0815 HRS
15th January , 2013

THE HEADLINES:

• India lodges strong protest over Pakistan's recent activities at Line of Control; National Security Adviser Shivshankar Menon to brief the Opposition on the issue.
• Jharkhand Governor recommends Centre to keep assembly under suspension.
• Home Ministry asks naxal affected states to gear up security preparedness in view of anticipated escalation of maoist activities.
• President to give award to best performing states in agriculture production.
• India to take on England in the second ODI cricket match in Kochi.
• The Malaysia Open Super Series badminton tournament begins in Kuala Lumpur today.     

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India lodged a strong protest against the ceasefire violations by Pakistan along the Line of Control, LoC and made it clear that the Army reserves the right to retaliate if provoked. The Army's position was conveyed at a brigadier-level flag meeting between the two sides at Chakan-Da-Bagh crossing-point in Poonch sector of the Jammu region yesterday. An official release said after the meeting that it was conveyed in no uncertain terms that repetition of such acts will not be tolerated.
 During the 30-minute meeting that took place in the backdrop of mounting tensions over repeated ceasefire violations by Pakistan and beheading of one of the two slain Indian soldiers last week, the Indian representative expressed grave concern over the barbaric act by Pakistani troops in the ambush in Mendhar sector.

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Amid tension with Pakistan on the Line of Control, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh yesterday spoke to BJP leaders Arun Jaitley and Sushma Swaraj. Mr. Singh assured both leaders that the Opposition would be kept in the loop over the situation. The Prime Minister told the leaders that National Security Adviser Shivshankar Menon would brief them today on the developments on the Line of Control. 

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The Vice President Hamid Ansari will today discuss bilateral issues with the President, Vice President and the Prime Minister of Vietnam. Mr. Ansari reached Hanoi yesterday on his four days state visit to Vietnam. Our correspondent reports that co-operation in Defence, IT, Education and Trade will be on the agenda of talk between top leaders of Vietnam and Mr. Hamid Anisari.

 "India and Vietnam signed a strategic partnership agreement in 2007 and since then India is providing training to Vietnam personnel. India and Vietnam have a common concern like piracy and security of sea. In the field of capacity building, India is providing all necessary help to Vietnam and India offered to set up hydro-power projects in Vietnam. Mr. Ansari will visit Ho Chi Minh mausoleum also, where body of founder of modern Vietnam Ho Chi Minh is preserved. Anurag Vajpeyi, AIR News, Hanoi."

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Jharkhand governor syed Ahmed yesterday sent his final report to the Home Ministry, recommending that the state assembly to be kept under suspended animation. Our correspondent quoting the sources reports that the Governor in his report mentioned, no political party or group has come forward to form the government in the state.
The BJP-led coalition government fell last week, when its partner Jharkhand Mukti Morcha, JMM withdrew its support to the 28-month-old government. In the 82-member state assembly, BJP and JMM had 18 members each. The coalition government had the support of six members of All Jharkhand Students' Union, two of JD (U), two independents and a nominated member who has voting right. 

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The Home Ministry has issued an advisory to all naxal violence affected states to gear up security preparedness and response in view of the anticipated escalation in maoist activities in the coming summer months. According to official sources, the ministry has asked state police organisations and central forces like CRPF, ITBP and BSF to deploy additional intelligence measures and to conduct result oriented anti-naxal operations. It has also asked the forces to conduct intelligence based operations and area domination exercises in naxal affected states.

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Implementation of the General Anti Avoidance Rules, GAAR has been deferred by two years. It will now come into force from 1st of April, 2016. Earlier,  the provisions of GAAR were to be implemented from 1st of April, 2014. Talking to media persons in New Delhi yesterday, Finance Minister P Chidambaram said that the Government has accepted the major recommendations of the Shome Committee on GAAR with some modifications. Mr. Chidambaram said that an arrangement, whose main purpose is to obtain a tax benefit, would be considered as an impermissible avoidance arrangement.
Meanwhile, the expatriate Indian community in Dubai has welcomed the Government’s decision to defer the General Anti Avoidance Rules or GAAR by another two years. 

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The Planning Commission has made a case for lowering of interest rates for attracting investments and reversing the declining trend of economic growth. Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia said this while delivering the 15th JRD Tata Memorial Lecture in New Delhi yesterday. Mr. Ahluwalia said that investment inflows have significantly declined by about three percentage points since 2007-08 in the aftermath of the global economic crisis. He said, the country needs to reverse this trend to achieve high economic growth and for this we need a fixed investment of 35 per cent by the end of the plan period.

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 Bihar, Manipur, Nagaland, Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Haryana, Jharkhand and Uttar Pradesh will be awarded the Krishi Karman 2011-12 awards for their best performance in increasing foodgrain production. An official statement said that President Pranab Mukherjee will present these awards to the chief ministers of these states today. The award carries a trophy, a citation and cash reward of 2 crore rupees for total foodgrain production.

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Government agencies have procured over 259 lakh tonnes of rice during current Kharif Marketing Season. Data provided by Food Ministry shows that rice procured till date is 6 per cent more than the quantity of rice procured during the corresponding period of the previous season. Highest procurement has been made in Punjab with over 85 lakh tonnes followed by Chattisgarh and Haryana.

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Today is Army Day. This day is celebrated on 15th January every year, in recognition of Lieutenant General (later Field Marshal) KM Cariappa's taking over as the first Commander-in-Chief of the Indian Army from Sir Francis Butcher, the last British commander, in 1948. The day is celebrated in the form of parades and other military shows in national capital as well as all 6 Army Command headquarters.
The President, Prime Minister and Defence Minister congratulated the serving Army Personnel and Ex-Servicemen on the occasion of Army Day. 

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Four boggies of Barauni-Gwalior mail caught fire late last evening, but there is no report of any casualty. Jhansi Division PRO Ravi Prakash gave the information that the incident occurred when the train was stationed at Moth railway station near Jhansi. Three boggies were totally and one was partially damaged in the fire. This disrupted the train traffic on Jhansi-Kanpur route for about two hours. The cause behind the fire is yet to be ascertained and a probe has been ordered into the matter. 

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Air, rail and road traffic were affected today in the national capital Delhi due to fog. Visibility at the Indira Gandhi International Airport dropped to about 50 metres, due to which the operations of 10 flights were delayed this morning. According to Northern Railway officials, several Delhi bound trains are reported to be running late. However, Delhiites got some respite from the chilly weather as the mercury remains at normal level.
 In Uttar Pradesh, the intensity of cold wave has abated due to bright sunshine in most places. Our Gorakhpur correspondent quoting met officials reports that the minimum temperature was recorded between 6 and 11 degrees in various divisions.  Schools up to 12th standard have been opened from today but they have been asked to run classes from 10 am.
In Rajasthan, the night temperatures have again started showing downward trend, after a relief of about three days. 

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A military train carrying young recruits to army camp derailed in a Cairo suburb today, killing at least 17 people and injuring 103 others. Security officers said said the train was traveling from Upper Egypt to Cairo when it derailed in the Giza neighborhood of Badrashin. Injured passengers were moved to hospitals.

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The United States expressed deep concern over the impeachment of Sri Lanka's first woman Chief Justice, Shirani Bandaranayake. US State Department spokesperson Victoria Nuland told reporters that her removal poses serious questions on the future of the country's democracy. She said, besides US, UK, Canada, European Union and the United Nations have all issued statements expressing strong concerns about the process of impeachment and future of Sri Lanka's democracy.

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The five permanent members of the UN Security Council are set to discuss the deteriorating situation in Syria at a meeting at the end of January. Russia's Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mikhail Bogdanov while talking to a news agency yesterday said, the meeting is likely to take place as Lakhdar Brahimi, the UN's peace envoy to Syria, presents a new report on the situation in the country.
The permanent members of the Security Council are Russia and China, which have been traditional Damascus allies, and the United States, Britain and France, which are calling for President Bashar al-Assad to step down and actively support the opposition. 

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And now, here is a round-up of sports events;

"In cricket, the second one day international of the 5-match series between India and England will be played at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium at 12 noon in Kochi today. All India Radio will broadcast live commentary on the match alternately in Hindi and English from 11:30 AM onwards. The commentary can be heard on AIR Delhi and FM Gold Channels. The visitors England are currently leading the series, 1-0.
The Malaysia Open Super Series Badminton tournament kicks off in Kuala Lumpur today. All the qualification matches will be played today, while the main draw will begin tomorrow. India’s shuttle queen and London Olympics Bronze medalist Saina Nehwal has been given a top billing in the Women’s Singles section. Saina will play her opening match against Juan Gu of Singapore tomorrow.
In Hockey, Delhi Waveriders defeated Punjab Warriors, 2-1 to win the opening match of the inaugural Hockey India League at the Major Dhyan Chand Stadium in New Delhi last night. No matches are scheduled for today.
In Australian Open Tennis, India’s Somdev Devvarman advanced into the Men’s Singles second round after defeating Bjorn Phau of Germany, 6-3, 6-2, 6-3. SAVVY HASAN KHAN, AIR NEWS."

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NEWSPAPER HEADLINES 

Yesterday's flag meeting at Chakan-da-Bagh on the LoC, between senior military officers of Pakistan and India, is highlighted on the front pages of today's newspapers. Hindustan Times writes that the meeting failed to defuse heightened tension between the two neighbours; that India's Army Chief alleged that the attacks had been pre-meditated and said that a 'fitting reply' will be given.
The Supreme Court on Monday said, it was an offence to order women not to use mobile phones or to dress in a particular manner, and warned that no one could run a parallel matrimony court to issue diktats against the law to harass couples, reports The Times of India under the headline, 'Khap diktats retrograde, illegal: SC'.
On the opening day of the Maha Kumbh mela, 1.3 crore people took a holy dip at the Sangam, reports The Asian Age. Beginning at 5 AM in complete darkness and fog, members of the Mahanirvani Akhara plunged into the freezing water and officially announced commencement of the mela, which will continue for the next 55 days.
The Indian Express reports that ahead of budgeting a higher target of disinvestment proceeds from State-run companies in 2013-14, the Government has made key changes, to vest sweeping powers in the EGoM over Central public sector enterprises.
On the LPG gas issue, the Financial Express reports that in a bid to neutralise political opposition, the government is considering a two-step process: First to allow up to 12 subsidised domestic gas cylinders per year from the currently proposed nine; and later, raise prices of LPG and diesel in a phased manner.
And finally, the Union Health Ministry has proposed to bring down the cost of the angioplasty procedure to open blocked arteries by 40 per cent, that is, from Rs.85,000 to Rs.55,000 in its Central Government Health Scheme, CGHS empanelled hospitals.