1400 HRS

04rd April, 2013

THE HEADLINES:

• Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi calls upon industry to broaden economic vision and be compassionate towards the welfare of SC/ST, minority and weaker sections.
• CBI raids houses of three Jharkhand MLAs in connection with alleged horse trading during Rajya Sabha polls.
• Supreme Court appointed panel says six cases of extra-judicial killings in Manipur were not genuine encounters.
• At least four naxals killed in an encounter with police in Gadchiroli district of Maharashtra.
• Sensex drops over 200 points in afternoon trade; Rupee loses 16 paise to 54.59 against the Dollar.
• And, International Shooting Sport Federation World Cup begins at Changwon in Korea.

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Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi today urged the industry to broaden economic vision beyond financial concerns and partner the government's efforts to foster economic growth. He said, industry should also be compassionate towards accommodating the welfare of SC/STs, minorities, dalits and weaker sections of society.

"Our economic vision must be about more than money, it must be about compassion. Embracing the excluded is essential to the wealth of the nation. If we do not embrace them, we will all suffer. India will only move forward with inclusive growth that embraces everyone and is open and attainable to those inside this room and those very , very far outside."

Mr Gandhi was addressing the annual general meeting of the industry body CII in New Delhi today. He said, the UPA government is creating rights based infrastructure to provide basic minimum job opportunities and education to the poor and downtrodden.

"The basic infrastructure as designed by the UPA, is a rights based paradise. Give everybody the basic minimum on a number of key ideas- that is what we are trying to do with the rights based approach. The right base approach is important because it allows people to move."

Mr Gandhi advocated inclusive growth as the country advances on the path of economic development. Saying that a clogged political system is holding India back from realizing its true potential, he cautioned against leaving people behind in the development process. The Congress Vice President said, inclusive growth is a win-win situation for everyone. India has grown faster under the UPA because it has greatly lowered tensions between communities and made economic growth inclusive.

Mr Gandhi said, the politics of alienating communities affects the growth of the country. On speculation in the media about his becoming Prime minister and his marriage, Mr Gandhi dismissed them as hypothetical.

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The CBI is conducting raids at the houses of a few Jharkhand MLAs in connection with charges of horse trading in the 2010 Rajya Sabha polls. The case is being monitored by the Jharkhand High Court. Our Correspondent reports that the houses of RJD MLA Janardan Paswan, JMM MLA Vishnu Bhaiya and AJSU MLA Chandra Prakash Chaudhri are being raided at Ranchi, Jamtara and Pratappur. The CBI is probing charges of horse trading in 2010 and 2012. JMM MLA Sita Soren is absconding to evade arrest in connection with the case of abducting a witness in the horse trading case. More from our correspondent;

"Shadow of alleged vote purchasing of MLAs in the Rajya Sabha elections continues to haunt Jharkhand. Jharkhand High Court has been pulling up the CBI for slow progress in the ongoing cases of horse trading of Rajya Sabha polls of 2010-12. This has lead to increased activities from the CBI, and today raids on the houses of MLAs can be seen from this angle." Rajesh Sinha, Air News, Ranchi.

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A Supreme Court - appointed committee probing six cases of alleged extra-judicial killings in Manipur informed the court today that these were not genuine encounters. A bench comprising Justices Aftab Alam and Ranjana Prakash Desai perused the committee's report which said none of the six cases qualify as encounters and they are fake. The panel, comprising former Supreme Court judge Santosh Hegde, former Chief Election Commissioner JM Lyngdoh and a senior police officer, said in its report that the victims, including a 12-year-old boy, did not have any criminal records.

The apex court had on January 4th decided to appoint the committee to hold an inquiry into the alleged fake encounter killings in Manipur. The bench said that appropriate directions will be passed on the basis of the panel's report on April 9th.

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In Maharashtra, four naxals were killed in an encounter with police in Gadchiroli disrict today. Police suspect that more ultras were killed in the gun battle that ensued after a patrol party came under fire from the insurgents during the wee hours near Bhatpar village in the district bordering Chhattisgarh. ASP, Aheri Rahul Shrirame said that police have intensified combing in the region following the skirmish.

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In Karnataka, a sum of over 33 lakh rupees was seized while being transported on a bike in Bellary last night. Based on a specific information, the Bellary District Crime investigation Bureau Police arrested Koul Bazar resident Ashok when he was transporting the money at midnight in Moti circle of Bellary town. On enquiry the arrested person failed to give a convincing reply on the source of the money. The police have seized the cash and arrested the accused for further enquiry. The Brusepete police station has registered a complaint in this regard. Our Correspondent adds that due to the Election code of Conduct in the State, police personnel are keeping an eye on illegal transport of cash and material.

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Justice AM Khanwilkar has taken over as the new Chief Justice of the Himachal Pradesh High Court. Governor Urmila Singh administered him oath of office at the Raj Bhawan in Shimla today. He was Judge of the Bombay High Court before taking over as Chief Justice of the Himachal Pradesh High Court.

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In Odisha, a local court today once again deferred hearing of the bail petition of dowry torture accused Raja Shree Mohanty till tomorrow. Raja Shree is a son of former minister Raghunath Mohanty. District Sessions Judge V Jayashree adjourned the hearing as Raja Shree's lawyer today sought time to furnish some documents relating to the bail application. The judge had yesterday adjourned the proceedings following a time petition filed by the petitioner and the matter was posted for today.

Raja Shree was arrested by the Human Rights Protection Cell on March 17th near Cuttack for allegedly torturing his wife for dowry.

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The high tech testing at the Koodankulam nuclear power plant in Tamil Nadu will be completed today. This was disclosed by its site Director R S Sundar. More from our correspondent:

"The testing of high tech instruments connected with steam relief valves under operating conditions being conducted at the Koodankulam nuclear reactor will be completed today. Koodankulam nuclear power plant officials have written to Atomic Energy regulatory Board experts to conduct final safety tests. Once the AERB officials complete their security checks the nuclear reactor will achieve criticality. After the nuclear reactor reaches criticality, at first 10 kilowatt of electricity will be generated and then slowly it will be raised to its full capacity of 1000 mega watt." K Devi Padmanabhan, Air News, Tiruchirapalli.

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The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare proposes to develop 12 additional regional geriatric centres in selected medical colleges to provide healthcare facilities to elderly people during the 12th Five Year plan. It also proposes to cover more districts under the National Programme for the Health Care of Elderly, NPHCE, to address various health-related problems of senior citizens during the plan period. The Ministry in a release said it will establish the National Institute of Aging at AIIMS, New Delhi and Madras Medical College, Chennai.

The NPHCE is intended to provide separate and specialized comprehensive healthcare through State-level delivery system. The programme is being implemented in a phased manner in 100 districts in 21 States since its launch during the 11th Five Year plan.

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Indian American astronaut Sunita Williams, who holds the world record for the longest space flight by a female astronaut, is visiting Gujarat from today. According to her family sources, Sunita will leave for her ancestral village, Jhulasan in Mehsana district of North Gujarat after landing at Ahmedabad airport this afternoon. She will offer prayers at the Dola Mata temple in the village and meet the villagers. Sunita's father hails from Jhulasan village. This is her second visit to the village. She had also visited the village in 2007, after her return from space. Sunita is also scheduled to attend various functions and interact with students during her three days stay in Ahmedabad before leaving for the US on Saturday.

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The Sensex at the Bombay Stock Exchange declined 173 points, or 0.9 percent, to 18,629 in early trade, today, on sustained selling by investors, amid falling regional markets. Later, the Sensex lost some more ground, and stood 234 points, or 1.2 percent in the red, at 18,568 in afternoon trade, a short while ago. Stock markets in Japan, Singapore, Indonesia, and South Korea had fallen between 0.3 percent and 1.8 percent, today. Wall Street's Dow Jones Industrial Average had ended 0.8 per cent lower in yesterday's trade.

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The rupee today lost 16 paise to 54 rupees 59 paise against the dollar in early trade. This follows continued capital outflows and increased demand from importers for the US currency. Besides, the dollar's gains against the Euro overseas also put pressure on the rupee. The rupee had weakened by 17 paise to close at a three-week low of 54.43 to a dollar in yesterday's trade.

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Oil prices were mixed in Asia today as the market recovered after a snap reaction to data showing an unexpected surge in US inventories, which is a sign of weaker demand. New York's main contract, light sweet crude for delivery

in May shed four cents to 94 dollars 41 cents a barrel. Brent North Sea crude for May delivery added 26 cents to 107 dollars 37 cents a barrel in mid-morning trade.

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A 5.8 magnitude earthquake hit the Kashmir Valley this afternoon. The tremor lasted for around 10 seconds and was recorded at 12:02 PM. There was no report of any damage to property or injuries to any person, but the tremors created panic among the people of the Valley.

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In Pakistan, an earthquake measuring 5.9 on the Richter Scale jolted Punjab, Islamabad and parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the adjoining tribal belt and Pak-occupied Kashmir today. According to reports, the tremors were also felt in Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Lahore and Peshawar. Geo News says some people were injured in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa as panicky residents came out of their houses. The epicentre of the quake was on the Afghan-Tajikistan border at a depth of 225 kilometers. Officials said there are no immediate reports of any damage or casualties.

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A moderate earthquake measuring 5.3 on the Richter Scale shook the Philippine capital Manila today. The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology chief Renato Solidum said the quake struck in the rural north of the country at 10.27 AM local time, 158 kilometers northeast of Manila at a depth of 38 kilometers. Officials said, its epicentre was near the town of Casiguran, 220 kilometers north of Manila. The quake was also felt in surrounding areas. There are no immediate reports of any damage or casualties.

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The events of the International Shooting Sport Federation, ISSF Shooting World Cup 2013 will begin from today. A 30-member Indian contingent is participating in the 9-day competition in Changwon, Korea. Today's events include, Men's 10 metres Air Rifle, Men's 50 metres Pistol and the precision stage of the Women's 25 metres Pistol. Olympian Abhinav Bindra, Sanjeev Rajput, Chain Singh and Akhil Sheoran will be seen in action in the Men's 10 metres Air Rifle event; Om Prakash, Prakash Nanjappa and Jitu Rai will feature in the Men's 50 metres Pistol event; And, Annuraj Singh, Rahi Sarnobat, Shreya Gawande, Anisa Sayyed and Sushma Singh will figure in the Women's 25 metres Pistol precision stage today. This is the first World Cup of this year for the rifle and pistol shooters and will be played with the new ISSF rules.

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India’s premier football league, the I-League is seeking support from NRI investors in Dubai to keep the game alive and kicking. The organizers of the I-League, the All India Football Federation, AIFF is holding a meeting of the potential investors in Dubai on Saturday. Ten potential investors have confirmed for the meet.

The move is aimed at adding four more teams to increase the number of teams taking part in the India League to 16. Out of the current strength of 14, two clubs owned by the ONGC and Air India have been disqualified by the Asian Football Confederation due to lack of infrastructure and commercial viability.