December 2012 – Page 7

Govt steers clear of SP`s demand on proportionate reservation for Muslims

News

Dec 172012

New Delhi: The government on Monday steered clear of SP’s demand for proportionate reservation to Muslims but expressed the hope that its decision to provide 4.5 per cent quota to minorities will see the light of the day despite Andhra Pradesh High Courts’ rejection.

“What can I say if their party says something. A demand can be made for anything…The promise of Congress made in its election manifesto (to provide reservation to backward Muslims) is our first priority….We never talked about proportonate reservation. We never made any such promise,” Minority Affairs Minister K Rahman Khan told reporters here.

He was responding to questions on Samajwadi Party leader Ramgopal Yadav’s demand in Rajya Sabha that Muslims should be given reservation in proportion to their population through an amendment in the Constitution.

Khan said that he wrote a letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh last month drawing his attention towards the apprehensions among the minorities over terror cases and urging him to ensure speedier trial of the cases.

Regarding apprehensions raised by minority groups about some of the provisions of the Centre’s Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA), Khan said that he has brought the concerns of the minorities regarding this to the notice of ministries concerned and was hopeful that they will take steps to address them.

Khan said that he is “hopeful” that the government will be able to convince the Supreme Court on the merits of its decision to carve out a 4.5 per cent sub quota for minorities out of the OBC reservation quota of 27 per cent.

The Andhra Pradesh High Court had rejected the Centre’s decision on the sub quota while the Supreme Court also made observations against it.

However, Khan said, “We are not doing anything except taking all the minorities, who are already getting benefits under Mandal Commission and putting them together. It’s grouping them. It is scientific way of giving it.”

Khan said that similar kind of reservation model is working in Karnataka and, hence, “There cannot be different yardsticks for Karnataka and the rest of the country.”

He said that even the Andhra Pradesh High Court had “not said that quota is illegal” and that the government’s decision on the sub quota is “scientific” but there may be some “lapse in presentation” and that will be set right.

“I am hopeful because I think we will be able to address the Supreme Court’s doubts. We will be able to provide them the data (related to backwardness) as they demanded,” he said.

Regarding new initiatives being taken by his Ministry, Khan said that he is planning to set up separate consultative bodies within his Ministry to look after each of the five notified religious minority communities as the requirements of each minority community is different and needed to be approached differently.

He said that the government has completed the formalities to bring the new Wakf Amendment Bill before Parliament after incorporating the recommendations of the Select Committee of Rajya Sabha and it will be brought soon.

He, at the same time, added that it was not possible to bring it in this session now with just few days left for it to conclude.

The Minister said he is hopeful that he will also be able to introduce the long-pending Equal Opportunity Bill in the next session as well as complete the process of having diversity index and setting up of national data bank, three major recommendations of the Sachar Committee that went into backwardness of Muslims.

He acknowleged that monitoring of the schemes is a “big challenge” and that the states do not hold the meetings of the monitoring committees to track the performance of the implementation of the schemes meant for minorities.

Khan said that the proposed restructuring of the National Minority Development Corporation will widen its ambit to enmpower it for direct lending and creating two more subsidiaries within it while the Maulana Azad Educational Foundation (MAEF) will now have greater involvement in expansion of education among the minorities.

PTI

No CBI influence exerted on SP chief, says Congress

News

Dec 172012

New Delhi: The Congress Monday rejected the Samajwadi Party’s charge that the CBI was used to influence its decision in the foreign direct investment (FDI) in retail and jobs quota bill.

“There is no question of any influence. There is no proof of it,” Congress spokesperson PC Chacko told reporters.

The Samajwadi Party Sunday alleged that the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) was being used to trap its chief, Mulayam Singh Yadav.

The SP’s remark came ahead of the crucial vote on a bill Monday evening that promises reservation to the Scheduled Castes (SCs) and the Scheduled Tribes (STs) in job promotions.

Both the SP and the BSP had helped the ruling UPA win the parliament vote on FDI in retail.

“The SP and the BSP took their positions on FDI on their own. I don’t think a leader of Mulayam Singh Yadav’s stature would be afraid of CBI,” said Chacko.

PTI

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First Published: Monday, December 17, 2012, 23:39

Democracy, migration, tech fuelling change in Indi

News

Dec 172012

New Delhi: Democracy, migration and technology are the three basic forces that drive change in India, Congress General Secretary Rahul Gandhi said on Monday.

He made this remark while chairing a talk by eminent US-based Indian scientist Vijay Kumar on ‘Aerial Robot Swarms: Technology that will shape the future’ organised by Rajiv Gandhi Institute For Contemporary Studies (RGICS).

In his interventions during interaction, Rahul also emphasised the need for democratisation of technology and urged youngsters to explore the usage of technology for both humanitarian and nation building purposes.

“I don’t think, technology can enslave us. I think we enslave ourselves,” he said responding to a question and added that technology can be used for wrong purposes too.

Recalling the introduction of computer in the country when his late father Rajiv Gandhi was the Prime Minister, Rahul said the RGICS chose robot as a topic to make people understand its technology and how it helps the people.

In his speech, Vijay Kumar, who is a science professor at University of Pennsylvania, narrated the functioning of autonomous micro aerial robots that can operate in three- dimensional environments, with or without GPS, and after many opportunities for environment monitoring, search and rescue and first response.

He described his recent work on small, agile aerial robots at the University of Pennsylvania and the challenges in deployment of large numbers of aerial robots, with applications to cooperative manipulation and transport, construction and exploration and mapping.

PTI

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First Published: Monday, December 17, 2012, 23:35

All IAF aircraft to have anti-collision devices: AK Antony

News

Dec 172012

New Delhi: All IAF aircraft to be procured in future will have anti-collision technologies incorporated in them, Defence Minister AK Antony said on Monday.

IAF has decided that all aircraft to be procured by them in future will have anti-collision technologies incorporated in them. The type of equipment will depend on the role and operational employability of the aircraft, he said in reply to a written query in Lok Sabha.

He said the Embraer Executive Jets and Boeing Business Jets for VIP I WIP duties are equipped with Traffic Alert Collision Avoidance Systems and Ground Proximity Warning Systems as anti-collision features.

“The total cost of procurement of these aircraft and the associated equipment is inclusive of the collision avoidance systems mentioned above,” Antony said.

Meanwhile, answering another query, the Defence Minister said the 13th Round of Siachen talks between the Defence Secretaries of India and Pakistan were held at Rawalpindi from 11th to 12th June, 2012.

“They reaffirmed their resolve to make serious, sustained and result oriented efforts for seeking an amicable resolution of Siachen issue. It was agreed to continue the dialogue on Siachen in keeping with the desire of the leaders of both countries for early resolution of all outstanding issues”, he said.

To a query on Tatra trucks, he said, “The number of such vehicles with the Indian Army is 7,983 and it is about four per cent of total vehicles authorised for use by the Army.”

At present there is no further procurement of Tatra Trucks and their spare parts, Antony said.

PTI

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First Published: Monday, December 17, 2012, 23:24

Kohli ready for Test captaincy – Gavaskar

Sports

Dec 172012

Virat Kohli celebrates his third century in Tests, India v England, 4th Test, Nagpur, 3rd day, December 15, 2012 Sunil Gavaskar says Virat Kohli’s responsible ton showed he has grown © BCCI
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Delhi face a daunting last-day challenge

Sports

Dec 172012

Maharashtra 3 for 0 and 196 (Bawne 58, Narwal 3-35) lead Delhi 193 (Rawal 65, Fallah 5-67, Dhumal 3-32) by six runsScorecard

Delhi needed two wins to give themselves a chance at squeezing into the Ranji knockouts. But at the Roshanara Club, they were far from a dominant position to force the win against Maharashtra. An unheralded bowling attack on a wicket that is made for accuracy and length had Delhi all out for 193 late into the second day. At stumps, Maharashtra were 3 for no loss.

In theory, Delhi can still win the match, as two innings have been completed and two days of play remain. Maharashtra’s first innings lasted just over 55 overs, and Delhi’s more lauded batting survived all of 77. It was proof enough of Maharashtra’s control that the run-scoring was neither fluent nor easy.

This is a match played in fast forward, and so far, it appears Maharashtra’s first innings may not mean much. They have the advantage, though, on two grounds.

First, they know that should bad weather wipe out chunks of the remaining two days, they have done enough to be the team ahead. Overnight rain and a morning shower delayed play by two hours this morning, and at stumps only 54 overs could be bowled in the day.

Secondly, at all costs, Delhi will have to win this match with the bat, chasing any half-reasonable target on a wicket that is made for bowlers with discipline and accuracy.

One of them would be left-arm pace bowler Samad Fallah, who picked up 5-67 in the 29 overs he bowled in three long spells of eleven, ten and eight overs running through the Delhi innings. It is his tenth five-wicket haul in his 40th first-class match, and not the first time he has bowled at the Roshanara. He picked up five wickets in his first match here two years ago and so knew how to bowl on this wicket.

When play resumed, Manhas and Rawal played for most part of an hour, before Manhas tried to force the issue, playing across the line to the parsimonious Fallah. He was the first wicket to fall in the day, but it was the departure of the other Delhi stalwart Rajat Bhatia that signalled the end of Delhi’s frontline batsmen. Fallah came around the wicket to Bhatia and nibbled at his glove as he went forward defending, and wicketkeeper Motwani took the catch. He said his team thought of him as the bowler of the big wickets, and remembered getting Suresh Raina out for a duck against UP. “I relish the challenge of bowling to the best batsmen in a team. The others that are not that good, they play and miss.”

The latter half of the Delhi innings was wrapped up by Nikit Dhumal, a debutant for Maharashtra in this game. It was a performance that Fallah appreciated. “Nikit made his debut in the under-25s for Maharashtra this season. And when we saw him here, it wasn’t like he was making his debut at this level. He brought us back into this game.”

Dhumal picked up the wickets of Delhi top scorer, Vaibhav Rawal, blocking off the midwicket, which produced a stylishly lofted flick that landed in the hands of Anupam Sankelcha at deep-backward square leg. He then removed Sumit Narwal and Pradeep Sangwan, bowlers who were capable of exuberant innings that could have shrunk the score. It would be possible to defend any sizeable target that Maharashtra can set Delhi. The reason said Fallah, with a smile, was “because they’re desperate.”

Ad agencies refuse association with Inkaar

Celebrities

Dec 172012

In Bollywood today, the filmmakers are always on a look out for subjects that no one has touched upon, but which exist in the society. One such topic is that of sexual harassment at the workplace, which exactly is the subject of Sudhir Mishra’s forthcoming film Inkaar. The film stars Arjun Rampal with Chitrangda Singh.

And since the film has been shot in advertising agencies across Mumbai, especially in Leo Burnett and Grey Worldwide to showcase advertising office as is, Sudhir was planning to give a thank you slate to both the agencies for providing the location. But post the film’s trailers, pat came the reply from both the agencies that they don’t want any branding or reference of their agency in film. The spokesperson of Inkaar says, “We have shot extensively in advertising agencies. However, story can be set in any environment. And it deals with sexual dynamics in an office. We would speak to agencies as this is our way of saying thank you.”

However, apparently the fear that any reference would mean that their agency is somehow directly or indirectly linked to the film is being assumed as the reason for agencies to refuse any kind of association with the film.

Watch Promo: Inkaar

Ubarhande leads Vidarbha’s strong reply

Sports

Dec 172012

Vidarbha 302 for 2 (Ubarhande 129*, S Shrivastava 84*, SS Das 53) trail Karnataka 619 for 8 dec by 317 runsScorecard

Amol Ubarhande hit his maiden first-class hundred to lead Vidarbha’s strong reply to Karnataka’s huge total. The Vidarbha openers Faiz Fazal (22) and Shiv Sunder Das (53) could not go on to make big scores but Ubarhande and Shalabh Shrivastava had put on 209 runs by stumps. Ubarhande was more aggressive of the two, hitting 18 fours in his 129 while Shrivastava was unbeaten on 84 off 218 deliveries. The visitors had chosen to field on a grassy Mysore pitch and Karnataka’s KL Rahul had said the hosts would have done the same, but so far, there have been a double hundred, two centuries and four fifties in the game.

Baroda 208 and 116 for 4 (Kaushik 3-23) lead Tamil Nadu 230 (Prasanna 75, Aparajith 62, Vahora 4-36) by 94 runsScorecard

Things slowed down at the Moti Bagh ground after Tamil Nadu gained a 22-run lead, but there had been plenty of excitement before that. Resuming the day on 166 for 6 in pursuit of Baroda’s 208, Tamil Nadu slipped to 182 for 8, before R Prasanna and No 10 M Rangarajan steered them past the hosts’ score. Tamil Nadu eventually made 230, Murtuja Vahora ending with 4 for 36. J Kaushik probed away when Baroda came out to bat, and dismissed the first three Baroda batsmen after each of them had got starts, the highest being Aditya Waghmode’s 39. None of those batsmen had a strike-rate above 40 and Ketan Panchal’s 38-ball duck summed up Baroda’s approach. The captain Ambati Rayudu was battling it out on 18 off 57 deliveries at stumps.

Uttar Pradesh 227 and 217 for 4 (T Srivastava 73) lead Haryana 276 (Dewan 93, Joginder 65, Rajpoot 6-68) by 168 runsScorecard

Uttar Pradesh recovered from an iffy 121 for 4 in their second innings through the efforts of Parvinder Singh and Eklavya Dwivedi in Lucknow. UP had already conceded a 49-run lead to Haryana, who could add just five runs to their overnight 271 for 8 before being dismissed. The fast bowler Ankit Rajpoot took his best figures of 6 for 68, his maiden first-class five-for. Tanmay Srivastava made 73 upfront for UP, but Mukul Dagar, Mohammad Kaif and Suresh Raina went cheaply, with Mohit Sharma and Amit Mishra sharing the wickets. Parvinder and Dwivedi, though, added an unbeaten 96 for the fifth wicket to ease the hosts’ nerves.

Maharashtra 196 and 266 (Khadiwale 96, Bawne 55, Narwal 3-48) lead Delhi 193 by 269 runsScorecard

Delhi have a daunting 270-run target to chase on a lively Roshanara Club pitch against Maharashtra on the fourth day. The Delhi team was guilty of allowing Maharashtra to surge to 266 in the second innings with major contributions from Harshad Khadiwale (96) and Ankit Bawne (55).

For the full match-report, click here.

Tour Edge T-Balance 07 Black Putter

Sports

Dec 172012

T-Balance features a patented 90° bend shaft that delivers an advanced level of feel never before achieved in any other putter design. Features: The T-Balance features a patented 90° bend shaft that delivers an advanced level of feel never before achieved in any other putter design. The shaft’s arched structure is stronger than a traditional [Read More …]

Shami’s ten wickets give Bengal win

Sports

Dec 172012

Bengal 116 (A Das 73, Anwar 5-44, Ashish Reddy 5-51) and 183 for 6 (Banerjee 56, Saha 52*) beat Hyderabad 115 (Shami 4-36) and 181 (Akshath Reddy 49, Ashish Reddy 42, Shami 6-71) by four wicketsScorecard

Bengal overcame early and late wobbles in their chase of 181 to seal victory over Hyderabad by four wickets at Eden Gardens. Bengal were 47 for 3 at one stage, before opener Rohan Banerjee and wicketkeeper Wriddhiman Saha revived the innings. Hyderabad kept chipping away, though. Anwar Ahmed had Banerjee caught behind and bowled Laxmi Shukla to reduce Bengal to 167 for 6, but Saha was around to guide them to victory. Bengal nearly doubled their points tally from seven to 13, and had to thank the fast bowler Shami Ahmed for that. After taking four wickets in the Hyderabad first innings, Shami grabbed six more in the second innings as the visitors could add only nine runs to their overnight 172 for 7 this morning. It was 22-year old Shami’s second ten-wicket haul in 15 first-class games.

Punjab 148 and 354 for 8 (f/o) (Yuvraj 131, Jiwanjot 103, Amitoze 52, G Yadav 4-86) lead Madhya Pradesh 323 by 179 runsScorecard

Yuvraj Singh, back to the domestic grind after being left out of the Test squad, and Jiwanjot Singh, the in-form opener, hit centuries as Punjab fought back in their follow-on innings in Gwalior. Jiwanjot hit his fourth hundred of his debut season, while Yuvraj smashed 15 fours and four sixes on his way to 131 off 150 deliveries. The duo knocked off the deficit of 175, and had started to build a lead when Jiwanjot fell to Gaurav Yadav, playing his second first-class game. Yadav removed the Punjab captain Mandeep Singh and Uday Kaul cheaply next. When Anand Rajan had Yuvraj caught, Punjab were 277 for 6, a lead of 102. Amitoze Singh hit a breezy fifty and ensured Punjab had a decent lead of 179 by stumps.

Rajasthan 135 (Anureet 5-40) and 152 for 3 (f/o) (Chouhan 51) trail Railways 405 by 117 runsScorecard

Railways medium-pacer Anureet Singh took a five-for as Rajasthan were blown away for 135 in their first innings in reply to Railways’ 405 in Bhubaneshwar. The highest any Rajasthan batsman managed was 27, by Ashok Menaria. Ranjitkumar Mali picked up 3 for 42, including the big wickets of Menaria and Rashmi Parida. Railways, with only seven points from five games and in search of an outright win, enforced the follow-on. Rajasthan batted much better the second time, opener Sourabh Chouhan leading the way with a fifty. Robin Bist and Menaria had put on an unbroken 44 for the third wicket by stumps, but Rajasthan still needed another 117 to avoid an innings defeat.

Saurashtra 248 for 8 (Vasavada 83*, Jaydev Shah 60) trail Mumbai 606 for 5 dec (Tare 222, Rohit 166, Jaffer 79, Nayar 69*) by 358 runsScorecard

Mumbai were set to take a huge first-innings lead on a slow day in Rajkot as Saurashtra lost eight wickets in pursuit of the visitors’ mammoth total. Ajit Agarkar, Dhawal Kulkarni, Javed Khan and Iqbal Abdulla took two wickets each. The home captain Jaydev Shah made 60 and there were a couple of thirties but the major contribution was from Aarpit Vasavada, who was unbeaten on 83 off 231 deliveries. But unfortunately for Saurashtra, there is little support left for him at the other end.

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