the representatives of the competent authority of the requesting Party to enter the territory of the requested Party to interview individuals and examine records.
• The Agreement has specific provisions for protecting the confidentiality of the information obtained under the Agreement. Information is to be treated as secret and can be disclosed to only specified person or authorities, which are tax authorities or its oversight body. However, the information may be used for other purposes with the express consent of the Competent Authority of the supplying State.
• The Agreement shall enter into force one month from the later of the notification. On entering into force, information can be exchanged if it pertains to taxable periods beginning on or after 1st April, 2013.
• The Agreement provides for the exchange of documents or information created in or derived from a date preceding 1st April, 2013, that are foresee ably relevant to a request relating to tax years beginning on or after 1st April, 2013.

Myanmar won't tolerate religious extremists: President

Myanmar won't tolerate religious extremists: President

Myanmar President Thein Sein said on Thursday that his reformist government would not tolerate religious extremism, following a wave of deadly Buddhist-Muslim violence in the former army-ruled nation.

At least 40 people have been killed and mosques burned in several towns in central Myanmar since a new eruption of sectarian strife on March 20, prompting the government to impose emergency rule and curfews in some areas.
"I would like to warn all political opportunists and religious extremists who try to exploit the noble teachings of these religions and have tried to plant hatred among people of different faiths for their own self-interest: their efforts will not be tolerated," Thein Sein said in a national address.
"In general, I do not endorse the use of force to solve problems. However, I will not hesitate to use force as a last resort to protect the lives and safeguard the property of general public," the former general added.
"All perpetrators of violence will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law," he said, according to an official translation.
The recent clashes were apparently triggered by an argument in a gold shop that turned into an escalating riot during which mosques were burned, houses razed and charred bodies left lying in the streets.
But witnesses say much of the violence appears to be well organised.
Security forces fired warning shots yesterday to disperse rioters and dozens of people have been detained.
But Muslim leaders have criticised the security forces for failing to stop the attacks.
It is the worst sectarian strife since violence between Buddhists and Muslims in the western state of Rakhine last year left at least 180 people dead and more than 110,000 displaced.
The communal clashes pose a major challenge to Thein Sein, who has won international praise for his reform efforts since taking office two years ago following the end of decades of outright military rule.
"We must expect these conflicts and difficulties to arise during our period of democratic transition," Thein Sein said.
But "only an inclusive democratic society based on equality for all citizens will ensure peace and stability, especially in a multi-cultural, multi-ethnic and multi-faith country such as ours", he added.

The LAMA Road Show 2013

 

Greetings from Lama Desert Tourism Dubai !!!!

 

Trust this mail finds you well !

  

Please find enclosed the E-invite for The LAMA Road Show 2013 at The Hotel Le Meredien, Windsor Place, Janpath,New Delhi  on 08April2013 (Monday;1800hrs onwards).

 

The Lama Road Show will showcase some of the best Hotels & Service Providers in the UAE and who have worked very closely with Lama to ensure your Clients & Guests have a memorable time in Dubai; Abu Dhabi etc.

 

I kindly request you to BLOCK  08April, 2013 in your busy schedule.

Thanking you for your continuous support & look forward to welcoming you to an evening with Lama and its close business associates

PS :………your RSVP would be sincerely appreciated

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Naresh: Syria is in a state of crisis

Naresh: Syria is in a state of crisis. More than 70,000 people have been killed—over 3,700 are children—since the conflict started two years ago. President Barack Obama made stopping mass atrocities a priority and a "core national security interest.” Yet U.S. efforts to slow or stop the crisis in Syria—diplomacy and sanctions against the regime, primarily—have had little effect. We need a new approach: the United States must cut off the supply chains that provide Assad the resources his regime needs to commit atrocities. This includes weapons, troops, and access to money provided by Iran and Russia, among many other actors. Urge President Barack Obama to stop the supply chain to Syrian atrocities! We have been tracking Assad’s supply chains since the conflict spiraled and found that the United States is well positioned to disrupt it. Secretary of State John Kerry visited Iraq recently and  told Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki that Iraq must stop Iran from shipping arms to Syria through Iraqi airspace. This is a good step. But stopping Assad’s enablers of mass atrocities requires a multi-prong approach. The United States can do much more. Syrian casualties are mounting. Failure to act now to cut off these supplies will lead to even more bloodshed and will send the wrong message to those fueling Assad’s atrocities. Urge President Barack Obama to stop the supply chain to Syrian atrocities! Sincerely, Sadia Hammed Human Rights First

US INVITE TO CM NARENDER MODI : JOLLY

  

Ahmedabad, 28th March 2013 :  Senior US Congressman visiting India & State of Gujarat today met Chief Minister Narendra Modi at his residence at Gandhi Nagar . US Congressman Mr Aaron Schock Leader of Delegation from State of Illinois along with Mrs. Cathy McMorris Rodgers from State of Washington and Mrs. Cynthia M. Lumis from the State of Wyoming along with a 7 member US business leaders delegation led by Chicago Punjabi NRI Mr Shalabh Kumar and BJP Overseas Affairs leader Mr Vijay Jolly attended the two and half hours

long meeting.  

The US Congressman extended an invitation to Gujarat Chief Minister Mr Narendra Modi to visit United States of America soon. The C.M accepted their invite promptly and smilingly. The issue of visa was never discussed in the meeting. It is important to state that in recent years, this is the highest point of contact between the US elected Officials and the Chief Minister of Gujarat stated OFBJP leader Mr Jolly. 

To promote people to people contacts & diplomacy and under Global Community Over reach program, the US based NIAPPI led by its Chairman Mr Shalabh Kumar and India based Delhi Study Group led by BJP Convenor Overseas Affairs Mr Vijay Jolly joined hands to make this program a grand success. People in India and US worked hard for more than 14 to 15 hours a day for this global connectivity to happen and public diplomacy to succeed stated OFBJP leader Mr Vijay Jolly at Gandhinagar, Gujarat. 

A video presentation on the state of good governance in Gujarat was shown to the US guests. The success story of Gujarat infrastructure development,  the state of power surplus in Gujarat,  inclusive phenomenal growth rate in Gujarat, 25% contribution of Gujarat  in overall exports of India, round the clock electricity supply in rural & urban areas in Gujarat, 100% internet connectivity at primary school level in Gujarat, enactment of SIR Act of 2009, the dedicated 1483 kilometers long freight corridor from Dadri to JNPT, Gujarat  ect were showcased to the visiting US political & business leaders. The CM Gujarat Mr Narendra Modi presented bouquets of roses to all the delegates. Tea, coffee, cold drinks, vegetarian sandwiches and cashew nuts were offered to the guests in the meeting.

Gujarat Chief Minister Mr Narendra Modi expressed concern on cross border terrorism emanating from Pakistan and resulting in bomb blasts killing thousands of innocent Indians in various states of India. Issues relating to environment, power generation, identifying alternate sources of energy, strengthening democracy and increased participation of US private sector investments in infrastructure-development sectors were roundly discussed in the meeting stated OFBJP Convener Mr Vijay Jolly.

Latter a Press Conference was addressed at Ahmadabad by Mr Shalabh Kumar, Mr Aaron Schock, Mr Vijay Jolly, Mrs. Cathy M. Rodgers and Mrs Cynthia Lummis where heaps of praise and admiration for Mr Modi and his style of Good Governance were expressed .

Terra Motors plan Electric car for Philippines

Terra Motors plan to manufacture an electric car for Philippines thus to give firm competition to the Chinese in this segment of auto sector.

A venture firm in Tokyo is eying the emerging economies in Southeast Asia. It has unveiled a new three-wheeled electric vehicle, mainly for use as a taxi in the region.

Terra Motors developed the six seat-rs  vehicle is about three -meters in length . A driver's seat followed by  passenger seats lined on both sides. Company authorities say the vehicle can run fifty kms on a two hour charge with a maximum speed of fifty kilometers per hour.

Company plan to manufacture the vehicles in the Philippines and sell them later this year for about 6,300 dollars.Terra Motors hopes to meet the country's expected demand for three-wheel electric taxis. The Philippine government plans to introduce 100,000 such vehicles by 2016 to help reduce air pollution.

Terra Motors' advance into the market will likely fuel competition with Chinese rivals.

PM: Kudankulam-I will be operational next month

 
Putin Russian president, keen for his nuclear technology to be spread across North and southern hemisphere thus looks for his project start up with comforts for more can be taken up the  line ups. 

Quoting my(Naresh Kumar Sagar) opinion on substance of energy,Energy hot pot subject for Indians, is necessity in fast pace world economy needs everyone's attention. Energy is at crossroad to change its form in many forms, once this energy takes its commoner form it will merciless on the heavy industry, total economy to get into next orbit of minute particles or now known as nano tech.

Naresh Kumar Sagar further adds,"What are the alternates which can bring the fast turn around are simpler form of energy from plants,roots,herbs,hydrocarbons,Solar,bio fuel, Wind,Gases,H,Oxy Nitrogen, Oil and Cakes ,Sewer with modifications and converging chemistry and physics to give them space with electrons.
 Preparation of solid fuel from gaseous to handle with ease and keep as energy store.Minutely observing the energy path of its development makes us belief energy by all energy for all energy with all will change the style of the man."

Replying to Putin Russian president question on Kudankulam Unit I of the atomic power reactor in Tamil Nadu will become operational by next month, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said.He gave this assurance to Russian President Vladimir Putin when the two met on Tuesday night on the sidelines of the BRICS summit."I am pleased to inform you that Kudankulam I will become operational and critical by next month. As for Units III and IV we have secured all internal approvals and we hope to operationalise our cooperation on Unit III and IV," Singh told Putin.Singh was accompanied by Finance Minister P Chidambaram, Commerce Minister Anand Sharma and National Security Adviser Shivshankar Menon among others during the meeting.

Kudankulam atomic power plant has been rocked by a major controversy with villagers in and around Kudankulam in Tiruneveli district carrying out prolonged protests against the commissioning of the atomic power plant.

The protests got intensified after the Fukushima disaster in Japan last year. On bilateral economic cooperation, Singh said the two countries cannot be satisfied with the status quo.

On his part, Putin thanked the Prime Minister for the warm welcome he had received in December when he visited Delhi last year and hoped that Singh would visit Russia for the G20 summit.

Singh said that India did not miss any opportunities for meeting the Russian President.

He said India was satisfied with the pace of the programme of communication and cooperation between the two countries.

"I have instructed National Security Adviser to keep in touch with the NSA of Russia and those who are responsible for the strategic programme," he further said.

Bangalore’s citizens will Run For Their City in the TCS World 10K Bangalore

Bangalore’s citizens will Run For Their City in the TCS World 10K Bangalore

In excess of 24,000 people are expected to participate in the 8 events on race day, when the TCS World 10K Bangalore 2013 is flagged off from the Sree Kanteerava Stadium on May 19 and it promises to be the biggest and best as yet.

A strategic tie-up with one of the world’s leading elite athlete management agencies, race categories to encourage the serious runners from the corporate world as well as colleges and universities, course record bonuses and many novel initiatives to enhance the running experience of every participant will herald the TCS World 10K Bangalore 2013.

These initiatives were announced by Mr. N. Ganapathy Subramaniam – Exec. Vice President & Global Head of Emerging Businesses, along with Event Partners at a grand launch press conference held at Regency I in the ITC, Windsor Bengaluru, the Hospitality Partner to the event on Monday. The favourite of Karnataka’s masses, Superstar Puneet Rajkumar was also present as the ‘Face of the Event’, along with representatives from the Karnataka Athletics Association and city custodians.

Mr. N Chandrasekaran, CEO & MD of Tata Consultancy Services, who could not be present at the launch of the event due to prior commitments, had this to say, “It is great to see that the TCS World 10K Bangalore continues to grow in popularity and stature as the city's premier athletic event. With the citizens embracing this event as their own, we hope to see more people and their families participating in large numbers in the third edition of the race this year to spread the message about healthy living and wellness in their communities. As an organisation whose philosophy entails promoting an active, healthy lifestyle among our young employee base and the communities we operate in, we are delighted to support this wellness initiative every year in the city.” 

New Course record on the cards: With Procam International enlisting the services of Global Sports Communication (GSC) as the new Elite Athlete Coordinators, the focus will also be on lowering the existing course records

GSC, led by Jos Hermens, one of the world’s leading elite athlete management companies, proved their mettle in the Standard Chartered Mumbai Marathon 2013, putting together a super-fast field for the race that culminated in new course records being set by the men and women. Bangalore is also set for a scorching race on May 19 and an incentive bonus of USD 7,500 is on offer for new course records, if set. The Indian athletes too have an incentive bonus of Rs 1 lakh if they lower the existing Indian course records.

The overall men’s course record stands at 27.51, set by Eritrean Zersenay Tadesse in 2008, while the women’s course record of 31.58 was set by Ethiopian Yimer Wude in 2010. The Indian men’s course record stands at 29.59, set by Kashinath Asawale in 2008, while for Indian women it is 34.32, set by Kavita Raut in 2009.

The Open 10K Challenge: This category will comprise the DHL Corporate Challenge and the Nike College Faceoff, open to Corporate teams and Colleges/Universities of Bangalore respectively.

The winning team of the DHL Corporate Challenge will take home Rs 1,00,000, with the runner-up team winning Rs 75,000. The next three finishers will stand to gain Rs 50,000; Rs 36,000 and Rs 30,000 respectively.

The three-member team will need to have two men and one woman, with each member needing to complete the full distance of 10 km. The average of the net finish timings of all three runners will decide the finish positions in this category.

The Nike College Face Off will give students an international platform to perform, and run in the footsteps of some of the world’s leading male and female athletes and India’s best for financial gratification, besides pride and glory.

The top three finishers among the boys and girls teams stand to win Rs 50,000, Rs 30,000 and Rs 20,000 respectively.

Showcasing Bangalore’s giving side: The charity drive associated with the TCS World 10K Bangalore, spearheaded by Bangalore Cares, the Charity Partner to the event, is poised for a quantum leap this year.

This is in keeping with the trend witnessed over the last five editions of the event, which is a healthy indication that Bangalore has a strong giving side. The amounts raised for charity through the World’s Premier 10K Run had increased from Rs 41.35 lacs in the first year, to Rs 1.31 crores in the second year, Rs 1.41 crores in 2010 and to Rs 1.85 crores in 2011. The last edition saw Rs 3.06 crores being raised in clearly tracked figures and going by the trend, this edition should see a substantial increase.

In the last five years the World 10K Bangalore has helped generate over Rs 8 crore towards charity, propelling this event to amongst the largest charity raising events in the state of Karnataka.

The Indian Direct Selling Industry

Annual Survey 2011-12

The PHD Research Bureau in collaboration with Indian Direct Selling Association published the Annual Survey 2011-12 for the Indian direct selling industry and the report was released on March 22, 2013 at Hotel Oberoi, New Delhi by Ms. Ganga Murthy, Principal Advisor, Department of Consumer Affairs, Government of India.

Summary of the Annual Survey 2011-12 findings:

The Indian direct selling industry has been beating the economic slowdown, notching up remarkable growth over the years and has been expanding its horizons in India as a rapidly emerging alternate distribution channel. The direct selling industry has grown at 22% during 2011-12, with its sales revenue expanding from INR 52,294 million in 2010-11 to INR 63,851 million in 2011-12. The robust growth in the segment has been contributed by 22.5% growth in the organised and 17.7% growth in the unorganized segments of the industry during 2011-12. The industry grew from INR 33,226 million in 2008-09 to the present level of INR 63,851 million in 2011-12.

The concentration of sales revenue of direct selling industry in the Southern region has now started shifting to the other regions of the country. Due to large unexplored markets and emerging growth opportunities, the direct selling firms are now looking towards the vast consumer market for their products in the Northern and North eastern regions too.

The survey revealed that the share of Northern region in sales revenue moved from 15% in 2010-11 to 20% in 2011-12 and on the contrary, the share of Southern region in sales revenue has declined from 44% in 2010-11 to 38% in 2011-12. The share of Eastern region increased marginally from 14% in 2010-11 to 15% in 2011-12, while the share of north-east increased from 7% in 2010-11 to 10% in 2011-12. However, the share of western region declined from 20% to 17% during the same period.

Regional sales figures suggested that South contributed to INR 24,264 million to the gross sales revenue in 2011-12 while North contributed to INR 12,770 million. The West region contributed to INR 10,854 million, whereas the gross revenue generated by East region stands at INR 9,578 million followed by North East at INR 6,385 million.

It is interesting to note that during 2011-12, the Northern region has exhibited remarkable growth at around 56% while North Eastern region has grown robust at 37%. The Eastern region grew at 32%, whereas, the Western region grew at 19%. However, the Southern direct selling market has decelerated at -2%.

The direct selling industry has contributed significantly to self employment generation over the years, and the momentum has been kept up this year as well. The total distributor base of the Indian direct selling industry during 2011-12 stands at 48,53,232 out of which 39,80,016 distributors are employed by member companies, whereas, 8,73,216 distributors are employed in the non-member companies. The growth of total distributor’s network stands at 22.5% in 2011-12 over 2010-11, contributed by 24.2% growth among member companies and 15.2% growth among non-member companies.

The share of women has always been more than 50% of direct selling distributor base in India. However, with rising cost of living especially in metro cities, Indian men are also looking up to this sector as an earning opportunity, as the consumption expenditure has swelled up over the years. The share of men (direct sellers) increased from 36% in 2010-11 to 37.5% in 2011-12.

Out of the wide variety of products sold through the organised direct selling industry, products related to wellness contributed to the highest share of sales revenue at about INR 27,455 million (44%) while beauty/ cosmetics and personal care products at around INR 21,071 million (33%) were also very high in demand. Among other categories of products which have attracted the customers are home care and home improvement products with a gross sales revenue of INR 8,939 million (14%), consumer and household durables with INR 3,831 million (6%). Other products and food and beverages capture 3% and 1% of total sales revenue in the industry at INR 1,916 million and INR 639 million respectively.

According to the survey the main drivers of growth in this sector are high quality standards of products, brand name, reliability/durability, promotional measures and good demonstrations.

The total taxes paid as reported by the IDSA member companies including both direct tax and indirect tax amounted to INR 8,212 million posting a growth of about 27% in 2011-12 over INR 6,470 million in 2010-11. The percentage of total taxes in total sales revenue generation has also increased from 21.5% in 2010-11 to 21.8% in 2011-12.

It is interesting to note that despite the intensifying global economic crisis which is looming large across the world economic scenario and the persistent slowdown in Indian economic growth vis-à-vis deceleration in industrial output, the direct selling industry has shown considerable resilience, sustaining steady growth over the years. It is evident from the fact that only a marginal decline in growth of sales revenue was noticed in 2011-12 at 22% from around 27% in 2010-11 due to slowdown in consumption demand.

It is indeed encouraging to find that the direct selling industry has firmed its ground in the economy and with growing value perception of consumers, awareness about the product range, increasing accessibility to products and growing demand in the smaller towns, the industry has enormous potential to enhance its market presence in the coming times.

Going ahead, growth prospects of the industry are bright which is set to take off, driven by strong consumer base and expanding markets. The survey revealed that industry was positive about the robust growth of the direct selling industry in the coming years. Respondents felt that the size of the industry is estimated to leap-frog by 2014-15 scaling upto INR 1,08,436 million from the present level INR 63,851 million. Though the growth of the industry vary across its different segments like organized and unorganized sectors, however, overall the industry is slated to grow at an average of more than 20% in the next three years by 2015. Further, they felt that in the long term, over next three to seven years by 2020, industry could consolidate its position across the corners of the country and grow at an average rate of 25% scaling up to INR 3,40,000 million.

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Warm regards,

Dr. S P Sharma
Chief Economist

PJACBM & NDFB (P) ‘s Memorandum to the Home Minister On-going peace-talks on Boroland

by sagarmedia on March 26, 2013

             

By sagarmedia on March 26, 2013 | Edit

Press release  from chief Convener through email regarding, PJACBM & NDFB (P) ‘s Memorandum to the Home Minister is hereby listed On-going peace-talks on Boroland.
Dear sir,
We are pleased to attach the memoranda submitted to the Hon’ble  Home Minister Shri Sushil kumar Shinde on the on-going peace-talks on Boroland during our meeting with him this morning at 9:30 AM. The Home Minister assured us to expedite the peace-talk on desired political level to find an amicable solution to the Boroland issue. Three member delegation team of PJACBM were represented by Mr. Jebra Ram Muchahary, Chief Convenor, PJACBM, Mr. Gangadhar Ramchiary, Chief Advisor, PJACBM and Mr. Maihung Daimary , Member , PJACBM respectively. On the other hand the three member delegation team of the NDFB (P) was represented by Mr. B. Swmkhwr, General Secretary , Mr. M. Gerema , Home Secretary and Mr. B. Alongbar, Organising Secretary respectively. It is to be mentioned here that this is the first ever joint delegation team of PJACBM & NDFB (P) to meet high level political leaders of the country towards finding political solution to 46 years longstanding demand of separate state of Boroland.  After meeting the Home Minister, the joint delegation team expressed hopeful about amicable political solution on Boroland.

Earlier , PJACBM team already had two separate consultations on NDFB (P) peace-talk with MHA officials on 12th  and Mr.P.C Haldar on 14th March respectively to contribute in the peace process from the PJACBM.

Jebra Ram Muchahary

Chief Convenor

Sonia Gandhi in Raebareli, launches various development projects

25 March 2013:Congress president and United Progressive Alliance (UPA) chairperson Sonia Gandhi paid a one-day visit to her parliamentary constituency Rae Bareli on Monday.  Congress leader launched various development projects in the constituency. The people of Raebareli have all reasons to be more happy and colourful on this occasion of Holi as the MP gifted more projects to boost development in the region.

Sonia Gandhi reached Fursatganj airport on Monday morning and her first programme was to inaugurate the newly constructed Superintendent of Post Office’ building (administrative office building of Post Offices) and sub- post office at  Malik Mau Motor Chowk of Jawahar Vihar colony of Raebareli city. 

The Congress MP then proceeded to Budhanpur where she laid the foundation stone for a FM Radio station. The FM radio station will be set up in the area of 2.86 acre of land and will be commissioned within one year of time. The Centre has sanctioned about 10 crore 50 lakhs rupees for the project.  The 20 KW FM station at Raebareli will provide coverage up to radial distance of about 65 to 70 kilometers and is expected to cover a population of about 60 lakhs. With the existing FM transmitters about 37 percent population of the state are covered and after commissioning of this FM transmitter and 10 KW transmitters at Banda and Mau, the AIR FM coverage in the state is expected to increase up to 46 percent of the population. 

Sonia Gandhi later visited Kila Bazar to lay the foundation stone for the Rajkiya Balika Inter College where she also kick-started a Solar Lights project provided by NTPC. Thereafter, the UPA Chairperson presided over a district district vigilance and monitoring committee at Bachat Bhawan to review the progress of various on-going projects and central schemes. Earlier the Congress leader also met the family members of Dr. Leena Singh and Dr. Naithan who had expired recently and paid condolences.  Before returning to Delhi Sonia Gandhi distributed tricycles for physically handicapped persons at a function at Ryan International School in which 150 cycles were distributed. She also gave away other accessories like hearing aids for differently-abled persons. At the venue, she incidentally came in contact with a handicapped person named Vijay and while interacting with him Sonia Gandhi could realise that his name was not there in the list of persons to whom the tricycles were given. She immediately asked the officials to include his name also in the list and a cycle was given to him immediately. Vijay, while thanking Sonia Gandhi for her kindness, also requested her to help him to get an employment.

 Congress MP quickly asked her representative to take note of this and assured Vijay all possible help from her side in this regard.  The Congress President once again has underlined the fact that she has a special bond, affection, care and love towards the people of Raebareli

Asbestos Company sues Nitish Kumar led Government for supporting Vaishali villagers

Amidst bitter resistance of Vaishali villagers to stop cancer causing asbestos factory, Utkal Asbestos company has been filing fake cases to implicate villagers and Bihar Govt

Patna/New Delhi: In response to Bihar Chief Minister’s promise of ‘puncturing’ hazardous asbestos factories in the fertile State in the meeting with the leaders of Vaishali’s Khet Bachao Jeevan Bachao Jan Sangharsh Committee (KBJBJC) and the leaders of left parties on February 13, 2013, Utkal Asbestos Limited (UAL) Industries Ltd has filed a case against the State Government. The case was filed on March 4, 2013 in the Patna High Court. The case is scheduled for hearing on April 4, 2013 before Mr. Justice J.N.Singh. 

The promise of the Chief Minister followed declaration of Shri Awadhesh Narain Singh, Chairman, Bihar Legislative Council saying ‘buying asbestos is akin to buying cancer’ at a conference on environmental and occupational health on December 24, 2012, in his address to the health experts, scientists, trade union leaders, academicians, civil society leaders and villagers. The conference also adopted a Patna Declaration urging State of Bihar to ban Asbestos Product Use and to ban Asbestos Product Use. Speech of Chairman, Bihar Legislative Council is available at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B9TbemRUkYM

It may be recalled that Justice (Retd) Rekha Kumari, Patna High Court has contended that companies which willfully expose human beings to cancer causing fibers of asbestos must be made criminally liable because right to health is part of right to life in a public lecture on December 24, 2012 at A N Sinha Institute of Social Studies, Patna. Her hand written legal opinion is available with the ToxicsWatch Alliance, which has been campaigning for national ban on lung cancer causing on asbestos products following its ban in over 50 countries.    

It is noteworthy that Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar met the leaders of ban asbestos movement met the leaders at his residence at 1, Anne Marg in Patna in the evening hours of on February 13, 2013. The Chief Minister expressed outrage at the granting of ‘No Objection Certificate’ by Bihar State Pollution Control Board (BSPCB) to hazardous asbestos based factories in fertile agricultural lands. In a remarkable move Bihar Chief Minister phoned Chairman, BSPCB and fixed an appointment for the villagers of Vaishali for February 14, 2013 and expressed his disapproval for asbestos based factories to him in front of the leaders of the left parties and the villagers’ committee.  

Following the meeting with the villagers and Chief Minister’s directions, BSPCB officials visited the factory site on March 4, 2013 as part of the process to cancel the approval given to the asbestos company’s plant.   

Struggle of villagers of Vaishali’s Chaksultan Rampur Rajdhari near Panapur in Kanhauli Dhanraj Panchayat in Goraul block against asbestos based factory has reached a decisive phase. Villagers have been protesting against this lung cancer causing hazardous plant under the banner of KBJBJC for more than 2 years.

After the villagers Mahadharna of June 14, 2012, the district administration had put a stay on the construction of the factory. When the construction started again on December 16, 2012, the villagers blocked the Mahua-Samastipur road for 9 hours to express their protest against the proposed white asbestos plant of UAL company in their village on June 14. Cancer causing white asbestos also called chrysotile asbestos is banned in 55 countries.

It is noteworthy that "The Government of India is considering the ban on use of chrysotile asbestos in India to protect the workers and the general population against primary and secondary exposure to Chrysotile form of Asbestos." This has been revealed in a concept paper by Union Ministry of Labour revealed during 19-20th September, 2011. The resolutions of WHO and ILO in 2005 and 2006 have called for the elimination of asbestos.

In India, mining of asbestos is technically banned but its import from other countries is yet to be banned. Trade in asbestos (dust & fibers) is also banned.  

The dubious designs of the UAL company against the villagers and protesters to protect its hazardous plant at the cost of villagers’ health was condemned by the speakers who spoke at the demonstration. In a dubious move, the UAL has filed case no. 252/2012, 509/2012 and 510/2012 to silence the voice of public interest persons. This appears to be done to trap villagers into concocted cases as part of company’s design to malign the movement of the KBJBJC. The memorandum sought the withdrawal of three fake cases lodged in Mahua Thana, Vaihsali.

Asbestos Virodhi Nagrik Manch, Patna and left and socialist parties participated in the demonstration on January 16, 2012 to express solidarity with the villagers struggle against the asbestos based factory of Utkal Asbestos Limited.

Now that the construction of asbestos based factory in Vaishali is all set to be permanently stopped, the issue of three asbestos plants in Bhojpur’s Giddha and Bihiya has come to the forefront where protest has been going on for more than 2 years. Notably, the Giddha plant is situated behind a B Ed College. The villagers are protesting against this plant. In Bihiya, Tamil Nadu based Ramco Industries is operating two asbestos plants amidst protests from villagers although it has permission for only one. Memorandum has been submitted to the District administration and BSPCB in this regard.

The memorandum to the Chief Minister demanded white asbestos based plants should be closed in public interest keeping public health in mind and dismissal of fake case registered by Utkal Management.

ToxicsWatch Alliance demands that following Chief Minister’s intervention Bihar’s State Investment Promotion Board (SIPB) and the State Cabinet must disapprove asbestos based industrial projects and rescind earlier approvals.

For Details: Gopal Krishna, ToxicsWatch Alliance (TWA), Mb: 9818089660 (Delhi), Web:www.toxicswatch.org

Ajit Kr Singh, Convener, Khet Bachao Jeevan Bachao Jan Sangharsh Committee (KBJBJC), Vaishali, Mb: 09931669311, E-mail:ajeetsinghpushkar@gmail.com

Ravindra Prasad Singh, Khet Bachao Jeevan Bachao Jan Sangharsh Committee (KBJBJC), Vaishali, Mb: 8986980751 

Justice Sajjan Singh Kothari Lokayukta of Rajasthan 

Former judge of the Rajasthan High Court Justice Sajjan Singh Kothari was sworn in as Lokayukta on Monday, Governor Margaret Alva administered him oath of office in the presence of Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot.

 

Chief Justice Amitava Roy, members of council of ministers, BJP State President Vasundhara Raje and senior officers were present during the ceremony at Raj Bhawan in Jaipur on Monday.

 

The post had been lying vacant since May last year after the retirement of G L Gupta.

 

Kothari’s selection was made by a panel that included the Chief Minister, Leader of Opposition and the Chief Justice of Rajasthan High Court.

Myanmar communal unrest

MAR 25

Posted by sagarmedia

Dozens of houses and a mosque have been torched as communal violence spread in central Myanmar, officials said on Sunday, adding scores of people have been arrested over the unrest.

“Altogether 43 houses and a mosque have been burned last night (Saturday)… most of the houses belong to Muslims,” a ward official in Yamethin town, near the capital Naypyidaw told the news agency, adding no-one was injured in the unrest.

The Information Ministry said 52 people were arrested with weapons and 13 held in Meiktila town, where lethal riots last week left at least 32 people dead and thousands displaced.

Police also made more arrests at two other villages as trouble between Buddhists and Muslims spread, the information ministry said in a statement.

On a visit of the riot-stricken town where the violence began last Wednesday Vijay Nambiar, the UN special adviser on Myanmar, expressed sadness at the death and destruction but said residents want to rebuild their shattered lives.

The clashes are a stark reminder of the challenge which worsening Muslim-Buddhist tensions poses to Myanmar’s quasi-civilian regime as it tries to reform the country after decades of iron-fisted military rule.

The flare-up of violence is the most serious religious conflict since Buddhists and Muslims clashed in the western state of Rakhine last year, leaving at least 180 people dead and more than 110,000 displaced.

A Raaja : Pranab,Singh,were informed on 2G licencing policy

2G scam: Raja accuses Vahanvati of telling untruths against him

Former Telecom Min A Raja, the main accused in 2G spectrum scam, has told the JPC that PM Manmohan Singh was in the loop over policy decisions and has accused Attorney General G E Vahanvati of telling a series of untruths against him.  

Raja, who could not personally appear before the JPC, has responded to a questionnaire sent by the committee, saying the Prime Minister and the then External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee were kept informed on the licencing policy.

In his 17-page note, Raja has said that he had "exchanged letter" with the Prime Minister on November 2, 2007 on various issues relating to the telecom sector and also had subsequent personal discussions on the subject.

"It was agreed in these discussions that the Minister of Communication and IT would have discussions with Sh Pranab Mukherjee, the then External Affairs Minister, since he was heading the Group of Ministers on vacation of spectrum," he said in his March 13 note to JPC.

He said discussions were held between him and Mukherjee in December, 2007 on subscriber base criteria for allotment of additional spectrum, issue of dual technology and issue of new licences.

Giving details of the sequence of events in run up to the allocation done in January 2008, Raja said Vahanvati, the then Solicitor General, was also present in these discussions as same issues were the subject of litigation before Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal (TDSAT).

It is evident that the letter of 26.12.2007 sent by the Minister of Communication and IT to the Hon'ble PM is nothing but an encapsulation of the note given by the Solicitor General and the subsequent discussions between the SG, External Affairs Minister and Minister of Communication and IT.

Hitting out at Vahanvati for his contention before JPC that the controversial press release regarding 2G licences was changed at the last minute by him (Raja) in 2008 with a different pen, Raja said the Solicitor General had defended the same press release for two years in different courts without raising any question on its authenticity.

He said for the purpose of discussions with Mukherjee, Vahanvati had prepared a note dealing with subscriber base criteria for allotment of additional spectrum, issue of dual technology, manner in which spectrum will be allocated and the issue of new telecom licences.

"...Thus government is obliged to scrutinise the pending applications and if the applicants are found eligible, to issue licences on a first-come-first-served basis..." Raja told JPC quoting Vahanvati's note.

Raja said based on Vahanvati's note, on December 26, 2007 Mukherjee also prepared his own note and forwarded both the documents to the Prime Minister.

He said on the same day, he also sent a letter to the Prime Minister based on the discussions with Mukherjee and Vahanvati.

Hitting back at the AG over his deposition before JPC, Raja said Vahanvati's claim that he was not involved in any policy decision by the government was not correct as his note to Mukherjee contained the "essence" of the entire policy of the DoT.

Raja said Vahanvati's explanation that DoT had approached him with the press release to know whether there was a stay in any court on the issue of licences is "absurd and unbelievable".

"This factual point was well within the knowledge of the DoT, and the SG's opinion was being asked on the policy," the DMK MP told the JPC.

In reply to a specific query by JPC as to when was the sentence 'press release approved as amended' recorded by him in the file, Raja said it was written before the file was sent to Vahanvati.