E Paper, Feb. 27, 2009

VOL: 2 ISSUE 47

Feb. 27, 2009

SC gives fitting rebuff to AIADMK: MK Chennai, Feb 27: Ridiculing the opposition AIADMK for seeking dismissal of the DMK Government by invoking Aticle 356 of the Constitution, Tami Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi today said the Supreme Court has given a fitting reply to the party stating the demand was politicaly motivated. Answering a set of questions, the Chief Minister said when AIADMK leader D Jayakumar moved the apex court seeking a direction to dismiss the Government, invoking Article 356 for the clash between police and lawyers, the Judges said the demand was politically motivated and they were

not Governors to concede the demand. He said right from the day when the DMK came to power in May 2006, AIADMK Supremo J Jayalalithaa had been demanding the dismissal of the government, even if there was a minor problem in the state. None of her statement would complete w i t h o u t a demand that the D M K Government should be sacked, Mr Karunanidhi said, adding after trying in

vain through statements, the AIADMK had moved

the Supreme Court with the demand. Listing out the

series of incidents that took place during the p r e v i o u s A I A D M K r e g i m e , including his midnight arrest, attack on the convoy of the then Governor Chenna Reddy, gheraoing of then Chief E l e c t i o n Commissioner T N Seshan and attempt to murder of advocates Shanmugasun daram and Vijayan, Mr Karunanidhi said those who were at the helm of affairs when all these incidents

occurred, were seeking the dismissal of the DMK Government now. He said the AIADMK, which took serious exception to throwing of eggs at Janata Party President Subramaniam Swamy in a court hall, had organised obscene agitation against him in the same court complex and people had not forgotten them. Mr Karunanidhi said the AIADMK, which was demanding the dismissal of the DMK Government on the ground that functioning of courts have come to a standstill, should realise that the AIADMK Government was not sacked when the entire

administration was paralysed after it sacked more than 10 lakh government employees and arrested more than 20,000 employees in one single night. O n M s Jayalalithaa's demand that the Election Commission should probe into the alleged irregularities in the Thirumangalam Assembly bye-election and ensure free and fair Lok Sabha poll, he said the AIADMK leader would continue to make such pleas, till the Election Commission allowed her a free hand in the elections and declared wins by herself. -Agencies

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Times Chennai E-Paper

Feb. 27, 2009

Jaya, Maya and Mamta will play key role in Indian politics in the next election : Prabhu Chawla Chennai, Feb 27 Observing that leading women politicians AIADMK Chief J Jayalalithaa, BSP Supremo Mayawati and Tr i n a m o o l C o n g r e s s President Mamata Banerjee would play a key role in the National politics t h i s y e a r, e m i n e n t Journalist Prabhu Chawla today said the future of

Indian democracy was voluminous and volatile, Mr Chawala said the coalition led by the BJPled NDA was the most productive and stable and was the only one to last its full-term, whereas other coalition Governments did not survive the distance. ''This is a shame on our democracy'', he said,

India was bright in the hands of women. Inaugurating a national-level symposium in Chennai's suburb Chawla said ''AIADMK General Secretary J Jayalalithaa, BSP Supremo Mayawati and Trinamool Congress leader Mamata Banerjee will usher in changes in National politics'', he said, adding, ''These three will be power Centres at the national level''. Hinting that Congress President Sonia Gandhi would have coalition with these three leaders, Mr Chawla said ''Ms Jayalalithaa, Ms Mayawati and Ms Mamata will decide on who will rule the nation (after the ensuing Lok Sabha polls).'' Speaking on ''Pros and Cons of Coalition politics : Its impact on Indian economy'', Mr Chawla referred to the Gandhis in New Delhi, Abdullahs in J and K, Yadavs in UP and Bihar, Badals in Punjab, Chautalas in Haryana, M Karunanidhi clan in Tamil Nadu, Karunakarans in Kerala, Gowdas in Karnataka and Pawars in Maharashtra and said dynasty politics was dangerous in democracy. ''Genealogy has made ideology redundant,'' he said and added that since 1987 every year has been an election year and 149 elections were conducted in the past 22 years and the government did't work for 90 days each year because of polls. Nearly 2000 days (1980 to be precise) India was in poll mode since 1987 and in four of the five elections, incumbent Governments were thrown out. Stating that

a d d i n g i n t h e o v e r w h l e m i n g ideological diversity, there was no distinctive unifying national vision. Averring that coalition Governments have come to stay and were inevitable, Mr Chawla said fringe parties were greater than the UPA in 2004 with the Congress having 153 and its supporters strength being 155. ''For 13 years no single party has ruled in Delhi and the Congress has reconciled to the inevitability of coalition,'' he added. ''Left was becoming Right and Right was sometimes becoming Left. Big Mac co-existed with Big Marx for four years,'' he said and added that coalition exists everywhere and more states were under coalition regimes. The journalist however, said coalition governments, too, could deliver Major reform and pointed out that the boldest economic reforms was introduced by a ''minority'' government in 1991. ''Unstable polity had co-existed with a fairly stable economic policy through the 90s till 2004,'' he said. Stating that there was no majority in a state like Tamil Nadu, Mr Chawala in 1967 there were 10 parties, 234 constituencies, 778 contestants and none of them lost their deposits. ''But in 2006, there are 36 parties, s a m e 2 3 4 constituencies, 2586 candidates and 2102 of them have forfeited their deposits,'' he added.

''Tamil Nadu, the once golden state, is now going down as the CAGR came down to 5.6 during 1999-2000 to 2007-08, as against the All India rate of 7.3 per cent,'' he said and added for the first time key economic portfolios were given to the State. Observing that the UPA's Common Minimum Programme was full of contradictions, Mr Chawla said this was reason for the slow pace of reforms, despite the government having the best pedigree of reformers. ''The Left pressure was more pronounced that it was under the United Front rule, though the Left was not in the Government.'' ''What's in store in 2009 : It's going to be the year of women and the future of country is bright in their hands,'' the journalist, summing up his nearly 45-minute long address, which was heard with rapt attention by the nearly 5,000 strong packed audience. -Agencies

New flyovers, subways to come up in Chennai Chennai, Feb. 27 In order to ease traffic congestion, especially during peak hours, the Tamil Nadu government plans to construct another 10 flyovers and subways across the city. Announcing this in the State Assembly on Thursday,local Administration Minister M K Stalin said the flyovers would come up at Perambur, Cenotaph Road, Rangarajapuram, Kathivakkam Highway Road, Alandur Salai, Mint Street and Vysarpadi. Subways would also be built at Villivakkam, Royapuram Maniyakarat and Jones Road at Saidapet, Stalin said. Apart from this, a vehicular subway would be built at a cost of Rs 4 crore at Bhojaraja Railway junction near Korukkupet at a cost of Rs 6.28 crore. Steps were being taken to widen the Perambur Locomotive Works flyover at Rs 9.50 crore, he added. -Agencies

National Symposium on Development Communications at the SRM University Chennai, Feb. 27: Development communication is a topic being widely discussed these days. It has

Chancellor Pachamuthu said journalism is nothing but communicating the

School should develop analytical habits to analyse the present scenario so that they can adapt t h e m s e l v e s i n

a s s u m e d n e w connotations over the years. In view of sharing and analysing the different practices of d e v e l o p m e n t communication the Yo u n g J o u r n a l i s t s Association formed by the school of Journalism a n d M a s s Communication of the SRM University at its campus in suburban Kaatangulathur had organised a one day seminar today on the topic "Development Communication Practices and dilemmas." M r. P r a b h u Chawla Editorial Director of the India Today group inaugurated the symposium. Yuhi Sethu of the Kollywood fame was one of the guests and he received the first copy of the deliberations of the symposium released by Pro

happenings in and around you and an excellent communication is that exact reporting of happening in life without exaggeration. Vice chancellor P Sathyanarayanan said that the School of Journalism and Mass Communication of the SRM University which is relatively a late entrant in the campus is playing a vital role in the Campus a n d t h e b e s t communicating hub in the campus and its neighbourhood. Quoting a Chinese proverb on doing it yourself the school envisages in bringing out a community news paper in the near future so that the students can get hands on experience in journalism. Prabhu Chawla in his key note address said that the young budding journalists of the

communicating the right things in future. At the valedictory function N Ravi Editor The Hindu was the chief guest . He said Development communication has to be seen as another aspect of media freedom and not a different species in itself. He also pointed out that threre was extensive coverage of deprivation issues which democratic system and the media has filed in shaping up a public policy in addressing such issues with a sense of urgency. Film Director Yuhi Sethu had the audience in splits with his wits and humour. Ealier Dr. Sethuraman Registrar of the University , Dr. R. Balasubramaniam Director , Dr. Vinay Kaul Advisor and other faculty members were present on the occassion. Special Correspondent

Chancellor P Ravi.

TN Govt effects reshuffle of police officials Chennai, Feb. 27 In a bid to buy peace with the agitating lawyers and as per the diurections of the Supreme Court the Tamil Nadu Government has announced Thursday night reshuffle of senior police officers post the February 19 bloody clash between the cops and lawyers.. C h e n n a i C e n t r a l J o i n t commissioner of police Sandeep Rai Rathore was transferred and posted as Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG) Madurai

Range in the existing vacancy, a release said. The orders in respect of posting Mr V A Ravikumar as DIG, Coimbatore Range, was cancelled and he was shifted as Joint Commissioner of Police, Central Zone in place of Mr Rathore. M r M Ramasubramani, DIG on compulsory wait, was posted as DIG Coimbatore Range. D r M C Sarangan, Deputy Commissioner of Police, Kilpauk, Chennai was transferred and posted

as Superintendent of Police, Thiruvallur District in place of M Pandian, who was transferred and posted as Deputy Commissioner of Police, Kilpauk, Chennai. Mr Prem Anand S i n h a , D e p u t y Commissioner of Police, Flower Bazaar, Chennai was transferred and posted as Superintendent of Police, Kancheepuram District in place of Mr K Periaiah, who was transfered and posted as Deputy Commissiner of Police, Flower Bazaar, Chennai. -Agencies

City

Feb. 27, 2009 Times Chennai E-Paper

CM designates Poongothai as IT minister Chennai, Feb 27: In a minor reshuffle of the Tamil Nadu Cabinet, Chief Minister M Karunanidhi on Thursday re-inducted former Minister Poongothai Aladi Aruna and designated her as the new Minister for Information Technology. On the advice of t h e C h i e f M i n i s t e r, Governor S S Barnala appointed Ms Poongothai as the IT Minister, a portfolio hitherto held by Mr Karunanidhi.

This was the first time the Tamil Nadu government appointed a separate Minister for the IT department. Ms Poongothai, who was the former Social Welfare Minister, had resigned following allegations that she tried to rescue her relative, working in Tamil Nadu Electricity Board, from a corruption case. The telephonic conversations she had with former DVAC Chief

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Journalists undertake demo

S K Upadhyaya was made public by Janata Party President Subramanian Swamy and the excerpts were published by a newspaper. She later quit as Minister on the advise of Mr Karunanidhi. Ms Poongothai would be sworn in as Minister tomorrow at the Raj Bhawan. -Agencies

Jaya urges CEC to ensure fair poll for LS Chennai, Feb 27: Alleging largescale irregularities in the r e c e n t l y h e l d Thirumangalam Assembly by-election, AIADMK General secretary J Jayalalithaa on Thursday urged the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) to ensure that the forthcoming elections were conducted in a free and fair manner. In a letter to the CEC, copy of which was made available to the media, Ms Jayalalithaa, presenting the diaries of the Presiding Officers in the Thirumangalam byelection, said the officers had reported that the total number of votes polled in their respective polling stations had been fully

caused by the number of votes cast during the last two-hour period from 1500 hrs to 1700 hrs. ''This confirms the suspicion of huge poll manipulation towards the closing phase of the poll. This should be investigated fully and the explanation from every officer concerned should be obtained'', she said and demanded action against the errant officers and debar them from election duty. The AIADMK supremo said the observers appointed by the Election Commission to supervise the conduct of the election were not effective in ensuring a free and fair poll. Ms Jayalalithaa

said she was more interested in improving the norms of free and fair elections rather than benefiting herself or her party. ''Success and failure are common in the political arena and are often reversible for any party or individual. But any diabolic misuse of the electoral process should not be allowed to defeat the very purpose of a democratic electoral pratice. Free and fair election is the basic requirement for the representative system of a parliamentary democracy'', she added. -Agencies

TN Assembly adjourns ahead of schedule Chennai, Feb 27 The Tamil Nadu Assembly, which met for the budget session on February 17, was on Thursday adjourned sine die, a day ahead of its schedule. As there was no business left for tomorrow, the Business Advisory Committee, comprising leaders of all legislature parties met this morning and decided to end the session today itself. It was widely expected that Chief Minister M Karunandhi, who is recuperating in a hospital after a spine surgery, might come to the House on the last day of the session, but he sent a letter, expressing his inability to attend. The session began on February 17, when Finance Minister K

Anbazhagan presented the budget for the year 2009-10. It came to an end within fortnight in view of the coming Lok Sabha elections, during which, leaders and legislators of all political parties would be busy with electioneering. On the last day of the session, the House, besides passing demands for advance grants for the year 200910 and passing the appropriation Bill, unanimously adopted a Bill, seeking to provide three per cent exclusive reservation for Arunthadhiyars, a subcaste of the scheduled caste. M r Karunanidhi, in his letter, which was read out by Local Administration Minister M K Stalin, said

he was very much interested in coming to the House, but Doctors advised him against visiting the House. The Opposition AIADMK boycotted the budget on the opening day and pandemonium broke out in the House, when the Opposition members were enmasse evicted from the House on February 20, when they wanted to discuss the police-lawyers clash, after adjourning Question Hour. Leader of the O p p o s i t i o n J Jayalalithaa, who abstained from a t t e n d i n g t h e proceedings, came to sign the attendance register kept in the lobby to keep her membership alive. -Agencies

Journalists of Kancheepuram district staged a demonstration on genocide of Tamils in Srilanka at Chingleput on Thursday

Lawyer demands apology from TN Minister Chennai, Feb. 27 : A city-based lawyer in a legal notice on Thursday asked the Tamil Nadu Assembly Speaker to expunge certain remarks by state Finance Minister K Anbazhagan which allegedly defamed advocates and the profession. Advocate K Balu, who is also the president of Advocates Forum for Social Justice, alleged that the defamatory statement was made "with a malafide intention so as to put the name and fame of the profession towards an irretrievable state". He said if the minister did not tender an unconditional apology for his remarks within three days of the reciept of the notice he would initiate appropriate legal action against him.

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City

Times Chennai E-Paper

MHCAA President announces his resignation from DMK Chennai, Feb 27: Madras High Court Advocates Association(MHCAA) president and a Dravida M u n n e t r a Kazhagam(DMK) party member R C Paul Kanagaraj today announced that he was resigning from primary membership of the party. Despite Supreme Court direction to resume work, the advocates were continuing their court boycott and demanding the Government to take action against the State DGP and City Police

commissioner for their high handed action against the advocates in the court complex on February 19. Mr Kanagaraj, while addressing the advocates, who were observing fast, said he was elected as President of the MHCAA by all sections of the legal fraternity. As a member of the ruling party he could not apprise the State Government of demands and problems of the affected advocates, he added. He said he was

resigning from the DMK as a mark of protest against the State Government and by expressing solidarity with the advocates. Mr Kanagaraj, was an active member of the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam(AIADMK) till 2004. During the last Lok Sabha elections he switched over to the DMK in the presence of party P r e s i d e n t M Karunanidhi.

Chennai and Delhi and with their closure the number of Crossword outlets has now reached a figure of 51, Shopper's Stop Ltd said in filing to the National Stock Exchange. The company, however, did not provide

Poongothai sworn in as first IT Minister of TN Chennai, Feb 27: Poongothai Aladi Aruna, who was re-

With this the strength of the State Cabinet rose to 30.

inducted into the State Cabinet yesterday, was today sworn in as Tamil Nadu’s first Minister for Information Technology. Governor Surjit Singh Barnala administered the oath of office and secrecy to Dr Poongothai at a simple function held at the Raj Bhavan.

Senior DMK leaders, including Union Minister Reghupathy, Tamil Nadu Ministers K Anbazhagan, Arcot N Veerasamy and M K Stalin were among those present at the swearingin ceremony. Later talking to reporters, Dr Poongothai thanked the Chief

-Agencies

Shopper's Stop shuts three Crossword stores New Delhi, Feb. 27 Retail player Shopper's Stop Ltd today announced that it has closed down three outlets of the company's lifestyle book store brand 'Crossword'. The three outlets are located in Mumbai,

Feb. 27, 2009

any reasons for closing down the three stores. Shopper's Stop has also closed down its 'Stop & Go' store at Mumbai Airport, the statement added. The company could not be reached for comments - Agencies

Minister for appointing her as a Minister again. '' I will do my best as the IT Minister under the guidance of the Chief Minister,'' she added. Daughter of former DMK Minister Aladi Aruna, Ms Poongothai, was earlier inducted into the Cabinet as Social Welfare Minister when DMK assumed office after the May 2006 Assembly polls. H o w e v e r, s h e resigned last year following allegations that she tried to rescue her relative, working in Tamil Nadu Electricity Board, from a corruption case. The telephonic conversations she had with former DVAC Chief S K Upadhyaya was made public by Janata Party President Subramanian Swamy and the excerpts were published by a newspaper. -Agencies

Feb. 27, 2009

Times Chennai E-Paper

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User fee on air travellers departing IGI Airport from March New Delhi, Feb 27: Passengers departing on international and domestic flights from the IGI Airport here will have to pay a User Development Fee (UDF) of Rs 1300 and Rs 200 per head respectively from March one, the Lok Sabha was informed on Thursday.

Passengers will have to pay the UDF for a period of 36 months to bridge the funding gap of Rs 1827 crore, Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel said in a written reply. “ F u n d s collected through the levy can be utilised only

for the construction of such aeronautical assets which will be transferred by DIAL (Delhi International Airport Limited) to AAI upon completion of lease period," Patel said. -Agencies

Youth are India's greatest resource: Martin Luther King-III Kolkata, Feb. 27 Championing the cause of non-violence like his father did, Martin Luther King-III on Thursday said that a nation should spend as much on public services as on defence and that India's younger generation was the country's greatest asset. "The children and our young generation are the greatest resources available in India. But they must be taught how to practise non-violence. The children whom I met during my short visit to India are extraordinary," Martin Luther King-III told the media at the the American Center here. His India visit from Feb 13-26 was meant to commemorate the tour by his father, civil rights activist Martin Luther King Jr, who came to India 50

years ago to study the teachings and works of Mahatma Gandhi. King, the second child of Martin Luther King Jr and Coretta Scott King, has been actively involved in significant policy initiatives to maintain social equality and justice at home and abroad. King said: "The future of any nation depends on how we raise our children and provide them with proper education. We spend a large amount of our budget in defencerelated activities rather than spending that money in public service. I think it should be, at least, equal." Talking about warfare and the relevance of peace in the

modern world, he pointed out that non-violence was just not a "concept" but "a philosophy which is available and can be utilised easily for mankind. "I am against war as my father was also against this. I certainly believe that non-violence is the way which can be embraced." Stressing that the authorities also have to find out ways to communicate with the terrorists, King III said: "We should also communicate with the terrorists to get their views, instead of harbouring hatred. “They also have children, we've to find out ways to set an example." -Agencies

I am still a communist: Somnath Chatterjee New Delhi, Feb 27: A day after he laid down office, former Lok Sabha speaker Somnath

Chatterjee Friday asserted that communism was no political party's "monopoly" and said he continued to be a comrade. Communism is no party's monopoly. I am still a communist," the veteran politician, who was expelled from the Communist Party of IndiaMarxist (CPI-M), told reporters here. Asked if he was

still a comrade, the former speaker laughed and said, "Even you are a comrade." On his expulsion from CPI (M) last year Somnath said that it was the saddest day of his life: “I felt very bad.” He further reiterated that he has retired from politics and has taken sanyas now. Stressing at the need of responsible media Somnath said, “Media cannot be just a critic, you must also publish some positive reports also. If you criticise something in the system you must also try and correct it.” Recalling his tenure as the Speaker of the House Somnath regretted not passing Women’s Reservation Bill when he was in chair. Talking about the Parliamentary process Somnath stressed that there is no alternative to

P a r l i a m e n t a r y democracy and that believed that citizens and their representatives (Members of Parliament) should come closer.” Speaking on his experience in the last four and a half years as the Speaker Somnath said, “I have been very unhappy for last four and half years.” Showing his displeasure at the behaviour of MPs in the House Somnath said, “Member of the House must understand that they have accountability to people…..every issue cannot be raised always.” He later thanked media for its wonderful support and also supported freedom of press. He also thanked the all parliamentary ministers during his tenure: Ghulam Nabi Azad, Priya Ranjan Dasmunshi and Vyalar Ravi. -Agencies

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Times Chennai E-Paper

National

Govt showers sops, voters have the last laugh New Delhi, Feb. 27 Now that the UPA government has done away with self-imposed restraint, the goodies are continuing to roll ahead of the poll code kicking in. The Cabinet on Thursday raised DA of over 80 lakh central employees and pensioners by 6% to 22%, which will amount to an outgo of Rs 6,020 crore till February 2010. The government took the decision to infuse a small dose of funding to spur affordable housing and road construction but stumbled over reducing diesel price as a sop to farmers. A proposal outlining a Rs 2 cut in diesel prices was readied by the petroleum ministry, which argued that there was headroom to bear a loss of Rs 12,000 crore, but not finally considered. The government seemed to have developed second thoughts over the populist move to cut the diesel price even though the ministry said oil companies had a margin of Rs 4 a litre. The desperation in the government to clear projects was evident when the Cabinet and its committee on economic affairs cleared about 60 projects and proposals, including on child welfare, in two long sittings in the morning and evening. On Monday only, the Cabinet had cleared a mammoth 70 proposals and projects. The enhanced payout on DA will cost the government Rs 6,020 crore in the 14 months till February 2010. The revised rate of DA will be effective from January 2009 and payable with next month's salaries. This is the second jackpot for Central employees and pensioners who had received a pay hike in

September when the Centre implemented the Sixth Pay Commission's recommendations with some modifications. T h e government passed off the decision to raise DA as routine and a corollary to a rise in consumer price index for industrial workers. DA is revised t w i c e a y e a r, f r o m January 1 and July 1, payable in salaries of March 1 and September 1, respectively. The increase this time, however, comes when inflation — or the daily cost of living — has been coming down and settled at a little over 3% on Thursday. For the housing sector, the Cabinet cleared a scheme that will see the Centre share a quarter of the costs of constructing roads to connect housing projects promoted by state governments in partnership with private companies. The Central contribution will also cover peripheral civil works such as sewage systems for such projects. The Cabinet earmarked Rs 5,000 crore for this, to be spent in the next four years, with the rider that a quarter of the built houses with at least 300 sqft area will be for the poor. Other key approvals include projects worth Rs 9,565 crore for four-laning of national highways in Kerala and Tamil Nadu besides developing a container terminal at Ennore port; Rs 8,436 crore for upgrading 264km of highways in Jammu and Kashmir; and Rs 7,300 crore for construction of 7,441 km

Indian air travellers to get same compensation as in West

roads in eight Naxalite-hit states. The road projects in Kerala and Tamil Nadu will be carried out in the public-private partnership model. On the road projects in Naxalite-hit states, home minister P Chidambaram said, ``You are aware there are 33 districts in eight states, which have been identified (as Left-wing extremist affected areas). A comprehensive road development programme in these districts has been drawn up...(The) Planning Commission has been requested to make as much funds available as possible in 2009-10.'' The roads involve 1,320km of national highways, 4,560km of state highways and district roads, and 1,591km of rural roads. Also, the government cleared a Rs 3,070 crore package to implement the recommendations of the second Vaidyanathan committee on the revival of long-term cooperative credit structure. The cutoff date for assessing accumulative losses of the long term cooperative credit institutions is now fixed retrospectively at March 31, 2008. The package will cover loans disbursed up to March 31, 1997, overdue as on March 31, 2008, and remaining unpaid till the date of notification of the package. The Cabinet also gave its approval to the proposal of NTT Docomo Inc Japan to subscribe and or acquire equity shares (27.31%) of equity capital of Tata Teleservices which will result in FDI worth Rs 12,924 crore. -Agencies

BSP gives ticket to Gawli Mumbai, Feb 27: Gangster-turned politician Arun Gawli will contest the upcoming Lok Sabha polls under the banner of BSP led by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati. The BSP has decided to field Gawli from southwest Mumbai Lok S a b h a c o n s t i t u e n c y, according to reports. Arun Gawli, known to his followers as "Daddy", is based at Dagdi Chawl in Byculla-Saat Rasta, Mumbai. In 2004, he was elected as a MLA from the

Mumbai Chinchpokli Constituency as an Akhil Bharatiya Sena candidate. No film star: MNS In another political development from Mumbai, the Maharastra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray today said that his party would not field any film stars to contest the forthcoming General Elections. Ruling out any pre-poll alliance with other parties, the MNS chief also stated that his

Feb. 27, 2009

party would contest the upcoming elections on its own. -Agencies

New Delhi, Feb 27: Indian air travellers will now get the same amount of compensation as applicable in Western nations in case of loss of lives, baggage or cargo with Parliament on Thursday passing a Bill in this regard. The Carriage by Air (Amendment) Bill 2008, which got a nod from Rajya Sabha on February 18, was passed by the Lok Sabha after minor amendments. The legislation was necessitated as in case of loss of baggage or cargo, there was one kind of compensation in India and another in Europe, Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel said adding that the Bill aimed to end this disparity. M o v e t o endanger passengers,

aircraft punishable with life' The Centre today said those who unlawfully and intentionally endanger passengers on board an aircraft in flight can be punished with life imprisonment. "Whoever unlawfully and i n t e n t i o n a l l y communicates such information which he knows to be false so as to endanger the safety of an aircraft in flight shall be punished with imprisonment for life and shall also be liable to fine," Minister of State for Civil Aviation Praful Patel told Lok Sabha in a written reply. He quoted from 'The suppression of Unlawful Acts Against Safety of Civil Aviation' Act, 1982 under which

such crimes are registered while giving the reply. Referring to the recent Indigo flight incident where a passenger had allegedly threatened to hijack the plane, Patel said investigations were in progress. The incident happened on February one when a passenger on board the Indigo Flight had claimed that the plane was hijacked by him. The p a s s e n g e r, J i t e n d e r Mohala, claimed that he was involved in the Kandhar hijacking and soon he along with his associates will hijack the plane. The plane made an emergency landing at the New Delhi airport. A case was registered against Mohala and he was arrested. -Agencies

Scheme for providing modern education in madrassas New Delhi, Feb. 27 : I s l a m i c seminaries will now be able to provide vocational training and education in modern subjects like maths and science to students under a new government scheme for madrassas. The Scheme for Providing Quality Education in Madarasa (SPQEM) was launched by HRD Minister Arjun Singh here on Thursday. Under the scheme, madrassas will be provided linkage with the National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS) which will give certificates to students pursuing education at these centres. Besides, the scheme will have provision for teachers' t r a i n i n g a n d strengthening State Madrassa Boards. The scheme will provide funds to madrassas and maktabs to introduce modern subjects like Science,

Mathematics, Social Studies, Hindi and English in their curriculum. However, the p r o c e s s o f modernisation of traditional madrassas and maktabs will be voluntary. M a k t a b s , madrassas or Dar-ulUlooms can opt to become accredited study centres with the NIOS for primary and middle levels of education, officials said. Singh said SPQEM will bring about a qualitative change in the education being imparted through madrassas and maktabs. This will bring t h e m i n t o t h e mainstream of national education system. The scheme was started after an expert committee of the National Commission for Minority Educational Institutions suggested that madrassas be provided a linkage with

the NIOS to provide for certification of academic levels, officials said. The scheme envisages an expenditure of about Rs 325 crore in the XIth Plan. The scheme will also strengthen State Madrassa Board opting for assistance by enabling them to monitor the madrassa modernisation programme and enhance awareness about education among the Muslim community. Madrassas which have been in existence at least for three years and registered under Central or State Government Acts or Madrassa Board or with Wakf Boards or NIOS shall be eligible to apply for assistance under this programme. The financial assistance will be given yearly under the scheme through the State Governments/Union Territory Administrations in whose jurisdiction the institution is situated. -Agencies

Ban 'elephant' as an election symbol: Hindu organisations Pratapgarh, Feb 27: Hindu Jagran Manch and other Hindu organisations have objected to allotment of "elephant " as an election symbol to any political party and have urged the Election Commission to withdraw it. A decision to this effect was taken at a

meeting presided here yesterday by Avadh pranth president of the Hindu Jagran Manch, Om Prakash Misra and a request has already been sent to the Election Commission. "Hindus rever elephant as Lord Ganesha and its use in election provides scope

to political parties to use it for sloganeering and its akin to degrading the god thereby hurting the religious sentiments of Hindus, Misra said. He said it is also against the model code of conduct and should be banned immediately, Misra said. Misra further

said that the saints, dharmacharyas and activists of different Hindu organisations would stage a dharna before the Election Commission and hold a "mahapanchayat" before the Parliament in case their demand is not met soon. -Agencies

Feb. 27, 2009

Times Chennai E-Paper

Business

GDP slows down to 5.3% in Q3 New Delhi, Feb 27: Indian economic growth has slowed down drastically to 5.3 percent in the third quarter of fiscal

sharp as the GDP had grown by 7.6 percent in the July-Sept quarter. This time around the

2008-09 against 8.9 percent in the same period a year ago owing to the cut in demand and exports following the ongoing global economic crisis. The slowdown is

sectors that grew slower than expected were manufacturing and farm production even as some services showed robust expansion. The annual

growth for India's fiscal third quarter was lower than a median forecast of 6.2 percent predicted by economists and also lower than a upwardly revised 8.9 percent annual expansion in the same quarter a year ago. T h e manufacturing sector fell 0.2 percent in the October-December quarter from a year earlier. W h i l e agricultural production is down by 2.2 percent in the third quarter of 200809 against 6.9 percent growth in the year-ago period. India has estimated the economy to grow 7.1 percent in 2008/09, slowing from the 9.0 percent in the previous year. -Agencies

Trademark registry process to be decentralised soon: Official New Delhi, Feb 26: The trademark registry process in the country would be decentralised soon in order to expedite and ease the decision on trademark applications, a top official said on Thursday. "Soon the trademark registry process would be decentralised and all five offices would be able to issue trademark c e r t i f i c a t e s independently," Controller General of Patents, Designs & Trade Marks (CGPDT) P H Kurian said here. At present, there are five trademark offices in the country located in five cities -- New Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai and Ahmedabad. Currently, only Mumbai office, where Controller General of

Patents, Designs & Trade Marks sits, can issue certificates for all applications submitted before different patent offices. But under the new process, all the five offices would be entitled to issue trademark certificates, Kurian said adding that it will save both time and money. F u r t h e r, t h e patent office is preparing to become fully modernised and digitalised by 2011. "By 2011, we will have a world-class intellectual property administrative system, which would be fully modern and digital," Kurian said during a programme organised jointly by the Department of Industrial Policy and promotion and industry

body FICCI. "We are reviving our present patent granting system and by next two years, Patent Offices would be able to grant its decision faster than the present pace," CGPDT further said. Meanwhile, the patent office is also in the process of hiring nearly 200 people to tackle the human resource shortage problem, he said. However, the Controller General ruled out any kind of outsourcing work by the patent office. Replying to a question, Kurian said there is no need of any outsourcing firm or external resources to push patent granting process faster." -Agenices

BSNL to slash call rates New Delhi, Feb 26: In a step that is most likely to trigger another war on telecom call rates, state-run BSNL is reducing local call charges from March 1 to Rs 0.33 paise a minute and STD rates to 50 paise a minute in its revised landline/WLL tariff. "BSNL has revised the landline/WLL tariff under all plans effective from March 1," said Minister of State for Communications and Information Technology Jyotiraditya Scindia in the Rajya Sabha today.

BSNL will launch a pre-paid mobile service called 'India Golden 50' which will bring in STD rates to 50 paise a minute. The government said the successful bidders for grant of Mobile Number Portability (MNP) service licences will be announced by March 5 this year. They will also be issued Letters of Intent (LoI) by this date. There is no delay in implementation of n u m b e r p o r t a b i l i t y, Scindia said.

T h e government issued guidelines for award of MNP service licence(s) last year. MNP is to be implemented in all metro and category A service areas within six months of the award of the licence and in rest of the service areas within one year of the award of the licence. The minister said Rajasthan has no 3G spectrum available to be auctioned while the North-East region has only 5 Mhz of spectrum. -Agencies

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Left regime responsible for WB's degradation: Study New Delhi, Feb 27: The economic health of West Bengal is dismal with the state having a backlog of 7.72 million at employment exchanges, the highest in the country, and way behind Bihar and Jharkhand in facilitating business, a report has said. "We had started tracking the state's own data from the early 60s, when it was one of India's better performing states, to now when it figures moderately on all

parameters in the middle order of all states," economic research firm Indicus Analyticus Founder Director Laveesh Bhandari told reporters here. T h e s t u d y, ' Tr a n s f o r m i n g We s t Bengal', by economists Bibek Debroy and Laveesh Bhandari, identifies five "symptoms" that are telling instances of the state's degraded position. The backlog at employment exchanges is at 7.72 million, chiefly

due to the fact that employment growth has stagnated with the average annual growth at zero per cent in urban areas. Also the state is not growing fast enough in terms of net state domestic productivity (5.8 per cent for 2001-06); average West Bengal residents are poor (gross state domestic product per capita for 2007-08 at Rs 29,457 against the national average of Rs 33,299); high levels of poverty in backward districts (28.6 per cent BPL population). -Agencies

No winding up petition filed against us: Subhiksha New Delhi, Feb 26: Embattled retail chain Subhiksha on Thursday claimed that none of its vendors, including FMCG major HUL, mobile firm Tata Teleservices and PC maker HCL Infosystems, have filed any winding up petition against it. "There has been media reports regarding claims from vendors like Hindustan Unilever, HCL Infosystems and Tata Teleservices that they intend to file winding up petitions. We wish to confirm that none of

these vendors nor any other vendor for supply of goods have filed any winding up petitions," S u b h i k s h a Tr a d i n g Services Managing Director R Subramanian said in a statement. He added that any petition of such kind would not stand up to law. "We believe that any such petition filed by them would be without basis in law and would not be sustainable. We will naturally vigorously contest any such petition to ensure that the ends of justice are met and these

petitions are defeated," he added. Earlier, FMCG major HUL had confirmed filing a petition in the Madras High Court. "We have filed our petitions with regard to objections to the proposed scheme of merger and winding up of Subhiksha, for non-payment of outstanding dues, before the High Court of Madras. As the matter is sub-judice, we will not be able to comment on it," a HUL spokesperson had said earlier this week. -Agencies

January exports dip by 17% New Delhi, Feb 27: India's exports continued to dip for the fourth month in a row with the month of January registering 17 percent drop, the biggest slump this fiscal, to USD 12.26 billion over a year ago, as demand for the merchandise in the US and Europe fell due to recession. Exports in the April-January period stood at USD 144.26 billion, up 13.3 percent from USD 128.14 billion in the same period in FY 2008. While the

overseas shipments for the current fiscal have shown growth, the pace of expansion has drastically shrinked from over 30 percent till September. The country has been feeling the impact of the global downturn since October. " I n a n interconnected world, India cannot escape unscathed, however, India will suffer less (from the global financial crisis)," Commerce and Industry Minister Kamal Nath said. During the fiscal

up to December, shipments from the country stood at USD 132 billion. F u r t h e r, t h e minister set the export target for 2009-10 at USD 200 billion, which is the same as that set for fiscal 2008-09. He, however, scaled down the target this year. “ W i t h t h e slowdown likely to continue in the coming months, we expect that the target for 2008-09 would be between USD 170 and 175 billion," Nath said. -Agencies

Lakshmi Vilas Bank cuts depsoits rates up to 100 basis points Mumbai, Feb 26: Lakshmi Vilas Bank (LVB) on Thursday said it has cut its fixed deposit rates up to 100 basis points for various maturities effective from March 1. The term deposit rate for maturity

over five years would earn 9 percent interest rate as against existing rate of 10 percent, LVB informed the Bombay Stock Exchange. The fixed depsoits in between 3-5 years has been reduced by 50 basis poionts to 9.5

percent, while 2-3 year fixed depsoit would attract 10 percent against 10.5 percent, it said. Deposit in between 1-2 years would earn 9.75 percent interest as compared to 10.25 percent, it added. -Agencies

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Times Chennai E-Paper

Sports

Feb. 27, 2009

India go down fighting to NZ in a cliff-hanger Mid-innings slump cost us the match: Dhoni Wellington, Feb 27: Irfan Pathan struck twice at a critical junction when he rattled Ross Taylor’s furniture off

the second ball of the 18th over and then scalped Jacob Oram for nought off the successive delivery to create panic in the Kiwi dugout. He then bowled the final over under immense pressure but succumbed to gift Brendon McCullum two successive boundaries that did the job for the hosts as they won the second T20 by 5 wickets. It did not end there for India. Mahendra Singh Dhoni, in the presentation ceremony, gave another bad news saying that Ishant Sharma was injured. Needless to state, Brendon McCullum was adjudged the Man-of-theMatch for his match winning 69 off just 55 deliveries. The match went on to the last delivery when the scores were level and Brendon McCullum finished it for the hosts with a single. Brendon hit one in the air but Rohit Sharma could not pluck the cherry and it was victory for New Zealand in an encounter that can be termed simply phenomenal. Earlier, the NZ wicket keeper went on to strike a marvellous half century and played the anchor role for the hosts. This was McCullum’s second half century is as many matches. He, along with Ross Taylor, had had taken the Kiwis past the 100 run mark and thus, closer to victory. Irfan Pathan had provided India a breakthrough when Jesse Ryder dragged one on to his stumps. However, the breakthrough came rather late as Ryder along with McCullum got New Zealand to a flier that took the Kiwis to 45 for no loss at the end of the fourth over. The duo had put up a 53 run partnership for the first wicket. Ryder scored 26 off 15 deliveries. Soon after, Harbhajan Singh had struck to dismiss Martin Guptill for 10 when he caught the batsman in front of the wickets. The replays however showed that there was an inside

edge. In the Indian innings, Mahendra Singh Dhoni had failed to play a captain’s knock as he struggled against both spin and pace. Both Yuvraj and Dhoni had come in at the same time and w h i l e Yu v r a j departed in the 13th over after striking a quick 50, Dhoni, who carried the bat, could score only 28 runs at a strike rate of less than 100. A few lusty hits by Irfan Pathan (15 off 10) saw India post 149 for the loss of 6 wickets in their allotted 20 overs. Yuvraj Singh brought up his 50 in style with a monstrous hit for a six off Iain O’Brien. Coming in to bat after three quick wickets, the southpaw bailed India out of trouble with his 50 off jus 34 deliveries which included three hits out of the ground. However, he succumbed to Iain O’Brien just after he raised his bat to acknowledge the crowd’s appreciation. Yusuf Pathan followed the half centurion as Vettori rattled the elder Pathan’s stumps. Later, Ravindra Jadeja fell in an attempt to up the tempo. He scored 19 off 16 balls. First match hero Suresh Raina and Gautam Gambhir had fallen in quick succession after Virender Sehwag had departed giving India a good start to capitalize on. Raina had perished after a mistimed pull landed in the hands of Tim Southee off Butler. The next to go was Gautam Gambhir, who edged an away going delivery from Butler and the rest was done by keeper Brendon McCullum. Prior to Raina’s departure, the voluptuous Virender Sehwag, who had unleashed an array of shots in the first couple of overs, was caught by c a p t a i n Ve t t o r i o f f O’Brien. He scored a quick fire 24 off just 11 deliveries. E a r l i e r, N e w Zealand captain Daniel Vettori had won the toss in the second T20 match at the Westpac Stadium, Wellington. As expected, the Kiwi captain decided to put their opposition, India, into bat. India made one change in the team. Dhoni included Ravindra

Jadeja in place of Rohit Sharma, whereas New Zealand went into the second T20 of The National Bank series with a n u n c h a n g e d squad. This is a drop in pitch, heavily grassed but it is dead grass. Pretty hard as Mark Richardson knocks it with his hand. Outfield is in superb condition. The boundaries are a bit larger with the dimensions measuring 70 metres. Teams: New Zealand: Brendon McCullum(w), Jesse Ryder, Martin Guptill, Ross Taylor, Jacob Oram, Neil Broom, Nathan McCullum, Daniel Vettori(c), Ian Butler, Tim Southee, Iain O'Brien India: Gautam G a m b h i r, V i r e n d e r Sehwag, Suresh Raina, Yuvraj Singh, Mahendra Singh Dhoni(w/c), Yusuf Pathan, Irfan Pathan, Ravindra Jadeja, Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan, Ishant Sharma Brief Scores: India 149 for 6 in 20 overs, New Zealand: 150 for 5 in 20 overs New Zealand won by 5 wickets

Wellington: Feb. 27 Losing Yuvraj Singh and Yusuf Pathan in successive overs cost India the second Twenty20 match against New Zealand, according to captain Mahendra

Singh Dhoni who said a better display by the pacers could have tilted the game in his team's favour. Dhoni felt the team got off to a decent start and as long as he and Yuvrai Singh were in the middle, there was nothing to panic about. But losing both Yuvraj and Yusuf in a span of four balls proved costly in the end, he rued. "Yusuf got out off inside edge, that was crucial because we

banked on those kind of batsmen. When me and Yuvi were batting, we wanted to play the middle overs. We had a decent start and we had big hitters down the order," Dhoni pointed out. "Those 2-3 wickets we lost in the middle was very crucial for us," he said. Dhoni also felt a slightly better show by the new ball bowlers could have tilted the close game in India's favour. "I think if we had bowled a little better with the new ball and not given so many runs upfront, may be things could have been different. The match went to the last ball and you don't expect anything better," said the Indian captain. Dhoni, however, was happy with the way his spinners, especially Ravindra Jadeja, tried to defend a sub-150 score. "I'm still happy with the way the spinners, especially Jadeja, bowled. There was a chat around in the camp to play one more seamer

but Jadeja did a fantastic job. He scored a few runs and bowled well too," Dhoni said. New Zealand skipper Daniel Vettori was happy with the bowlers who, for the second match on the trot, restricted India's star-studded line-up to a modest total. "I'm pleased with the bowling effort. Guys like (Jesse) Ryder stepped up really well. We had an opportunity to attack their fifth bowler but it didn't work," Vettori said. Lavishing praise on Brendon McCullum, who picked his second successive Man-of-theMatch award for his unbeaten match-winning 69, Vettori said, "It was great batting by him. The two fours he hit in the last over brought us back in the match and he then finished it off." McCullum, on his part, said his 53-run stand with Ryder made the job easy. "I'm really happy and I think I played better than the last match. We had a really quick start and it was a matter of keeping pace with things," he said. -Agencies

BCCI's stand to stop Sachin, Dinesh play in T20 baffles Mills Wellington, Feb. 27: Kiwi cricket association chief Heath Mills is baffled by BCCI's decision not to allow Sachin Tendulkar and Dinesh Karthik play in the NZPCA-ACA Masters T20 match because it features Hamish Marshall who had a contract with the rebel Indian Cricket League. Mills, CEO of the New Zealand Players Cricket Association, said it was a silly decision by the Indian board not to allow the duo to play the match. " W e a r e surprised. Both teams were excited with the possibility of playing with two of the Indian players, Sachin and Dinesh. It would have been great for our game. "Some of the bowlers were young (from the U-19 level) and looking forward to bowling to one of the greatest players (Sachin) who have played the game. "We are really disappointed. The fans would have liked to see those two players in action in this country," said Mills. Mills said he heard about the Indian board's decision this

morning. "I heard about it this morning at 8. Obviously during the week we had made the offer to the management and were happy to include two Indian players in the side to give them a hit in the middle. The team management seemed really keen with the idea and yesterday they confirmed two players would play and that they were allowed to do that. "Then, we woke up this morning with news that the BCCI did not want the two Indians to play in the match because Hamish Marshall was playing. As y o u w o u l d k n o w, Marshall was an ICL player. However, his contract finished with the ICL last year so we did not think there would be any problem," said Mills. Mills said he was disappointed with the BCCI's decision. "To be honest w e a r e r e a l l y disappointed with the position of the BCCI. I \understand the situation with the ICL, but given Hamish is no longer a player with ICL, cricket's the loser on this day. "The fans as

well as the players were looking forward to this game and obviously everyone misses out. It just seems a bit silly to me," Mills said. "When I learnt about the BCCI's decision from Justin Vaughan, the CEO of New Zealand Cricket, I went back and tried to find a solution by explaining that Hamish is no longer an ICL player and we want him to play (in the match). "I was hoping for a change in their position. But I understand I would have to speak to the right people in Mumbai and so we had to run with their decision last night," he added. Mills said he had spoken to Gary Kirsten and knew that the Indian duo were really keen to play the game. "I didn't speak to Sachin but spoke to Gary Kirsten three or four times during the day. I kn o w b o th p l a ye rs, including Sachin were very keen to play because they haven't had a hit so far. "They were looking forward to playing in what was a competitive game of

cricket against some pretty good bowlers and get a hit in the middle," he said. Mills said the BCCI and the ICL should resolve the issues as the most exciting players were missing out on playing international cricket. "I think we can't continue to have some of the best players excluded from international cricket. I understand the position of the BCCI. Down here we have got Shane Bond, Lou Vincent and Andre Adams. They can't play because of their allegiance to ICL. These are good players and it's sad that they are not playing international cricket. "The BCCI and the ICC should come to a resolution to bring ICL to the fold and that would be fantastic for cricket worldwide. I just hope they are mindful of the impact on countries like New Zealand. I am sure there is a solution," said Mills. Former BCCI secretary Niranjan Shah, who is here as the administrative manager of the tour, said, "This match is very insignificant. I don't have to react to this." -Agencies

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Feb. 27, 2009 Times Chennai E-Paper

Italian major launches international quality non stick cookware in Chennai Chennai, Feb. 27 Triveni Bialetti Industries, the Indian subsidiary of Bialetti Industry S.p.A, Italy’s no. 1 cookware company and one of the leading manufacturers of cookware in the world, announced the launch of their international quality non stick cookware range. The range will be manufactured and marketed in India under the brand name Stella, meaning “Star” in Italian. The Stella range will also feature traditional South Indian products such as Apachetty, Dosa Tawa, Paniyarakkal etc., with safe and high quality non stick coating for everyday use. The Triveni Bialetti joint venture is India’s first Foreign Direct Investment in the cookware manufacturing category. The 2,00,000 sq. Ft. manufacturing facility is built over 16 acres of property and the unit deploys India’s only robotic non stick coating machines. The facility is capable of manufacturing over 5 million pieces of cookware annually located at Kardi in Maharashtra. Triveni Bialetti has structured the focus of its distribution network predominantly towards the southern region. The products being offered for the southern markets have been customised to the requirements of the South Indian customer. Triveni Bialetti’s southern network will concentrate more on traditional and modern trade involving visual

merchandising and an active brand campaign. All Stella products will be made in accordance with the all-new 3X - Duratek Te c h n o l o g y. T h e products will be made out of high quality 3mm aluminium with unique ergonomically designed durable handles patented by Bialetti. Standard 3 layers of robotised non stick coating will ensure even distribution of the non stick coat on the surface. Stella range of products will be available at leading stores and hypermarkets and will be priced at Rs. 495 and above. Commenting on the occasion, Mr. Filippo Trau, Sales Director, Asia Pacific, Bialetti Industrie Spa, said “This joint venture underlines our long term commitment to the region and marks the entry of Bialetti in the In d i a n ma rke t. Th e success of Bialetti cookware all over the world is a reflection of the confidence and trust, which we share with our consumers. Bialetti’s innovative approach backed by intensive quality control and safety policies ensures optimum quality products, which are the best in the business. We strive to understand the evolving mindset of our consumers around the world and offer them products which suit their requirements.”

Mr. Dinkar Suri, Chief Executive Officer, Triveni Bialetti Industries Private Limited, said “Keeping in mind, Bialetti’s philosophy, Tr i v e n i B i a l e t t i h a s conducted extensive research to read the Indian consumers’ mindsets and is proud to present world class cookware that truly understands their needs at affordable prices. Stella, which is a result of a n i n t e n s i v e collaboration work of the I n d i a n Te c h n i c a l & Marketing teams with Bialetti, is truly destined to be the new star on the cookware horizon.” Addressing the company’s marketing plans, Mr. Suri said “We intend to invest in our trade and brand marketing spends for the Indian market by initially focussing on the launch of Stella’s exclusive nonstick range, followed by the entire range of cookware, house ware and coffee makers from Bialetti” Mr. Suri further added that “ Triveni Bialetti is honoured to play a leading role in promoting export of cookware from India, developing the local vendor base to international standards and making India a preferred supply point through Bialetti’s extensive network of distributors and customers.” -Agencies

EVE’s FEST 2009 gets underway Chennai, Feb 27: IMI Eventz an Event Management company in Chennai, kicked off its 3 day

shopping festival EVE’s FEST 2009 today. The shopping festival which was inaugurated by actor Mrs.Poornima Bhagyaraj at Valluvar Kottam and ends on March 1, M r. B h a r a t h ,

Manager, IMI Eventz and Promos said, “Eve’s Fest 2009 is a tribute to womanhood and the spirit ofwomen

entrepreneurship. We are extremely happy to organize this event in Chennai. We wanted to offer a unique shopping experience to the enthusiastic shoppers of Chennai. With more than

7 0 e x h i b i t o r s participating in this festival, we hope to meet all the shopping needs of women under one roof. On display for sale were a host of products including Household items, Home Décor, Clothes, Fashion accessories, Food items, Imitation Jewellery, Cosmetics etc. The Fest will also host interesting activities for the shoppers. Visitors can also experience free facial makeovers, Mehendi and get health and fitness tips from experts during the festival. More than 70 exhibitors are participating in this exhibition. For further details contact: Bharath, IMI Eventz 9884644442 -Agencies

Doctorate conferred on a prolific professional Chennai, Feb. 27 Dr.Antony A s h o k K u m a r, t h e Director and Principal for SRM Institute of Hotel Management, was recently conferred the doctorate by University of

illustrious career at hotel holiday inn. Later he joined one of the most esteemed organizations in the hospitality industry, the Welcome group, Park Sheraton Chennai. Due to his passion and drive

and Beverage department. His drive and academic quest enabled him to hold key positions in the industry. He is Expert Member, AICTE, Southern Region and Northern Region; Chairman, Board

M a d r a s . H i s specialization in Doctorate is, “Study of Human Resource Development of an Oligopoly firm in Hotels, Tourism and Travel Industry with special reference to ON-THEJOB-TRAINING” The doctorate conferred on him is ‘The First PhD in India pertaining to hospitality industry. Dr.Antony Ashok Kumar has a prolific, academic and professional exposure. He has a repute and experience spanning over two decades in diverse environments. Presently he holds multi d i m e n s i o n a l responsibilities of being, The Director and Principal for SRM Institute of Hotel Management and Sr.General Manager, SRM Hotel Pvt. Ltd. He was born in Thirunelveli dist in March 1961. He, had his Hr.sec education in Coimbatore .Later he enrolled himself as a commerce graduate in Loyola, an institution known for its rigorous academic standards. But he had to discontinue as he was destined for a d i f f e r e n t accomplishment. He got an admission in the central National Council for Hotel Management, Taramani; chennai.He took up his under graduation in Sociology from Osmania University, Hyderabad. He pursued an M.A in Sociology from Annamalai University.. Dr.Antony Ashok Kumar began his

for teaching he moved to academic ring, and served as a lecturer with the most reputed Institutes like: Government Institute of Hotel Management, Hyderabad: Government Institute of Hotel Management, Chennai; Merit Swiss Asian School of Management, Ooty. His immense experience, p r o f i c i e n c y, a n d expertise had made him hold numerous responsibilities. He was also an expert member for the universally acclaimed, International Labour Organization; Geneva. He has also served for British Broadcasting Corporation and Saudi Airlines. (Saudi Arabia) He had travelled extensively and had gained immense knowledge about various cultures and practices in hospitality and tourism sector. He has worked in all suit Hotels in Houston, Texas (U.S.A) in Food

of Studies (Hotel Management) University of Madras; Chairman, Board of Studies (Hotel Management) Bharathiar University; Chairman, Board of Studies (Hotel M a n a g e m e n t ) Manonmaniam Sundranar University; Guest Lecturer, Annamalai University; Guest Lecturer, (Human Resource Management) Loyola College. To his credit he has authored a journal on Management for MBA (Hospitality & Hotel Management), which is practiced, and is part of syllabi at Annamalai University. Uncder his stewardship the SRM Institute of Hotel Managament won many accolades including winning of the top institution in the list of catering institutes for two years consecutively by AC Neilsen and also by the Week magazine. -Agencies

Chennai High Court lawyers continue boycott Chennai, Feb 27: Protesting Chennai lawyers, who are boycotting the High Court, are on fast and observing a black day on Friday. They are condemning the violence in the High Court and demanding immediate action against police officials who carried out February 19 baton charging on lawyers in the Madras High Court premises. The courts are however, are functioning and there are no report of any untoward incident. -Agencies

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Times Chennai E-Paper

Feb. 27, 2009

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