Times Chennai, E Paper 29 July 2009

VOL: 3 ISSUE 7

Chennai, July 29, 2009

No Balochistan dossier from Pakistan: PM tells Parliament New Delhi, July 29: Prime M i n i s t e r Manmohan Singh on Wednesday dispelled reports that Pakistan has handed over any d o s s i e r o n Balochistan to India. H i s clarification came during the debate on the Indo-Pak joint statement issued at Sharm-elSheikh after his meeting with Pak PM Yusuf Raza Gilani.

At the start of

the debate, senior BJP leader Yashwant Sinha

tried to corner the government o v e r t h e alleged “sell off” to Pakistan in Egypt. He alleged that India has committed a blunder by agreeing to delink action against terror by Pakistan to the resumption o f t h e composite dialogue. Launching a personal attack, Sinha

Seven seas will not wash shame at Sharm el-Sheikh: BJP New Delhi, July 29 : The BJP Wednesday launched a frontal assault on the government for

compromising on India's stated position on Pakistan in the Sharm-el-Sheikh joint statement and said the 'waters of the seven seas will not be able to wash the shame' brought on the country through this flawed initiative. "The distinction between the aggressor and the victim has been completely obliterated," Bharatiya Janata Party leader Yashwant Sinha, also a former foreign minister, said while alluding to a line in the joint statement that says both countries recognise terrorism as the "chief threat". Sinha was speaking during a debate on the July 16 IndiaPakistan joint statement in parliament that was issued after talks between Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his Pakistani

counterpart Yousuf Raza Gilani at Sharm-elSheikh in Egypt. The controversial statement, which delinks action on terror from the composite dialogue process, has been decried by the opposition as a capitulation to Pakistan over the issue of terrorism. Sinha also exposed what he called "a complete turnaround" in the government's position on terrorism emanating from Pakistan in less than a month from Manmohan Singh's meeting with Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari in Yekaterinburg on June 16 and his meeting with Gilani on July 16. A t Ye k a t e r i n b u r g , Manmohan Singh had told Zardari within earshot of the media that he had "a limited mandate" to tell him that the Pakistani territory should not be allowed to be used for terror attacks against India. A month later, the discussions moved beyond terrorism to cover other issues as well, Sinha contended. " I n Yekaterinburg, the prime minister was confident and assertive and we were proud of him. But there was a complete turnaround in the stated

position in less than a month," Sinha said, describing the November 2008 Mumbai carnage as "an attack of Pakistan on India". Sinha also attacked the government for including a reference to Balochistan in the joint statement that has emboldened Pakistani leaders to accuse India of involvement in fomenting insurgency in the region. "Why was Balochistan included in a bilateral document? No sooner was the ink dry on the joint statement, Pakistani leaders were accusing India of supporting insurgency in Balochistan?" he said. "All the waters of seven seas will not wash the shame at Sharm-el-Sheikh," Sinha said amid applause from opposition benches. This elicited a quick intervention from Manmohan Singh. The prime minister told parliament that Pakistan did not give any dossier to India on Balochistan when he met Gilani in Egypt, as was reported by a section of the media in Pakistan. "No such dossier was given," Manmohan Singh said.

said that the PM walked into the Pakistani camp in Egypt. Sinha also came down heavily on the PM over the inclusion of Balochistan in the joint statement. He pointedly asked the PM to come clear on the issue and asked him whether reports of Pakistan

handing over a dossier detailing India’s alleged role in Balochistan been handed in Egypt. The PM, at this juncture, intervened and said, “No dossier on Balochistan has been handed over to me.” However, the PM will later give a detailed reply on all issue

pertaining to the talks with Pakistan, the end user agreement with US and parlays at the G8. In another major related development, media reports are now quoting Pak PM Gilani as saying that they have sought no information on India’s role in Balochistan.

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Times Chennai E-Paper

Tamil Nadu

TNAU develops herbal insect repellent Coimbatore, July 29 : The scientists of Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU) have developed a herbal insect repellent based on the physiochemical properties of sweet flag (Vasambu in Tamil), commonly used in households for its therapeutic values. Dr S Jayarajan Nelson, Professor (Entomology), Agricultural

College and Research Institute, Killikulam, Thoothukudi District, said, ''The extract from the rhizomes of this plant contains an alkaloid, which is a potent insect repellent.'' ''This extract is now made into a dust form to enable farmers to apply on crops. It is reported to be very effective against rice ear head bug. This herbal

repellent is highly ecofriendly without any problem of pesticide residues,'' according to a TNAU press release here today. The TNAU has given licence to M/s Bhuvi Care (Private) Ltd, Tirunelveli, for largescale production and marketing of this herbal insect repellent, the release added.

Trial run on newly converted broad gauge on July 31 Tiruchirapall, July 29 :: The trial run on the newly converted broad gauge railway line, between Mayiladuthurai and Villupuram, will take place on July 31, Divisional Railway Manager S Subramhanyan said today. Ta l k i n g t o newspersons here, he said

gauge convertion in 120 km distance, between Mayiladuthurai and Villupuram, had been completed at a cost of Rs 220 crore. Referring to the proposed Rs 900 crore doubling project between Villupuram and Tiruchirapalli, he said

work in the 53 km distance between Ariyalur and Valadi would be taken up in the first stage. The whole project would be completed within 18 months, he added.

Tamil Nadu orders crack down of illegal cracker units Virudhunagar, July 29 :: Rattled by series of explosions in private cracker manufacturing units that claimed 22 lives in a span of nine days, in and around Sivakasi town, known for its fireworks manufacturing reputation, Tamil Nadu government has ordered for a major crack down against unlicensed cracker units, godowns and units lacking adequate safety norms. As part of the major drive, officials of police and revenue departments begun a joint operation, this morning. L e d b y V i r u d h u n a g a r Superintendent of Police Krishnamurthy, a team, comprising two Revenue

Divisional Officers, 21 V i l l a g e Administrative Officers and more than 600 police men drawn from Virudhunagar and Madurai divided into several groups, were conducting intensive search in the cracker units. In an informal chat with newspersons, Krishnamurthy said the teams seized illegally manufactured and stored crackers worth Rs 20 l a k h f r o m Vijayakarisalkulam and Vetrilaiurani villages and arrested three women in this connection. The raid, which was going on as per the instructions from District

Collector Ms Sigy Thomas Vaidhyan, would continue for some more days, he added. One of the teams seized 20 bundles of unaccounted crackers from the house of a SubInspector of Police at Vijayakarisalkulam village during the raid. The police official, Gurusamy, who served in Sivakasi town police station and later suspended for dereliction of duty a few months ago, was presently working in Chennai. The house was given for rental by him. Further investigations were on, the sources added.

Budget session of Puducherry Assembly begins on August 3 Puducherry , July 29 : The budget session of the Puducherry assembly will begin from August 3, with the customary addess by the new Lt Governor Iqbal Singh. Chief Minister V Vaithilingam, holding the Finance portfolio will present the full budget on August 5. This will be his first budget since he assumed the post after replacing N Rangasamy on September 4 last year. This will also be the first full budget session after the Lok Sabha poll on May 13 in which Congress

n o m i n e e V Narayanasamy (who has since become Union Minister of State for Planning, Parliamentary Affairs and Culture) wrested the lone Lok Sabha seat from PMK. The Assembly has 30 elected members and three nominated

members. The Congress has 10, DMK seven, PMC and Independents three each. The opposition AIADMK has three members, PMK two CPI and MDMK one each. The three nominated members are one each on the side of Congress, CPI and PMK.

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July 29, 2009

HC stays single judge order in defamation case Chennai, Jul 29 : The Madras High Court today stayed the operation of a single judge's order to impose cost on Union IT Minister A Raja and his wife in a civil defamation case. While admitting the petitions filed by Mr and Ms Raja, a division bench comprising Justices K Raviraja Pandian and A Janarthana Raja d i r e cte d th e J u n i o r Vikadan Publications to file their counter within two weeks. On July 23,

Justice K Chandru dismissed Union Minister A Raja's plea for extension of a stay restraining the Tamil byweekly magazine from publishing articles relating to him and his family over allegations of irregularities in allocation of spectrum to telecom players. Justice K Chandru imposed a cost of Rs 10,000 on Mr Raja and his wife Ms Parameswari, to be paid to the bi-weekly 'Junior Vikatan' and held that public gaze was a

necessary corollary to a person holding a public office which cannot be avoided.. The judge cited a S u p r e m e C o u r t observation that ''at times public figures have to ignore vulgar criticisms and abuses hurled at them''. On April 28 last, the court on an interim application from Raja on a defamation suit had restrained the magazine from carrying articles and publishing photos of him, his advocate, wife and other family members, including his minor daughter.

Awareness expo on NCDs inaugurated Tiruchirapalli, Jul 29 : A two-day awareness expo on Non Communicable Diseases (NCDs), organised by the the Confederation of Indian Industry, Tiruchi Zone, was inaugurated here today. Inaugurating the expo, District Collector T Sounidah called on the student community to take the advantages of development of science to plan their lifestyle. Speaking on the occasion, Dr N

Balasubramanian, Dean of Dr K A P Viswanatham Government Medical College here, said the medical college hospital had recorded as many as 46,662 diabetes cases, 77,849 hyper tension cases, 38,884 nuro decease cases and 41,876 cardiology disorder cases during the last year and the expo like this would bring down such higher rate of patients in the future. D r S Chandrakkumar, Chairman, Healthcare

panel, CII Trichy Zone, said knowledge about risk factors would provide an opportunity to prevent dreaded diseases. Stating that epidemics were accelerating in India as in other developing countries, he said the number of deaths due to lifestyle diseases in the country was projected to rise to 7.63 million in 2020, straining the country’s healthcare infrastructure. It was 3.78 million in 1990, he added.

Detention of PDK gen secy quashed Chennai, July 29: The Madras High Court today quashed the detention of Periyar Dravidar Kazhagam general s e c r e t a r y K Ramakrishnan under the National Security Act. The detention was set aside by a Division Bench comprising Justice S J Mukhopadhaya and

Justice Raja Elango on a Habeas Corpus Petition filed by Ramakrishnan's wife. Ramakrishnan' s wife challenged his detention under the Act for alleged involvement in the attack on an army convoy on May 2 this year at Sulur in Coimbatore district by a mob believing that the

convoy was carrying arms and ammunition to Sri Lanka. Claiming that her husband had nothing to do with the attack, she said he was taken to police station at 4pm on May two and the next day the Palladam Judicial Magistrate remanded him to judicial custody till May 13.

July 29, 2009

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Govt must ensure relief material reach Lankan Tamils: AIADMK New Delhi, Jul 29: The AIADMK today expressed concern over nondisbursement of relief material sent for Sri Lankan Tamils due to dispute between the Red Cross of India and Sri Lanka and urged the Government to ensure that the material sent for the hapless people living in refugee camps reach them. Raising the issue during Zero Hour in the Rajya Sabha, AIADMK leader V Maitreyan said the people across the world collected relief material for about three lakh Sri Lankan Tamils living in refugee camps and sent them in 20 containers in a ship to Sri Lanka.

Initially, the Sri Lankan government refused to accept it on the ground that the ship contained cargo sent for LTTE and the ship remained near Chennai coast. However, after protests by the people, the Indian government took the relief material and after consulting the Sri Lankan government sent it through the Red Cross to Colombo in another ship. However, now the relief material is lying in Colombo port due to a tussle between the Red Cross of India and Sri Lanka over the transportation costs.

The Indian government says that it has ensured that the material reached Sri Lanka while the latter claims its humanitarian aspect by allowing the material in the country. However, the relief material has not yet reached the people living in camps. ' ' W e a r e disturbed, perturbed and concern over the issue,'' he said and urged the Government to ensure that the External Affairs Ministry takes up the issue with Sri Lankan government so that the relief material reaches the people it is intended for.

Eight Chinese firms to participate in Chennai exhibition Chennai, July 29 : Eight Chinese hospital equipment makers will showcase their products in the “Medicall” hospital equipment exhibition, which will start here Friday, organisers of the event said. The fourth edition of the event is expected to attract around 4,500

visitors comprising hospital owners, doctors and medical equipment and consumables d e a l e r s t h i s y e a r, organisers said. “The three-day exhibition will feature around 280 companies of which eight are from China making monitors, critical medical

equipment, hospital furniture and other products,” said S. Manivannan, chief executive of Medicall, which organises the event. The number of exhibitors has doubled this year, he said.

Chennai marathon postponed to September 27 Chennai, July 29: The Chennai Marathon, which was scheduled for August 22, has been postponed to September 27, organisers said today. The organisers said the event, whose proceeds are meant to be used for charity works, has

been rescheduled because the date c l a s h e d w i t h Wo r l d Athletics Championship to be held in Germany from August 15-23. "The date has been changed to ensure the participation of national level

participants as the date clashes with the world championship. "Further, many slow runners wanted the race to be held during a cooler season," organisers said in a statement.

Few takers for IT courses in TN engineering colleges Chennai, July 29 : The global economic meltdown seems to have influenced the choice of engineering courses in Tamil Nadu with Information Technology, one of the most favoured options till a few years back, losing its sheen. I n t e r e s t i n g l y, around 190 out of the 426 engineering colleges have found no takers for IT

courses. Further, only around 3,450 seats for IT have been filled up, out of the total of 15,000 plus available seats in the first phase of the admissions, counselling for which ends today, sources said. S o u r c e s attributed the reversal in trend to the global economic meltdown, with students apprehensive

about taking up the course. Only 6212 seats of the total 21,397 seats in the Computer Science stream have found takers at the fag end of counselling for engineering admissions, Anna University statistics reveal.

Season tickets for unorganised workers Chennai, July 29: The Railway Ministry is introducing monthly season tickets (MSTs) priced at Rs.25, inclusive of surcharges, for travel up to 100 km for those working in the unorganised sector with a monthly income not exceeding Rs.1500. The MSTs under the new ‘Izzat’ scheme will be issued for journeys with

effect from August 1. The passes will be issued on production of income certificate of the applicant from any one of the following: District Magistrate; Lok Sabha MPs for persons of their own constituency; Below Poverty Line (BPL) card or any other certificate issued by the Central government under a

recognised poverty alleviation programme. The MSTs will be issued by the Station Master/Booking Office on collection of the photocopy of the income certificate and should be preserved for future reference. But, at the time of issue of ticket, the original income certificate will be verified.

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Fund raising lecture Rotary District 3230 in association with Alma Matter is organising a fund raising event. One of India’s finest orator’s on Life Change and Progress. Mr. T. T. Rangarajan, Founder, Alma Mater, will deliver a talk on “ Complete Adulthood” on Sunday 2nd August 2009

from 4.00 to 6.00 p.m at The University Centenary Auditorium, Chepauk. The proceeds from this programme will go towards the “Final Push of Eradicating Polio from India”. This is the first time Mr. Rangarajan is doing a programme for an NGO because of the cause, Polio which

affects children. It will be of interest to all Corporates and Individuals to attend this oration, since his speech will be so meaningful. Donor passes are available at all Odyssey outlets and for other details please contact Mr.Murali 98408 34430 & Mr. Krishna 99404 17775.

2-day seminar on futuristic green buildings An all-India seminar on ‘Futuristic buildings: Green, intelligent and smart buildings’ is being held on August 22 and 23 at the L&T Convention Hall in Manapakkam. Papers on various aspects of

green and energyefficient buildings would be presented by civil engineers, interior designers, architects and professors from the departments of architecture and environment, Anna

University. Corporation officials and other industry stakeholders are expected to attend the seminar organised by the Tamil Nadu State Centre of the Institution of Engineers.

Rs 30 lakh allotted DMK Rajya Sabha MP Kanimozhi on Tuesday sanctioned Rs 30 lakh from MP local area development fund for works to upgrade the bus terminus at

Tiruvottiyur in North Chennai. Passengers have been suffering due to waterlogging during the monsoon as the level of the terminus is about two feet lower than that of

the road. According to a release, 75,000 people use the terminus everyday and buses have been operating from there on 24 routes. The fund would be spent to upgrade it.

Job fair for differently-abled The Tamil Nadu Handicapped Federation Charitable Trust and the Need Trust are conducting a job fair for the differently-abled, ‘Disable the Disability’. Applications can be downloaded from www.tnhfctrust.in or collected from the organisations’ partners in various districts. The last date for receiving filled-in application forms is August 12. The fair is

open to people with all kinds of disabilities, including epilepsy and multiple sclerosis, apart from those listed in the Persons With Disabilities Act. Completed forms should be sent to the Need Trust, New No. 33 (Old No. 14), 48th Street, 9 t h Av e n u e , A s h o k Nagar, Chennai 83, or m a i l e d t o [email protected] m. Candidates selected for interview on the day of

the fair will be intimated by post. The fair is also open to corporates if they want to h i r e d i ff e r e n t l y - a b l e d people. There will be a seminar on employment, social rights and other issues related to disability. The fair will be held on August 28, between 9am and 4pm at Kamaraj Arangam. For more details, call 9841267034 or 9841267035.

Ration card registration: Last date extended Chennai, July 29: The last date for registering address at ration shops has been extended up to August 15, an official release stated here on Tuesday. The date for C h e n n a i , Ti r u v a l l u r, Kancheepuram, Madurai and Sivaganga districts has been extended for the benefit of residents. Ration card holders need not record their names in the register maintained at ration shops. It is enough if they inform the shop staff whenever they come to buy materials. If someone has shifted their house within the same street, it would be

better if the change of address is incorporated in the ration card through t h e A s s i s t a n t Commissioner/Zonal Supply office. Those who do not buy anything from the ration shops need not register their address there. It is not compulsory for the head of the family to come and register at the shop.

Anyone whose name is entered in the card can come and do so. In case of senior citizens, they could send their representative with a letter. For clarifications, the city residents can contact Assistant Commissioner (South) on 28551026 and North 28551028, the release added.

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National

BMW case: SC upholds conviction of R K Anand New Delhi, July 29 : The Supreme Court on Wednesday upheld the conviction of advocate R K Anand for contempt of court by attempting to influence controversial witness Sunil Kulkarni in the infamous BMW hit-andrun case. A three-judge Bench of Justices B N Agrawal, G S Singhvi and Aftab Alam, however, set aside the conviction of Special Public Prosecutor I U Khan, who was also debarred by the Delhi High Court from practising for four months along with Mr. Anand. Referring to the criticism about the sting operation carried out by a news channel, the apex court noted that it was not a typical case of trial by the media but rather a sting undertaken in public interest. While acquitting Mr. Khan, the apex court, however, observed that his conduct as Special Public Prosecutor in the case was not appropriate. Mr. Khan, and

counsel Mr. Anand, were on August 21, last year convicted by the Delhi High Court for trying to influence witness Kulkarni, a scandal exposed through the sting operation by the TV channel. The two senior advocates were convicted for obstructing administration of justice and, as a punishment, barred from appearing in the High Court and other subordinate courts for four months and fined Rs 2,000 each. They were also stripped off their designation of senior advocate by the court. Reacting to the court's verdict, S K Aggarwal, counsel for Mr. Khan said, "Justice has been done as far as my case is concerned, we should respect the judgement. It is a good judgement and we are happy about it." Mr. Aggarwal had contended that Mr. Khan's case stood on a different footing during

the arguments in the case before the apex court. Both Mr. Anand and Mr. Khan were shown in the sting as colluding to influence Kulkarni in the BMW hitand-run case in the sting operation on May 30, 2007. A day later, the High Court had taken suo motu cognisance of the sting operation showing Mr. Anand, in collusion with Mr. Khan, allegedly offering money to Mr. Kulkarni to depose in favour of Sanjeev Nanda, the prime accused in the hit-andrun case. Mr. Nanda, the grandson of retired Naval chief S M Nanda, was recently sentenced to two years prison term by the Delhi High Court for mowing down six persons, including three policemen, on January 10, 1999. He was earlier handed down five years imprisonment by a trial court in the case.

Stop asking questions; prosecute Saeed: PC to Pak New Delhi, July 29: Taking on Pakistan for its apparent reluctance to act against JuD chief Hafiz Saeed citing lack of evidence, Home Minister P Chidambaram on Wednesday said that enough proof has been provided and it’s time that Pakistan starts to act against the perpetrators of the 26/11 attacks. Criticising Islamabad for inaction, Chidambaram said, “They should stop asking question and get on with the job. There is enough evidence provided in the dossier given to Pakistan.” Yesterday, Pak Interior Minister Rehman Malik had said, “We cannot arrest him (JuD chief Hafiz Saeed) till adequate proof is provided. There is no proof." I n c i d e n t a l l y, news reports are claiming today that Pakistan investigation agencies have, for the very first time, revealed that they have adequate proof of the banned Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) being directly involved in the 26/11 terror attack. “The investigation has established beyond any reasonable doubt that the defunct LeT activists conspired, abetted, planned, financed and

e s t a b l i s h e d communication network to carry out terror attacks in Mumbai,” the report states. The report discloses that training sessions for the attackers was codenamed ‘Azizabad’ (Azizabad is o n e o f t h e neighbourhoods of G u l b e r g To w n i n K a r a c h i ) . T h e investigators seized militant literature, inflatable lifeboats, detailed maps of the Indian coastline, handwritten literature on navigational training and an intelligence course manual. Pak has been continuously flip-flopping over the issue of Saaed. First he was put under house arrest, after the UN named him in its terror list, then all of sudden he was let off for want of ‘solid evidence” justifying his continued house arrest. Earlier this month, Pakistan had handed over a dossier to India admitting its nationals were involved in the attacks. The dossier came days before the July 16 GilaniManmohan Singh meeting on the sidelines of the Non-Aligned

Summit at the Egyptian resort of Sharm elShaikh. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh after meeting his Pakistani counterpart Yousuf Raza Gilani in Egypt had said that Gilani has informed him that "common consensus" was being evolved and that "action will have to be taken against him (Saeed)". Saeed is the founder of the Laskhar-eToiba (LeT) terror group that New Delhi accuses of also staging the Dec 13, 2001 attack on the Indian parliament. The LeT had morphed into the JuD after it was banned in the aftermath of the attack. Ajmal Amir Kasab, the lone gunman captured alive during the Mumbai mayhem, has admitted to being a Pakistani national and to being trained by the LeT for the Nov 26-29, 2008 Mumbai attacks that claimed the lives of over 170 people, including 26 foreigners. Pakistan has charged five men, i n c l u d i n g L e T commander Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi with involvement in the Mumbai mayhem.

July 29, 2009

Menon briefs Congress MPs on Indo-Pak joint statement New Delhi, July 29: Foreign Secretary Shiv Shankar Menon on Wednesday briefed the Congress MPs about various aspects of the Indo-Pak joint statement issued at Sharm-el Sheikh, hours ahead of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's intervention on the issue in Parliament. M r. M e n o n

briefed a group of party MPs from both the Houses on the technical details of the statement so that they were aware of all the details of the communique before the discussion on the issue, sources said here. The Indo-Pak joint statement, issued after the meeting between Dr. Singh and his Pakistani counterpart

Yousuf Raza Gilani, came under attack from all sides for delinking of terror from the composite dialogue process and the reference to Balochistan. Dr. Singh's intervention has assumed significance in view of the fact that the Congress has so far failed to openly come out in support of him on the issue.

HC dismisses petitions challenging telecast of 'Sach Ka Samna' New Delhi, July 29 : The Delhi High Court on Wednesday dismissed two petitions seeking a stay on the controversial TV show 'Sach Ka Samna', saying that moral policing is not its function. A Division Bench headed by Chief Justice A P Shah suggested the petitioners

to approach the central government over it. "It is for the government to decide whether the programme should be banned or not. It is not the function of the court ... There are far more serious problems in this country which we have to settle," the Bench said. Two petitioners,

Deepak Maini and Prabhat Kumar, had approached the court seeking a stay on the show being telecast on Star Plus channel alleging that the programme was against the values of the Indian society. Rejecting it, the court said, "Our culture is not so fragile that it would be affected by one TV programme."

IGNOU launches new age tourism, hospitality programme New Delhi, July 29: Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) has launched a degree course that focuses on training in security aspects in the tourism and hospitality sectors. " T h i s programme has potential to produce nearly one lakh skilled workers in t o u r i s m , h o s p i t a l i t y, catering technology and management sectors every year in India and abroad," Pro-Vice Chancellor Prof K R Srivathsan said, adding this is for the first time any

university has incorporated security issues in the curriculum so comprehensively. Addressing a function in the campus recently, Srivathsan, who heads the IGNOU School of Tourism Hospitality S e c t o r a l M a n a g e m e n t (SOTHSM), said: "We are specially putting in Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) and Security aspects as essential components in the studies of Tourism Hospitality Sectoral Management (THSM).

This will help the pass-outs immensely at their workplaces." There are two aspects in the Bachelor of Arts International Hospitality Management (BA-IHA) programme -Tourism and Hospitality. For the Hospitality programme over 50 centres all over the country have been created to impart the niche training, he said. The Hospitality programme is in tie up with the American Hotel & Lodging - Educational Institute (AH&LEI).

HC issues notice to DMRC on metro mishap New Delhi, July 29: The Delhi High Court on Wednesday issued a notice to the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) on a petition that stated that the DMRC was grossly negligent in connection with the Zamrudpur mishap. The petition called for the setting up of an independent committee to investigate the Zamrudpur – in South Delhi - incident, in which six persons were killed. On July 24, the High Court had issued a notice to Gammon India, a contractor of Delhi

Metro Rail project, on a petition filed by family members of victims of the July 12 mishap, seeking compensation. F a m i l y members of four persons who lost their lives in the July 12 mishap have filed a joint petition in the High Court. Justice Rewa Kshetrapal adjourned the case till August 20 and asked the company to file response by then. The petitioners pleaded before the court that the family of the deceased should get a compensation of Rs 50

lakh each while injured persons should be given Rs 25 lakh each, from the Gammon India Company. Six persons, including an engineer, were killed and over a dozen others injured when an under-construction over-bridge of the Delhi Metro collapsed on July 12 near Nehru Place in south Delhi. (ANI)

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July 29, 2009

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Govt takes steps to ensure transparency in AICTE New Delhi, July 29: To ensure transparency in the functioning of AICTE, whose top brass is facing corruption cases, the government will make it mandatory for the agency to display information online about progress in the applications of institutes for approval or accreditation. The government is set to launch egovernance system in All India Council of Technical Education under which the representatives of institutes will not have to come to the agency's office to track their cases. Under the egovernance project, any institute can know online the status of its application pertaining to approval for new courses, increasing intake of existing p r o g r a m m e s o r accreditation to its programmes. "The purpose is to bring transparency in the system. By this egovernance system, every institute will be able to track the progress in their applications on line. They need not come to AICTE

office. This will help reduce corruption," a source told reporters. This will be similar to the PNR number system of railways under which passengers are able to know progress in confirmation of their tickets. "The AICTE will also display if there is any laxity on part of the institute which seeks a p p r o v a l o r accreditation. The institutes can fulfil the deficiencies and comply," the source said. T h e s t e p assumes significance in the backdrop of the arrest of its member secretary K Narayan Rao this month by CBI in a corruption case. While Rao was arrested for allegedly accepting bribe for inspection and approval of an engineering college in Hyderabad, the agency registered corruption cases against its chairman R A Yadav, Advisor H C Rai and Deputy Director Robinder Randhawa in a

separate corruption case. T h e H R D Ministry is waiting a detailed report from the CBI in this case after which disciplinary action will follow against the officials, sources said. Under the e-governance project, the regional offices of AICTE will be inter-linked. A high-level committee has been set up to go into the modalities for implementation of the project. T h e H R D Ministry has also directed higher educational institutions to provide information in their website relating to availability of infrastructure and physical assets, grantsin-aid provided by the government and its utilization and admission criteria. The institutions will have to furnish information on all c o u r s e s o f s t u d y, including degree or diploma programmes and those conducted in distance mode.

SP wants Deora's resignation on gas issue, LS adjourned New Delhi, July 29: The Ambani brothers' gas dispute echoed in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday with s o m e m e m b e r s demanding resignation of Petroleum Minister Murli Deora, forcing adjournment of the house. The Samajwadi Party members, led by President Mulayam Singh Ya d a v, d e m a n d e d resignation of Deora over the government's failure to ensure supply of gas for the Dadri Power project in Uttar Pradesh. Grave injustice is being done to Uttar Pradesh by denying gas to the Dadri Power plant and this in turn could cost the national exchequer Rs 30,000 crore, Yadav contended. Anil Ambani had yesterday hit out at the Petroleum Ministry for colluding with elder brother Mukesh's RIL in blocking gas supply for its power projects despite a firm commitment, upheld thrice by the Bombay High Court. W i t h S P members rushing to the Well of the House and creating an uproar, the House witnessed two adjournments till the lunch recess.

While Yadav or other SP members did not name the Ambani brothers nor the fight between them, the reference to Dadri project and resignation of the Petroleum Minister was indication enough of their plea. The issue was raised by Yadav soon after the House met for Question Hour. He was highly critical of the Petroleum Minister and demanded a statement from the government on the issue. F i n a n c e Minister Pranab Mukherjee had yesterday called a meeting with Deora and Law Minister Veerappa Moily after Anil openly charged the Oil Ministry with siding with RIL to help it renege commitments on gas supply to NTPC and his group firm RNRL.

The Supreme Court will on September o n e c o n s i d e r admissibility of a government petition seeking annulment of a gas supply pact between RIL-RNRL. SP members Reoti Raman Singh and Shailendra Kumar demanded resignation of Deora. When Yadav sought to raise the issue again after Question Hour, Speaker Meira Kumar disallowed him telling the SP leader would not get another chance. A s S P members rushed to the Well, the Speaker adjourned the House for 15 minutes. It was similar story when the House reassembled when Sumitra Mahajan was in the Chair. She adjourned the House till 2:00 pm.

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Govt to look into CAG criticism on Gorshkov deal New Delhi, July 29: Stung by CAG criticism for escalating cost of second-hand aircraft carrier Admiral Gorshkov bought from Russia, the government on Wednesday assured Rajya Sabha that it would finally agree to a fresh price for the warship only after going through the audit report. " B e f o r e entering into any contract, the government will go through all details. We will assess the criticism, including that of CAG, on the issue. At present, the Gorshkov price escalation is in negotiation stage. Nothing has been finalised," Defence Minister A K Antony said during Question Hour. India had bought the 45,000-tonne Gorshkov from Russia in January 2004 at a total cost of USD 974 million, which included its refit and repair. As the repair and refit of Gorshkov began in the Sevmash Shipyard, Russians made an additional demand for USD 1.2 billion towards the escalating cost of the work. After revising the repair costs three times since 2007, Russia made a final demand for additional USD 2.9 billion in February this year. The CAG report for 2008 laid in Parliament last week had

slammed the Defence Ministry for buying the old warship at the price of a new aircraft carrier. The CAG had noted that till 2008 the escalated cost was about USD 1.82 billion for the warship and another USD 52 million for the sea trials, which was originally pegged at USD 27 million in the 2004 contract. " W e h a d entered into a contract with Russia in 2004 to buy Admiral Gorshkov. However, that country faced a lot of difficulties during the intervening period. Subsequently government was quoted a fresh price by Russia," Antony said. Accepting that repair and refit of Gorshkov was coming at a "substantially huge" price, he said "we have not entered into any contract with Russia (on the fresh price), and are only having negotiations with them." He said when India started searching for an aircraft carrier, there were very few manufacturers in the world. "After an elaborate search, no country except Russia was willing to give it to us. The decision to acquire it was taken in consultation with the Navy, as per the price quoted by Russia then," Antony said. However, the minister said Russia was quoting a fresh price, as

most of the parts of the Kiev-class carrier are manufactured in Ukraine. Earlier, Minister of State for Defence M M Pallam Raju said the country was building an aircraft carrier indigenously, while the Navy had another aircraft carrier in service. "The government sanction for the indigenous aircraft carrier was accorded in November 2002. The construction of the Indigenous Aircraft Carrier (IAC) is progressing at Cochin Shipyard, with the launch scheduled in 2010. However, the final delivery of the ship is likely in 2014," Raju said. R a j u s a i d induction of ships in the Navy, including aircraft carriers, is driven by the need to maintain the desired force levels. " F u t u r e requirements of aircraft carriers could be met either from indigenous or from foreign sources depending on the required capabilities and envisaged time frames," he said. Antony had laid the keel of the indigenous aircraft carrier at Kochi in February, while two more indigenous aircraft carriers have been sanctioned. T h e N a v y currently operates INS Viraat, a 28,000-tonne Centaur-class aircraft carrier, which has served both British and Indian Navy for 50 years.

Legal body hails conviction of R K Anand New Delhi , July 29: The legal fraternity on Wednesday hailed the Supreme Court verdict on the BMW expose case holding noted criminal lawyer R K Anand guilty of contempt of court. Noted criminal lawyers Ram Jethmalani and K T S Tulsi welcomed the verdict, saying that it would help in restoring the dignity of the profession. "I am glad with the judgment but still things remain hidden and some day they are to be exposed. It is good for us and for the legal machinery. He (Anand) deserved it as he was trying to make money at the cost of his client," Mr Jethmalani, who defended Sanjeev Nanda in the BMW hitand-run case in Delhi High Court, said. Anand, the

defence counsel, was shown in a sting operation carried out by a news channel on May 30, 2007 as colluding with the then Special Public Prosecutor I U Khan to influence controversial witness Sunil Kulkarni during trial of the case. "Truth has triumphed. There was never any doubt about the authenticity of the recordings of the tape. It is indeed sad that it took so long for the final verdict to come but I am glad the Supreme Court has again reiterated the importance of legal profession and its duty to the society and to the court," Tulsi said. Advocating self-introspection for lawyers in view of the judgment, he said, "We lawyers need to remember that legal profession is not trade or business but a noble

profession." Te r m i n g t h e judgment as one in right spirit, advocate Prashant Bhushan said Anand should be debarred from practising law for life as it was a "gross professional misconduct" on his part. "It is not an isolated case. Witnesses are being influenced in many cases and the Bar Council fails to take any action against influential lawyers. This case will set a precedent for erring advocates," he said. The apex court, in its verdict, upheld the conviction of Anand for contempt of court for trying to influence Kulkarni during the trial in the BMW hitand-run case. Though the court acquitted the then prosecutor Khan, it termed his conduct as "inappropriate".

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World

Indian-American shortlisted in world technology network honour Washington, July 29: An eminent Indian-American scientist has been elected fellow of the prestigious World Technology Network

for his innovative work in the field of material science.

Amit Goyal of the Oak Ridge National Laboratory's Materials Science and Technology Division has also been named a finalist for the W o r l d Te c h n o l o g y Network's materials award, said a media release issued by the US Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). Goyal received his doctorate in materials science and engineering from the University of Rochester, New York, in 1991 and joined ORNL that same year. With more than 300 publications and 53 patents, Goyal has also been recognised as a Battelle Distinguished

Inventor. Along with Goyal's distinguished recognition in the World Technology Network, he and fellow team members recently won an R&D 100 Award for superconducting wires, his third R&D 100 Award. He is also a fellow of six other professional societies: t h e A m e r i c a n Association for Advancement of Science, the American Physical Society, the World Innovation Foundation, the American Society of Metals, the Institute of Physics and the American Ceramic Society.

Car bomb injures 46 at Spanish police barracks Madrid, July 29: A car bomb exploded outside a Civil Guard barracks in the northern Spanish city of Burgos early on W e d n e s d a y, s l i g h t l y injuring 46 people, an emergency services spokesman said. Part of the barracks facade collapsed into the street when the bomb went off around 4.30 a.m. (10:30 p.m. EDT). A spokeswoman for the Civil Guard, Spain's paramilitary police force, said the attack was probably carried out by Basque separatist rebels ETA. Most of the injuries were cuts and bruises and no one was in serious condition, although 38 had been transferred to hospital in the historic cathedral town, according to the emergency services spokesman.

All the windows are broken. It's very damaged so it's almost a miracle no one was hurt more seriously," he said, adding that the barracks had been evacuated and fire fighters were going through the building. E TA i s h e l d responsible for killing more than 800 people in the past 40 years in a campaign to carve out an independent Basque homeland in northern Spain and southern France. It typically uses shootings and car bombs, often parked outside police and army barracks. The most recent killing blamed on the group was on June 19, when a police inspector died in a booby-trapped car in the northern city of Bilbao.

T h e organization is under pressure to show it can still mount attacks despite having been weakened by a series of arrests including that of its suspected top c o m m a n d e r, J u r d a n Martitegi, in April. His capture brought to four the number of commanders caught in less than a year. Eighteen more alleged ETA members were captured in a threeweek period in June and July. Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero's Socialist government broke off peace talks with ETA after the rebels killed two people with a car bomb at Madrid airport in December 2006.

China seizes North Korea-bound missile component: Report Seoul, July 29: China seized 70 kg of a strategic missile-making metal bound for North Korea, South Korean media r e p o r t e d We d n e s d a y, quoting a local Chinese newspaper. The seizure took place Friday at Dandong on the Chinese border with North Korea. While inspecting North Koreanbound trucks, a Dandong customs agent discovered the metal vanadium hidden under a fake fruit box, the Dandong News reported. In all, 68 bottles were seized totalling 70 kg of vanadium, valued at 200,000 yuan ($29,280).

Va n a d i u m i s used to sharpen steel and prevent rust in making missile cases or naval ships. The seizure is part of China's own trade practice to restrict the export of strategic metals like vanadium and to protect its domestic industry. The action was interpreted as a sign from China in support of USled sanctions, which were mounted to curtail North Korea's arms trafficking in response to its May 25 nuclear test. The tightened sanctions are considered

relatively ineffective without Chinese participation. China is a major source of trade cash, energy and food for North Korea. The action comes amid a UN-led call on China to tighten control of trafficking into North Korea to implement the tightened sanctions.

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July 29, 2009

US to hire 4,600 police as part of economic recovery plan Washington, July 29: More than 4,600 new police officers are to be hired across the US at a cost of one billion dollars as part of the country's economic stimulus plan, administration officials have said. The grants will be awarded to some 1,046 law enforcement agencies in all 50 states and will provide the full salary and benefits for 4,699 officers for three years, according to a Justice Department statement yesterday. There is also a provision that departments receiving the funds retain the

positions for at least a fourth year. The measure falls under the American R e c o v e r y a n d Reinvestment Act of 2009, the 787-billiondollar stimulus package signed by President Barack Obama in February aimed at ending the worst US economic crisis since the 1930s. "A big part of the Recovery Act is about building communities -making them as strong as they can be, allowing every American family to live a better life than the one they are leading now," Vice President Joe

Biden said at an event in Philadelphia where he was joined by Attorney General Eric Holder and several state governors and city mayors, according to the statement. "And we can't achieve the goal of stronger communities without supporting those who keep our streets safe." The government was swamped with applications for the grants, with more than 7,200 agencies applying for funding for 39,000 officer positions since the launch of the stimulus plan, the department said.

US, Britain talks on Afghanistan, Iran, Mideast Washington, July 29: Secretary of State Hillary Clinton prepared to host extensive talks Wednesday with British counterpart and top ally David Miliband on Afghanistan, Iran, the Middle East and North Korea, a US official said. The talks come after Miliband told PBS television Tuesday that it was in Britain's "national security interest" to keep troops in Afghanistan as most anti-British terrorist plots had links with the region. T h e U S television network had asked him what his government tells Britons who, opinion polls say, now form a majority in believing the seven-year US-led war is unwinnable and wanting their troops pulled out. Clinton and Miliband, who have set aside several hours of meetings, will discuss "bilateral issues as well as global issues, such as Iran, North Korea, Afghanistan and the Middle East," a US official told AFP on the condition of anonymity. The official did not elaborate but President Barack Obama's administration has put efforts to stabilize both Afghanistan and neighboring Pakistan at the heart of the US-led struggle against terrorism. With 9,000 troops in Afghanistan, Britain is the second largest troop contributor after the United States, which has deployed an estimated 56,000 troops in the country. Both sides have increased their contributions ahead of national elections in August. Britain is also a key diplomatic partner with the United States in efforts to halt Iran's sensitive nuclear programs, which both sides fear is aimed at

building an atomic bomb. London also supports the Obama administration's drive for a comprehensive ArabIsraeli peace, backing the creation of a Palestinian state living side by side in peace with a secure Israel. Britain has also condemned recent North Korean missile and nuclear tests, but is not a party to the six-country nuclear disarmament talks. The six-party talks involve the two Koreas, the United States, China, Japan and Russia. A total of 22 British troops have been killed this month alone after British forces went on the offensive in Operation Panther's Claw, just weeks before crucial presidential elections. Four more fallen soldiers' bodies were flown home to RAF Lyneham, southwest England, before a solemn procession through the nearby village of Wootton Bassett. "It's good to see that people, not just from the military community, the general public, are paying tribute to our fallen comrades," said Carlton Wray, who left the army last July, and joined hundreds lining the street as the cortege passed through the village. T h e ceremonies in the town -which has become a focus of grief and support for British troops -- came after two more soldiers were killed Monday in Helmand province, the front line in the battle with the Taliban. The surge in deaths has sparked a political row over resources for troops in Afghanistan, with Prime Minister Gordon Brown forced to defend Britain's strategy after calls for more equipment and more boots on the

ground. But according to the opinion poll in the Independent newspaper Tuesday, more than half of Britons now think the war in A f g h a n i s t a n i s "unwinnable" and want to see an immediate troop withdrawal. Fifty-eight percent see the offensive against the Taliban as a lost cause. Only 31 percent disagree, according to the ComRes telephone poll conducted for the newspaper between July 24 and 26. Fifty-two percent of the 1,008 Britons polled want the troops out while 43 percent want them to stay put. Britain has around 9,150 troops in Afghanistan, most of them in Helmand. "The problem in Afghanistan cannot be overcome by such statements by Miliband or Karzai," Yousuf Ahmadi told AFP. "This problem can only be solved if the foreign countries withdraw their forces from this country and Karzai leaves (office) and repents -- then we will be ready for talks and this issue will be solved." In a speech at NATO headquarters in Brussels on Monday, Miliband stressed the need for the Afghan government to engage with moderate Taliban elements. "We need to help the Afghan government exploit the opportunity, with a more coherent effort to fragment the various elements of the insurgency and turn those who can be reconciled to live within the Afghan constitution," he said. Afghan President Hamid Karzai welcomed the British move, saying it was "a confirmation of the rightful position of Afghanistan". But a Taliban spokesman reiterated there could be no talks without the withdrawal of foreign troops in Afghanistan.

July 29, 2009

Times Chennai E-Paper

Business

Hardening of rates due to govt borrowings a worry: Assocham Tokyo, July 29: Hardening of interest rates in future due to huge market borrowings by the government remains a concern, even as RBI kept all its signalling rates unchanged in the first quarterly review of the m o n e t a r y p o l i c y, Assocham president Sajjan Jindal said in Tokyo Wednesday. "Interest rates could inch up due to huge government borrowings. That is a worry," Jindal, who is heading a visiting business delegation to promote SEZs, said while reacting to the RBI's quarterly review. He said the RBI's move not to change policy rates or reserve ratios is on expected lines. H o w e v e r, t h e central bank is conservative so far as GDP growth rates projections are concerned, he said. RBI has projected the Indian economy to grow by six percent this fiscal. Jindal said Assocham in its study said the Indian economy could

clock a growth rate of seven percent this fiscal. Even then, GDP growth is not stable or high, he said, adding any upward pressure on interest rates due to high government borrowings could impact the economy. A s s u c h , interest rates should not be allowed to move up, he suggested. T h e government has pegged its borrowings at over Rs 4.5 lakh crore for the current fiscal, 70 percent of which would come in the first half itself, to finance the ballooning fiscal deficit, projected to widen to 6.8 percent of GDP during 2009-10. In the quarterly review of the monetary policy yesterday, RBI also said managing the government’s borrowing programme for 2009-10 remains a challenge. The apex bank will meet the challenges of spurring private credit demand by maintaining policy rates and liquidity conditions

conducive, it added. Many quarters have expressed concerns that huge borrowings will jack up interest rates and crowd out private investment, while the government has allayed these fears. J i n d a l suggested that the government should further promote FDI to counter any liquidity problem due to its borrowing programmes. In fact, FDI of USD 25-30 billion is expected also for the current fiscal as imports have fallen due to softening crude prices, he added. The central bank also said large fiscal deficit, if continued beyond the recovery period, can crowd out private investment and trigger inflationary pressures. The central bank said the government will need to return to the path of fiscal consolidation.

PNB Q1 net profit up 62% at Rs 832 cr Mumbai, July 29: Staterun lender Punjab National B a n k o n We d n e s d a y reported a 62.39 percent growth in net profit at Rs 832.05 crore for the first quarter ended June 30, 2009. Total income of the country's second largest PSU lender

increased to Rs 6,177.58 crore during the AprilJune quarter, from Rs 4,594.62 crore in the corresponding period a year-ago, PNB said in a filing to the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE). Interest income rose 26 percent to Rs 5,207.42 crore during the

June quarter, while the interest expenditure stood at Rs 3,345.61 crore, up 24 percent over the year-ago period. Shares of PNB were trading at Rs 741.50, up 2.62 percent in morning trade on the BSE.

Anand Sharma to consult FM on Foreign Trade Policy New Delhi, July 29: Commerce and Industry Minister Anand Sharma on Wednesday said that he will hold consultations with Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee shortly before finalising the Foreign Trade Policy. Replying to questions in Rajya Sabha, he said the Export-Import or Foreign Trade Policy for 2009-10 fiscal would be announced in August. "We will be discussing again with Finance Minister before we roll out foreign trade policy in August," he said. The discussions with Finance Minister would be on the fiscal and monetary measures that may be required for exports to tide over global economic slowdown. S h a r m a , however, did not say when he would be meeting Mukherjee.

Slowdown in developed and industrialised economies has "adversely impacted our trade," he said adding exports had sharply declined since October 2008. But during last two months they have recovered, he said pointing to arresting of the steep fall. Wo r l d Tr a d e Organisation has projected that global

trade will shrink by 9-11 percent because of the recession in developed countries like the US, Europe and Japan. IMF has projected 12 percent drop. "The dec line is sharper in developed countries where economy, for first time in 30 years, will go in negative because of fall in demand and drop in prices of capital goods," he said.

Corp Bank Q1 net profit up 42% at Rs 261 cr Mumbai, July 29: Public sector lender Corporation Bank on Wednesday reported a 41.75 percent growth in net profit to Rs 261.24 crore in the first quarter ended June 30, 2009. Total income increased to Rs 2,101.52 crore in the latest quarter to Rs 1,446.28 crore in the corresponding year-ago period. Shares of Corporation Bank were trading at Rs 349.15, up 1.22 percent over previous close on the BSE.

Page 7

Govt launches 'Lean Manufacturing Scheme' for MSMEs New Delhi, July 29:The government on Wednesday launched 'Lean Manufacturing Scheme' for the micro, small and medium units to enhance the manufacturing competitiveness of the sector, battling the global demand recession. The objective of this scheme is to e n h a n c e t h e manufacturing competitiveness of the micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) by applying lean techniques to identify and eliminate w a s t e i n t h e manufacturing process. "The scheme would be implemented initially in 100 clusters (in the industries having p o t e n t i a l f o r improvement in competitiveness and productivity) on pilot basis in one year," Minister of State, Independent Charge, MSME, Dinshaw Patel said. He said, initially,

under this scheme the government has made a provision of Rs 31 crore. The clusters, each a group of about 10 units, would be selected from different parts of the country and would u n d e r g o l e a n interventions for about a year, MSME secretary Dinesh Rai said. During the end of the first year, an impact assessment study would be carried out for these 100 clusters and the outcome of the report will form the basis for upscaling this programme to cover another 300-500 clusters in the subsequent year, Rai said. Consultants would be deployed to identify cluster- specific needs who will suggest specific lean techniques for intervention in the selected mini-clusters. As engaging consultants is quite expensive for MSME units, the government will contribute up to 80

percent of this fee while the remaining charge will have to be borne by the beneficiary units as part of the scheme, Rai said. The purpose of the lean techniques would be to assist MSME units in r e d u c i n g t h e i r manufacturing costs through proper personnel management, better space utilisation, scientific inventory management, improved process flows and reduced engineering time. L e a n Manufacturing Programme will also lower costs and improve the quality of products, which will enable these products to compete in national and international markets, Rai added. There are about 13 million MSME units in the country which employ over 42 million people. The sector contributes over 45 percent to the country's industrial production and 40 percent to the total exports.

Economy to maintain growth rate of 6.7% in 2009-10: Pranab New Delhi, July 29: The economy is expected to maintain a growth rate of 6.7 percent in 2009-10, same as last fiscal, as some signs of pick-up are visible, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee said on Wednesday. "We have ended 2008-09 at 6.7 percent. I do hope, this level of growth, we will be able to maintain (in 200910)," he said while

commending the Finance Bill in the Rajya Sabha. H e s a i d although some signs of recovery are visible, it is too early to point out that whether they would be steady. Mukherjee hoped the stimulus, both in terms of financial concessions, fiscal policy and the monetary measures announced by RBI, will have its "desired

impact". The Finance Minister said the early signs of improvement in the Indian economy are seen despite no big recovery visible in the global economy. He said trillions of dollars would have been injected in Europe and North America. "But there is no immediate restoration of the (global) economy," he added.

NRL surges, RIL dips in early trade Mumbai, July 29: Shares of RNRL on Wednesday surged nearly five per cent on the Bombay Stock Exchange in the morning trade, a day after its Chairman Anil Ambani lashed out at the oil ministry and the Mukesh Ambani-led Reliance Industries. However, Reliance Industries fell by 1.1 per cent to 1,889.05 per cent on BSE. R N R L continued its uptrend for the fifth consecutive trading day and rose by 4.83 per cent to Rs 86.70. It had opened at Rs 82.50. Launching an

attack on the Petroleum Ministry, Anil Ambani told the RNRL shareholders at its AGM yesterday that "it is evident that the apparently biased stance commenced in 2006, coincided with the changes in the ministry". "I'm sure all private companies in India wish that if they make commercial decisions, they wish to get out of, they too had a saviour to help bail them

out as in the case of RIL," he said. R e l i a n c e Industries scrip opened weak for the fourth consecutive trading session at Rs 1,900 on the BSE. Later it fell to Rs 1,889.05, down by 1.10 per cent over its previous closing price. Over 1.8 lakh shares of RIL changed hands, while more than 77.95 lakh shares of RNRL got traded on BSE.

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SPORTS

Bangladesh beat Windies in 2nd ODI, win series Roseau , Dominica, July 29: Bangladesh won its first one-day cricket series against a current test nation when it defeated West Indies by three wickets in the second match at Windsor Park on Tuesday. Two days after beating West Indies in a one-dayer for the first time, Bangladesh chased down the home side's 274-6 in 50 overs, including an unbeaten century by Travis Dowlin, by reaching 276-7 with an over to spare. Bangladesh can go for the two-test and three-ODI sweep on Friday at St. Kitts. Bangladesh was led by captain Shakib-alHasan, who cracked 65 off 61 balls, and Mohammad Ashraful, who hit 64 off 77 deliveries. They had solid support from the entire top order. Left-handers Tamim Iqbal (29) and Junaid Siddique (23) shared an opening stand of 46, while Raqibul Hasan (20) and Mushfiqur Rahim (31) helped steel the middle order. David Bernard was responsible for removing both openers as Bangladesh slipped to 642. First, he claimed Siddique with the ball then pulled off a sensational one-handed catch at midwicket off pacer Kemar Roach to dispatch Tamim. Ashraful then forged two half-century partnerships to tilt the balance back to the Tigers. He and Raqibul added 52 for the third wicket, followed by an even more destructive stand of 74 off 64 balls with his skipper. Bernard claimed Raqibul to a lofted drive to extra cover but that failed to halt Bangladesh's momentum. Ashraful and Shakib were cruising when Ashraful gifted his wicket

as he lofted legspinner Rawl Lewis to long-off at 190-4 in the 37th over. Ashraful, who also hit a half century in the opening match victory, struck three fours and a six off 77 balls. Shakib and Mushfiqur soon dulled the home crowd again in a stand of 48 for the fifth wicket. But in a frantic finale, the tourists almost threw it away. Darren Sammy grabbed the wicket of Shakib, who sliced a catch to short third man after hitting two fours and a six off 61 balls. Wicketkeeper Devon Thomas, on debut, was called out from behind the stumps once Roach had been banned from the attack for two beamers and the 19-year-old grabbed two wickets to suggest a fairytale ending for the home team. Mahmudullah clipped to square leg while Mushfiqur slapped a full toss to extra cover at 261-7. But Naeem Islam and Abdur Razzak were levelheaded as they led their side home with an unbeaten stand of 15 off 18 balls. Razzak hit the winning boundary with a sliced four over short third man off Bernard. Earlier, Dowlin's brilliant, unbeaten 100 off 117 balls gave West Indies hope. The 32year-old, in only his second match, struck six fours and a six off 117 balls. He paced his innings superbly, with his first 50 occupying 88 deliveries before he exploded for 50 off his next 29 balls. Before he appeared, West Indies received an encouraging start after winning the toss. Dale Richards (20) and Andre Fletcher

(22) added 33 off the first five overs but Bangladesh struck back once spin was introduced. F l e t c h e r perished to the first ball from skipper Shakib's left-arm spin, slicing a catch to cover. Richards fell at 52-2, run out as he ended up in the same crease as Smith after a mix-up. Smith and Dowlin gradually rebuilt the innings in the face of a disciplined Bangladesh spin attack. Just as they were beginning to blossom, Smith also departed to a run out. This time, it was Tamim's brilliant direct hit from deep square leg that did the damage. Smith struck one four and one six off 62 balls. Captain Floyd Reifer's tortured return to international cricket continued when he fell for 7 as he slapped a wide ball from Naeem to backward point at 134-4 in the 33rd over. But Dowlin and the home team's allrounders rallied in the latter overs. The last 10 overs realized 98 runs, including the batting powerplay of five overs that produced 50 runs. Bernard struck two fours, Lewis launched two sixes and Sammy closed the innings with a flurry that included four fours. Dowlin, who missed out on a maiden century when he fell for 95 in the second test, endured one bit of luck when Syed Rasel just failed to cling onto a diving return catch with Dowlin on 97. The Guyanese brought up his century of the second ball of the final over, with a nudge into the off side.

Wardrobe malfunction fails to deter gold medallist swimmer New York, July 29 : An Olympic gold medallist swimmer from US suffered a major wardrobe malfunction after his bodysuit split just as he dived into the pool at the world championships in Rome. Ricky Berens, who won a gold medal at the Beijing Olympics, tore a hole in his swimming costume while stretching before the start of the of the men's 4x100 relay at the Fina swimming world

championships in Rome on Sunday. "I kind of freaked out for just a second," Berens said. "I felt like (the split) was almost down to my knees. I felt like I was putting on a pretty good s h o w, " l o c a l m e d i a quoted him as saying. T h e aerodynamic full-body swimming costume critics claim gives swimmers an unfair advantage. Earlier this

month, Fina (the International Swimming Federation) ruled that, in competitive events from 2010, men's swimsuits may, at most, be from the waist to the knee, while women can wear suits that at most cover from the shoulder to the knee. The wardrobe malfunction did not deter the 21-year-old swimmer from winning the gold medal for the US team.

July 29, 2009

Somdev loses in LA Open first round Los Angeles, July 29: India's Somdev Devvarman failed to make headway after reaching the main draw of the LA Tennis Open and lost to fifth-seeded Russian Igor Kunitsyn 57, 2-6 in the first round. Devvarman, who turned pro a year ago, should have won the first set, having broken the Russian's service twice, but could not press home the advantage on Tuesday. Kunitsyn, who has not won consecutive matches since reaching the Memphis quarterfinals in February, took the second set comfortably and with it the match, though tennis bookies had favoured the Indian to win it over three sets. For the 24year-old Indian, twice NCAA singles champion, this was the second successive defeat against the Russian, having lost to the world number 37 in his first pro tournament, Legg Mason Tennis

Classic, 4-6, 1-6, after winning his first career ATP match defeating Taylor Dent. Devvarman, a graduate of the University of Virginia, slumped 25 ranks to 152 on ATP charts released Monday from a careerbest 125 last week. Kunitsyn next plays Argentinean Leonardo Mayer who beat French qualifier Josselin Ouanna 6-2, 63. American John Isner fired 15 aces and dropped only four points on his first serve in clinching two tough tiebreakers to surprise seventh-seeded German Benjamin Becker 7-6(8), 7-6 (3) as he carried his form that took him into last week's Indianapolis semi-finals. Isner, a 2007 NCAA finalist at Georgia Tech, improved to 3-0 head-to-head against Becker, the NCAA winner at Baylor in 2004. Isner started the week at a career-high ranking of 77.

Former Australian Open finalist and World No. 8 Marcos Baghdatis of Cyprus saved eight of nine break points he faced to defeat Indianpolis semifinalist Frank Dancevic 7-6 (3), 6-3 to reach the second round, where he will play Isner. The Cypriot, who is also a former Wimbledon semi-finalist, has slipped to N o . 1 4 6 o n t h e AT P Rankings. Baghdatis began the year strongly with a fourth-round showing at the Australian Open and a quarter-final appearance in Johannesburg, but he last won consecutive matches on the ATP World Tour back in February at Delray Beach, when he also reached the quarters. In other first round matches, Latvian Ernests Gulbis, loser in eight of his last ten matches, beat YenHsun Lu of Chinese Taipei 7-5, 6-2; Australian qualifier Carsten Ball beat Frenchman Marc Gicquel 6-2, 7-6 (6); and American qualifier Ryan Sweeting defeated compatriot Taylor Dent 6-4, 2-6, 6-3.

Safin wins; Isner upsets No. 7 seed Becker Los Angeles, July 29: Eighth-seeded Marat Safin of Russia beat America's Robby Ginepri, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 in the first round of the L.A. Tennis Open on Tuesday. The win was the former No. 1's first in three meetings with Ginepri, who won the tournament at Indianapolis last week, but the two had not played in four years. Safin won just one point in the final three games of the opening set. He took control of the second set by winning the first three games and repeated that in the third set while breaking Ginepri's serve twice. ``Robby is playing really well, coming from a title last week. He is a tough player. It was a wellplayed match from both of us,'' Safin said. ``I was able to go up a break in

the beginning of the second set and that helped me to turn the match around.'' John Isner of the United States upset German No. 7 seed Benjamin Becker 7-6 (8), 7-6 (3), in an earlier match. Isner, who had mononucleosis and was absent from the ATP Tour for three months, returned to action last week at Indianapolis, where he lost to eventual champion Robby Ginepri in the semifinals. Isner said he was ``maybe a little bit tired today'' after Tuesday's 2-hour, 5minute win that came on the heels of four matches at Indianapolis. ``I've just got to get in a little better shape, match shape,'' he said. ``When you take a month off and don't do anything you lose a lot.''

There were just two service breaks in the match, both in the second set. Becker got the first, to take a 3-1 lead, then had what he called ``a 5-minute mental letdown'' and lost his serve. That was the only one of eight break points converted by Isner, but it got him back on serve and eventually into the tiebreaker, where he won the final four points. Fifth-seeded Igor Kunitsyn of Russia got his title bid under way with a 7-5, 6-2 win over Indian qualifier Somdev Devvarman, while sixth-seed San Querry of the United States beat Denis Istomin 6-2, 6-0. Ernests Gulbis of Latvia beat Lu Yen-hsun of Taiwan 7-5, 6-2; qualifier Ryan Sweeting topped Taylor Dent, 6-4, 2-6, 6-3, in a matchup of Americans; and Australian qualifier Carsten Ball eliminated France's Marc Gicquel 6-2, 7-6 (6).

Afridi to lead Pakistan in T20 Islamabad, July 29: Allrounder Shahid Afridi will lead the Pakistan cricket team in the next m o n t h ' s Tw e n t y 2 0 international against Sri Lanka. ``Chairman PCB (Ijaz Butt) has appointed Shahid Afridi as captain for the Twenty20 match against Sri Lanka,'' the Pakistan Cricket Board said in a

statement Wednesday. Afridi will replace Younis Khan, who retired from 20-over game after leading Pakistan to win the Twenty20 World Cup in England last month. Afridi, 29, was instrumental in Pakistan's success in England, hitting an unbeaten 54 off 52 balls his side beat Sri Lanka in

the final. He has played in 2 3 T w e n t y 2 0 internationals, scoring 371 runs at an average of 19.52, as well as claiming 33 dismissals at an impressive average of 15.57. Pakistan will play Sri Lanka in a Twenty20 match on Aug. 12 after a five-match one-day series.

July 29, 2009

Times Chennai E-Paper

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Times Chennai E-Paper

July 29, 2009

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