Sahara chief Subrata Roy arrested in Lucknow

Sahara Chief Subrata Roy was arrested in Lucknow on Friday, after evading for two days a non-bailable warrant issued by the Supreme Court for his failure to appear before it in a case of non-refund of Rs 20,000 crore to investors.

Capping a day of dramatic developments, 65-year-old Roy surrendered before police this morning after calling them to Sahara Shaher.

Appearing for Roy in the Supreme Court, Ram Jethmalani told a bench headed by Justice K S Radhakrishnan that 65-year-old Roy is in police custody.

Jethmalani also pleaded to the court for recalling of NBW issued by it on February 26. He submitted that the special bench, comprising Justices Radhakrishnan and J S Khehar, which heard the case be assembled today to hear his application.

Justice Radhakrishnan, who sat with Justice Vikramajit Sen, however, said that it is not possible for the special bench to assemble today.

Subrata’s son Seemanto Roy said his father has willfully submitted himself before Lucknow police and he is cooperating with all authorities.

Earlier in the morning, Subrata Roy said he is not absconding from arrest and is ready to “unconditionally follow” whatever direction the Supreme Court gives him today.

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Opposition leader Yatsenyuk elected as Ukraine PM

The Ukrainian parliament has elected former opposition leader Arseniy Yatsenyuk as the country’s Prime Minister.

Mr. Yatsenyyuk, a close ally of former prime minister Yulia Tymoshenko, was backed by 371 of 417 participating deputies.

Before his election, Mr. Yatsenyuk vowed to sign an association agreement with the European Union and promised to keep Crimea inside Ukraine.

Meanwhile, the European Union should deploy financial aid and sanctions to help tackle the crisis in Ukraine, the bloc’s parliament said on Thursday in a resolution.

Lawmakers called for the EU to “take the lead” in the organization of a donors’ conference for the cash-strapped country.

Ukraine should be offered both short-term and long-term support packages, the parliament said. It also called for the EU to proceed with travel bans and asset freezes against those responsible for violence in the country, as agreed by foreign ministers last week.

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Top jurist Fali Nariman refuses to join Lokpal search committee

Eminent jurist Fali Nariman has refused to be part of the process to select the names for various posts of Lokpal, saying he fears that the multi- layered procedure could overlook the most competent, independent and courageous persons. 


In a letter to V Narayanasamy, Minister of State in the Prime Minister's Office, Nariman said he declines the "honour" to be part of the committee. 

Government had offered him to be a part of the search committee on February 21. 

His name was proposed by a five-member selection committee to be a part of the eight member search committee under the Lokpal Act. 


The search committee will scrutinise the applications received for the post of chairperson and eight members (four judicial and four non-judicial) and forward the names to the selection committee. 


The selection committee comprises Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar, Supreme Court judge H L Dattu - a nominee of the Chief Justice of India P Sathasivam, Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj and jurist P P Rao. 

Swaraj was outvoted on the choice of Rao, whom she had described as a "Congress loyalist". 

She is believed to have recommended the names of Nariman and senior lawyer Harish Salve for the selection committee. 

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India’s first post office savings bank ATM in Chennai

The country’s first Post Office Savings Bank ATM was inaugurated in Chennai on Thursday by Finance Minister P. Chidambaram as part of the government’s Rs. 4,909 crore IT modernisation scheme for the Department of Posts specified in the interim budget for 2014-15.

Speaking about the newly launched ATM service at the HPO, Mr.Chidambaram said that while it will initially operate in a closed environment for about six months, and later change to ‘inter-operability,’ on the lines of bank ATMs, allowing customers to withdraw money from any ATM. About Department of Posts, Mr.Chidambaram said that while questions were being raised about its future, especially in the wake of dip in use of letters and postcards, it was adopting new strategies and was therefore on the path to growth. Still a large number of people believe that the Department of Posts is the best in courier and parcel delivery areas, he added. An official release said the T Nagar HPO ATM is the first in the country and “four more ATMs are ready for operations” in Delhi and Mumbai.

By March 31, 2014, a total of 700 more post offices will be covered and all 26,840 post offices will be functional under CBS in another two years, it said.

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Rajiv Gandhi assassination case: SC stays release of 4 convicts, issues notice to Tamil Nadu govt

The Supreme Court on Thursday stayed the release of four convicts in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case, ordering status quo on a plea by the Centre challenging the Tamil Nadu government's proposal to release them.

The court bench headed by Justice P Sathasivam directed that the central government's plea would be heard on March 6. The court also issued notice to the state government and the four prisoners on the Centre's plea against their release.

It asked as to why the Centre rushed to the apex court instead of replying to the state government's letter seeking the stand of the Union government on the release of the prisoners. 
The bench said that every state must be aware about the procedure to be followed for the release of prisoners. 

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NASA discovers 715 new planets

The Earth’s galaxy is looking far more crowded. NASA has confirmed 715 newly discovered planets outside the solar system.

Douglas Hudgins, NASA’s exoplanet exploration program scientist, called Wednesday’s announcement a major step toward the planet-hunting Kepler telescope’s ultimate goal — “finding Earth 2.0.”

Scientists using the Kepler telescope pushed the number of planets discovered in the galaxy to about 1,700. Twenty years ago, astronomers had not found any planets circling stars other than the ones revolving around the sun.

Astronomers used a new confirmation technique to come up with the largest single announcement of a batch of exoplanets what planets outside our solar system are called.

All the new planets are in systems like ours where multiple planets circle a star. The 715 planets came from looking at just 305 stars. They were nearly all in size closer to Earth than gigantic Jupiter.

And four of those new exoplanets orbit their stars in “habitable zones” where it is not too hot or not too cold for liquid water which is crucial for life to exist.

The four new habitable zone planets are all at least twice as big as Earth so that makes them more likely to be gas planets instead of rocky ones like Earth and less likely to harbour life.

So far Kepler has found nine exoplanets in the habitable zone, NASA said. Astronomers expect to find more when they look at all four years of data collected by the now-crippled Kepler; so far they have looked at two years.

Planets in the habitable zone are likely to be farther out from their stars because it is hot close in. And planets farther o

ut take more time orbiting, so Kepler has to wait longer to see it again.

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Delhi HC set to get first woman Chief Justice

The Delhi High Court is set to get its first woman Chief Justice with the Supreme Court collegium, headed by Chief Justice of India P Sathasivam, recommending the name of current Andhra Pradesh High Court judge — Justice G Rohini — as the next Chief Justice of the Delhi High Court.

At present, nine out of the 40 sitting judges of the Delhi High Court are women. The first woman Chief Justice of a High Court, Justice Leila Seth — who served as the Chief Justice of the Himachal Pradesh High Court — was from the Delhi High Court.

The recommendation comes at a time when the High Court is monitoring the issues of women’s safety, human trafficking and crimes against women in the national capital.

Born in 1955, Justice G Rohini studied at Osmania University in Hyderabad and then at the College of Law, Andhra University, Visakhapatnam. She was a reporter and then executive editor of the Andhra Pradesh Law Journals, and was appointed as a government counsel for civil matters before her elevation as a High Court judge in 2001. She was sworn in as a permanent judge of the Andhra Pradesh High Court in July 2002.

She is presently the chairperson of the Andhra Pradesh Judicial Academy, and has earlier served on the High Court Juvenile Justice Committee. She has also headed the Andhra Pradesh State Legal Services Authority.

Justice N V Ramana, who was recently elevated to the Supreme Court after serving as the Delhi High Court Chief Justice, was also from the Andhra Pradesh High Court.

Justice G Rohini has taken up issues of protection of the girl child, working women and better relationship between the Bar and Bench during her tenure, and recently released the Handbook on Women and Human Rights at the annual day meeting of the Indian Women Network (IWN), an initiative of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII). She was also a part of the Bench of the Andhra Pradesh High Court, which had allowed the AP government to appoint special officers to district panchayati raj institutions, and to fix reservations in the panchayati raj institutions for backward classes.

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Supreme Court orders arrest of Sahara boss Subrata Roy

In more trouble for Sahara chief Subrata Roy, the Supreme Court on Wednesday ordered his arrest following his failure to appear before it in a contempt case arising out of non refund of Rs 20,000 crore to investors by two of his companies. 

A bench comprising justices KS Radhakriahnan and JS Khehar has issued non-bailable warrants of arrest qua Subrata Roy Sahara, alleged contemnor. He shall be arrested and produced before this Court on March 04, 2014 at 2pm.

It rejected Roy's plea to exempt him from personal appearance on the ground of ill-health of his 92-year-old mother who is said to be on death bed. 

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Indian Navy chief Admiral DK Joshi resigns over warship accidents

Navy chief Admiral DK Joshi on Wednesday resigned after two officers were feared killed and seven sailors injured when a fire erupted on board a submarine, INS Sindhuratna, around 40 nautical miles off Mumbai.Taking moral responsibility for the accidents and incidents which have taken place during the past few months, the Navy chief has resigned. The government has accepted the resignation of Admiral Joshi with immediate effect. 

An upset defence ministry sought a detailed report from the Navy since this is the second major accident in the country's ageing submarine fleet in the last six months, which has further dented India's underwater combat arm. 

INS Sindhurakshak, a Russian Kilo-class submarine like INS Sindhuratna, had sunk at the Mumbai naval dockyard, killing three officers and 15 sailors, after a series of internal explosions in its fully-loaded weapons compartment on August 14. INS Sindhuratna, incidentally, was berthed next to INS Sindhurakshak at that time and sustained minor damage to its hull. 

The accident on Wednesday took place when INS Sindhuratna had just begun its "sea workup phase" after undergoing a refit at the Mumbai dockyard from May to December last year. As part of the procedures, the Western Naval Command's commodore commanding submarines SR Kapoor and his inspection team were on board to test both the crew and the submarine before clearing it for operational deployment. 

In all, there were 94 personnel on board.

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Facebook to buy WhatsApp for $19 billion

Facebook Inc will buy fast-growing mobile-messaging startup WhatsApp for $19 billion in cash and stock, as the world's largest social network looks for ways to boost its popularity, especially among a younger crowd.

The acquisition of the hot messaging service with more than 450 million users around the world stunned many Silicon Valley observers with its lofty price tag.

But it underscores Facebook's determination to win the market for messaging, an indispensable utility in a mobile era.

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Renzi will be Italy's youngest premier

Italy's youngest-ever prime ministerMatteo Renzi and his fresh-faced cabinet were sworn in Saturday, amid widespread scepticism that the new government has the political maturity to tackle the country's formidable challenges.

The former mayor of Florence was accompanied by his wife and three children — dressed in the colours of the Italian flag — to the formal ceremony in Italy's presidential palace, and smiled widely as he watched his new team sworn in by President Giorgio Napolitano.

The centre-left leader takes over the reins of the eurozone's third largest economy in a period of increasing frustration among ordinary Italians hard hit by a deep recession and weary of broken political promises.

In his 16-strong cabinet, half of the new ministers are women and — with an average age of 47.8 years — it is the youngest government in Italy's history.

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Odia becomes sixth classical language

Odia on Thursday became the sixth language of the country to get “classical language’’ status after the Union Cabinet conceded a long-pending demand for putting it in the same league as Sanskrit, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam.
          Odia is billed as the first language from the Indo-Aryan linguistic group and the case for making it a classical language was also premised on the fact that it has no resemblance to Hindi, Sanskrit, Bengali and Telugu. The proposal was moved by the Culture Ministry.
            Once a language is declared classical, it gets financial assistance for setting up a centre of excellence for the study of that language and also opens up an avenue for two major awards for scholars of eminence. Besides, the University Grants Commission can be requested to create – to begin with at least in Central Universities – a certain number of professional chairs for classical languages for scholars of eminence in the language.
             The criteria for declaring a language as classical mandates high antiquity of its early texts/recorded history over a period of 1,500-2,000 years, a body of ancient literature/texts which is considered a valuable heritage by generations of speakers and a literary tradition that is original and not borrowed from another speech community. Also since the classical language and literature is distinct from the modern, there can also be a discontinuity between the classical language and its later forms or its offshoots.

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Heavy security agents for Football World Cup 2014

Brazil has announced a security boost of around 70,000 officers to police this year's football World Cup.

In total, 170,000 people are expected to be deployed to guarantee security across the 12 host cities.A total of 150 000 armed services and public policing forces personnel will be diverted to the month-long event that kicks off on June 12, plus a further 20 000 trained private security officers hired to bolster security.

But Brazilian government officials acknowledged they were still concerned about the possibility of violence marring the tournament, following last year's unexpected demonstrations at the Confederations Cup.

More than a million people took to the streets during the warm-up event for the World Cup to protest against poor public services, corruption and the high cost of the stadiums.Since last June's Confederation Cup, protests have continued, though they have become smaller and more violent with anarchist groups vandalising store fronts and banks and clashing with police.

Any disruption of the World Cup, meant to mark Brazil's coming of age on the global stage, would embarrass President Dilma Rousseff's government and undermine her popularity as she prepares to seek re-election in October.

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President inaugurates AMU Centre campus at Murshidapur in West Bengal

President Pranab Mukherjee on Thursday inaugurated the campus of the Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) Centre at Jangipur, Murshidabad, in West Bengal.

Speaking on the occasion, the president said the university would serve students from the region who have been migrating to the AMU in Uttar Pradesh because of its academic excellence.

Refering to Sir Syed Ahmad Khan's remarks while laying the foundation stone of the Muhammadan Anglo Oriental College - now known as AMU -that the seed would mature into mighty tree from whose roots would sprout saplings, Mukherjee said: 
"The AMU Murshidabad Centre is a true example of the sapling that has sprouted to extend education."

Speaking at another programme, Mukherjee urged students to attain proper eligibility to harness opportunities being provided for higher education.

The president said opportunities for studying post graduate courses in AMU Centre Murshidabad, could not be availed of unless students acquire the requisite qualification and are successful in the entrance examination.

The work on the AMU centres at Murshidabad and Kerala's Mallapuram were started in 2010 and the centre at Bihar's Kishanganj in 2012.In 1875, the AMU's journey began as Muhammadan Anglo Oriental College, an affiliate of the Calcutta University. 

Ten years later, in 1995, it was brought under Allahabad University, and then upgraded to a university in 1920.Mukherjee had represented Jangipur Lok Sabha constituency from 2004 to 2012, when he was elected to the nation's highest office.

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Maulana Azad Taleem-e-Balighan programme launched by Central Govt.

The programme 'Maulana Azad Taleem-e-Balighan', launched by Central government, aims to impart functional literacy, vocational skill development and continuing education to one crore Muslim adults with an outlay of Rs 600 crore. 
             Besides, it promises to provide opportunities for upscaling basic education to around 2.5 lakh adults from the community and imparting livelihood skill training to around three lakh beneficiaries. 410 Sakshar Bharat Districts will be covered with a financial outlay of Rs 600 crore during the current Plan Period.
           Enrolment of Muslim children at primary level as percentage of total enrolment has increased from 9.4 per cent in 2006-07 to 14.2 per cent in 2012-13, and at the upper primary level, from 7.2 per cent to 12.1 per cent during the same period.

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Central govt. has approved 14 new IIITs

The government has approved the establishment of 14 new Indian Institutes of Information Technology (IIIT) in fourteen states. The new IIITs would be set up in Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal and Tripura. 
         As per the scheme, 50 to 100 acres of land will be provided free of cost by the concerned state government for setting up the IIITs.

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Parliament clears 29th state

A seperate state of Telangana is finally a reality. With the BJP not insisting on a division on its amendments, the Rajya Sabha on 20th February passed the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Bill, 2014 to create India’s 29th state by a voice vote, amid protests by regional parties led by the Trinamool Congress and Shiv Sena, forcing multiple adjournments, walkouts and an unprecedented expression of dissent by a union minister.

    The Rajya Sabha took up the Bill after the BJP agreed to the government’s suggestion that its demands for a financial commitment to Seemandhra would be reflected in a statement that the Prime Minister would make in the Upper House. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh announced a six-point package for the residuary state of Andhra Pradesh, including special category status for five years and tax incentives to promote industrialisation and boost economic growth in both the states.

   The Left alleged “match fixing” between the BJP and Congress, and walked out before the passage of the Bill. The DMK, JD(U) and BJD members also left the House separately during the course of the debate, after their leaders opposed the division.

      

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Noted Hindi writer Amar Kant died

Noted Hindi Literature and Jnanpeeth Award winner Amar Kant has died on 17th February, 2014. He was 88.  The mortal remains of noted writer was consigned to flames at Allahabad on 18th February, 2014.
    Many eminent personalities of Hindi Literature, Social Activists and people from different walks of life were present on the occasion to pay tributes to the great Hindi literature. The Police also offered the gun salute to the departed soul.
       Amar Kant was born in Balia district of Uttar Pradesh in 1925. He had penned many nobles and short stories. His prominent works include novels "Inhin Hathiyaron Se " ,  "Kateeli Raah Ke Phool " , Sukha Patta " . " Kale Ujale" and "Beech Ki Deewar " and story collection "Zindagi aur Jonk" , "Desk Ke log", "Maut Ka Nagar " , "Mitra Milan " and "Kuhasa " .
         He has won several awards in his lifetime. He was given Jnanpeeth Award in the year 2009, Sahitya Academy Award in 2007, Uttar Pradesh Hindi Sansthan Award, Mathili Sharan Gupta Award , Amar Kant Kirti Samman of Madhya Pradesh government and others. 

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India, Bahrain sign three pact

India and Bahrain decided to expand their cooperation in key areas, including trade and business, as Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and visiting King Hamad Bin Isa Al Khalifa of the Oil-rich nation  held wide -ranging talks on 19th February, 2014. 
List of MoUs/Agreements signed during the State Visit of King of Kingdom of Bahrain to India

S.No.	Name of Agreement/ MoU	Signatory from India	Signatory from Bahrain	Remarks
1	Memorandum of Understanding for Cooperation in the fields of Youth and Sports between the Government of the Kingdom of Bahrain and the Government of the Republic of India	Shri Salman Khurshid, Hon’ble Minister of External Affairs, Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India	Prince Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Chairman of the Supreme Council for Youth and Sports of the Kingdom of Bahrain	The MoU aims at promoting and strengthening bilateral cooperation between the two countries in the field of Sports & Youth through institutional exchanges particularly through exchange of youth and sports teams in various disciplines.
2	MoU on the Establishment of a "High Joint Commission” for Bilateral Cooperation between India and Bahrain	Shri Salman Khurshid, Hon’ble Minister of External Affairs, Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India	HE Khalid bin Ahmed bin Mohammed Al Khalifa, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Bahrain	This new MoU will replace the existing Joint Committee for the Technical and Economic Cooperation (established in 1981) by "High Joint Commission”, to be chaired by the Foreign Ministers, and will serve as an umbrella framework for all bilateral cooperation between the two countries.
3	MoU between the Foreign Service Institute of MEA and the Diplomatic Institute, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Bahrain	Shri Salman Khurshid, Hon’ble Minister of External Affairs, Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India	HE Khalid bin Ahmed bin Mohammed Al Khalifa, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Bahrain	The MoU aims at promoting cooperation between the FSI and the Diplomatic Institute, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Bahrain, including exchange of information on structure and content of training programmes, exchange of trainees, students, faculty members, experts and researchers.

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Govt clears GlaxoSmithKline’s Rs. 6,400 cr FDI proposal

The Government cleared Rs.6,400 crore FDI proposal of Global Health Care Company GlaxoSmithKline to acquire additional 24.33 % stake in its India arm.
            The Cabinet Committee on Economic affairs (CCEA ) has approved the proposal of GlaxoSmithKline pte. Ltd. , Singapur for acquisition of 24.33 % shares in existing Indian subsidiary company of GSK group.
             GlaxoSmithKline Pharmaceuticals is already majority owned and controlled by the GSK group. After the purchase, holding of the promoter group firm in the Indian subsidiary will go up to 75% from the current level of 50.67%.
           GSK pharma makes, distributes and trades in a variety of drugs its portfolio include prescription, medicines and vaccines across area such as anti-infectives, dermatology and gynaecology .
            The company employees more than 5,000 people and generated more than Rs.2,600 crore turn over during financial year ended December 31, 2012 .  

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Govt to set up Equal Opportunities Commission for minorities

Ahead of the Lok Sabha polls, the government today cleared a proposal for setting up the much-awaited Equal Opportunities Commission (EOC), a statutory body to check discrimination of minority communities in jobs and education.

The Justice Sachar Committee, which went into the socio-economic backwardness of Muslims, had recommended setting up of such a panel. The proposal got the nod of the Union Cabinet on Thursday.

EOC will also deal with grievances like denial of accommodation or buying rights to minorities in housing societies.

The recommendation for setting up of EOC was made during UPA-I itself and the Minority Affairs Ministry had begun the process to establish an omnibus body that could include all sections as soon as the UPA II government came to power.

A jumbo Group of Ministers, chaired by A.K. Antony, was set up to look into the matter as disputes arose about the location and powers of the panel with various other national commissions and ministries complaining that the proposed mandate of EOC would be encroaching upon their mandate.

The GoM had later mandated that EOC will deal exclusively with minorities.

The EOC’s mandate is to ensure that no minority community is discriminated against on religious grounds by redressing complaints. It has to make binding recommendations that people from minority communities find adequate representation in government employment or educational institutions.

The Sachar Committee that studied the socio-economic condition of the minorities in India had noted that though Muslims constituted 18.5 per cent of the population, their representation in bureaucracy was just about 2.5 per cent.

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Govt approves Rs 77 cr aid package for HMT

Government on Thursday announced a financial package of about Rs. 77.4 crore for the state-run HMT Limited and its subsidiary HMT Machine tools Ltd to make payments of salary, wages and statutory dues such as PF and gratuity to its employees.

The decision to provide financial assistance to the two public sector units of central government was taken at a meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) in New Delhi.

Hindustan Machine Tools Ltd, was established in 1953 for production of machine tools initially. It was renamed as HMT Ltd in 1978 in view of its diversified status and multi-technology products.

The work force of the company as on October 31, 2013 was 1439. The company had authorised share capital of Rs. 2,100 crore, paid up equity share capital of Rs. 760.35 crore and paid up preference share capital of Rs. 443 crore as on March 31, 2013.

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Ennore Port to be renamed as Kamarajar Port

The Ennore Port in Chennai, one of twelve major ports in country, will now be known as Kamarajar Port. The Cabinet has taken decision to rename the Ennore Port Ltd. (EPL) as Kamarajar Port Ltd. (KPL). 
The port, which started functioning in 2001, is a schedule B Mini Ratna Company. The capacity of the Port at present is 31 million tonnes (MT) and has six berths including three for coal and one for iron ore.

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Cabinet nod to convert 7,200 km of state roads into highways

The government on Thursday decided to convert 7,200 km of state roads into national highways. The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) has given nod for declaring 7,200 km of state highways as national highways. With this the total length of the state highways converted into National Highways during the UPA regime would reach about 17,000 km. About 10,000 km of state highways were declared national highways during the last 10 years. These roads, sources said, are spread across states including Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh besides bordering areas such as Leh and Laddakh regions. The present length of the National Highways in the country is about 80,000 km.

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SC stays release of Rajiv assassins

The Supreme Court on Thursday stayed the release of three convicts in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case. The decision by the apex court has come on a plea by the Centre against Tamil Nadu government’s decision to release all seven convicts in the case.

The court will now hear state and others in the case on March 8. The court said the state is expected to comply with the procedural checks and that the court was ‘inclined’ to go into the issue. Remission is not automatic and that every state is obligated to follow the procedure before releasing any convict, ruled the court.

The Tamil Nadu government had opposed the Centre’s plea to restrain the state from proceeding in the case. The apex court told the TN government that the court was not underestimating the state’s power but it acquired to be assured of procedural compliance by the state.

The development comes a day after Tamil Nadu Chief Minister announced after a Cabinet meet that all the convicts would be allowed to walk free. The plea will be heard at 12:45 pm on Thursday.

Jayalalithaa had told the state Assembly that the Centre had three days to respond to the decision, after which her government would exercise its power to free the convicts.

While commuting the sentences of A G Perarivalan alias Arivu, Sriharan alias Murugan and T Suthentiraraja alias Santhan, the Supreme Court had left it open for Tamil Nadu to grant remissions to them under the executive powers of the state government.

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Bandh in Seemandhra region to protest against AP division

A Bandh called by YSR Congress, TDP and other political parties is being observed in Seemandhra region of Andhra Pradesh on 19th February to protest against passage of the AP Reorganisation Bill-2013 in the Lok Sabha.

    The bandh, also supported by APNGOs and different pro-united Andhra Pradesh organisations, is being held in different districts of Coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema regions of the state with police beefing up security to thwart any attempts to disturb law and order.

     Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation (APSRTC) bus services across Seemandhra region were hit due to the bandh, while educational institutions -- government as well as private -- remained closed in most parts. Shops and business establishments were also shut at many places.

     Hundreds of protesters took to the streets and held rallies, demonstrations and formed human chains in different towns across 13 districts of Seemandhra condemning the decision to divide Andhra Pradesh and raised slogans against the move.

    Supporters of political parties like TDP, Congress and YSRCP staged dharnas in front of bus depots at Maddilapalem junction protesting against the bifurcation.

    Police have tightened the security at all the vulnerable points to maintain law and order.

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Tamil Nadu Cabinet to release all Rajiv killers

The Tamil Nadu assembly unanimously adopted a resolution for the immediate release of Murugan, Perarivalan and Santhan and four others including Nalini, wife of Murugan, Ravichandran
and Robert Pius.
          The Tamil Nadu Government however decided to forward the resolution to the
centre as it is mandatory to consult the Union Government under CRPC 435. 

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UPPSC Lecturers Vacancy 2014

Online Applications are invited form all eligible candidates for the recruitment to the post of Lecturers in Various subjects by Uttar Pradesh Public Service Commission ( UPPSC )   on or before 11th March 2014. More details are given below

Number of post: 1280

Age limit : 21 - 40 years for general candidates . Age relaxations are applicable for reserved category as per govt. rule.

Educational Qualification : Candidates must possess Post Graduate degree in relevant discipline, B.Ed. , M.Ed. ,M.P.E. (Post graduate degree in Physical Education )/ M.PEd.

Application Fee : Rs. 80 for all General and OBC candidates and Rs. 40 for all SC /ST  candidates + Rs. 15 as online processing fee (for all candidates)

Important dates :

Last date for Receipt of exam fee in Bank: 07/ 03/ 2014.
Starting date for online form submission: 07/ 02/ 2014.
Last date for online form submission: 11/ 03/ 2014.
Last date for print of application form: 21/ 03/ 2014.
for more details regarding age pay scale, selection process, application fee,how to apply and many more details please click at following advertisement details

Advertisement details:

Online application:

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Lok Sabha passed Telangana Bill

A historic bill to carve out Telangana State out of Andhra Pradesh was on Tuesday passed by the Lok Sabha amid din and strong protests by members from Seemandhra region, including ministers.

The Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Bill, 2014 was adopted by voice vote along with several official amendments, with main opposition BJP coming on board.

Moving the bill for consideration and passage,  the Centre will give special financial package to Seemandhra, residual part of Andhra Pradesh, to address the grievances of the people of that region.

A number of amendments moved by AIMIM member Asaduddin Owaisi and Trinamool Congress member Sougata Roy were negated.

Significantly, there was no live telecast by Lok Sabha TV for 90 minutes during clause by clause consideration of the bill before its passage.

Many members protested the way the bill was passed in the din, saying it was against the democratic norms and a “black day” in the country’s democracy.

The Bill was passed after a very brief discussion in which only Leader of the Opposition Sushma Swaraj and minister Jaipal Reddy, a pro-Telangana leader from Andhra Pradesh, spoke.

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Two judges take charge in Supreme Court

Justices Rajesh Kumar Agarwal and Nuthalapati Venkata Ramana on Monday assumed charge as court judges, taking the apex court's strength to 31 including Chief Justice P. Satasivam.
    Justices Agarwal and Ramana were the Chief Justices of Madras High Court and Delhi High Court respectively.The sanctioned strength of judges in the apex court is 31 including the CJI. The two judges were elevated to apex court and were administered the oath of office and secrecy by CJI Sthasivam.

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Ukraine opposition forms parallel government

Ukraine's opposition has announced forming a parallel government upping the ante in its confrontation with President Viktor Yanukovych. Arseniv Yatsenvuk, a leader of the Batkivshchyna Party, had turned down Mr. Yanukovych offer to appoint him Prime Minister and that opposition leaders reached a joint decision to form their own government.

Ms. Tymoshenko, leader of the Batkivshchyna Party, is serving a seven-year prison term for abuse of office.

Mr. Yatsenyuk demanded that the Parliament takes a vote on Tuesday on returning to the 2004 Constitution, which truncated presidential powers. He rejected the ruling party’s proposal to set up a parliamentary commission to reach a compromise decision on constitutional changes.

The opposition’s decision to form a parallel government means it is renouncing talks with Mr. Yanukovych. The decision was announced a day before Mr. Yatsenyuk and another opposition leader, Vitali Klitschko, travel to Berlin for crucial talks with Chancellor Angela Merkel.

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Budget 2014: Highlights

Finance Minister P. Chidambaram today presented the Interim Budget for 2014-15 in Lok Sabha. Here are the Budget 2014 highlights:

* Fiscal deficit to be contained at 4.6 pc of GDP in 2013-14.

* CAD will be USD 45 billion in 2013-14, says FM

* GDP growth rate in Q3 and Q4 of 2013-14 will be at least 5.2 per cent

* Declining fiscal deficit, moderation of CAD, stable exchange rate and increase in project implementation result of hard work, says FM

* Fiscal deficit target of 3 pc to be achieved by 2017, says P. Chidambaram

* Revenue deficit estimated at 3 pc for current fiscal

* No changes in tax laws in interim budget: FM

* Excise duty cut from 12 to 10 per cent in capital goods sector to stimulate growth

* Excise duty on mobile handset to be 6 pc on CENVAT credit to encourage domestic production

* Excise duty on small cars, motorcycles and SUVs reduced

* Excise duty on SUVs cut from 30 to 24 pc, in large and mid-segment cars from 27-24 pc to 24-20 pc

* Foreign exchange reserves up by USD 15 billion: FM

* Foodgrain production estimated at 263 million tons in 2013-14: FM

* Agriculture credit will cross USD 45 billion against USD 41 billion in 2012-13

* 296 projects worth Rs 6,60,000 cr cleared by Cabinet Committee on Investment by end January 2014

* Merchandise export to grow by 6.8 pc to USD 326 billion

* 3 more industrial corridors – Chennai-Bangalore, Bangalore-Mumbai, Amritsar-Kolkata – under various stages of implementation.

* Power capacity rises to 234,600 MW in 10 years: FM

* Expenditure on education has risen from Rs 10,145 crore 10 years ago to Rs 79,251 crore this year.

* I reject the argument of policy paralysis, says Chidambaram

* Sugar decontrol, gradual correction of diesel prices, application for new bank licenses, sick electricity distribution companies restructured, says FM

* Average growth under UPA's ten year rule was 6.2 per cent against 5.9 during NDA period of 1999-2004, says FM

* Average growth under UPA-I was 8.4 per cent and UPA-II 6.6 per cent, says FM

* PSUs to achieve record capex of Rs 2,57,645 crore in 2013-14

* National Solar Mission to undertake 4 ultra mega solar power projects in 2014-15: FM

* National Solar Mission to undertake 4 ultra mega solar power projects in 2014-15: FM

* Rs 1,000 crore grant for Nirbhaya Fund will be non-lapsable; another Rs 1,000 crore to be given next fiscal, says FM.

* Rs 3,370 crore to transferred to 2.1 crore LPG users; Govt committed to Aadhaar-based LPG transfer but scheme on hold temporarily

* Aadhaar is tool for empowerment, says FM

* Rs 1,200 crore additional assistance to N-E states to be released before end of the year

* Non-plan expenditure to exceed by a small amount in 2013-14

* 500 MW fast breeder test reactor in Kalpakkam to be ready shortly; 7 nuclear power reactors under construction

* Plan expenditure will be Rs 5,55,322 crore in 2014-15, unchanged from last fiscal.

* Budgetary support to Railways increased from Rs 26,000 crore to Rs 29,000 crore 2014-15

* Rs 2,46,397 crore allocated for food, fertilizer and fuel subsidy

* Food subsidy will be Rs 1,15,000 crore for implementation of National Food Security Act.

* Defence allocation increased by 10 per cent to Rs 2.24 lakh crore

* Rs 500 crore estimated requirement for implementing one-rank-one-pay scheme for armed forces in 2014-15.

* Rs 6000 crore to rural housing fund, Rs 2000 crore for urban housing fund, says FM

* Minority bank accounts have swelled to 43,53,000 by 2013-14 from 14,15,000 bank accounts 10 years ago

* Social Justice Ministry gets Rs 6730 crore; Panchayati Raj Ministry Rs 7000 crore, says FM

* Rs 3711 crore for Minority Affairs; Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation gets Rs 6000 crore

* Moratorium on interest on student loans taken before March 31, 2009; to benefit 9 lakh borrowers.

* Public Debt Management Bill ready: FM

* RBI must strike a balance between growth and moderating inflation, say FM

* We must focus on manufacturing, specially manufacturing for exports: FM

* I am disappointed that we could not introduce GST: FM

* Govt has obtained information in 67 cases of illegal offshore accounts of Indians

* 140 mn people lifted out of poverty in last 10 years: FM

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Karnataka wins Ranji Trophy after 14 Years

Karnataka shot at glory by completing a seven-wicket win over two-time champion Maharashtra   at Rajiv Gandhi Stadium, Hyderabad to win the Ranji trophy for seventh time. Karnataka, chasing a target of 157 Runs on fifth and last day of tournament, was successful to clinch the trophy by losing only three wickets in second inning.
           Karnataka bowlers Vinay Kumar and Shreyash Gopal claimed four wickets each. The remaining two wickets claimed by Mithun.
           The moment of reckoning finally dawned on Karnataka after 14 long seasons. The last time Karnataka won the national championship was in 1999 when it defeated Madhya Pradesh in the final.

The Scores:
Maharashtra: 305 & 366 all out (captain: Rohit Motwani)
Karnataka: 515 & 157 for 3 wickets (captain: Vinay Kumar)

Man of the Match: Lokesh Rahul

who scored 131 runs in the first inning and 29 in the second.

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Harish Rawat sworn in Uttarakhand Chief Minister

Union Water Resources Minister Harish Rawat was on Saturday sworn in as the new Chief Minister of Uttarakhand, succeeding Vijay Bahuguna who was asked by the Congress high command to step down in a bid to boost the party’s prospects ahead of the April-May Lok Sabha polls.

Mr. Rawat, 65, was administered the oath of office by Governor Aziz Qureshi at Raj Bhawan lawns along with a 11-member Cabinet all of whom were Ministers in the Bahuguna government.

Mr. Rawat was a strong contender for the post of the Chief Minister. Massive opposition was witnessed the CLP in 2012 when the Congress high command named Mr. Bahuguna Chief Minister. Mr. Rawat, who was later given the Water Resources portfolio, had shown discontent over the decision.

Mr. Bahuguna faced opposition from his own party MLAs after taking over as the Chief Minister. Mr. Bahuguna’s performance during and after the June disaster last year raised questions over his leadership. The slow rehabilitation work after the disaster proved to be detrimental for his tenure, sources said.

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