0815 HRS

10th September, 2013

THE HEADLINES:

• In Uttar Pradesh, death toll rises to 41 in violence in Muzzafarnagar and its adjoining areas; Prime Minister assures all help to the state government in tackling the situation.
• Supreme Court issues notice to the Centre and nine naxal-affected states, seeking their response for formulation of a central policy to tackle Naxalism.
• Verdict in December 16 gangrape case likely to be pronounced today.
• Delhi government identifies 32 lakh beneficiaries under its food security programme.
• Syria welcomes Russian plan to hand over its chemical weapons under international control.
• World Number Two Rafael Nadal wins US Open Tennis tournament.

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The death toll in violence-hit areas of Muzaffarnagar, Bagpat and Shamli, has risen to 41, while 65 are reported to be injured. 36 persons have reportedly lost their lives in Muzaffarnagar, four in Bagpat and one person was killed in Shamli. The administration has made heavy deployment of the army and paramilitary forces in far flung rural areas, where the search operations are going on.Muzaffarnagar DM, Kaushal Raj Sharma said large quantities of illegal firearms and lethal weapons have been recovered during searches. The DM said that more than 250 arrests have, so far, been made.The new Commissioner Bhuvanesh Kumar and SSP Praveen Kumar have assumed their charge. Authorities claim that the situation in the entire trouble hit region is now under control, as no major incident has been reported from anywhere. More from our correspondent:

The administration has decided to distribute essential goods like bread, milk, vegetables, grain, pulses, medicine and flour In the curfew bound areas of the Muzaffarnagar city from 10 to 12 o clock today. Twenty five centres are being established to distribute the goods without giving any relaxation in the curfew. Intensive search and combing operations are going on in the troubled areas. The government has asked the district administration to send the complete list of victims- both deceased and injured. With reports of Ranveer Saini from Muzaffarnagar and Rajeev Kumar from Baghpat, this is Merajuddin for AIR NEWS from Lucknow."

Meanwhile, the Home Ministry has asked the Uttar Pradesh government to deploy enough forces in the rural of areas of Muzaffarnagar to contain the violence and has sought a report on the situation in the district every 12 hours.

The Home Ministry has asked seven states including Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Jammu and Kashmir to be extra vigilant and deal with petty clashes effectively to avert any communal flare-up. Condemning the violence and expressing grief and shock over the loss of innocent lives, the Prime Minister has assured the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister that the Centre will extend all required assistance in tackling the situation.

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The Supreme Court has issued notice to the Centre and nine naxal-affected states, on a PIL seeking direction to the governments to formulate a central policy for handling the menace of Naxalism. A bench headed by Chief Justice P Sathasivan sought response from the Centre and states of Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Odisha, West Bengal, Bihar, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Uttar Pradesh. The court passed the order on a plea filed by an ex-MLA of the Samajwadi Party, saying a central regulation is needed to handle naxalite activities which are causing a serious threat to the security of the country.

The petition said that despite conceptualization of the Integrated Action Planfor dealing with naxal issues, there is a strong divergence between the Ministry of Rural Development and Ministry of Home Affairs over its implementation that needs to be sorted out.

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Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh has assured Himachal Pradesh that the Centre will release adequate funds to it from the National Disaster Response Fund for undertaking relief, rehabilitation and reconstruction works in the flood affected areas of the state. This was conveyed to the Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh, when he led a delegation of state cabinet ministers to the Prime Minister's residence and requested him to provide immediate financial assistance. AICC General Secretary and incharge of the state Ambika Soni accompanied the delegation.

The Chief Minister also requested Dr. Singh to restore the industrial package to the state till 2020 and help remove regional disparity in industrial development besides creating employment avenues for youths in the state.

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Telecom Regulatory Authority of India, TRAI has recommended 60 to 80 per cent cut in the floor price of mobile phone airwaves for an upcoming auction. It has suggested a pan-India reserve price of 1,496 crore rupees per MHz in the 1800 band, down from the base price of 3,640 crore rupees in the previous auction. In the 900 MHz band, it recommended a reserve price of 288 crore rupees per MHz for Delhi, 262 crore rupees for Mumbai and 100 crore rupees for Kolkata.

In its suggestions, TRAI said spectrum trading should be permitted and there should be no reservation of spectrum for renewal of licenses.

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A fast track court in New Delhi is likely to pronounce its verdict today, on last year's December 16th gang-rape and murder case of a paramedical student. Additional Sessions Judge Yogesh Khanna is scheduled to deliver the verdict.

The court had reserved its order on 3rd of September. The police had charged six persons in the incident. The case against one of the main accused, Ram Singh, was dropped following his death in Tihar Jail during the trial earlier this year. The sixth juvenile accused was held guilty by the Juvenile Justice Board on 31st of August, and has been sent to a remand home for three years.

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The Delhi government has, so far, identified 32 lakh beneficiaries for distribution of highly subsidized foodgrains under its Food Security scheme. Participating in our programme Public Speak last night, Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit said cards are being issued based on the Adhaar Card to the identified people. She expressed hope that the identification of all the 73 lakh eligible beneficiaries will be completed by February next year.
On irregularities in distribution of food grains, Mrs. Dikshit appealed to the people to register their complaints with the redressal officer to get their legal entitlement.

We have set up a State Food Commission also under which there will be a Redressal Officer at the district level. You can file your complaint with him. When the public will be aware then the shortcomings of our Public Distribution System will be eliminated.

Member of National Advisory Council, NC Saxena said, the coverage of food security will be 75 percent in rural areas and 50 percent in urban areas in the country covering over 82 crore people.

There are several states like Kerala, Chhattisgarh and Tamil Nadu who have almost universal Food Security Scheme. The Indian government has mentioned in its law that the number of people included under the scheme, will not be reduced. So in this way, the population covered under this scheme may reach upto 90-95 crores.

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Key issues concerning the Power Ministry and the speedy implementation of various schemes at the earliest, will be the centre of discussion in the seventh Power Minister’s conference to be held in New Delhi today. It will also focus on Electricity For All and Power Sector reforms in the country. The conference to be attended by the Power Ministers of States, will be inaugurated by Power Minster Jyotiraditya Scindia.

Our correspondent reports that the conference will also review the progress of various ongoing power schemes including the Rajiv Gandhi Grameen Vidyutikaran Yojana.

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A top Lashkar-e-Taiba, LeT commander was arrested by security forces from Baramulla district of Kashmir yesterday. An army official said, Manzoor alias Shams Bhai, the chief co-ordinator of the militant outfit, was arrested during a joint operation by the Army and the police from Pattan area of Baramulla. He said, Manzoor was responsible for LeT's militant activities in the Kashmir Valley.

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155 militants, belonging to four groups, surrendered in Manipur yesterday. The militants laid down their arms at a ceremony at the First Manipur Rifles Complex in Imphal. They also handed over 91 weapons, including AK-Rifles, Lethod Guns and IEDs. Eight cadres of the Kanglei Yawol Kanna Lup also surrendered with four weapons at the ceremony.

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INTERNATIONAL NEWS;

Syria has welcomed the Russian proposal to put chemical weapons under international control if that will avert military strikes. The Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Al Moallem said in Moscow that the Russian initiative will help prevent American aggression. US President Barack Obama said, Russia’s proposal was a positive development that will be seriously considered, but he warned it could be a stalling tactic. Obama also said that a breakthrough was possible if the idea was real. More from our West Asia Correspondent:

The Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said he will push Syrian Government to turn over its chemical weapons to international control. UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon responded positively too. He said that he will consider asking the UN Security Council to demand that Syria should immediately transfer chemical weapon to safe sites where they can be destroyed. US State department said that it will take a hard look at the Russian proposal while Britain wants that it should not be stalling tactics. Analysts say that the move has the potential to stall the US led military strikes and US Congress will also take note of the recent developments. Atul Tiwary, AIR News.

UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon responded positively to the fast paced developments and said Syria must hand over its chemical weapons to the international community. <><><>

And now, news from the world of Sports:

World Number Two Rafael Nadal of Spain has lifted the Men's Singles trophy of the US Open Tennis tournament, the fourth and final Grand Slam of the season, at New York. In the title clash played early this morning, Nadal defeated Serbia's World Number One Novak Djokovic, 6-2, 3-6, 6-4, 6-1, to bag his second US Open title, and the second Grand Slam this year, after the French Open. Overall, this was the Spaniard's 13th Grand Slam title, which makes him third all time behind Swiss Roger Federer, who has 17, and American Pete Sampras, who had finished with 14 Grand Slam trophies.
And in Football, India has entered the final of the SAFF Championship in Kathmandu, Nepal. In the second semi-final last evening, India defeated Maldives, 1-0. India will meet Afghanistan in the title clash of the competition tomorrow. Savvy Hasan Khan for AIR News.

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NEWSPAPER HEADLINES

The violence in Muzaffarnagar is the top story in all newspapers. 'UP on razor's edge' -- The Hindu; 'Opposition leaders detained at Ghaziabad' -- The Pioneer. 'Fake video spreads hate on social media' reports The Hindustan Times quoting the local police as saying that a two-year-old video, most likely shot in Pakistan and posted online, was misrepresented to incite violence. In a fall out of the violence, the paper in an inside story reports that the state 'Government begins crackdown on guns, cancels 1,744 licences'.

Many newspapers report the near certainty of Narendra Modi being declared the BJP's Prime Ministerial candidate. 'Modi in final lap with RSS help' reports Mail Today. 'Modi's raj tilak date to be fixed by weekend' says The Pioneer.

In a report that could spark discussion and debate, The Times of India and several others newspapers carry The Supreme Court's ruling on Monday, 'Adultery is not cruelty'. 'Merely being intimate with another woman is not sufficient ground for a man to be held guilty of inflicting cruelty on his wife on the charge of failing to discharge his marital obligation' reports the paper.

Other stories carried by the newspapers include 'Tripura claims top spot with 94% literacy' beating Kerala which was at the top for years, reports The Indian Express. December 16 gang-rape verdict today' reports the many news papers. 'Don't ignore high unexplained fever, it could be mite infection' cautions TheTimes of India.

Babus and their families can fly abroad for free medical treatment report TheHindu; According to the new rules by the ministry of Personnel.

And finally news to cheer about: 'Indian animated feature premieres at Toronto International film festival' reports The Hindustan Times. The World of Goopi and Bagha directed by Shilpi Ranade an IIT Powai professor was selected as a 'Hidden Gem' of the festival.

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The first batch of Haj pilgrims from Uttar Pradesh comprising over 600 persons left for Mecca from Amausi airport of Lucknow yesterday. They were given a warm send off by CM Akhilesh Yadav, State Ministers, friends and relatives.