2100 HRS. 

15th May, 2013

THE HEADLINES:

• Government to launch Direct Benefit Transfer scheme for LPG in 20 districts from 1st of next month.

• Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde dismisses BJP allegations that government is misusing CBI to defame its leaders.

• Centre constitutes a six-member Committee to decide the criteria for grant of backward status to the States.

• School dropout reduced by 50 lakh in three years through Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan.

• Prime Minister files nomination for Rajya Sabha from Assam.

• Sensex shoots up 491 points to close at a 28-month high.

• International Olympic Committee agrees to a road map to bring India back in the Olympic fold.

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The government will launch Direct Benefit Transfer scheme, DBT, for LPG in 20 identified districts of eight States and two Union Territories from the 1st of next month. Announcing this in New Delhi this evening, Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister, M Veerappa Moily said, these districts have 89 per cent Aadhaar penetration with 52 per cent seeded with LPG customer database. He said, all Aadhaar-linked domestic LPG users will get the subsidy in advance in their bank accounts at the time of booking itself. He asked LPG consumers to immediately get Aadhaar number and link LPG consumer number and bank account with the Aadhaar number. The DBT scheme aims to curb leakages, prevent black-marketing and provide subsidy directly to consumers in their bank accounts. It will benefit about 76 lakh LPG consumers in the identified districts.

We would like to launch it on 1st June 2013, in 20 district having 26 lakh consumers, covers 520 LPG distributors, black marketing will be stopped, this will guaranttee that he gets this facility.

Mr Moily said, a roadmap to extend the scheme is being worked out and within a couple of months, the entire country will be covered. The Minister added that customers will get three months to complete the formalities for getting the benefit. The subsidy will be admissible only upto nine cylinders per year.

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Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde today brushed aside BJP allegations that the government is misusing the CBI to defame its leaders. Speaking to newsmen in New Delhi, Mr. Shinde said, the BJP has this feeling because the charges filed by the CBI are against their party members. He said, the government is in no way involved in these matters and there is no political agenda behind the chargesheets filed.

They think we do politics, but when the sword falls on them then, they say this, now you all have seen, we do not indulge in any politics.

In reply to a question on NCTC, Mr. Shinde reiterated that the Centre has no intention or is in any manner, taking over the rights of the States in its effort to form an effective anti-terror body for the country.

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Earlier in the day, the BJP alleged the Congress party is misusing the CBI to defame its leaders. Addressing the media in a joint press conference at the party Headquarters, BJP President Rajnath Singh alleged, the supplementary chargesheet filed in the Soharabuddin case against former Rajasthan Home Minister Gulab Chand Kataria is the latest of a series of charges framed with political intent.

Senior party leader Arun jaitley alleged the GOM formed by the government for providing autonomy to the CBI, is an eye wash. He said, the Lokpal Bill passed by the Lok Sabha also has provisions on autonomy to the CBI by amending the Delhi Special Police Establishment Act.

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Congress has criticized the BJP for adopting double standards over the functioning of CBI. Briefing reporters in New Delhi today, party spokesperson Shakeel Ahmad said that when CBI takes action against the Minister of UPA government, then BJP welcomes it but if the investigating agency takes action against BJP's leaders then the party criticizes it.

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Youth Congress workers today protested outside the BJP office in New Delhi over the main Opposition party's disruptive tactics during the just concluded Budget session of Parliament. Congress workers also protested against the BJP's demand for the resignation of the Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh. The Delhi Police used water cannons to disperse the protesters.

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Former Uttar Pradesh Minister Raghuraj Pratap Singh, alias Raja Bhaiya, today appeared before the CBI for questioning in connection with the murder of a village head Nanhe Yadav and DSP Zia Ul Haque. He was questioned at the Kunda Camp office of the investigation agency in Pratapgarh. Raja Bhaiya, prime accused in the case was summoned by the agency for questioning in connection with the larger conspiracy related to the murder of Balipur village head Nanhe Yadav.

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TADA court in Mumbai has allowed Bollywood actor Sanjay Dutt to withdraw the application seeking to surrender before the Yerwada Jail. The actor is schedule to surrender tomorrow. Dutt today withdrew application seeking permission to surrender before the Yerwada Jail. In the fresh application filed today in the TADA court, he said that he will surrender before the special court in South Mumbai. Judge G. A. Sanap ordered him to surrender by tomorrow. Dutt's conviction under the Arms Act was upheld by the Supreme Court recently.

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The Centre has constituted a six-member Committee headed by Chief Economic Advisor Raghuram Rajan, to decide on the criteria for grant of backwardness status to the States. The panel is to submit its report within 60 days. An official statement said, the Committee will consider backwardness in terms of measures like, distance of the State from the national average, as per capita income and other human development indicators. The panel will also evolve a composite development index of States.

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Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA), the UPA government's flagship educational scheme has reduced dropouts from Schools of by 50 lakh children in the last three years. The number of dropouts in the age group of 6 to 14 has come down to 30 lakhs in 2012 from 80 lakhs in 2009. The SSA envisages universalization of elementary education in a time bound manner. Another significant achievement is the net enrolment ratio at the primary school level has achieved an admirable 99.8 per cent. This has also led to gender parity index at the primary level.

Under the Scheme, more than one lakh 95 thousand primary schools and around one lakh upper primary schools have been sanctioned to promote education for all. An official release said, about 20 lakh teachers’ posts have also been sanctioned under the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan. To improve infrastructure in the school about 18 lakhs additional classrooms have been sanctioned and about 2 lakh 30 thousand drinking water projects have been approved. Steps have also been taken to provide over eight-and-a half lakh toilets in the schools.

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The Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh today asserted that the Centre has launched a series of schemes for the upliftment and betterment of the weaker sections of society. Dr. Singh in his address to the Assam Congress Legislature Party said that he will continue to work for the country and people of Assam.

Earlier, the Prime Minister filed his nomination papers for re-election to the Rajya Sabha at Dispur in Guwahati. The current term of Prime Minister Dr Singh will expire on 14th of the next month.

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The cyclonic storm 'MAHASEN' formed over west-central Bay of Bengal has moved north-northeastwards and presently lay centred about 430 km south-southeast of Paradeep in Odisha. According to the Bhubaneswar Meterological office, the cyclonic storm will intensify further and move northeastwards and cross Bangladesh coast between Khepupara and Teknaff close to Chittagong by tomorrow.

In Bangladesh, hundreds of thousands of people are being evacuated from the coastal areas threatened by the Cyclone.

With the Bangladesh Met department predicting that Cyclone Mahasen is likely to cross the coast near Chittagong on Thursday morning, the government has taken elaborate steps to protect the people living in the vulnerable coastal districts. People living in the low lying areas of 13 coastal districts are being evacuated and moved to Cyclone shelters and more than 1000 medical teams have been made ready to assist in relief work when needed. The country's three seaports and airports in Chittagong, Cox's Bazar and Mongla have also been shutdown in the light of the cyclone. As Cyclone Mahasen is moving towards the Bangladesh coast, twenty two ships of the navy, airforce helicopters and army troops have also been kept ready to assist the civil administration in the rescue and relief operations if needed in the aftermath of the cyclone crossing the coast.C.Senthil Rajan, AIR News,Dhaka

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Business World

The Sensex at the Bombay Stock Exchange shot up a mammoth 491 points, or 2.5 percent, to close at a 28-month high of 20,213, today, after the Reserve Bank said that the low inflation numbers will be taken into account in its next monetary policy review. The Nifty spurted 151 points, to 6,147.Stock markets in Japan,China, Hong Kong, South Korea and Singapore gained between 0.1 percent and 2.3 percent. The rupee strengthened 3 paise, to 54.78 against the dollar. Posting its second biggest single-day loss this year, gold plunged 600 rupees, to 27,300 rupees per ten grams in Delhi. Silver dropped 800 rupees, to 44,700 rupees per kilo. And Brent crude oil futures stood below 103 dollars a barrel, while US crude fell 77 cents, to 93.44 dollars a barrel. Pradeep Kumar, AIR News.

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The Reserve Bank of India, RBI, today announced it will launch inflation-linked bonds every month to attract household savings of up to 15,000 crore rupees this fiscal so as to discourage investments in gold.

The first tranche of the IIBs will be issued on June 4. The maturity period of these bonds will be 10 years.

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Finance Minister P. Chidambaram today left on a five-day tour to the UK, France and Qatar where he will hold discussions on various bilateral and investment related issues. Mr Chidambaram will arrive in London this evening on the first leg of the tour. The Finance Minister, who is leading the Indian delegation, will participate in the 6th Ministerial India-UK Economic and Financial Dialogue in London tomorrow.

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In a major breakthrough, a crucial meeting between Indian sports officials and International Olympic Committee in Lausanne today agreed in principle to draw a roadmap to bring India back in the Olympic fold.

The meeting which assumed great importance for India's sporting future, has worked out the exact details and the timeframe to get the ban lifted ever since it was imposed on December 4 last for India's failure to adhere to the Olympic Charter.

Sports Minister Jitendra Singh, who headed a delegation of the Sports Ministry, said that the ban on India will be lifted after going through a process.

The IOC also issued a statement elaborating on the salient points covered during the meeting, which it described as fruitful.

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World champion Viswanathan Anand drew with Russian Sergey Karjakin in the sixth round of Norway Chess 2013 Super Tournament. Anand has so far collected three points, with three rounds still to go in the 10-player round-robin tournament.

In the event being held at Sandnes in Norway, Russian Sergey Karjakin continued to lead the table on 4.5 points with World Number One Magnus Carlsen closing in with four points in his bag.

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India's Mouma Das, K Shamini and Madhurika Patkar have entered the main draw of the women's singles event of the World Table Tennis Championships in Paris