2100 HRS.

20th July, 2013

THE HEADLINES:

• Forensic report confirms presence of pesticide beyond permissible limit in the mid-day meal which killed 23 school children in Bihar.

• A special court sentences to life imprisonment the Six accused in the Swiss woman rape case in Madhya Pradesh.

• Curfew lifted in Ramban district of Jammu and Kashmir following improvement in the situation; Amarnath yatra resumes.

• Relief work launched on a war footing in nine rain affected districts of Andhra Pradesh.

• Orissa government orders a departmental inquiry into the death of nine new born babies in a hospital today.

• Israel plans to release some Palestinians as US announces resumption of direct peace talks between the two sides.

• Indian women's Archery team reaches final of  World Cup Stage 3 at Medellin, Colombia.

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A Forensic report has confirmed that pesticide five times more than the permissible limit was present in the food substances that caused the death of 23 children in the mid-day meal incident in Bihar's Dharmasati Primary School on Tuesday. Additional Director General of Police, Ravindra Kumar today said forensic scientists have found the presence of Monocrotophos, an organo-phosphorous compound in the oil used in cooking of mid-day food for school children. Mr. Kumar said, Monocrotophos is used as a pesticide for agricultural purposes and it is very toxic to human beings. He also said that after completion of the investigation, things will be clear of how food products contained pesticide.

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Human Resources Development Minister Pallam Raju today said, the deaths of children in Bihar is a wake up call and all should take collective responsibility. Talking to reporters in New Delhi, Mr Raju said, the government wants that the Central scheme is properly implemented. He said, a review committee has been constituted to look into the quality of the programme.

Mr Raju said, his Ministry has received the report by the Saran administration on the incident. The report talks about shortcomings in the way food was stored and how that led to the unfortunate incident.

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In Madhya Pradesh, a special court in Datia today sentenced six accused in the Swiss woman rape case, to life imprisonment. The court has also imposed a fine of ten thousand rupees on each of them. A Swiss woman was gang-raped by six men in Datia district on the 15th March this year. The woman was cycling along with her husband from Orchha to Agra. The couple was camping near Jhadia village when the accused looted them and raped the woman.

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Former Chief Election Commissioner N Gopalaswami and eight other eminent citizens today filed a PIL in the Delhi High Court, challenging appointment of Shashi Kant Sharma as Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG).

The petition has been filed afresh as on July 15, an apex court bench headed by Chief Justice Altamas Kabir who has since retired, refused to hear it saying, the High Court is equally equipped to deal with the matter. Now, a bench headed by Acting Chief Justice B D Ahmed of the High Court is likely to hear the PIL on July 24.

The PIL, filed by lawyer Prashant Bhushan, has sought setting aside of Sharma's appointment contending that it was made arbitrarily and without any system for selection and without any transparency.

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In Jammu and Kashmir, the Amarnath Yatra from Jammu, resumed this evening after it was halted for two days following imposition of curfew in many parts of Kashmir Valley due to a firing incident in Gool area which claimed four lives. According to police sources a fresh batch of 1 thousand 8 hundred 34 pilgrims, including 45 sadhus, left for the Valley from Jammu base camp this evening. 

Amid tight security, the batch of pilgrims left Bagwati Nagar base camp at Jammu in a cavalcade of 56 vehicles. Yatra was suspended yesterday and no fresh batch was allowed this morning. The Jammu-Srinagar national highway which was closed after the violence broke out, have been reopened for vehicular traffic. Meanwhile, curfew has been lifted in Ramban district as the two-day curfew period expired last night and no fresh curfew orders were passed. Normalcy returned to Gool, Dharam and Sanglandan areas of Ramban district, which have been epicentre of the protests.Yogesh Sharma Correspondent, AIR Jammu.

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In Sikkim, veteran Parliamentarian Shriniwas Dadasaheb Patil has sworn in as the new Governor of State. The Chief Justice of the Sikkim High Court, Justice Pius C Kuriakose administered the oath of office and secrecy to him at a function held in Gangtok today.

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In West Bengal, the opposition CPI(M) today submitted a memorandum to the State Election Commission, alleging inadequate deployment of Central forces in three West Bengal districts for the third phase of the Panchayat elections.

CPI(M) state committee member Robin Deb said after submitting the memorandum that his party has urged the commission to be more cautious in force deployment and in monitoring the peaceful holding of panchayat polls in the next two phases.

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In Andhra Pradesh, the flood situation is still grim even as the Godavari river began receding in North Telangana districts. Over two hundred villages are still marooned due to incessant rains that are lashing several parts of the state. Though Godavari is receding, the rivulets and streams are in spate posing threat to several island villages down stream as about 14 lakh cusecs of flood water is being released into sea. Meanwhile, relief work is underway on a war-footing in nine rain affected districts. Two Indian Air Force helicopters have been pressed into service to provide relief material like food and drinking water to the affected areas. The State Election Commission has announced that it will postpone Panchayat polls in affected areas if required. The first phase of polling is scheduled to be held next Tuesday.

Road and communication links of several villages in Andhra Pradesh have been cut off due to overflowing streams and tanks. Several long distance trains that travel through the state are running late due to diversions in other states. Irrigation and revenue officials are continuously monitoring the flood situation in an effort to tackle any eventuality. People from low laying areas are being evacuated even as about 15 thousand people are taking shelter in 74 relief camps set up at various districts. A total eight teams of the National Disaster Response Teams have been kept at affected districts including Khammam, Karimnagar, Warangal and Adilabad to carry out rescue and relief operations in case of need. Meanwhile, the State Election Commission has announced that it will postpone Panchayat polls in affected areas in case of need. The first phase of polling is scheduled to be held on next Tuesday. -Lakshmi, airnews, Hyderabad.

A seven member Central team is in Kerala, to assess the havoc caused by rain in the state. The team led by the Joint Secretary, Ministry of Home Affairs, V. Vumlunmang will begin its tour of the affected areas tomorrow.

"The rains received in the state this year, is the highest ever in the past two decades. The monsoons brought with it huge relief, but left a trail of destruction throughout the state. 131 lives have been lost so far in rain related incidents. 891 villages were flooded and over two lakh people were moved into relief camps. The state government has estimated that 549 houses were completely destroyed while 9499 houses were partially damaged in the havoc caused by rain. Crops in over 8000 hectares were lost, causing a loss of over 150 crore rupees to the farmers. The state government has sought a central assistance of 481 crore rupees for relief operations and payment of compensation. "- Raj Mohan, AIR News, Kochi

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In Uttar Pradesh, flood continue to affect more than four lakh people in eight districts of the sub Himalayan Terai region of the state. All the major rivers here are reported to be in spate. River Sharda is flowing above the danger mark in Paliakalan while Ghaghra is above the red mark in Bahraich.

The state experienced widespread rains in many places in the past 24 hours including Mathura, Bijnor, Kanpur, Raebareli, Barabanki, Lakhimpur Kheri and Gorakhpur. The death toll has risen to 149 this season due to rain and flood.

"Bahraich continues to be one of the worst affected districts by the ravaging floods of Ghaghra. Here more than 225 villages and hamlets are under the siege of flood water since last one month. Despite help from relief and rescue teams, villagers here find tough to feed their cattle. Studies in most of the primary and junior high schools in Terai region remain suspended as the schools are also flooded. Meanwhile, the administration in Faizabad has sounded an alert for the people living in the vicinity of Ghaghra as it is rising with alarming proportions. Merajuddin, AIR NEWS, Lucknow."

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In Himachal Pradesh, rain claimed three lives as almost all parts of the state including capital Shimla were lashes by heavy rain affecting the normal life badly. The heavy rain has resulted in rising of the water level in various major rivers and their tributaries. Several link roads in the far flung areas of the state remained closed to vehicular traffic due to landslides while water and power supply also disrupted in various parts. The met office has warned heavy to very heavy rain during next 24 hours.

In Haryana, rail traffic on the Ambala - Saharanpur rail link was badly affected today due to heavy rainfall in the northern region of the country. A number of trains including the passenger train from Saharanpur to Ambala and Sadbhawna Express from Saharanpur to Nangal Dam on this route, were halted due to rain-water.

Heavy rainfall lashed the National Capital today, flooding almost all major roads in the city. Traffic snarls were reported in almost all areas of the city due to water logging as well as non-functional traffic signals. There were also reports of water logging in the arrival lane at Indira Gandhi International Airport and flooding at some of the metro stations. The Weatherman said a total of 105 mm of rain has been recorded between11:30 am till 2:30 pm. The Met office has predicted that the rain will continue in the next 24 hours.

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In a rare case in Odisha, atleast nine new born babies have died in a single day today in the Veer Surendra Sai Medical College and Hospital in Burla in Sambalpur district. The victims' whose age ranged from 1 to 7 days died even while under treatment in the Intensive Care Unit of the Neonatal Care Centre .

All the babies have died in a span of only 24 hours beginning yesterday. The hospital sources have cited underweight, anemia and brain hammarege as the possible causes behind the shocking enmass death of the kids.

Meanwhile, the Odisha government has ordered a departmental enquiry into the tragic incident to be headed by the Director, Medical Education and Training. The local Congress leadership headed by ex-Member of Parliament, Sriballav Panigrahi has however demanded a judicial enquiry into the incident.

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A group of armed robbers today looted cash and valuables from passengers on the Delhi-bound GT Express after the train had just crossed Agra.

According to Railway Police DSP Amrit Lal, the incident took place early morning when about half-a-dozen miscreants boarded the superfast train coming from Chennai after it had left Agra station. A case has been registered in connection with the robbery and a search has been launched to nab the accused.

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The Government of Israel says, it plans to release a limited number of Palestinian prisoners. The announcement was made by the International Relations Minister Yuval Steinitz today. A limited number of prisoners will be set free as a goodwill gesture, a day after the US announced direct peace talks will resume between the two sides. Some of those to be released, he described as heavy weights. He refused to give the number but said they will be freed in stages. He also said some of those to be freed have been in Israeli jails for up to 30 years.

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Pakistan's Minister for States and Frontier Regions, Abdul Qadir Baloch, says the Government is committed to develop friendly relations with India on the basis of equality. In a press meet he said all political stakeholders are supporting the Government's policy regarding ties with neighboring country. To a question‚ he also stressed the need of unity among political parties and people of the country for curbing terrorism.

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IN SPORTS; India is assured of at least a silver medal at the Archery World Cup Stage 3 being held in Medellin, Colombia. The women's recurve team of Deepika Kumari, Laishram Bombayla Devi and Rimil Biruly, seeded No.2, lived up to their billing as they ousted the US opponents to make the final yesterday. In the battle of heavyweightstomorrow, the Indian trio will take on the top seeded Chinese boasting London Olympics team silver medallists Jing Xu and Ming Cheng for the gold medal. India will have another hope in the compound men's team event where Rajat Chouhan, Ratan Singh Khuraiji Ram and Sandeep Kumar will fight for a bronze against the hosts Colombians in the match scheduled later today