NEWS IN BRIEF – NOV 28, 2011
1. India-China talks may go off track, Buddhist Conclave To Cast
Shadow Over Key Meets: New Delhi: Even as it still tries to fix dates for
the next round of Sino-India boundary talks, from which China backed out
owing to New Delhi’s support for a Buddhist congregation which will be
addressed by Dalai Lama, the government is worried that other crucial
bilateral engagements may suffer. [TOI p11]
2. No retail FDI in 25 out of 53 cities?, State Leaders Slam Doors On
Global Chains: New Delhi: With Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalithaa
raising the red flag against FDI in multi-brand retail, nearly half of the 53
cities may be out of bounds for global chains. [TOI p1]
3. Jaya slams door on global retail chains: Chennai: Tamil Nadu CM and
AIADMK chief J Jayalalithaa on Sunday slammed the UPA government at
the Centre for its decision to open the gates to foreign direct investment in
the retail market “without consulting the states” and demanded its
immediate rollback. [TOI p7]
4. Centre plans bill to defer sealing in Delhi till 2014 : NEW DELHI:Barely
four months before the municipal polls in the Capital, the Centre has
decided to table a bill in Parliament to defer sealing and demolition of
more than one lakh unauthorised residential and commercial properties till
December 2014.[HT p1]
5. Sule meets Thackeray, says thanks for supporting Pawar : Mumbai :
Baramati MP and the daughter of Union Agriculture Minister Sharad
Pawar, Supriya Sule, on Sunday met Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray at his
residence here to express gratitude for supporting Pawar after the attack
on him in Delhi.[IE p3]
6. Sibal refuses to intervene in saffronisation of textbooks : New Delhi :
Changes in education content for political reasons had hit headline
recently but HRD minister Kapil Sibal has decided to remain oblivious on
the ground that academics is an exclusive domain of the institutions.[HT
p8]
7. Ajit Singh Likely to Get Civil Aviation Portfolio : NEW DELHI : The
Congress party and the Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) are likely to soon
announce a pre-poll alliance, an arrangement that could see RLD chief Ajit
Singh getting the civil aviation portfolio, two Congress leaders told ETon
the condition of anonymity. [ET p3]
8. CAG to appear again before JPC on 2G issue : CHENNAI: Comptroller
and Auditor General Vinod Rai will once again appear before JPC looking
at the 2G scam to explain how the government auditor reached at the
figure of R1.76 lakh crore in arriving at the presumptive loss in spectrum
allocation.[HT p8]
9. One lokpal bill for Centre, states? : NEW DELHI: The parliamentary
panel examining the lokpal bill is likely to recommend that Parliament pass
a law for creating the anti-graft watchdog at the Centre and also
lokayuktas in states.[HT p1]
10. CBI to seek Nepal help in Ramdev aide case: New Delhi: The CBI will
soon send a judicial request to Nepal seeking details of yoga guru Baba
Ramdev’s aide Acharya Balkrishna in connection with a case of furnishing
fake documents to get an Indian passport.[TOI p11]
11. CBI May Target My Brother: CM : Lucknow : Political rivals of chief
minister Mayawati have dubbed her brother as a power centre, but she
declared at Sunday’s rally that he would not aspire to be even an MLA or
MP. [ET p2]
12. 30 IPS officers quit for pvt jobs between ’08 & ’10 : New Delhi:
Contrary to popular perception that IPS is an elite all-India service, 30
officers of the cadre have left the top policing job for greener pastures in
the last three years. [TOI p14]
13. Fear of graft taint stalling decisions: Sibal, ‘Protect Officials From
Being Penalized For Honest Mistakes’: Mumbai: A telecom company
can be penalized anywhere between nil and Rs 50 crore for violating
rules. But bureaucrats are so worried of being accused of corruption that
they are levying the maximum amount, almost as a rule. Nor is there any
chance of the fine being lowered by the minister, who is equally reluctant
to invite charges of graft. [TOI p1]
14. Govt likely to name LGT a/c holders : New Delhi: Under pressure from
the opposition on the issue of illegal wealth stashed abroad, the
government may soon reveal the names of individuals who allegedly have
black money deposited in LGT Bank, Liechtenstein. [TOI p1]
15. Right to recall: Popular with voters, rejected by politicians :
LUCKNOW:Politicians are unwilling to arm the common man with the
ultimate weapon–right to reject or recall an election candidate–a demand
flagged by anti-graft crusader Anna Hazare.[HT p10]
16. Hazare should not be rigid, says Tharoor : Ahmedabad : The former
Minister of State for External Affairs, Shashi Tharoor, feels Team Anna
should allow MPs to use their discretion in framing the Jan Lokpal Bill
instead of adopting a rigid stand on the issue.[The Hindu p10]
17. LGT black money case: Penalty of 200% on siphoned-off money :
New Delhi: Sources said in the LGT black money case, that the I-T
department has moved courts in different cities, including Mumbai,
Chennai and Delhi initiating prosecution against the offenders. Besides
the recovery of tax, authorities have imposed a penalty of 200% of the
amount allegedly siphoned off. [TOI p12]
18. Banks lend 200% of road project costs, govt worried : New Delhi: If
you were to buy a house, banks would give you a loan of 80-85% of the
value of the property. If you were to build a road, though, you could get
double the project cost computed by the highways authority. [TOI p1]
19. Munde: BJP will stall Parliament : New Delhi : BJP’s deputy leader in
the Lok Sabha Gopinath Munde on Sunday said his party would not allow
Parliament to proceed on Monday over the issue of FDI in the retail
sector.[AA p3]
20. BJP ropes in sworn enemy of Reddy bros : Bellary: There is no better
ally than the enemy of a friend-turned-foe. At least that is what seems to
be the reasoning of the BJP which on Sunday rolled out the red carpet to
mining businessman Tapal Ganesh, who was one of the earliest
detractors of the ruling party’s erstwhile satraps in Bellary, the Reddy
brothers. [TOI p14]
21. Reddy brothers whistleblower joins BJP : Bellary : In a significant
twist to the Bellary (ST) seat bypoll, Tapal Ganesh, the whistleblower of
the Reddy brothers who played a pivotal role in “exposing” the illegal
mining scam, has joined the BJP.[AA p2]
22. BJP GOVT IN ORISSA MOST CORRUPT: CONG : Bhubaneswar: The
Congress on Sunday dubbed the ruling BJD in Orissa as the “most
corrupt“ government in the country and predicted that the latter will be
severely rejected by the voters in the forthcoming Umerkote Assembly bypoll.
[AA p2]
23. Fin Min wasn’t kept in the loop : NEW DELHI : The CBI probe into
alleged irregularities committed in awarding telecom licences during the
tenure of the late Pramod Mahajan as communications minister has
revealed that accused former officials of the department of
telecommunications (DoT) did not even consult the finance ministry while
deciding the prices for additional spectrum.[AA p4]
24. Maya woos Dalits, backwards for votes, ‘Must Unite To Keep Out
Thakur CM; Cong Having Nightmare Of Elephant Trampling It’:
Lucknow: Within days of a Brahmin convention where the Uttar Pradesh
CMtriedtocashin on Brahmin-Thakur rivalry by asserting that Congress
and BJP were aiming for a Thakur CM, Mayawati on Sunday exhorted
Dalits and backwards to bury their differences and join hands to bring BSP
to power in 2012. [TOI p13]
25. Elephant to trample Congress: Mayawati : LUCKNOW:Scaling up her
war of Rahul Gandhi, UP chief minister Mayawati on Sunday said the
party was scared of being “trampled“ under the feet of the elephant, the
ruling BSP’s poll symbol.[HT p10]
26. Lokpal: Decision on PM next week : New Delhi: The parliamentary
panel on Lokpal Bill, which is divided on inclusion of Prime Minister under
the ambit of the anti-corruption watchdog. [AA p3]
27. BJP changes poll gameplan, to cherrypick candidates : NEW DELHI:
The BJP is determined to be the power behind the throne in Uttar Pradesh
after the 2012 elections. “We are not deluding ourselves that we will form
the government, but surely we could be in the second slot to play the kingmaker,“
said a party strategist.[HT p10]
28. Aseemanand questions bail to Malegaon 7, claims was tortured :
New Delhi : Ten days after seven accused in the 2006 Malegaon blast
case were released on bail, partly because of his confession that Hindu
extremists were behind the attack, Swami Aseemanand has questioned
the decision, reiterating that he had already retracted that statement made
by him under “extortion”.[IE p1]
29. With polls near, Cong defers ITs Chintan Shivir :New Delhi: The
Congress has dropped plans to hold a “chintan shivir“, with Assembly
elections looming in Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Uttarakhand and Goa. But
some insiders feel the FDI issue, among others, needs to be discussed
within a party forum as there is confusion in the rank and file. The issue
could be major Opposition plank in the poll-bound states.[AA p1]
30. As poll nears, secularism to guide Rahul-led Youth Cong : New
Delhi: Rahul GandhiledYouthCongressislikely to emphasise on
secularism and accountability as the motto for its cadres, positioning the
foot soldiers firmly for the upcoming electoral challenges spearheaded by
the Congress heir apparent. [TOI p13]
31. I have proof to defend my case: Bedi, FIR Filed, Cops Ready To
Probe: New Delhi: Team Anna member and India’s first woman IPS
officer, Kiran Bedi, is set be interrogated by officials of Delhi Police, a
force she had served for many years, after a case was registered against
her on Sunday for allegedly misappropriating funds meant for her NGOs.
[TOI p3]
32. Delhi Police file FIR against Bedi : NEW DELHI: Tables have turned on
former IPS officer Kiran Bedi, who will now be questioned by the same
Delhi Police officers who had once worked under her. Following a city
court’s order, the Delhi Police crime branch has filed an FIR against her
under various sections of the IPC.[HT p5]
33. EC: 53 U.P. SEATS MONEY SENSITIVE: New Delhi: The Election
Commission has declared 53 Assembly seats as “expenditure sensitive“
and prone to “high illegal funding and corrupt practices“ in poll-bound Uttar
Pradesh. A high-level team of the panel has also begun a tour of the state
starting on Sunday to chalk out preparations in this regard with the income
tax department and other enforcement authorities for curbing use of illegal
funds during polls.[AA p2]
34. SP restores tickets to two candidates : Lucknow : The Samajwadi
Party has restored tickets of two of the remaining five candidates whose
candidature was cancelled on Thursday. The candidates are Abhinav
Sharma from Agra North and Rafe Rana from Husainganj, Fatehpur.[IE
p3]
35. Modi govt says food Bill against federal structure : New Delhi :
Having publicly objected to the Communal Violence Bill drafted by the
Sonia Gandhi-led National Advisory Council (NAC), the Narendra Modi-led
Gujarat government has now sent its strong objections to Sonia’s pet
project, National Food Security Bill, terming it against the sanctity of the
federal structure of the Constitution.[IE p4]
36. Ministry wants 8.4 for minorities in OBC quota : New Delhi : With the
Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) keen to move fast on the Congress’s poll
promise of providing reservation to socially and economically backward
minorities, the Ministry of Minority Affairs is learnt to have proposed
creation of 8.4 per cent sub quota for minorities — of which 6 per cent
should be for Muslims — within the 27 per cent OBC quota.[IE p3]
37. Anna gets MCD nod for Ramlila Maidan stir : New Delhi: In a clear
indication that Team Anna is unlikely to be satisfied by the
recommendation of the parliamentary standing committee looking into the
Lokpal Bill and is planning to launch a fresh offensive, the activists have
already sought permission from civic authorities to stage protests at
Ramlila Maidan from December 27 besides holding rallies against a weak
Lokpal from Monday. [TOI p7]
38. Hooda asks voters to give Congress a chance : Ratia : With polling for
Ratia Assembly constituency scheduled for Wednesday, Haryana Chief
Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda on Sunday appealed to voters to give
Congress a chance and ensure all round development in the area.[HT p5]
39. Maya Declares Cong Main Opponent: LUCKNOW : Bahujan Samaj
Party czarina Mayawati launched her election campaign at a massive rally
here on Sunday and sought to block attempts of her rivals to poach into
the umbrella social alliance her party forged in the last polls. [ET p2]
40. Maya denies misusing NREGA : Lucknow :UP chief minister Mayawati
on Sunday vowed her Bahujan Samaj Party would return to power in the
state and mounted a vociferous attack on the Congress, and particularly
on Amethi MP Rahul Gandhi.[AA p2]
41. Property tax in MCD areas set to get higher : NEW DELHI:House
owners in MCD areas may soon have to shell out more as property tax.
The civic agency is planning to levy an education cess from next year to
boost its revenue.Residents living in the MCD areas may soon have to
shell out more money in the form of new taxes.[HT p2]
42. 2,000 RWAs raise voice against hike in power tariff : NEW
DELHI:Members of various residents’ welfare associations (RWAs)
participated in a ‘Bijli Andolan’ at the Talkatora Stadium against increased
power tariff. The andolan, flagged off by senior BJP leader and former
Union minister Vijay Goel, saw the participation of 2,000 RWAs, NGOs
and traders’ associations.[HT p5]
43. Event IIT label can’t sell some courses, 750 seats vacant : New Delhi
: The Indian Institutes of Technology (IIT) authorities will have a relook at
some of the least aspired for courses to avoid the high rate of vacancies in
the institutes. About 750 seats -while the total number of admissions in
IIT-Delhi was 850 -remained vacant in 2011.[HT p1]
