1400 HRS
30th March, 2013

THE HEADLINES:

• The government constitutes a National Power Committee to ensure strict discipline and resolve inter-state issues in utilisation of electricity grids.

• The Cabinet Committee on Investments expected to approve a number of projects within the next three weeks, says Montek Singh Ahluwalia.

• Former Odisha Minister Raghunath Mohanti arrested in a dowry case.

• India raises concern over Saudi Arabia's new Labour policy reserving 10 per cent jobs for locals.

• North Korea says, it is entering a state of war with South Korea.

• Briton Andy Murray has set up a title clash against Spaniard David Ferrer in the Miami Open Tennis tournament.

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The government has set up a National Power Committee to ensure strict discipline and resolve inter-state issues in utilisation of electricity grids in the country. According to an order by the Ministry of Power, the panel will address issues among Regional Power Committees that work towards improving operational performance of grids in a particular region. The committee's role will be crucial in evolving a common approach to issues related to reliability and security of the power grid system in the country, against the backdrop of growing complexity in managing them. Chairperson of the Central Electricity Authority, the apex planning body for the power sector, will be heading the 18-member committee. The panel is required to meet at least once in every six months and members can meet anytime to discuss any issue. 

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The Cabinet Committee on Investments is expected to give its nod for a number of projects within the next three weeks. This was stated by Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia at a seminar organised by SICCI in Chennai last night. The committee was set up in January for clearing major infrastructure projects. He said, the Committee has already met two or three times. Talking about energy prices, Dr. Ahluwalia favoured aligning domestic energy prices with global energy prices. He said the government had taken a bold step by increasing diesel prices by around 50 paise every month, with a goal to eliminate under pricing of diesel over an 18-month period. 

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Union Minister Beni Prasad Verma has alleged that the Uttar Pradesh government was trying to take political mileage by distributing laptops from funds meant for the development of minorities and Dalits. Speaking to reporters in Balrampur, he said, Congress will fight all the 80 Lok Sabha seats in the State and will win 40. About SP, he said that Mulayam Singh Yadav's party will win only four seats from Uttar Pradesh. The Congress leader was replying to questions on the prospects of various parties in the State in the next Lok Sabha polls. The Union Steel Minister's remarks come at a time when Mulayam Singh Yadav has been breathing fire against the government. 

Mr.Verma had recently angered the SP chief by his comments against him. Yadav had then demanded his resignation during meetings with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress chief Sonia Gandhi following which Verma had expressed regret. Reacting to Union Minister Beni Prasad Verma's remark on its poll prospects, Samajwadi Party today said Congress would suffer due to such baseless statements. Talking to PTI, SP spokesman Rajendra Chaudhary said, Mr. Verma will be nowhere in the next Lok Sabha elections. SP general secretary Ram Asrey Kushwaha said, media and people should not take cognizance of his statement. Mr. Kushwaha demanded removal of Mr. Beni Prasad from the Union ministry.

Meanwhile, The Samajwadi Party has reiterated its decision to continue its support to the UPA at the centre. Talking to media persons on the side lines of a function at Allahabad the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh Akhilesh Yadav said to check communal forces to come into the power his party would continue its support to the ruling alliance at centre. Replying to a question about his party`s President Mulayam Singh Yadav`s statement about possibility of early Lok Sabha elections, the Chief Minister said the present political situation in the country indicates in this direction. Mr. Yadav expressed confidence that in the forthcoming Lok Sabha election his party will get mandate as it had received in the last assembly elections in the state. Replying to a question he said his party would not support to NDA at any cost as it never supports the alleged communal forces. 

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Former Odisha Law Minister Raghunath Mohanty and his wife have been arrested from Kolkata in connection with a dowry case. The BJD leader had resigned as the Law Minister of the state after dowry allegations were made against him by his daughter in law. Mohanty had gone absconding and was not seen in public since he resigned. 

The former law minister in Odisha cabinet, facing charges of dowry, torture, seems to be sealed for now with his arrest. The loss of ministerial portfolio, the arrest of his son, and now the arrest of the former minister himself with his wife-are the tolls that have been claimed so far by the FIR filed by Mr. Mohanty’s daughter- in- Law. Finally, with his arrest, the political dust is expected to settle down paving way for the Law of the land to deliver justice in the case which implicates a former Law minister and his family members.

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In Madhya Pradesh, the hearing in the Swiss woman gang-rape began today in the special court of Justice Jitendra Sharma in Datia. The court is recording statements of the witnesses. Police had filed charge sheet against all the six accused in the case on 26th of this month. A Swiss woman was gang-raped by six men in the Datia district on 15th March. The woman was cycling along with her husband from Orchha to Agra . The couple was camping near Jhadia village when six men looted them and raped the woman. 

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Union Minister V Narayanasamy today alleged that the protest on the Sri Lankan Tamils by students in Tamilnadu are instigated by some persons. He termed the agitation as ill-founded and motivated against Congress and the UPA Government. Mr. Narayanasamy said in Chennai that resolution has been passed by the UNHRC and as for India, it is one of the 25 countries that voted in favour. He said, India cannot ask for any resolution on its own as it has to seek support of others. On Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa and DMK President M Karunanidhi objecting to India's participation in the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting to be held in Colombo this November, he said Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will discuss the matter with External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid and take a decision. 

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Following the announcement of Assembly election in Karnataka, arrangements are in full swing to ensure free and fair election by the Election commission. Our correspondent reports that the Chief Election Commissioner Mr.V S Sampath and other members of the Commission will visit Bangalore on 8th and 9th of next month to hold second round of interactions with political parties, top civil servants and police officers and District officials.

 The indications are that all the political parties will finalise their lists of candidates by 10th of next month. The fence sitters, the aspirants and the local leaders will decide their affiliations thereafter and take a plunge into the electoral battle. The emergence of local parties like Karnataka Janatha Party of Yeddyurappa, BSR Congress of Sriramulu and Deve Gowda’s Janatha Dal(S) has changed the political arena in the state. Since the Assembly election will have its influence on the next Lok Sabha elections, the national parties are keen on contesting those candidates who will have a bearing during the General election next year.Sudhindra/ AIR/ Bangalore 

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India has raised its concern with Saudi Arabia over its policy of reserving 10 per cent jobs for locals. The decision is likely to hit over 3 lakh low and semi-skilled India workers. A sizable number of such workers come from Kerala. Minister of State for External Affairs E Ahamad, met Prince Abdulaziz bin Abdullah bin Abdulaziz, vice minister of Foreign Affairs, and conveyed the anxiety and concerns of India on the issue.

The meeting took place in Dushanbe, the capital of Tajikistan, on the sidelines of the Asian Development Dialogue. The Prince assured Ahamad that Saudi will always give the best consideration for Indians working in the Kingdom and values its very cordial relations with India. The Saudi Minister, said he will bring the matter to the notice of the Labour Ministry and concerned authorities. Ahamad told the Prince that India enjoys the best of relations with Saudi and hopes that no step will be taken that will adversely affect expatriates in the Kingdom. The Indian Embassy has also taken up the matter with the Saudi Government. Ahamad said, there is no panic situation as of now and the Indian government will pursue the matter in the best possible way.

Overseas Indian Affairs Minister Vayalar Ravi has also asked the Indian Ambassador to Saudi Arabia to take up the issue with Riyadh and its Labour Ministry and ensure that there would be no job loss for Indians on a mass scale. Addressing a press conference in Thiruvananthapuram today, Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy said the situation arising out of the Saudi Arabian Governments decision is not that alarming. He said India's good diplomatic and trade relations with Saudi Arabia will be utilised to resolve the problem amicably. He said all possible steps will be taken to ensure that there is no mass exodus of Indians working in the Gulf countries. Chief Minister said the Government is thinking of starting a Helpline to allay the concern of Indians working in the Gulf.

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North Korea has said it is entering a state of war with South Korea in its latest escalation of rhetoric against its southern neighbour and the US. A statement promised stern physical actions against any provocative act. North Korea has threatened attacks almost daily after it was sanctioned for a third nuclear test last month. It has also reacted angrily to annual US-South Korean military exercises. North and South Korea have technically been at war since the armed conflict between them ended in 1953, because an armistice was never turned into a peace treaty. The North carried out its third nuclear test on 12 February, which led to the imposition of fresh sanctions. Many analysts believe that all-out war with South Korea and its ally the United States would be suicidal for Pyongyang. The White House has said, it took a new warning from North Korea that it was in a state of war with South Korea seriously. Caitlin Hayden, spokeswoman for the National Security Council said, US remains in close contact with its South Korean allies. 

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Chinese authorities today said, no signs of life have been detected nearly 30 hours after a massive landslide buried 83 mine workers in Tibet despite a major search and rescue operation. Officials of the regional government were quoted by the state-run Xinhua news agency as saying, the miners' survival chances were slim due to the scale of the landslide. <><> Meanwhile, a gas explosion in a coal mine in northeast China has left 28 people dead. State media said, 13 people were rescued from the mine outside the city of Baishan in Jilin Province. 

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Back Home: In Assam, the tourism department has taken initiative to attract more tourists in the state under the Assam Rural Home Stay Tourism Scheme. Our correspondent reports that the Centre has approved the scheme to provide clean and affordable accommodations to foreign and domestic tourists.

Under the scheme, prime locations, including largest river Island Majuli, World Heritage site Kaziranga and Manas National park, Sualkuchi and Sivsagar have been identified to set up home stay facilities. Assam government will provide two crore rupees subsidy in first phase. With the expansion of the facilities to other places, tourists will get an opportunity to experience the rich customs and traditions of the state. Manas pratim sharma air news,Guwahati. 

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In Tamil Nadu, 15,000 farm ponds will be dug up under Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme. 

As part of the drought relief measures the Tamil Nadu government has announced the digging up of 15,000 farm ponds under MGNREGA at a cost of Rs 181 crore. Selected beneficiaries will be given fish seed rearing training by Fisheries department before May. In Tiruchirapalli 100 fish seed rearing ponds and 500 fish culture ponds and Thanjavur 200 fish seed rearing ponds and 1000 fish culture ponds will be made under this scheme. Rs 12,85 crore has been allotted for fish culture activities in delta districts. k devi padmnabhan air news 

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Briton Andy Murray has set up a title clash against Spaniard David Ferrer in the Miami Open Tennis tournament. In the Men's Singles second semi-final this morning, second seed Murray defeated Richard Gasquet of France, 6-7, 6-1, 6-2. In the first semi-final played late last night, third seed Ferrer beat Tommy Haas of Germany, 4-6, 6-2, 6-3. Haas had stunned World Number One Serb Novak Djokovic in the pre-quarterfinals with a straight set victory.

Meanwhile, the eighth seeded Polish pair of Marcin Matkowski and Mariusz Fyrstenberg advanced into the Men's Doubles finals, after beating Bulgaria’s Grigor Dimitrov and his team-mate from Denmark, Frederik Nielsen, 6-4, 6-2. The pair will now take on the Pak-Dutch combination of Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi and Jean-Julien Rojer, for the title. In the Women's Doubles, the American-Briton team of Lisa Raymond and Laura Robson and the Russian-Slovenian combination of Nadia Petrova and Katarina Srebotnik have booked the final two berths