0815 HRS
12th February, 2013

THE HEADLINES:

• Railway Minister says entry of pilgrims from both sides of Allahabad station is the main reason for the stampede.
• RBI expresses concern about the rising current account deficit and inflation.
• CBI removes 2G prosecutor for leaking agency's trial strategy.
• Campaigning ends for Tripura assembly elections this evening; voting on Thursday.
• 17 Indians facing death sentence in UAE, freed.
  India maintain their number one spot in ICC ODI Championship table.

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The Railway Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal has said that the entry of pilgrims from both sides of Allahabad Railway station was the main reason for the stampede which claimed 36 lives. Talking to media persons at Allahabad yesterday, Mr. Bansal said that the crowd was expected to come from the city side of the junction through Leader Road, as it was decided in the meeting with local civil authorities. He said that crowd management should not be expected from the railways. He said the railways are meant for ferrying pilgrims and 220 special trains in addition to the regular trains passing from Allahabad were plying for the Mauny Amawasya bathing festival.

The Minister announced for setting up of a three member committee under the Chairmanship of Additional Member (Traffic) of the Railway Board to probe the incident. The Railway Minister said that the Prime Minister and the Railways have announced financial assistance to the victims separately.

Meanwhile, the Uttar Pradesh Government has refused the setting up of a judicial probe into the incident. The Chief Secretary of the state Javed Usmani said at Allahabad that the senior most official, Chairman Board of Revenue, of the state has been asked to probe into the incident and is required to complete his probe within one month. He said that the inquiry officer will probe all aspects of the incident and also make suggestions to the Government to check that such incidents should not happen in future. Meanwhile , the state Government is also enhanced the amount of the financial assistance being given to the kin of each deceased and injured. Now the next of kin of every deceased will be given 7 lakh rupees and the injured will be paid 2 lakh rupees each.

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Home Minister Sushil kumar Shinde said that demand for a separate state of Telangana, is not a closed chapter and there is no time limit in this regard. Addressing a press conference in New Delhi he said discussions with all stakeholders of Telengana are continuing. He also informed that the Government has enhanced the monthly cash relief amount to eligible Kashmiri migrants staying in Jammu and Delhi. The monthly cash relief was increased from 1,250 rupees to 1,650 rupees per head for such migrants from the 1st of July 2012.

On the execution of the 2001 Parliament attack mastermind Mohammed Afzal Guru, Mr. Shinde said that it was not a political decision and everything has been followed in accordance with the rules and jail manual. He said the Government can consider a request for allowing the family members of Afzal Guru to his burial ground in Tihar jail.

In reply to a question, Mr Shinde said the cases of Afzal Guru and Ajmal Kasab are different from the assassins of Rajiv Gandhi. He said these are sensitive issues and the Government must maintain secrecy.

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The RBI has once again expressed its concern about the rising current account deficit and inflation. Addressing the convocation ceremony of the Indira Gandhi Institute of Development Research, the RBI Governor D. Subbarao said although inflation has declined from its peak level, it still is above the apex bank’s comfort level. He added that growth is lower because consumption, net exports and investment have declined.

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Twenty-seven fresh cases of swine flu have been reported in the capital that includes a Chief Medical Officer of a hospital that treats patients of H1N1. Those suspected with the disease have been admitted to Safdarjung hospital, Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital, RML, and Lok Nayak Hospital among others. The Chief Medical Officer of the swine flu detection centre at RML Hospital, S K Sharma, along with a junior doctor have also been detected with the virus and they have been put under home quarantine. The Delhi Government had last week identified 17 Government and five private hospitals for isolation care and treatment facility for H1N1 cases. Three deaths have been reported so far from swine flu in Delhi.

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The CBI has removed a public prosecutor from the 2G spectrum case after he was allegedly caught in a taped conversation, discussing prosecution strategy with one of the high-profile accused in the 2G spectrum allocation case. The case is currently under trial before the court of a special Judge in New Delhi. The CBI in a statement said, a preliminary enquiry has been registered to verify these allegations and the court has been informed about the developments. The agency maintains strict vigilance over its officers and the prosecution and no instance of professional misconduct is taken lightly.

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For news updates, follow us on Twitter @ airnewsalerts. You can also visit our Facebook page All India Radio News for more news and events.

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In Tripura, campaigning has reached its peak as it concludes this evening. All the major political parties today organised election rallies with their star campaigners. We have more from Our Correspondent:

"The political temperature is at its high in the state, with all the political parties making last ditch efforts to woo the voters. Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi, on the second day of his campaign trail, will address two public meetings for Congress and its allies in the state. Finance Minister P. Chidambaram is also scheduled to take part in the election campaign. On the other hand, BJP leadership and the Left Front is going to campaign in different parts of the state today. Most of the campaigning will be constituency wise and in the form of road shows. The fate of 249 candidates will be decided, when the state goes to polls on Thursday. With Sudipta Kar from Tripura, this is Savvy Hasan Khan, for AIR NEWS."

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Seventeen Indian prisoners who were on death row in Sharjah jail since 2010 on charges of murdering a Pakistani national, have been released. They have left Sharjah en route to Delhi and are expected to reach Delhi this morning. Their lawyer Bindu Chettur told AIR in Dubai today that the procedural formalities have been completed, the travel ban has been lifted clearing the deck for their return home. They were released after paying blood money worth nearly 5 crore rupees to the family of the deceased Pakistani national. A Sharjah court had sentenced them to death in March 2010.

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Several parts of north India remained in the grip of a bitter cold wave as the mercury stayed below normal. In Kashmir, the mercury stayed below freezing point across the Valley with Srinagar recording a low of minus 2.1 degrees Celsius yesterday. In Himachal Pradesh, the weather has remain dry since the last one week although bone chilling cold condition still persists especially in the tribal districts of the state. Yesterday, Kelong the district headquarters of Lahol spiti was with the coldest weather at minus 10.5. The vacation in all the school in Kinnor district have been extended till the 17th of this month. Biting cold also disrupted normal life in Punjab and Haryana. The weather office has forecast mainly clear sky in the national capital today.

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At least 12 people were killed and nearly 30 others wounded when a car exploded near the border between Turkey and Syria. An official from the Turkish Foreign Ministry said that the blast triggered a fire that damaged around 15 cars. The exploded car was believed to have been at a parking lot, filled with trucks, ready to leave for war-torn Syria with humanitarian supplies.

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India have maintained their number one spot in the ICC ODI Championship table in the latest rankings issued in Dubai yesterday. More from our correspondent:

"Both India and England have same 119 rating points, but England lags behind on the basis of decimal points. Australia and South Africa follow the top two teams closely with 116 and 112 points respectively. Among the batsmen, South African run machine Hashim Amla is at number one followed by fellow countryman A.B. Devilliers. India’s Virat Kohli is at number three followed closely by the skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni. Among the bowlers, Pakistan Off spinner Saeed Ajmal maintains his top billing followed by Mohammad Hafeez. In the All rounders category, Pakistan skipper Mohammed Hafeez is the leader followed by Bangladesh’s Shakib Al Hasan.Atul Tiwari, DUBAI."

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The Indo-American duo of Sania Mirza and Bethanie Mattek Sands will begin their Qatar Open Tennis campaign in Doha today. The eighth seeded Indo-American duo will take on the Aussie-American combination of Samantha Stosur and Lisa Raymond in the Doubles opening round today.

Meanwhile, America's World Number Two Serena Williams, World Number three Maria Sharapova of Russia and fifth seed Angelique Kerber of Germany will also be seen in action in the Singles category today.

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NEWSPAPER HEADLINES 

The Allahbad Railway station stampede death toll rising to 36 and Pope Benedict, the XVI becoming the first Pope in 600 years to step down are the two lead stories in most papers.

The Hindustan Times cautions that hardening of international crude prices and the recently approved policy decision to pass on higher diesel prices in a staggered manner could set the stage for another round of fuel price hike.

The Hindu, in an update on the Coalgate scam writes "300 firms under scanner as CBI widens Coalgate probe" adding that CBI branches in 10 cities, banking and engineering experts and Corporate Affairs Ministry officers have also been roped in for the probe.

Reporting on social activism in the districts of Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Uttarakhand, The Hindu writes that at a time when incidents of violence against women make headlines almost every other day, parallel efforts to reduce such violence and rehabilitate the victims are yielding positive results at several places.

Car sales set to decline in Financial Year 2013, First time in a decade writes the Indian Express reporting that growth of India's Automobile sector is expected to become negative in this fiscal, the worst performance in 9 years.
With the class X and 12 board exams fast approaching, The Hindustan Times Counsels, Don't Pressure your kids, learn to trust them,'' telling parents that they should stop worrying and avoid negative encounters with their Child.

And finally, papers report of Sitar Legend Ravi Shankar being awarded the best music album trophy posthumously at the 55th Grammys, pipping his own daughter Anoushka, a day after being honoured with the life time Achievement award by the Recording Academy.