2100 HRS.

28-10-2013 

THE HEADLINES:

• The master mind of Patna blasts arrested; Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde to visit Patna tomorrow.
• Pakistan violates ceasefire again ; An Army JCO killed in firing in Uri sector of Kashmir valley.
• Prime Minister  asks National Disaster Management Authority to  improve  country's disaster management capabilities to respond effectively to the natural calamities.
• Supreme Court directs Sahara Group to hand over title deeds of itsproperties worth 20,000 crores to SEBI within three weeks.
• Sensex  declines 113 points,  to close at a nearly two-week low, at 20,570.
• Manpreet Singh to lead Indian Hockey Squad in the 3rd Asian Champions Trophy to be held in Japan. 

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The Centre has asked all states to maintain high alert and tighten security during the festival season. The Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde has asked the five poll-bound states to beef up security during election rallies, especially those being addressed by top leaders. The decision has come in the wake of Patna blasts yesterday, which left six people dead. The Home Minister  said Central government has provided adequate security to the Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi.

I am leaving for Patna.  I will share all details when I reach there. Some people have been arrested.  One injured has also been arrested.  They are investigating the matter thoroughly 

In a major breakthrough in the blast case, police have arrested two suspected terrorists, including one believed to be the mastermind behind the incident. Sevral others have been detained.  The suspected terrorists have been identified as Tausim and Imtiyaz. SSP Patna said that one of the accused has confessed his involvement in the blast. Curently, 37 injured persons are being treated in the hospital.

Seven low intensity serial blasts  rocked Patna yesterday ahead of the BJP Rally.

BJP has demanded a thorough probe into the blasts. The party charged the Bihar government with failure to provide adequate security to the public rally at Gandhi Maidan. Senior party leader Arun Jaitley quoted media reports saying that  the Central Intelligence agencies had alerted the state government well in advance. Describing the incident as unfortunate, Mr Jaitley asked why the state government ignored the intelligence inputs. 

The state Police and the sources in Bihar seems to instructed the Chief Minister adequately and correctly. 

CPIM Polit Bureau said, these cowardly attacks once again highlighted the urgent need to strengthen intelligence against terror attacks. 

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Delhi Police Special cell has been granted custody of Indian Mujahideen's co-founder, Yasin Bhatkal, for 15 days, for interrogation in connection with Patna serial blasts. Bhatkal was produced in a Delhi court today. 

Bhatkal, a key suspect in several terror blasts since 2008, was arrested in a joint operation by the Central intelligence agencies and the Bihar police two months ago. 

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Alleged Indian Mujahideen terrorist Afzal Usmani, who had escaped from a Mumbai court last month was rearrested by the Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) of Maharashtra Police in Uttar Pradesh. Usmani was preparing to cross over to Nepal when he was nabbed by the ATS officials. Speaking to media persons in Mumbai Today Mahaarshtra ATS Chief Rakesh Maria Said that Usmani, an accused in the 2008 Ahmedabad bomb blast case, was arrested outside Rupaidiha railway station in Uttar Pradesh at around 3.30 am yesterday. 

Maria informed that Usmani’s arrest materialized after his nephew Javed Noorul Hasan Khan, who had assisted in his escape from Mumbai, was picked up from suburban Kurla on 25th October. 

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An Army JCO was killed in a firing incident near the line of control in Uri sector of Kashmir valley. The firing took place at Bhim post near the Kamma bridge. According to a Defence spokesman, the Pakistan side opened fire resulting in critical injuries to JCO Prakash Chand. The injured JCO was rushed to an army medical facility where he succumbed to injuries. The spokesman said, the matter has been taken with the Pakistani authorities on the hotline. 

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In Chhattisgarh, one Hundred and Forty Three  candidates are left in the fray in 18 constituencies on the last day for the withdrawal of nominations for the first phase of Assembly elections.  These constituencies will go to polls on November 11. More from our Correspondent:

In these 18 constituencies of Chhattisgarh which are going to polls in the first phase, out of 169 candidates, 26 have withdrawn their nominations.  Maximum 14 candidates each are in Rajnandgaon and Jadgalpur constituencies. Whereas, only four candidates are contesting from Konta seat. This is one of the most Maoist affected region of Chhattisgarh. Out of the 12 seats in the tribal Bastar division, which is facing Maoist problem, except  Jagdalpur, in the other 11 constituencies the number of candidates has not touched double digit. Vikalp Shukla, AIR News, Raipur. 

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In Madhya Pradesh, a full bench of Election Commission reached the capital Bhopal this evening to review preparations for the state legislative assembly polls to be held next month. Chief Election Commissioner V.S. Sampat and Election Commissioners H.S. Brahma and Dr. Naseem Zaidi met representatives of recognized national parties.  BSP leaders demanded that the sale and production of liquor should be banned with the issuance of poll notification till polling day in the state. BJP representatives demanded that the commission should take prompt action on the complaints filed by the party including complaint against the congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi on his remark on Muzaffarnagar riots. Our correspondent reports that the Election Commission will undertake a detailed review of preparations for the state legislative assembly elections tomorrow. 

The Election Commission will hold discussions over election preparations made so far with divisional commissioners, IGs, collectors, and SPs in Bhopal tomorrow. The commission will also discuss election preparations with Chief Secretary, DGP and Chief Income Tax Commissioner.  Chief Election Commissioner, Mr. Sampat will inaugurate a photo exhibition on SVEEP Plan activities in the morning. Various voter awareness activities being conducted in rural areas under SVEEP Plan have been displayed through photographs in the exhibition. Shariq Noor, AIR News, Bhopal. 

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The Prime Minister Dr  Manmohan Singh has asked National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA)   to  improve  country's disaster management capabilities to respond effectively to the natural calamities. Addressing the fifth meeting of the NDMA  in New Delhi today, the Prime Minister said that  Disaster Risk Reduction strategies need to be mainstreamed into  the  developmental programmes and policies. He said , this is an area on which the NDMA and the key Ministries of the Central Government should lay greater stress. 

It is all the more necessary that we quickly improve our disaster management capabilities.  Every rupee spent on disaster preparedness is a saving of expenditure on post disaster relief, rehabilitation and reconstruction measures.  Disaster Risk Reduction strategies therefore need to be mainstreamed into our development programmes and policies. 

Expressing satisfaction on NDMA's role in rehabilitation works in cyclone hit states  of Odisha and Andhra Pradesh Dr Singh said that  early warning systems and response mechanisms should be strengthened further to minimize the negative impact of disasters. He said,  in this context, NDMA`s efforts to strengthen community preparedness for disaster events and its engagement in activities related to disaster prevention, mitigation and preparedness need to be continued with greater intensity. 

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In Odisha, there is no let up in the flood situation.  Ganjam is among the ten worst affected districts for which the Odisha government has sought additional 1,590 crore rupees from the Centre for relief and restoration work. A supplementary memorandum has been submitted to the Inter-Ministerial Central team.  More from our correspondent: 

The 11-member inter-ministerial central team led by joint secretary in Union Ministry of Home Affairs Rashmi Goel visited worst-affected Ganjam and Balasore districts of Odisha today afternoon and took stock of the situation. The team, divided in two groups, made aerial survey of the affected areas and also held discussion with local administration on damages caused due to the twin natural calamities. The team is also scheduled to visit other most affected districts like Puri and Mayurbhanj and hold discussion with Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik along with other senior state government officials during its four-day stay in the state. Meanwhile, the Odisha government said that water levels in many rivers have started receding, including Subarnarekha in Balasore district, while Budhabalang and Jalaka rivers in Mayurbhanj district are flowing below danger level.  Prakash Das, AIR News, Bhubaneswar 

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In Andhra Pradesh, relief activities picked up momentum in rain hit areas even as two lakh twenty thousand people are taking shelter in about 380 relief camps. Hundreds of villages remained marooned while there was no let up in rain fury in north coastal districts with several parts receiving heavy rainfall today. 

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India and Peru are expected to ink four pacts in diverse areas including setting up of a joint commission, boosting trade, cultural exchanges and defence cooperation. The agreements are to be signed in LIMA today after delegation level talks between Vice President Hamid Ansari and his Peruvian counterpart Marisol Espinoza. India and Peru also formally announced the formation of an Industry body INCHAM (Indian chamber of Commerce. It aims to facilitate Indian Trade & Industry to do business in Peru and other countries of Latin America. Addressing the gathering on the launch, Vice President Hamid Ansari said, INCHAM promises to fill what has so far been a vacuum in India-Peru commercial and economic relations. 

Vice President Ansari, on a three day official visit to Peru also visited the Ancient Archeological site, Pachacamas, one of the major historical tourist attractions along the North West Pacific coast of South America. Our correspondent covering the Vice President’’s visit brings you the details. 

Around 40 kilometres drive from Capital Lima, the archaeological site of Pachacamac in Peru, was a major religious center located in the Lurin Valley of the Andes Mountains. Founded in first century AD, Pachacamac contains administrative structures built by the Huari state, that existed about 650 AD as well as the Inca state (1450-1532). Civilisation had flourished in Pachacamac between these two invasions around 1000-1450, and later suffered during the Spanish invasion in 1532. The site still contains several pyramids of Huari, Pachacamac and Inca constructions. Excavated by the German archaeologist Max Uhle late in 19th century, Pachacamac was considered the 'Earth-Maker' creator god, by people who lived in this part of Peru before the Inca conquest. MADAN KUMAR, reporting for AIRNEWS from Lima. 

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The Supreme Court today directed the Sahara group to hand over title deeds of its properties worth 20,000 crore rupees to SEBI warning that failure to comply would mean Subrata Roy cannot leave India. 

The apex court also asked the group to give valuation reports of the properties to SEBI which will verify worth of assets. 

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Falling for the fifth straight session, the Sensex at the Bombay Stock Exchange declined 113 points, or 0.6 percent, to close at 20,570, today, on investor caution ahead of the Reserve Bank’s monetary policy review. The rupee depreciated 6 paise to close at 61.52 against the dollar. Gold dropped 220 rupees, to 32,350 rupees per ten grams in Delhi. Silver lost 100 rupees, to 49,800 rupees per kilo.Arjun Chowdhuri, AIR News)  

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Midfielder Manpreet Singh will lead the 18-member squad in the 3rd Asian Champions Trophy to be held at Kakamigahara, Japan from November from 2nd to 10th.  A Hockey India announcement in New Delhi said that Midfielder Kothajit Singh has been named Manpreet's deputy for the mega event. 

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The News Services Division of All India Radio in its weekly 'PUBLIC SPEAK" programme will bring you a discussion tonight on 'FOOD INFLATION AND MEASURES TO CURB IT".  This can be heard on FM Gold Channel and additional frequencies at 9.30 p.m. Listeners can ask questions to the experts in our studio on telephone number: 011-2331-4444.