E Paper Feb. 12, 2009

VOL: 2 ISSUE 38

The Big Temple which stood the test of time

Feb. 12, 2009

Lalu may unfold pro-people Railway Budget tomorrow New Delhi, Feb 12: H a v i n g managed to keep passengers fares in check for the last five years, Railway Minister Lalu Prasad is expected to announce more sops for train travellers when

Interim Railway Budget 2009-10

he presents the interim Railway Budget in Parliament Friday. Prasad, who desisted from carrying out any upward hike in the passenger fares despite increase in global prices of crude oil in the past five years of

UPA rule, may this time announce some propeople schemes ahead of the Lok Sabha polls. Though it is a vote-on-account exercise, sources in the Ministry said Lalu is keen to share the benefits of the reduction in oil prices w i t h passengers. Specu lation is rife that Lalu might s l a s h passengers fares in certain sector while s e e k i n g budgetary grant for AprilJuly period. Despite the global meltdown, railways have carried 74.55 million tonnes (MT) of freight during January this year which is 2.9 per cent more than the same period last year. Railways have

recorded an annual growth of 14 per cent in overall traffic earnings during the UPA regime. B e s i d e s highlighting Ministry's achievements in the last five years, the interim budget is likely to have proposals for introduction of more trains including Garib Raths. Garib Rath, which provide AC comfort to passengers belonging to poor sections of society, was introduced by Lalu in 2006-07. Currently, there are 20 Garib Raths and a few more are likely to be announced this time. As the Railways have already hiked the freight rate of carrying foodgrains, pulses, flours and fertilisers by 8.3 per cent, it is likely that the freight rate will remain unchanged. While the budget is likely to register a cash surplus before

paying dividend at about Rs 25,000 crore, the operating ratio is also expected to be more than last year's 76 per cent. T h e implementation of the Sixth Pay Commission for the railway employees is the reason for the higher operating ratio in the current year than the last financial year, said a senior official of the Ministry. Since there are many complaints against the quality of food being served in trains and platforms, railways are planning to revamp the whole catering system. IRCTC has proposed to change the menu from traditional 'thali' system to combo meal system in trains and for this 150 kitchen cells would be set up across the country. The emphasis will be on hygiene and quality of the food in the kitchen cell system, said a senior IRCTC official.

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Hindu Munnani threatens to disrupt Valentine's Day celebration in TN Chennai, Feb 12 : The Tamil Nadu unit of Hindu Munnani on W e d n e s d a y d a y threatened to disrupt Valentine's Day celebrations in the state on Februray 14, while the National Hindu Sena called for a ban on the Day. Hindu Munnani leader N Muruganandam, in a statement here, said the Munnani was not against love as love and valour were the part of life of Tamils, but against celebrations and dance, combined with sex and obscenity in the name of Valentine's Day. He said the Munnani would be in the forefront in helping and unite genuine lovers, but fight against people, who behave like animals, during Valentine's Day celebrations. Valentine's Day, Parents Day, Friendship day and Fashion shows were against Indian culture

and the people of the state should boycott them. National Hindu Sena leader S Chokkalingapandian said Valentine's Day celebrations, becoming popular in the past couple of years, were an afront to the Indian culture. He exhorted people to oppose the celebrations, when the Tamils in Sri Lanka were getting killed by Lankan armed forces. Demanding that the DMK government ban the Valentine's Day celebrations in hotels, resorts and other public places, he said the Sena would launch an agitation if its warning went unheeded. CoP's diktat City Police Commissioner K Radhakrishnan on Wednesday warned of stern action against

those who try to take law into their hands and disrupt Valentine's Day celebrations on Februray 14. T h e Commissioner told newspersons here police would step up vigil at Marina beach, amusement parks, hotels, resorts and other places which young lovers would visit in large numbers on Valentine's Day. Police would take strong action against those who try to physically assault lovers and marry them off compulsorily, he said. He said those who celebrate should also ensure that they do not cross the limits and indulge in indescent behaviour. Those who celebrate should conduct themselves within limits, he added. -Agencies

Spot admissions to UK varsities Chennai, Feb. 12 : CampusUK, a United Kingdom-based overseas education consultancy, is hosting a series of visits by faculty of British Universities this week. Elinor Raw, International Officer, and Amit Das, faculty of the School of Engineering, S w a n s e a U n i v e r s i t y, Wales, are available for counselling between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. on February 13. Spot admissions will be offered in Electronics Engineering, Civil Engineering, A d v a n c e d Te l e c o m m u n i c a t i o n s , C h e m i s t r y, C o m p u t e r Science, Aerospace E n g i n e e r i n g , Nanotechnology, Law,

Management studies and MBA. Josie Philcher, International Officer, Heriot Watt University, Scotland, is offering spot admissions the same day between 2 and 6 p.m. The university offers a wide range of courses in MBA, Accountancy and Finance, Actuarial Science, Actuarial M a t h e m a t i c s , A r c h i t e c t u r a l Engineering and Project Management. Susan O'Neil, International Officer, Glasgow Caledonian University, Glasgow, is available for student interviews between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. on February 14 for Built E n v i r o n m e n t , Construction Project

M a n a g e m e n t , Management Studies, MBA, International Fashion Marketing and Wireless Networking. Kim Hadley and C h r i s H u g e s , representatives of the University of Portsmouth, England, will offer counselling the same day between 2 and 6 p.m. Nikkie Duke, International Officer, University of Dundee, will supervise spot admissions between 2 and 6 p.m. on February 17. For details, candidates can contact CampusUK on 0444 2 0 0 9 3 3 4 a n d 42059676, or visit www.campusuk.com. -Agencies

City Traffic police launches new website Chennai: Feb. 12 Chennai city traffic police has launched a new website, www.chennaicitytrafficpoli ce.com providing up-todate information about traffic regulations. It's previous website www.cctp.org, though announced by the government, had failed to take off. A t e a m o f technicians uploading data related to the The Electronics Corporation of Tamil Nadu Limited server and the the website

became functional from T h u r s d a y. " D i r e c t o r general of police (Law and order) KP Jain launched the website. Police have entered an agreement with a private cartographer, who will provide the city map along with minute details of roads and streets. The site will also offer a glimpse into the history of traffic police, with rare photographs from the pre-Independence era. The home page of the website will have the city traffic police logo

with a message from the city police commissioner. The page opens with the sound of a drumbeat. Among the features is an interaction forum for the public to post their suggestions and ideas about traffic management in the city. The site will provide all the emergency phone numbers, along with the numbers of traffic police officers. It will also have links to other websites of the police and other g o v e r n m e n t departments. -Agencies

Feb. 12 2009

Postal department launches ‘Project Arrow' scheme Chennai, Feb 12 With a view to making India Post a p r o f i t - m a k i n g department on the lines

dedication ceremony of 75 modernised post offices in Tamil Nadu under the Project Arrow

of Indian Railways, the Centre had initiated various measures such as 'Project Arrow', Union IT and Communications Minister A Raja said Wednesday. Speaking at the

scheme here, Raja said the department was incurring an annual loss of around Rs 500 crore. Schemes such as Project Arrow envisaged changing the revenue trends of the

department, he said. "Project Arrow aims at giving a complete transformation of the department and its offices in terms of looks and upgraded delivery services through modern technology," he said. The change in looks of post offices, one of the basic steps in this regard, would attract more users to the department, thus giving a fillip to earnings, he said. "We want to give post offices the look of a corporate company or a private bank," he said. With nearly 1.5 lakh post offices in the country and "good infrastructure", the government wants to make it a profit-making department, Raja said. -Agencies

Antony Furniture adds one more to the city Chennai, Feb. 12 A n t o n y furniture opened its new showroom near Anna Nagar arch and was blessed by Rev. Dr. A.M. Chinnappa Arch Bishop of Madras-Mylapore and inaugurated by Justice S.R. Singharavelu inaugurated the show room recently. A n t o n y Projects is a brand name associated with affluent yet affordable housing. Over the last ten years they have completed more than 5 lakh sq ft of residential space and more than 10 lakh sq ft in the pipeline.

Serving the society in a better way was always our motto and driving force. It is the feedback from our valued Customers and our commitment to enhance the living standards of the society that we live in, made us extend our expertise into furniture Our new venture - Antony Furniture is a significant milestone in our growth path. It offers healthier, enjoyable and more comfortable life style solutions said Antony, Managing Director of the group. At Antony

furniture utmost care is taken in crafting each piece of furniture so that it meets your high standards of style and quality. Innovative marketing concepts, quality products and state-of-the-art manufacturing methods have always been the driving force behind us. We also cater to the needs of customers individually according to their taste Browse through the beautiful furniture collections; spend few moments to get to know the company built on solid values - values that are reflected in the products and our services. -Agencies

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Feb. 12, 2009

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Rajnikant fans launch politicial outfit again New train service launched between Mettur Dam and Chennai Egmore. Mettur Feb. 12 Minister of State for Railways R. Velu on

leaves Salem Junction at 9 p.m. In the return

Wednesday launched a train service between Mettur Dam and Chennai Egmore. S o u t h e r n Railway has provided the connectivity by attaching slip coaches to the Mettur Dam-Erode Passenger. The train will leave Mettur Dam at 7.05 p.m. and reach Salem at 8.10 p.m. Later, the coaches will be attached to the Salem - Chennai Egmore Express that

direction, the coaches bound for Mettur will be attached to the Salem Chennai Egmore Express that reaches Salem at 6.05 a.m. The slip coaches will be detached at Salem and attached to the passenger train, which will leave Salem at 6.45 a.m. and reach Mettur Dam at 8 a.m. T h e s l i p coaches will include a sleeper class coach

(reserved), a general s e c o n d c l a s s c o m p a r t m e n t (unreserved) and a luggage-cum-brake van. Flagging off the new service, Mr. Velu said that the train would stop at Mecheri Road, Tholasampati and Omalur. The Mettur Dam - Salem Chennai Egmore train would soon be renamed Mettur Dam Express, he said and asked officials to send a proposal to the Ministry. M r . V e l u assured that the Railways would open a c o m p u t e r i s e d reservation centre at Mettur. S a l e m Divisional Railway Manager S. Mohan said that the division registered 20 per cent growth in revenue in the last 10 months of the current fiscal. Dharmapuri MP R. Senthil and MLAs G.K. M a n i , V. K a v e r y, Kannaian, Tamilarasu and Ramanathan spoke. -Agencies

PIL on Tamil New year: State given time to file counter to PIL petition Chennai, Feb. 12 The Madras High Court on Wednesday granted time to the State government to file a counter to a public interest litigation petition challenging the Tamil New Year (Declaration) Act, which sought to declare the first day of the Tamil month 'Thai' as Tamil New Year day. While adjourning the matter to March 4, the First Bench of Acting Chief J u s t i c e S . J . Mukhopadhaya and Justice V.Dhanapalan said the petitioner would serve a copy of the petition on standing counsel for the Union government.

T h e L a w Secretaries of the Tamil Nadu and Central governments have been cited as respondents in the petition. In the petition, S. Mani of Mylapore and 11 others said government offices and boards, corporations, i n d u s t r i a l establishments, public sector undertakings and local bodies had to follow the Tamil New Year as specified in the legislation. The enactment of the law was beyond the legislative competence of the State. “There is no

reason disclosed for this innovative departure from tradition, and the need or justification for the misadventure.” It directly offended the timecherished customs and traditions inseparably intertwined with religious practice, belief and faith. The enactment served no purpose and could render no gain for the State or to the citizens, but it hurt religious sentiments. The need for introducing an “innovative New Year” was not clear or compreh ensible. -Agencies

Country-boat fishermen on indefinite strike Rameswaram, Feb. 12 Yet another grave attack by the Sri Lankan Navy on the Indian fishermen at the mid sea provoked country-boat fishermen of the island town to embark on an indefinite strike on Wednesday. About 2,000 outboard engine-fitted country-boats did not venture into the sea for fishing from Rameswaram j e t t y, P a m b a n , Thangatchimadam, Dhanushkodi and other coastal hamlets. According to

official sources, a group of country-boat fishermen, who set sail on Tuesday morning from Rameswaram, were allegedly attacked by the Lankan Navy in mid sea off Katchatheevu island, late Tuesday night. The Lankan naval personnel boarded the Indian boats and attacked the fishermen with buts of their assault rifles and iron rods, damaging their fishing nets and seized several kg of fish, triggering tension in the coastal hamlets. The injured

fishermen, who reached t h e s h o r e s t o d a y, narrated their tale of woe to other fisherfolk. Protesting against frequent attacks, the country-boat fishermen decided not to venture into the sea. They were demanding immediate intervention of the Centre to address their plight and to pressurise the Sri Lankan Navy to stop attacks on innocent fishermen. The were also demanding action against fishermen using banned nets for fishing. -Agencies

Tiruchirapalli, Feb 12 : Notwithstandin g the suspense over Tamil film super-star Rajnikant entering politics, a section of his fans have again launched a new political outfit, 'Jananayaga M a k k a l Kazhagam'(JMK), hoping the actor would accept their action. According to the newly-elected President of the JMK R Sakthivel, the fans dissolved 'Aanmega Semmal Rajni Fans Association' which was functioning at suburban Ariyamangalam for decades and converted it into a political outfit. Mr Sakthivel said the meeting also elected G M K Raju as Secretary, A Selvam as Treasurer, P Rajangam as Presedium President and T K Murugesan as Deputy Secretary of the outfit, besides other office-bearers. If necessary, additional

office-bearers will be appointed, after holding the party executive, he added. He said a red and blue coloured flag of the outfit was also unveiled. Efforts were on to register JMK with the election commission, he added. He claimed Mr Rajnikant was expected to enter politics at any time. He also recalled the Te l u g u f i l m a c t o r politician and the newly formed Praja Rajyam Party(PRP) President Chiranjeevi's remark that the latter had spoken to Mr Rajnikant about his entry into politics by 2010. He said JMK made several attempts to meet Mr Rajnikant, but their efforts went in vain. The actor was not aware of the outfit's launch. But he would come to know about it through media, he added. He said their fans association had

been rendering service to needy people for two decades. ''We would continue to do so under the banner of JMK'', he added. Mr Sakthivel said Mr Rajnikant would appreciate their efforts and will not expel them from his fans association. A section of Rajnikant fans in Coimbatore had also launched a political party and pasted posters on the walls across the state, urging him to take the plunge into politics. Disapproving their action, the actor expelled them from his fans association. Mr Rajnikant, however, invited the expelled fans to Chennai and asked them to be patient till he takes decision on entering politics. ‘'If God invites I will enter into politics'', the actor had said during that meeting. -Agencies

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Feb. 12, 2009

NBA comes out with fresh set of guidelines for news telecast India's N-sub is in final stages: Antony Bangalore, Feb. 12 : I n d i a ' s indigenous nuclear submarine is in its "final stages" of completion, Defence A K Antony said on Wednesday. "Things are in final stages," Antony told reporters on the sidelines of the Aero India show here when asked about the progress of the Advanced Technology Vehicle (ATV) project. He said there were certain "bottlenecks" in the project earlier, but now these have been resolved. The ATV is India's

first venture into nuclear submarine design and development and it is expected to be armed with ballistic missiles such as the 750-km range Sagarika carrying nuclear warheads. The warship is expected to be launched for sea trials in April this year. Asked about the Admiral Gorshkov aircraft carrier additional price negotiations, Antony said the Cabinet had already given its consent for discussing the fresh cost of the warship with the Russians and the two

sides were holding frequent talks to arrive at a mutually agreeable price. India had signed a USD 1.5 billion deal with Russia in 2004 for Gorshkov and rechristened the ship as INS Vikramaditya. The aircraft carrier's refit and refurbishing programme is currently in progress at the Sevmash shipyard in Russia. Since 2007, Russians have been demanding an additional USD 1.5 billion for the warship, citing escalating refit costs. -Agencies

New-age tees Vs old-world radio- Trial by T-Shirt New Delhi: Feb. 12 ONE of new India's young and funky icons has taken serious potshots at the country's grand old radio station, and the latter has returned fire just as virulently.

The protagonists at war: the clothing range Tantra and the publicsector All India Radio (AIR). The battlefield: Tantra T-shirts. "This is All India Radio. We apologise for inflicting our beloved listeners with sub-standard quality of programming, bored newsreaders and sloppy production for 50 years since inception/ Independence," reads the graffito on Tantra's new range. H o w e v e r, t h e company has for some reason stopped producing the apparel range. "We do hope you stay with us for the next 50 years." The broadcasters are livid. "It is terrorist attitude to tarnish someone's repute," said an angry T Jairaj, additional director general of AIR. Freedom of expression doesn't mean I can shout at you. We don't want to curtail any rights, but even the Supreme Court says freedom isn't absolute."

But it's only the truth, say makers Tantra in self-defence. “ I f t h e government puts up something sub-standard, there are bound to be creative expressions about it," said R a n j i v Manchandani, m a n a g i n g director and cofounder of the brand. "People take potshots at 200 things that the government does. Tell me, should the government raise objection if I talk of potholes and bad roads instead?" The design, which has now been withdrawn from most stands, is only meant to be healthy criticism, reiterate the proprietors. "At the end of the day, the government is a product of the people, and everyone is guaranteed the freedom of speech for or against it," said Manchandani. But AIR's additional director general said the station may not always give sensational information, but the news is correct, educative and helpful to many students and farmers, who still make up 70 per cent of the country. " T h e y ' v e crassly misunderstood us. I cannot print your photo on a T-shirt without asking you. It is a case of misrepresenting and misleading," said Jairaj. Tantra officials, however, feel this isn't war. "We don't mean to upset anyone, and the model has been discontinued. Some things just become

symbols of an era. The government should ask itself why it's private enterprise that's giving people the best of worldclass amenities, and not them. But our print wasn't meant in bad blood," said Manchandani. D e l h i ' s designers and pros say no one must play style police, but getting personal while exercising wit isn't a good idea either. For fashion designer Mandira Wirk, striking a balance between irreverence and subtlety is the key to stay out of unnecessary trouble. "There is a fine line between poking harmless fun and getting nasty. Light, intelligent humour is okay, but hitting below the belt isn't done. This is not to say it was a wrong innovation, and I do abide by the freedom of creativity," she said. Ex-IITian and web technologist Pankaj Chaddah says this is "insane and very offensive". "AIR plays better and more sensible stuff than any other private channel," he insisted. But 24-year-old business analyst from Noida Prachi Tewari differs, and thinks the authorities should take this in the right spirit. “The truth is always bitter, and I'm sure this wasn't done with any ill-intention. I could've picked up a piece myself," she said. She went on to ask a question that most of us, including the brand, want answered: "Why doesn't the government concentrate on improving things instead?" -Agencies

New Delhi, Feb. 12 Keeping in mind the fundamental standards for telecast of Mumbai terror attack-like situation, News B r o a d c a s t e r s Association (NBA) on Wednesday came out with a fresh set of specific guidelines focusing on impartiality, accuracy, fairness and neutrality while covering such incidents. The guidelines decided during a meeting of the NBA authority, conducted by its chairman, former Chief Justice J S Verma, say news reporting

should be done keeping the "public interest" in mind. Broadcasters, the new guidelines say, should exercise discretion and sensitivity while reporting on distressing situations. "They should not disclose confidential information of operations involving national security. Broadcasters should also use discretion in reporting on operational methods used by perpetrators of serious offences against the State during the occurrence of the event. Also live interviews with

perpetrators should not be aired," say the guidelines. Stressing on accuracy, the new rules say information should be gathered firsthand from more than one source if possible. "Reports received from news agencies should be attributed and where possible be verified. Allegations should be reported as accurately as made. Errors of fact should be corrected at the earliest, giving sufficient prominence to the broadcast of the correct version of fact(s)." -Agencies

Brahmins conclave on Feb 14 in Temple town Tirupati, Feb 12: A state-level political conclave of the Brahmin community called the 'Brahmana Rajakeeya C h a i t a n y a Sankharavam', would be held in the temple town on Saturday. According to S a n k h a r a v a m Organisers CRK Seshagiri Rao and GRS Babu, the convention would urge the community for unision to better safeguard their interests and adopt various resolutions, including uplift of Brahmins, who once

dominated all the social spheres. The community would demand for scholarships and hostel facilities to Brahmin students, besides reservation in appointment of temple staff and implementation of a special package for the welfare of archakas, they said. Their other demands include according 'caste-based profession' status to priests and purohits, creation of a land bank for providing houses to the economically backward

members of the community on the lines of an 'Agraharam' and special reservation in education, employment and hostel facility to their wards and self-help groups for Brahmin women, they added. Rajahmundry MP U n d a v a l l i A r u n k u m a r, State Cultural Council Chairman Dharmavarapu Subrahmanyam, Tirupati MP Chinta Mohan, Tirupati MLA M Venkatramana and other leaders would attend the political convention, they informed. -Agencies

Terror strikes are assaults on values of country: President New Delhi Feb. 12 : Noting that there was greater appreciation in the international community of the threat that exists to the region and the world from the terror emanating from Pakistan, Government on Thursday said it would protect the people of the country from such acts of violence. In her customary address to the joint sitting

of Parliament, President Pratibha Patil termed the terror attack on Mumbai as an attempt to retard the country's economic progress and said this and terrorist incidents in various cities were assaults on all the values of the country. "There is greater appreciation in the international community of the threat that exists to the region and the world from the terrorism emanating from Pakistan," she said. The President said the nation faced multiple internal security challenges and the country witnessed terrorist attacks in several cities with growing levels of sophistication and assistance from outside the country and many innocent lives have been lost. "The terrorist attack in Mumbai as well as the terrorist incidents in Delhi, Ahmedabad, H y d e r a b a d , J a i p u r, Bengaluru and Assam and before that on our Embassy in Kabul, were an assault on all the values that our country stands for," she said. "The attack in Mumbai was deliberately planned to retard our economic progress. My government is heartened by the international support it has received after these attacks. There is greater appreciation in the international community of the threat that exists to the region and the world from the terrorism emanating from Pakistan," the

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President said. Patil said the government has strengthened the country's internal security to protect people from mindless acts of violence and a number of steps have been taken in this regard which include establishment of National Investigation Agency and amendment of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. " T h e s e measures have strengthened the legal and investigative framework to tackle terrorist forces. While arming the internal security apparatus with these powers, all care would be taken to uphold legal procedures and prevent any misuse of such powers," she said adding a comprehensive plan has been drawn up to strengthen maritime and coastal security against threats from sea. The President said the government has worked actively with the international community to address key global challenges of terrorism, energy and food security, climate change and s u s t a i n a b l e development, global economic and financial crisis and the reform of international institutions, including of the UN, to reflect contemporary realities. "The conclusion of an India Specific Safeguards Agreement with the International Atomic Energy Agency and the decision of the Nuclear Suppliers' Group in 2008 to allow its members to enter into full nuclear cooperation and trade with India in nuclear material and technology marks the beginning of the end of 34 years of nuclear isolation and the technology denial regime that India was being subjected to," she said. Patil said this has opened the way for our indigenous nuclear power generation programme to be r e i n f o r c e d b y additionalities through international civil nuclear energy cooperation, thereby also contributing to the global fight against climate change. "The opening of such cooperation with India is a vindication of India's impeccable record on nonproliferation and our long standing commitment to universal, non-

discriminatory and comprehensive nuclear disarmament," she said. The President said Left wing extremism remained a major concern in several states and the government has adopted a holistic approach to tackle this problem in close coordination with the affected states through modernisation of police forces and better implementation of socioeconomic development programmes for the most backward regions. The President said government's policies have ensured that even as India faces an economic slowdown along with the rest of the world, country's fundamentals are much better. " I n d i a ' s domestic demand can inject fresh momentum to our economy. India's banks are well capitalised and face no threat that many banks face in other parts of the world. My government has taken a series of measures to stimulate our economy at this juncture," she said. Patil said these have been expeditiously announced after discussion with stakeholders to address the problem of slow down in industrial growth exports and the services sector. " T h e s e measures include increasing availability of liquidity and credit, reduction in taxes and duties, boost to infrastructure and special support to the worst affected sectors such as exports, micro, medium and small industries, h o u s i n g a n d automobiles," she said. The President said the long borders encompassing different geographical and climate conditions and terrains make it imperative to keep the Armed Forces in a state of full preparedness to face diverse challenges at all times. " T h e modernisation programme of the Armed Forces is focussed on state-of-the-art technology, network centric warfare, and includes an Integrated Space Cell to deal with the challenges posed by the militarisation of space," she said. -Agencies

Black shirt protest by TN MPs on Lanka issue New Delhi, Feb 12: India's Sri Lanka's policy came under flak in Parliament during the President's address today with eight m e m b e r s f r o m Tamilnadu recording their protest by turning up in black shirts. These MPs belonged to the CPI(2), PMK(4) and MDMK (2). Mid-way through the address of Ms Pratibha Patil, MDMK members K r i s h n a n a n d Ravichandran raised slogans against the country's policy in Sri Lanka where the military offensive against the rebel Liberation Tigers of

Tamil Eelam (LTTE) still continues. E a r l i e r, t h e presidential address was interrupted by Mr Shariqur Rahman Warq of Samajwadi who protested against the plight of minorities in the country. It was the first time External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee acted as stand-in Prime Minister for Dr Manmohan Singh who is still convalescing after his bypass heart surgery. He sat alone in a front bench and followed the President when she left the Central Hall after delivering a 75-minute

address. Ms Patil began her address to a joint sitting of Parliament by greeting Dr Singh on behalf of all MPs, saying they were happy that he is recuperating fast. "We wish him a speedy recovery for continuing with his onerous responsibilities," she added. Vice-President Mohammad Hamid Ansari, also Chairman of Rajya Sabha, who laboured through opening and last paras of the President's 31-page speech in Hindi, also wished Dr Singh speedy recovery. -Agencies

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ICL T20 postponed due to clash with India's NZ tour: Jones Ponting and his men go in to bat for fire survivors Melbourne, Feb. 12: AUSTRALIA'S cricket captain is a tough c h a r a c t e r, b u t R i c k y Ponting was visibly moved as he stood on the dry sporting oval at Whittlesea and recounted the story of

a woman who has not seen her son since the bushfires. Ponting and his players spent more than half an hour meeting privately with survivors of the fires that have shattered communities north of Melbourne before staging a series of cricket matches intended to help the shocked children of Kinglake and its surrounds think about something else, if only for a few hours. "I sat with a lady inside before who was

convinced that I looked exactly like her son, and she hasn't seen her son for a few days," Ponting said. "I sat down and spent a bit of time with that lady ... it was very moving."

The cricketers have been been touched by the tragedy, which hit close to home for Vi c t o r i a n s C a m e r o n White and Peter Siddle, both from Gippsland. Siddle's brother losttwo close friends in the fires. A t t h e suggestion of vicecaptain Michael Clarke, the Australian players decided to stop visit the Whittlesea emergency relief centre on their way to Brisbane for tomorrow

night's one-day game against New Zealand. "We had a number of chats as a group about being able to do whatever we could today to make the trip up here and try to help out where we can, try to lift the spirits and put a few smiles on a few faces," Ponting said. "It is just a very small effort on our behalf but the team are obviously verykeen to do whatever we could." An appeal arranged by Cricket Australia and Channel Nine during Tuesday night's one-day game in Adelaide raised more than $6 million, but for the members of the Whittlesea Cricket Club the cricketers' visit made a difference that transcended financial support. “It's about the kids who have lost everything," said Whittlesea player Mark Allen. "If we can get them to have a chat with their heroes and play a bit of cricket, take their minds off everything, it's good.” -Agencies

Sharath, Poulomi off to winning starts in Kuwait Open New Delhi, Feb 12: O l y m p i a n Achanta Sharath Kamal and former national champion Poulomi Ghatak got winning starts while the rest of the women paddlers failed to win a single match on the opening day of the Pro Tour Kuwait Open, in Kuwait City on Wednesday. Sharath thrashed Hamad Buhijji of Brunei 4-0 in his opening match before spanking Romania's Ovidiu Ionescu by an identical margin in the preliminary round. His compatriots in the men's singles suffered mixed luck with Sanil Shetty, Aniket Koparkar, Soumyajit Ghosh, Devesh Karia and Aman Balgu winning one game each in the round of 64. In women's singles, Poulomi defeated Alena Dubkova of Belarus 4-3 in the round of 16. H o w e v e r, t h e other Indian women proved no match. Mouma Das went down 1-4 to Nam Wing of Hong Kong while new national champion K Shamini was spanked 0-4 by M Y Choi of Korea and 14 by Hong Kong's Rui Zhang.

Yo u n g s t e r Ankita Das lost to R u s s i a n A n n a Tikhomirova (4-0) and Kwok See Yu of Hong Kong (4-0) while Divya Deshpande was stunned by Yulia Prokhorova of Russia (4-1) and Korean

Jung Hyun Kim (4-0), respectively. Susmita Ray, Kasturi Chakraborty, M a d h u r i k a P a t k a r, Prajakta Tipale also failed to impress on the opening day of the fiveday tournament. -Agencies

Badminton authorities should learn from BCCI: Padukone Indore, Feb 12: Badminton officials in the country can learn a thing or two about marketing from the BCCI, said the legendary Prakash Padukone as he lauded the cricket body for the way it has promoted the game in the country. "I have always been a fan of the BCCI and the manner in which it markets cricket surely deserves to be praised," Padukone told reporters here Wednesday. The badminton authorities in the country should not shy awqay from having an IPL-style tournament that is being conducted by the BCCI, he said. The former All-England champion said the badminton world should learn from the BCCI on how to improve the game. On certain players missing out on Padma awards, Padukone said there was no need to create an issue out of it. "If a player is not selected for the Padma awards, it does not mean that he did not deserve it," the former badminton player said. He said the situation of badminton in the country has improved a lot during the last 10 years as a result of which several new faces had emerged. -Agencies

Melbourne, Feb 12: Indian Cricket League has postponed its Twenty20 tournament scheduled next month as

it clashed with India`s tour of New Zealand, ICL

board member Dean Jones said. Jones said the global financial crisis and the fact that Indian cricket team`s tour of New Zealand would have clashed with the ICL were key reasons for the decision. He said the tournament would be played later in the year. "The financial crisis played a part but mainly we didn`t want to clash with India`s New Zealand tour," Jones said. " T h e tournament will be

played later in the year -absolutely. I am very confident," Jones was quoted as saying by a leading English daily. The newspaper claimed that former Australia players Michael Kasprowicz, Jimmy Maher, Ian Harvey, Stuart Law, Jason Gillespie and Damien Martyn were told by e-mail this week the ICL`s March tournament would not take place. The players have been told that their sixfigure contract fees are, however, not under threat, it said. -Agencies

JK Tyre National Racing championship begins Saturday Chennai, Feb 12 : Bucking the recessionary trend that has severely impacted m o t o r s p o r t internationally, the Indian domestic series will come under starter's orders as the first round of the 2009 JK Tyre National Racing championship gets underway Saturday at the MMST track in Sriperumbudur, about 40 km from here this weekend. The two-day event will be the first of the six rounds scheduled for the season that will extend from Feb 14-15 to Oct 3-4. The second and third rounds will be held at Coimbatore. Announcing the schedule and other details of the 12th running of the championship, chairman of the meet Rajay Syal said the series will witness a few changes, but the grids in all the four classes - the showpiece Rolon-Chevrolet, LGB Swift, LGB Hyundai Endurance, the Super Bikes (600cc and 1000cc) and the newlyintroduced Super Saloon - has attracted sizeable entries.

The organisers have decided to do away with the reverse grid formation besides one qualifying session to identify the two best lap timings for grid positions for the double-header (each round comprises two races). "We decided on these changes following feedback from the competitors. We will also be importing timing equipment that will be available from the second round onwards. It will help us to provide sector and split timings," said Syal. While the points structure remains the same, no points will be awarded for the fastest lap, he added. The Rolon class has attracted 10 entries including National champion Gaurav Dalal and 2007 winner Aditya Patel. Besides, other regulars like Ashwin Sundar, Saran Vikram, Saahil Shelar, Karthik Shankar, Ajay Kini, Akhil Khushlani, Sarosh Hataria and Shankar Narayan will take part. They will be representing the four teams - Red

Rooster Racing, NK Racing, Ram's Racing and Kamlesh Patel. Saran has entered as a privateer. The LGB Swift class, open only to nonchampionship winners, has a grid of 17 cars r e p r e s e n t i n g Te a m Wallace Sports, Meco Racing and TVS Girling. There are 10 entrants for the LGB Hyundai Endurace race that will be limited to a 45minute run with a mandatory pit stop. Last year, it was a 90-minute race with two drivers per car. Syal said the Super Saloon car class (cc to weight ratio) has a grid of 30, the same as the Super Bikes Cup. Both these classes have traditionally been the biggest attraction and Syal believed that it would be the same this year too. On show in the bike races are India's three top riders - Dilip Rogger, Preetam Dev Moses and K. Rajini. The prize-money structure remains unchanged at Rs 20,000 for winner, Rs 15,000 for second place and Rs 10,000 for third. -Agencies

Positive attitude most important: Agnishwar tells students Chennai, Feb 12: I n d i a ' s emerging swimming talent Agnishwar, who lauded the RMK E n g i n e e r i n g Matriculation school for constructing an indoor stadium and a swimming pool in a bid to encourage sports today said positive attitude in life was most important. ' ' To a c h i e v e success, one needs a positive attitude to life'', said Master Agnishwar, who had won laurels

emerging the champion in an Asian level event last year, said, speaking as cheif guest at the school's fifth annual sports meet and distributed prizes and trophies to the students. ''Individual coaches are available here for every sport, including swimming, my own sport. This is the only school, which has gokarting as an extracurricular activity. The school provides the children studying here a

positive atmosphere to develop a holistic personality and a positive attitude. The students must use these opportunities and put it to good use'', he said. During the last Asian Games, when the doctors advised me against swimming as I had a fractured finger, my coach instilled confidence in me and I went on to win the competition, he recalled, reminding the students that the will to win at any cost was very important. -Agencies

Times Chennai E-Paper

Feb. 12, 2009

Page 7

Satyam's final roadmap in next 10 days: Karnik

New insurance scheme with Rs.1.25 monthly premium on cards New Delhi, Feb 12: The government will soon launch a new rural postal life insurance scheme at a monthly premium of Rs.1.25 for the rural people, Minister of State for Communications and IT Jyotiraditya Scindia said here Wednesday. "The new policy will be of Rs.100,000 of sum assured in which a person has to contribute only Rs.1.25 per month or Rs.15 per year as premium. The customers don't have to go to district headquarters for medical check-up and it can be done locally through government doctors," he said during the commemorative postage stamp and awards ceremony. The ceremony

was organised on the occasion of the 125th anniversary celebrations of postal life insurance (PLI). "Those who don't possess standard age proof documents can now take rural PLI policies of up to Rs.100,000 assured. In s u m m a r y, t h e P L I scheme is the real Jeevan Bima (life insurance) for the aam aadmi," Scindia said. Scindia said India Post enhanced the rural PLI bonus from Rs.50 to Rs.55 for every Rs.1,000 of sum assured, whereas the traditional insurers give bonus in the range of Rs.45 to Rs.50 only. "Today, number of live policies in PLI and

Rural PLI is almost 10 million. The corpus size is more than Rs.15,000 crore. Total sum assured for all policies comes to nearly Rs.73,000 crore," he said. He said the postal department would start sending alerts about the policy status - expiry premium time - on the mobile phones of the PLI holders. The minister added that the postal department would take over its monetary assets from the finance ministry. Scindia said 4,000 new post offices will be opened across the country under the 'Project Arrow', and existing post offices would be revamped. - Agencies

9 Tata firms' shares of Rs 10Kcr with lenders Mumbai, Feb 12: Promoters of three more Tata group companies, including Tata Communications, on Wednesday disclosed their share pledging details, taking the total amount raised by promoters of the nine firms to nearly Rs 10,000 crore, for meeting the group's long-term fund requirements. In aggregate, the value of the 123 crore shares pledged by the promoters has been estimated to be about Rs 10,000 crore as per today's closing price of the nine f i r m s - - T a t a Communications, Tata Tea, Tata Chemicals, Tata Motors, Tata Coffee, Tata Steel, Tata Power, Tata Teleservices (Mah) and Indian Hotels. Yesterday, six Tata group firms had revealed their share pledging details. Meanwhile, the group's holding entity Tata Sons had yesterday said: "It (share pledging) is not a new practice; it has been existing since the age of joint stock companies. It has been done primarily for long-term funding requirements of Tata

Sons." T a t a Communications today said two of its promoters, Tata Sons and Pantone Finvest, have pledged three crore shares, representing a 10.53 per cent stake in the company. Estimated at today's average market price, the shares pledged would have fetched Tata Sons over Rs 1,329.65 crore. Meanwhile, Tata Tea said its main promoter Tata Sons has pledged 70 lakh shares, representing 11.32 per cent stake in the company with lenders. Calculated on the basis of the current market price of Tata Tea scrip, the pledging would have fetched the promoters over Rs 389 crore. A l s o Ta t a Chemicals earlier today had said three of its promoters -- Tata Tea, Ta t a I n v e s t m e n t Corporation and Tata Sons -- have pledged 4.70 crore shares or 20.02 per cent stake in the company with lenders.

Calculated on the basis of current market price of Tata Chemicals, the promoters would have received over Rs 705 crore from lenders via the share pledge. Aggregating the total shares pledged by the remaining six Tata Group companies, the promoters have raised about Rs 7,500 crore. In the bull phase of the market, the Tata Group was on expansion spree and had made significant acquisitions then. Starting from August 2006, the group had undertaken major acquisitions including a 30 per cent stake in USbased Glaceau (Energy Brands) for USD 677 million, steel maker Corus and British luxury brand Jaguar-Land Rover. Tata group has 27 listed entities. However, TCS, Tata S p o n g e I r o n , Ta t a Investment Corporation are among the Tata Group companies which are yet to disclose the promoter share pledging in respective firms. - Agencies

Mumbai, Feb 12: T h e Government-appointed Satyam Computer Board would decide on the final road map for bringing the IT major back on rails in the next 10 days, a top executive said on Wednesday. "We would chart out the road map in the next 7-10 days," Satyam Chairman Kiran Karnik told reporters here while answering a question on whether the Board would opt for an open offer or auction for

the company. The Satyam Board has scheduled its meeting in the city for tomorrow. "We will meet in Mumbai tomorrow at around 9.30 am and we are working on the venue," he said. Asked whether the decision on the road map would be taken in tomorrow's Board meeting, Karnik said, "When I say 7-10 days, I expect we would have one more Board meeting." "It may require

Government approval...we don't know," he said. Asked whether any clients have left Satyam, Karnik said that earlier there were a couple of cancellations but now there is stability. Karnik refused to comment on the number of suitors for Satyam since "we have not yet formally invited any kind of applications". "The roadmap will define what we tend to do," he said. - Agencies

FDI norms eased to attract capital inflow Tribune News Service & PTI New Delhi, Feb. 12 With a view to facilitating greater foreign capital inflows, the government has rolled out a welcome mat for foreign companies investing in India. This entails a change in foreign direct investment (FDI) policy to send a positive signal in the present difficult economic scenario, said Home Minister P Chidambaram after the Cabinet meeting. The decision taken by the Cabinet Committee of Economic Affairs (CCEA) on Wednesday involves liberalised guidelines for calculation of total foreign investment in Indian companies and transfer of ownership or control of Indian companies in

sectors with caps from Resident Indian citizens to non-resident entities. When asked about the reason why the government was simplifying rules at this point in time, the Home Minister said the objective was to make FDI policy simple and transparent. "The foreign investment through (an) investing Indian company would not be considered for (calculating) the indirect foreign investment in (the) case of Indian companies 'owned and controlled' by resident Indian citizens and Indian companies owned and controlled ultimately by resident Indian citizens," a new guideline says. In another

amendment, the CCEA decided that government approval would be required for transferring the ownership of an Indian company that has a joint venture with a foreign firm in any sector covered by FDI caps. The CCEA approval of changes in FDI norms follows the recommendations of a group of ministers headed by External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee. In case the joint venture is between a foreign firm and an 'investing company' that is 'owned and controlled' by an overseas entity, the stakes of both companies (the foreign firm and the overseas entity) will be added to arrive at the overall cap, according to the new rules. - Agencies

Subhiksha denies fund diversion New Delhi, Feb. 12 : Cash-strapped retail chain Subhiksha Trading Services today said there were neither discrepancies in its accounts nor diversion of f u n d s , w h i l e acknowledging that salary cheques of some of its employees have not been honoured due to non-availability of liquidity. "We are not aware of any such allegations (account discrepancy and fund diversion) at all and this is the first time we are hearing about this. Obviously these allegations are false and motivated and deserve to be treated with contempt," Subhiksha Trading Services managing director R Subramanian told agencies Subramanian's comments come in the wake of reports that employees of the retail chain were planning to f i l e c a s e f o r "dishonouring pay

cheques" while alleging the company of "diverting funds and fudging the accounts". He, however, admitted that the salary cheques of some employees have not been honoured and blamed the situation for non-availability of funds. "We have admitted that salaries are in arrears since October 2008. Some pay cheques for October and November 2008 dated mid-January 2009 or so were issued based on assurance that we would be receiving some money as an interim measure. Such money did not materialise and the cheques could not be honoured," Subramanian said. Subramanian said Subhiksha is trying to raise money for the payment of employees' salaries. "The company has every intention of honouring the cheques and is attempting to raise

money for this. The fact is that salaries are in arrears and this has been already stated, and that cheques are not honoured is only a technicality and not a real issue," Subramanian added. Property to be attached The Employees Provident Fund Office (EPFO) in Chennai adjourned the hearing on non-payment of PF dues by Subhiksha to February 19. The EPFO office maintains that Subhiksha has to pay up arrears to the tune of Rs 5 crore, even as Subramanian denies, saying that the dues were much lower. “It was adjourned to February 19 in the normal course - we have not sought any adjournment said Subramanian." Upon completion of hearing, the Subhiksha management would be given 15 days to remit the dues, failing which properties of promoters could get attached, EPFO sources added. -Agencies

Times Chennai E-Paper

Page 8

Feb. 12, 2009

We love you Chennai Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther Iconic Movers of Change' Washington: Feb. 12 The US House of Representative has unanimously passed a resolution recognising the influence Mahatma Gandhi had on Martin Luther King Jr, the great civil rights leader of America who has been a source of inspiration to President Barack Obama. Passed by a roll call vote of 406 to 0, with 26 abstaining, the resolution commemorates the 50th anniversary of King's visit to India in 1959. It was introduced by Congressman John Lewis and co-sponsored by five other lawmakers -John Conyers, Jim McDermott, Robert C Scott, Henry Johnson and Adam B. Schiff. The resolution urged all Americans to commemorate King's trip to India in 1959 to know more about Mahatma Gandhi and the influence his study of Gandhian philosophy had in shaping the US Civil Rights Movement, in creating political climate necessary to pass legislation to expand civil

rights and voting rights for all Americans. Observing that the great American leader was tremendously influenced by the nonviolence philosophy of Gandhi, the resolution says King encountered this during his study of Gandhi, and was further inspired by him during his first trip to India. King successfully used this in the struggle for civil rights and voting rights, it says. A U S delegation, including several lawmakers are scheduled to visit India later this month to commemorate the 50th anniversary of visit of Martin Luther King to India from February 10, 1959 to March 10, 1959. During his month-long stay, King was accompanied by his wife Coretta Scott King, and Lawrence Reddick, then chairman of the history department at Alabama State College. King visited various places associated with Gandhi. He met then

Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, land reform leader Vinoba Bhave and other influential leaders to discuss issues of poverty, economic policy and race relations. A l l t h i s deepened King's commitment to nonviolence, and revealed to him the power that nonviolent resistance holds in political and social battles, the resolution says. "The trip to India impacted Dr King in a p r o f o u n d w a y, a n d inspired him to use nonviolence as an instrument of social change to end segregation and racial discrimination in America throughout the rest of his work during the Civil Rights Movement," the Congressional resolution says. Congressman John Lewis is part of US delegation to visit India t h i s m o n t h t o commemorate the visit. Others are Martin Luther

Chennai, Feb. 12: Valentine's Day is around the corner and everyone is gearing up in a big way. Decking yourself up with your best dress and showing off those flashy shoes to your companion is something that everyone sub-consciously wants to do. Where better to head to than the house of contemporary fashion in the city? Style One has a whole new range of attire King III and legendary jazz musician Herbie Hancock. The delegation will meet in New Delhi with government leaders, social activists, and youth, and will travel around India to some of the principal sites associated with Gandhi. Tw o s p e c i a l musical performances featuring Herbie Hancock and others will be organised by the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz. In Chennai, Indian musicians will conduct a special tribute, including performances of music on the theme of nonviolence created by leading composer A.R. Rahman. -Agencies

to choose from particularly for the season, and to add to it,

b a s e d s t o r e merchandising, STYLE ONE has not just changed the way we have looked at

are extremely attractive offers that are up for grabs. Any purchase of over Rs 3000 by 14th of February entitles you to a gift voucher of Rs 500 which can be redeemed at Style One through the month of March. With an extensive range comprising of the latest trends in apparel, you are quite guaranteed to find everything that you set out to pick up.

fashion but also changed the whole concept of 'Shopper Experience'. With over 40000 sq. feet of the latest in fashion, they have offered Chennaites with a distinctive shopping experience which was unknown of before. It has catapulted the city onto the fashion map by changing trends and completely shifting the outlook that we had about fashion. They have redefined fashion with a vibrant, youthful and bright translation of the best in the fashion industry from around the world featuring more than 100 of the world's most renowned fashion labels. -Agencies

Style One has redone the whole fashion scenario and offered the latest in national and international trends from renowned labels, world over. With aesthetically stupendous ambience and concept

Malar Hospitals launches the ‘Escorts Chest Pain Clinic’ Chennai,, Feb. 12 Malar Hospitals, Chennai an Associate of Fortis Healthcare today launched the state-of-the-art Escorts

clinic in the entire capital region Governor of Tamil Nadu Surjit Singh Barnala, inaugurated the high-tech centre, which

around the city. The New logo of Escorts Heart Institute was also unveiled on the occasion

facility the Governor expressed deep concern over the rise in incidence of heart diseases. He said, "The need of the

Tamil Nadu Governor S.S. Barnala inauguration Escorts Chest Pain Clinic at Fortis

Chest Pain Clinic (ECPC) making it the most modern and fully equipped chest

will work round the clock to attend emergency cases coming from in and

Congratulating the hospital management for introducing this new

hour is having sound health, which forms the basis for a happy life.

Providing the medical services to the common people and bringing health awareness are very important, so that our people can lead a quality life." "The quality and commitment of our doctors have gained recognition would wide. But cardiac diseases have nearly doubled in India. What’s even more ominous is that there is a high incidence of cardiac afflictions getting detected among those less than 40 years." " T h e Government of Tamil Nadu is providing commendable medical assistance to the common people. It is necessary that the people utilize it properly and stick to health care a n d h y g i e n e . Cardiologists blame drop in age of heart disease afflicting Indian due to unhealthy food intake including excessive consumption of milk products and junk food, sedentary lifestyle and stress," he added. ECPC at the Malar Hospitals will provide high- tech cardiac care facility at par with international standards to their patients. The clinic intends to offer its

patients speedy attention, referral and attendance by constant monitoring and ensuring that nothing steps out of control in the handling of the discomfort Malar Hospitals will also conduct various awareness programmes on Heart related diseases it feels that educating the patient is an important step towards prevention of the disease. Free screening camps, Preventive Health camps will all be a part of its initiative to encourage people to have regular Cardiac check ups. The first heart check up camp will start from Feb13 – Feb 20, 2009”. A 24-hour helpline, which will address any doubts/queries on Cardiac Care, is also being planned for the benefit of patients. The hospital will also introduce special discounted health packages for Corporates soon according to a press release. Jasbir Grewal, Vice President Operations, Fortis Healthcare Ltd, Krish Ramesh, Zonal Director, Malar Hospitals, Dr K R Balakrishnan, Director, Cardiac Sciences, Escorts Heart Institute at Malar Hospitals and Dr Sanjiv Agrawal, Sr. Cardiologist, Escorts Heart Institute at Malar Hospitals were present on the occasion. -Agencies

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