E Paper Feb. 25, 2009

VOL: 2 ISSUE 46

Feb. 25, 2009

Courts reopen, but lawyers continue boycott stir Chennai, Feb 25: Madras High Court and other courts in Tamil Nadu reopened today after the February 19 violent clash between police and lawyers in the Court complex, but lawyers boycotted the courts, c o n t i n u i n g t h e i r s t i r,

on them.

aainst he presence of police personnel posted in front of Registrar General's office. A wordy duel broke out between the police and the lawyers when the police tried to chase away the advocates. But after Registrar General Mala intervened and sent the police personnel out of the court, the lawyers relented. In the High court, 33 judges turned up this morning and waited for a while. As no advocate, i n c l u d i n g government advocates reported for work, they returned to their c h a m b e r s . Magistrate Courts A view of the advocates sitting in protest boycotting the court work in in Egmore, Chennai. TCNN photo by S Mohan Saidapet and G e o r g e To w n prevailed when a gourp demanding action against areas also wore a of lawyers protested police officers for the attack deserted look as the As decided by the full court, the High Court, Magistrate courts in the city and other courts in the districts reopened. But the lawyers stayed away from the courts. T e n s i o n

lawyers abstained. government tried to ease injured in the attack by Courts in the districts also the situation and pacify police. Law Minister did not function as the lawyers by organising D u r a i m u r u g a n , lawyers continued their a peace talks yesterday, announcing the boycott. but the lawyers boycotted compensation in the state A section of the the meeting. a s s e m b l y, s a i d f u l l lawyers continued their This morning, compensation would be fast outside Madras High the government in a bid to paid after the committee, Court for the third day assuage the lawyers, constituted by the today, demanding the announced an interim government to assess the removal of Director General of Police K P Jain, City Police Commissioner K Radhakrishnan and other senior Police officials for the attack on lawyers. T h e lawyers held the senior police o f f i c i a l s responsible for police personnel entering the High Court complex, An advocate displaying the damaged car and organises for its funeral in assaulting them Chennai. TCNN photo by S Mohan and damaging their vehicles compensation of Rs extent of damage, when the clash broke out 5,000 each to the presented its report. on February 19. lawyers, who were -Agencies T h e D M K

SC may order judicial inquiry in lawyers-police clash in Madras HC New Delhi, Feb 25: Taking a serious note of lawyers and police clash in the Madras High court, the Supreme Court

Justices P Sathasivam and J M Panchal also made it clear that police station inside Madras High Court premises

today indicated that it may order a judicial inquiry by a retired High Court Judge. A b e n c h comprising Chief Justice K G Balakrishnan and

must be immediately removed and directed the Solicitor General of India to inform the Supreme Court tomorrow at whose instance Tamil Nadu

police entered Madras High Court on February 19. The apex court, however, disapproved lawyers shouting slogans inside the court premises. Supreme Court Bar Association's senior counsel K K Venugopal, h o w e v e r, s u b m i t t e d before the court that lawyers in Tamil Nadu may be directed to resume work forthwith as litigants are suffering and even the bail applications are not being considered. L a w y e r s appearing for the Madras High Court Lawyers Association opposed Mr Venugopal's plea, adding that six High Court Judges were also attacked and they have no faith in the state police as well as administration. The entire controversy started when some lawyers assaulted

former Union Minister and Janata Party p r e s i d e n t D r Subramanian Swamy inside the Madras High Court premises. The apex court also made it clear that no sitting judge shall be spared from judicial inquiry. The Supreme Court will here the case tomorrow. Senior Counsel Mukul Rohtagi appearing for AIADMK MLA D Jayakumar contended before the apex court that the security of the Madras High Court should be handed over to the Central Paramilitary Forces and Tamil Nadu police should be completely withdrawn from the High Court premises. Mr Jayakumar, a former Tamil Nadu Law Minister, in his petition had prayed for a declaration that the

Govt. may cut diesel price by Rs 2 before signing off New Delhi, Feb. 25 : T h e government is likely to cut diesel price by Rs 2 a litre in "a day or two" but there would be no reduction in petrol prices. Government wants to announce the price reduction, on top of the Rs 4 a litre cut in two installments since D e c e m b e r, b e f o r e General Elections are announced, an official said. "The Cabinet may meet in a day-or-two to decide on the reduction," he said. "Most likely, the Cabinet may meet tomorrow." A reduction in diesel price would pull down inflation and make goods transportation, constitutional machinery in the state had broken down and President's Rule should be imposed under Article 356 of the Constitution.

especial ly frui ts and vegetables, cheaper. However, there would no reduction in petrol rates, which in two installments had already been slashed by Rs 10 a litre. State-owned fuel retailers Indian Oil Corp, Bharat Petroleum and Hindustan Petroleum are selling petrol at almost break-even point while they make Rs 3.26 a litre profit on diesel sales. "There is a scope for reduction in diesel rates only," the official said. On petrol, the margins are just Rs 0.08 per litre. The three firms are currently making Rs 36 crore per day profit on diesel sales, enough to negate the Rs 24 crore per day loss on kerosene and Rs 9 crore on domestic LPG. Kerosene is being sold at a loss of Rs 11.70 per litre and LPG at Rs 77.51 per 14.2-kg cylinder.

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Feb. 25, 2009

DMK MLA resigns from TN Assembly Twenty five lawyers booked for trespassing Chennai, Feb 25 City Police have registered a case against 25 advocates who broke open the lock of one of the gates of Madras High Court last week. Police have also registered another case yesterday against eight lawyers for injuring a

policeman using a blade. Following the clash between the police and lawyers last Thursday, the court was closed on Monday and Tu e s d a y. H o w e v e r, lawyers who were staging a protest in front of the court broke open the lock and entered the

premises. Based on the complaint of the registrargeneral of the Madras High Court, R Mala, police booked a case against 25 lawyers under various sections, including trespassing the court. - Agencies

TN Minister announces interim compensation to HC lawyers Chennai, Feb 25: Tamil Nadu Law Minister Duraimurugan today announced an interim compensation of Rs 5000 each to lawyers of Madras High Court, who were injured in the violent

the State Government to assess the extent of damage and recommend compensation. Pending report by the Committee, which had also been asked to assess the damage

clash between Police and lawyers at the High Court premises on February 19. Making a suo motu statement in the State Assembly, the Minister said the Government has decided to provide interim compensation as it would take time for the committee, constituted by

caused to cars and two w h e e l e r s , t h e Government would pay Rs 5000 each to the lawyers, who sustained injuries in the clash, Mr Duraimurugan added. The decision to pay them compensation was seen as a move by Government to pacify the

lawyers, who had been agitating, demanding action against the police officials, who were responsible for assaulting the lawyers and damaging their vehicles. It remains to be seen, whether the lawyers would accept the compensation. In a bid to pacify the police, the Government, last night, had announced that it would bear the medical expenses of policemen, injured in the Februray 19 clash. T h e Government had also announced an interim relief of Rs 500 each to 10,390 police personnel, who were involved in providing security to President Pratiba Patil and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, when they visited the city in connection with Pravasi Diwas, early January. - Agencies

AIADMK members stage walkout as Speaker expunges remarks Chennai, Feb 25: Members of the opposition AIADMK today staged a walk out from the Tamil Nadu assembly, after the Speaker Avudaiappan expunged some charges made by Deputy Leader of the Opposition O Panneerselvam against the DMK government and the Tamil Nadu Public Service Commission (TNPSC). M r Panneerselvam was winding up the debate on the state budget for the year 2009-10, when the problem arose, leading to a noisy walk out by the

AIADMK members. The AIADMK members also boycotted Finance Minister K Anbazhagan's reply to the debate on the budget, presented to the House on February 17. M r Panneerselvam, participating in the debate, alleged irregularities in recruitments for Group-I and Group-II services by the TNPSC. He also blamed the ruling DMK for the attack on AIADMK leader J Jayalalithaa's convoy, when she visited

Pasumpon in October last to pay homage to Thevar Leader P a s u m p o n Muthuramalinga Thevar. When the Speaker R Avudaiyappan expunged the charges made against the government in connection with the alleged irregularities in TNPSC recruitment and the DMK government for the attack on Ms Jayalalithaa's convoy, Mr Panneerselvam, protested and led his colleagues out. - Agencies

Chennai, Feb 25: In a sudden development, ruling DMK MLA Rajakannappan today resigned from the Tamil Nadu Assembly. Mr Rajakannappan, who was elected from the Ilayankudi constituency in the May 2006 Assembly polls, tendered his resignation papers to the Assembly Secretary. A former Minister in the AIADMK regime, Mr Rajakannappan had quit the AIADMK before the 2006 Assembly polls and joined the DMK. He was likely to return back to the AIADMK fold. - Agencies

DVAC officials arrest ASO for accepting bribe Chennai, Feb 25 : The Directorate of Vigilance and Anti Corruption officials today arrested an Assistant Section Officer (ASO) in the Agriculture Department after catching him red-handed receiving a bribe of Rs 10,000 from an employee, due to retire on February 28. The arrest was made this morning in front of a bank in the

secretariat complex, while the assembly was in session. DVAC sources said the ASO had demanded a bribe of Rs 10,000 from an Assistant Agriculture Officer Muthupandi in Sivaganga district to ensure that he received his retirement benefits after retirement on February 28. Mr Muthupandi had approached the ASO

to find out whether he had been a obsolved of his charges levelled against him about ten years ago and the status of his retirement benefits. When the ASO demanded a bribe of Rs 10,000, promising him his retirement benefits, Mr Muthupandi informed the DVAC, who laid a trap and arrested the officer redhanded. - Agencies

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Feb. 25, 2009

AIADMK, DMK clash in Rajya Sabha over attack on lawyers New Delhi, Feb 25: AIADMK and DMK members on Wednesday clashed in the Rajya Sabha on the issue of attack on lawyers by police in Tamil Nadu, with Jayalalithaa's party demanding dismissal of the M K a r u n a n i d h i government. Alleging that advocates were brutally attacked by policemen, K

Malaisamy (AIADMK) said during Zero Hour that the state government has lost control over its police. Even the Chief Minister was sounding helpless and saying that he was not able to control them, Malaisamy said. " T h e Ta m i l Nadu government has become useless, ineffective and defunct,"

Society of Statistics conference gets underway Chennai, Feb. 25 The department of statistics of the University of Madras is hosting the XI annual conference of the Society of Statistics, Computer and Applications. Inaugurating the event on Tuesday, vicechairman of the State Planning Commission, Professor M Naganathan, spoke about the need for quality statisticians. "There is a need to strengthen statistical and computer application systems to evaluate plans with the help of reliable statistics and information systems. Tamil Nadu has been implementing pioneering social welfare schemes and continuous assessments are needed to take rational decisions concerning crucial sectors of the state economy. Building up a database

starting from villages and aggregating it up to the state level is essential for preparing and i m p l e m e n t i n g programmes," he said. About 100 delegates from various research organisations, including the Indian Society of Agricultural Statistics, universities and other state g o v e r n m e n t organisations, are expected to participate in the conference and present their research findings on subjects such as statistical modelling, design of experiments, reliability theory, data mining and bio-statistics. The highlight will be a symposiun on data mining using the Bayesian Inference. - Agencies

Power shutdown on Thursday Chennai Feb. 25: Power supply will be suspended in the following areas on Thursday Feb. 26 from 9.00 a.m. to 5.00 p.m. for maintenance work. The supply will be resumed before 5.00 p.m. if the works are completed earlier says a TNEB release. Saidapet West: Gangai Amman Koil Street, V.O.C. Block, Murosoli Maran Street, Jothi Ramalinga Nagar, Sarathi Nagar, Punniyakodi Street, Jones Road, Gandhi Street, Valluvar Street and Muruhurai Salai. Egmore: Parts of P.C.O. Road and Gandhi Irwin Road. Arumbakkam: MMDA Colony, Arumbakkam, Aminjikarai, N.M. Road, Mehta Nagar, Railway Colony, Collectorate Colony, Vada Agaram, Azad Nagar, M.H. Colony, Choolaimedu and Vadapalani. Red Hills: Lakshmipuram, Konimedu, Easwaran Nagar, Ellaiamman Nagar, Gandhi Nagar and T.H. Road. Mahalingapuram: V.K. High Road, North Mada Street, South Mada Street, East Mada Street, West Mada Street, Shenoy Road, Kothari Road, Jayalakshmipuram and Appu Street. Shanthi Colony: Aminjikarai, Anna Nagar East, Shanti Colony and parts of Arumbakkam and Shenoy Nagar. - Staff Reporter

he said demanding its dismissal. This triggered strong protests from members of the archrival DMK, including Union Minister A Raja. Spearheading the DMK counter-attack, T Siva contended that the matter was sub-judice and could not be raised in the House. H o w e v e r, Deputy Chairman K Rahman Khan observed that the notice was admitted by the Chairman. T h r o u g h another mention, Brinda Karat (CPI-M) expressed concern over the killing of three government officials in Manipur allegedly by NSCN factions and said the unified command has failed to control violence unleashed by warring Naga outfits. P Madhu (CPIM) alleged that financial laws, like FEMA, were being violated by a number of companies in

Andhra Pradesh, leading to a serious situation. A n o t h e r member from Andhra Pradesh, M V Mysura Reddy (TDP) said that 'Mauritius route' was being used by these companies for money laundering purposes. Nandi Yellaiah (Cong) said there was strong resentment among scheduled caste people in Andhra Pradesh as only certain sections were getting reservation benefits. N Balaganga (AIADMK) drew attention of the government towards five railway projects in the state and rued that the state government was not giving its 50 per cent share for implementation of the projects. Sabir Ali (LJP) alleged that certain irregularities were committed in giving license to 'Swan' telecom company. - Agencies

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Judges sit in empty court halls at Madras High Court Chennai, Feb 25: Most of the lawyers including government advocates preferred to stay away from the first day of resumption in the Madras High Court proceedings after it was ordered to be closed by acting Chief Justice S J Mukhopathaya following a police-lawyers clash in the court premises. The judges kept sitting in empty court halls here on Wednesday. Despite the interim solatium announced by the State Government the agitating lawyers refused to budge to the government's request to attend the court. Opinion poll blames lawyers Twice as many people blame the lawyers than the police for the violence at the Madras High Court last week. It is not surprising then that public opinion about lawyers is so low that half the people polled in a survey commissioned by a leading English daily did not want their children to become lawyers, while only one-fifth did. The violence erupted on February 19, when the police went to the High Court to investigate the egg pelting two days earlier of Subramanian Swamy. A clash between lawyers and police ensued, which carried on the next day, and which

has forced the closure of courts since. The survey of 500 Chennaiites, carried out by research organisation C fore, makes it clear that the public sees the lawyers as the culprits of the current s t a n d o ff b e t w e e n t h e executive and the judiciary. Respondents o v e r w h e l m i n g l y disapproved of the egg pelting. Some lawyers have, post-clashes, asserted that the community also did not approve of the egg pelting, but this appears to have got drowned in the din. What has etched itself in the public mind, rather, has been the tradeunion-manner in which the lawyers reacted when the police tried to take action in the egg-pelting incident. A third of those polled said the culprits should have been arrested immediately; and there were almost as many responses favouring the debarring of lawyers, as there were favouring a probe by the acting chief justice. The public antipathy towards the lawyers can be gauged by the fact that exactly twice as many respondents to The poll favoured police action at the courts, as those who approved of the police inaction during the castebased rampage by law students in November. If anything, the public's message to lawyers is clear: No one should presume to be above the law. - Bureau Report

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Feb. 25, 2009

Times Chennai E-Paper

Feb. 25, 2009

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Quality of private higher education a major concern: Singh India may replicate post-9/11 US anti-terror strategies: Chidambaram New Delhi, Feb 25: India will try to replicate select antiterrorism strategies which the US had adopted after the September 11, 2001 attacks, Home Minister P Chidambaram said on Wednesday. Insisting that the government is much more prepared now for handling terror strikes than three months ago, he told Rajya Sabha that there will be better coordination between various security and spy agencies from next month when the multiagency centre will be in place. "Our level of preparedness is much higher than it was three months back and in the event of any attack, our response will be swift and deterring," he said responding to members' concern on internal security during the Question Hour. Chidamabarm said that he would be presenting his third report on the level of preparedness on February 27. "A team had gone to the US to study their antiterror strategies, which they had prepared in the

wake of 9/11 attacks. The team has come back and we are trying to replicate the strategies studied there, that suit our requirements," he said. "By March 31, there will be better coordination between multi-agency centre (MAC) and its subsidiaries and between MAC and special branch of police and various data centres". By May this year, all these agencies will be much better placed to reply to any kind of terror attacks, the Home Minister said. ‘Reply to Pak's queries on dossier after chargesheet’ India will respond to Pakistan's questions on dossier after filing of chargesheet in Mumbai attack case, Chidambaram said. "After the chargesheet is filed, we will reply," Chidambaram told reporters outside Parliament on being asked when India would reply to the set of 30 questions posed by Pakistan on the Indian dossier. Chidambaram was speaking when the

chargesheet in Mumbai case was about to be filed in a court in the financial capital. Minister of State for Home Shakeel Ahmad said the government will seek to clarify whatever doubts Pakistan may have with regard to the attack. He said the footage of four terrorists roaming in Taj Hotel in Mumbai on November 26 last year, which was aired by a TV channel, should provide further evidence to Pakistan in connection with the probe. “So far they have acknowledged the nationality of only Ajmal Amir Kasab but there has no acknowledgement by Pakistan of the nationality of his associates, who died during the attack. The footage should help Pakistan in identifying them," he said. At the same time, he said Pakistan should also hand over 40 fugitives of Indian law, which New Delhi has demanded. “This is our target". -Agencies

Sukhram sentenced to 3 years in jail in DA case New Delhi, Feb 25: A Delhi court on Wednesday sentenced f o r m e r U n i o n Communication Minister Sukhram to three years imprisonment in connection with the disproportionate assets case. The Tis Hazari court also slapped a fine of Rs two lakh on Sukhram. T h e c o u r t , h o w e v e r, granted bail to Sukhram on furnishing a personal bond and surety of Rs 50,000 each. The court said that Sukhram’s sentence will remain suspended for two months and he can appeal against his conviction in the higher courts if he agrees to the conditions laid by it. Reacting to the verdict, the former minister has expressed faith in the judicial system and decided to appeal in the higher court against his sentencing.

On Feb 20, Sukhram, a cabinet colleague of Prime Minister P V Narasimha Rao, was convicted of a m a s s i n g disproportionate assets, both movable and immovable, to the tune of Rs 5.36 crore between 1991 and 1996. Special Judge V K Maheshwari had reserved his judgment in the case on February 17 after the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the former Minister's counsel wrapped up their arguments. Meanwhile, Sukhram claimed innocence saying that he was a victim of political rivalry between then Prime Ministers H D Deve Gowda and Rao. The CBI on Tuesday pleaded before Tis Hazari Court for maximum punishment of seven years to Sukhram f o r a m a s s i n g

disproportionate assets. Special CBI prosecutor Gurdial Singh told Special CBI Judge V K Maheshwari that the former minister, who has been convicted, is "liable for the maximum sentence under the Prevention of Corruption Act as wealth was collected by him during his tenure as a minister of Government of India". Advocate S P Minocha, appearing for 82-year-old Sukhram, however, pleaded for lenient approach towards the minister on the ground of his poor health, old age and "good" past track record as a politician as well as the minister. The judge after hearing both the sides reserved its order on the quantum of punishment. -Agencies

New Delhi, Feb 25: A s t h e government focuses on m o r e p r i v a t e participation in higher education, the quality remains a major area of concern, HRD Minister Arjun Singh said on Wednesday. Speaking at the inaugural function of the S u b - R e g i o n a l conference of South, South-West and Central Asia on Higher Education, he said the private sector has increased dramatically in the field of education in the last few decades in most of the countries. " T h e maintenance of the overall standards and quality of private higher education remains a major concern to be addressed by most of us in the region," he said. The countries need to address the issues like fee structure and the inclusion of the poor in the realm of education in a "regime of

market oriented competition", Singh said. He sought cooperation from the states in increasing the spending on education. The general thumb rule is that a country should spend at least about six percent of its GDP on education. "I am painfully conscious of the fact that for most of our countries of the region, including India, this target has been eluding us," he said. S i n g h , h o w e v e r, s a i d t h e allocation in higher education has increased by five times in the 11th Plan than the allocations made in the 10th Plan. "With the cooperation from our states governments, we are likely to also come close to the target of spending about six per cent of our GDP by the end of 11th Plan," he said at the conference being a t t e n d e d b y representatives from 14

countries. H e s a i d globalisation of higher education has created new challenges with respect to quality and mutual recognition of degrees. "I am sure that UNESCO can and will play a vital role in this sphere. We all who are participating in this conference can also make a beginning in the areas of mutual interest like recognition of qualification and sharing of information about accreditation of educational institutions," he said. The challenges can be addressed to a large extent by regional collaborations, he said. "The countries of our region have been very strong in local knowledge since time immemorial and we must ensure that globalisation does not challenge our respect for diversity and pluralism," he said. Minister of State for HRD D Purandeswari said higher education should be made equitable. -Agencies

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Feb. 25, 2009

McCullum magic stuns India in T20 opener Christchurch, Feb. 25 B r e n d o n McCullum made 56 not out and shared an unbroken 60-run partnership with Jacob Oram to lead New Zealand to a seven-wicket

win over India on Wednesday in the first of t w o T w e n t y 2 0 internationals. M c C u l l u m fashioned a restrained halfcentury from 48 balls with three sixes and two fours to

steer New Zealand past India's total of 162 for eight with seven balls to spare. New Zealand was 166 for three in the 19th over when Oram (29 not out) struck the game's

41st six to clinch the win. India's innings, highlighted by an unbeaten 61 by Suresh Raina, included 13 sixes, one fewer than the record for a single innings in a Twenty20 international.

When New Zealand peppered the short boundaries at AMI Stadium with 11 more sixes, delighting a crowd in excess of 16,000, it established a record for most sixes in an international Twenty20 match. Raina played a steadying hand in an innings, which progressed in fits and starts with alternate clutches of sixes and wickets. Virender Sehwag opened the innings explosively with three sixes from the first three balls he faced before he was bowled by Tim Southee for 26. Later, Yusuf Pathan smashed three straight sixes from the first three balls bowled by rookie offspinner Nathan McCullum and was caught on the boundary by Oram attempting a fourth. Raina hit two successive sixes to raise his 50 from 38 balls. His innings lasted 43 balls and included five sixes

Dhoni: We failed as a team Christchurch, Feb. 25 : Mahendra Singh Dhoni flayed the irresponsible batting by his teammates and felt the temptation of hitting sixes in a small ground did them in against New Zealand in the first Twenty20 match here on Wednesday. In a match where 24 sixes - new record for a T w e n t y 2 0 international -were hit, none of t h e I n d i a n batsmen, barring the possible exception of Suresh Raina (61), showed any application, which annoyed Dhoni. The Indian captain said the team was in unnecessary hurry and there was a lack of responsibility among the batsmen. "We failed to realise that it's a 20-over game. At times people think there is not enough overs but it's a decently long game," Dhoni said. "We failed as a team today. Nobody took the responsibility to stay in the middle, especially when we lost 2-3 quick wickets. Somebody should have stayed there, knocking the ball here and there. "It's important to have wickets in hand so that you can capitalise on the last

five overs. It was a learning experience for us," he added. Wa r n i n g t e a m m a t e s against taking things lightly, Dhoni said, "You just cannot go through the motions. A batsman hitting the ball nicely doesn't mean I too would go out and try the same." Criticising t h e tendency to go ultraaggressiv e, Dhoni said, "We have bighitters in our side, that's a h u g e advantage . But at times we tend to go with the flow, we have to be careful about that. "At times, you have short ground and you want to hit more sixes than fours and most of our batsmen was looking to hit sixes, not concentrating on singles or fours," he said. In contrast, Dhoni was happy with the way his bowlers tried to defend the modest total. "It was a tough wicket, good for batting and I'm happy with the way they bowled. It was good to see Harbhajan Singh

bowling well. He returned after a long time and it was nice to see him in rhythm," Dhoni said. His opposite number Daniel Vettori singled out Brendon McCullum, who was adjudged Man of the Match for his sedate unbeaten 56, for special praise and also hailed the bowlers for taming India's star-studded batting lineup. "The way Brendon handled the chase, it was really great. (Martin) Guptill also played his natural game and we proved we are a decent Twenty20 side. "Our bowlers also did a fantastic job by restricting India to 160-odd. We knew they have some exceptional players and they would put pressure on us," Vettori said. McCullum, on his part, said he learnt the importance of singles in a T20 tie after the recent series against Australia and it stood him in good stead today. "Against Australia, we didn't get enough singles and went for big hits only. We learnt from there. "Initially, we thought we would have to chase 300. After all they are the Twenty20 world champions," he said. -Agencies

and two fours. McCullum hit two sixes and a four from three balls to raise New Zealand's hundred as the home team carefully but relentlessly chased down the Indian total. ``It was a really pleasing win,'' New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori said. ``In all aspects we played well. India put us under real pressure and to still get up and win was a good effort.'' McCullum cleverly guided the New Zealand run chase, opening the innings and batting through all of its 18.5 overs. He lost his opening partner, Jesse Ryder, with the total at two but was helped by Martin Guptill (41) to revive the innings with 54 runs for the second wicket. R o s s Ta y l o r made a valuable 31, guiding New Zealand to 106 for three, then old heads McCullum and Oram steered New Zealand home. India skipper MS Dhoni said the manner, in which New Zealand went about

its innings was educational. ``We got off to a good start but we failed to approach it as a 20-over match,'' he said. ``There are 20 overs and people fail to realise its a decently long game. ``Nobody took responsibility to stay there in the middle and bat through because it's important to have wickets in hand at the end. The second match is at Wellington on Friday. Scoreboard: INDIA G Gambhir b O'Brien 6 V Sehwag b O'Brien 26 SK Raina not out 61 RG Sharma c BB McCullum b Butler 7 Yuvraj Singh lbw b Vettori 1 MS Dhoni b Butler 2 YK Pathan c Oram b NL McCullum 20 IK Pathan c NL McCullum b Ryder 12 Harbhajan Singh b Southee 21 Extras (lb 3, w 3) 6 Total (8wkts; 20 overs) 162 (8.10 runs per over) Fall: 1-25 (Gambhir, 1.6 ov), 2-32 (Sehwag, 3.1

ov), 3-54 (RG Sharma, 5.2 ov), 4-56 (Yuvraj Singh, 6.2 ov), 5-61 (Dhoni, 7.5 ov), 6-82 (YK Pathan, 9.4 ov), 7-101 (IK Pathan, 13.3 ov), 8-162 (Harbhajan Singh, 19.6 ov) Bowling: T Southee 4-0-42-1, I O'Brien 4-0-36-2, I Butler 4-0-29-2 (1w), D Vettori 40-18-1 (2w), N McCullum 2-0-27-1, J Ryder 2-0-7-1. NEW ZEALAND J Ryder lbw b I Sharma 1 B McCullum not out 56 M Guptill lbw b Harbhajan Singh 41 R Taylor b Khan 31 J Oram not out 29 Extras (w 5, nb 3) 8 Total (3wkts; 18.5 overs) 166 Fall: 1-2 (Ryder, 1.1 ov), 256 (Guptill, 6.4 ov), 3-106 ( Ta y l o r , 1 3 . 2 o v ) Bowling: Z Khan 4-0-20-1 (1w), I Sharma 4-0-35-1 (3nb), I Pathan 3-0-38-0, Harbhajan Singh 4-0-191, Y Pathan 2.5-0-37-0 (1w), Yuvraj Singh 1-0-170 (1w), Match result: New Zealand won the match by seven wickets and seven balls to spare.

Times Chennai E-Paper

Feb. 25, 2009 Business

White goods may be cheaper but not immediately New Delhi, Feb 25: C o n s u m e r durables could become cheaper by up to Rs 5,800 after the government's move to cut excise duty by two per cent, but end users cannot just yet reap the benefit as companies are yet to work out the details. "We have not yet discussed this issue internally. We would be able to say how much we will pass on to consumers only after we discuss it," LG India Director Sales and M a r k e t i n g V

Ramachandran said. LG, the leading player in the Indian consumer durables market, has TVs priced between Rs 6,200 and Rs 83,000, air conditioners priced between Rs 11,400 and Rs 22,000 and refrigerators Rs 9,600 and Rs 2.25 lakh. If the company decides to pass on the full benefit of two per cent cut to consumers, its products could be cheaper by about Rs 120

to Rs 4,500. An official at Samsung India also said it is difficult to say immediately by how much prices would be cut in different categories. While those products which are c o m p l e t e l y manufactured in India are likely to see a drop in prices, but items like LCD TV, the panel for which are imported, it needs to be seen how much the price cuts would be. - Agencies

Sensex gains 81 pts, closes at 8,903 Mumbai, Feb 25: Buoyed by cuts in excise duty, the Bombay Stock Exchange benchmark Sensex on Wednesday snapped a two-day falling trend by gaining over 80 points on fresh buying in blue-chips led by the auto sector. The Sensex, which lost 2.4 per cent in the last two trading sessions, gained 80.50 points at 8,902.56, after touching the day's high of

8,995.04. Buying activity picked up on expectations that the government's decision to reduce direct and indirect taxes might boost industrial demand. The 50-share National Stock Exchange index Nifty rose by 28.60 points at 2,762.50 and touched the day's high of 2,789.35 points. Trading volume remained restricted as the market, which was increasingly tracking global cues, adopted a cautious approach with the general elections approaching, brokers said. The US Standard and Poor’s 500 Index

jumped 4 per cent in New York, the most in a month, as the US Federal Reserve said there was a "reasonable prospect" the current recession will end this year. They said shares of metal and auto f i r m s r o s e o n expectations that the excise and service duty cuts would boost sales, while banking stocks were f i r m o n renewed hopes of an interest rate cut by the Reserve Bank soon. Buyin g activity was p a r t l y supported as funds indulged in covering their p e n d i n g positions a h e a d o f tomorrow's expiry of derivatives. Relian ce Industries, with the highest weight in the Sensex, contributed the most to the gains, mainly due to a rollover of derivatives positions. The stock rose 1.01 per cent to Rs 1,266. The auto sector gained the most by rising 3 per cent to 2,622.38 as car-makers expected to pass on to consumers the gains from duty cuts. Car-maker Maruti Suzuki rose 3.2 per cent to Rs 662.75, Mahindra and Mahindra by 7.9 per cent to 318.40. Tata Motors, which cut prices on its trucks, rose 5.87 per cent to Rs 139.85.

The Information Technologies sector was the second-best performer, rising 2.52 per cent to 2,086.93, followed by the teck index, which went up 1.56 per cent to 1,739.95. The metal index rose by 1.28 per cent to 4,642.64 after Hindalco Industries, an aluminum major, gained 2.43 per cent to Rs 40.05. Tata Steel, a largest maker of alloy, climbed 1.12 per cent to Rs 162.35. A firming trend in the overseas metal market also boosted trading in the metal sector. A measure of six primary metals traded in London advanced 1.9 per cent. Copper rose most in more than two weeks on the New York Mercantile Exchange, the biggest gain for a most-active contract since February 6. The oil and gas index rose 1.03 per cent to 6,087.30, the power index by 0.99 per cent to 1,740.45, the bank index by 0.86 per cent to 4,277.03, the PSU index by 0.86 per cent to 4,973.60, the healthcare index 0.76 per cent to 2,602, the FMCG index by 0.15 per cent to 2,015.90 and the consumer durable index by 0.03 per cent to1,576.07. The smallcap index rose by 0.60 per cent to 3,134.69 and midcap index by 0.53 per cent to 2,756.98. However, the realty sector fell by 0.39 per cent to 1,447.29 and the capital goods index by 0.36 per cent to 5,902.84. - Agencies

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Don't force customers to drop-in cheques: RBI tells banks New Delhi, Feb. 25 W i t h a number of incidents of cheque theft from the drop boxes coming to

light, the Reserve Bank has asked the banks not to force their customers to drop the cheques in the boxes only, Parliament was i n f o r m e d o n Wednesday. " ( T h e ) Reserve Bank of India

(RBI) has informed that a few such incidents have been reported by the complainants to the offices of the banking ombudsman," Minister of State for Finance P.K. Bansal said in a written reply to the Lok Sabha. R B I h a s further reported that the details of such cases are not compiled separately a s t h e y a r e categorised as 8(1)(a) of the Banking Ombudsman Scheme, 2006, i.e. nonpayment or inordinate delay in the payment of collection of cheques, he said. "RBI has advised the banks that

they should ensure that customers are not compelled to drop the cheques in the drop box," the minister said. Banks have further been asked to create customer awareness by displaying on the cheque drop box itself that "customers can also tender the cheques at the counter and obtain acknowledgment on the pay-in-slips". The banks have also been advised to make absolutely full proof arrangements accounting for the number of instruments each time the box is opened so that there are no disputes and the customer's interest are not compromised. -Agencies

Times Chennai E-Paper

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Feb. 25, 2009

Slumdog's triumph: The importance of soft power ‘ S l u m d o g Millionaire', the quintessential underdog in this year's Oscars, has emerged as the unexpected winner with eight awards to its credit

already earned its makers about $150 million and it is almost certain that the Oscar halo will act as a multiplier and the film will be seen across the world

"Slumdog" may be usefully extrapolated. What if this film had a content that examined the true meaning of Islam and offered a more nuanced and normative

and the film - which is not an Indian film but definitely about India and its seamy underbelly - has caught the global imagination in an extraordinary manner. Predictably, the responses it has elicited within India and elsewhere range from intense criticism for glorifying urban Indian poverty and much hand-wringing about the use of the word 'dog' - to a spontaneous outpouring of love and adulation for a film which has an enormous appeal and empathy quotient. The latter was unambiguously evident in the spontaneous ovation that the film and its extended family received at the Oscar awards ceremony. While the debate will continue for a while, what is germane is the manner in which "Slumdog" exemplifies the enormous potential of soft power as a possible tool in the global quiver to deal with the complex challenge of post 9-11 jihadi terror. And, what is more, the costeffective contrast could not be more striking. It is reported that the Oscar winning film was made for $13 million - a tenth of the production cost of its Hollywood rival "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button". H e r e , t h e message of the film is about irrepressible spunk, crushing poverty, loads of luck, nascent love and more masala... all packaged in that inimitable Indian idiom of song and dance, rendered in captivating rhythm and cinematic texture which clearly has a cross-cultural appeal. "Slumdog" has

and dubbed into the myriad languages of the global family. Given the fact that the have-nots outnumber their more affluent and privileged p e e r s i n a n overwhelming manner, t h e p o o r a n d impoverished of the world will feel a special sense of bonding and association with the protagonists, wistfully thinking about the luck and good fortune that has eluded them. There will be much thinking and class/culture-specific discussion about "Slumdog" in the years ahead and the hybrid word may well enter the lexicon in an unobtrusive way. But what does "Slumdog" have to do with the current global attempt to deal with post 9-11? On balance, the so called GWOT (global war on terror) has been inadequate and very, very costly in terms of human lives while the fiscal expenditure incurred to date has acquired a humungous contour and continues to grow. My proposition is that those who have joined the current global jihad - with all its regional variants - are motivated by a certain inflexible interpretation of Islam and are then encouraged to acquire a zealous personal conviction that sanctions ruthless violence leading to martyrdom. If those parts of Afghanistan and Pakistan afflicted by this jihadi fervour - a region now referred to as Afpakia - are cases in point, the relevance of

interpretation of one of the world's major religions? Despite the various strictures enforced by the Taliban in Afpakia forbidding films and music, one can be sure that a film like this will be seen - either openly or covertly. And t h e a l t e r n a t e interpretation of Islam which illuminates the true meaning of jihad appropriately packaged - would offer a more hopeful counterpoint to the certain death, destruction and gender inequity that the current Ta l i b a n i d e o l o g y represents. It merits recall that when the former USSR had occupied Afghanistan in 1979 and the US led western alliance, bankrolled by Saudi Arabia, had created the mujahideen warrior - the motivation and software came through the skilful use of soft power. Textbooks and easy to comprehend reading material were designed in local languages extolling the virtues of taking up arms against the foreign invader. This lethal software allowed for thousands of young Afghans, supported by their Pakistani brethren to distort Quranic tenets and leaven them with the Kalashnikov and the Stinger missile through rigorous ISI support and training. The seeds thus sown have now become the whirlwind threatening Presidents Obama and Zardari in d i ff e r e n t w a y s a n d recent developments in

Swat, where the Pakistan government has accepted a truce tenuous peace for Taliban imposed Sharia - is illustrative. Paradoxically, the current US fiscal expenditure on GWOT which many in the Muslim world see as a war on Islam - is soon expected to touch $1 trillion. More troops are expected to be inducted by President Obama and it is estimated that maintaining one US soldier for a year in the Iraq-Afghanistan theatre costs $775,000. Thus, for every 18 US soldiers deployed for one year, the US could have funded one "Slumdog" with a clear message embedded in it the true meaning of Islam.

Yet, in seven years since 9/11, the US has made little concerted effort to invest in such soft power, while one Taliban leader, Fazlullah, has reaped enormous dividends with an FM radio! The box-office film with all the ingredients one associates with Bollywood and the more recent music-video have considerable untapped potential in the distorted discourses about Islam in Afpakia. For sure, a brave Pakistani film "Khuda Ke Liye" - tried earnestly to offer an alternate view - but clearly more needs to be done. "Slumdog", with a $13 million tag, offers myriad possibilities to introduce soft-power as

an additional tool to the various means now being deployed to contain radical and distorted Islam. India, which has its own domestic and regional variant of jihadi fervour to contend with, must take a leaf from the triumph of "Slumdog". The A.R. Rahmans and the Ashutosh Gowarikers of Indian cinema need to be encouraged to enter the post 9-11 turbulence. The Indian state machinery appears to be oblivious to the utility of soft power and a meeting between those in charge of projecting India's soft power and some of Bollywood's thinking luminaries is called for. -IANS

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