1400 HRS. 

05-05-2013

THE HEADLINES

• Peaceful polling in Karnataka Assembly elections; 36 per cent voting reported till 1 pm.
• CBI arrests two more persons in connection with the railway bribery case.
• RBI extends lead bank schemes to Urban areas in inclusion drive.
• West Bengal government seals the offices of MPS Group of companies which is under SEBI scanner.
• Three Chinese ships enter the disputed waters of Japan controlled islands.

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Polling for the Karnataka Assembly elections is in progress with a voter turnout of little over 36 per cent till 1 PM. Our correspondent says, polling is so far peaceful. Early voters include Senior BJP leader M Venkaiah Naidu, Union Ministers M Mallikarjuna Kharge and M Veerappa Moily, Leader of Opposition Siddaramaiah, Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee President G Parameshwara, BJP State unit President Prahlad Joshi, and Karnataka Janatha Paksha chief B S Yeddyurappa.

Authorities have made elaborate security arrangements for peaceful and smooth conduct of polls, which commenced at 7 am. Our Bangalore correspondent reports that polling has been extended by an hour and will take place till 6 pm.

In Karnataka, polling is going on briskly. In north Karnataka, particularlyHyderabad Karnataka region, mercury has hit 41 degree Celsius. In several other parts of the state too , long queues are seen. In Bangalore, cloudy atmosphere prevails. The arrangements in the polling stations remain satisfactory excepting a few cases of voters not allowed to vote due to faulty EPIC card. In Hebbal several trans-genders took part in voting. They expressed happiness over an opportunity to cast their vote for the first time now. The voters were guided to their respective polling booths by officials appointed by the Election Commission. The voting that will continue till 6.00 pm is progressing peacefully. With Devendra this is Sudhindra for AIR News Bangalore

Enthusiasm of voters was particularly evident in Bangalore city, with techies working in the IT sector turning out in large numbers to elect their representatives. Polling is being held in 223 segments, with the one in Periyapatna in Mysore district having been postponed to May 28 following the death of BJP candidate. More than 4.35 crore people are eligible to exercise their franchise in the single phase poll. Over 2.5 lakh officials are on poll duty. A total of 2940 candidates are in the fray.

Our Mangalore Correspondent reports that for the first time in Dakshina Kannada district, around 390 election centers have been covered by live webcast to bring more transparency in the ballot process.

In Dakshina Kannada district, brisk polling was recorded in the early hours up to 10 o’clock. Till 11 AM 27 per cent voter turnout was recorded. In Mangalore, Puttur and Sulliya constituencies bordering Kerala huge number of voters turned out in the first 3 hours of commencement of polling. More number of Christians came to vote before and after the Sunday morning service in their Churches. In some polling stations, tents have been erected and provisions for drinking water made for the convenience of the voters coming in the hot and humid climate. Henry/Air News/Mangalore

Our Correspondent reports that more than 25 per cent polling was reported till 1 pm in 9 assembly seats of Gulbarga.

Initially the speed of polling was very slow and only 5 percent votes were polled in first hour but after 2 hours it increased. At Gulbarga Union Minister Mallikarjun Kharge casted his vote at Vasva nagar and former Chief Minister Dharm Singh at Nalogi. In the rural areas like Afzalpur and Jewargi speed of polling is comparatively high and at many polling booths number of women’s is higher than male voters. Despite severe heat, voters are reaching polling booths and it is assumed that more voters will cast their votes in the evening hours. Anurag Vajpeyi AIR News Gulbarga

From Dharwar, our Correspondent has filed this report:

Long queues can be seen in many voting boots. Voters are ignoring severe heat conditions and participating in voting. In Dharwad District constituency, about 30 to 32 per cent, Haveri 30 per cent and Belgaum district 30 per cent of voting recorded up to 1 pm . In view of severe heat conditions, especiallyNorth Karnataka region, polling is being held for eleven hours for the first time in Karnataka. With Pandurangappa, this is G.D Halli Keri, Air News, from Dharwad.

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The CBI has arrested two more accused in the Railway bribery scandal involving nephew of Railway Minister PK Bansal and a Board member, taking the total number of arrests by the agency to eight. Rahul Yadav, one of the middlemen, named in the FIR, was arrested by the agency last night. Meanwhile, Samir Sandhir, associate of Rahul Yadav was arrested by the CBI this morning.

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In view of millions of unbanked people even in urban areas, the Reserve Bank in a significant move has asked banks to bring all districts in metropolitan areas under the lead bank scheme fold. The LBS, launched in 1969, is an integrated mechanism to extend banking services to the doorsteps of consumers, especially the poor.

The move is part of increasing the scope of its financial inclusion drive to urban areas on one hand and helping the government realise its efforts to plug the loopholes in subsidy deliveries by transferring all the benefits directly to the bank accounts of the target people.

This was disclosed by RBI Governor D Subbarao in the Monetary Policy Statement for 2013-14. He said, the purpose of the LBS extension is to bring all the unbanked urban areas under the banking fold.

Mr. Subbarao said, the Reserve Bank will also introduce a scheme of incentives for banks to encourage them to report

detection of counterfeit notes. As per the RBI data, in 2011-12 as many as 5.21 lakh counterfeit notes were detected in the system.

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The West Bengal government has sealed the offices of MPS group, a business house that has an estimated liability of 17,000 crore rupees and is under the scanner of the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI). The crackdown comes after the collapse of Saradha group's chit fund business in April, which affected thousands of depositors.

Panicking depositors and agents protested outside the MPS group's office at LakeTown in northern Kolkata after the state government restrained its management from accessing the company's main corporate office. MPS has investments in social farming and tourism.

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The Supreme Court will pronounce its verdict on a plea seeking stay on commissioning of the Kudankulam nuclear plant and its scrapping, tomorrow. A bench of justices K S Radhakrishnan and Dipak Misra, which had reserved the verdict following marathon arguments in the last three months, will deliver its judgement. A batch of petitions was filed by anti-nuclear activists challenging the project on the ground that safety measures recommended for the plant by an expert body have not been put in place.

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Pakistani prisoner Sanaullah, who was injured in a scuffle with another inmate in aJammu jail, today remained critical today at the Hospital of Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research in Chandigarh. Hospital sources said, the prisoner is on ventilator and in deep coma. 52-year-old Sanaullah is being looked after by a team of doctors, including neurosurgeons, in the intensive care unit.

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The Delhi High Court has quashed a Delhi government circular banning sale of property in the Capital through general power of attorney. GPA is a common way of selling leasehold properties and those who do not have a clear title.

The court found that the directions in the circular, issued by the revenue department on the 27th of April last year, were contrary to the Supreme Court judgment of 11th October, 2011.

The judgment came on a petition filed by a developer and promoter company, questioning the validity of the circular and registrar’s refusal to register the sale of a property through GPA. More from our correspondent:-

The circular had not only made future sale of properties difficult, but its retrospective nature also invalidated the sale of thousands of properties across the Capital made after the date of apex court ruling. It had forced the owners to register the transfers afresh with complete documents and a clear sale deed. According to an estimate, on an average, around 20 percent of properties are registered through GPA transfers. The High Court judgment is expected to benefit lakhs of residents living in co-operative housing societies and DDA flats in Delhi. The order is expected to increase the number of saleable properties in the city. and thereby could bring down the value of freehold properties. Zakir Malik, AIR News, Delhi

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Japan's Coast guard says, three Chinese government ships sailed into the waters of disputed Tokyo-controlled islands today. It said, the maritime surveillance ships entered the 12-nautical-mile zone off the Senkaku islands, which China calls the Diaoyu, around 0730 IST.

Chinese government ships have frequently sailed around the five islands in recent months, sparking diplomatic clashes with Japan. In late April, eight Chinese government vessels sailed into the disputed waters, the biggest flotilla in a single day since Tokyo nationalised part of the island chain in September. The move sparked an angry response, with Japanese premier Shinzo Abe vowing to expel by force any Chinese landing on the archipelago, which is believed to harbour vast natural resources below its sea-bed.

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An India-Pakistan judicial panel has found that twenty out of 36 Indian prisoners lodged in Lahore's Kot Lakhpat jail, where Sarabjit Singh was fatally attacked, have lost their mental balance and not been taken to any hospital for proper medical care. The panel which visited Pakistani jails in Karachi, Rawalpindi and Lahore last week, has found that 20 prisoners in Kot Lakhpat jail, two prisoners in Rawalpindi's Adiyala jail and one prisoner in Malir jail in Karachi were mentally ill. The Committee has recommended that serious and terminally ill, mentally challenged and deaf and mute prisoners be kept in appropriate hospitals or special institutions irrespective of confirmation of their national status and offence.

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Sri Lanka is experiencing heavy rains in most parts of the country. According to Sri Lanka’s Met department the pre-monsoon rainy season has begun and rains are likely to last for the next few days. The department has predicted heavy to very heavy rains and strong winds for all areas and has issued warning of lightening strikes. It says the sea will continue to be rough during this period.

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Back home: Jaipur, the capital of Rajasthan will soon witness the Metro train running on the track. Jaipur Metro Rail Corporation has set the 1st August as the target for this ambitious project. Our Jaipur correspondent reports that it will be the most modern Metro Rail system in the country in terms of luxury and comfort.

The dream of Jaipurites to have a world class metro rail will soon become true. With more that 80 per cent of the work almost completed, the Metro train is likely to roll out on 1st August this year. Under the first phase 13 kms long metro track is under construction with a cost of 3151 crore. The first train-set of the Jaipur Metro Rail, comprising four cars will reach Jaipur on 18th of this month. Manufactured by Bharat Earth Movers Limited it is the first metro train which has been manufactured and designed in India by any Indian company. Jaipur metro will be another feather in the mega development plans coming up in the Pink City. The metro project has been formulated to meet the steeply growing population and the travel demand of Jaipur. With its present estimated population of 4.45 million and employment of 15.55 lakh the city has a travel demand of 36 lakh passenger trips every day with 3.6 lakh trips performed during peak hour. The Jaipur Metro Rail intends to spur the economic development of the city while preserving its rich heritage and culture. Prem Bharati/AIR NEWS JAIPUR

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A Parliamentary panel has asked the Shipping Corporation of India, SCI, to have a re-look at its fleet acquisition plans to save it from falling into deep financial crisis. The committee fears the country's largest ocean carrier may go the Air India way in case of financial mismanagement. The Standing Committee on Transport, Tourism and Culture in a report tabled in Parliament said, the decision of the state-owned company acquiring 62 vessels was not based on requirement. The SCI, which owns about one-third of the total domestic tonnage, had an ambitious target to acquire 62 vessels during the 11th Plan, of which only 45 could be ordered.