The Indian Panorama

Tag: Punjab

  • Capt Reacts

    Capt Reacts

    Amarinder Singh, who was removed as Congress Punjab unit chief, said he would have suggested a different name to replace him had he been consulted. Amarinder, a former Chief Minister of Punjab, was replaced by Gurdaspur MP Pratap Singh Bajwa as the new president of the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee. “I was not consulted on the decision. Had I been consulted, I would have suggested a different name who could lead the party at this crucial time,” Singh said. He said there has been a talk of his replacement for quite some time as the party was finding an able leader to replace him and steer the party.

    70-year-old Singh, however, stood behind the party despite his removal and reposed complete faith in the Congress party under the leadership of Sonia Gandhi. “I am a faithful Congress leader and have complete faith in the party under the leadership of Sonia Gandhi. I will abide by all decisions of the party,” he said. Congress removed Singh as its Punjab unit chief in the backdrop of the party’s dismal show in Assembly elections last year.

    Bajwa, who has come in his place, is a younger face and a first-time MP. The talk of a change in the Punjab unit has been going for more than a year ever since the party’s defeat at the hands of the SAD-BJP alliance in the Assembly elections in January last year.

    The coalition had created history in the state by returning to power. The recent Moga bye-poll loss seemed to have precipitated the change. Congress lost to the Akalis in the bye-poll after its MLA quit the party and recontested as SAD candidate. Singh had been under attack from within the party for his style of functioning. Demands for replacing him were made by various sections in the party. After his appointment, Bajwa said his first priority would be to unite the entire Congress in the state.

  • 26 Kg Heroin Seized- Drug Dealer Arrested, Says He Supplied Heroin To Boxer Vijender

    26 Kg Heroin Seized- Drug Dealer Arrested, Says He Supplied Heroin To Boxer Vijender

    CHANDIGARH (TIP): In a massive drug haul, the police recovered heroin worth Rs 130 crore from a flat in Zirakpur, Mohali. The police has alleged that boxer Vijender Singh’s wife’s car was found outside the Zirakpur flat and heroin was also recovered from another car. But it is not confirmed if it was from the boxer’s wife’s car. Police said that one person arrested on March 3, Anup Singh Kahlon, is linked to Vijender Singh and another boxer Ram Singh. The accused has alleged that he supplied small amounts of heroin to Vijender and Ram.

    Sources said they will be calling in the boxers for questioning. SSP Fatehgarh Sahab Hardyal Mann Singh says the investigations are on. “Nothing can be ruled out and we are probling the links between the accused and the boxers.” Sources also added that the accused is allegedly part of a bigger international drug peddling racket. Reportedly Kahlon is a truck driver in Canada and is part of a drug network in Punjab. Meanwhile, Vijender’s coach Gurbaksh Sandhu has expressed shock at the news. Vijender won a bronze medal at 2006 Asian Games in Doha, a bronze at 2008 Beijing Olympics and is the first Indian boxer to win an Olympic medal. The boxer was also honoured with Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award and was 2009 top-ranked boxer in middle-weight category.

  • Unsafe North: 7 rape cases on eve of Women’s Day

    Unsafe North: 7 rape cases on eve of Women’s Day

    CHANDIGARH (TIP): For women in the region, Women’s Day could be just another day, with safety being their prime concern. Seven cases of rape and gang rape were reported from Punjab, Haryana and Delhi, including the National Capital Region, on March 7, besides incidents of violence against women. After a paramedical student died after she was gang- raped, beaten and thrown out of a moving bus along with a male friend in Delhi on December 16 last year, the government had promised to make the nation safer for women.

    In fact, a Rs 1,000 crore sum was set aside in the Union Budget to create a fund for women safety. But even as these decisions are yet to translate into action, a case of gang rape and rape were registered in the holy city of Amritsar. The incident took place months after an ASI was killed while protecting his daughter’s honour. In Haryana a minor girl went missing from Tarauri police station area in Karnal. When after a search the girl was found, she was sent for a medical examination that confirmed rape by her abductor. In Gurgaon a call centre employee alleged she was raped by her male colleagues, but later retracted her statement, saying that she did not want to pursue the matter.

    There is hardly a day in Haryana that passes by without an incident of rape. Sixtyone cases of rape have been reported in the state in the first two months of the year. In Lohari Ragho village of Hisar, a married Dalit woman was raped by two persons. Though the police claim to have arrested the accused, it has failed to check crime against women, putting the state among the most unsafe for women.

    In another incident, three youth gang raped a minor girl in Bani village of Sirsa. While the police claim to have nabbed the accused in a swift action, but in a majority of the cases the police only expresses helplessness. The minor’s medical examination confirmed sexual violence. In yet another incident three men abducted and attacked a 19-year-old woman who had got into an auto rickshaw near a popular shopping centre in Delhi’s satellite city of Ghaziabad.

    The woman was abducted in broad daylight, taken to a secluded place and subsequently raped. In Delhi a 25-year-old woman was given a drug-laced soft drink by a person in a park in east Delhi last night and was allegedly raped by some men in a car. She was found by the police in an unconscious state on March 7 morning

  • Sc Slams Punjab Govt Over Police Brutality

    Sc Slams Punjab Govt Over Police Brutality

    NEW DELHI (TIP): The Supreme Court on March 7 said the Punjab Police thrashing a girl in Tarn Taran on March 4 had “shocked the conscience of the entire nation” and decided to go into the issue by taking suo motu cognizance of media reports. Citing media reports, including by The Tribune, a Bench comprising Justices GS Singhvi and Ranjana Prakash Desai, said the Punjab Government had failed to protect the girl from the “wholly unwarranted action taken by the police.” The incident had raised “important constitutional issues relating to Article 21 of the Constitution (which guarantees the right to life and personal liberty) and dignity of individuals,” the Bench noted. “We, therefore, feel that it is proper for this court to take cognizance of the gross violation of the human rights as well as the constitutional rights of the people,” the SC said.

    The Bench asked Attorney General GE Vahanvati to assist the court in the case. Senior advocates Harish Salve and UU Lalit would be amicus curiae in the case to help the SC adjudicate the suo motu case, it said in an order. The Bench also took serious note of another incident in which Bihar police “brutally” beat up contractual teachers demonstrating outside the state assembly at Patna.

  • Plea For Restoration Of Ferozepur-Amritsar Rail Line

    Plea For Restoration Of Ferozepur-Amritsar Rail Line

    Prior to 1947, Ferozepore in Punjab was a thriving transportation town with great rail and road connectivity with the provincial capital of Lahore and the industrial and commercial capital of Amritsar. Both links were via Kasur, a Tehsil headquarter town in Lahore district. Lahore in 1947 fell into the share of Pakistan and so did Kasur and, as a result, Ferozepore lost both important railway links. A much longer and indirect road linkage was subsequently established between Amritsar and Ferozepore via Harike Pattan confluence of the Beas and the Sutlej.

    But the railway link to date did not see the light of the day. After the 1947 partition of Punjab, the entire border region of East Punjab, which used to be a flourishing area became neglected. The boundary line of prosperity moved Eastwards towards Jalandhar, Ludhiana and Chandigarh. The entire border belt of Punjab from Pathankot, Gurdaspur, Batala, Tarntaran, Patti, Ferozepore, Guru Har Sahai, Jalalabad up to Fazilka became educationally and economically very backward. Amritsar, because of its pre-1947 economic momentum and due to the existence of the Golden Temple remained the only oasis of education, progress and prosperity. Several economists and men of wisdom have been suggesting the reconstruction of the railway link between Amritsar and Ferozepore.

    Former railway minister Laloo Prasad Yadav was requested by the Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh in 2004 to build the missing railway link between Amritsar and Ferozepore. Even the local industry of Amritsar pitched for it. But an obsessed with Bihar only, Mr. Laloo Yadav half-heartedly ordered a survey,which was completed. Later on Mamata Bannerjee, in her lopsided over enthusiasm to dislodge the Left Front, directed all her energies towards the development of new railway lines in West Bengal.

    The not too long ago appointed railway minister Pawan Bansal is a son of the soil, a Punjabi. There was a lot of moral and political pressure on him to start the construction of this long ignored missing link. Finally in the All India Railway Budget of 2013, an announcement was made by the railway minister to include this missing link between Patti in former Amritsar district and the divisional headquarter town of Ferozepore on February 26, 2013. This strategic rail link will shorten the distance between Amritsar and the port of Mumbai by two hundred and forty kilometers.

    With the completion of this rail link, the entire backward border belt starting from Baramula in Jammu and Kashmir via Srinagar, Anantnag, Udhampur and Jammu and then the border belt in Punjab from Pathankot via Gurdaspur, Batala, Amritsar, Tarntaran, Patti, Ferozepore, Guru Har Sahai, Jalalabad, Fazilka and Abohar will be linked to Mumbai via Sri Ganganagar. Since there will be overall less traffic on this Jammu & Kashmir, Punjab, Rajasthan, Gujarat and Maharashtra corridor, the perishable fruits and vegetables shall be delivered in Mumbai and Gujarat within two to three days. Passenger travel time will be reduced by five to six hours.

    The most congested National Capital Region (NCR) shall be effectively avoided. This railway line will also give boost to tourism in Vaishno Devi (Katra), Amritsar, Bikaner, Jodhpur, Jaisalmer and Barmer. Mumbai shall be able to fast-track export its goods by rail to Northern Pakistan via Amritsar and Amritsar will be able to export to the world via Mumbai.

  • Bharat Bandh: Nation-Wide Two-Day Trade Union Strike Hits Banking, Transport Services

    Bharat Bandh: Nation-Wide Two-Day Trade Union Strike Hits Banking, Transport Services

    NEW DELHI (TIP): Bharat Bandh:Nation-wide strike hit banking andtransport sector day two of nationwidestrike. While banking services were onFebruary 21 paralysed with ATMs runningout of cash in metro cities and publictransport disrupted during the Centraltrade unions sponsored strike whichevoked a mixed response in most statesbarring Kerala where normal life was hit.Life remained normal in West Bengalthough banking services were crippled withnationalised and private banks closed andATMs remaining non-functional.Transport services were normal andshops, markets and businessestablishments opened in the state.

    In the national capital, commuters facedhardships for the second consecutive day asmajority of auto-rickshaws and taxis stayedoff the road in support of the strike.Various industrial units and banks eitherremained closed or witnessed thinattendance while markets and commercialareas were open.In Maharashtra, majority of ATMs driedup in the financial capital Mumbai.”A majority of ATMs have dried up while(bank) branches are shut. Additionally,there has not been any cheque clearing aspersonnel from RBI too joined the strike. Itwill take at least 2-3 working days to clearthe backlog for banks”, said All India BankEmployees Association Vice PresidentVishwas Utagi.Suburban railway, the city’s life line,functioned normally and road trafficremained unaffected.

    In Kerala, normal life was paralysed dueto the strike with workers from mostsectors ranging from transport to bankingkeeping away from work.Reports from across the state said busesand taxis were off the roads and marketsremained shut. Train and air services werenot affected.Attendance in government offices wasthin and educational institutions remainedclosed as pro-Left service and teachersunions joined the strike. Universities havecancelled examinations scheduled for thelast two days.

    The unions have put forward a charter of10 demands such as urgent steps to controlprice rise, strict enforcement of labourlaws in all places of work, social securitynet for workers in the unorganised sector,end to disinvestment in PSUs and raisingminimum wage to Rs 10,000 a month.However, the strike had no major impactin most parts of Karnataka.Though banking services were hit, manybuses, taxis and autos plied and shopsremained opened. However, schools andcolleges were closed.Employees of banks and public sectororganisations in Andhra Pradeshcontinued their protests on the second dayof the strike.In Tamil Nadu, banking and postalservices remained affected while shopsremained open and transport services pliednormally.Members of the protesting trade unionsstaged demonstrations in various parts ofChennai.

    Though there were reports that somelabour unions representing employees ofMaruti Udyog at its plants in Manesar andGurgaon had joined the strike along withUnions of HeroMotoCorp, workers of thecompany attended duty in the state.According to Union representatives ofHyundai Motor India Employees and FordMotor India, which has manufacturingfacilities at Sriperumbudur andMaraimalai Nagar, they have decided toconduct a mass rally today in view of thestrike.Transaction of cheques worth of Rs 3000crore in Chennai were affected while mostof the ATMs of several banks have driedout due to lack of cash.In the north, public transport andbanking services continued to be affectedin Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh due tothe strike.

    Reports pouring in from various placessuggest that majority of state owned busesplying on inter-state routes and inter-cityroutes in Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarhdid not ply.With bank employees observing strike,banking transactions were hit, causinginconvenience to customers.Industrial production in Punjab andHaryana was unaffected.A report from Hisar has said activists ofdifferent trade unions staged dharnas infront of their respective offices.Normal life was partially affected inseveral parts of Odisha due to the strike.People faced difficulties in commuting asbuses, taxis auto-rickshaws remained offthe roads, leaving a large number ofpassengers stranded at different places.

    Bank services in Mumbai hit
    Mumbai: Majority of ATMs have driedup in the financial capital of Mumbai andbanking operations across the city were hiton the second day of the general strikecalled by central trade unions for variousdemands.”A majority of ATMs have dried up whilethe (bank) branches are shut. Additionally,there has not been any cheque clearing aspersonnel from RBI too joined the strike. Itwill take at least 2-3 working days to clearthe backlog for banks”, said All India BankEmployees Association Vice PresidentVishwas Utagi.The strike witnessed near cent per centparticipation by employees from bankingand insurance sector in the financial hub,leaving their operations completelyparalysed.our demands, including the one for notallowing private sector participants intothe fray for which we are holding thebandh”, Utagi said.Suburban railway, the city’s life line,functioned normally and road trafficremained unaffected, though there werefewer passengers using public transport.Flight operations at the Mumbai airportwere also normal despite a section ofairport unions declaring their support tothe strike, an airport spokesperson said.

    AP: Bank, govt employees hold protests
    Hyderabad: Employees of banks andpublic sector organisations in AndhraPradesh today continued their protestson the second day of the two-day strikecalled by Central trade unions in supportof their various demands.The personnel of variousorganisations, who stayed away fromwork yesterday, began their protests inHyderabad and other places in AndhraPradesh.The employees of various PSU banksand workers in the unorganised sectortook out protest rallies in Hyderabad andother parts of the state.Services in banking and other PSUorganisations were badly affected on thefirst day of the 48-hour general strikeyesterday.AITUC state unit president and MLC P JChandrasekhar Rao had claimed that thestrike was being held in an unprecedentedmanner with staff of the state-run minerSingareni Collieries, Andhra Pradesh StateRoad Transport Corporation (APSRTC)joining the stir.He claimed that 75 per cent of RTC buses,the principal mode of public transport inAP, remained off the roads yesterday.

    Life unaffected in KarnatakaBangalore:
    The two-day nationwidestrike called by 11 Central trade unionshadno major impact in most parts ofKarnataka today.Though banking services were hit, manybuses, taxis and autos plied and shops andhotels remained opened here.However, schools and colleges wereclosed.No violence was reported from any partof the state, police said.Services at many hospitals in the citywere not hit, as also in IT companies.Several PSUs including HAL, BHEL andBEL, besides a host of other industrialunits in Bangalore were functioningnormally.There was improvement in attendance ingovernment offices, police said.There has been no impact on normal lifedue to the strike in Belgaum district,sources said.Visvesvaraya Technological Universitypostponed Mtech, MCA and MBAexaminations scheduled for today.

    Partial impact in Odisha
    Normal life was partially affected inseveral parts of Odisha today on the lastday of the two-day nation-wide strike calledby central trade unions.People faced difficulties in commuting asbuses, taxis auto-rickshaws remained offthe roads, leaving a large number ofpassengers, including women and children,stranded at different places.In the state capital here, some threewheelerswere seen plying in many areassince this morning, giving respite to thecommuters who had a tough time travellingon February 21.Shops, markets, business establishmentsand petrol pumps remained closed, whileeating joints and kiosks were found opentoday. Small traders and retailers alsoresumed their business operations, officialsources said.Banks remained closed with employeespicketing and demonstrating at differentplaces, while most educational institutions,including schools, were open.

  • President Pranab Mukherjee May Turn Down 5 More Mercy Pleas

    President Pranab Mukherjee May Turn Down 5 More Mercy Pleas

    NEW DELHI (TIP): The Union homeministry is learnt to have recommendedrejection of mercy petitions in five morecases as it seeks to speedily dispose of allthe cases of death row convicts pendingwith it.Seeking to have a swift closure on thecases of those who have filed mercy pleasagainst capital punishment awarded tothem, the ministry has sent all the pendingfiles to President Pranab Mukherjee for afinal call.Sources said that seven cases involvingthe fate of nine people have been sent to thePresident, with the ministryrecommending rejection of the mercy pleasin five cases. It has and left the tworemaining ones open for commutation ofdeath sentence to life imprisonment withthe rider that the life term means jail forthe entire life of the convict and not just 20years or 14 years in prison.

    The President had sent the files to Unionhome minister Sushilkumar Shinde onOctober 30 for his review and opinion.Shinde sent the files back within 100 daysin a major shift from the pattern wheredecisions on mercy petitions wereindefinitely delayed with files shuttlingbetween the home ministry and theRashtrapati Bhavan.Though the case-wise recommendationsfor convicts were not known as both thehome ministry and Rashtrapati Bhavancontinue to remain tightlipped on mercypetition files, the seven cases relate tomultiple murders, including one in which arape convict out on bail killed five membersof the victim’s family.

    While two files were sent to RashtrapatiBhavan on February 9 (the day ParliamentHouse attack case convict Afzal Guru washanged), the remaining five files weredispatched last month.The mercy files, which have beenpending for years while moving to and frobetween Rashtrapati Bhavan and the homeministry, saw unprecedented movement oflate, resulting in two quick hangings(Ajmal Kasab and Afzal Guru) within lessthan three months. Mukherjee had rejectedthe mercy plea of Kasab on November 5,and Guru on February 3.The files, which are now with PresidentMukherjee, include the longest pendingcase of Gurmeet Singh of Uttar Pradesh,who was convicted for killing 13 membersof a family on August 17, 1986.

    The otherscases are of Suresh and Ramji, also fromUP, who were convicted for killing fivemembers of their brother’s family andDharampal from Haryana, who hadmurdered five members of the family of agirl he had raped in 1993. He had murderedthe family while on bail in the rape case.The other cases are of Sonia, daughter ofa former Haryana MLA, and her husbandSanjeev, who drugged and killed eight ofher family in Hisar in 2001, including herparents. Sunder Singh from Uttarakhand isconvicted for rape and murder on June 30,1989, Jafar Ali from Uttar Pradesh who wasconvicted for killing wife and five daughterin 2002 and Praveen Kumar of Karnataka,convicted for killing four members of afamily on February 23, 1994.

    Mukherjee has so far disposed of mercypetitions of eight death row convicts in fivecases.The President has also rejected themercy petitions of Saibanna NingappaNatikar (Karnataka: convicted for killingwife and daughter) and mercy petitions ofslain forest brigand Veerappan’s associatesGnanaprakash, Simon, ‘Meesai’ Madaianand Pilavendran, who were sentenced todeath for killing 22 police personnel in 1993.However, the mercy petition of Atbir(Delhi), who was convicted for murder ofhis step-mother, step-sister and step-brotherover property, was commuted to lifeimprisonment by the President.

    Strained mercy:
    1,455 persons awarded death penaltyin India from 2001 to 2011Sentences for 4,321 persons werecommuted from death penalty to lifeimprisonment during the same period.Highest number of death penalty wasimposed in Uttar Pradesh (370)followed by Bihar (132), Maharashtra(125), Karnataka and Tamil Nadu (95each), Madhya Pradesh (87),Jharkhand (81), West Bengal (79),Delhi (71), Gujarat (57), Rajasthan (38),Kerala (34), Odisha (33), Haryana (31),Assam (21), Jammu & Kashmir (20),Punjab (19), Chhattisgarh (18),Uttarakhand (16), Andhra Pradesh (8),Meghalaya (6), Chandigarh and Daman& Diu (4 each), Manipur and HimachalPradesh (3 each), Tripura andPondicherry (2 each) and Goa (1)No death penalty imposed inArunachal Pradesh, Mizoram,Nagaland and Sikkim and UnionTerritories of Andaman & NicobarIslands, Dadra & Nagar Haveli andLakshadweepSentences of 4,321 persons werecommuted from death penalty to lifeimprisonment in the country during2001-11.

  • Movie Review- Special 26

    Movie Review- Special 26

    Cast: Akshay Kumar, Anupam Kher, Manoj Bajpayee,Jimmy Sheirgill, Kajal Aggarwal, Divya Dutta
    Direction: Neeraj Pandey
    Genre: Thriller
    Duration: 2 hours 24 minutes

    STORY: Four feisty heroes posing as a CBI team, fifty heists and one real CBI officer on the prowl to nab them.

    MOVIE REVIEW:
    Ready for a fake ‘Foursome’, with some ‘real’ stuff. Here it goes. With cool conmen, cops, chases, mind, matter and maal. But first, meet the members of the con-club. The asli khiladi Ajay (Akshay), quickwitted, daring and strong-willed – he’s the masterplanner. Sharmaji (Kher), a wee-bit weak-hearted, but the real ‘loin of Punjab’ (with 8 bachchas and going strong).

    Add in, Iqbal (Kishore Kadam) and Joginder (Rajesh Sharma) – who add muscle to the master-mind. In the late 1980’s these conmen pose as CBI officers and raid malaamal matris, business magnates and jewellers.

    With no records or FIRs – they escape after every heist with a clean (white) conscience and loads of black money. A (real) CBI inspector, Waseem (Manoj) along with sub-inspector Ranveer (Jimmy) get on a deadly chase to nab them while they’re faking it. Well, if you want to figure out con-asli, con-nakli, go ahead, wear Sherlock’s (Holmes) suit and crack this one. With an ingeniously layered role and a brilliant act, Anupam Kher truly ‘steals’ the show. Akshay hits hard, with pure, unadulterated acting, minus action.

    Manoj is always in command, fiery and fantastic. Jimmy lends strong support; Kajal Aggarwal (Ajay’s love-interest) flashes smiles in interludes, and Divya Dutta throws in laughs. Inspired by a real incident, Neeraj Pandey cuts to the chor-police chase and weaves an intelligent, mind-racing thriller, keeping you tightly strapped to your seats. It captures the 80’s era beautifully; and the cinematography ( Bobby Singh) is a cut above (special mention: scenes in Connaught Place, Delhi, and Kolkata streets).

    The powerful background score enthuses the pace. The only place he loses momentum is the romantic track and dance number, kinda unwarranted, we must say. Interestingly, this con-job story is not superbly-stylish or stealthily serious. It doesn’t stun you with a social message like Pandey’s ‘A Wednesday’, but it grips, excites and ahh…climaxes too! And no … you can’t fake this one! Catch it for pure cinematic orgasm.

  • Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari’s Pvt Villa Is Blast-Proof, Has Runway

    Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari’s Pvt Villa Is Blast-Proof, Has Runway

    LAHORE (TIP): A sprawling highsecurityprivate residence for PakistaniPresident Asif Ali Zardari, complete withbomb-proof structures and a landing stripfor small jets and helicopters, is nearingcompletion here.The compound in Bahria town, spreadover some 25 acres, is named Bilawal Houseafter Zardari’s son Bilawal Bhutto Zardari.According to a Pakistan Peoples Partyofficial from Punjab the residence has beengifted by property tycoon Malik RiazHussain.

    The bomb-proof home is surrounded bylawns that can accommodate up to 10,000people and has a runway for private jetsand helicopters. The compound issurrounded by 30-inch high walls fittedwith security gadgets. Once completed, theresidence will have a three-tier securitysystem.Zardari, who is due to arrive in Lahoreon Sunday, is expected to visit BilawalHouse with his son, the sources said.

    Theresidence in Lahore will serve as the mainbase in Punjab province for Bilawal duringcampaigning for the upcoming generalelection.Hussain, believed to be close to Zardari,was at the centre of a controversy last yearafter he alleged that he funded threeforeign trips by Arsalan Iftikhar, the son ofsupreme court chief justice IftikharChaudhry.

  • 4-Nation Gas Pipeline Plan Gets Fresh Push

    4-Nation Gas Pipeline Plan Gets Fresh Push

    NEW DELHI (TIP): Aiming to speedup implementation of the ambitiousTurkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) natural gas pipeline, theUnion Cabinet on February 7approved the setting up of a specialpurpose vehicle to build the 1,680-kmpipeline that terminates at Fazilka inPunjab.Tapi Ltd, the Dubai-based SPV,would undertake the feasibility studyand design work for the pipeline, huntfor a consortium leader to build the $9 billion project, operate it, arrangefor finances and work to ensure safedelivery of gas.

    At the Cabinet meeting chaired byPrime Minister Manmohan Singh, theSPV was given the go-ahead andpermitted Gas Authority of IndiaLimited (GAIL) to join it as India’srepresentative.It was announced officially thatTAPI Ltd initially requires $ 20million contribution, with each of thefour participating countries funding $5 million. GAIL being a NavratnaCompany, is empowered to make aninvestment of this level for India.TAPI Ltd is being formed for theproject as multinational corporationsare unwilling to participate in theproject without a share inTurkmenistan’s rich gas fields. Theproject had got stuck since India wasnot agreeable to the suggestion by theother three that each country buildthe pipeline on its own and operate it.

    At a meeting of the steeringcommittee last September,Turkmenistan suggested formation ofan SPV to put the project after allparties reaffirmed their commitmentand intention to fast track it since italso a symbol of regional cooperation.India joined the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan (TAP) Projectin April, 2008, two years after theUnion Cabinet gave its ‘in principle’approval. Thereafter, the name of theproject stood amended toTurkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) Gas Pipeline Project.The pipeline originates and runs144 km in Turkmenistan, passes 735km through Afghanistan and travels800 km in Pakistan en route India.

    Last May, the four countries signedthe gas sale and purchase agreement.The 1,680 km pipeline will carry 90million cubic metres a day (mmcmd)of gas and is scheduled to becomeoperational in 2018 and supply gasover a 30-year period. India andPakistan will get 38 mmcmd each,while the remaining 14 mmcmd willbe supplied to Afghanistan. TAPI willcarry gas from Turkmenistan’sGalkynysh field, known earlier asSouth Yoiotan Osman that is knownto hold gas reserves of 16 trillioncubic feet.Turkmenistan, which holds morethan 4 per cent of the world’s naturalgas reserves, signed pacts last May tosell gas last to India and Pakistanthrough the 1,680-km pipeline at theCaspian Sea resort of Avaza inTurkmenistan.

    THE ROUTE

  • Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India
  • Length: 1,680-km
  • The pipeline runs 144 km inTurkmenistan, passes 735 kmthrough Afghanistan andtravels 800 km in Pakistanbefore entering India at Fazilka in Punjab

    • Role of the SPV
    Undertake a feasibility study anddesign work for the pipelineHunt for a consortium leader to buildthe $9 billion projectOperate it and arrange for financesOperational in 2018The project is scheduled to becomeoperational in 2018 and supply gasover a 30-year periodIt will carry 90 million cubic metres aday (mmcmd) of gasIndia and Pakistan will get 38mmcmd each, while the remaining 14mmcmd will be supplied toAfghanistan

  • ‘Vishwaroop’ Releases To Average Response

    ‘Vishwaroop’ Releases To Average Response

    NEW DELHI (TIP): “Vishwaroop”, the Hindi version ofactor-director Kamal Haasan’s controversial film”Vishwaroopam”, released peacefully on February 1 toan average response, which was likely to pick up overthe weekend.The movie, the original Tamil and Telugu version ofwhich is currently banned in Tamil Nadu, releasedwithout any hassles in Delhi, Punjab and Rajasthan,while in Uttar Pradesh and Mumbai, security wasbeefed up at cinema halls for the release over fear ofprotests.

    “Vishwaroopam” is under the scanner of 24 Muslimorganisations, which objected to certain scenes of thefilm as derogatory to their community.However, the situation seems to have sparkedincreased interest in the movie in north India.In Delhi, the response was okay, but the collectionsare expected to increase during the weekend, says AnantVerma, director and business head, DT Cinemas.”Whoever has seen the movie has liked it – be it peoplefrom south India or north India.

    The publicity that themovie has got is working in favour of the movie. We areexpecting a hike (in collections) over the weekend,”Verma said. He says no security issues have beenreported at any of his halls here so far, and “everythingis under control”.”The occupancy for the first show was around 55 to 60per cent, but that is how it is every (early) Friday. Thefilms start picking up from Friday evening,” he added.Delhi-based distributor Joginder Mahajan admits thestart for “Vishwaroop” is “poor”, but “it is expected togrow over the weekend”.He pointed out how “since there has been so muchcontroversy, people avoid going on the first day”.

    In east Punjab, the film’s opening was below average,informed distributor Jaspal Dhingra of NanaksarEnterprises. “The response to the first show was belowaverage. The film may be good, but collections are veryaverage. Generally, dubbed films from south India don’tdo well in Punjab. There are very few people here whowant to watch the movie,” Dhingra said.”As far as security is concerned, there were no issueshere and I don’t think there will be any problems in thefuture too,” he said.

    In Jaipur, the film got a peaceful opening and therewere are no protests, said police officials.Meanwhile, Kamal Haasan and his brother ChandraHaasan are trying to reach a solution to end the ban on”Vishwaroopam” in Tamil Nadu, which has led to theirincurring losses of Rs.30-60 crore.

    Sporadic Protests In Lucknow
    Sporadic demonstrations were held in Old Lucknowarea demanding a ban on Kamal Haasan’s movie“Vishwaroopam” that was released in the state amidtight security on February 1. After running into troublein several states in South India, Haasan received majorrelief in Uttar Pradesh when Chief Minister AkhileshYadav decided to let the film be screened in the state.

  • Punjab’s First Iit Innovates Machine To End Stubble Burning

    Punjab’s First Iit Innovates Machine To End Stubble Burning

    CHANDIGARH (TIP): Alarmed bymassive stubble burning in vastagricultural fields of the state — thattriggered massive smog in Delhi —Punjab’s first-ever IIT has developed atech marvel to bring an end to thedisastrous practice by the farmers.The inexpensive prototype, namedas community bio-oil generationplant, has been made at a cost of justRs 19,000 at IIT-Ropar.The machine will be used for twopurposes — To extract bio-oil fromwheat as well as rice straw, and rundiesel engine with its blending in theratio of 70 (diesel):30 (bio-oil).Stowed away in the rural hinterlandof India’s cereal bowl, Ropar hadrecently emerged as the mostattractive talent pool for themultinationals among the new IITswhen two of its students walked awaywith offers worth $105,000 or Rs 63lakh per annum (LPA) at a U.S-basedhealth major Epic systems.

    The project was completed within aspan of two months, under IIT Ropar’sflagship programme Rural TechnologyAction Group (RUTAG).A budget of Rs 2.15 crore has beenallocated for RUTAG under the grantssanctioned by the principal scientificadvisor to Union government of India.”The objective is to help farmersrealise that stubble burning is a deathcausingpractice. From toxic soot to asignificant amount of carbon dioxideis released from straws, there is ahuge danger there,” said ProfHarpreet Singh, the RUTAG facilitatorat IIT Ropar.

    The technology is suchthat the plant first converts strawsinto pellets, using a pelletiser, andthen goes to pyroformer andcondenser to convert into either of byproducts:bio-oil or bio char.On November 5 last year, the NASAimages had shown Punjabpockmarked with red dots whichcorresponded to paddy stublle blazesdeliberately lit by farmersOn an average, 23.5 million strawsare put on fire by the farmers everyyear. And, an estimated 12 megatonnesof CO2, a greenhouse gas, is said to bereleased in the air through this .

    Besides, the environment expertsalso say that the soil also loses itsfertility and farmer-friendly insectsand micronutrients.IIT Ropar even experimented usingbio-char as manure for growing onionsand found that the yield was better at3780 g/litre of water than without biocharat 3320 g/litre. This no-mean featcomes just at a right time for IIT Roparwhen it would be holding theconvocation of is first-ever batch onFebruary 2.

  • India: The Growth Story-Agriculture

    India: The Growth Story-Agriculture

    Agriculture in India has a significant history. Today, India ranks second worldwide in farm output. Agriculture and allied sectors like forestry and fisheries accounted for 16.6% of the GDP in 2009, about 50% of the total workforce. The economic contribution of agriculture to India’s GDP is steadily declining with the country’s broad-based economic growth. Still, agriculture is demographically the broadest economic sector and plays a significant role in the overall socio-economic fabric of India.

    Overview
    Per 2010 FAO world agriculture statistics, India is the world’s largest producer of many fresh fruits and vegetables, milk, major spices, select fresh meats, select fibrous crops such as jute, several staples such as millets and castor oil seed. India is the second largest producer of wheat and rice, the world’s major food staples. India is also the world’s second or third largest producer of several dry fruits, agriculture-based textile raw materials, roots and tuber crops, pulses, farmed fish, eggs, coconut, sugarcane and numerous vegetables. India ranked within the world’s five largest producers of over 80% of agricultural produce items, including many cash crops such as coffee and cotton, in 2010. India is also one of the world’s five largest producers of livestock and poultry meat, with one of the fastest growth rates, as of 2011.

    Indian agriculture since 1947
    Over 50 years since its independence, India has made immense progress towards food security. Indian population has tripled, but food-grain production more than quadrupled: there has thus been substantial increase in available food-grain per capita. Prior to the mid-1960s India relied on imports and food aid to meet domestic requirements. However, two years of severe drought in 1965 and 1966 convinced India to reform its agricultural policy, and that India could not rely on foreign aid and foreign imports for food security. India adopted significant policy reforms focused on the goal of foodgrain self-sufficiency. This ushered in India’s Green Revolution.

    It began with the decision to adopt superior yielding, disease resistant wheat varieties in combination with better farming knowledge to improve productivity. The Indian state of Punjab led India’s green revolution and earned itself the distinction of being the country’s bread basket. With agricultural policy success in wheat, India’s Green Revolution technology spread to rice. However, since irrigation infrastructure was very poor, Indian farmer innovated with tube-wells, to harvest ground water.When gains from the new technology reached their limits in the states of initial adoption, the technology spread in the 1970s and 1980s to the states of eastern India – Bihar,[Orissa] and West Bengal.

    The lasting benefits of the improved seeds and new technology extended principally to the irrigated areas which account for about onethird of the harvested crop area. In the 1980s, Indian agriculture policy shifted to “evolution of a production pattern in line with the demand pattern” leading to a shift in emphasis to other agricultural commodities like oilseed, fruit and vegetables. Farmers began adopting improved methods and technologies in dairying, fisheries and livestock, and meeting the diversified food needs of India’s growing population.

    As with Rice, the lasting benefits of improved seeds and improved farming technologies now largely depends on whether India develops infrastructure such as irrigation network, flood control systems, reliable electricity production capacity, all season rural and urban highways, cold storage to prevent food spoilage, modern retail, and competitive buyers of produce from the Indian farmer. This is increasingly the focus of Indian agriculture policy. India’s agricultural economy is undergoing structural changes.

    Between 1970 and 2011, the GDP share of agriculture has fallen from 43 to 16 percent. This isn’t because of reduced importance of agriculture, or a consequence of agricultural policy.

    This is largely because of the rapid economic growth in services, industrial output, and non-agricultural sectors in India between 2000 to 2010. The initial increase in production was centered on the irrigated areas of the Indian states of Punjab, Haryana and western Uttar Pradesh.With both the farmers and the government officials focusing on farm productivity and knowledge transfer, India’s total foodgrain production soared.

    A hectare of Indian wheat farms that produced an average of 0.8 tons in 1948, produced 4.7 tons of wheat in 1975 from the same land. Such rapid growths in farm productivity enabled India to become self-sufficient by the 1970s. It also empowered the smallholder farmers to seek further means to increase food staples produced per hectare.

    By 2000, Indian farms were adopting wheat varieties capable of yielding 6 tons of wheat per hectare. Accomplishments As of 2011, India had a large and diverse agricultural sector, accounting, on average, for about 16 percent of GDP and 10 percent of export earnings. India’s arable land area of 159.7 million hectares (394.6 million acres) is the second largest in the world, after the United States. Its gross irrigated crop area of 82.6 million hectares (215.6 million acres) is the largest in the world. India has grown to become among the top three global producers of a broad range of crops, including wheat, rice, pulses, cotton, peanuts, fruits, and vegetables.Worldwide, as of 2011, India had the largest herds of buffalo and cattle, is the largest producer of milk, and has one of the largest and fastest growing poultry industries.

    The following table presents the twenty most important agricultural products in India, by economic value, in 2009. Included in the table is the average productivity of India’s farms for each produce. For context and comparison, included is the average of the most productive farms in the world and name of country where the most productive farms existed in 2010. The table suggests India has large potential for further accomplishments from productivity increases, in increased agricultural output and agricultural incomes. The Statistics Office of the Food and Agriculture Organization reported that, per final numbers for 2009, India had grown to become the world’s largest producer of the following agricultural produce.

    FRESH FRUIT
    Lemons and limes
    Buffalo milk, whole, fresh
    Castor oil seeds
    Sunflower seeds
    Sorghum
    Millet
    Spices
    Okra
    Jute
    Beeswax
    Bananas
    Mangoes, mangosteens, guavas

    PULSES
    Indigenous Buffalo Meat
    Fruit, tropical
    Ginger
    Chick peas
    Areca nuts
    Other Bastfibres
    Pigeon peas
    Papayas
    Chillies and peppers, dry
    Anise, badian, fennel, coriander
    Goat milk, whole, fresh
    Per final numbers for 2009, India is the
    world’s second largest producer of the
    following agricultural produce.
    Wheat
    Rice
    Vegetables, fresh
    Sugar cane
    Groundnuts, with shell
    Lentils
    Garlic
    Cauliflowers and broccoli
    Peas, green
    Sesame seed
    Cashew nuts, with shell
    Silk-worm cocoons, reelable
    Cow milk, whole, fresh
    Tea
    Potatoes
    Onions
    Cotton lint
    Cottonseed
    Eggplants (aubergines)
    Nutmeg, mace and cardamoms
    Indigenous Goat Meat
    Cabbages and other brassicas
    Pumpkins, squash and gourds

    In 2009, India was the world’s third largest producer of eggs, oranges, coconuts, tomatoes, peas and beans. In addition to growth in total output, agriculture in India has shown an increase in average agricultural output per hectare in last 60 years.

    The table below presents average farm productivity in India over three farming years for some crops. Improving road and power generation infrastructure, knowledge gains and reforms has allowed India to increase farm productivity between 40% to 500% over 40 years. India’s recent accomplishments in crop yields while being impressive, are still just 30% to 60% of the best crop yields achievable in the farms of developed as well as other developing countries. Additionally, despite these gains in farm productivity, losses after harvest due to poor infrastructure and unorganized retail cause India to experience some of the highest food losses in the world.

  • Pakistan bars mobile phone service in 58 cities

    Pakistan bars mobile phone service in 58 cities

    ISLAMABAD (TIP): Pakistan suspended mobile phone services for a day Friday in 58 cities, including Lahore and Karachi, as a security measure for Eid Miladun Nabi gatherings and processions, a media report said. Mobile phone services will stay suspended in major cities of Punjab, Sindh and Balochistan’s capital Friday, reported Dawn. Interior minister Rehman Malik said Thursday that request for suspension of mobile phone services had been received from three provinces. Officials said that mobile phone services would remain suspended in 51 cities of Punjab and seven major cities of Sindh from 8am to 10pm while in Quetta the services would be suspended from 10am to 2pm.The 51 cities in Punjab where mobile phone services will be suspended include Lahore, Multan Sialkot, Rawalpindi, Attock, Jhelum, Chakwal, Faisalabad, and Sargodha while the seven cities in Sindh where there will be no mobile service include Karachi,Hyderabad, Sukkur and Khairpur.

  • Indian NRIs’ Properties Back Home Becoming Targets Of Greedy Relatives And Dubious Developers

    Indian NRIs’ Properties Back Home Becoming Targets Of Greedy Relatives And Dubious Developers

    DUBAI (TIP): Greedy relatives and shady agents are unlawfully grabbing the properties of Indian expatriates living in Dubai. Caught in this miserable scenario, many Indian expatriates in Dubai are seemingly fighting the unending legal battles back home. According to Gulf News, and it is not easy to pay hassle-free frequent visits to India, and go through the notoriously lengthy legal process in the country. Some cannot even put on combat gear as the enemy, in many cases, is there own parents or siblings. According to lawyers, the misuse of power of attorney is rampant across India.

    Invariably, NRI owners top the list of victims. Chokshy, a seasoned lawyer with over 30 years of experience in Gujarat civil courts, said he has seen many NRIs go through bitter experiences where their parents or siblings have grabbed their property. According to the report, the illegal grabbing, occupation or confiscation of properties have long been a pressing issue for Indians residing out of the country, so much so that a US-based Global Organisation of People of Indian Origin (GOPIO) has demanded the establishment of fast-track courts for speedy disposal of their property disputes.

    The organization said that many USbased NRIs owning houses and land in Kolkata, New Delhi, Punjab and Kerala have been struggling for years to reclaim properties usurped by friends, families or caretakers. The increasing number of illegal and forceful land grabbing cases was also a topic of concern at the recently concluded 11th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD) conducted by the Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs between January 7 and 9 in Kochi, Kerala. According to lawyers in India and the UAE, expatriates are particularly vulnerable to fraudulent elements back home because of time constraints and lack of legal support in fighting their cases.

    NRIs are at a great disadvantage as they reside far away from their home country and civil cases in India can take 15-20 years or even more due to an overloaded judicial system. So alarming is the situation that an army of ‘property managers’ have mushroomed in big cities in India like Mumbai, Delhi, Pune, Ahmedabad, Mangalore, Chennai and Kochi to manage the assets of NRIs, the report added.

  • SGPC To Participate In The Kumbh Mela

    SGPC To Participate In The Kumbh Mela

    CHANDIGARH (TIP): Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee – the mini parliament of Sikhs – has decided to participate in the Kumbh Mela for the first time, inviting criticism from various quarters, according to a report published in January 13 edition of Times of India. While the decision has apparently been taken at the behest of the top bosses of Shiromani Akali Dal (Badal), which heads a coalition government in Punjab with the BJP, the SGPC is projecting it as an opportunity to make the Hindus from far-off places aware of Sikhism and the sacrifices made by the Sikh Gurus and the community. The committee has started shortlisting Sikh literature in Hindi that will be available at the mela.

    The decision had been taken at a meeting of the executive committee of SGPC a few days ago. Sources said there was some opposition to the proposal to participate in the Kumbh Mela, the largest gathering of Hindus, when SGPC president Avtar Singh Makkar tabled it in the executive meeting. Many members pointed out that the mela had no significance in Sikhism and participation in the religious gathering would send out a wrong signal, especially about the independent identity of the Sikhs.

    Finally, it was decided to put up a stall of literature published by SGPC at the mela. When asked about the reason for the move, SGPC president Avtar Singh Makkar said it provided a large target audience for making people aware about Sikhism. He said SGPC would also hold a photo and literature exhibition and organize a langar. SGPC secretary Dalmegh Singh has been sent to Allahabad to coordinate with the authorities. Makkar said he has issued directives to SGPC staff for short-listing the books that give an insight into Sikh history and to make these available in Hindi in good numbers. Slamming the SGPC’s decision, All India Sikh Students Federation president Karnail Singh Peermohammad said this has been done at the behest of RSS and is against the ideals propounded by the first Sikh master, Guru Nanak, and other gurus. “We respect everyone’s beliefs, but participating in the mela does not have any religious importance in Sikhism,” he added.

  • SC: All And Sundry Don’t Deserve Police Protection

    SC: All And Sundry Don’t Deserve Police Protection

    NEW DELHI (TIP): Questioning the need for providing police protection to all and sundry and allowing red beacon lights on their vehicles, the Supreme Court on January 17 directed all the states to furnish details about the total number of persons enjoying such facilities and the expenditure being incurred by the government for the purpose. A Bench comprising Justices GS Singhvi and HL Gokhale made it clear that only those holding important constitutional posts or were facing threat to their lives should be given such privileges. In Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan, even sarpanches were getting security and had tinted glasses in their vehicles and the police could not dare to remove the black films, the Bench noted. In several states, even MPs, MLAs and municipal commissioners were being allowed to use beacon lights in their vehicles, while this facility should be restricted to ambulances and the vehicles of the police and some defence personnel.

  • States Showcase Their Strengths To Woo Investments By Overseas Indians

    States Showcase Their Strengths To Woo Investments By Overseas Indians

    KOCHI (TIP): Ten states of India showcased the multifarious investment opportunities for the Indian Diaspora with a view to identifying areas for forging partnerships with overseas Indians at the concluding day of the 11th Bharatiya Pravasi Divas here on Wednesday, January 9th. Kerala, the host state for the three-day event, presented to the delegates its developmental agenda and looked for investment, support and the talent of overseas Indians in helping the State to realize its vision. The multi-point program envisioned for Kerala was spelt out by Mr. Sam Pitroda, Adviser to the Prime Minister on Public Information, Infrastructure and Innovation.

    The program envisages connectivity through coastal waterways for movement of goods, building knowledge cities in Kochi and Thiruvananthapuram, integration of all ayurveda activities in the state, egovernance, waste management through green technologies, skill development, promotion of traditional industries and creating high-speed rail corridor. Among those who invited overseas Indians to invest in Kerala included Mr. Oommen Chandy, Chief Minister of Kerala; Mr. Vayalar Ravi, Union Minister for Overseas Indian Affairs; Mr. K V Thomas, Minister of State for Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution and Mr. K C Joseph, Minister for Non-Resident Keralites Affairs Department & Culture, Government of Kerala.

    The north Indian state of Punjab prides itself in having a strong agriculture base, high consumer index, best infrastructure index, best industrial and agri work culture, high per capita income, highest agriculture output, best human resource and an enterprising populace. According to S. S. Channy, Principal Secretary, Department of Technical Education & Industrial Training & Cultural Affairs and NRI Affairs, the mission was to make Punjab a top-notch state in terms of being surplus in power, best air connectivity, finest road network, futuristic town planning, upgraded transport facilities, maximum emphasis on education, health for all, engaging youth through sports, make Punjab an industry & IT destination, social development, employment generation, heritage preservation and governance reforms.

    On the industrial front, the state’s fiveyear mission is to create a textiles hub at Ferozepur, Barnala, Mansa, Bathinda; food hub (Amritsar, Ferozepur); IT hub (Mohali, Amritsar); petro park (Bathinda); automobiles hub (Patiala); sugar hub (Amritsar, Gurdaspur); hosiery, garments, knitting, weaving (Ludhiana); hand tools (Jalandhar); sports goods (Jalandhar) and leather goods (Jalandhar). Mr. Rajendra Pareek, Industries Minister, Government of Rajasthan, spelt out the reasons to invest in the state. These include a conducive business environment, strategic location and market accessibility, large land bank, strong backbone of industrial power, availability of skilled manpower at low cost, booming automotive sector, consistently growing IT/ITes industry, home to leaders in ceramic and glass, ever-expanding horizons in tourism, seamless possibilities in non-conventional power generation, rich mineral and oil wealth, active institutional support, a destination favored by corporate and a great place to live.

    “The business friendly initiatives of the Government of Rajasthan, such as Rajasthan Investment promotion Scheme 2010 and Rajasthan Enterprises Single window Enabling and Clearance Act 2011, have attracted leading companies from various sectors. JCB, Honda, Lafarge, Saint Gobain, Infosys, Deutsche Bank, Hero Motorcorp and Petro are some of the prominent companies that have chosen Rajasthan for their operations,” he says. The State of Gujarat holds many records in India for economic development: It boasts of 16% of the country’s industrial output, 22% of India’s exports, 35% of the country’s pharma products, 51% of chemical products and 62% of India’s petrochemical production.

    According to Mr. Arvind Agarawal, Principal Secretary, NRI, Government of Gujarat, the percentage of working days lost in Gujarat due to industrial strife is 0.42%, the lowest in India. And even during the worst years of recession, Gujarat registered double-digit industrial growth over the last seven years. Further, Gujarat is the only Indian state with an integrated state-wide gas grid. It has an extensive transmission network of almost 2200 km. Odisha enjoys its own prominence in the form of agriculture, industries, infrastructure developments, corporate hubs, top-tier educational institutes, good career opportunities, ports for exports and imports, investment avenues and natural beauty.

    Mr. Surya Narayan Patro, Minister for Revenue and Disaster Management, Government of Odisha mentioned that the Odisha Government was trying to create a favorable environment for attracting investment by streamlining the process for regulatory clearances through Single Window System approach, for which Clearance Authorities and Level Nodal Agencies at state and districts level were functional. The agencies provide facilitation and infrastructural support services to investors under the aegis of ‘Team Odisha’. The state is rich in minerals, agriculture and other natural resources. Odisha has 33% of iron ore, 55% of Bauxite, 95% of Chrome, in addition to large reserves of Coal, Dolomite, Graphite and Manganese in the country.

    Odisha has a large number of large, medium and small-scale enterprises in Steel, Aluminium, Chrome, Power, Textile, Handicrafts and IT/ITES. To accelerate the industrial progress in Bihar, the Government has adopted a number of measures. As many as, 939 proposals have been approved and Rs. 300807.45 crore is to be invested, of which investments worth Rs. 502120 crore has already been made. It is also estimated that 229641 job opportunities would be created. The areas of opportunities for investment were food processing, service sector, textile sector, sugar sector, information technology, leather, biotechnology, drug and pharmaceuticals. has strategic locational advantage in Eastern India and is close to Kolkata, Haldia and Paradeep Ports.

    Ranchi, the capital, is well connected by air, rail and road. Industrial towns have excellent Rail and Road connectivity with major market places of the country. Golden Quadrilateral Super Highway passes through Jharkhand. Jharkhand is an ideal location for EOUs interested in emerging markets of South East Asia, because of the freight advantage. According to Mr. D Gupta, Development Commissioner, Government of Jharkhand, the state offers significant opportunities in tourism, building power generation capacity, establishment of quality engineering and Medical Institutes (IITs/Polytechnics/Medical Colleges etc) and setting up of cold chains.

    Mr. Ponnala, Lakshmaiah, Minister for IT & Communication, Government of Andhra Pradesh, said, “I am happy to say that the state of Andhra Pradesh continues to be a favorite destination for industrial investment from all over the world. Industrial investment in the state is consistently growing and the investments received during 2010-11 stands at Rs 29,995 crore recording a growth of 67% over 2009- 10. The state is home to 4416 large industries and 180000 MSMEs, giving employment to nearly 25 lakh people. Today, Andhra Pradesh stands at the forefront of key manufacturing sectors, including cement, paper, pharmaceuticals, chemicals, textiles, steel, light and heavy engineering products, leather and food processing sectors.”

    Andhra Pradesh has emerged as the most ideal destination for ICT sector in India. It has the largest concentration of Fortune 500 companies based in AP. It is home for Indian and foreign IT majors such as TCS, Infosys, Wipro, HCL, Mahindra Satyam, Cognizant, Patni, Tech Mahindra, Sonata, Infotech, and Fortune 500 companies like Microsoft, Google, IBM, Oracle, DELL, Motorola, Deloitte, Convergys, UBS, Bank of America, HSBC, Honeywell, Siemens, JP Morgan, United Health Group, Facebook and so on. The Maharashtra Government’s policy and reforms driven initiatives are demonstrated by its policies on Biotech, IT & ITES, SEZ, Grapes Processing Industry, Tourism and Greenfield Port.

    Some key initiatives of the Government include stateof- the-art infrastructure, development of thrust industries, human resource development, labor laws reforms, cluster development – SME sector, provide information and facilitation, single window clearance portal, capital incentives for SSI and regional development. According to Mr. Vijay Suryawanshi, Joint CEO, Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation, some of the key policy initiatives of the state government are 5% subsidy on capital equipment for technology upgradation limited to Rs 25 lakh, 50% subsidy on the expenses incurred for quality certification limited to Rs 1 lakh, 25% subsidy on cleaner production measures limited to Rs 5 lakh and 50% subsidy on the expense incurred for patent registration limited to Rs 5 lakh.

    Madhya Pradesh has witnessed rapid industrialization. The major clusters in the state where industrial activity has been observed are regions in and around Gwalior, Jabalpur, Bhopal and Indore. The state has been proactive in adopting a seamless approach across sectors to promote sustainable growth resulting in fructification of investments over Rs. 7 lakh crore in the state. As many as 562 projects worth INR 3,57,558 crore in manufacturing, mining, power, services and infrastructure sector are being set up of which 206 projects costing Rs. 1,55,149 crore are in advance stages of completion and projects worth Rs. 39,000 crore are in various stages of execution.

    According to Arun Kumar Bhatt, Managing Director, Madhya Pradesh State Industrial Development Corporation Ltd., the Government of Madhya Pradesh decided to create a ‘Land Bank’, parcels of government land at various places suitable for industrial use. Such land parcels have been identified and are in the process of being transferred to Industries Department. Regional AKVNs have been entrusted with the responsibility of creating basic enabling infrastructure in such industrial estates or regions. The State Government has created a land bank of about 20,000 hectares across the state, which is being offered to various investors. Further consolidation of government land holdings with various departments that are suitable for industrial use is being carried out to identify more land and provide industries an impetus to set up base in the state.

  • A Unique Saint Soldier Guru Gobind Singh

    A Unique Saint Soldier Guru Gobind Singh

    Nature has its own ways to establish equilibrium in the universe. Otherwise, the powerful will always prevail and vanquish the weak. At about the time Guru Gobind Singh was born in the winter of 1666 A.D., India was passing through a period of extreme religious bigotry.

    A home grown centuries old religion- Hinduism- was the faith of the majority of Indians. They were subjugated and ruthlessly ruled by a far fewer number of Sunni Muslim conquerors hailing from Afghanistan. The Sunni Muslim Afghan conquerors wanted to propagate and spread only their form of religion in India.

    Guru Gobind Singh was vehemently opposed to such dictats. The founder of Sikhism Guru Nanak was the first high profile social reformer in India, who was a witness to the cruelty and tyranny of the first Mughal Emperor Zahir-Ud-Din Babar. Guru Nanak was briefly imprisoned by Babar, but soon Babar realized his folly, apologized to Guru Nanak and released him from the prison. Babar’s grandson Jalal-Ud-Din Akbar was more tolerant and just to the people of all faiths and he befriended the successors of Guru Nanak.

    By far the most intolerant Mughal Emperor was Aurangzeb Alamgir. He was determined to convert every well-meaning Indian to his Sunni Muslim faith. He picked up the affluent and fair colored and blue eyed Brahmins living in the Northern most hilly areas of Kashmir for forcible conversion into Sunni Islam. Guru Gobind Singh’s father, Guru Tegh Bahadur the ninth “Jyot” of Guru Nanak was on a gospel tour of North Eastern India, when Guru Gobind Singh was born in an ancient city of Patna on “Poh Sudi Satween” (according to the Christian Calendar in 1966). Guru Gobind Singh’s early childhood was spent in the North Eastern areas of India consisting of the present states of Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Assam and Bangladesh.

    As a child, he developed a strong inclination to play with bows and arrows. At his early age before ten, the family moved to a small hamlet in the lower Shivalik Himalayas in Punjab. This place later on became famous as Anandpur Sahib in Ropar district of Punjab. One fine autumn morning in 1675 A.D., a group of Kashmiri Brahmins came to see Guru Gobind Singh’s father Guru Tegh Bahadur at Anandpur Sahib. From their grim faces it could be made out that they were quite a frightened lot. Soon they started narrating their tales of utter despair and miseries. According to their version, they were being coerced to convert to Islam.

    Guru Tegh Bahadur was not opposed to conversion by logic and persuasion, but he was fiercely opposed to all forms of forced conversion. On hearing their tales of horror, while Guru Tegh Bahadur was absorbed in thoughts, his nine year old son Gobind Rai came there. Seeing his father immersed in deep thoughts, he asked him about the reason for his being so immersed in thoughts. When Guru Tegh Bahadur told him the story of the Kashmiri Brahmins and asked for his son’s advice, the son surprised everyone when by advising his father to offer his own supreme sacrifice to awake the conscience of the nation.

    This is how Guru Tegh Bahadur made up his mind to offer himself to be beheaded in the national capital, Delhi. The place where Guru Tag Bahadur was beheaded is now a sacred Sikh temple. After Guru Tegh Bahadur’s merciless beheading, his son Gobind Rai made up his mind to fight the Sunni Islamic tyranny of Emperor Aurangzeb with an army of highly motivated saint soldiers. For years, young Gobind Rai struggled consistently against the far superior Mughal Armies. During the spring harvest season in 1699, Gobind Rai gave a call to his “Sikhs” to congregate at Anandpur Sahib in big numbers. In this very congregation he established the order of the “Khalsa” (the pure) and he changed his as well as his male followers’ last name to “Singh” and the last names of the females were changed to “Kaur”. Thus was created the bearded and turbaned “Khalsa”.

    From 1699 to 1907 A.D., Guru Gobind Singh fought a relentless series of battles against the imperial forces of Auranzeb Alamgir and scores of his subject Rajas of small hill area principalities. In the process of fighting the tyranny of Emperor Aurangzb Alamgir, Guru Gobind Singh lost all four of his sons and his mother. Thousands of his saint soldiers, including his five most favorite disciples and forty of his choicest soldiers died in the battlefields.

    Aurangzeb died in 1707. His son Bahadur Shah abandoned his father’s bigotry and coercive policies and befriended Guru Gobind Singh. A meeting marking a period of peace and harmony was arranged between Guru Gobind Singh and Emperor Bahadur Shah in 1707 A.D., after which Guru Gobind Singh moved to the Southern Peninsular India and started living at a place called Nanded (Sri Huzoor Sahib).

    Here he was assaulted with sharp edged weapons by two Muslim assassins. Guru Gobind Singh died at the age of forty two in 1708. Due to Guru Gobind Singh’s relentless military campaign against Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb, the Mughal Empire’s power base started eroding. After the death of Guru Gobind Singh, even the dreaded Mughal Empire saw its slow disintegration. Guru Gobind Singh was a great soldier, a great linguist and a brilliant scholar of theosophy.

    He composed volumes of spiritual verses. His poetry was composed in a number of Sanskrit, Persian and Arabic meters, unmatched by any other poet. The line by line weight in his poetry is so well balanced that it is a treat to sing his poetry in classical Raagas. He was so humble that he did not include his own poetry in the Sikh holy book “Sri Guru Granth Sahib”, although he did include some “Baani” of his illustrious father Guru Tegh Bahadur in the final version of “Sri Guru Granth Sahib”.

    Guru Gobind Singh very well knew that the time to end the practice of living Gurus has arrived. He had a group of fifty two celebrated poets in his court, who used to admire his poetry and likewise the Guru used to enjoy their poetry. Before his death, Guru Gobind Singh most respectfully placed the final version of holy “Sri Guru Granth Sahib” on a higher pedestal and then bowed his head before it.

    This gesture contained a message to his followers to take all spiritual and worldly guidance from the holy book and not to believe in any living Guru henceforth. He believed in a classless society and he created it amongst his followers. He always helped and never abandoned the poor and the downtrodden.

  • 2 Indian-Americans Sworn in as Members of US House of Representatives

    2 Indian-Americans Sworn in as Members of US House of Representatives

    WASHINGTON (TIP): Indian- Americans Ami Bera and Tulsi Gabbard were sworn in as members of the US House of Representatives January 4, much to the delight of the small but powerful community in the country.

    Born of immigrant parents from Punjab, California-based physician Bera is only the fourth Indian American to be a member of the US House of Representatives, while Iraq war veteran Tulsi Gabbard is the first Hindu ever to win Congressional election.

    The 113th Congress commenced on January 3, 2013 with the swearing-in ceremony for newly elected Members of Congress. The new Congress in session till January 3, 2015 has 43 African American members (all but one in the House of Representatives), a record high number of 100 female, seven LGBT members, and one member of the Kennedy family returning to elective federal office after a brief pause from public service from the family.

    Bera, 47, from seventh Congressional District from California and Gabbard, 31, from Hawaii’s second Congressional District, are reflective of the diversity of the new Congress. Both are from the Democratic Party of President Barack Obama. Hindus represent less than one per cent of the current US population.

  • Out Of Wife’s Love, Pak Man Tears Up Passport To Get Off Plane

    Out Of Wife’s Love, Pak Man Tears Up Passport To Get Off Plane

    LAHORE (TIP): A Pakistani man tore up his passport in a bid to get off an Italy-bound flight after getting a phone call from his distressed wife who was upset about his decision to go abroad, officials said. Faisal Ali, a resident of Gujarat district of Punjab province, tore up the passport minutes before the Pakistan International Airlines flight was to take off from Lahore airport yesterday. Ali got his boarding card and entered the plane. However, he disembarked minutes later and informed immigration authorities that he had lost his passport, officials said. When he was interrogated by officials, Ali revealed he had acted out of “love for his wife”. He told officials that his wife was “very upset” about his decision to go abroad. Ali said he decided not to travel after his wife telephoned him while he was in the plane and began crying. “I decided to leave the aircraft after hearing my wife crying on the phone. I tore up my passport so that I can never even think of leaving my beloved wife,” Ali was quoted as saying by an official. Authorities released Ali after recovering his torn passport.

  • Dr. Sukhvinder Ranu Nostalgic about India, Tradition, Values

    Dr. Sukhvinder Ranu Nostalgic about India, Tradition, Values

    Dr. Sukhvinder Ranu is among those successful professionals who fully enjoyed the love and affection of a joint family. A son of High School teacher, Sardar Gurnam Singh, Dr. Ranu grew up in a family that valued higher education. Inspired by family traditions and equally influenced by his elder brother, Dr. Amrik Singh Ranu who worked as a medical doctor, he not only chose the medical profession for himself but also excelled in it. Today he is settled in Garden City Park, Long Island, New York with his wife and two young children while maintaining a close contact with his 84 year old father who lives in Vancouver, Canada with Dr. Ranu’s sister and mother.

    Born in village Sarhala Ranuan in the famous Banga Tehsil of district Nawan Shahr in Punjab, Ranu completed his medical degree from Government Medical College at Patiala, Punjab and gave a helping hand to his elder brother in his private clinic. After a brief stint of working in a government hospital at Soondh in Nawanshahr district, Dr. Ranu moved to Canada in 1990 to join his parents where he soon realized that a better career awaited him in the USA. He moved to New York in 1995 to do his residency as a Pediatrician. He joined the State University Health Science Center in Brooklyn, NY. Dr. Ranu emerged as a respectable name in the field of Neonatology. Serving in the Department of Pediatrics at Kings County Hospital Center in Brooklyn, NY, he is helping the community as a specialist who takes care of the new born and the prematurely born babies. As a neonatologist, he evaluates, stabilizes, and treats infants who require medical intervention, including premature babies, babies who need help to breathe at birth, and babies born with lifethreatening medical conditions.

    Content with his professional life, Dr. Ranu is involved in a number of social and professional organizations. In recent years Dr. Ranu got increasingly involved in community service. He regularly participates in social and cultural celebrations organized by various organizations. Earlier this year he was elected as the president of India Association of Long Island, the premier organizations of Indian American population in Long Island area with a membership of 1600. The association is the largest group of Indian American population in New York Metro region

    representing people with roots in India irrespective of their religious or political affiliations .He is also a board member of American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin, Queens and Long Island, which is a professional organization supported by more than two thousand physicians from Queens and Long Island. A cheerful family man Dr. Ranu attributes his successful medical career to his family. He likes to spend time with his wife Darshan, a housewife and sons Ashvinder who is doing major in Psychology and Business Administration at Stonybrook University, preparing to be a lawyer and Akaashdeep who is in High School and plans to go in to medical profession.

    Speaking about his wife, Darshan, Dr. Ranu said his wife enjoyed the role of a housewife. To her tending her husband and two young sons is a pleasure she loves to indulge in. However, she has diverse interests. As the First Lady of the India Association of Long Island, Darshan has been working closely with IALI’s Women’s Forum that aims at educating and updating women members on various important issues, including family’s health. Because of her leadership role, the participation of women in the Forum activities tripled. An achievement, in deed. The Ranu family is fond of traveling and seeing places. They have been to most parts of the US, Canada and Mexico. Dr. Ranu has a passion for nature photography and has a rich collection of photos on various moods of nature.

    Q. How do you describe yourself?

    DR. RANU: I am a physician specializing in Neonatology-looking after ailments of premature and newborn babies. I work hard to ensure that the society is blessed with healthy new citizens who could meet the expectations of the future. I am a family man who is blessed with two school going children. I am fortunate to be receiving the love and affection of my mother and father who live in Vancouver, Canada.

    Q. How do you define success?

    ANS: I think I am a successful professional working as an Assistant Professor in medical field. I enjoy my job teaching young physicians in New York. I have a happy family who make me feel very content with life.

    Q: What was your family’s contribution in shaping your life?

    ANS: I learned from my father that education is very important for succeeding in life. He retired as a principal of a High School and inspired me to do well in my school and college. I was a bright student who had not much difficulty pursuing the medical career. I also followed my elder brother, who owned his medical practice, and helped him for a few years in his clinic.

    Q: How did you arrive in America? What challenges you faced here?

    ANS: In the Eighties I graduated from medical school and got employment in a government hospital in Punjab. Meanwhile my father immigrated to Canada to live with my sister. He wished me to live with him. In order to get my father and mother’s affection and with a desire to stay close to them I decided to move to Canada. Afterwards I moved to New York to pursue higher studies in Pediatrics and specialize in Neonatology.

    Q: What is your future plan?

    ANS: I would like to continue working in the hospital but also would like to work towards setting up my own practice. I am also interested in social and community service. I want to spend more time in community organizations. As a leader in the India Association of Long Island I will continue play a role in mobilizing our people for good cause and hold meaningful activities.

    Q: Is there something you miss in your life?

    ANS: Our community is known for successful professionals. Indian American doctors and professionals are highly respected in this country.We are dedicated to our family values and keep our unique culture alive in this country. Though we are very successful in our professions we are deprived of the social warmth that is easily available back home in India. People of my generation clearly view the changing values in this country with a lot of concern. In spite of our commitment to Indian values I feel that the younger generation of Indians,who are born and raised in this country, are not fully aware of our traditions and care little about concerns and feelings of their ageing parents. This situation bothers me a lot.

    Q: What is your message for the younger generation?

    ANS: I would like to advise the younger generation to be sensitive about their family values and traditions. They shouldn’t deviate from the culture of their parents and grand parents. I would be very happy if the younger generation would continue our tradition to look after their elders without sending them away in long term care facility. Our elders deserve a lot of love and care because they had sacrificed a lot to ensure good future for their offspring.

  • US Department of State Intervenes to Save Badal in US Lawsuit

    US Department of State Intervenes to Save Badal in US Lawsuit

    NEW YORK (TIP): The US Department of State has weighed in favor of CM Badal in the pending human rights violation lawsuit before the Federal Court of Wisconsin. The Special agents from the Diplomatic Security Service of the US Department of State have submitted sworn statements to the US court claiming that Badal was not served with the summons. This unprecedented move of the US Department of State has undermined the prospects of Badal being answerable before the US Court for commanding a police force that tortured Sikhs in Punjab.

    Earlier, US State Department has given immunity to Pakistan’s ISI and its chiefs Ahmed Shuja Pasha and Nadeem Taj in a lawsuit filed by the relatives of Mumbai 26/11 tragedy. Rights group Sikhs for Justice (SFJ) has released copies of the sworn statements of the US State Departments Special Agents O’Toole and Scharlat that have been submitted to the US Court which allege that “at 4:50 PM on August 09, CM Badal was at Boelter Super Store in Milwaukee and was not at Oak Creek High School in Oak Creek,Wisconsin”. The Special Agents O’Toole and Scharlat were part of the CM Badal’s security detail during his August 2012 visit to the US.

    Attorney Michelle Jacobs of the Michael Best and Friedrich, LLP, in support of motion to dismiss the lawsuit against CM Badal stated that since “the defendant has presented clear and convincing evidence that Badal was not served so the case should be dismissed for invalid service.” Determined to continue with the prosecution of CM Badal for commanding a police force that violated human rights of Sikhs in India, rights group has also served CM Badal with the summons of the US Court through Hague Service Convention of 1967. On November 09, 2012, Sikh Rights group through “Process Forwarding International (PFI)” an official Process Server to “United States Department of Justice” has delivered the US Federal court summons issued against Badal to the Central Authority of India as required under the Hague Convention.

    Central Authority of India has been established by Government of India for receiving and serving judicial documents from foreign courts pursuant to Hague Convention on Service Abroad of 1965 which has been signed by India and United States. Under Article 15 of the Hague Convention service is considered complete once copy of Summons and Complaint is delivered to the Central Authority. According to attorney Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, legal advisor to Sikhs for Justice (SFJ), Since the prosecution of CM Badal depends upon the service of the summons of the US Court and same has been challenged by the CM Badal with the help of US Department of State, plaintiffs have requested the court to subpoena Badal so that he could be cross examined and identified in the court by the plaintiffs’ process server who served CM Badal on August 09 at Oak Creek High School.

    Plaintiffs Jeet Singh, Gurdeep Kaur and Jagtar Singh of SAD (Amritsar) have approached US Federal Judge Randa with the documentary evidence of mistreatment of their family members in India by the Badal administration pressurizing them to withdraw the human rights violations case against CM Badal. Ever since the filing of human rights violation lawsuit against CM Badal in US Court, Badal regime under the directions of its Home Minister Sukhbir Badal has unleashed a reign of terror and intimidation against the family members of plaintiffs living in India. The recent incidents of torture of SAD (Amritsar) activists by the Badal regime pave the way for the plaintiffs to include the name of Sukhbir Badal, Home Minister of the Sate as additional defendant in the pending human rights violation case in the US Court added attorney Pannun.

  • Vulgarity A Trend In Punjabi Songs Since 80s, Censor Board To Check It

    Vulgarity A Trend In Punjabi Songs Since 80s, Censor Board To Check It

    JALANDHAR/ CHANDIGARH (TIP): Honey Singh and Jazzy B are not the only singers drawing flak for vulgar, misogynist songs, but there are several other Punjabi singers, who have been doing the same without any subtlety for some time. In fact, Amar Chamkila started the trend of using double entendres in the 1980s even as he had sung a number of popular religious and folk songs. He even defied militant threats warning him against singing vulgar songs till he was killed along another singer Amarjot in March 1988.

    “Romanticism has always been there in Punjabi folk and other popular songs, but Chamkila had crossed the line and started openly using double-entendres. After his killing, no Punjabi singer sang any vulgar song for around a decade,” said columnist Swaran Tehna. He pointed out that then there was no internet and only those with cassette players could listen to these songs along with those who attended Chimkila’s Akharas (programs) in villages. “What these singers are singing today may even shame Chamkila as abuses and explicit words are being unabashedly used in and these songs are reaching most youngsters,” said Tehna.

    Others like Ashok Masti, Geeta Zaildar, Diljit Dosanjh and Gippy Grewal have also been drawing flak for singing vulgar songs. Gippy and Zaildar had to apologize for their songs after women activists staged dharnas before their residences. Critics say many Punjabi songs depict women as “mere enjoyment objects”. They cite songs like Jassi’s `Yaaro Aaundian rehndia kudian te Bassan (girls and buses keep on coming)’. Even most popular Punjabi female singer Miss Pooja has sung songs on similar lines. Dinesh of Speed Records, which recently released Jazzy B and Honey Singh’s song facing flak for vulgarity, argued that the two cannot be made scapegoats. “If there is going to be action, then it should be for everybody,” he said.

    “Nobody speaks out against Bollywood.” Speed Records had apologized and pledged to avoid vulgarity after activists protested outside its office. The vulgarity in Honey Singh’s songs has not impacted his popularity. His songs on video-sharing sites get millions of hits. On such song ‘G**** mein Danda’ has got over 8.5 million hits since 2008. Another song he sang with Deep Money that describes Punjabi girls as “second hand stuff” has over 6.5 million hits. “Honey Singh is popular among teens for using sexually explicit words,” said Tehna. He sought action against channels playing such songs.

    “(They) are also responsible for promoting these songs.” But the outrage over vulgarity has prompted the Punjab government to set up a censor board to screen their content. Cultural affairs minister Sarwan Singh Phillaur has mooted the proposal in August last year. The move is likely to be fast-tracked following the national outrage over Honey Singh’s songs. “The objective is to screen the content shown in such videos besides lyrics so that the censored content reaches the public,” said Phillaur. Phillaur forwarded his proposal to the Punjab Cabinet along with the list of Honey Singh’s lewd songs. Earlier, Punjab transport minister Ajit Singh Kohar had banned drivers from playing “vulgar and provocative songs” in state-run transport buses to prevent accidents in November.

  • Punjab Unveils Steps To Combat Crime Against Women, Kids

    Punjab Unveils Steps To Combat Crime Against Women, Kids

    CHANDIGARH (TIP): Punjab government announced a slew of measures, including lodging of gender-related cases at the complainants’ residences instead of police stations, to effectively combat crimes against women and children. It was decided that no complainant of gender-related cases would be called at police stations in future and the complainant would be examined at her residence by the police accompanied by a lady police official that too in the presence of her family members. The government has also decided that only gazetted officers not below the rank of DSP will be deputed to be a supervisory officer in investigating gender-related cases.

    A dedicated telephone number manned by lady constables will be set up in all police stations to deal with complaints of gender-related crimes so that the complainants could air their grievances without any fear, hesitation or inhibition. The chief minister in a letter to Chief Justice of Punjab and Haryana high court Justice A K Sikri asked him to allocate dedicated courts in all districts across the state to ensure speedy trial of cases involving women and children. He also constituted a four-member committee comprising the advocate general, the principal secretary (home), the DGP and the director prosecution & litigation to recommend stricter laws to deal with the accused involved in such dastardly acts against humanity especially women and children besides swifter procedures to be adopted for speedy prosecution. The committee has been asked to submit its report within 10 days.