Prime Minister Narendra Modi starts up new business era with tax breaks and mega fund

The government on Saturday unveiled a raft of measures - ranging from tax waiver for three years, ending inspector raj and a mega fund — to help boost the start-up eco-system.

The 19-point action plan, which was announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi after a day-long event, came with the promise that the government will only play the role of a facilitator and not burden entrepreneurs with complicated compliance requirements.

"If the government doesn't do anything, so much will happen. We have done a lot for 70 years. Where have we reached? Please tell us what not to do. If we decide not do anything, they (entrepreneurs) will take us places," Modi said at a jam-packed Vigyan Bhawan in the Capital.

The prime minister had announced the Start Up India campaign in his Independence Day speech last year to accelerate the pace of creating jobs at a time when employment growth in the government and the brick-and-mortar economy remained slow.


On Saturday, Modi — who shared the dais with prominent names from Indian start-ups as well as global giants such as Uber founder Travis Kalanick and SoftBank chairman and CEO Masayoshi Son — put in place the first building blocks, by defining a start-ups and detailing the action plan to help these businesses grow.

To begin with, any entity which has been around for less than five years and has a turnover of less than 25 crore qualifies to be defined as a start-up, provided it is working towards innovation, development, deployment or commercial of new products, process or services that are driven by technology or intellectual property.

If a company clears the test conducted by a government board, it will be entitled to several benefits including a three-year income tax holiday. In addition, the government announced capital gains tax benefits. Although the plan has been unveiled some of the measures can only be implemented after the budget is cleared by Parliament.

The policy recognises the potential that start-ups can play in the coming years after a recent spurt which saw the number of in the technology space jump over nine times from 501 entities in 2010 to over 4,500 last year. The increase has come with the rise of Flipkart, Snapdeal, Ola Cabs and Paytm, which have become household names and attracted huge investor interest.

Currently, Indian entrepreneurs depend on overseas investors for over 90% of the funding, which has been a major area of concern. The government sought to address this partly through a Rs 10,000 crore fund of funds and a Rs 2,000 crore credit guarantee fund. While the corpus was seen to be small, industrial promotion and policy secretary Amitabh Kant said that the steps announced on Saturday were just the beginning and the government would build upon them in the coming years.

But even before a start-up can claim benefits, the government promised to set up a forum for handholding apart from aiding patent applications.

Some of the measures initiated by the government and some that are in the pipeline are meant to check a flight of companies out of India to avoid high taxes.

The government once again promised easier exit through the new insolvency law. Modi then went on to seek the support of entrepreneurs and suggested that they should mount pressure on the Opposition, which had not yet pledged support to the Bill introduced in Parliament.

Source: TOI

Ahmedabad’s rank improved from 4th most polluted city to 84th: CM Anandiben Patel

AHMEDABAD: Gujarat chief minister Anandiben Patel on Thursday said that our efforts should be to free the society from pollution, instead of controlling the pollution. 

Speaking at function to launch a mass tree plantation drive, called "Make Vatva a Vrindavan'' by a dozen industrial groups to mark the World Environment Day in the Vatva Industrial Area here, she said a clean environment has its direct benefit in the form of a healthy, disease-free future. 

Patel said that tertiary sewage treatment plants are proposed to set up in 50 towns in the state. She stressed on the need to synchronize development with environment protection. She said that indiscriminate exploitation of natural resources is a major reason for the problem of global warming. 

There was a time when Gujarat was the 4th most polluted city in the country. With consistent efforts, it has been brought down to 84th position, she said. 

The Chief Minister lauded the industrial houses' initiative to plant 25,000 saplings in the Vatva area as part of a social responsibility. It is not enough to plant saplings; they should be nurtured till they grow to their full height. She released publications of the Gujarat Pollution Control Board (GPCB) on the occasion. 

Forest & Environment Minister Ganpat Vasava said Gujarat is one state which has created a separate Environment Department to deal with the crisis of climate change. He had a word of praise for the industrial houses joining the state government in solving the problem. 

Minister of State for Law Pradeepsinsh Jadeja, who hails from the same Vatva constituency, exuded confidence that Gujarat would march ahead in making Gujarat a Clean Green Environment under the leadership of the first Chief Minister.

Source: TOI

MP Navjot Sidhu creates scene at toll plaza

NELLORE: Maverick BJP MP and former Test cricketer Navjot Singh Sidhu allegedly pushed a security guard at a toll plaza on Tuesday and forcibly took him away in his vehicle leading to protests from the guard's family and villagers who demanded action against the MP. Sidhu was on a tour of Nellore.

It all began when the guard, Chenchu Ramaiah, allegedly hurled a stick at Sidhu's car which whizzed past the Venkatachalam toll plaza at Tallampadu village in Doravarisatram mandal without showing any ID proof or payment of toll fee. This led to a crack in the windshield. An enraged Sidhu came back to the plaza, overpowered Ramaiah and another guard and bundled them into his vehicle!

Plaza manager Lionel intervened and tried to pacify Sidhu. But an unrelenting Sidhu pushed him aside and sped away; shocked by the development, the staff at the plaza shouted for help. Soon, locals gathered and ran after the MP's car.

Sidhu's car meanwhile zoomed towards Nellore where the MP was invited to attend a programme of Swarna Bharathi Trust, owned by senior BJP leader M Venkaiah Naidu.

On receiving information, Gudur police rushed to the trust office and rescued the two security guards. Sidhu, however, had a heated argument with the policemen and asked them to register a case against the plaza staff for attacking him and his vehicle.

Senior police officers assured that they would take action after conducting an inquiry into the episode. Sources said police did not register a case against anybody following a request by Naidu.

Sidhu did not stop there, though. After attending the programme, he again reached the Venkatachalam toll plaza on his way to Tirumala in the evening where he found two lorries carrying a large number of cattle.

Sidhu jumped off his car and sat on a dharna on the national highway. He wanted the cops to take action against those involved in transporting the cattle to the slaughterhouse.

Meanwhile, sources said that hundreds of locals also gathered at the plaza and picked up a heated argument with Sidhu over his actions earlier in the day. As the melee continued, police rushed to the spot and tried to pacify the agitated MP. An hour later, Naidu, who was travelling to Chennai, also reached the plaza and tried to calm him down.

After failing to convince Sidhu, Naidu urged district SP Ramana Kumar to immediately send a team of senior officers to counsel Sidhu. Gudur DSP Suresh Kumar and inspector Srinivasula Reddy reached the spot and seized the lorries carrying the cattle. The SP also spoke to Sidhu and promised action against the cattle transporters under relevant Acts.

It was only then that Sidhu relented and left for Tirumala around 6 pm. Kumar told TOI that no case has been registered against Sidhu or the plaza staff.
SourceTimes of India

Pawar slapgate: Anna says violence is justified

Ralegan Siddhi: Anna Hazare, while admitting on Tuesday that he ‘committed violence’ when he asked if Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar’s attacker slapped him only once, hit out at the minister, saying the reasons behind the anger should also be considered.

“But for the betterment of society, I do not consider this violence as wrong. Many politicians felt very bad about the slapping incident, many of them got very angry also,” Hazare said in a post on his blog.

He said people held the person who asked the question (Hazare) more guilty than the man, Harvinder Singh, who had actually slapped Pawar. The social activist said he had always maintained that he should not be compared with Mahatma Gandhi.

“I am not even eligible to sit at the feet of Mahatma Gandhi but his thoughts have influenced my life in a very small way, because of which I have been able to do some work in the field of rural development and non-violent struggle for the development of the country,” he added.

Hazare, recounting several instances, said poor farmers were committing suicide in Maharashtra and elsewhere, and they have been caned and shot in the recent past for demanding their rights.

“But this does not cause any anger in our agriculture-based country. This is unfortunate. Many farmers have committed suicide in Maharashtra. But this did not make any politician angry? This is unfortunate,” he pointed out.
SourceAhmedabad Mirror

Sibal’s moral policing: ‘Offensive’ tweets, FB posts will be removed

New Delhi: The Indian government will not allow social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter to host “objectionable” content and will take steps to screen and remove these, Communications Minister Kapil Sibal said on Tuesday.

Sibal said this a day after representatives from Facebook, Twitter, Youtube and Microsoft declined to remove offensive content.

Sibal said some of the content available on these sites could hurt the religious sentiments of a large section of communities in India. “Religious sentiments of many communities and of any reasonable person is being hurt because of content which is on the sites,” he told reporters here.

The minister said he had first met with officials of Facebook, Twitter and Orkut on September 5 to discuss the concerns of the government over objectionable pictures being posted on their sites by users.

The pictures, which were shown off the record, depicted Congress president Sonia Gandhi and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in a bad light, while some others were insulting to various religions.

“Nobody minds satirical image of any public personality but if you show a certain form of me... this is not acceptable. Even individuals should be protected,” said Sibal. The minister said these firms were hesitant to even share information relating to terrorist activities.

“They will have to give us data, then there will be actions taken. We will ask them to give information. Allow us time to deal with it. But one thing is sure we will not allow this kind of content,” Sibal said.

The minister said he did not want to speak to the press on this issue but was forced to do so after the New York Times reported that the government was trying to censor these sites, which was not true. “This is far from the truth. If someone does not wants to remove this kind of incendiary material then the government has to do something about it,” said Sibal.
SourceAhmedabad Mirror

FDI mess: OK, you won, govt to Oppn

New Delhi: Desperate to break the deadlock in Parliament, the government on Monday informed the opposition parties that it was willing to hold back the decision on FDI in retail sector.

Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee said that a final decision on the FDI issue would be taken only after consulting stakeholders and the Opposition, which insisted on a complete rollback and not just holdback.

Despite the victory, Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj and CPI(M) leader Sitaram Yechury suggested the government convene an all-party meeting to convey its decision and then inform Parliament.

"I told Pranabda that he should pick up the threads where they were left the last time. Since he had promised to get back to the Opposition in the last all-party meeting, a similar meeting should be convened on Wednesday (December 7) in the morning where the government can clarify its stand," Swaraj told.

Asserting his party's demand for a complete rollback, BJP spokesperson Ravi Shankar Prasad said, "The BJP has clearly stated in the all-party meeting that it wants a rollback. Let the government come out with a formal response."

Yechury too expressed similar views. “We continue to stick to our demand of unconditional reversal of the decision on FDI. Mukherjee told us that Government has decided to put the decision of FDI in suspension and wanted the Parliament session to continue," Yechury later said.

Sources in both the BJP and the Left parties insisted that since there are differences within the Union Cabinet as well as in Congress on the FDI issue, such informal communication may not be the last word.

UPA allies TMC and DMK have openly opposed the decision while NCP has suggested that it should go by the sense of the House.

On its part, Congress put a brave face on the issue. "The decision to allow FDI in retail is right. In democracy, sometimes you have to rework your steps....You have to take everyone along...", said party spokesperson Renuka Chowdhury.
Source Ahmedabad Mirror

SGVP fans attacks DPS players after team loses match

The unidentified fan hurled a stone at the player after SGVP team lost to DPS in the under-16 basketball match held on home ground; matches for district-level selection for school games postponed after incident.

Unable to digest a third consecutive defeat on home ground, an irate fan of SGVP International school’s basketball team hurled a stone at a Delhi Public School, Bopal player shortly after an under-16 match on Thursday.




The player, identified as Aatish Shah, suffered a head injury and had to take three stitches to close the wound, sources told Mirror.

The incident took place at SGVP International (Chharodi), which was hosting the tournament being held for district level selection for school games. All further matches have been rescheduled and will be held at a different venue now, sources said.

DPS Bopal had defeated SGVP in the first round of under-19 tournament and even won the under-14 final. On Thursday, the team again defeated SGVP (12-10) in the first round of under-16 tournament, much to the chagrin of SGVP students.

Witnesses said the DPS players were being booed constantly by SGVP fans during Thursday’s match. Despite all the hooting, the DPS boys maintained their composure and won the match, they said.

“The attacker has to be an SGVP student since only students and officials conducting the matches were present at the venue,” said a witness on condition of anonymity.

“SGVP fans created a furore after losing the match. Just when DPS players were leaving the court, somebody from crowd hurled a stone at them. One player was injured and immediately taken for emergency medical treatment to SGVP’s clinic. The victim has been identified as Atish Shah, a student of Class X. He had to take three stitches,” said another witness.

He added, “The DPS sports coach had spoken to the SGVP coach about the lack of discipline among SGVP students before the match. However, no warning was issued to the fans or the players.”

‘THEY THREW LEMONS EARLIER’

A DPS student who had witnessed all the basketball matches of his school team, said, “In the under-19 match held on Tuesday, SGVP fans threw lemons at our players. In another match, held the next day, they displayed rowdy behaviour by hooting and abusing our players. But what happened on Thursday, just cannot be tolerated.”

“Our boys never reacted to their abuses and name-calling. They simply played well and won matches. A school that doesn’t know how to inculcate sportsmanship spirit in its students should never participate in sports,” said another eyewitness.

Sources told Mirror that a police complaint in the case is ruled out since SGVP principal spoke to teachers, principal and players of DPS school, assuring them such incidents will not take place in future.

MATCHES RESCHEDULED


Sources said no police complaint will be filed since both DPS Bopal and SGVP have sorted out the matter District Sports Officer Baldev Desai, however, tried to downplay the incident. “Someone from the crowd threw a stone at DPS players in a fit of rage. We still do not know who did it. But the injured boy is out of danger. There is no enmity between the players of DPS and SGVP. Further matches have been put on hold. These will be rescheduled and held at a different venue.”

SGVP Principal Caesar D’Silva said, “Both DPS and SGVP students were present in the audience when the attack took place. But we don’t know who threw the stone at the student. We took the injured boy to the doctor as soon as we learnt about the incident. It is not a serious injury. I have already spoken to DPS school authorities, assuring them such an incident will not take place in future.”

DPS authorities informed Mirror that they made it very clear to SGVP principal that what happened was not right. “Our student’s condition is stable now. We have no idea who threw the stone at him. But we have made our displeasure about the incident very clear to SGVP principal. Further matches will now be held at another venue,” said Pradeep Chudasama, assistant manager, media and advocacy DPS (Bopal).

Court slams cops for cover-up in custodial death

Metropolitan magistrate trashes police version which states the 48-yr-old prisoner succumbed to injuries sustained after ‘collapsing several times’ on jail premises. Court to conduct its own inquiry based on post-mortem report



Anwar Rangrez suffered 33 injuries (L), On the day Rangrez was to be freed, his family received news of his death (R)
Metropolitan court blasted Sabarmati police after they allegedly tried to cover up a custodial death by submitting a C summary report, winding up the probe. Magistrate U K Trivedi, while dismissing the report which brazenly contradicted post-mortem and FSL reports, stated the court will now conduct its own inquiry into the 2008 case.

A 48-year-old rickshaw driver, Anwar Rangrez, died after he was allegedly beaten up inside Sabarmati Central Jail in December 2008. The post-mortem and FSL reports state that Rangrez suffered cardiac and respiratory failure due to 33 injuries inflicted on his body. It also said the injuries were caused because the victim was hit by a rod or some such hard object.

However, the C summary report filed by ACP K M Vaghela, states that Rangrez, a drug addict, sustained injuries after “he fell down” a couple of times on jail premises. It says he suffered a seizure on December 11 and collapsed, injuring himself. It also says he fell from the bed of the jail clinic on December 15 and near the compound wall again, the next day.




Rangrez’s mother with his photograph BAIL GRANTED, RELEASE NOT ALLOWED

Interestingly, Rangrez had been granted bail from the court on December 17, a day before the news of his death was conveyed to his family. He, however, was not allowed to leave the jail despite his son Mehboob submitting the bail order to the tantri before 6 pm. This, because the tantri allegedly demanded Rs 500 from Mehboob who did not have the money at that time.

The next day, he went to the jail at 7 am to bring his father home. Mehboob waited till 10 am, but jail authorities did not tell him anything about his father. He then received a call from his mother asking him to come back home. When Mehboob reached home, he learnt that the prison officials had called up the mother to inform her about Rangrez’s death.

FIR REGISTERED AFTER 4 MONTHS

Mehboob remembered that on one particular visit to the jail to meet his father, the latter had told him that a bearded jailer used to beat him up. Suspecting foul play in Rangrez’s death, he went to Sabarmati police station to lodge an FIR against jail authorities and unidentified persons. However, the cops registered the FIR four months after the post-mortem report.

‘MISLED INTO FILING FIR’

On Friday, ACP Vaghela told the court that Sabarmati police were “misled” into filing an FIR under section 302 (punishment for murder) of the IPC. But Rangrez’s lawyer Amit Balsari strongly opposed Vaghela’s claims by producing the post-mortem and FSL reports. Metropolitan magistrate U K Trivedi then dismissed the C summary report, stating the court would conduct an independent inquiry into the case.

Raj Thackeray Choose Hindi to Make Communication in Gujarat Tour

MNS chief Raj Thackeray, known for imposing the use of Marathi in Maharashtra, began his nine-day visit of Gujarat and spoke in Hindi the entire day. That is, until media pointed out his blooper

Was he being opportunistic or plain street smart? All those who met Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray on Wednesday, the first day of his nine-day-long “state visit” of Gujarat, were left wondering at the language in which he chose to interact with them.



I speak Marathi in Maharashtra. I do not speak Gujarati. So I chose to speak in Hindi here
- Raj Thackeray,
MNS chief The Thackeray scion, known for his acerbic tongue and roughish ways against Hindi and Hindi-speaking people on his home turf, looked pleased and at ease speaking in Hindi everywhere and with everyone he met in Ahmedabad and Gandhinagar. He realised he had fallen into a trap of his own creation in the evening when someone from the media drew his attention to his opposition to Hindi in Maharashtra.

Thackeray blamed media for creating controversies and promptly switched over to Marathi.

But by that time, the word had spread far and wide. “This won’t do. Violently opposing Hindi in Maharashtra and speaking in Hindi outside the state is rank opportunism. In this era of globalisation, this is not done,” said translator Kishor Gaud. “If he has so much love for his mother tongue, I could have offered my services as an interpreter. I know Marathi and Gujarati languages and cultures well to help him speak in his mother tongue even in Gujarat,” said Gaud who has translated as many as 25 Marathi books in Gujarati.

Thackeray, the estranged nephew of Shiv Sena patriarch Balasaheb Thackeray, began his Gujarat “study tour” with a visit to Sardar Patel Memorial in Shahibaug in the morning. He spoke to memorial officials, and sources said he evinced keen interest in knowing about the life and work of the Iron Man of India.

“All in Hindi,” said a memorial official.

The next stop was Sabarmati Ashram. He paid tribute to the Father of the Nation and was presented with a copy of his autobiography in Marathi — Satyache Prayog — by ashram director Amrut Modi. Thackeray and his wife Sharmila interacted with trustees and members of the ashram. Those present there were quite impressed with their eagerness to know about Gandhi. “Questions were few but sharp,” said Modi.

“All in Hindi,” Modi added.

Ashram officials offered him the VIP visitors’ book in which he could have entered his tribute or
comment.




Thackeray opted not to give either. An opportunity to do so in Marathi was lost. The state guest was offered a chance to spin Gandhi’s wheel (charkha). While most of the visiting dignitaries latched on to the opportunity and tried their hands at it, Thackeray was quite frank.

“It is beyond me to spin the wheel and draw a thread,” Thackeray said. In Hindi.

Gandhi Sena, an assembly of some members of the ashram’s residential quarters, presented him with a small replica of the charkha. “Bahut achha (very good) ... thank you,” Thackeray exhaled.

Part English, part Hindi.

“We were not surprised,” said Dhimant Badhia, Gandhi Sena secretary. “He seems to have broadened his world view.”

Later in the day, the MNS chief called on Chief Minister Narendra Modi. Thackeray was visibly overwhelmed by his host and lavished praise on his development work.

Thackeray watched audio-visual presentations on Gujarat’s development, something that he has come to study and draw lessons from. Modi presented him with a shawl and a figurine of Maratha ruler Shivaji. Thackeray had quite a few queries and Modi patiently answered all of them. Thackeray expressed his gratitude. The interaction lasted for three hours.

“Mostly in Hindi,” said an official.

Mediapersons caught up with the visiting leader at Circuit House in Gandhinagar where he is staying. Someone was prompt to ask, “You have spoken in Hindi all day long. Why then do you insist on speaking in Marathi in Mumbai?”

A visibly disturbed Thackeray retorted, “You (media) create such controversies.” This was in Hindi.

Having realised he had fallen into a trap, Thackeray switched over to Marathi: “I speak Marathi in Maharashtra. I do not speak Gujarati. So I chose to speak in Hindi here. Had I spoken in Marathi, would you’ve understood?”

To which the media persons said there are professionals called interpreters.

CHIDED BACK HOME

Incidentally, Thackeray was chided back home as he embarked on the tour. Members of the Congress-NCP took a pot-shot at him. On Monday, Mumbai Congress chief Kripashankar Singh had taunted him: “Which language is he going to converse in during his Gujarat visit? Is he going to hire an interpreter?”

Newspapers reported NCP member Nawab Malik as saying, “Even though I’m from north India, I make it a point to use the state language, Marathi, while addressing the house, and communicating with the natives. But will the leaders who further their political agenda using the Marathi language as leverage ever deliver a speech in Hindi? Hindi is the national language, and we must honour it. Maharashtra is an integral part of the nation.” Malik’s remarks created quite a stir among MNS members present.

CONGRESS DEMANDS APOLOGY

Meanwhile, state leader of opposition Shaktisinh Gohil on Wednesday protested Thackeray’s Mukesh Ambani-related statement in strong words and demanded an apology from him for his anti-Gujarat expressions.

“Raj Thackeray has criticised industrialist Mukesh Ambani in his statement for investing in Gujarat. This is highly objectionable and Thackeray should apologise for his statement. Any person in India is free to invest in Gujarat. We would not tolerate such anti-Gujarat statements at any cost,” said Gohil.

'Confident & optimistic’ India, Pak hold talks; Advani issues threat

ISLAMABAD: Voicing "a great sense of confidence, optimism and determination," India and Pakistan on Thursday opened their two-day foreign secretary-level talks here and discussed the issue of peace and security, including confidence-building measures on Kashmir.

Foreign secretary Nirupama Rao, who arrived here on Thursday morning, and her Pakistani counterpart Salman Bashir began the first round of their talks, which have been divided in three segments.

The first round of parleys is dealing with the issue of peace and security, including confidence-building measures on Kashmir. On Friday, two more rounds will take place on the issues of Jammu and Kashmir and promotion of friendly exchanges.

BJP, upped the ante on the Kashmir issue and warned the government against making any compromise on it. BJP leader LK Advani threatened to launch a mass demonstration if the government went in for a settlement of the Kashmir issue with Pakistan.



Advani warning of protests said, "Sometimes we realise that under pressure from some foreign nation, the Indian government thinks of compromising on Kashmir. In fact in the middle, we got information that informal compromises have already been made. I want to tell them that in the early days, the Bharatiya Jan Sangh had carried out a historical agitation, in that, our respected leader, Dr Shyama Prasad Mukherjee had sacrificed his life for the cause. So you should wish us well, the BJP is in great numbers across the country. If there is a compromise on Kashmir, if they talk of turning back time, we will organise a protest on a massive scale in India, a protest that no one has ever seen before."

BJP spokesperson Nirmala Seetharaman said there is no point of a dialogue till terror is discussed.

She said, "Decision to initiate composite dialogue makes us uncomfortable since it's happening after Abottabad. No confidence in our mind. We have not poushed Pakistan to do the needful. Therefore talks only for the sake of talks."

At the beginning of the talks, Bashir said they were approaching the parleys with a "great sense of confidence, optimism and determination." Agreeing with him, Rao said this was an "apt" statement.

Bashir said this is an important point in the relationship and will also help the two sides to prepare the agenda for the ministerial meeting in the near future.

Rao said "we have a clear agenda in front of us for discussions" and noted that there have been good meetings in the past few months.

"We are approaching these talks with an open and constructive mind," she said.

The two sides first held restricted talks, which were followed by the delegation-level meeting in which Rao was accompanied by joint secretary (Pakistan-Afghanistan-Iran) Yash Sinha, joint secretary (nuclear disarmament) Venkatesh Verma, Indian high commissioner Sharat Sabharwal and other senior officials.

Warmly welcoming the Indian side, Bashir said "We wish to engage with you in not only walking the trajectory but also exploring new avenues further."

"This series of meetings is of great importance," he said.

Soon after her arrival in Islamabad, Rao had said she had come to Pakistan with "an open mind and a constructive spirit" in order to work towards building trust and confidence in bilateral relationship and thereby leading to an eventual normalisation of ties for the well being and prosperity of the people of the two countries.

She said "this is an important visit as it marks the penultimate leg of the resumed dialogue process before the visit of the foreign minister of Pakistan to India by July 2011" and added that they would discuss the issues that have been mandated to them by their leadership.

During the two-day talks, nuclear and conventional confidence-building measures would also be discussed.

Earlier this year, the two countries decided to resume talks on all bilateral issues under the Composite Dialogue, two years after the parleys were suspended in the wake of the Mumbai terror attacks.

Following the resumption of talks in February, the defence, interior and commerce secretaries have met in the last few months while Pakistan Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani visited India in March to watch the India-Pakistan cricket World Cup semi-final at the invitation of his counterpart Manmohan Singh.

The foreign secretaries will also take stock of the progress made in the meetings between the interior, commerce and defence secretaries.

Ind vs WI: India beat West Indies by 63 runs to win first Test, lead series 1-0 PTI | Jun 23, 2011, 11.43pm IST

KINGSTON: India allowed the West Indies tail-enders to delay the inevitable before wrapping up the first cricket Test with a comfortable 63-run victory inside four days and take a 1-0 lead in the three-match Test series on Thursday.

Scorecard

Chasing a victory target of 326, West Indies never recovered from the twin-blow dealt by debutant Praveen Kumar dismissing Darren Bravo (41) and Shivanarine Chanderpaul (30) as they were all out for 262 in 68.2 overs.

The final pair of Devendra Bishoo (26, 33 balls, 2x4, 1x6) and Fidel Edwards (15 not out, 54 balls, 1x4) frustrated the Indian bowlers for around 10 overs after lunch. It was Suresh Raina who effected a freak dismissal with the ball rolling onto the stumps after hitting Bishoo's thigh-pads to bring an end to the proceedings.

It was a clinical performance by the Indian bowlers with Praveen being the pick snaring three for 42 and ending with a six-wicket haul in his very first Test match.

Ishant Sharma (3/81) bowled some poor deliveries but got crucial breakthroughs. The Indians blew away the middle and lower-middle order in the morning session where the home team needing a further 195 for a victory lose six wickets with an addition of 95 runs.

This was India's second victory at the Sabina Park having clinched the series with a win during their tour of 2006. This is also their fifth overall win on Caribbean soil.

The two teams now travel to Barbados where the second Test match will be held at Kensington Oval from June 28.

Anna team laughs at Govt’s ‘Jokepal Bill’

Says the government has no intention of passing a strong anti-corruption legislation; Hazare to go on indefinite fast from Aug 16, ready to face lathis and bullets for country



New Delhi: Upset with the Government for dilly-dallying the process of drafting and passing the Lokpal Bill, anti-corruption crusader Anna Hazare on Thursday said the Centre had no intentions of enacting a strict anti-corruption law.

Hazare said that he will go on an indefinite fast from August 16 if a diluted law is brought. RTI activist Arvind Kejriwal said the government had frittered away a huge opportunity to frame a strong bill and take credit for it. “What the Government is now bringing is not a Lokpal Bill but a Jokepal Bill,” he said.

Centre wasting time: Activists
Hazare alleged that the government had "backtracked" on its promise to accept all the suggestions forwarded by the civil society members.

The septuagenarian said that he was "surprised" that the Government wants the civil society members to submit a separate draft of the bill, while the Government drafted its own bill and brought it before the Cabinet. "If they want two drafts then why was this joint committee formed? They could have told us earlier. Our draft was known to them. Why waste so much of time? It is clear that the government has no intention to bring an effective bill,” Hazare said.

Alleging that the government had gone back on assurances given to him to persuade him to withdraw his hunger strike in April, he said, "I will resume my fast on August 16....if the government tries to suppress us like in the case of Ramdev, we are prepared for that," he said.

"We are ready to face lathis and bullets. I am ready to sacrifice my life for the sake of the country," he said. However, the Hazare camp made it clear that they will attend the meetings of June 20-21 to see what the government has to say on the issue.

Even as the civil society members of the Lokpal Bill joint drafting committee called the meetings a "drama", Home Minister P Chidambaram said the proposed legislation will be drafted by June 30.

Bill will be ready by June 30: Govt
“On behalf of the Government we want to reiterate what we have been saying. Our intention is to draft a strong and sound Lokpal Bill. We will complete it by June 30," Chidambaram said.

Differences emerged between the two sides in the seventh meeting of the committee on Wednesday with the civil society members alleging that the government was attempting to “bulldoze” its version of the bill.

Inclusion of the prime minister and judiciary within the ambit of the proposed Lokpal are among the points of main differences between the two sides.

100 crore real estate fraud in Kerala, NRIs seek Chief Minister's help

Thiruvananthapuram: Non-resident Keralites are seeking the help of Chief Minister Oommen Chandy after they fell prey to one of the biggest real estate frauds in the state.

A Kochi-based company 'Apple-A-Day Properties' reportedly collected over Rs. 100 crore from buyers which included 125 Indian expatriates in the Middle East. The company offered villas and apartments in the heart of the city at attractive rates. It used the goodwill of a couple of its completed projects to rope in buyers, but after it missed many deadlines for its 11 new projects, customers cried foul.

"It's for realising the dream of owning a house in one's native place that NRIs like me invested over Rs. 45 lakh each in the project. But even after 5 years, nothing has been completed," said R P Abdul Hameed, a victim.

The firm's Director and Managing Director went underground after the company allegedly went bust a few weeks ago. Soon, complaints started pouring in and over 160 FIRs have now been registered against the company.


Police say the duo, who led a lavish lifestyle, have withdrawn money from all their accounts. A look out notice has also been issued against them.

"We have received many such complaints. We are seriously exploring ways to check these fraudulent practices," said Chief Minister Oommen Chandy.

Police sources say 'Apple-A-Day' fraud is just a tip of the iceberg and that many companies are also under the scanner. Now with the government promising stern action against such fly-by-night real estate firms, the victims are hopeful of finally getting justice.

Tahawwur Rana acquitted of 26/11 charges, found guilty of helping LeT

Chicago:  Pakistani-Canadian Tahawwur Hussain Rana has been acquitted by a US court on charges of abetting Mumbai terror attacks but was convicted for providing material support to Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and helping a terror plot in Denmark.

The 12-member jury announced the verdict at the end of two days of deliberations against 50-year-old Rana, a co-accused in the Mumbai attack with David Coleman Headley.

Rana faces a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison on the two counts combined and remains in Federal custody without bond, a US Justice Department statement said. No sentencing date was set.

Verdict was announced by US District Judge Harry D Leinenweber, shortly after 4:30 pm (local time) in the court room.
Justice Department spokesman Randall Samborn said, "A Federal Court jury has convicted defendant Rana on one count of conspiracy to provide material support to the Denmark terrorism plot and one count of providing material support to LeT, and not guilty of conspiracy to provide material support to the Mumbai terrorist attacks in November 2008."

Rana, who was brought in the court from the local prison, was stunned after the verdict was pronounced.

The verdict came nearly three weeks of trial of Rana at the Chicago court.

Prosecutors alleged Rana was aware of the Mumbai terror strike and was in contact with the terrorist groups and their leaders in Pakistan. Rana's attorney, on the other hand, pleaded not guilty and said that Headley, an all time liar, had fooled him.

Pakistani-American Headley, 50, was the government's star witness during the trial.

Headley had entered into a plea bargain with US authorities to testify against other suspects in order to avoid the death penalty and being extradited to India, Pakistan and Denmark.

In its statement the Justice Department said Rana, a Pakistani native who operated a Chicago-based immigration business has been convicted of participating in conspiracy involving a terrorism plot against a Danish newspaper and providing material support to a terrorist organisation based in Pakistan.

"The defendant, Tahawwur Hussain Rana, was found guilty by a Federal jury that deliberated two days following a trial that began May 16 in US District Court. The jury acquitted Rana of conspiracy to provide material support to the November 2008 terrorist attacks in Mumbai that killed more than 160 people, including six Americans," it said.

The judge ordered the defence to file post-trial motions by August 15.

Patrick Blegan, Rana's Attorney, said, "We do not know what the jury was thinking." He said, "We are disappointed".

Blegan said this sentencing could result in a maximum of 30 years of imprisonment, 15 years for each of the two counts in which Rana was found guilty.

He said the jury decided that there was no death involved due to Rana providing material support to LeT.

"This is a split verdict. Mumbai part of the verdict is very significant as jury did not find him guilty in the terrorists attacks," he said.

Those present in the court room were US attorney Patrick Fitzgerald and assistant attorney Daniel Collins and Vicky Peters, Defense attorney Blegen, Rana's wife Samraz Rana their two daughters and mother of Samraz. Blegan and Rana family members looked tense and crestfallen.

"The message should be clear to all those who help terrorists - we will bring to justice all those who seek to facilitate violence," said Patrick J Fitzgerald, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois.

"Today's verdict demonstrates our commitment to hold accountable not only terrorist operatives, but also those who facilitate their activities. As established at trial, Rana provided valuable cover and support to David Headley, knowing that Headley and others were plotting terror attacks overseas," said Todd Hinnen, Acting Assistant Attorney General for National Security.

"We will not rest in our efforts to identify and bring to justice those who provide support to terrorists," he said.

"Those who died in Mumbai demand justice. You (the jury) will find the truth that this man knew that his trained terrorist friend (Headley) was bent on killing people," Collins urged the jury in his final arguments.




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Annoyed Congress questions govt on Baba Ramdev botch-up

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Monday broke his silence on the Baba Ramdev controversy, calling Saturday's police action at the Ramlila Maidan unfortunate. He, however, stressed that the government was left with no alternative.

"It is unfortunate that the operation had to be conducted, but quite honestly there was no alternative," the PM said while responding to questions on the midnight police raid on Ramdev's camp. Singh's response at a media awards function came against the backdrop of the lingering unhappiness in the Congress over the handling of the Ramdev affair.

The organizational unease came through at the meeting Congress chief Sonia Gandhi had convened on Sunday evening. Four ministers, including finance minister Pranab Mukherjee and HRD minister Kapil Sibal who were directly involved in the negotiations, participated in the deliberations where office-bearers questioned the wisdom in according a red carpet reception to Ramdev just three days before he was externed from Delhi. At one stage, Pranab Mukherjee, according to sources, almost lost his cool.

The party's annoyance became evident right at the outset when Sonia interrupted Sibal just when he had begun to detail the sequence of engagement with the yoga guru. It was not necessary, she said in a remark which was unanimously interpreted as reflecting her irritation over the "botch up".

Rahul Gandhi, who is usually reticent on these occasions, also chipped in with the suggestion that the party would be better off if it were to focus on the many welfare schemes it had launched.

The advice was seen as echoing the criticism that the government handlers ramped up the attention on talks with Baba, conferring legitimacy on the spiritual entrepreneur and creating the impression post-Ramlila Maidan raid that it had lurched from one extreme to another.

The issue has revived the perception of a government-organization disconnect that was seen earlier also—most conspicuously over the PM's peace overture towards Pakistan at Sharm el-Sheikh. Party spokesperson Janardan Dwivedi had to face a volley of questions based on the perception of divergence between the two wings. Although he doggedly stonewalled questions on the schism and launched a sharp attack on Ramdev as well as the BJP, Dwivedi kept the party at a safe distance from the unpopular police action. "Some decisions are taken by the party, some by the government. The party takes care of social agitations while legal and official decisions are taken by government," he said.

Sources, however, confirmed that the party was not kept in the loop over details of talks with Ramdev, beginning with the decision to let him pitch his tent in Delhi. The party had made plain its reservations over four Union ministers turning up at the airport. Although it grudgingly accepted the explanation offered by the government at the meeting of the core group on Thursday that there was a need to engage Ramdev, the core group was not briefed of the plan to resort to a dramatic swoop—a grievance that was, according to sources, lodged by an important party functionary at the Sunday meeting.

While the unrest is focused on the Ramdev issue, partymen are increasingly concerned about what is called the "narrow base" of the decision-making party in the government—a code for the growing role of ministers like Sibal and PMO functionaries in influencing decisions which can have a bearing on the party's prospects. No names were taken at Sunday's meeting, but many of the critical observations were seen as directed at Sibal who became the face of government's dealings with Ramdev.

For the stocktaking session called at a short notice with four key ministers—Mukherjee, P Chidambaram, A K Antony and Sibal—Sonia spoke little but let it be known that she was in the dark about key events starting from the airport diplomacy to the police action.

The home minister, it is learnt, cited a key intelligence report to show that the RSS was planning mischief. An intelligence input showed that BJP chief Nitin Gadkari was summoned to Nagpur in the middle of the Lucknow executive, which was seen as unusual, more so because the Maharashtra city is also the Sangh headquarters.

While the police action per se may be acceptable given that there was no way out, there were misgivings about how the situation was allowed to come to this pass. The crisis managers, in what sounded like a defence and helplessness at the same time, said the plan was to send the Baba away from airport if he did not call off his protest fast. However, the yoga guru, now seen as slippery, convinced them into talking further and then delaying the decision to call off the fast and going back on his commitment.