1400 HRS
31st December, 2012

THE HEADLINES:

• Several state governments and the Army cancel New Year eve celebrations as mark of respect to Delhi gang rape victim; The Congress party will also not celebrate the New Year.
• Delhi Government launches helpline number 181 for women in distress in the national capital.
• Direct cash transfer scheme to be rolled out tomorrow in 43 districts spread over 16 states.
• North India reels under severe cold wave; Train and flight services disrupted.
• Sensex trades flat in afternoon deals; Rupee rises by 2 paise to 54.75 against the US dollar.

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Several state governments, hotels, clubs and business houses have either cancelled or toned down New Year's eve celebrations as a mark of respect to the 23-year old Delhi rape victim. Punjab and Haryana governments have cancelled their planned programmes to usher in the New Year. Officials said, Haryana government has cancelled its lunch today. Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot has decided to stay away from new year celebrations. In a statement issued yesterday, he appealed to the people to welcome the New Year with simplicity.

Press Club of India has cancelled its New Year's eve celebrations in New Delhi and Chandigarh. Several business houses in Chandigarh have also decided to cancel or tone down events. Following the death of the Delhi gang-rape victim, bookings in five-star hotels in Delhi and Mumbai are reportedly down by at least 15-20 per cent.

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Against the backdrop of the death of the Delhi gang-rape victim, the Army has issued advisories to all its formations across the country against holding New Year parties. Army officials said in New Delhi that advisory has been issued to all formations that they should not organise New Year parties. Army chief General Bikram Singh and his wife Bubbles Singh will visit patients in Army Research and Referral Hospital in New Delhi and Base Hospital on the first day of the New Year and distribute sweets.

Congress President Sonia Gandhi too has announced that the party will not be celebrating the New Year following the incident.

Meanwhile, Peaceful protests are continuing in the national capital demanding speedy justice and strictest punishment in the gang rape case. Scores of protesters are gathered at Jantar Mantar in Central Delhi to express solidarity with the victim’s family and press for safety and security of women.

The Delhi unit of the BJP organised a condolence meeting at the party office to pay respects to the departed soul. Addressing the meeting, senior party leader Sushma Swaraj said that crimes against women are increasing. She reiterated her party’s demand for a special session of Parliament to pass stringent laws to curb the growing cases of sexual assaults on women.

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Traffic restrictions imposed near India Gate and Raisina Hill to contain protests over the gang-rape of a 23-year-old girl have been eased today. Vehicular movement is allowed on Central vista of India Gate as well as cross traffic on Rajpath. Metro stations, which were yet to be reopened, are also open for the public. Police had imposed restrictions on movement of public at India Gate and Raisina Hill following violent protests against the incident. A large number of police personnel have been deployed on approach roads to India Gate and Raisina Hill.

In view of the security restrictions in the Connaught Place area, entry and exit from Rajiv Chowk, Barakhamba and Patel Chowk will be closed from 7:30 this evening. However, interchange facility will remain operational at Rajiv Chowk Metro station till the end of the metro services. Services at all other Metro corridors and stations will continue normally.

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The helpline number 181 for women in distress in the Delhi Chief Minister’s office, has become operational. The helpline was announced in the wake of the recent gang rape incident in the national capital. The toll free number, which can be dialed from landline and mobile phones, will be connected with all the police stations across the city.

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The direct cash transfer scheme is all set to be rolled out from tomorrow in 43 districts spread over 16 states. The scheme aims at providing benefits of several government welfare schemes directly to the beneficiaries’ Adhaar-enabled bank accounts to plug leakages and reduce delays in their transfer. Initially, 29 welfare schemes run by the Ministries of Social Justice and Empowerment, Human Resources Development, Tribal Affairs, Minority Affairs, Women and Child Development, Health and Family Welfare, Labour and Employment and Rural Development will be covered. Some of the programmes to be covered under the new system include scholarships, pension for the old and disabled and wages under Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act. From April 2013, 18 states will be brought under its coverage and by the end of the year, the entire country is expected to be covered.

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North India continues to reel under severe cold wave. The entire Jammu and Kashmir state is reeling under severe cold wave. The train, air and road traffic was disrupted in view of the dense fog and poor visibility yesterday. 

"All the trains have been rescheduled and heavy rush of passengers is being witnessed at Jammu Railway Station. The process is going on for the last one week in view of dense fog and poor visibility. However, according to a spokesman of the Met department, there is going to be little improvements in the weather condition from today. R.K.Raina, Jammu,air news."

The cold wave has intensified in Uttar Pradesh due to snowfall on the heights of Uttarakhand. Night temperature fell by further two degrees than the previous day. Lucknow registered a 40-year lowest minimum temperature of zero point seven degrees Celsius. Many cities in the state have crossed the record of minimum temperature of last ten years.

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Three more people succumbed to severe cold since last night in Uttar Pradesh, raising the death toll in the current spell to 95. Several trains have been cancelled due to heavy fog during morning and evening hours. Mahanagri Express train running between Varanasi and Mumbai remained cancelled yesterday. New Delhi-Varanasi Shivganga Express is also running late by 8 to 10 hours. 

"The sharp decline in night temperatures in Lucknow, Varanasi, Allahabad and Gorakhpur has increased the discomfort of people. Though the sun shone in some of these districts during noon today but people were seen shivering due to chilly winds. The prolonged cold spell is causing hardship to daily labourers. Distribution of blankets to poor is being done by the administration. The Met office says that the Himalayan region is experiencing heavy snowfall which has caused further drop in the temperatures in Gangetic plain. With Salman Haider from Gorakhpur, this is Swati Rakheja for AIR News."

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Cold wave conditions are also prevailing in Punjab, Haryana and their joint capital Chandigarh. 

"Those who are riding two wheelers and travelling in rickshaws have wrapped up themselves in warm clothes to save them from the chill. Narnaul in Haryana with a minimum of 1.9 degree Celsius is the coldest place in the region. The minimum temperature recorded in Punjab is at Bhatinda where it has dipped to 4.4 degree Celsius followed by Patiala at 5.6 degree Celsius. Chandigarh has recorded a minimum of 7.3 degree Celsius. Met Department has predicted same conditions at isolated places in the region for the coming days also. Rajesh Bali, AIR News, Jalandhar".

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Delhi witnessed the coldest morning of the season with the mercury plummeting to the lowest today. The minimum temperature was recorded at 5.5 degree Celsius, two notches below normal and down from yesterday's 7.7 degrees. According to the Met department, the city will have a clear sky during the day. However, it will get colder towards the evening. The minimum and maximum temperatures will hover around five and 16 degree Celsius during the day. Meanwhile the dense fog that enveloped the city in the morning hours continued to disrupt Air and Rail traffic.

According to Northern Railway spokesperson Neeraj Sharma, over 15 trains are running behind schedule and eleven have been cancelled.

Dense fog at the Indira Gandhi International Airport disrupted the schedule of around 40 flights. Overnight around 16 flights were delayed. An airport official said that around five flights were cancelled either due to operational reasons or due to poor weather.

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President Pranab Mukherjee has said that the country is presently getting benefits of the economic and foreign policies introduced by the former Prime Minister P V Narasimha Rao. Delivering the P V Narasimha Rao memorial lecture in Hyderabad today, he said, the history will remember Narasimha Rao for providing leadership to the country at a critical juncture.

All of us are fully aware of, he was the father of Indian Economic Reforms. It was not possible for an ordinary political leader to take a bold decision like this. He did it.

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In Kashmir valley, normal life has been partially affected due to a bandh today. The bandh has been called by separatist groups against recent firing incident in Pulwama town in which nine civilians were injured on Friday. The state administration has already ordered a Magisterial inquiry into the incident and Pulwama continues to be under curfew for the last four days.

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The Sensex at the Bombay Stock Exchange opened with a modest gain of 27 points, or 0.1 per cent, at 19,472 in opening trade, on the last day of 2012, today. But later, the Sensex gave up all its initial gains, to stand a marginal 14 points, or 0.1 percent in negative territory, at 19,431 in afternoon deals, a short while ago.

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The rupee rose marginally by 2 paise to 54.75 against the dollar in early trade on the Interbank Foreign Exchange today. The American currency weakened against other currencies overseas as hopes faded that a deal could be reached to avert the fiscal cliff in the US.

The rupee had gained 17 paise to close at a one-week high of 54.77 against the dollar on fresh selling of the US currency by exporters and capital inflows in the previous session on Friday.

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Crude was down in Asia today as traders' hopes of a last-minute compromise deal between US politicians to avert the fiscal cliff, faded. New York's main contract, light sweet crude for delivery in February, shed 16 cents to 90.67 dollars a barrel and Brent North Sea crude for February delivery slipped 22 cents to 110.40 dollars.

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The News Services Division of All India Radio in its weekly "PUBLIC SPEAK" programme will bring you a discussion tonight on "Reservation in Promotions."

This can be heard on FM Gold Channel and additional frequencies at 9.30 p.m. Listeners can pose questions to the experts sitting in our studio on telephone number: 2331-4444. This programme is also available on Doordarshan DTH.

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UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon has said that he was appalled by the escalating terrorist violence in Pakistan after 19 Shiite pilgrims died in a car bomb and 21 kidnapped soldiers were killed. Ban condemned in particular, the continued violent targeting of religious minorities, said his spokesman in a statement. Ban also strongly condemned the killing of 21 members of a government-backed tribal police force, kidnapped near Peshawar, in the troubled northwest of the country.

Ban assured Pakistan's government and its people of the solidarity of the United Nations, as well as of its continued support for their efforts, to defend their country's institutions and freedom in the face of the scourge of terrorism.

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The drama over the U.S. government’s fiscal cliff enters its deadline today, with no agreement between Democrats and Republicans. Americans will face tax increases and deep government cuts tomorrow, if no agreement is passed and signed before then.

The top Senate Democrat, Majority Leader Harry Reid said, the talks would move into the crucial final hours today. There is still significant distance between the two sides, but negotiations continue.

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A Chinese fishing boat has been detained by Japan's coastguard for allegedly fishing inside Japanese waters, Chinese officials say. The boat was seized yesterday near Japan's Kagoshima Prefecture, Xinhua reported, citing the Chinese Consulate in Fukuoka, Japan. The captain had admitted entering Japanese waters.

The incident comes months after anti-Japanese protests in Chinese cities over disputed islands near Taiwan. Relations between Japan and China have been strained over the disputed islands, known as the Diaoyu in Chinese and Senkaku in Japanese.

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Eight crew members of Indian origin are stranded on an Iranian ship MV Amina, off the coast of Galle in Sri Lanka for the last two weeks. The Iranian ship was forcibly docked at the Galle port after a German bank complained to the Sri Lankan authorities against the ship in a commercial dispute. It has been reported that the Indians refused to sail to Iran without their documents, which are under the custody of the Sri Lankan authorities. The Galle court is slated to hear the case on the 10th of January.