2100 HRS. 

7th May, 2013

THE HEADLINES:

• Both Houses of Parliament adjourned for the day following repeated disruptions ; Congress urges opposition to support the government in passing Food Security and Land Acquisition Bill .

• Government sets up an inter-ministerial group to suggest ways to protect investors' interest.

• Counting of votes for the Karnataka assembly elections takes place tomorrow.

• In Pakistan 18 people killed in two bomb blasts during electioneering.

• Sensex gains 215 points.

• Indian men's team enter the finals of the 19th Commonwealth Table-Tennis Championships.

[]<><><>[]

Both the houses of Parliament were adjourned for the day today after repeated disruptions. When the Lok Sabha was discussing Food Security Bill,which remained inconclusive yesterday,opposition members rushed to the well, repeating their call for the Prime Minister’s resignation. When his appeal for order went unheeded time and again, the Chair adjourned the House till tomorrow.

In the Rajya Sabha, the BJP and Asom Gana Parishad members disrupted the proceedings. The House reconvened at 2 PM, when the Deputy Chairman P J Kurien tried to take up a short duration discussion on atrocities on women. But as the Opposition was unrelenting, he adjourned the proceedings till tomorrow.

As only three days are left for the three-month long session to conclude, the fate of key legislations like National Food Security Bill and Land Acquisition Bill remains uncertain. The only work done in the second phase was the passage of the Finance Bill, which marked the end of the budgetary exercise and the Railway Budget without any discussion with the opposition walking out.

[]<><><>[]

The Congress today urged the opposition parties to support the government in passing the important bills on Food Security and Land Acquisition. Addressing a press conference in New Delhi, the party spokesman Sandeep Dikshit said both the bills are meant for welfare of the poor and farmers and the BJP should not link the resignation issue of the two Union Ministers with these legislations.

There is no direct link between the resignation of two Ministers and people's welfare. These are two different issues. For a political gain, should we leave behind the rights of the people?

[]<><><>[]

The BJP today alleged that this session of Parliament has been a wash out because of the obduracy of the Congress party. Briefing the media in New Delhi party spokesperson Prakash Javadekar said the logjam in Parliament could have been averted if the ministers of Law and Railways had resigned.

We are always hopeful that by today's evening, the conscious will compel the Congress Minister to resign and if that happens, from tomorrow the smooth functioning is possible.

[]<><><>[]

Ajay Garg, a close aide of Union Railway Minister P K Bansal's nephew and an alleged middleman in the 10 crore rupee bribery case, was today arrested by CBI in a Delhi court. The Court remanded him in CBI custody till May 9.

The court also remanded Singla, Narain Rao Manjunath, Managing Director of GG Tronics India Pvt Ltd, and Sandeep Goyal, in CBI custody till May 9.

The CBI had sought five-day custody of Singla, Manjunath and Goyal. Meanwhile CBI has carried out searches at the premises of Mahesh Kumar and claimed to have recovered property documents and diamond jewellery of substantial value.

[]<><><>[]

The government has set up an inter-ministerial group, IMG, to suggest ways to tackle fraudulent money pooling activities and protect the interest of investors. The move follows rising instances of people being defrauded by ponzi schemes. Official sources said, representatives from the Finance and Corporate Affairs Ministries, Reserve Bank of India and Securities and Exchange Board of India will be members of the IMG. Setting up of the IMG is the latest in a slew of measures initiated by the government in the wake of Kolkata-based Saradha Group cheating many investors through fraudulent money pooling scheme.

[]<><><>[]

1993 Delhi blast convict Devinderpal Singh Bhullar's wife today approached the Supreme Court, seeking stay on execution of his death sentence till her review plea against its verdict is decided. She submitted in her plea that she has filed a review petition against the Supreme Court verdict of April 12. The Court had rejected her petition to commute his death sentence to life imprisonment on the ground of delay on the part of the government in deciding his mercy plea. Bhullar was convicted and awarded death penalty for triggering a bomb blast in September 1993, killing nine people and injuring 25 others.

[]<><><>[]

Counting of votes for the Karnataka assembly elections will be taken up tomorrow. The 36 counting centres across the state, are ready to count votes cast on May 5 polling day. There are 2940 candidates in 223 constituencies, with 170 of them being women. We spoke to the chief Electorate Officer Anil Kumar Jha in this regard.

Preparations have been made for counting of votes in respect of 223 Assembly constituencies of Karnataka. There are 36 counting centres all over the state and about 10 thousand counting staff are working for this. It is expected that by 12 o'clock or so the first result will start coming out. All the counting centres are under the security cover of the Central Para military forces and till the counting process is completed, Central para military forces will provide adequate security.

Polling in Periyapatna assembly constituency in Mysore district has been deferred to May 28, following the demise of BJP Candidate.

The BJP had made inroads in South by winning 110 seats in the 2008 election while Congress had won 80 seats, Janata Dal (Secular) 28 and independents six.

[]<><><>[]

In Haryana Jats have decided to call off their agitation for reservation in government jobs after written assurance by nearly 100 Parliamentarians and Union Ministers, . Announcing this at Hisar, All India Jat Aarakshan Sangharsh Samiti state President Dharam Pal Shout said that the agitation would be called off at a rally in Delhi on May 10.

[]<><><>[]

In Uttar Pradesh six persons died this evening after consuming spurious liquor in Shukulpur police area of Amethi in Sultanpur district. Three persons are stated to be critical .

[]<><><>[]

Fifteen officials of various Public Sector Banks have been suspended including one from insurance sector for their alleged involvement in money laundering. Besides, ten officers of the banks have also been divested of their work and six asked to proceed on leave. The action follows an expose by an investigative website Cobrapost pointing to money laundering by banks and insurance companies.

In the wake of the expose, the Ministry of Finance had directed the Chairman-cum-Managing Directors of various Public Sector Banks and Life Insurance Corporation of India for an immediate action in the matter. It had also sought compliance and action taken report on utmost priority.

[]<><><>[]

Tripura government today decided to handover 15 cases against the Non Banking Financial Company to CBI.

Tripura chief minister Manik Sarkar today said that the state Government has decided to handover all pending cases against the Non banking Financial Companies in the state to CBI. He said that, the state cabinet today decided to handover the pending cases that are probed by state Police to the CBI. According to Manik Sarkar state has around 90 NBFC’s operating in the state and any investigation from now on will be handed over to CBI. SUDIPTA KAR, AIR NEWS, TRIPURA.

[]<><><>[]

Government has approved 17 proposals of Foreign Direct Investment amounting to over 262 crore rupees. According to an official release the proposals include pharmaceutical, defence production, Information and Broadcasting and Telecommunications sectors. The proposals have been approved on the recommendations of Foreign Investment Promotion Board.

[]<><><>[]

World of Business.

Rising for the second straight session, the Sensex at the Bombay Stock Exchange climbed 215 points, or 1.1 percent, to close at a three-month high of 19,889, amid rising Asian and European markets, today. The Nifty gained 73 points, to 6,044. Stock markets in Japan, China and Hong Kong added between 0.2 percent and 3.6 percent. The rupee appreciated 4 paise, to 54.14 against the dollar. Gold plunged 220 rupees, to 27,650 rupees per ten grams in Delhi. Silver fell 900 rupees, to 45,300 rupees per kilo. And Brent crude oil futures slipped toward 105 dollars a barrel, while US crude fell 44 cents, to 95.71 dollars a barrel. Pradeep Kumar, AIR News.

[]<><><>[]

The Comptroller and Auditor General, CAG, has criticized the government for fixing the minimum support price, MSP, of foodgrain crops in a skewed manner. The CAG said, the Commission for Agricultural Cost and Prices did not follow any specific norms for fixing of MSP over the cost of production leading to large year on year variations. In its report on Food Corporation of India, FCI's foodgrains management tabled in Parliament today, it stressed on greater transparency in the method of arriving at MSP over cost of production.

[]<><><>[]

Housing and Urban Development Corporation Ltd. (HUDCO) effected a significant reduction in its lending rates, for Government and Public Sector borrowers for various Housing and Infrastructure Development Project. A reduction of 25 basis points has been effected in respect of its entire housing portfolio covering Economically Weaker Sections, Low income Group, Middle Income Groups and all other categories of housing. With this reduction, the EWS and LIG category housing projects would get loans from HUDCO at 8 percent to 8.5 percent.

[]<><><>[]

Pakistani prisoner, Sannaullah who got seriously injured in Jammu jail and now under treatment at PGI,hospital Chandigarh continues to be serious. According to the medical bulletin released by hospital today the clinical condition of the patient is extremely critical.

Meanwhile, his relatives who reached Chandigarh saw him in the hospital and talked to the doctors attending on him.

[]<><><>[]

In Pakistan, at least 18 people were killed and over 50 injured today in two bomb blasts. 12 people were killed when a suicide bomber blew himself up near the car of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam leader Mufti Syed Janan while he was campaigning for the May 11 general elections. He, however escaped unhurt.

Hours later, an explosion ripped through an election meeting organised by the Pakistan Peoples Party at Baba Gaam area of Lower Dir district. Six persons were killed and 15 others injured. No group claimed responsibility for both attacks.

[]<><><>[]

In Pakistan, Cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan was injured on his head when he fell off a forklift that was hoisting him on to a stage for an election campaign meeting in Lahore today.

Khan, 60, and several of his bodyguards apparently lost their balance and fell several feet to the ground.

[]<><><>[]

At least 15 people have been killed and 36 others injured when a gas tanker exploded on a motorway in a suburb of Mexico City. The Citizen Safety Department of Mexico State said the figures could rise. Local media reported that the explosion, which closed the highway between Mexico City and Pachuca, could have been caused by a collision.

[]<><><>[]

Indian men paddlers have entered the finals of the team event at the 19th Commonwealth Table-Tennis Championships. However, the Indian women's team lost in the semi-finals.

In the men's team semi-final in New Delhi today, India beat England 3-2. The Indian men will now take on Singapore in the finals tomorrow.

The Indian women's team lost their semi-final against England by a 2-3 margin and settled for a bronze medal.

[]<><><>[]

Churchill Brothers have won the coveted I-League football title for the second time after their triumph in 2008-2009.

In the match played at the Tilak Maidan in Vasco today, they drew with Mohun Bagan One-One.

Before today's fixture, Churchill brothers were on top of the table with 51 points from 24 matches and needed one more point to secure title which they obtained today.

[]<><><>[]

Rajasthan Royals defeated Delhi Daredevils by nine wickets in their IPL match in Jaipur today.

In the other IPL encounter in Mumbai, Mumbai Indians were 84 for no loss in 11.5 overs against Kolkata Knight Riders, a shortwhile ago