1400 HRS

 ^8th October, 2013

THE HEADLINES:

• Life in Seemandhra remains paralysed for fifth day; Curfew relaxed for an hour in Vizainagram; Over 100 persons arrested.
• Anti infiltration operation in the Keran sector of Jammu and Kashmir ends.
• Cabinet approves National Identification Authority of India Bill to give statutory status to UIDAI and legal backing to Aadhaar.
• Supreme Court directs Centre and all states to provide three percent reservation in government jobs to disabled persons.
• Sensex gains over 90 points in afternoon trade; Rupee appreciates 11 paise to 61.68 against the dollar.

{}<><><>{}

In Andhra Pradesh, the curfew was relaxed for an hour in the morning in violence hit Vizianagaram to enable people to get essential commodities. Deputy Inspector General of Police Umapathi told reporters that the situation remained peaceful. He said no fresh violence has been reported during past 24 hours. Meanwhile, more than hundred persons who involved in violent incidents were arrested while special teams were formed to nab the suspected.  The power crisis intensified in the Seemandhara region. Employees of more electricity wings joining the strike today in protest against bifurcation of the state. The public life is severely affected in Seemandhraregions. Hospitals and medical services, drinking water supply have been severely hit. It was estimated that over 50 lakh households were blackout in five districts for past two days while the crisis widened to other districts in Seemandhra since yesterday. Several passenger and express trains were cancelled in Vijayawada and Visakhapatnam divisions of the South Central Railways today for the third consecutive day due to power crisis.

Chief Minister Kiran Kumar Reddy will be holding talks with agitating employees tomorrow. He has appealed especially power sector employees to call off their strike in view of the hardships to the general public. Opposing the centre’s move to bifurcate the state TDP President Chandrababu Naidu is on indefinite hunger strike in Delhi since yesterday while the Hunger Strike by YSR Congress president Y S Jagnmohan Reddy in Hyderabad entered fourth day.

"For the first time after its inception, the Narla Tatarao Thermal Power Project at Vijayawada was completely stopped functioning further deteriorating the power situation in Rayalaseema and Coastal Andhra regions of the state. The ongoing electricity employees strike opposing state bifurcation hit the normal life hard for the third consecutive day today. Electricity is not available for emergency medical services like incubators and operation theaters in hospitals, drinking water supply at thousands of panchayts and even to run trains in the  region. Lakhs of households in the 13 districts of  Seemandhra region have been completely blackout with power generation has almost been stopped at all public and private power units. The Indian Railways has been forced to curtail several of its operations for the third day  due to power crisis so far. Lakshmi, Airnews /Hyderabad."

The Congress General Secretary Incharge of Andhara Pradesh, Digvijay Singh has charged the Opposition parties of going back on their assurance on supporting the bifurcation of the state. 

 "The Congress party has taken the decision only after the parties in Andhra Pradesh gave it in writing. Now, if they change their stance after giving it in writing how the Congress is to be blamed ? The Congress still believes that the backward areas of Seemandhra should be especially taken care of."

 The BJP leader Mr. Shahnwaz Hussain admitted that the opposition agreed on the bifurcation but held that the ruling party has allowed the situation to go out of control. 

"The BJP has been in  favour of  the formation of Telengana state since the beginning. But Congress is responsible for the situation going out of hand in the state in the name of Telengana."                                                            {}<><><>{}

Army chief Gen. Bikram Singh today said, the infiltration bid by terrorists in Keran sector in Jammu and Kashmir has been foiled. He sought to clarify that the infiltration attempt was not an intrusion as the enemy was not occupying higher ground but sitting in a rivulet. Our Correspondent adds it was one of the longest anti-infiltration operations in recent times in the state that ended today. Seven terrorists were killed and six jawans of army were injured in the operation.
General Officer Commanding, Northern Command, Lt Gen Sanjiv Chachra said today in Srinagar while announcing the end of the Keran operation.

"The counter infiltration grid all along the LC is well intact, ceasefire violations are taking place. There will be attempts and infiltration in various sectors. And we are quite prepared for the challenge. So you don't have to worry, we will ensure the sanctity of the LC and prevent infiltration as much as it is possible."

                                                      {}<><><>{}

The Union Cabinet today approved the National Identification Authority of India Bill that will give statutory status to the Unique Identification Authority of India, UIDAI. Official sources said the bill, besides giving statutory status to the UIDAI, also seeks to provide legal backing to Aadhaar, which is used to disburse subsidies. The UIDAI, which issues the 12-digit Aadhaar numbers to residents, currently operates through an executive order. The new law will provide for the creation of a National Identification Authority of India, which will oversee the implementation of the Aadhaar project. It also seeks to define the penalties in case of misuse of data collected under the project. Last month, the Supreme Court had ruled that the Aadhaar cards could not be made mandatory for a citizen to avail of government benefits and services. The Apex court had said that the number should not be allotted to any illegal immigrant. 
                                                      {}<><><>{}

The Union Cabinet has approved the transfer of 300 acres of defence land at the abandoned airfield at Panchanpur in Gaya to the Human Resource Development Ministry. An official release said, the land will be used for the development of a Central university in Bihar which will serve the national cause for higher education research and training in unserved areas.

                                                         {}<><><>{} 

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, CCEA, has given its nod to the four and two laning of the Gadu-Dwarka section of the national highway inGujarat under the fourth phase of the National Highways Development Project. The project is to be undertaken on the built, operate and transfer pattern. The 210 kilometre road is estimated to cost 1756 crore rupees. It will expedite improvement of the infrastructure in the state and also reduce the travel time and cost for vehicles plying between Gadu and Dwarka. This road stretch links a number of sea ports on the western cost of  the country besides coastal places like Dwarka and Somnath. The project will help in uplifting the socio-economic condition of the region by increasing employment potential for local laborers.

                                                     {}<><><>{} 

Supreme Court today directed the Centre and all state governments to provide three per cent job reservation to disabled persons in all their departments, companies and institutions. A bench headed by Chief Justice P Sathasivam clarified that the principle of not exceeding more than 50 per cent reservation would not be applicable while granting quota for disabled persons.

The apex court directed the authorities to compile the number of vacancies in all their departments to give jobs to disabled persons under three per cent reserved quota within three months. The bench said, Goverment has "categorical obligation" to protect the right of disabled persons and passed a slew of directions for providing jobs to the differently-abled.

 {}<><><>{}

The Supreme Court today commuted to life imprisonment the death penalty awarded to former Youth Congress leader Sushil Sharma in the Tandoor murder case.  Sharma was given a lesser sentence by the apex court as he did not have any criminal antecedents before the crime. While granting relief to Sharma, the Bench noted mitigating factors like no family members of the victim deposed against him and he was very remorseful at the death of his wife .

Sharma had murdered his wife Naina Sahni on the suspicion that she was having an extra-marital affair. He then cut her body into pieces and burnt them in a clay oven of the then government-owned hotel Ashok Yatri Niwas.

A Bench headed by Chief Justice P Sathasivam allowed Sharma's appeal challenging the order of the trial court which had awarded him the death sentence that was subsequently upheld by the Delhi High Court. The gruesome murder took place in July, 1995.

       {}<><><>{}

The President Mr. Pranab Mukherjee has said the menace of terrorism must be dealt both individually and collectively as it was a threat to global peace. The President made it clear that India was against any third party intervention to resolve bilateral issues with Pakistan.  Mr. Pranab Mukherjee was talking to reporters on board the special aircraft  while returning home late last night.

The President, who met his Turkish counterpart Abdullah Gul and held restricted talks with Turkish prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan yesterday, said both the leaders agreed with him that terrorism was a menace threatening the world and it needed to be dealt both individually and collectively.  

{}<><><>{}

Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi today alleged that the opposition cannot understand the plight and the problems of the common man. Addressing a Valimiki Samaj Conference in New Delhi, Mr Gandhi said, Congress wants to represent all sections of society.  He said, the party empowered the people by giving them Right to Information Act and thereby enabled them to ask any question from the government. Admitting corruption as a  big issue, party Vice President said that RTI has proved to be the biggest weapon to fight corruption. He also mentioned the recently enacted Food Security law to remove hunger and malnutrition from the country. 

{}<><><>{}

The 23^rd ASEAN Summit will begin in Bruneian capital Bandar Seri Begawan tomorrow. The focus of the conference is stressing the role of the people among ASEAN member states in advancing cooperation in different sectors.

 "During the Summit, leaders of the ten members of ASEAN as well as China, Japan and South Korea will be joined by Russia, the United States and India. The Summit will provide a valuable opportunity for the leaders to engage in key strategic, political and economic issues of common concern. Indian Prime Minister will reach Bandar Seri Begawan tomorrow to attend the ASEAN-India summit. He is likely to have bilateral meetings with leaders of Australia and Brunei. This is for the first time that Indian Prime Minister will be visiting Brunei in nearly 30 years of diplomatic relationship between the two countries. Shariq Noor, AIR News, Bandar Seri Begawan."

 {}<><><>{}

The Bangladesh cabinet has approved a proposal ratifying  the Extradition Treaty between Dhaka and New Delhi to facilitate exchange of convicted persons. Bangladesh Cabinet Secretary Mosharaff Hussain Bhuiyan told reporters last night in Dhaka that a convicted person facing minimum one-year imprisonment will come under the purview of the treaty.  According to the treaty, a country will have the right to turn down a proposal for extradition on any reasons including political grounds.

{}<><><>{}

A powerful explosion in a dormitory in Chittagong has left five  persons including students of a madarsa, injured in Bangladesh. This dormitory is being run by Hefazat e Islam in the Lalkhan bazar area in the port city.  ADC Mohammad Shahidullah told reporters late last night that the police recovered live grenades and a huge quantity of grenade and bomb-making material from the site.  Police have picked up five teachers of the madarsa for interrogation.

{}<><><>{}

Business News: 

Paring its initial gains, the Sensex at the Bombay Stock Exchange still stood 92 points, or 0.5 percent in positive territory, at 19,987 in afternoon trade, a short while ago. Earlier in the morning, the Sensex had jumped 240 points, or 1.2 per cent, to regain the psychological 20,000 mark, at 20,135, with banking stocks leading the rally after the Reserve Bank reduced the marginal standing facility rate to improve liquidity in the system. 

Elsewhere in Asia, key stock indices in Japan, China, Hong Kong, South Korea and Singapore had gained between 0.3 percent and 1 percent, today. But the US Dow Jones Industrial Average had ended 0.9 per cent lower in yesterdays' trade.

 {}<><><>{}

The rupee today recovered by 11 paise to 61.68 against the dollar in early trade at the Interbank Foreign Exchange market amid a higher opening in the stocks. Sentiments turned buoyant after RBI yesterday cut the marginal standing facility rate, at which it lends emergency funds to banks, by 0.5 per cent to 9 per cent with an aim to improve liquidity and boost economic activities. The rupee had settled at 61.79 against the dollar yesterday, down by 35 paise over the previous close.