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Careers & Education: Wear the right attitude to work Pg 10

Business: G20: compromise deal to correct economic flaws Pg 13

(air Surcharge Rs 2.00) pages 18

Sports: Jayawardene hits fastest ton for Lanka Pg 18

Parliament all set for a smooth budget session PTI NEW DELHI, FEB 20

Bollywood actresses Mahima Chaudhary and Prachi Desai during the Tollywood Vs Bollywood exhibition cricket match at Kunchan Junga Stadium in Siliguri on Sunday.

5 vehicles catch fire at Farmagudi HERALD CORRESPONDENT MARCEL, FEB 20

Five vehicles which were parked near the venue of a religious function at the Goa Engineering College ground, FarmagudiPonda, caught fire on Sunday afternoon, causing an estimated loss of about Rs 25 lakh.

According to sources, the cause of the fire is allegedly due

Putting aside its winter fiasco, parliament is all set for a smooth budget session from tomorrow with government telling the opposition that an announcement on the constitution of a joint parliamentary committee (JPC) into the 2G spectrum will be made on Tuesday.

Leader of the house in the Lok Sabha and Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee gave the assurance to opposition leaders at a meeting convened by the Speaker Meira Kumar that the government will make the an-

nouncement in the house on JPC on Tuesday when actual proceedings of the budget session start.

Sources said there could be discussions between the government and the opposition parties before the announcement or after it about constitution of the committee, representation on it for parties and the terms of reference following which the house is expected to adopt a resolution.

Tomorrow, the session gets a formal start with the president’s address to the joint sitting of both houses of parliament.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh

expressed the hope that the budget session would be “fruitful and productive”.

With the entire winter session disrupted, there was allround criticism and expression of concerns that led both sides to think ways of finding a way out of the impasse.

According to one estimate, over Rs 150 crore was spent on a session that did not transact any business.

The General Budget for 2011-12 will be presented on February 28 while the Railway Budget on February 25. The prebudget Economic Survey will also be tabled on February 25.

Raja wants to attend parliament !

BY JAL KHAMBATA NEW DELHI, FEB 20

(Continued on page 15)

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh arrives for lunch after the all-party meeting in New Delhi on Sunday.

In a new embarrassing twist for the government trying to set up a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) on the 2G scam, arrested former Telecom Minister A Raja wants to attend the Lok Sabha and participate in the debate expected on Tuesday on an official resolution for the committee’s constitution.

Even if he is unable to participate in the debate, he wants to exercise his right to make a clean breast of the scam allegations, exercising the right under the Lok Sabha Rule 357 that “a member may, with the permission of the speaker,

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has said that Education Minister Babush Monserratte, his wife Jennifer and others were not assaulted in police custody and instead they suffered bodily injuries at the time of taking them into custody.

CBI Inspector Ashok Yadav, in his affidavit before the Bombay High Court at Goa, earlier this month, has also rubbished allegations of theft at Babush’s Miramar bungalow levelled against the policemen.

Monserratte had allegedly led a mob which attacked the Panjim police station on February 19, 2008.

On the same day, Babush, Jeniffer, Prakash Oli and Babaji Gadkari were arrested and detained. CBI has said that Babush’s son, Amit, was also detained in the police station for

make a personal explanation, although there is no question before the house.”

He had refrained from making a personal statement in the house in November as allowed to any minister on resignation because that would have embarrassed the government, but he wants to exercise the right as a MP now (Continued on page 15)

WHAT THE AFFIDAVIT SAYS...

Babush, wife & son not assaulted in police custody Injuries caused due to scuffle with police at the time of taking him into custody No valuables stolen from Babush’s Miramar house No damage was caused to the cars parked near the bungalow at Miramar Babush had collected a crowd to launch a protest march from Taleigao to the Panjim police station on February 19, 2008 few hours but released later.

“All of them sustained bodily injuries at the time of taking them in police custody. Injury was caused due to scuffle and reasonable force used by police for effecting their arrest,” the affidavit mentions.

The CBI has also recommended departmental action against Police Inspector Sudesh Naik, Sub Inspector Tushar Lotlikar, lady police constable Savita Morje and police constable Anil Pilgaonkar for lapses in their duty on the eventful day.

(Continued on page 15)

Indians may get 20,000 UK visas under EU deal: Report PTI LONDON, FEB 20

Indians may get up to 20,000 United Kingdom visas a year under a deal it is negotiating with the European Union and in return India has put forward an annual 4 billion pounds trade with the EU, media reported today.

Under the proposed deal, Britain will have to accept thousands of workers in exchange for potentially lucrative export deals, despite figures showing that the number of unemployed in the UK stood at 2.5 million, The Sunday Telegraph reported.

Negotiations for the EU-India free trade agreement have seen New Delhi lobbying for between 35,000 and 50,000 visas a year across the 27-member States, the report said.

Quoting sources, the report said Indians wanted Britain to give between 15,000 and 20,000 visas to its citizens every year, compared with 3,000 for France and 7,000 for Germany.

Only highly-skilled workers would be eligible for the visas.

HIGH VALUE SWAP Only highly skilled workers eligible Deal in exchange for lucrative export deals Britain to win half of 4 billion pounds trade 30,000 Indian workers went to UK last year Under the deal, Britain is predicted to win about half of the proposed 4 billion pounds trade.

If the European Union accepts the plan spearheaded by Jose Manuel Barroso, the president of the EU Commission, it would be the first time any country has gained access to a fixed number of British visas every year.

Britain would be expected to take vastly more Indian workers than the newest EU countries.

Estonia is scheduled to accept just 19 Indians, while Lithuania is down for 33.

A spokesman for the Depart-

It’s Pawar play: Mickky’s meeting in Delhi today HERALD REPORTER PANJIM, FEB 20

Babush, others not assaulted in police station attack: CBI HERALD REPORTER PANJIM, FEB 20

Minto Road at Connaught Place in Delhi remained waterlogged after heavy showers accompanied by a thunder squall lashed the capital on Sunday evening, catching citizens unawares. For Delhites, the rains came as a welcome relief as they were experiencing relatively warmer weather for the past few days. REPORT ON PAGE 11

ment of Business, Innovation and Skills said: “The UK strongly supports the conclusion of an ambitious free trade agreement which is currently being negotiated by the commission.

“The long-term benefits for both parties would be considerable and will deliver significant economic benefits to the UK, reducing both tariff and non-tariff barriers to trade. Negotiations on the free trade agreement are ongoing and we expect a conclusion this year.”

He said “The government’s approach will be consistent with our commitment to limit levels of economic migration to the UK. Strict criteria are being negotiated to ensure there is a focus on highly-skilled and highly qualified professionals entering the UK temporarily.”

Nearly 30,000 Indian workers came to Britain last year, 19,000 of whom arrived through the intra-company transfer (ICT) scheme, which is also exempt from the coalition’s interim immigration cap.

The political situation in Goa is expected to take a spin with Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) supremo Sharad Pawar summoning Goa’s legislator Mickky Pacheco to Delhi on Monday.

NCP sources stated that Pawar, who was in Dhaka for the inaugural match of ICC World Cup, has returned to Delhi. He has decided to take up the issue of Mickky’s induction on priority.

It has been almost two months that the matter of dropping two NCP ministers -Jose Philip D’Souza and Nilkant Halarnkar - has been hanging

fire. Both NCP legislators have remained stubborn and even refused to attend NCP State executive committee meetings.

For Pacheco, the Delhi meeting is a ‘do or die’ situation as his reputation is at stake after he gave a deadline for his induction in the cabinet. The former tourism minister had issued a deadline of last Saturday for the party to induct him in the cabinet.

But his induction did not hap(Continued on page 15)

It's time we stop giving electric shocks.The new computerised power bills have shocked us all!

OHERALDO

Pg 2

GOA

GOA, MONDAY, 21 FEBRUARY, 2011

CIVIC FORUM Impose a crack down

Five more NCP backed men to file papers today HERALD REPORTER PANJIM, FEB 20

Monday being the last day to file nominations for March 13 CCP elections, five more candidates from NCP backed panel will file their papers tomorrow, February 21.

So far 179 candidates have filed their nominations for the civic elections.

NCP leader Avinash Bhosle said that 10 candidates from his panel have already filed their nominations. “The panel may be backed by NCP but they are individuals who are concerned about the city and development,” he said.

The CCP elections have two major panels – ‘Panjim first’ backed by BJP and Babush Monserratte panel. NCP’s ‘Together for Panjim’ is emerging as the third force.

“I won’t say that we will win all the 15 seats. But for sure, we will pull out 5 to 6 seats with comfortable margin,” Bhosle said.

Interestingly, social activist Aires Rodrigues, contesting from ward number 30 is supported by NCP. “Aires is not

an NCP members but he is part of the panel. I had approached him to contest,” Bhosale said.

The NCP leader said that they will not support the Mayor candidate of Babush Panel after the

have also decided to support few of the candidates. “There was a meeting at a hotel in Panjim little before announcement of the election dates and it was decided that people who would work for the good of city should be supported irrespective of the party affiliation,” a source stated.

The meeting held over a dinner also had BJP Mayor Candidate Ashok Naik attending it. The participants unanimously decided to defeat Babush’s might.

Meanwhile, the scrutiny of nominations will be done on Tuesday (Februar y 22), and Wednesday (February 23) from 11 am onwards.

The last date for withdrawal of candidature would be February 25, 2011 from 10 am to 3 pm. The List of Contesting Candidates with symbols allotted to them will be published on Saturday (February 26). Poll will be taken by EVM’s on Sunday March 13, 2011 from 8 am to 5 pm.

Counting of votes will be done on Sunday (March 13) from 8 pm onwards at Government Pharmacy College Panjim.

PANJIM POLLS

ADELMO FERNANDES, VASCO

The man, as seen in the above picture, sells medicines that has a cure for all types of skin diseases at the Vasco market, on a Sunday. The selling of medicinal cures by the road side for various skin ailments, or for that matter, any other, should not be allowed to continue in the state. Incidentally, some quacks carry out this trae in a clandestine manner. In the process, they cause obstruction to the free movement of the general public.

The concerned authorities need to crack down on this illegal trade which is usually carried out during weekends.

This is too much!

INACIO FERNANDES, CANDOLIM

One senior citizen aged 85 years, hailing from Bamon Vaddo, Candolim, has been running from pillar to post since 1984, to shift the electricity poles, the wires of which, pass over her house. She first approached the then PWD minister Dr Wilfred D’Souza, Chief Minister Pratapsing Rane, the Sarpanchas of Candolim panchayat, Tomazinho Cardozo and Tukaram Naik.

Nothing has materialised. The electricity department then demanded Rs 14,000 to shift each pole. The electric wires were routed over her house while she was residing in Mumbai.

I have now taken up the matter with the help of village panchayat, but the electricity department has been demanding Rs 72,000! She cannot even afford to pay Rs 72. Is there anyone in the government who can help her and get the poles shifted, so that she is saved from further embarrassment?

Navelim’s garbage...

RICHARD FERNANDES, NAVELIM

They say a picture speaks more than a thousand words. The above is a perfect example. It depicts the volume of the garbage menace that we face in Navelim village.

This is especially true behind the church, and on the way to Aquem-Baixo and the railway station road. But this time, the MMC is not to be blamed.

I have personally seen people drive by in their cars or on their motorcycles, who dump garbage indiscriminately. Perhaps, we too should start a blame and shame campaign like other villages. People need to be educated about dumping garbage on the streets. As long as their homes are clean, they don't seem to care about their surroundings. Also, in some places the garbage bins are broken. The MMC should take care of this. The stray dogs and cattle tip over the bins in order to get at the refuse within. As a result, the garbage gets knocked over and spills on to the road. This dog and cattle problem is also responsible to some extent, for garbage finding its way on to the streets. It is high time that we wake up before it turns more and more worse.

polls.

When asked whether they would support BJP’s Ashok Naik, Bhosle said, “We will have to see who gets elected and who does not. It can be someone else,” he said adding that his panel won’t mind supporting someone like Surendra Furtado or some new face like Ashley Rosario, a journalist.

The forthcoming CCP election has a blend of social activists, sitting corporators, party workers and journalist in the fray.

There was a buzz that Goan Observer Editor Rajan Narayan will be contesting from Dona Paula.

But he gave it a second thought at the last minute.

Sources stated that likeminded citizens like Oscar Rebello, Patricia Pinto and others

Loliem Panchayat unhappy with draft RP-2021 HERALD CORRESPONDENT POINGUINIM, FEB 20

The committee members of Loliem-Polem Panchayat, specially constituted to deliberate on Regional Plan 2021, on Sunday expressed unhappiness with the final draft prepared for the panchayat despite objections raised by them.

The committee members at the meeting discussed that the panchayat area has been more so declared for no settlement zone and the committee members opined that the people residing in the village are living in a nucleus set-up family and they do not have place to get themselves get away, if they desire to detach.

The panchayat is located where it is surrounded by the Arabian Sea, the rivers where no construction activity can be taken within 100-500 mtrs. That apart there comes the National Highway where no construction can be taken within 45 mtrs.

The forest department and the Communidade and the temple (Devalaya) have staked their claims, leaving little land for the villagers to have an exodus leav-

ing themselves to fight against each other to spread their tentacles for settlement for a better tomorrow.

In December 2010, strong objections were raised by the select committee members with the Town and Country Planning board and the same recommendations that were made were ignored while those of the money powered were accepted by the board. These observations on the part of the T&CP made the committee members to cast severe apprehensions on the role played by the government.

It has been decided to convene a meeting on February 27 at the panchayat and those seeking to raise any objections have been asked to give in writing pertaining to any of the grievances.

The draft plan is displayed at the panchayat for the public to ascertain and to file objections.

Apart from the panchayat members those in the committee are Subash Pagi, F Rebello, Mahesh Varik, S Prashant and Aldin Fernandes to air their grievances if any pertaining to the RP-2021.

Dane held with fake passport HERALD REPORTER VASCO, FEB 20

Vasco Police on Sunday arrested a 27-year-old Danish national at Dabolim airport on charges of carrying fake passport.

Immigration Police at Dabolim airport detained Jorgruiz Goldd for allegedly possessing a fake passport while boarding a flight to London.

Goldd was later handed over to Vasco Police for further investigation.

Speaking to Herald, Immigration Police Inspector Rajendra Prabhudesai said during verification at the departure deposit counter, Immigration Police ascertained difference in the name imprinted on the passport and visa. The accused was to board a charter flight ‘Thomson’ scheduled to leave for London on Sunday morning.

He said that the case appears to be impersonation, as details in passport and visa differs. He further informed that the accused had arrived in Goa on February 6, 2011.

“We are verifying other details of the accused and the accused has been handed over to Vasco Police for further investigation,” added PI Prabhudesai.

Vasco Police arrested the accused under Sections 419, 468 and 471 of IPC.

20 strays sterilised in Margao

…And Siolim is no better GABRIEL D'SOUZA, SIOLIM

Various types of trash ranging from food waste, discarded tetra-packs and plastic straws stuffed in improperly fastened garbage bags, some of which have spilled out, are being dumped by unscrupulous shack operators during the wee hours along the Siolim-Anjuna road. This is disgusting and most deplorable, to say the least.

Obviously, as the same is done under the cover of darkness, it is extremely tricky to nab the culprits. However, the police on its night patrol need to be extra vigilant and keep a check at the crossroads, in order to prevent these nefarious activities.

Give 2-wheeler for postmen PRAVIN U SARDESSAI, ADPAI

The role of a postman has gained much importance in recent times. He has been delivering important mail at every nook and corner of the concerned locality, with great interest and responsibility. With a sizeable increase in the number of buildings that have come up in major cities and towns, the postman is confronted with greater pains in finding new occupants for delivering important mail. Travelling on a bicycle consumes a lot of time and the work of every postman is delayed, to a great extent. Many a time, he is unable to even have his lunch, as he is on his toes and battles the clock. Under these circumstances, it would be advisable for the postal authorities to provide two-wheelers to postmen deputed in various locations, including remote ones. This will not only expedite quicker deliveries of important mail, but will also improve on the efficiency and productivity of the concerned postman. There is no doubt that this class of people deserves a better deal, in which they and the common citizens, will stand to benefit.

(Dou have a complaint against some authority or service? Are there any violations of the law that you would like to bring to the notice of the public? Do you have any suggestions for improvement and/or redressal of services?

If you do, then write to us at editor@herald-goa.com. With the aim of improving the quality of our civic life, every Monday, Herald will publish the best letters on these subjects received during the week. This is in addition to our regular ‘Letters to the Editor’ column.)

A stray dog is being sterilized at the Margao dog shelter on Sunday.

Photo by Santosh Mirajkar

We could have very walked out of the program as the delay on the part of the Civic body has hit us money wise”, she said.

Incidentally, though tackling stray dog menace is the Civic responsibility, the Municipal administration has till date not intervened to resolve the delay in disbursing the payments.

Sandra, however, said that time is running out, adding that the NGO would be forced to withdraw from the program if the indifferent attitude of the Civic body continues.

Incidentally, another NGO, Goa Animal Welfare Trust (GAWT) had earlier withdrawn from the ABC program in Margao due to callousness from the Civic officials towards the burning problem.

As per agreement, it is the responsibility of the Civic body to pay Rs 11000 per month to the NGO to meet the expenses on manpower, comprising of driver and dog catcher. A dog catching van is already been placed at the disposal of the NGO by the Civic body.

The NGO, however, feels that

the monthly payment of Rs 11000 is a pittance, hardly sufficient to meet the requirements. IN this respect, the NGO has demanded that the Civic body make available a full time van driver and a dog catcher to tackle the menace even after odd hours.

HERALD REPORTER MARGAO, FEB 20

Animal birth control programme continued at the dog shelter here on Sunday despite Margao Municipal Council dilly dallying on the payments to the NGO of the last two months.

Around 20 dogs were sterilized at the shelter since early Sunday morning arranged by the South Goa Welfare Trust for Animals (SGWTA).

“The NGO could have stopped the programme, but we decided to continue in the interest of the city. The Margao Civic body has not cleared our payments of the month of December and January till date,” said Trust member Sandra Fernandes.

Incidentally, it was at the initiative of this NGO that the dog shelter has become a reality today on private land. But, the trust members are exasperated over the municipality’s non-cooperation in tackling the stray dog menace.

Says Sandra: “We have made umpteen trips to the civic body for the payments, but in vain.

Yugoslavian complains of theft HERALD REPORTER MARGAO, FEB 20

Colva police has registered a case of theft against unknown person after a Yugoslavia national complained that around 480 Euros have gone missing from his hotel room.

Police said the incident occurred on February 17 after the woman realized that her money has been stolen from her hotel room at Colva.

The police have registered a case of theft and investigations are on.

Nilkanth rules out projects under PPP HERALD REPORTER PANJIM, FEB 20

Tourism Minister Nilkanth Halarnkar has ruled out taking any project by the Tourism department under the Public Private Partnership mode.

Halarnkar was reacting to the protests by the Calangute block BJP against the department plans for an eco-friendly hotel in Calangute-Baga.

“I agree the proposal is forwarded to the government by the Goa Tourism Development Corporation three months ago, however, we have not taken any decision on that,” Halarnkar told Herald.

The Calangute block BJP president Michael Lobo had said that they will oppose the project tooth and nail.

He said the 52,000 sq mtr government land in question is a prime land in Baga worth Rs 100 crore and to boost tourism, the tourism department should utilise it for developing the much-needed infrastructure like amusement park, good aquarium, adventure sports, Sulabh souchalayas and bathing rooms.

ESG to discuss IFFI expenditure today HERALD REPORTER PANJIM, FEB 20

Entertainment Society of Goa (ESG) will discuss the expenditure incurred on the recently held International Film Festival of India (IFFI) 2010, on Monday.

ESG sources said that the executive committee chaired by Chief Minister Digambar Kamat will discuss the expenditure incurred in hosting the IFFI 2010 threadbare.

Some of the ESG members have already expressed their dissatisfaction over the delay.

“We are supposed to give suggestions on corrective measures as far as IFFI 2010 is concerned.

If the meeting had been held immediately (after the last edition of IFFI), we would have given better suggestions. Two months is a big time gap,” a senior member said.

Goa government has scaled down the expenditure on IFFI 2010 whose bill is expected to be at Rs 6 crore.

The state will also pool in finances through various sponsors like Kingfisher, who had used the event as their brand building exercise.

The meeting on Monday is

We are supposed to give suggestions on corrective measures as far as IFFI 2010 is concerned. If the meeting had been held immediately, we would have given better suggestions.

Two months is a big time gap.

-- ESG member also expected to discuss, Young Jury Award, which was instituted during IFFI 2010 and never given to the winning director.

Delhi-based Neel Madhab Panda has won the award for his film ‘I Am Kalaam’. It was constituted with the help of newspaper group, Lokmat.

Lokmat’s resident Editor Raju Nayak, who is also ESG member, has said that the date for giving award could not be finalised as there was no meeting held after IFFI. The executive committee is likely to decide on the date and finances for this award.

Incomplete job by fire personnel leads to destruction of plantation

Some people with water buckets putting-off traces of fire, after fire-personnel had left the area for the second time without fully dousing-off the fire at Keri-Agonda.

Photo by Kathy Pereria HERALD CORRESPONDENT CANACONA, FEB 20

Improper management of grass fire by fire brigade personnel showing its delinquency while attending fire calls reportedly resulted in destruction of part of cashew plantations in fire at Keri-Agonda, causing a loss of over Rs 25,000 on Sunday afternoon.

According to fire services source, they received a second call on Sunday afternoon that cashew plantation is engulfed in fire, after they had already attended to a call just one hour before to put off grass fire in the locality.

In the first case, fire services

personnel informed that they had doused-off fire after a call was received from some passing motorists on Agonda-Canacona road, reporting grass fire in the isolated forests/thick vegetations of Keri.

However, sources informed that soon after fire personnel left, apparently believing they had brought the fire under control, the fire re-started and soon engulfed vast nearby area having freshly flowered cashew plantations.

By the time fire brigade returned with second water tank, the thick flowered cashew plantations were already burnt and badly damaged.

Fire services provided the cashew plantations owner names as one Guresh Rane and Rupesh Rane, and the anticipated losses suffered by them as Rs 25,000.

Even as fire brigade had left the area second time, some people carrying water buckets were seen trying to put off traces of fire and smoke left in the area.

When contacted, fire personnel informed that they are not aware as to the source of fire at Keri cashew plantations, but earlier attended a grass fire call a little north of cashew plantations fire incident at in the same Keri vicinity.

OHERALDO

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Pg3 GOA, MONDAY, 21 FEBRUARY, 2011

Velim gram sabha demands scraping of land acquisition jetty expansion HERALD REPORTER MARGAO, FEB 20

Velim villagers on Sunday told the panchayat in no uncertain terms to immediately write to the district Collector, South to completely scrap the land acquisition proceedings and the fisheries department proposal for the Cutbona jetty expansion project.

At the Sunday gram sabha, members also demanded the presence of Velim MLA Filipe Neri Rodrigues at the next gram sabha meeting and declare his stand on the controversial land acquisition proposal.

The members pointed out that the MLA had promised to study the matter but till date has not disclosed his stand on the land acquisition proposal though people of his constituency have been agitating over the issue.

The gram sabha further resolved that henceforth no agricultural land should be given for any other purpose than farming.

The issue figured at the meeting after members sought to know from the sarpanch the status of the land acquisition proceedings after the government put on hold the process last year. The sarpanch replied that the panchayat has received no communication from any official or government department regarding the said acquisition since September 1.

The issue over the sluice gates surfaced

once again after a member pointed out that the opening and closing of the sluice gates was very important for prevention of floods. The farmers present at the meeting in large numbers pointed out that no amount of visits to the Mamlatdar office had any effect on the improvement in the monitoring of the sluice gates.

They pointed out that the sluice gates of Cutbona were shut few days ago but on inspection of the site by concerned villagers, they were found once again open.

Another member pointed out that the middle portion of the gate was removed purposefully so as to allow saline river water to enter the fields.

After much discussions, members proposed that the Panchayat call for a joint inspection of the sluice gates with the Collector, Mamlatdar , Talathi and villagers so that the villagers can explain their problems when the saline water is purposefully allowed to enter the fields and destroy them.

Valentine Rebello pointed out that he regularly prepares his fields for the cultivation but his crops are destroyed due to inundation of saline waters, causing him huge financial loss.

Members pulled up the Panchayat for the poor attendance, with only three out of nine members present for the meeting.

On illegal land filling at Cutbona and

river encroachment by a restaurant, members demanded that the Panchayat conduct a site inspection and file an FIR report. The Panchayat was also quizzed on the previous complaints of land filling at Cutbona and in the water body at Rangalli. They were asked to follow up on the issue of illegal land filling wuith the TCP .

Illegalities of the PDS was discussed with gram sabha complaining that no proper dates on the availability of supplies are displayed at the Fair Price shops. They pointed out that absence of information by the Civil Supplies Office as to the amount distributed to the dealers and amount available to the consumers hence it results in discrepancy of distribution for the same product.

It was proposed that the Civil Supplies & Consumer Affair Department be informed of this monthly Harassment to the Villagers of Velim and an inspection be held immediately of all the fair prices shops in Velim. It was also requested that the Panchayat invite the Director and Inspector of the Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs to the Village inorder that the people problems can be addressed.

A member Mark Barros pointed out that Garbage issue is mounting in Velim village and it was time the Panchayat takes the issue on top priority and put an action plan in place.

BPL scheme dominates Curtorim gram sabha HERALD REPORTER MARGAO, FEB 20

The Below Poverty Line (BPL) scheme dominated the gram sabha of Curtorim village Panchayat on Sunday with members demanding that the deserving and the needy get the priority over others.

At the meeting held on Sunday, members sought to know the fate of the names recommended to the RDA for inclusion in the BPL list. They pointed out that in the absence of well laid down criteria, benefits of the scheme should not go to the rich and the well do to people.

Former Curtorim Zilla Panchayat member Santan Rodrigues said that the Panchayat should ascertain the background of the names sug-

gested for inclusion in the BPL list. “It should not happen that t h e B e l o w Po v e r t y L i n e scheme should not turn into Churchill Poverty Line scheme”, he said, while demanding transparency in the working of the scheme.

Santan sought to know the criteria governing the BPL scheme and asserted that the benefits of the scheme should first go to the poor and deserving villagers.

The National Rural Employment Guarantee scheme also came up for discussion. It was pointed out that people are coming to the Panchayat for money following statements made by the RDA Minister Churchill Alemao that they can claim money from the village Panchayat for

doing farm work.

The Panchayat’s annual budget also came in for discussions, with members seeking to know from the Chair over the meager provision of Rs 25,000 made for garbage management in the village.l Saying that the provision will not in any way help in tackling garbage collection and disposal, Santano suggested that the Panchayat hike the provision to minimum Rs one lakh.

A suggestion was also made to increase the monetary provision for land acquistion from Rs 5000 to Rs 50,000.

The children’s park mooted in the village also came up for discussion, with member Charles Barretto demanding to know the status of the project.

He pointed out that project was tendered under the government scheme, but work on the project has still not commenced at the site.

Nuvem cries foul over illegal bore wells HERALD REPORTER MARGAO, FEB 20

Gram sabha members of the Nuvem village Panchayat on Sunday cried foul over illegal bore wells and demanded a total stop to the activity on grounds that rampant exploitation of ground water for commercial purpose would affect the underground water table.

In fact, the illegal bore well issue dominated the proceedings with members questioning the Panchayat body over the activity at two places. When the Panchayat maintained that one of the bore well has the license from the concerned department, the gram sabha members said the license speaks of only one trip per day when the ground reality speaks otherwise.

During discussions, the Panchayat suggested to the gram sabha to deploy a local to keep a track on the number of trips at the bore well in question, but it was later agreed by the Panchayat to depute its own to maintain vigil at the spot.

Gram sabha members pointed out that the Panchayat should not entertain any more proposals for bore well, especially for commercial use, saying the activity would adversely affect the underground water table.

The construction of a steel yard also figured prominently at the Sunday gram sabha, with members demanding action against the yard for not com-

plying with the provisions of law. They pointed out that the Panchayat had only granted temporary NOC for construction of a shed, but lamented that a pucca structure have come on the site.

After much discussion, it was resolved to revoke the NOC granted to the structure, with members asking the Panchayat to initiate necessary action.

Gram sabha member Gregorio Pereira told newsmen after the meeting that the members pointed out to the traffic congestion near the Nuvem-Arlem junction due to the presence of the traffic police close to the spot.

The members demanded that the police should station themselves at least a kilometer and half away from the junction to avoid traffic jams and accidents.

The gram sabha also deliberated on the question of a cooperative society (fair price shop) in Nuvem village, with members pointing out that villagers are forced to travel all the way to Majorda for the ration in the absence of a shop in the village.

On the occasion, noted environmentalist Clinton Vaz m a d e a p re s e n t a t i o n o n garbage collection and disposal.

Devotees carrying the banner of St Tome proceed in procession in honour of the saint at Panjim, on Sunday.

Photo by Rozario Estibeiro

OHERALDO

Pg4 GOA, MONDAY, 21 FEBRUARY, 2011

S H O RT TA K E S Konkani symposium held

PANJIM (HND): The Rachol Seminary, in collaboration with Goa Konkani Akademi, organised a symposium ‘Amchem Daiz 6 - Rachol Seminary a cradle of Konknni’, at the Seminary auditorium.

The symposium began with a prayer service and welcome by the Rector Fr Dennis Fernandes. The chief guest was Padmashri Suresh Amonkar.

Dr Nelson Falcao presented a paper on the ‘Khrista Purana’, a Marathi epic of the 17th century by Fr Thomas Stephens on Christ, His life, death and resurrection. Fr Thomas Stephens was associated with this seminary, when it was a Jesuit College.

This was followed by chanting of one chapter of the ‘Purana’

by Sri Santaji, a lay missionary in Kolhapur, and his group.

Four scholastics, namely Alroy Gomes, Mario Carvalho, Melvin Fernandes and Milagres Fernandes made presentations respectively on Frs Diogo Ribeiro, Antonio Saldanha, Ignazio Archamone and Miguel de Almeida, who in some capacity or the other were associated with the College of Rachol.

The proceedings were moderated by Dr Madhvi Sardessai, a lecturer at the Goa University.

Headmaster felicitated

SANGUEM (HC): Our Lady of Piety School, Collem, Headmaster Fr Pio Furtado was recently felicitated by the Parents Teacher’s Association for all the hard efforts put in since his deputation at the school.

The school despite being located in the remote area with most students hailing from the backward communities, the School has excelled in the field of education, sports and cultural activities at the taluka and State level under the guidance of Fr Furtado.

Fr Furtado was felicitated with a memento by Member of Parliament Shantaram Naik.

In his brief address to the gathering, Naik complimented Fr Furtado for his excellent work to the community and for the students hailing from backward communities.

Provincial Superior Fr Kyriel also spoke on the occasion. Fr Furtado thanked the PTA for their gesture and assured of keeping up his work for the all-round development of the students’ community. Collem Sarpanch Sandeep Dessai, Corporation Bank Manager Vassant, PTA Chairman Ramesh Naik and Sushma Droni also attended the function.

Diabetic check-up camp

CANACONA (HC): Sarvajanik Ganesh Mandal, Matvem-Cola, in collaboration with the Community Health Centre Chaudi organised a free diabetic check-up, cataract detection and NVBDCP awareness camp.

Over 300 participants were screened for respective ailments, besides fasting blood sugar tests of about 250 people were conducted during the camp.

Inaugurating the camp, Quepem MLA Babu Kavelekar urged the locals to take due health care. “Health is very important and plays an important role in one’s progress,” he said.

Cola ZP member Krishna Velip, Cola Sarpanch Archana Velip and few other panchas were present for the function.

CMO, NCDCP, DHS Panjim Dr Ravindra Nadkarni spoke on diabetes and its complications, besides went on to advise the necessity of balanced diet intake, need of regular exercise and maintenance of other good lifestyles for healthy living.

CHC Health Officer Dr Vinod Naik, extension educator Umesh Kholkar and SI Mahale spoke on Malaria and other vector-borne diseases.

Political parties in race for control of Dabolim constituency

Jose Philip to head Vasco Carnival panel

“Election statistics of Chicalim and Bogmalo Panchayats, which are part of the newly formed Dabolim constituency, confirm that these two panchayats have traditionally been with the Congress, as I have often got thumping lead from these places,” said Cortalim MLA Mauvin Godinho.

“Considering the Congress party’s active work in Dabolim, it won’t be tough for Congress candidates to capture Dabolim consistency. But at the same time, we will not take our opponents lightly,” admits Godinho.

On the other hand, the BJP is also confident of success in the new Dabolim constituency.

“BJP is in no mood to leave Dabolim as we believe that a thin lead by Congress candidate during the last Lok Sabha elections suggest that BJP has also got equal number of chances,” said BJP Spokesperson Rajendra Arlekar.

“We believe in our organizational capability and strategy and considering the present corrupt Congress government people would certainly elect BJP candidate,” said Arlekar.

However, he refused to comment who are the persons, who are in the race for

Revenue Minister Jose Philip D’Souza has been elected for the fourth consecutive time to head the Vasco Carnival Committee (VCC).

At a recent meeting in the Mormugao Municipal Council (MMC) Hall, other committee members elected were MMC Chairperson Suchita Shirodkar (Ex-officio chairman), Councillor Lavina D’ Souza and Fiola Rego along with Liby Khadapkar, Angelo Nunes, Gregorio Fernandes, Cosme Mende and Joaquim Colaco (Vice Presidents).

Augusto D’Costa has been elected general secretary, while Jose Pereira, Jonathan Fernandes, Teresa Barretto, Lino Fernandes, Seby Mascarenhas and Bernadin Velho are the joint secretaries.

Other members include Ralph Trindade (Treasurer), Raymond Pereira and Seby D’Souza (Assistant Treasurers), Mario Pereira, Arnold Rego, Morgan Coutinho, Peter Andrade, Joe D’Mello and Joseph Baretto (organizing secretaries), Councillor Nanny D’Souza, Councillor Jerry Fernandes, Councillor Sunita Landez, Panch Francisoc Nunes, Nikita Lobo and Douglas Barretto (coordinators).

As many as 20 others have been appointed as the members in the committee.

HERALD REPORTER VASCO, FEB 20

Assembly polls are yet to be announced but the main political parties -- Congress, NCP and BJP -- have already begun jostling each other to take control of the newlyformed Dabolim constituency.

Mormugao taluka is one of the smallest taluka in the State in terms of geographical area, but it has been delimited into four consistencies, Mormugao, Vasco, Dabolim and Cortalim.

In the new delimitation, Wards 9 and 10 (Baina) of Mormugao Municipal Council (MMC), which formed part of Mormugao constituency, will now be added to Vasco constituency.

However, Wards 18, 19, and 20 (Vaddem and New Vaddem) of MMC, which hitherto was part of Vasco constituency, will be now in the newly formed Dabolim constituency.

The Dabolim constituency will also consist of Chicalim and Bogmalo-Chicolna panchayats, which are presently part of Cortalim constituency.

It appears that the Congress is actively involved in strengthen its base in Dabolim constituency.

Man found dead in friend’s room HERALD REPORTER VASCO, FEB 20

A 51-year-old man from Sasmollem in Baina-Vasco was found dead in his friend’s room at Maimollem-Vasco on Thursday morning.

According to Vasco police, Julio Fernandes (51) was found dead in one room, while his friends were asleep in another room.

Police informed that deceased was an alcoholic and had reportedly been heavily i n t ox i c a t e d p r i o r t o h i s death.

Police has denied any foul play in the death, but has, nevertheless, sent his viscera for an examination.

Vasco police has registered a case of unnatural death and is investigating the case.

HERALD CORRESPONDENT PORVORIM, FEB 20

Vision Care Eye Hospital Director Dr Chandrakant Shetye said eyes are very important parts of the human body and hence it is necessary that eyes are checked at regular intervals depending upon the age of the person to avoid any possible disorders.

He was speaking after launching Mukta Opticians’, Mapusa, mobile eye clinic van.

“Common eye problems include cataracts, glaucoma and retinal disorders. Eye diseases do not always have symptoms. Early detection and treatment can prevent vision loss,” said Dr Shetye.

Dr Shetye further said parents should get the eyes of their children examined before the age of nine even if there is no history of eye problem in the family.

“If any problem is detected

Flowers to Fruits

ll fruits start off as flowers on a tree or bush. After pollination occurs between flowers of different plants, the fruits start to develop as a result of fertilization.

We explained the process of pollination in the last Biology quarter, so in this article we will focus on what happens after pollination takes place.

Post-Pollination

Grains in the pollen erect a tube on the flower that travels all the way down into the female part of the plant. The female part of the plant is at the base of the pistil, which houses

the developing pollen tube.

The pollen tube will react with an ovule in the female part of the plant to fertilize an egg. The egg and the ovary develop together, and a sheath or protective layer is formed around a seed.

Once the pollen is within the ovary, the pollen grows a tube that travels into the ovule, where the sperm within the pollen travel to the egg cell within the ovule. The sperm and egg cell unite, creating a zygote.

The flower petals of the plant fall off, and the ovary of the flower starts to grow.

The ovary itself becomes the actual fruit produced by the plant. Depending on the number of eggs per ovule, multiple ovaries can become fruits. The seeds form on the inside or outside of the fruit, depending on the species.

ticket, but said he is confident that BJP’s preparations are in full swing.

Revenue Minister and NCP leader Jose Philip D’Souza, legislator of three crucial wards of MMC that has nearly 50 per cent of the vote bank in Dabolim constituency, is also eyeing the constituency.

“Let the election come, one will know what Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) can do,” said “I don’t like to interfere in neighbouring constituencies, but I have promoted development work in all parts of Mormugao taluka to strengthen the NCP base in Dabolim,” said D’Souza.

“Ward 18 is represented by the NCPbacked councillor Babu Nanonskar, while in Ward 20, our candidate got defeated by a thin margin. In Ward 19, the performance of our candidate was satisfactory. This shows that NCP has a very bright chance of winning the Dabolim assembly seat.”

“It would be premature to comment as the Congress and NCP are alliance partners.

If there is a pre-poll alliance during the election, we will discus this issue and everything will fall in place once the election process begins,” said D’Souza.

Check eyes regularly to avoid disorders: ophthalmologist

Biology

A

GOA

In some flowers, there is only one seed or one ovule, producing only one fruit at a time. Each fruit contains a protective layer, water, nutrients and a seed. Some fruits will have numerous seeds that can be planted and harvested.

a

b d

c e

f

Female flower and fruit of Juniperus communis

a. Female amentum (magnified) b. Ditto at a later stage of evolution (magnified) c. Two ovaries; the third having been removed to expose the ovules d. Fruit approaching maturity e. Ripe galbulus, seen from the vertex f. Ditto, seen from the base.

HERALD REPORTER VASCO, FEB 20

UPCOMING EVENTS Foundation course

PANJIM (HND): Foundation Course on ‘Education of Children with Disabilities Distance Education Programme’ under the auspices of Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) will be inaugurated on February 21 at its Sanjay School premises at Porvorim at 11 am.

Valedictory function

MARGAO (HR): The Platinum Jubilee year celebrations of Bhatikar Model high school will conclude with a valedictory function on February 22 at the Ravindra Bhavan, Margao at 4 pm. Former chief minister Shashikala Kakodkar will be the chief guest and Chief Minister Digambar Kamat will preside.

Environmental law workshop

MARGAO (HR): The Goa State Council for Science and Technology in collaboration with Govind Ramnath Kare College of Law, Margao will organize a day-long workshop on environmental law on February 25 at 9.30 in G R Kare college auditorium.

Member of Law Commission, Adv Mario Pinto Almeida will be the chief guest while Prof R V Kunkolienkar of G R Kare College will be the guest of honour.

Friday Balcao

Doctor checks a patient in the mobile eye clinic van.

Photo by Anil Shankhwalker

in the child at early stage, it can be corrected. After the age of nine it becomes difficult to correct the eye disorder in the child,” added Dr Shetye.

Dr Shetye said that the mobile eye clinic van launched has all the modern clinic facilities like slit lamp, streak retinoscope, opthalmoschope, tonmeter to check eye pressure, blood pressure operator and glucometer for checking diabetes.

“This mobile eye clinic will be very useful for conducting the eye camps in villages, where there are no ophthalmologists.

The companies and the social organisations should avail the services of this mobile eye clinic,” said Dr Shetye.

Mukta Opticians Proprietor

Kishor Sarsolker said his company always believed in building a strong customer relationship and delivering best service to the people.

“While conducting eye camps, I realized that it was not possible to carry all the equipments in the car and hence the idea of mobile eye clinic came up to my mind,” he said.

“This van which has all the modern equipments required to carry out eye examination accurately will have onboard Optometrist. It has got the facilities to create the database of every patient. This mobile eye clinic van costing Rs 28 lakh has been designed by Chintamani Motors, Sangli,” informed Sarsolker.

PANJIM (HND): Friday Balcao, the fortnightly discussion event, to be held on February 25, will focus on the International Year of Youth in the Goan context. It will be held at the Goa Desc Resource Centre, No. 11 Liberty Apartments, Feira Alta, Mapusa, from 4 pm to 6 pm.

The discussion will examine various challenges faced by the youth in Goa today and possible responses to the same.

The discussion will also cover various possible activities which can be conducted so as to ensure that youth take an active part in the decision-making process in view of the forthcoming Goa Legislative Assembly elections.

Interested citizens wanting more information on Friday Balcao can email to goadesc@gmail.com.

St Estevam gram sabha

PANJIM (HND): The gram sabha of the St Estevam panchayat will be held on February 27 in the premises of village panchayat at 10 am.

Bro Manuel Ministries visit

PANJIM (HND): Bro Manuel Ministries from Mumbai will visit Goa again on February 25 at The Emerald Lawns, Salegao, Bardez, Goa and on February 26-27 at Woodbourne Club Resort, near Tata Showroom, next to Fr Agnel’s Ashram, Verna, from 10 am to 4 pm.

For further information please contact on the following numbers +91 22 65009701/03, 9822485532, 9921016878 or log on to www.manuelministries.org.

Water shortage hits Bicholim Performing arts presentation as workers go on strike HERALD CORRESPONDENT MAYEM, FEB 20

Bicholim and surrounding villages were hit by acute water shortage, as workers of Padocem Water Treatment Plant in Bicholim went on strike on Saturday.

They are protesting against the government’s failure to pay them since the last four months and the failure to provide them provident fund facility.

Pale MLA Pratap Gawas rushed to the site and met the agitating workers along with some officials.

He has fixed a meeting with the representative of workers and the PWD at Panjim on Monday.

It is understood that about 35 workers are employed on contract basis since the last eight years and they have been demanding regularisation of their jobs, along with provident fund and other facilities.

Unhappy that the government had not resolved their demands, the workers decided to go on a strike.

Gawas rushed to the spot along with senior PWD officials Kamladini, D K Shet, Rego and Barretto and tried in vain to persuade the agitating workers to resume work.

Meanwhile, Gawas said he would put up the issue before the department in a best possible manner on Monday to give justice to the workers.

He has called upon the authorities to support the workers in this matter.

Meanwhile, Navelim, Bicholim, Mulgao and surrounding areas faced acute water shortage and it is feared that the entire North Goa could face a water crisis if the issue is not sorted out at the earliest.

Boy rescued from drowning HERALD CORRESPONDENT CALANGUTE, FEB 20

A 5-year-old boy was rescued by the Lifeguards at Arambol on Wednesday.

According to reports, the boy was with his mother in the sea when he fell into the water after losing his balance. Lifeguard Sud-

hir Parab, who was keeping a close watch on their movements, rushed to their rescue and brought him safely to the tower with the help of a Jet-Ski. The boy along with his mother were later shifted to the Tuyem Primary Health Centre for medical attention.

Man found dead on railway tracks HERALD REPORTER VASCO, FEB 20

A unidentified man was found dead along the railway tracks at New Vaddem on Wednesday evening.

Railway police informed that the deceased may have been knocked down by the Goa-Patna Express train at 7.30 pm, near Vithal Rakumini Temple, New Vaddem.

Deceased is believed to be in his forties, medium built and is wheatish in complexion. He was found with an orange shirt. Investigations are in progress to identify the deceased.

PANJIM (HNB): The Diocesan Centre for Social Communications Media (DCSCM) will organize a performing arts presentation ‘Ho Amcho Bhavarth’ on the February 26 at 7 pm in the precincts of the Holy Cross Church at Santa Cruz.

This year is a year of grace for the Archdiocese of Goa and Daman that celebrates four Jubilees, 500 years of the first Holy Mass on Goan soil, 400 years of Rachol Seminary, 300th Death year of Bl. Joseph Vaz and 100th birth year of Mother Teresa, states a DCSCM press note.

The multimedia presentation, to be graced by the presence of Archbishop-Patriarch Filipe Neri Ferrao as the chief guest, will cover the four major events as moments of renewal of every Christian.

There will be free entrance passes available for adequate seating arrangements that will be made at the venue. However, all are invited to view the performance. The passes will be made available in churches or at the Diocesan Centre from Febauary 21. Further details are available at the DCSCM office (Ph: 2422653 or email: dcscmgoa@gmail.com), the press note adds.

Trip up the Mandovi

PANJIM (HND): Wildtrek Adventures will organise a trip up the Mandovi and explore the backwaters in the Cumbarjua canal in search of Goa’s Marsh Crocodile on February 27 from 2 pm 5 pm. Call 8796418565, 9822155805 or 9822123458 for further details. Pickup and drop from Mapusa/Panjim at 1.30 pm. Only 40 seats are available.

Wood crafts workshop

PANJIM (HND): Government of Goa through Directorate of Art & Culture will organise ‘Wood crafts & carving Workshop’ for Goan tribal and schedule caste youths in Goa from March 3 to 11 in Pernem.

A detailed training on designing and modelling of wood will be imparted at this workshop, which will be conducted by an expert in the field who will impart theoretical and practical knowledge with live demonstrations. Details such as venue, time, etc. will be informed to the participants accordingly.

In total, 25 participants will be enrolled and those who have some basic knowledge of wood crafts and carvings will be eligible. The enrolment will be on first come first basis. Interested participants willing to take part in this workshop are requested to collect the forms available in the Department of Art & Culture, Shrama Shakti Bhavan, 5th floor, Patto, Panjim on or before February 24 during office hours and submit the duly filled forms by February 28.

Olvin Antao & fly

OHERALDO

Pg 6

www.oheraldo.in

O HERALD O

Why I won’t be voting

Vol No CXI No: 052 Goa, Monday, 21 February, 2011

N

Endangered species?

B V S Priolkar, Margao It is very unfortunate that the present breed of politicians have become shameless and fearless. They are also spineless and have become experts in the blame game. They seem to have become immune to accountability. At the end of the term, everything is forgotten and they get another opportunity.

It is a pitiable that the PM has been blaming the coalition for the scams, corruption and price rise etc. But some of the ministers are from his own party.

The situation in Goa is no different. The Home Minister is allegedly found to be giving wrong information in the Assembly and is well supported by the CM. The ‘commission’ issue is rampant in securing government contracts and jobs. The ACB cannot track this for want of proof.

We have to blame ourselves because we elect such politicians. There is a need to rectify this error at the next given opportunity.

Raise exemption limit Mahesh Kapasi New Delhi Purchasing power of the rupee is dimin-

Smile with Smitha

Why should the voter’s ‘choice’ be limited to the candidates on the list, asks WENDY PEREIRA

I

ot long after she was born, a newborn girl was strangled to death and dumped in a garbage bin at the Mapusa Municipal Market late on Friday night. Possibly born to a desperate unwed mother, police say no culprit could be traced. But, had it been a boy instead of a girl, would this child have met the same fate?

Goa may have the highest per capital income, the highest health indices, and be among the more ‘educated’ states in India, but it hides a dark secret. The female-to-male sex ratio is slipping by the year. If this was merely the overall sex ratio, it would be easy to say it is caused by in-migration to this state.

But we are talking about children born in Goa − the 0-to6 age group − which has little to do with migration. The sex ratio in this critical age group fell from 964 (girls to every 1,000 boys) in the 1991 census to 938 in the 2001 census (the next census will be this year). It is a drastic decrease of 26 girls to every 1,000 boys, not only much higher than the national average of 18, but huge considering that the 1981 Goa census had a ratio of 965. In terms of the country as a whole, only Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi, Gujarat, HP, Uttarakhand, Maharashtra (all states notorious for female infanticide) and Nagaland showed greater declines. Even supposedly ‘backward’ states like UP, MP and Bihar showed lesser declines. In terms of the overall sex ratio in this vital group, Goa ranked a poor 23rd out of the 35 states and union territories existing then.

But in the last 10 years, the situation seems to have worsened further. Figures cited at a recent seminar on ‘Falling Sex Ratio and the Girl Child’ at the International Centre, Goa, attributed to the Directorate of Health Services, say the sex ratio in the 0-to-6 age group declined to 930 females to every 1,000 males in 2008, and to 925 females to every 1,000 males in 2009. Though overall the ratio is worse in Goa’s cities than in its villages, there are two villages in North Goa and three villages in South Goa that do not have a single girl child today!

Some speakers at the seminar attributed this drastically falling ratio to a ‘son preference’, where only those who have a girl opt for further children, while those who have a boy prefer a single-child family. There may be some truth to this, because the state’s fertility rate has been assessed at just 1.71 children per family; not only the lowest in India, but lesser than the USA and many European countries. It does suggest that more and more families are opting for a single child.

But others attributed more sinister reasons to Goa’s declining sex ratio − the selective abortion of female foetuses using prenatal diagnostic technologies like Amniocentesis or Ultrasound Scans, despite their use being banned for sex determination. If this is true, then a large number of female foetuses are being deliberately aborted in pursuance of son preference.

The Goa government − especially the Health Department − needs to take urgent cognisance of this trend and take measures to reverse it. Special schemes in states like Delhi and Madhya Pradesh, in which parents of a girl child are granted financial assistance for her initial upkeep and education, have done wonders to reverse the decline in the number of girls being born. The Goa government needs to look at them carefully, and develop schemes of its own.

Otherwise, the state has a dire future. In many parts of Haryana, girls have to be ‘imported’ from other states for men of marriageable age. In other villages, one woman marries two men. Is that what we want to happen in Goa?

Blame it on us

OPINION

know, I know. It is supposed to be every citizen’s fundamental duty to vote during elections. Time and again, we are reminded of the importance of our votes, how our votes count, how we can make a difference to the system by voting correctly and how deserving aspirants cannot come into power, if we don’t exercise our franchise.

But in a democracy, voting and ‘not voting’ are both rights. ‘Not voting’ is as much of a choice, as is the right to choose among different candidates standing for elections. And this right can be exercised without having the least guilt.

Why do we vote? It is to choose among different people who stand for certain ideologies and issues. What does one do when no party or person is worth one’s vote? When each one is a bigger crook or non-achiever than the other? Choose the best among the worst? You must be kidding!

To exercise a choice among candidates and parties, there must first be a choice. But when each one is as bad as the other, the only real choice then is between ‘not voting’ and voting.

There is a system in our Constitution as per the Conduct of Election Rules, 1969, in section ‘49-O’ that a person can go to the polling booth, confirm his identity, get his finger marked and convey to the presiding election officer that (s)he doesn’t want to vote for anyone. Yes, such a feature is available!

The specific provision of The Conduct of Elections Rules, 1961, is as follows: “49-0: If an elector, after his electoral roll number has been duly entered in the register of voters in Form-17A and has put his signature or thumb impression thereon, as required under sub-rule (1) of rule 49L, decided not to record his vote, a remark to this effect shall be made against the said entry in Form 17A by the presiding officer and the signature or thumb impression of the elector, shall be obtained against such remark.”

The above provision is mentioned in Chapter II of Part IV of the rules. The simple meaning of this provision is that any voter who wishes to exercise the ‘Right Not to Vote’ cannot do it by just sitting at home. This provision enables the voter

Straight from the Heart

H

LAW-GICALLY not to cast his or her vote, in favour of any of the candidates, by registration of his/her electoral roll number in Form-17A by the Presiding Officer.

The voter has to sign in front of the statement marked to that effect by the Presiding Officer.

The newly introduced Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) as well as the conventional Ballot Papers, do not provide an option for ‘none of the above’. Therefore, the Election Commission (EC) in the year 2001 and 2004, has recommended for suitable changes in Rules 22 and 49B of the Conduct of Election Rules, 1961; which deals with the form of the ballot paper, and the preparation of voting machines, respectively. A petition by the People Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL) seeking such a provision, filed at the time of the recent general election, is still pending before the honourable Supreme Court.

From the point of view of the argument, that the right to vote is an extremely precious attribute

TV: The Myth and the Reality

ow we gape at the age of the gladiators. What a horrible world it must have been where a man was thrown into an amphitheatre with a lion, while all the rest of the folk sat around and watched the bloody denouement as mere sport, and everyone screaming, shouting, cheering…

We say that the gladiators are symbols of a cruel and barbaric society. We safely distance ourselves from such a society. And yet, are our sensibilities really different? Are we really higher on the emotional quotient? Have we, as a civilisation, inculcated more sensitivity than our ancestors?

No. The prevalence and popularity of reality TV shows quite the contrary. And it effectively proves Freud’s pessimism regarding any inherent nobility in mankind.

Visual entertainment started with the Greeks, during the Festival of Dionysius, with plays in which the chorus represented the voice of the most downtrodden sections of society; which is on the wrong side in terms of class, caste and gender – ‘the poor women of Thebes’ – the lowest common denominator of that civilisation.

Thus started visual entertainment, with the impetus of bringing forth a voice to the lowest stratum – a means to depict what was wrong with society and put forward a need for social change. As the visual drama developed, many other elements of pure entertainment, like romance, slapstick comedy, wit, elaborate plot,

ishing at a much faster rate. Due to this inflationary trend, even the government has failed to arrest the climb. Accelerating growth has made more millionaires, and a richer middle class. For those who do not earn much, it is a continuous battle and is becoming increasingly difficult. Therefore, it is suggested to increase the exemption limits of income tax to at least Rs6 lakh for all individual assessees, in metropolitan and other capital cities.

Medical expenses of all individuals is increasing .To simplify the tax matters, the present reimbursement of medical expenditure up to Rs15,000 to a salaried employee, should be raised to Rs30,000. They should also not be asked to produce a medical bill. I hope the government pays heed to this call and also identifies a senior citizen at the age of 60 instead of the present 65, for purposes of income tax.

‘O Maria’ – a must see Lambert Mascarenhas, Dona Paula Rajendra Talak’s ‘O Maria’, is a must-see for every Goan for its message as well as its visual aesthetics. The movie opens with a soul-stirring song by outstanding singermusician Remo Fernandes, whose musical

Smitha Bhandare Kamat

of Indian parliamentary democracy and, therefore, the right in question, ought to be protected at all cost. In other words, the voter must necessarily choose from the list of candidates (s)he is presented with in the polling booth, and not waste his/her vote. The two important issues involved here are: Is this morally right in a “sovereign socialist secular democratic republic”? And, second, is such a stand legally defensible?

The voter is free to choose among candidates figuring in the ‘list of candidates’ (s)he is confronted with, in a polling booth. The choice depends on the decision about who (s)he thinks will best represent the voter’s views in the legislature.

But why should the exercise of ‘choice’ be limited to choosing among the candidates whose names figure in the list before the voter in the polling booth? The electorate has nothing to do with the drawing up of the list, and it is possible

that a voter may not approve of the idea of sending any of the official poll contestants to the legislature. In such conditions, if (s)he still is restricted to choosing among the names before him/her, the very principle of free choice is violated. Indeed, an element of compulsion creeps into the voting process which can be said to strike at the very heart of the Indian republic.

What this means is that for the sake of complete consistency, the voter should be allowed to say no to the entire official list of candidates. In simple terms, that would mean that (s)he is not happy with the prospect of any of the official candidates representing him/her in the legislature.

Certainly there is nothing morally indefensible about this stand. On the contrary, the element of choice in the system of adult franchise would be even better protected, making the right to vote even more precious, in a manner of speaking.

Clearly, the presently prescribed procedure for rejecting all the candidates violates the cardinal principle of ‘secrecy of the ballot’, which lies at the heart of the electoral system in this country.

Not only this, it indirectly makes an official distinction between voters who decide to choose among the available candidates and those who decide otherwise, which probably will fall foul of the provision of the fundamental right to equality, granted to every citizen under the Constitution.

Given the observed fact that there has been no appreciable improvement in the quality of our legislators over the decades, the institution of such an amendment has become pressing today, in view of the increasing possibility of a larger number of voters than previously not approving the candidates nominated by the political parties.

Moreover, the desired implication of the rule is not clear.

But before propagating the right not to vote, one must remember that to make democracy work, we have to come together as a nation of participants, not simply observers. Silent or otherwise. If we do not vote, we have no right to complain as well. And remaining passive in elections, will not help India.

story, etc, got added. Modern day movies and TV serials are an example of this.

But the strangest thing is, along with all that development and technological finesse, we now have something called Reality TV, which adds a totally different dimension to visual art, to TV, to us and to society at large. We look at the participants in a Reality TV show just like that audience of yesteryear watched the gladiators fight each other or wild animals, get seriously injured, and even die.

We revel in the discomfiture of the participants, we marvel at their lies and dishonesty when it is revealed on the show. We see weddings, dating, loving, fighting like cats and dogs, breaking up, axing one’s ex, and what not… all on TV. And we sit and watch smug and safe in our drawing rooms, while the participants break down and cry, and some even end up losing their relationships or ruining their lives.

The strangest thing is that in this distinctly modern need for five minutes of fame, people all over the world are now willing to be the guinea pig that is emotionally tortured on TV, are willing to sacrifice the sanctity of his or her life and relationships, by exposing it to all to see.

We say, in our defence, that we watch because it is being aired.

We say we participate in such shows because that is the easy way to attain recognition. We say we make such shows because they

The real ‘outsider’, yaar!

Srikantha Rao, Navelim

This has reference to the letter ‘Why cancel them, yaar?’ by Marcos Alemao (Herald, 17 Feb). It is very sad to remind ‘real Goans’ that people from Punjab, Haryana, Maharashtra and Karnataka had sacrificed and laid their life for the liberation of Goa during 50s and 60s. Goans, who solely depend on their needs ranging from milk, vegetables, rice and other things from other states, calls those as outsiders.

During 1510 to 1600, there was lot of migration of both Hindus and Catholics from Goa to Karnataka and other states, and those Konkani people still reside in the entire coastal belt till Ernakulam, Kerala. They have also shone in all disciplines.

Kannadigas never called them as outsiders till today. It is now 2011 and I request not to refer to other language speaking people as ‘outsiders’. Sometimes, even a Goan living in Dubai and Kuwait calls these poor people as outsiders, when he himself is the real outsider.

Promises and lies James Souza, UK We will see a lot of schemes, both from the Central as well as the State government for the common man. Goans should not get carried away because this is a ploy to benefit migrants to create a new vote bank for the Congress led government. Sonia Gandhi promised the people of Goa, during the last election campaign at the Fatorda stadium, that she would give special status to Goa to save her identity. It looks like the opposite has taken place, because most of the Delhi ‘babus’ have shown their greed for Goa during the last four years, without taking into consideration the demands and sentiments of Goans.

sell; that we are only giving ‘people’ what they want. We behave as if we are driven by situations, circumstance, other people and, ultimately, by society. We claim we have no choice.

But we are wrong. We all have a choice. We may not always have situations under our control, but can’t we have our own mind under control? We can have our needs, our feelings, our thoughts and what we want to watch… and all of them can be under our control. Do we really want to be that sadistic and masochistic society that derives its thrills from watching other people in real distress?

The same question can be asked in our real lives as well. How many of us are willing to actually put our preconceived notions aside to really understand someone? With understanding another human being comes empathy.

With empathy comes the desire to extend emotional support.

But how many of us actually care to understand? For most of us, another’s suffering is just an occasion for mirth and gossip; quite like watching reality TV. The human mind is a microcosm of the macrocosm that is the universe. It has within itself the power to both raise itself to a transcendental level and achieve empathy and oneness with everyone, or to disintegrate into a narrow abyss where one enjoys the suffering of another, as crass entertainment. The choice? It is always ours!

Letters to the Editor

Letter of the Day

score underpins this very Goan story and is the film’s core attraction. The film maker must be lauded for his impressive effort.

The theme is the flavour of the month, in every sphere of the media; protesting the sale of land to outsiders who corrupt Goa’s youth with the lure of drugs and easy money which have destroyed Goa’s natural beauty and identity.

The story-line though predictable, is livened up and given a very dramatic shot in the arm by the dialogue from Konkani activist Damodar Mauzo. For his singular effort, I would like to say, Bravo Mr Talak!

By Sajla Chawla

Even the congress led Government in Goa has made false promises. Undoubtedly, these Goan politicians have no love for Goa. It is high time we think seriously and insist on special status for Goa from the Congress-led government. If not, we know by now, that it is all ‘Promises and Lies’.

Give us a break

Christine Boomer, via email We are in Goa with our family, and of course, love to go to the beach. However, our enjoyment is spoilt by people trying to take photographs of our young grandchildren. If a family wants to take photographs of their own children, with our grandchildren, ask if it is ok and provided our grandchildren are happy to pose for them, then fine, we have no problem. It is the young men who do not ask and especially those who try to conceal the fact they are taking a photograph we object strongly to. We find ourselves having to watch all the time, this intrusive behaviour.

This spoils our holiday. Why do it, when they try to conceal facts?

Don ‘garb’ to ‘grab’ land Sidonio Mendes, Chandor In the memorandum on Goa’s claim for special status under Article 371 of the Constitution (Herald, 14 Feb), it is mentioned

how the state government too has helped private parties, in the garb of investors, to grab land in Goa under the Land Acquisition Law. Another ridiculous travesty of law is that a private party is allowed to encroach upon hectares of government land and then, the same private party admitting that the state to be its title holder, prays for perpetual occupancy of the said land by agreeing to pay a ‘convenient’ occupancy price. Thus, the state can become the granter and the party concerned, the grantee.

What about litigants?

Diogo Furtado, Utorda This refers to The Letter of the day ‘Agitation the right way?’ Herald, 15 Feb) by Aravind Bhatikar. In this case, it was the judge who faced suspension and not the lawyer.

Accordingly, the judges should have resorted to agitation because one of their kind was suspended. If the litigants had an association, then they could take the lawyers to task, for not attending the courts, at the cost of litigants. Who pays the litigants, for the delay in dispensing justice?

At the request of High Court, the Supreme Court should direct the lawyers not to interfere with the order of High Court to meet the ends of justice. Each concerned judge has to put his case before Supreme Court and their judgment is final.

This will ensure that litigants are not at the receiving end.

Dum Maro Dum Arwin Mesquita, UAE Whilst it might be premature to comment on the subject, as the movie is not yet released, I think it is very difficult to ignore the harsh reality of the drugs, sex and related issues in Goa today.

On my recent visit to Goa, I was aghast to know the level that Goa has stooped into, but am I surprised because the Goa government comprises of a bunch of thugs, pimps, drug peddlers, smugglers and what not?

It is high time Goans stop living in denial of the pathetic state of affairs going on and accept that they are responsible for bringing into power, today’s pathetic politi-

cians who are responsible for the mayhem that is prevailing in Goa.

Spectacular show Adelmo Fernandes, Vasco Bangladesh put up a spectacular show during the opening ceremony of the ICC World Cup at the Bangabandhu stadium in Dhaka.

The cultural extravaganza kept everyone viewing the event on television, spellbound.

It was interesting to see the laser beam show, especially the LED kites. The aerial cricket match on a tall building near the stadium was an innovative idea. Indeed, Bangladesh has come a long way and must be commended for being a co-host in this prestigious tournament.

Personal prediction Stallone Souza, Canacona The present Indian team will not win this World Cup and Sachin’s dream will be unsuccessful. The chief selector should be blamed. India were winners in the Prudential World Cup held in the UK in 1983.

I request the selectors to include allrounder Stuart Binny or Robin Uthappa at least for fielding, so that they can bring good luck to the Indian team. This is my prediction.

Elect right candidates Ashlon A Fernandes, Nuvem Though I am just 15 years old, I am aware of the bad situation of our beautiful Goa. We are mainly suffering from poor governance.

We should be aware that we are the same people who voted those corrupt, and highly inefficient leaders, who only know how to make money at the cost of the people.

Instead of pointing fingers at them, let us educate the masses to elect the right candidates and encourage them not to accept bribes. Let us try to eliminate corruption from our society.

Letters should be 150 words or less in length, and should have the writer’s name, address and telephone number. The editor reserves the right to edit letters for size and readability, and to delete any personal attacks or libellous /objectionable matter.

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OHERALDO

GOA

Pg 7 GOA, MONDAY, 21 FEBRUARY, 2011

Merces, Chimbel VPs to explore alternatives on plastic menace

Labourers install a ‘Do Not Dump Garbage’ signboard near the Shantaban Housing Complex at Merces.

Photo by Manuel Vaz HERALD CORRESPONDENT MERCES, FEB 20

With garbage menace threatening to blow out of proportion and with a suitable site for a waste treatment plant nowhere in sight, the Merces and Chimbel panchayats have been burning waste in a bid to overcome the problem.

However, burning of waste has its own problems since, apart from dry waste, plastic waste also gets burnt and it poses a hazard to the environment and the people’s health.

Now, realization seems to have dawned on authorities of

both the Merces and Chimbel panchayats who are now exploring alternatives to deal with plastic waste.

When contacted, Merces Sarpanch Deepika Shirgaonkar admitted that the burning of plastic poses threat to the environment and the people’s health and said the panchayat is now exploring alternate ways to deal with it.

Explaining further, Shirgaonkar said that, as a first step, the panchayat has decided to install ‘Do Not Dump Garbage’ signboards at places where the people are indiscriminately

NOTE chief defends financial resources HERALD CORRESPONDENT MAYEM, FEB 20

National Organisation for Tobacco Eradication (NOTE) India Chairman Dr Shekhar Salkar defended the organisation’s financial resources before a committee on Thursday.

“I was called to explain about the allegations made by Aldona MLA Dayanand Narvekar to the chief secretary regarding the functioning of NOTE-India,” states a press note issued by Dr Salkar.

“The committee comprised Director of Health Services Dr Rajnanda Desai, Joint Secretary (Public Health) Mr Sardesai, Director Finance (NRHM) Mr Dhuri and Joint Director of Accounts Mr Patedar.”

Dr Salkar said he had explained to the committee that government funds were not utilised for the Joint Community Tobacco Cessation project held

in four states, as money for that project came from the Ministry of health & Family Welfare and World Health organisation.

“So also, government money was not utilised for the Western Region Advocacy Workshop in 2008, as it was a WHO project and financed by Ministry of Health & Family Welfare and WHO,” said Dr Salkar.

“Regarding the grant of Rs 10 Lakh given to this organisation by the State government in September 2004, only Rs 38,840 was spent on awareness programmes.

Besides, Rs 9,61,160 reflects in our audited statement ending March 2010 as unutilised money.”

“I have convinced the committee that we will utilise money in the coming year and will submit utilisation certificate to the Education Department,” Dr Salkar said.

dumping garbage.

“Also, we will place a bin at one strategic place for collection of plastic waste,” she added.

Shirgaonkar informed that the panchayat would also create awareness among the people to segregate plastic waste and hand it over to the labourers, who will then place it in the bin for collection by a governmentappointed contractor.

Shirgaonkar also informed that the panchayat has invited the contractor for talks on how to go about the process.

On the other hand, though the panchayat still continues to burn waste, Chimbel Sarpanch Chandrakant Kunkolkar informed that the panchayat is seized of the problem created by burning of waste.

“We are currently looking at alternate ways to deal with it,” he said.

Kunkolkar then divulged that a NGO, at the behest of the local MLA, has already approached the panchayat and agreed to share information and logistics on plastic menace and how to deal with it.

Kunkolkar further informed that he will fix a meeting with the representatives of the NGO, wherein all the panchas would be invited, and hopefully a decision would be arrived on the best way to tackle the plastic menace.

HO inspects site at Nagoa HERALD CORRESPONDENT CALANGUTE, FEB 20

The health officer attached to Primary Health Centre Candolim recently carried out site inspection at Nagoa-Arpora.

Speaking to Herald, Dr Sachin Govekar informed that the site inspection which could not be undertaken on the scheduled day due to some urgent matter was carried out the following day as per the wishes of the locals, while notices have been served to the concerned party.

Dr Govekar reiterated that there was no interference from any quarter in regard to the site inspection allaying fears of the residents of political interference.

When contacted, the residents said that they are not in receipt of any site inspection report from the health authorities.

Cows, buffalo killed in tiger attacks

Slender Loris rescued at Cotigao

HERALD CORRESPONDENT MAYEM, FEB 20

Af ter creating a terror in Charawane, Shiroli and Kerim areas in Sattari taluka since the last month by attacking a number of cattle, the tiger has now diverted its attention towards Kankumbi village of Chorla Ghat.

It is learnt that the stripped tiger killed two cows, one buffalo and one bull, which was confirmed by the forest officials.

The forest officials are monitoring the situation round the clock by fixing cameras in different areas of Chorla Ghat and Mhadei Wildlife Sanctuary.

Forest officials V ishwas Chodankar informed that they have prepared an impression pad of Plaster of Paris to take the foot impressions of a big cat, which he said is moving in the area.

Nigerian held with drugs HERALD REPORTER PANJIM, FEB 20

Sleuths of the Anti Narcotics Cell arrested Nigerian national carrying drugs worth Rs 5.3 lakh from Calangute. Okoro Ndidi, 32 was caught with 81.5 gm of heroin and two gm of cocaine when he was waiting for his prospective customer.

He was under ANC scanner for several days.

The Slender Loris that was found at Mone-Cotigao by Poinguinim MLA Ramesh Tawadkar.

HERALD CORRESPONDENT CANACONA, FEB 20

Poinguinim MLA Ramesh Tawadkar rescued a rare Slender Loris (Van-manav) at Mone-Cotigao.

Tawadkar was reportedly returning from his regular visit to his constituents, when he noticed the Slender Loris, which got blinded by his car’s headlights and was stranded in the middle of the road at MoneCotigao.

Incidentally, Mone is in close vicinity of Cotigao Wildlife Sanctuary, while Tawadkar resides at Amone, which falls in Poinguinim, but again is in the close vicinity of the sanctuary park.

Tawadkar immediately slowed his car and picked-up the helpless mammal before anybody else could trample on it. He carried it to Hathipal Rescue centre at the entrance of Cotigao

wildlife sanctuary.

After keeping the rare species overnight, the forest officials shifted the mammal to the Bondla sanctuary the next day.

It is learnt that mere sighting of Slender Loris is considered by many as bad omen, while some think that coming in close contact with the rare species can only bring luck to that person.

Said to be widely found in the Western Ghats, Slender Loris is a small nocturnal primate found only in the tropical rainforests of south India and Sri Lanka. They prefer thick and thorny vegetation where they can easily escape predators and find a large assortment of insects, their staple food.

It is an arboreal animal, traveling along branches with slow and precise movements and living in the hollows of trees with in groups of up to seven.

Natives of the Western Ghats believe that the all parts of the Slender Loris have therapeutic properties, a belief that has proved life threatening to the primates which are poached often. The destruction of their habitat is also another reason for the decline in their numbers.

The Slender Loris are farmerfriendly animals and Karnataka’s animal. “But most people are not aware of the fact,” informs a bird enthusiast Subhash Mahale.

Tributes paid to Shivaji HERALD CORRESPONDENT MARCEL, FEB 20

Rich tributes were paid to Chatrapati Shivaji at a state-level function at Farmagudi to mark Shivaji Jayanti.

“Shivaji was leader of the masses and the State government has been celebrating this day in all 11 talukas since the past two years to sensitize students of his life and ideology,” said CM Digambar Kamat.

The function at Farmagudi was organised by the Information Department in association with Bandora panchayat.

Others present at the function included Home Minister Ravi Naik, Transport Minister Sudin Dhavlikar, Priol MLA Deepak Dhavlikar, former chief minister Shashikala Kakodkar, freedom fighters, Bandora panchayat members and Ponda municipal council members.

They offered floral tributes to Chatrapati Shivaji at the Far-

magudi fort dedicated to the Maratha warrior.

“During Shivaji’s rule, there was no inequality and he accorded high respect to women,” said Kamat.

The chief minister later handed over financial assistance of Rs 50,000 to the Bandora panchayat to maintain the Shivaji fort.

In his address, Home Minister Ravi Naik said the occasion also ave the opportunity to remember former chief minister Bahusaheb Bandodkar and other national leaders.

“The idea is that our younger generation should know who they were and their contribution to society. Apart from this, we would like out people to imbibe qualities of these leaders,” he said.

“Responsibility also lies on elected representatives to guide people in the proper path. But is this happening? Are our

elected representatives showing right direction to people,” asked the home minister.

Transport Minister Sudin Dhavlikar also spoke on the occasion.

Sangli-based historian Dr P Patil appreciated the State government’s efforts in organising the state-level programme, something which is not even being organised in Maharashtra.

“Chatrapati Shivaji is a hero not only for the people of Maharashtra, but for those of India as well,” he said.

MAYEM CORRESPONDENT ADDS: Shivaji Jayanti was celebrated at the Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj ground in Bicholim on Saturday.

Senior citizen Tanaji Pal garlanded the statue of Shivaji at old bus stand.

Later at a public meeting, speakers highlighted the life and work of Chatrapati Shivaji.

Monastery for Catholic nuns Goa termed cultural capital of India to be opened at Curtorim

The new monastery for Catholic nuns at Curtorim.

HERALD NEWS BUREAU PANJIM, FEB 20

A new monastery for Catholic nuns will be opened at Curtorim on February 22 at 4.30 pm.

Archbishop Filipe Neri Ferrao will celebrate the inaugural Mass and bless the Monastery Chapel, while Archbishop Emeritus Raul Gonsalves will proceed to bless the Monastery, after the Holy Eucharist.

The Monastery of the Immaculate Conception is the first Asian foundation of the Cloistered Franciscan Conceptionist Sisters, founded by St Beatrice D’Silva in Spain, five centuries ago.

They have today 165 monas-

Woman succumbs HERALD REPORTER MARGAO, FEB 20

A 25-year old woman from Cuncolim succumbed to her burn injuries at the Goa Medical College and hospital, Bambolim on Thursday.

Cuncolim police informed that Rani Devi Pal (25) sustained severe burn injuries following a stove burst at her residence.

She was immediately rushed to the hospital, where she succumbed to her injuries.

teries spread worldwide. The new monastery in Goa will be an extension of the Order’s monastery in Estella, Spain, existing for the last 280 years. Incidentally, the present Abbess in Estella is Mother Maria Pereira, from Chinchinim, who had joined the monastery in 1991 and was elected to the post in October 2009.

The new monastery in Goa will be headed by Spanish Sister Ana Maria Ilundain, the immediate past Abbess, who will initially have under her five Sisters, all of them of Indian origin.

The Conceptionist Sisters had made their first contact with the

Archdiocese of Goa in 1996, during the tenure of Archbishop Raul Gonsalves, who welcomed the idea of having one more contemplative Order in his diocese, second only to the Cloistered Carmel Sisters at Chicalim.

The Franciscan Conceptionists are a fully contemplative Order. Their mission is to pray without ceasing for all humankind and to give glory to God, who continually blesses the earth.

They have long hours of personal prayer everyday as well as common liturgical prayer and the daily celebration of the Mass. All are invited to join the Sisters at the daily Eucharist and at other prayer time.

The Sisters earn their daily living by working in the garden, doing embroidery, book-binding, candles, fruit juice, flower arrangements, etc.

From within the walls of their monastery they can also render their services to a few industrial units, to outsource some of their manufacturing processes like packing, painting, finishing, etc.

Their monastery in Goa which will also be known as Dhyanalaya, a house of contemplation -- is built on the generous help of the people whom they serve.

Leading vocalist Shaunak Abhisheki inaugurates the first Late Pandit Sripad Madye Smruti Sangeet Sammelan at Mapusa.

Photo by Anil Shankhwalker HERALD CORRESPONDENT PORVORIM, FEB 20

Stating that Goa has produced finest performers of Hindustani C l a s s i c a l m u s i c l i ke L a t a Mangehskar, Kishoritai Amonkar, Kesarbai Kerkar, Pandit Sripad Madye Guruji and others, leading vocalist of young generation Shauank Abhesheki said Goa is in real sense the cultural capital of India.

He was speaking as the chief guest after inaugurating the first Late Pandit Sripad Madye Smruti Sangeet Sammelan which was organized by Swarsai Pratistan in Hanuman Theatre Mapusa on Monday evening.

Abhisheki further said the singer must learn the basics of classical music to acquire proficiency in singing.

Margao Carnival panel seeks govt aid HERALD REPORTER MARGAO, FEB 20

The newly-elected Margao Carnival Celebration Committee headed by Civic Chairperson Sushila Naik will call on Chief Minister Digambar Kamat and press for the sanction of funds to organize the carnival festivities in the commercial capital.

This was decided at a meting of the councillors held on Friday, when members elected the Chairperson as the President of the Carnival Committee.

The chairperson told Herald after the meeting that the city fathers have adopted a resolution seeking permission to hold this year’s Carnival parade on the traditional route between Holy Spirit Church square and the Margao Municipal square.

She said the resolution will be forwarded to the district Collector, South G P Naik for consideration and action.

Incidentally, the district Collector had told Herald earlier this week that the district ad-

ministration will not press for the new route at the Old market circle since work on the culvert opposite the district Court building is yet get underway till date.

The Chairperson informed that members of the Margao Carnival Committee will meet the Chief Minister on Monday and impress upon him the need to sanction grants to hold the traditional float parade, besides funds to stage carnival program during the three day festivities.

“The present system of Indian music is based upon two important pillars - Rag and Tal. Rag is the melodic form, while Tal is rhythmic,” added Abhisheki.

“This Sangeet Sammelan which has been organized in memory of late Pandit Sripad Madye should be organised every year to inculcate interest of classical music in the younger generation,” said Abhisheki.

Chief speaker Kirtankar Suhasbuva Vaze said music is the gift of God to the human beings.

“God’s grace is most felt through the time tested classical music that takes us to a place in which we encounter the face and beauty of God. Modern youths are getting attracted towards western style of living and western culture,” said Vaze.

“Youth involvement is essen-

tial in such Sangeet Sammelans so that they develop the interest in classical music and realize the need to preserve it for posterity,” added Vaze.

On the occasion, four persons from Indian classical music fraternity Devidas Devari (Ponda), Manguesh Nagde (Mapusa), Jagannath Pethekar (Bicholim) and Manohar Rege (Mumbai) were felicitated by chief guest Abhisheki.

Earlier, Abhisheki inaugurated the Sammelan. Swarsai Pratistan President Vinod Palekar welcomed the gathering, Prof Anil Samant compered the function, while Secretary Ulhas Dhuri proposed the vote of thanks.

aPPOINTMENTs

Tourist rescued from drowning HERALD CORRESPONDENT CALANGUTE, FEB 20

A 23-year-old tourist from Bangalore was rescued from drowning at Baga.

According to reports, Riteek Pramod Raj was rescued by life-

guard Siddesh Paryekar at Baga beach while he experienced difficulty in swimming back to the shore. Paryekar waved for help, while lifeguard anticipating the trouble rushed to his rescue and brought him safely to the shores.

aPPOINTMENTs

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CAREERS & EDUCATION

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GOA, Monday, 21 February 2011

Every Breath You Take…

Time is precious. Managing your time well, is managing your life well, writes Rui da Gama

W

e came into this world with nothing but the time to live a joyful life.

Yet we will not take anything with us to the grave, not even the time that has been given to us. Our time started with the first breath we took within our mother’s womb. Even our Mum and Dad did not know or understand how. Every breath, is the every second of the time that we live on. Every breath is the sign of life and of the time that is given to us. There is no other wealth which can be compared with Time. And just as we must use our wealth wisely and well, so must we treat time.

Neither money nor materialism but time is our biggest wealth. Those who have time are rich, because they know how to make the correct and utmost use of Time. They have a good time. And those who say they have no time, are just wasting their time. They are the ones do not know how to manage their time. Every second, a minute, an hour, a day, a month, a year, a decade, a century or centuries are only man made measure of time.

So we keep on stretching the time. But we need not stretch our time. We got to live it for now.

When the Time comes, we will have to leave everything on Earth. For Death is the end of our Time here. In the concept of ever lasting life, we hope to live on endless time. That is, if you believe that He is the Creator of all Time. Nobody can take away our time, except He who has given it.

Are we living on borrowed time, then? Yes, we surely are.

And what is borrowed must be returned to its rightful owner.

In our lives, we are time servers. We can either serve ourselves or the One who gave us the time. When we serve ourselves, sooner or later, it will be the end of our Time. But if we serve the Time Giver, he continues giving us more Time, so that we can live our lives to the full. The endless Time. Everlasting Time. Everlasting Life. There is no end to the Time Giver who

is our Creator.

A moment well lived, will make many moments well lived and days of good harvest. Give

time to a positive task and everything will fall in place.

When we say no to Time and we are like the dead. And the majority of people in modern times say they ‘have no time’.

Hence it seems like the end of modern times.

No one knows the time we were conceived. No birth certificate can tell us the time. It was issued much later and not in time. A Birth Certificate can tell us our chronological age but not the time. And we must understand that Time is more important than age. Who can predict the end of our time? .

In time we were born, neither late or early. In time we live.

There is no death for time. Believe in the One of endless time.

He is the Time Giver and we are the Time Servers. Serve Him

Dealing with Backstabbing Colleagues There will always be that coworker in the office who will do anything to get ahead - including backstabbing their co-workers.

They trash your work to your boss and friends, spread rumours about you and your family and never miss an opportunity to show you up.

T

he problem with backstabbing colleagues is that they rarely instigate conversation and always do their dirty work behind your back.

Here are a few ways to deal with the like.

Verify Your Information: If you know that you have a colleague who's talking about you behind your back, then you've probably heard it from someone else. Rather than flying off the handle as soon as you receive this information, try to verify it through other people.

You don't want to go to your boss or initiate a private conversation until you're at least mostly sure that you've not been misled.

If you go about it another way and immediately confront your backstabbing colleague, you could discover that you received false information and thereafter earn such a title yourself.

Avoid Giving Ammunition:

In order for your colleague's efforts to work, they must be given credible ammunition with which to work.

If you are always going on about your personal life and other issues, then you're virtually handing them their material on a silver platter. Instead, avoid

talking about your personal life or your work woes or anything else that could be used against you. Given a lack of material, he will have to resort to making things up entirely, which will diminish his credibility.

Pay Attention: If you don't know what's being said about you, there isn't much you can do to stop the harassment. To that end, you should make sure to pay attention to what's being said around the office, including what you might hear about other co-workers.

Don't participate in the gossip mill, but you also shouldn't miss a chance to sit in on a conversation in the break room or at lunch. Once you know the rumours, you can make a plan to dispel them.

Address the Backstabber Personally: Take the colleague with whom you've been having a problem aside and ask him point-blank what his problem is. Say something along the lines of, "I understand you have a problem with me, and I'd like to go ahead and clear the air."

This might work - but it might not.

He will probably deny having said anything at all, but you should make it clear that you're on to his game. This might prevent him from trying to spread rumours in the future.

Meet with the Boss: If the one-on-one meeting didn't work, you might have to set up a meeting with your boss and the backstabber. Insist that he make his accusations in front of you so that you can talk about them.

Make sure to bring any proof you might have that the allegations are false. Your boss will be impressed that you are willing to deal with the situation head-on and it might save your job -- and your reputation.

who has given you the time. The Creator of all endless Time.

God has all the Time. Only we do not have time. Our sys-

tems are such that they do not give us any time. We are slaves to modern times. And we are victims of this greatest sickness of all times. If you want more time, go to God, the One who has all the time. We must value our time. We must share our time with the ones who do not have time. Give time, the way you have received it in time.

Spend quiet times, in bad times.

In good times, have a ball of a time. Everything is in time. Yesterday was history. Tomorrow is a mystery. Now is the time. If we are breathing for now, it is living with time. If today there is no time, there maybe a lot of time tomorrow or in the days, months or years to come. Do not put limits on time, there is no limit to time. We are given unlimited time. Challenge man-

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made systems which deny you the time. Time is a gift from God. Do not waste time. Eat on time. Sleep on time. Rise on

time. Grow in time. Everything is all about time. Who says there is no time? Time is wealth. The birds, animals, trees all have their own time. They live with what they have with time. But not Man who wants to live on borrowed time. He wants more and more and is not satisfied with his allotted time He is willing to borrow time and also pay the price for the time. The extra price men pay, is a loss of their own time. If men do not have time here, neither will they have time there and or anywhere else. Time has set us free, as much as we are born free.

Time will tell all that is not well.

Take time and do well. We can have more time when we live one moment at a time or one day a time. Take time to choose your hobbies and try to make it

your career in time. Count all that you have, beginning with your life and every breath we breathe in time. Work only for the necessities of life and not luxuries. Do not compare yourself with others who are not of your time. Choose time to do quality work. Work hard and work smart for better performance of time. Live within your means. The lesser the material things, the more the time we have. Take time to work at least eight hours a day. Leave what is unfinished for the next day.

Have a purpose in life by setting a few goals. Take time to work on the goals you have set for yourself. Take time to read and develop your knowledge in the line of purpose. Set yourself up to live a joyous life. It is not only in working but in giving that we receive. Give your best to your work, the best of your time to your family and share rest of your time with friends.

The more time we spend in serving others, the better we feel.

Take time to fulfil the purpose of your all of your given time . The purpose of time is to serve.

After sharing our time with our family, we have a duty to give time to the Community. Learn to adjust your time depending on the circumstances around you. Involve others in sharing your time by delegating work which will give you more time and add quality to what you do.

Trusting others(although not blindly), helps us in getting more time for ourselves. Perseverance and patience is a must to gain more time. Pushing ourselves in the right direction to achieve a goal, can physically tire us and slow the process. We may lose time.

Our time of work has to hence be balanced. This also largely depends on the physical and emotional health of the individual. Every man has his limits to the physical use of his time, in work and in sleep. There is a lot of time to do everything, provided one gives the time to do it. Giving time is giving patience. Giving time is sharing love. Only in giving time, we can receive time. Time is our biggest wealth.

Wear The Right Attitude To Work

By Shivanand Pandit Excellence is not a skill it is an attitude ttitudes are appraisal statements relating to objects, people or events.

They exhibit how one feels about something. Attitudes involve emotions and are relatively stable. Attitudes are the product of a related belief and value (BELIEFS+VALUES=ATTITUDE). Be-

A

haviour is the external manifestation of attitude.

Nowhere is your positive attitude more accepted and respected by others, than when you are at work. A positive person makes the work more satisfying and pleasurable for every one.

Both positive and negative attitudes travel quickly in the work place. Working near a person with a positive attitude is an electrifying experience.

Working near a negative person is like being caught in an elevator with a grouchy bump. A positive work environment is the root cause for better productivity with fewer mistakes. A negative attitude is an obstruction.

Attitude is more vital than other performance factors, because it leads others to higher levels of accomplishment. Positive attitude can make first-rate results possi-

Sail Over The Seas - V

hange is all about spotting the right opportunities. Are you ready for a change in your career?

The Merchant Navy bring you a challenging job opportunities, a change in your lifestyle, financial gains …and a chance to quench that wanderlust.

There are various reputed institutes in India that offers aspiring seafarers the following of their choice and a career in that line.

NUSI Maritime Academy, Goa, India Nusiwado, Sucaldem, Chinchinim, Salcete, Goa 403715

Phone: (0832) 2773859 / 2774681 / 2773861 Fax: (0832) 2773665 email:nusi@bsnl.in 1. Pre Sea training courses for Ratings (General Purpose) 2. Pre Sea training course for Ratings (Certificate Course in Maritime Catering) 3. FPFF (Fire Prevention and Fire Fighting) 4. PST (Personal Survival Techniques) 5. PSSR (Personal Safety and Social Responsibilities) 6. EFA (Elementary First Aid) 7. PSF (Passenger Ship Familiarization)

By Maria de Lima Pereira

SeaScan Marine Services Pvt. Ltd Panjim Directorate of Fire Services, St. IWEZ Fire Brigade Ground, Panjim, Goa Samundra Institute of Maritime Studies

5th Floor, Sai Commercial Building BKS Devshi Marg, Govandi Station Road Govandi East Mumbai, PIN- 400088 India Tel: + 91 22 6799 3545 Fax: + 91 22 6799 3546 Email: sims@samundra.com or

ble.

Generally, an attitude problem exists if the person shows some of the following kinds of behaviour: * Constant or persistent ridiculous remarks about the company, the boss and work. * Disobedience and refusal to follow the supervisors’ instructions. * Excessive socializing and being away frequently from workstations. *Aggressiveness to arguments and finding issues to argue over that distress others. *Poor quantity and quality of work. *Sexual jokes, comments or activities that can be categorized as sexual harassment.

A sincere attempt

can be made to improve or change attitudes by implementing or executing following tips: 1. Dealing with Boss * Get along with your boss.

Dealing with your boss is the art of persuasion or conviction. * Learn his way of working and adjust accordingly. * “It is better to be known

Village Takwe Khurd, Mumbai-Pune Highway (NH4), Lonavala, Dist. Pune, Maharashtra, Pin 410405, India Tel: + 91 2114 399 500 Fax: + 91 2114 399 600 E m a i l : sims@samundra.com1.

Diploma in Nautical Science 2. B.Sc (Nautical Science) 3. Chemical Tanker Familiarisation (CHEMFAM) 4. Liquid Cargo Handling Simulator 5. Liquefied Gas Tanker Familiarisation 6. Engine Room Simulator (Operational Level) 7. Ship Manoeuvring Simulator 8. Oil Tanker Familiarisation (OILFAM)

for making honest mistakes”.

When you make a mistake, accept it. Explain to your boss and assure him that you will correct and improve before he tells.

2. Dealing with Superiors *Develop effective and meaningful relations with superiors. Respect position. * Keep brief. Speak only when you have all the facts and that too the correct facts. * Ensure assigned jobs are completed in time. When in doubt assume personal responsibility.

3. Dealing with Subordinates * Make use of their talents for achieving department’s goals or targets. Ensure a cordial relationship with subordinates. * Provide proper guidance and constructive feedback.

Help them to improve management skills, because skills are like axes. If we don’t spend time sharpening them, they become rusty and useless. * Allow subordinates to deliver their message completely. As Alex Park says, “there is no bigger respect you can pay a subordinate than to hear his point of view.” Share information which affects their work.

Remember little things matter much.

And attitude is a little thing that makes a big difference.

Attitude is a mindset. Our life is a reflection of our attitude.

Our attitude defines our life.

A cheerful, positive attitude will help us to face unpleasant situations with optimism and hope.

Remember, that it is attitude, not only the aptitude that decides our altitude.

Room Cimulator Course 4. Class IV Engine Room Cimulator Course TS Rahaman, Mumbai, 1. Pre-Sea General Purpose Ratings 2.

Certificate Course in Maritime Catering 3. Maritime Catering Technology & Hotel Management 4. BSc (Nautical Science) 5. BSc (Nautical Science) M.U. 6. BSc Maritime Hospitality B.P. Marine Academy, Mumbai 1. Pre Sea Training - GP Ratings (Deck and Engine) 2. Certificate Course in Maritime Catering (Saloon Rating) Association of Marine Electronics and Radio College (AMERC) Glasgow College of Nautical Studies, Glasgow, Scotland United Kingdom

MASSA Maritime Academy (MMA) Chennai 1.Class II (New) Preparatory 2. Class IV (New) Preparatory 3. Class II Engine

The Art of Career Planning Career choices are life choices. Take them seriously. Do it right. It’s best done before you embark on your job search.

You’re sure then to have much needed clarity regarding your career objectives as well.

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areer planning is an exercise that is well worth the time invested in it, because it sets you going on the path that leads to where you would like to go.

Often, most people get stuck at the very beginning of the planning process itself. There seem to be too many choices that are throwing themselves at you with all kinds of material gainsfame and fortune, comfort and luxury, glamour and beauty. From acting to singing, writing to banking, software programming to business, choices confuse you. Naturally feelings of selfdoubt might creep in at this stage. And then you start asking questions such as, Am I good enough for that? or How do I become successful at this?

After spending some time pondering over many career paths you may end up thinking that maybe you are no good for any of these things after all.

Here is where a bit of career planning helps.

There are two ways of starting off. 1. Find out what you really like doing and do it irrespective of the gains and growth patterns. 2. Find out what really motivates you, which career gives you what you want and build up competencies for it. Either way, you will get what you want. In the first method, the journey itself is your reward (though many will discourage you on this path, but don't worry, many have tread this path and quite successfully at that too). In the second method you are carefully working your way to

your reward which could be clearly spelt out to be a consequence of your work or occupation.

Whichever path you choose, it is most important to know your individual strengths and weaknesses. Sit down and assess yourself h o n e s t l y.

Think of all your accomplishments, of all the compliments you got, of all the work that really inspired you, of the times when you worked with passion at and jot them all down.

You will find that as you note down your victories, your achievements etc., a pattern will emerge. You can find that you are good at organizing, at making people comfortable, at leading, at solving puzzles, at physical activity, at playing music or games. Each of these represents a career option by itself or throws up some characteristic in you - qualities that could be good assets in your future career options.

Now list the things that motivate you, that you aspire for, your dreams - things you would want more than anything else in the world. Find your fit between the person you are and the dream you wish to achieve. As this picture gets clearer you become more aware, confident and purposeful. Attributes that serve you well along the way.

You have now formed a sharp picture of yourself with specific saleable qualities.

Based on your aspiration level and your aptitude, you can also identify the careers that offer the kind of lifestyle or returns that you wish. If you wish to frequently travel and be in command of a dynamic business you can zero down t o c a re e r s i n marketing with a goal to set up your own firm or to head a large company (the same may not be possible if you inherently like

to paint for long hours). It is best to be honest with yourself at this stage because most people take decisions based on glamorous misconceptions about certain careers and later change them.

For example if you wish to be an airhostess, check out the sources available to the kind of work that is associated with being an airhostess.

Only if you really enjoy doing that kind of work and the rewards that come with it, must you opt for it.

Otherwise, look further for what really fits you.

Growth, rewards, recognition and most importantly job satisfaction and a good quality of life come from one thing -loving your job.

Having decided on a particular direction, build competencies. Specific careers need specific education and training. Whichever area you choose to be in, you will fare well if you strive to be the best in it.

Leave your individual brand on it. Learn the ropes by acquiring information, by taking up courses, by taking up internships and summer jobs, by learning the economics of the job, by adding special skills that help in handling the job with greater proficiency.

All careers without exception, would certainly require a good writing and verbal communicating ability so you must work on that, a pleasing and well-mannered personality, a professional work ethic and good inter-personal skills. Work on these important soft skills along with as you plan your career.

A final word: If you have a goal then be clear about it and start walking towards it. You will learn along the way. You will acquire skills and competencies that help you along. The important thing is to start the journey.

OHERALDO

Pg 11

INDIA

GOA, MONDAY, 21 FEBRUARY, 2011

PM using ‘phoney coalition constraints’, says Advani PTI NEW DELHI, FEB 20

Senior BJP leader L K Advani today took a dig at Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for saying that he had to make "some compromises" to run a coalition and maintained that the NDA never used such "phoney constraints" as an excuse for compromising on integrity or good governance.

"The Prime Minister's television interaction with some leading journalists last week has been disappointing. It shows much less concern about corruption than about phoney coalition constraints," Advani wrote on his blog today.

In his first comments about the Prime Minister's interaction with editors of news channels, Advani conceded that his party was "acutely aware" that in policy matters, coalition partners have a restraining effect.

But these could not be cited as an excuse for making compromises, he said.

The BJP Parliamentary Party chief claimed that had NDA's alliance partner TDP not opposed the formation of Telangana,the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government would have gone ahead with it.

"If our alliance partner TDP had been agreeable, we could have with as much ease formed Telan-

The Prime Minister's television interaction with some leading journalists last week has been disappointing. It shows much less concern about corruption than about phoney coalition constraints.

gana also. But our coalition dharma did not permit it.

"But neither the Vajpayee Government, nor any other NDA Government in the states has ever allowed coalition dharma to become an alibi or excuse for compromising with integrity or good governance," he said.

In his blog posting, Advani has also commented on the principal opposition's campaign against corruption and Indian black money stashed in tax havens abroad.

Striking an idealist note, Advani stated that candidates contesting elections should also declare whether they have any wealth abroad.

"Today the election law requires every candidate for election to file his assets and liabilities. To deal with this issue of recovering Indian wealth overseas for India, let the law

SC: Change of land use for noble cause not illegal PTI NEW DELHI, FEB 20

Change of land use for a noble cause cannot be construed as an illegality as along as the purpose serves public interest, the Supreme Court has held.

A bench of justices Dalveer Bhandari and Deepak Verma passed the ruling while setting aside a Bombay High Court judgement which quashed the allotment of land to a charitable trust on the ground it had changed the use of land contrary to the original purpose of allotment.

In this case Pragati Mahila Mandal, a charitable trust, had constructed a hostel for girls and working women to provide accommodation at a nominal rent after it could not construct a girls' school, as promised, due to financial crunch.

The High Court acting on a PIL quashed the allotment since the land was leased by the Nanded Municipal Council for construction of a school for girls from poor families. It had asked the authorities to reclaim the land within eight weeks.

Aggrieved, the organisation appealed in the apex court.

Upholding the appeal, the apex court observed, "It is a matter of common knowledge that girls and women face lot of problems and difficulties in finding a suitable and safe accommodation when they go out of their own cities, to their respective schools or colleges or work-place.

"If a hostel has been constructed for girls and working women, then it would definitely be for public or semi-public purpose and it cannot be said that

there has been any deviation from the purposes for which the said plot was earmarked and allotted to the appellant."

In the judgement, Justice Verma said it was commendable that the organisation had taken the initiative of introducing progressive elements (through the establishment of counselling centres) in its efforts to alleviate some primary concerns of most working women.

"It would be nothing short of a cruel twist of justice, if they are prevented from continuing to do so by a PIL, which is motivated by ulterior motives.

"In this regard, it is further necessary to mention that the provisions of Memorandum of Association of the appellant clearly state that one of the objectives of the appellant is to provide hostel facilities for girls and working women. This further fortifies the stand of the appellant that it is public or at least semi-public purpose," the bench said.

The apex court said the impugned judgement and order passed by the Division Bench cannot be sustained in law. "It deserves to be set aside and quashed. We accordingly do so.

Mizo man has 39 wives, 94 children, 33 grandchildren PTI AIZAWL, FEB 20

Believe it or not, a man in Mizoram has 39 wives, 94 children and 33 grandchildren – all living together under one roof in a picturesque village about 100 km from Baktawng in the north of the state.

The head of the family and leader of the "Chana" sect -which allows polygamy -- is 66-year-old Ziona Chana who lives with his family in a 100-room, four- storyed house named 'Chhuan That Run' or the House of the New Generation.

Though all of Ziona's family members live in different rooms in the building, they all share the kitchen where they cook for the entire family.

"Today I feel like God's special child. He's given me so many people to look after. I consider myself a lucky man to be the husband of 39 women and head of the world's largest family," says Ziona.

The sect believes in "Kum Sang Rorel" or the rule of 1,000 years by Jesus Christ on Earth as foretold in Bible's Revelation Chapter 20 and that they would be soon ruling the world with Christ.

Previously known as Khuangtuaha Pawl, the sect was formed on June 12, 1942, after the followers of Khuangtuaha were evicted from Hmawngkawn village by the village chief for propagating "wrong and dangerous" theology.

The sect, till date, celebrates the "Bawkte Kut" or the festival of the hut on June 12 every year to commemorate the formal formation of the sect.

also obligate every candidate to declare on oath that he has no undeclared wealth overseas.

The law may also empower Government to confiscate any such wealth traced by Government," Advani said.

He suggested that the same approach may be adopted in respect of all ministers, MPs and party officials, and a specific category of the country's affluent class.

Advani argued that Congress rule during the first 30 years after independence had led to corruption which led Jai Prakash Narain to launch the campaign against the menace and unite the opposition parties.

"The seeds were laid for the evolution of the bipolar polity which it has today become. It would thus be clear that the catalyst for the first major turning point in our political history was corruption," Advani said.

Alert sounded in Kashmir PTI SRINAGAR, FEB 20

An alert was today sounded across south Kashmir to foil any militant attack using a car, snatched by two unidentified gunmen from a c i v i l i a n i n Shopian district, officials said.

The security forces have been asked to remain on a lookout for a Maruti car, which was snatched by gunmen from Mushtaq Ahmad Malik from his house at Pinjoora in Shopian, 55 kms from here, they said.

They said the agencies apprehend that militants might use the stolen vehicle to stage an attack on security forces.

A case has been registered in this regard, they added.

Malaysian plane makes emergency landing at IGI PTI NEW DELHI, FEB 20

A Malaysian Airlines plane with 158 passengers and crew on board had to land under emergency conditions at the IGI airport today after one of its engines developed a technical problem.

The airline's Delhi-Kuala Lumpur flight MH 173 took off from here at 13.08 hours. After an hour of flying, the pilot noticed some technical problem in one of the engines and decided to return, airport sources said.

He asked for emergency landing and the Boeing 737-800 aircraft landed safely at 15.02 hours, they said.

Full emergency was declared and five fire tenders and ambulances were rushed to the runway where the aircraft was to land. The aircraft was then taken to an isolated bay.

- A marriage ceremony being in progress inside river Gomti on Saturday night. Groom Rahul and bride Nilanshi offering garland to each other on the biggest boat 'Tarzan' of Lucknow. They promised for a pollution free environment.

German bakery blast probe: ATS, forensic experts differ PTI MUMBAI/PUNE, FEB 20

Chinks have started appearing in the elite Maharashtra ATS' probe into the year-old German bakery blast case with police claiming a mobile phone alarm was used to cause the explosion while forensic experts are yet to decipher the triggering mechanism.

In its charge sheet, ATS claimed that wanted accused Mohsin Chowdhury and Yasin Bhatkal and arrested accused Himayat Baig went to Mumbai to purchase a sack and a Nokia 1100 model mobile phone which was subsequently used as a triggering device to cause the bomb explosions.

According to the charge sheet, the explosives were planted in the sack and kept at the German bakery at 1700 hours on February 13, 2010. "...the bomb subsequently exploded at 18.50 hours triggered with the help of mobile alarm triggering device thereby causing death of 17 people and seriously injuring 56," the ATS claims in the charge sheet.

This set alarm bells among the investigators including the National Investigating Agency (NIA) as no forensic tests had shown any presence of a mobile

phone from the scene of the blast.

Repeated queries to the ATS by other probe agencies for providing the International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) number did not fructify. The ATS had now informed the Pune court that it would be submitted a fresh set of documents before it on February 22.

Baig's counsel A Rehman also said that there was no mention of any mobile phone in the forensic tests.

After sensational disclosure of Swami Aseemanand that Malegaon blasts of 2006 were carried out by right wing terror

Collector abduction case: Mediators want more time PTI BHUBANESWAR, FEB 20

Maoist-handpicked mediators today said "more time" was needed to secure the release of abducted Malkangiri District Collector R V Krishna and an engineer after the first round of talks with Orissa government amid moves indicating that some Naxals may be released on bail in line with the extremists' demand.

30-year-old Krishna, a 2005 batch IAS officer, and junior engineer Pabitra Majhi, abducted by the Naxals on February 16 from Chitrakonda area, are safe, Home Secretary U N Behera said after talks with the two Andhra Pradesh-based mediators Prof Hargopal and Prof Someswar Rao. "We are working out modalities on how to end the hostage crisis and facilitate the release of Krishna and the junior engineer.... It may take more time," Hargopal said, maintaining that the talks process has just started.

Behera said, "We are in the process of discussions. Whether some people will go to Malkangiri as part of the talks process, will have to be decided."

nWe are working out modalities on how to end the hostage crisis and facilitate the release of Krishna and the junior engineer....

It may take more time.

-- Mediator, Hargopal He, however, made it clear that the mediators were not going to the district because of health reasons. Orissa's Home Secretary U N Behera and Panchayati Raj Secretary S N Tripathy represented the state government in the talks as Krishna and Majhi spent the fifth day in captivity.

While the mediators showed keenness to resolve the crisis, the state government was examining Maoist demand for release of some rebel leaders who were languishing in different jails at present, sources said.

The interlocutors are believed to have pressed for release of certain key Maoists like Ganti

Prasadam on bail, they said. Hargopal had earlier said the jailed ultra could play a significant role in negotiating with the rebel leaders for freeing the abducted officials.

In a related development, Prasadam, who is jailed in Andhra Pradesh, was handed over to police for producing him before an Orissa court.

Prasadam, also the convener of Martyrs Friends and Relatives Committee, was lodged in the Ongole Prison in Andhra Pradesh's Prakasam district since February 7. He and three others had moved bail applications in a court in Koraput, Orissa. While their bail plea was rejected, the court had directed that Prasadam be produced before it by February 25.

"Following the court directive, we handed over Prasadam to the local police for production before the Koraput court. Either the local police can produce Prasadam before the court or they can also hand him over to the Orissa Police which in turn can produce him before the court," Ongole Prison Superintendent V Phaniraju told PTI over phone.

Government sets up high-level panel to examine Lokpal Bill PTI NEW DELHI, FEB 20

Faced with a rash of scams, the government is going proactive on the Lokpal Bill and has set up a high-level panel to consider giving more teeth to the antigraft mechanism.

The Committee of Secretaries on Lokpal Bill, headed by the Cabinet Secretary, met here recently to consider suggestions to provide more teeth to the proposed legislation.

Sources in the government said the meeting considered suggestions by private individuals and NGOs to make the

mechanism more effective. One of the criticisms is that the Lokpal will not have any power to either initiate action suo motu in any case or even receive complaints of corruption from general public.

The public will make complaints to the Lok Sabha Speaker or Rajya Sabha Chairperson.

Only those complaints forwarded by them would be investigated by the Lokpal.

This, some feel, will severely restrict the functioning of the Lokpal. Some NGOs have also objected to the restriction of the hree-member panel of Lok-

pal to retired judges and want eminent people from other walks of life to be a part of the panel.

The government is keen on giving a "final shape" to the bill in the coming days.

A Group of Ministers headed

by Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee formed recently to suggest means to tackle corruption plans to come out with concrete suggestions on the bill during the Budget session beginning tomorrow so that the proposed legislation can be discussed with opposition parties to evolve a consensus.

groups, eye-brows have started appearing in connection with the ATS investigations in the Pune bakery blast.

Last week, Union Home Secretary G K Pillai had termed the case as "unsolved" along with the blast cases in Delhi's Jama Masjid area and Varanasi.

Asked whether the investigations into the German bakery case were complete, Pillai said, "Still it is unsolved.." and added that the modus operandi used in the Pune blast was different from that in Varanasi and Delhi.

The Pune Bakery blast case was jinxed for ATS Maharashtra when it first arrested a youth

Court to decide Quattrocchi's fate today PTI NEW DELHI, FEB 20

The fate of the over two-decadeold, politically sensitive Bofors payoff case against Italian businessman Ottavio Quattrocchi is likely to be decided tomorrow by a Delhi court.

Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Vinod Yadav will pronounce his order on CBI's plea seeking withdrawal of the case against 70year-old Quattrocchi, who has never appeared before any court in India to face trial.

The CBI had, in October 2009, sought permission of the court to withdraw the case against Quattrocchi, saying that his continued prosecution was "unjustified" in the light of various factors including the agency's failed attempts to extradite him.

The CBI had failed twice in extraditing him – first from Malaysia in 2003 and then from Argentina in 2007.

A charge sheet was filed against Quattrocchi for allegedly receiving a payoff for brokering the Bofors gun deal.

Heavy rains lash Delhi PTI NEW DELHI, FEB 20

Abdul Samad from Mangalore and accused him of carrying out the blast.

However, they were left red faced after no evidence was provided about his role. ATS chief Rakesh Maria, after showing arrest of Baig and naming him as Lashker-e-Taiba chief for Maharashtra, had committed a faux pas when he claimed that the accused had been present in Pune where as ATS Deputy Inspector General, Ravindra Kadam, who was posted in Pune, rejected that Baig had ever visited Pune.

Baig, who has been granted audience with his counsel A Rehman, has contended that he was picked up by ATS weeks before the blast at Pune's German bakery had taken place in connection with a petty crime.

Baig's counsel is trying to prepare his defence from the 2,700 pages of the charge sheet in which he claims names of witnesses have been allegedly removed.

The advocate had recently submitted that the ATS has conducted the investigations and has filed a charge sheet against Baig and wanted to know the names of witnesses so that h e c o u l d p re p a re h i s d e fence.

It was darkness at noon for the capital today as heavy rains accompanied by thunder squall lashed the city, taking by surprise Delhiites who were experiencing relatively warmer weather for the past few days.

Several areas of the capital were lashed by rains that started at around 3.20 PM and continued for over an hour leading to waterlogging in various stretches. Some parts of the city also experienced hailstorm.

Though the morning was sunny, clouds and darkness descended on the city along with rains, prompting motorists to switch on the headlights of their cars.

Traffic was not affected much due to rains and water-logging as it was a Sunday and vehicular movement was less on the roads.

A road near Aurobindo Marg in south Delhi caved in after rains and vehicular movement became slow on the busy intersection.

Sun has been shinning very brightly for the past few days in the capital and the lowest temperature was recorded at 10 degree Celsius yesterday.

The first week of February saw the temperatures rise well above normal levels, but a spell of rain early last week brought the temperatures down.

CBI awaiting Letters Rogatory replies to nail Kalmadi PTI NEW DELHI, FEB 20

The CBI has sent a request to the United Kingdom seeking details of financial dealing of London-based Ashish Patel, the owner of AM Films and AM Vans, who is named as an accused in Commonwealth Games corruption cases.

The agency has sent a Letters Rogatory to Britain, official sources said.

The sleuths probing the allegations of corruption in Commonwealth Games have tracked an e-mail written by Patel to Organising Committee treasurer M Jaychandran which, they claim, confirms that kickbacks were paid to CWG Organising Committee Chief Suresh Kalmadi.

Patel's mail mentions details of money which was allegedly paid to Kalmadi and says that the dues should be cleared as swiftly as possible to his companies whose services were used during Queen's Baton Relay.

To corroborate the contents of mail, the CBI was trying to

extract information from Patel but so far he has remained non-cooperative, the sources said.

Officials privy to the probe said they were trying to question Patel regarding his company's services extended during the ceremonies associated with the Queen's Baton Relay and alleged monetary exchanges involved in it.

The non-cooperation from Patel had prompted the agency to adopt a more rigorous legal path of sending Letter Rogatory to the United Kingdom in this regard.

Birdflu outbreak in Agartala due to virulent H5 strain PTI NEW DELHI, FEB 20

The birdflu outbreak in Agartala in Tripura has been caused by the highly virulent H5 strain which if transmitted to humans can be deadly.

The samples from Government Duck Farm, R K Nagar, Agartala, were sent to High Security Animal Disease Laboratory (HSADL), Bhopal and a government laboratory in Kolkata for testing.

The tests confirmed that the samples are positive for H5 strain of Avian Influenza, a senior Health Ministry official said.

According to experts, the H5 strain of bird flu is a highly virulent one and people's immune systems do not yet have any ability to recognise it, leaving humans extremely vulnerable to it.

Luckily, H5N1 is not adapted to human hosts and does not have the genes that would allow it

to be passed easily from person to person. But evolution may change that.

The H5 and N1 represent forms of viral proteins that human bodies use to recognise and attack the virus. Some flu strains, such as H1N1, are relatively common in humans and many people's immune systems can recognise and attack these strains.

At least 3,000 poultry, including chickens and ducks, have been culled in Tripura to control further spread of birdflu from a government duck farm in Agartala.

The administration has also banned sale of any poultry in and around R K Nagar farm, six kms from the capital town. Avian Influenza was first reported from Kamalpur, a sub-division in Dhalai district bordering Moulavi Bazar district of neighbouring Bangladesh in April 2008.

OHERALDO

Biz12_SUNDAY-Pg-12 2/20/2011 9:46 PM Page 1

BIZ

Pg12

GOA, MONDAY, 21 FEBRUARY, 2011

It’s only a week to the budget and most pundits or analysts have their wish lists. The common ones are: reduction of taxes, greater deductions and exemptions, and of course several sectors seek either subsides or increases in their existing subsidies. This is time to catch the eye or attention of the Finance Minister, who is more concerned on the political front, would the opposition parties sit to hear his Budget pronouncements or would they walk away as they are wont to do. For parliament in India has become a walkout place rather than a forum for discussion of the nation’s policies. Well to revert to the subject what are the aspirations of the various sectors? With the stock market on the downward tumble, punters are hoping for some stimulus – the reduction in the security transaction tax or a more liberal provision for short term capital gains. The sad state of infrastructure in the country, had led the Finance Minister to give yet another deduction under section 80CCF of Rs 20,000 for investment in

bonds of infrastructure companies. Whispers in the market talk about an upward increase of this deduction to Re. 50,000. Is the Finance Minister listening? The retail industry which is believed to be the 5th largest in the world and accounts for 10% of the GDP is looking forward to the introduction of GST next year.

It is seeking a recall of the service tax levied on rentals, since this levy puts pressure on their thin profit margins.

The Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry has asked the Finance Minster for a package of tax holidays to boost healthcare facilities in the country especially the two and three tier cities. The setting up of quality hospitals requires a huge capital outlay and therefore these need a tax break for a minimum five years. Further it is pitching in for an exemption of life saving products is the forthcoming GST. The Association has also called for a weighted deduction in the case for scientific and industrial research. The question of subsidies in the budget is a perennial use of

A

AIG India Equity Fund - Regular Plan (D) India Equity Fund - Regular Plan (G) Infrastructure and EconReform Fund (D) Infrastructure and Economic Reform Fund (G) Axis Equity Fund (D) Equity Fund (G) Tax Saver Fund (D) Tax Saver Fund (G)

11.58 11.58 8.70 8.70 10.44 10.44 10.71 11.69

B

Baroda Pioneer ELSS 96 Growth Fund (D) Growth Fund (G) Infrastructure Fund (D) Infrastructure Fund (G) PSU Equity Fund (D) PSU Equity Fund (G) Bharti AXA Equity Fund - Eco Plan (Bonus) Equity Fund - Eco Plan (D) Equity Fund - Eco Plan (G) Equity Fund - Eco Plan (QD) Equity Fund - Regular Plan (Bonus) Equity Fund - Regular Plan (D) Equity Fund - Regular Plan (G) Equity Fund - Regular Plan (QD) Focused Infrastructure Fund (G) Focused Infrastructure Fund (QD) Tax Advantage Fund - Eco Plan (D) Tax Advantage Fund - Eco Plan (G) Tax Advantage Fund - Retail Plan (D) Tax Advantage Fund - Retail Plan (G) Birla Sun Life Advantage Fund (D) Advantage Fund (G) Basic Industries Fund (D) Frontline Equity Fund - Plan A (G) India GenNext Fund (D) India GenNext Fund (G) India Opportunities Fund - Plan A (D) India Opportunities Fund - Plan B (G) India Reforms Fund (D) India Reforms Fund (G) Infrastructure Fund - Plan A (D) Infrastructure Fund - Plan A (G) Long Term Advantage Fund (D) Long Term Advantage Fund (G) Midcap Fund - Plan A (D) Midcap Fund - Plan A (G) MNC Fund (D) MNC Fund (G) New Millennium (D) New Millennium (G) Pure Value Fund (D) Pure Value Fund (G) Small and Midcap Fund (D) Small and Midcap Fund (G) Special Situations Fund (D) Special Situations Fund (G) Tax Plan (D) Tax Plan (G) Tax Relief 96 (D) Tax Relief 96 (G) Top 100 Fund (D) Top 100 Fund (G)

24.84 28.28 50.21 9.00 9.00 8.56 8.56 16.77 11.80 16.77 11.14 16.67 11.74 16.67 11.07 9.10 9.10 11.68 21.45 11.64 21.36 76.82 150.15 25.01 84.74 12.57 22.28 17.82 52.33 9.41 9.41 11.54 15.72 12.50 13.54 20.53 101.23 79.40 196.50 12.93 19.80 15.02 16.02 11.27 11.27 9.50 9.50 44.45 13.19 79.85 10.77 14.25 21.84

C

Canara Robeco Emerging Equities (Bonus) Emerging Equities (D) Emerging Equities (G) Equity Tax Saver (D) Equity Tax Saver (G) F.O.R.C.E Fund - Retail Plan (D) F.O.R.C.E Fund - Retail Plan (G) Infrastructure (D) Infrastructure (G) Large Cap+ Fund (D) Large Cap+ Fund (G) Multicap (D) Multicap (G)

17.96 14.80 21.45 18.38 24.65 12.13 13.01 16.94 21.27 9.89 9.89 14.13 15.23

D

DWS Alpha Equity Fund - Regular Plan (D) Alpha Equity Fund - Regular Plan (G) Alpha Equity Fund - Wealth Plan (D) Alpha Equity Fund - Wealth Plan (G) Investment Opportunity Fund - Regular Plan (D) Investment Opportunity Fund - Regular Plan (G) Investment Opportunity Fund - Wealth Plan (D) Investment Opportunity Fund - Wealth Plan (G) Tax Saving Fund (D) Tax Saving Fund (G) DSP BlackRock Equity Fund - Regular Plan (D) Equity Fund - Regular Plan (G) Focus 25 Fund (D) Focus 25 Fund (G)

16.27 74.75 13.02 15.56 24.68 35.62 12.33 16.13 12.22 13.07 46.08 15.69 10.06 10.06

Pre Budget wish lists

debate. With the government’s commitment to a Food Security Bill, an increase in food subsidies is on the cards – the quantum of this subsidy would depend upon the availability governmental resources subject to other regular demands. The Confederation of Indian Industries has asked government to do away with the levy of the Minimum Alternative Tax on infrastructure companies since the incentives provided under section 80 –IA have been diluted. This apex body has advocated the widening of the definition of infrastructure to include rural based initiatives such as water harvesting, IT products and manufacture of solar panels It also wishes that third party developers of infrastructure products be provided the exemption available. Like its other counterparts the Confederation calls for a liberalization of depreciation rates and additional benefits for research and development. Yes

India T.I.G.E.R. Fund - Regular Plan (D) India T.I.G.E.R. Fund - Regular Plan (G) Micro Cap Fund - Regular Plan (D) Micro Cap Fund - Regular Plan (G) Natural Resand New Fund - Regular Plan (D) Natural Resources and Fund - Regular Plan (G) Opportunities Fund - Regular Plan (D) Opportunities Fund - Regular Plan (G) Small and Mid Cap Fund (D) Small and Mid Cap Fund (G) Tax Saver Fund (D) Tax Saver Fund (G) Technology.Com - Regular Plan (D) Technology.Com - Regular Plan (G) Top 100 Equity Fund - Regular Plan (D) Top 100 Equity Fund - Regular Plan (G)

16.64 43.36 8.73 14.37 13.70 13.70 26.88 82.79 14.99 16.34 12.15 16.32 23.27 31.88 20.51 96.67

E

Edelweiss Absolute Return Fund (D) ELSS Fund (D) ELSS Fund (G) Nifty Enhancer Fund - Plan A (D) Nifty Enhancer Fund - Plan A (G) Nifty Enhancer Fund - plan B (D) Nifty Enhancer Fund - Plan B (G) Nifty Enhancer Fund - Plan C (D) Escorts Growth Plan (D) Growth Plan (G) High Yield Equity Plan (Bonus) High Yield Equity Plan (D) High Yield Equity Plan (G) Infrastructure Fund (D) Infrastructure Fund (G) Leading Sectors Fund (D) Leading Sectors Fund (G) Power and Energy Fund (D) Power and Energy Fund (G) 14.60 Tax Plan (D) Tax Plan (G)

10.93 14.54 18.22 11.67 12.81 12.88 12.63 11.33 11.70 70.72 13.94 11.48 13.90 7.31 7.31 10.16 10.16 10.45 9.70 45.11

F

Fidelity Equity Fund (D) Equity Fund (G) India Growth Fund (D) India Growth Fund (G) India Special Situations Fund (D) India Special Situations Fund (G) India Value Fund (D) India Value Fund (G) International Opportunities Fund (D) International Opportunities Fund (G) Tax Advantage Fund (D) Tax Advantage Fund (G) BNP Paribas China-India Fund (D) China-India Fund (G) Dividend Yield Fund (D) Dividend Yield Fund (G) Equity Fund (D) Equity Fund (G) Future Leaders Fund (D) Future Leaders Fund (G) Opportunities Fund (D) Opportunities Fund (G) Sustainable Development Fund (D) Sustainable Development Fund (G) Tax Advantage Plan (ELSS) (D) Tax Advantage Plan (ELSS) (G) Franklin Asian Equity Fund (D) Asian Equity Fund (G) Build India Fund (D) Build India Fund (G) FMCG Fund (D) FMCG Fund (G) India High Growth Companies Fund (D) India High Growth Companies Fund (G) India Opportunities Fund (D) India Opportunities Fund (G) India Prima Fund (D) India Prima Fund (G) India Prima Plus Fund (D) India Prima Plus Fund (G) India Smaller Companies Fund (D) India Smaller Companies Fund (G) Infotech Fund (G) Pharma Fund (D) Pharma Fund (G) Templeton India Equity Income Fund (D) Templeton India Equity Income Fund (G) Templeton India Growth Fund (D) Templeton India Growth Fund (G)

HDFC Capital Builder Fund (D) Capital Builder Fund (G) Core & Satellite Fund (D) Core & Satellite Fund (G) Equity Fund (D) Equity Fund (G) Growth Fund (D)

20.18 34.15 11.87 11.87 16.29 17.96 10.77 10.77 13.30 13.30 17.59 21.12 8.57 8.57 10.33 16.76 11.04 32.65 8.71 8.74 9.13 17.55 10.78 11.83 10.36 13.00 11.00 11.00 10.68 11.18 39.23 62.51 11.68 12.20 13.65 30.22 39.93 256.26 28.33 210.98 12.62 13.63 65.84 32.06 60.58 15.21 20.45 49.93 114.82

H 25.76 106.34 20.31 39.24 49.11 267.20 32.77

like all lobby groups, different sectors have been asking for relief from taxation. Interestingly none of them have any positive ideas as to how would government garner the necessary resources for the various developmental schemes, or the protection of the country or build the necessary infra-

structure that we require. Yes most analyst are scarcely concerned about governmental finance, all they wish for is to ensure that their sector does not bear the burden of taxation. With the introduction of both the Direct tax code and GST scheduled to be rolled out the next year, there does not seem much likelihood that there will be major changes during this Budget. However

Growth Fund (G) Infrastructure Fund (D) Infrastructure Fund (G) Long Term Advantage Fund (D) Long Term Advantage Fund (G) Long Term Equity Fund (D) Long Term Equity Fund (G) Mid-Cap Opportunities Fund (D) Mid-Cap Opportunities Fund (G) Premier Multi-Cap Fund (D) Premier Multi-Cap Fund (G) Tax Saver (D) Tax Saver (G) Top 200 Fund (D) Top 200 Fund (G) HSBC Dynamic Fund (D) Dynamic Fund (G) Emerging Markets Fund (D) Emerging Markets Fund (G) Equity Fund (D) Equity Fund (G) India Opportunities Fund (D) India Opportunities Fund (G) Midcap Equity Fund (D) Midcap Equity Fund (G) Progressive Themes Fund (D) Progressive Themes Fund (G) Small Cap Fund (D) Small Cap Fund (G) Tax Saver Equity Fund (D) Tax Saver Equity Fund (G) Unique Opportunities Fund (D) Unique Opportunities Fund (G)

83.69 11.31 11.31 34.46 131.73 12.84 15.52 14.49 14.49 14.16 27.68 63.11 224.63 47.92 202.74 9.89 9.89 10.35 10.35 25.07 99.66 15.70 33.33 10.30 19.27 9.72 11.42 10.33 11.10 12.76 13.84 10.75 10.75

I

ICICI Pru Banking & Financial Services Fund - Retail Plan (D) 17.51 Banking & Financial Services Fund - Retail Plan (G) 17.93 Discovery Fund (D) 20.22 Discovery Fund (G) 46.65 Dynamic Plan (D) 18.77 Dynamic Plan (G) 104.99 Emerging S.T.A.R. Fund (D) 15.44 Emerging S.T.A.R. Fund (G) 31.02 Equity Opportunities Fund (D) 10.67 Equity Opportunities Fund (G) 11.89 FMCG Fund (D) 34.72 FMCG Fund (G) 60.71 Focused Bluechip Equity Fund (D) 15.02 Focused Bluechip Equity Fund (G) 15.75 Fusion Fund Series - III Retail Plan (D) 12.20 Fusion Fund Series - III Retail Plan (G) 12.20 Growth Plan (G) 131.96 Indo Asia Equity Fund - Retail Plan (D) 10.52 Indo Asia Equity Fund - Retail Plan (G) 10.52 Power (D) 16.10 Power (G) 108.47 R.I.G.H.T. Fund (D) 11.55 R.I.G.H.T. Fund (G) 11.55 Services Industries Fund (D) 12.57 Services Industries Fund (G) 16.71 Target Returns Fund - Retail Plan (D) 13.41 Target Returns Fund - Retail Plan (G) 13.41 Tax Plan (D) 20.29 Tax Plan (G) 136.11 Technology Fund (D) 18.52 Technology Fund (G) 18.52 IDFC Classic Equity Fund - Plan A (D) 14.47 Classic Equity Fund - Plan A (G) 20.00 Equity Fund - Plan A (D) 12.79 Equity Fund - Plan A (G) 15.60 Equity Fund - Plan B (D) 10.76 Equity Fund - Plan B (G) 12.82 Imperial Equity Fund - Plan A (D) 13.45 Imperial Equity Fund - Plan A (G) 18.58 Premier Equity Fund - Plan A (D) 24.49 Premier Equity Fund - Plan A (G) 30.22 Strategic Sector (50-50) Equity Fund - Plan A (D) 14.16 Strategic Sector (50-50) Equity Fund - Plan A (G) 14.32 Tax Advantage (ELSS) Fund (D) 12.85 Tax Advantage (ELSS) Fund (G) 19.19 Tax Saver (ELSS) Fund (D) 14.01 Tax Saver (ELSS) Fund (G) 14.01 ING C.U.B. Fund (Bonus) 16.56 C.U.B. Fund (D) 12.09 C.U.B. Fund (G) 16.56 Contra Fund (B) 15.09 Contra Fund (D) 12.87 Contra Fund (G) 15.09 Core Equity Fund (D) 19.64 Core Equity Fund (G) 37.11 Dividend Yield Fund (D) 20.21 Dividend Yield Fund (G) 22.22 Domestic Opportunities Fund (D) 12.98 Domestic Opportunities Fund (G) 34.37 Midcap Fund (D) 15.76 Midcap Fund (G) 19.84 OptiMix Multi Manager Equity Fund - Plan A (D) 9.98 OptiMix Multi Manager Equity Fund - Plan A (G) 9.98 OptiMix Retireinvest Fund - Series I (D) 11.89 OptiMix Retireinvest Fund - Series I (G) 11.89 Tax Saving Fund (Bonus) 28.73 Tax Saving Fund (D) 14.15

with the numerous scams afloat and the issue of unaccounted money and unnumbered accounts of Indian’s abroad, there may be some provisions put into place that will ensure that government is in a position to bring back some of this hidden wealth.

Let us see what bag of tricks the Finance Minister has when he opens his bag on D day!

GOVERNMENT AS LITIGANT Many of us would be surprised to know that the govt is the biggest litigant in our Courts of law. For on most issues, bureaucrats often play safe by refusing to accept a decision of a lower Court preferring the easier option of filing an appeal to a higher forum. This is especially true in tax cases, since often the acceptance of a particular decision of a lower court can often lead to a vigilance case on the officer who is bold enough to take such decisions. Often there are cases where two govt agencies are locked in legal battle with Tax Saving Fund (G)

each other, and this is also common in tax cases, since often the biggest taxpayers are corporates. The tax department has cases filed against most of the bigger public sector companies or these companies are in appeal against the interpretation of certain provisions of the tax code. At once stage, the Supreme Court was seized of this issue where govt bodies are fighting each other only to fill the pockets of the law fraternity. The SC had suggested that a high powered body called the Committee for Disputes (COD) be constituted where these issues could be examined and a decision arrived at. It was therefore necessary for the appeallant govt body – either the tax department or the public sector company to place the issues before the COD and seek its approval before an appeal could be entertained. These guidelines were even followed by the Tax Tribunals that would often dismiss cases if there were no COD approvals. The COD approvals necessarily took time since the necessary case pa28.69

J

JM Agri & Infra Fund (D) Agri & Infra Fund (G) Basic Fund (D) Basic Fund (G) Contra Fund (D) Contra Fund (G) Emerging Leaders Fund (D) Emerging Leaders Fund (G) Equity Fund (D) HI FI Fund (D) HI FI Fund (G) Large Cap Fund (D) Large Cap Fund (G) Multi Strategy Fund (G) Small & Mid-Cap Fund - Regular Plan (D) Small & Mid-Cap Fund - Regular Plan (G) Tax Gain Fund (D) Tax Gain Fund (G) Telecom Sector Fund (D) Telecom Sector Fund (G) JP Morgan India Tax Advantage Fund (D) India Tax Advantage Fund (G) India Equity Fund (D) India Equity Fund (G) India Smaller Companies Fund (D) India Smaller Companies Fund (G)

2.38 2.38 9.38 13.43 4.95 4.95 7.35 7.33 14.14 4.81 4.81 13.47 18.32 13.44 4.91 4.91 6.85 6.85 7.32 7.32 14.40 17.77 11.89 12.80 7.30 7.30

K

Kotak 50 (D) 50 (G) Emerging Equity Scheme (D) Emerging Equity Scheme (G) Global Emerging Market Fund (D) Global Emerging Market Fund (G) Indo World Infrastructure Fund (D) Indo World Infrastructure Fund (G) Lifestyle Fund (D) Lifestyle Fund (G) Midcap Fund (D) Midcap Fund (G) Opportunities Fund (D) Opportunities Fund (G) Select Focus Fund (D) Select Focus Fund (G) Tax Saver (D) Tax Saver (G)

28.91 97.92 10.77 10.77 9.99 9.99 6.71 6.71 11.19 12.92 16.46 23.66 14.17 43.80 10.13 11.22 10.78 17.61

L

L&T Contra Fund (D) Contra Fund (G) Global Advantage Fund (D) Global Advantage Fund (G) Growth Fund (D) Growth Fund (G) Hedged Equity Fund (D) Hedged Equity Fund (G) Infrastructure Fund (D) Infrastructure Fund (G) Midcap Fund (D) Midcap Fund (G) Multi-Cap Fund (D) Multi-Cap Fund (G) Opportunities Fund (D) Opportunities Fund (G) Small Cap Fund (D) Small Cap Fund (G) Tax Advantage Fund - Series I (D) Tax Advantage Fund - Series I (G) Tax Saver Fund (D) Tax Saver Fund (G) LIC Infrastructure Fund Series 1 (D) Infrastructure Fund Series 1 (G) MF Equity Fund (D) MF Opportunities Fund (D) MF Opportunities Fund (G) MF Tax Plan (D) MF Tax Plan (G) MF Top 100 Fund (D) MF Top 100 Fund (G)

9.97 9.98 6.81 9.82 18.01 38.11 9.51 13.41 6.85 6.85 21.88 37.92 14.23 17.85 16.52 41.94 4.84 4.84 14.62 19.90 14.28 15.37 8.85 8.85 10.11 10.49 18.43 10.26 28.66 7.98 7.98

M

Mirae Asset Emerging Bluechip Fund (D) Emerging Bluechip Fund (G) Global Commodity Stock Fund - Regular Plan (D) Global Commodity Stock Fund - Regular Plan (G) India Opportunities Fund - Regular Plan (D) India Opportunities Fund - Regular Plan (G) Morgan Stanley A.C.E. Fund (Across Capitalisations Equity) (D) A.C.E. Fund (Across Capitalisations Equity) (G) Growth Fund (D) Growth Fund (G) Pramerica Dynamic Fund (D) Dynamic Fund (G)

10.16 10.16 12.77 12.77 13.17 15.73 13.40 14.24 18.24 59.75 9.36 9.36

pers giving the entire episode of the case would have to be prepared and put for consideration of the Committee.

Often, as in the case of these generalist gentlemen, they did not even understand the issues involved as also did not have either the time or inclination to study the various minutiae involved. In most cases they took some vague decisions, recommending appeals in some cases whereas in similar cases they would deny permission for an appeal. The procedure of putting issues before the COD is now being re-examined by a larger bench in Electronic Corporation of India Ltd v. Union of India. In this connection the Income tax department in an internal circular has directed its officers that appeals to the High and SC will be filed only where the tax effect is Rs 10 and 25 lakhs respectively. It is hoped that with this revision only important issues will be agitated in appeal!

(The author of the article is a retired Chief Commissioner of Income Tax. The views expressed by him are personal.)

Equity Fund (D) Equity Fund (G) Principal Dividend Yield Fund (D) Dividend Yield Fund (G) Large Cap Fund (D) Large Cap Fund (G) Personal Tax Saver Fund PNB Long Term Fund - 3 Year Plan - Series 1 (D) PNB Long Term Fund - 3 Year Plan - Series 1 (G) Services Industries Fund (D) Services Industries Fund (G) SMART Equity Fund (D) SMART Equity Fund (G) Tax Savings Fund

Quantum Long-Term Equity Fund (D) Long-Term Equity Fund (G) Tax Saving Fund (D) Tax Saving Fund (G)

9.05 9.05 16.37 22.18 18.87 27.55 92.21 10.10 10.10 12.51 14.11 9.67 9.67 71.70

Q 21.85 21.67 21.54 21.55

R

Reliance Banking Fund (Bonus) 101.71 Banking Fund (D) 40.58 Banking Fund (G) 101.71 Diversified Power Sector Fund - Retail Plan (Bonus) 69.22 Diversified Power Sector Fund - Retail Plan (D) 40.86 Diversified Power Sector Fund - Retail Plan (G) 69.22 Equity Advantage Fund - Retail Plan (B) 12.53 Equity Advantage Fund - Retail Plan (D) 12.53 Equity Advantage Fund - Retail Plan (G) 12.53 Equity Fund - Retail Plan (Bonus) 13.46 Equity Fund - Retail Plan (D) 13.46 Equity Fund - Retail Plan (G) 13.46 Equity Linked Saving Fund - Series I (D) 13.63 Media & Entertainment Fund (G) 25.71 Natural Resources Fund (Bonus) 10.37 Natural Resources Fund (D) 10.37 NRI Equity Fund (D) 23.03 Quant Plus Fund - Retail Plan (B) 13.23 Small Cap Fund (G) 9.34 Tax Saver (ELSS) Fund (D) 13.84 Tax Saver (ELSS) Fund (G) 19.67 Vision Fund - Retail Plan (Bonus) 43.31 Vision Fund - Retail Plan (D) 42.06 Vision Fund - Retail Plan (G) 257.88 Religare AGILE Fund (D) 6.54 AGILE Fund (G) 6.52 AGILE Tax Fund (D) 7.38 AGILE Tax Fund (G) 7.38 Banking Fund - Regular Plan (D) 15.49 Banking Fund - Regular Plan (G) 19.87 Business Leaders Fund (D) 10.90 Business Leaders Fund (G) 11.88 Contra Fund (D) 11.88 Contra Fund (G) 15.36 Equity Fund (D) 12.22 Equity Fund (G) 12.23 Growth Fund (D) 11.24 Mid N Small Cap Fund (D) 13.42 Mid N Small Cap Fund (G) 13.43 PSU Equity Fund (D) 9.40 PSU Equity Fund (G) 10.42 Tax Plan (D) 11.88 Tax Plan (G) 16.66

S

Sahara Banking and Financial Services Fund (D) Banking and Financial Services Fund (G) Growth Fund (D) Growth Fund (G) Infrastructure - Fixed Pricing Option (D) Infrastructure - Fixed Pricing Option (G) Infrastructure -Variable Pricing Option (D) Infrastructure -Variable Pricing Option (G) Midcap Fund (Bonus) Midcap Fund (D) Midcap Fund (G) Midcap Fund (Growth Auto Payout) Power & Natural Resources Fund (D) Power & Natural Resources Fund (G) R.E.A.L. Fund (D) R.E.A.L. Fund (G) Star Value Fund (D) Star Value Fund (G) Tax Gain (D) Tax Gain (G) Wealth Plus - Variable Pricing Option (D) Wealth Plus - Variable Pricing Option (G) Wealth Plus Fund - Fixed Pricing Option (G) SBI Blue Chip Fund (D) Blue Chip Fund (G) Infrastructure Fund - Series I (D) Infrastructure Fund - Series I (G) Magnum Comma Fund (D) Magnum Comma Fund (G) Magnum Contra Fund (D) Magnum Contra Fund (G) Magnum Emerging Businesses Fund (D)

15.01 29.73 22.35 77.01 10.70 14.63 11.14 15.16 28.69 12.68 28.69 28.69 10.25 12.02 7.67 7.67 9.91 10.80 15.86 35.57 17.54 21.02 20.21 10.85 13.88 9.08 9.08 15.41 22.82 21.07 52.85 16.74

FDI in 2010 dips by 22% PTI NEW DELHI, FEB 20

India received foreign direct investment (FDI) worth USD 21 billion (Rs 96,104 crore) in the calender year 2010, a decline of 22 per cent over the year ago period, a latest industry ministry data said.

The country had attracted FDI valued at USD 27 billion (Rs 130,980 crore) in 2009.

According to experts, foreign investors are cautious due to the fragile global economic recovery.

"The global economic recovery is weak, especially in Europe...I think, this is affecting the FDI flow in India," an economist said, adding that procedural delays in the country are also affecting the inflows adversely.

In view of declining foreign investment inflows, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) is considering to set up a panel to find out the reasons for FDI slowdown and suggest ways to encourage it.

Magnum Emerging Businesses Fund (G) Magnum Equity Fund (D) Magnum Multiplier Plus (D) Magnum Multiplier Plus (G) Magnum NRI - Flexiasset Plan (D) Magnum NRI - Flexiasset Plan (G) Magnum Pharma Fund (D) Magnum Pharma Fund (G) Magnum Tax Gain Scheme (D) Magnum Tax Gain Scheme (G) One India Fund (D) One India Fund (G) PSU Fund (D) PSU Fund (G) Daiwa Industry Leaders Fund (D) Industry Leaders Fund (G) Sundaram Capex Opportunities Fund (D) Capex Opportunities Fund (G) Financial Services Opportunities - Retail Plan (D) Financial Services Opportunities - Retail Plan (G) Growth Fund - Regular Plan (D) Growth Fund - Regular Plan (G) India Leadership Fund - Regular Plan (D) India Leadership Fund - Regular Plan (G) Media & Entertainment Opportunities - Retail (D) Media & Entertainment Opportunities - Retail (G) PSU Opportunities Fund (D) PSU Opportunities Fund (G) Rural India Fund (D) Select Small Cap Fund (G) Select Thematic Energy Opportunities Funds (D) Select Thematic Energy Opportunities Funds (G) Tax Saver (OE) (D) Tax Saver (OE) (G)

37.71 28.16 48.54 76.73 28.16 28.05 34.68 41.96 39.10 57.36 10.35 10.35 9.34 9.34 11.29 11.29 11.44 21.96 15.45 19.44 12.00 89.62 12.46 40.63 10.85 13.74 9.76 10.72 10.42 11.94 7.53 7.53 9.93 42.12

T

Tata Capital Builder Fund (D) Capital Builder Fund (G) Contra Fund (D) Contra Fund (G) Dividend Yield Fund (D) Dividend Yield Fund (G) Equity Management Fund (D) Equity Management Fund (G) Indo-Global Infrastructure Fund (D) Indo-Global Infrastructure Fund (G) Infrastructure Fund (D) Infrastructure Fund (G) Infrastructure Tax Saving Fund (D) Infrastructure Tax Saving Fund (G) Life Sciences & Technology Fund (D) Life Sciences & Technology Fund (G) Pure Equity Fund (D) Pure Equity Fund (G) Select Equity Fund (D) Select Equity Fund (G) 61.63 Service Industries Fund (D) Service Industries Fund (G) Tax Advantage Fund - 1 (D) Tax Advantage Fund - 1 (G) Tax Saving Fund Taurus Bonanza Fund (D) Bonanza Fund (G) Discovery Fund (D) Discovery Fund (G) Ethical Fund (Bonus) Infrastructure Fund (G) Star Share (D) Star Share (G) Tax Shield (D) Tax Shield (G)

13.39 14.34 14.88 16.91 19.20 31.68 11.92 13.79 7.49 7.49 20.79 31.55 14.51 15.33 34.28 68.22 35.13 93.38 39.85 16.92 22.68 15.71 15.71 44.70 41.60 41.33 14.20 14.19 22.33 12.83 38.70 54.96 18.42 34.12

U

UTI Banking Sector Fund (D) Banking Sector Fund (G) Contra Fund (D) Contra Fund (G) Dividend Yield Fund (D) Dividend Yield Fund (G) Energy Fund (D) Energy Fund (G) India Lifestyle Fund(D) Leadership Equity Fund (D) Leadership Equity Fund (G) Long Term Advantage Fund - Series II (D) Long Term Advantage Fund - Series II (G) Master Equity Plan Unit Scheme Master Plus Unit Scheme (D) Master Plus Unit Scheme (G) Master Value Fund (D) Master Value Fund (G) Mid Cap Fund (G) MNC Fund (D) MNC Fund (G) Opportunities Fund (D) Opportunities Fund (G) Pharma & Healthcare Fund (D) Pharma & Healthcare Fund (G) Services Industries Fund (D) Services Industries Fund (G) Top 100 Fund (D)

21.96 42.23 12.05 13.05 14.21 30.99 11.64 10.28 10.98 13.72 14.79 13.63 13.63 47.63 57.75 80.12 22.96 50.03 29.57 35.93 55.65 13.76 25.76 29.46 38.13 24.92 57.97 21.31

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GOA, MONDAY, 21 FEBRUARY, 2011

G20: compromise deal to correct economic flaws PTI PARIS, FEB 19

G20 finance ministers have reached a compromise deal to correct global economic imbalances and expressed concern over excessive commodity price volatility impacting the world food security, an issue pressed by India.

After two days of hard bargain by their finance ministers, major economies faced with uneven recovery and downside risks reached a text in the face of tough resistance from China to agree on guidelines for removal of structural flaws in the global economy.

"It has not been simple.

There were obviously divergent interests but we were able to reach a compromise on a text," French economy minister Christine Lagarde said.

The finance ministers and central bank chiefs, who could not reach a broad consensus on framing rules for current account deficit and real exchange rate and reserves, said "our aim is to agree, by our next meeting in April," on a set of indicative guidelines to ensure orderly economic growth.

However, the document did not talk about an issue of much interest to India. New Delhi wanted that G20 should urge

all jurisdictions to conclude Tax Information Exchange Agreements so that menace of black money in tax havens can be tackled.

This issue seems to have been put on back seat as a lot of time was spent on reaching an agreement with China, which was opposed to inclusion of foreign exchange reserves and its exchange rate among the guidelines. China is sitting on a USD 2.8 trillion forex reserves and is accused by the US of manipulating its currency yuan.

Faced with a double digit food inflation, India also pressed for a coordinated ap-

proach to tackle food, commodity and oil price volatility, which make emerging economies "vulnerable".

The issue was raised by Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee who said that "India did not contribute to the build-up or persistence of global imbalances" but "found no room for comfort in tackling food inflation" in the backdrop of high international prices.

Commodity prices increased 20 to 30 per cent in 2010, according to the IMF estimates.

The communiqué issued said: "We discussed concerns about consequences of potential excessive commodity

price volatility... we reiterated the need for long term investment in the agriculture sector in the developing countries."

The ministers agreed on a plan to strengthen the international monetary system (IMS) with regard to disruptive capital flows and disorderly movement in exchange rates, a matter of great concern to India.

"Today we agreed on ... strengthening the functioning of IMS,... mindful of possible drawbacks and management of global liquidity to strengthen our capacity to prevent and deal with shocks...," the com-

muniqué said.

The document also expressed its worries on the impact of rising oil prices which have exceeded USD 100 per barrel.

On the most contentious guidelines to remove structural imbalances, the communique appeared to have accommodated China's objections to including forex reserves and current account deficit.

The communiqué instead said that indicative guidelines, without targets will be used to assess: i) public debt and fiscal deficit; private savings and private debt ii) external imbalances composed of trade

balance and net investment income flows and transfers, taking into due consideration of exchange rate, fiscal, monetary and other policies.

In the financial sector, the ministers committed themselves to "regulating and oversight of the shadow banking system to efficiently address the risks, notably of arbitrage associated with the shadow banking...".

The shadow banking system or the shadow financial system consists of non-depository banks and other financial entities (investment banks, hedge funds, and money market funds).

500 tax info exchange pacts signed: Pranab PTI PARIS, FEB 20

Indian Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee has said about 500 tax information exchange agreements have been signed between different countries across the globe, a development that will help fight the menace of tax evasion and track ill-gotten money.

Mukherjee, who is spearheading the fight against tax evasion at the G-20 grouping, also made a case for collective action against those countries that refuse to part with tax and banking information essential for tracking slush funds.

"Till now, nearly 500 Tax Information Exchange Agreements (TIEA) have been signed all over the world. India has signed about 13 TIEAs," the minister said after the conclusion of the two-day meeting of the G-20 Finance Ministers and

Central Bank Governors here.

Under TIEAs, countries are required to share tax and banking information about individuals and companies. At the G-20 Seoul summit last year, the G-20 leaders called for all jurisdictions to conclude TIEAs whenever requested by the other partner.

LAUNCH PAD

IDBI Federal’s guaranteed pension plan

G V Nageswara Rao, MD and CEO, IDBI Federal Life Insurance Co Ltd along with K C Jani, director and head - operations, IDBI Bank and Hans Van Wuijckhuijsc, COO.

PANJIM (HBD) -- IDBI Federal Life Insurance has launched Retiresurance Guaranteed Pension Plan, a unique retirement plan which comes with the twin benefits of guaranteed accumulation with attractive annuities.

IDBI Federal Retiresurance Guaranteed Pension Plan is a non participating traditional deferred pension plan designed to help customers secure their lifestyle post-retirement, Guaranteed.

Retiresurance is a unique product that not only helps accumulate money for a comfortable retirement but also guarantees a steady growth of investment. For every premium paid, the plan guarantees a return that helps build a corpus. Ensuring transparency, returns to this corpus are linked to the prevailing G-Sec rate and this allows the customer to know the exact maturity for every premium paid. Each installment premium paid has a guaranteed maturity value which is payable on the vesting date.

The premium payments for the accumulation phase can be 10, 15, 20 or even 25 years. At the end of the policy, the plan also guarantees a further loyalty addition.

The policy holder can receive part of the maturity benefit as a lump sum and invest the remaining in an annuity which will ensure a regular income for life. Alternatively, the customer could purchase an annuity with the entire maturity benefit and get a higher and regular income for life.

Retiresurance also comes with a death benefit to ensure that the policy holder’s nominee gets money which could be the higher of either the premiums paid along with a 5% compounded interest or the special surrender value.

College Plan from Max NY Life PANJIM (HBD) -- Max New York Life Insurance announced the launch of ‘Max New York Life College Plan’, a guaranteed money back child plan to help parents create a corpus and meet the fast increasing cost of higher education of their children.

The Max New York Life College Plan provides a guaranteed returns pegged at 120% of sum assured. It is an ideal product for those who do not want to take any risk while saving for their child’s higher education, as it is a traditional money back plan.

The plan offers guaranteed money back aligned towards your child’s college education. The plan ensures that the premium payment term is completed during the school days and money backs start at the age of 18, 19, 20 and 21 when it is needed the most for higher education. Not only are the payouts made in the college going years, the payouts are made in a manner which is reflective of the real experience of the customer. As the expenses are the highest during the first and the last year of college hence 40% of the Sum Assured in year 18 and 21 while in the middle years of 19 and 20 20% of the Sum Assured is given.

The product is bundled with dual bonuses – Reversionary Bonus and Terminal Bonus. Guaranteed additional terminal bonus is paid if the policy has been in force for 10 years. The option of revisionary bonus ensures that the corpus is not used for other purposes during the tenure of the policy.

In case of unfortunate event of death of the payor, Max New York Life will continue to operate the policy until maturity of the policy. Max New York Life will fund all future premiums, on behalf of the life insured until policy maturity to boost the education fund thereby ensuring that the purpose for which the policy was originally purchased is accomplished.

Pointing out that different definitions of expressions like 'tax evasion' and 'tax fraud' lead to problems, Mukherjee said there was a need to harmonise them so that countries can exchange information without any hindrance.

The minister further said that India was in the process of revising its Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement (DTAA) with all 78 countries which whom it had signed such agreements.

"Revision of DTAA with 10 countries have been completed and many more are in the offing," he said.

Revised DTAA will help in seeking banking information about the offenders.

The Indian government has been facing flak from the Opposition for not being able to bring back black money stashed in tax havens and also naming persons involved in such transactions.

A Pakistani man wait for the customer as he sell engine oil at the roadside stall in Karachi on Sunday.

M&M to unveil utility aircraft soon PTI MUMBAI, FEB 20

The auto major Mahindra Group plans to launch the Airvan, an 8-seater utility aircraft shortly in the domestic market.

"We plan to launch the aircraft - the Mahindra GrippsAero GA8 TC 320 Airvan - in the domestic market shortly," Mahindra Aerospace executive director and chief executive Arvind Mehra told reporters here today.

The company has already applied for regulatory approvals like certification, etc, Mehra told newsmen after GrippsAero GA8 TC 320 Airvan, which has already circumnavigated 21 countries, made its maiden landing at the Juhu air-strip here.

The company has an ambitious plan of launching a range of small segment aircraft such as a 5-seater, 8-seater, 10-seater and an 18-seater in the country, Mehra said, adding there is good potential for these aircraft here.

Aircraft like the GA8 TC 320 Airvan are quite useful for difficult terrains because of their capability to take off or land at very small air-strips, he said.

"Besides, we are also looking at this aircraft for emergency medical evacuation services and point-to-point connectivity as well as in other operations like charter and surveillance services," Mehra said.

Last year, Mahindra Aerospace jointly with Kotak PE had acquired a controlling stake in two Australian aerospace companies--Gippsland Aeronautics (Gipps Aero) and Aerostaff Australia. While Gippsland Aeronautics is into aircraft manufacturing, Aerostaff is into manufacturing aircraft components.

Will help India unravel black money trail: Mauritius PTI NEW DELHI, FEB 20

Facing flak over its tax-friendly regime allegedly facilitating the flow of black money, Mauritius has promised full support to India's quest for unearthing the source and destination of such illicit wealth.

At the same time, the Indian Ocean's island nation has also asserted that it will not allow any "sensational fishing expedition" and has taken strong exception to its name being linked to each and every financial scandal.

Replying to email queries on whether it would help India track black money, the Mauritian Finance Ministry told PTI that Mauritius was collaborating with India to track the "black money" and the collaboration between the two countries has been strengthened on this front.

Mauritius' Ministry of Finance and Economic Develop-

ment replied in the affirmative to a query on whether it would share banking information on Indian entities with accounts in the country.

Concerns have been raised in the recent past over suspicion of round-tripping or routing of Indians' illicit money back into the country through the Mauritius.

Indian agencies are said to have increased their oversight after they noticed a significant surge in venture capital funds coming from Mauritius in sectors like telecom and real estate, which have been under close scrutiny in recent times for money laundering.

The tax-friendly regime in Mauritius has always been a key factor for entities that wish to invest in India to set up shop in the island nation. However, this tax benefit has also come in handy for those wishing to indulge in round-tripping activities or routing of illicit funds

back into India through the Mauritius.

Detailing the various steps taken by Mauritius on the black money issue, the Finance Ministry of the island nation said it has received various information requests from India on this matter and they all have been duly answered.

"However, information sharing for intelligence purposes and mutual legal assistance are provided on established international practices and not on sensational fishing expeditions," the ministry said.

Switzerland, which is said to be the biggest haven for Indian black money, has also ruled out any fishing expedition (trawling of their bank accounts) by India or any other country in the hope of finding something interesting.

Swiss banks have said they would only entertain information sharing requests backed by concrete proof of a sus-

‘Time not ideal for savings rate deregulation’ PTI MUMBAI, FEB 20

Banks have no objection to a savings rate deregulation per se, but only to its timing as they feel the prevailing situation is not ideal for it, a top banker has said.

"Its fine to have savings rate deregulation and banks are not opposed to it - they only feel the present time is not ripe for such a move. If it is introduced in a tight money situation as is prevailing now, then it would lead to chaos," HDFC Bank Managing Director Aditya Puri said.

Today, several services are bundled together with a sav-

ings account and offered free to customers such as ATM services and account statements. In a deregulated scenario, banks might be forced to charge customers for these services.

Banks also need to be given the freedom to fix their own charges as the cost of servicing a savings account will increase, he said. "We will (then) have to ensure that services are offered at a fair value to customers."

Currently, interest rate on savings accounts is 3.5 per cent per annum. Reserve Bank has, in the past, floated the idea of deregulating the savings rate,

but the idea has reportedly run into stiff opposition from banks.

Once the savings rate is deregulated, lenders will be free to fix their own rates and "this could lead to unhealthy competition between them," Puri said.

"Besides, it would make deposits volatile, reducing banks' ability to fund term projects even further," he said, adding "customers, too, would have to maintain a higher balance in their accounts."

Banks have communicated their reservations to RBI over savings rate deregulation in current scenario, he said.

pected tax offence by their account holders.

Mauritius said its existing treaty with India provides for sharing of banking information and its banks and other financial institutions are required to maintain "full and true written record of every transaction they conduct."

Banks and other financial institutions are required to maintain the identity information of their clients, which must be kept for at least seven years, and "numbered bank accounts are not allowed in Mauritius," the Mauritian Finance Ministry said.

Any violation of these obligations could attract a fine of 50,000 Mauritian rupees (about Rs 80,000) and up to two years of imprisonment.

However, the Mauritius Finance Ministry expressed its displeasure at speculation that seeks to establish "any Mauritian connection" with each fi-

AI at 3rd spot in operating flights PTI NEW DELHI/MUMBAI, FEB 20

AI has operated far less number of domestic and international flights last year than its private competitors, with official figures showing that its market share has dwindled to 17.1%.

Air India currently stands at the fourth position in terms of market share, after its private competitors Jet Airways, Kingfisher and IndiGo. These figures collated by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation came against the backdrop of allegations by unions that profitable routes of AI have been given away to the benefit of private and foreign competitors.

nancial scandal and said such stances were baseless.

"The government of Mauritius has always been committed to the combating of money laundering and the elimination of tax malpractices," the ministry said.

Earlier this month, the Mauritius' Vice Prime Minister and Minister for Finance and Economic Development, Pravind Kumar Jugnauth, said the country has put in place all necessary checks against flow of black money and illicit funds were not being routed through it into India.

While Jugnauth claimed that the Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement (DTAA) with India was doing well, some lapses have been pointed out in the treaty by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), the global agency working on implementation of international standards on taxation and other

matters.

The OECD has named Mauritius among countries where tax laws and information exchange systems do not meet global standards.

The OECD, in its review of Mauritius, also took note of reports expressing concern over Indian taxpayers using Mauritian business entities to roundtrip profits.

On these concerns, the Mauritian Finance Ministry said the OECD report has also recognised that "Mauritius is putting in place a national strategy for an efficient exchange of information system and answers most requests within 90 days."

"Despite all the efforts that may be made to have the best system in place that would prevent malpractices, there can always be some unscrupulous persons who would have some scheme that could help them beat the system," the ministry said.

Hexaware eyes 25% growth PTI MUMBAI, FEB 20

Buoyed by the gradual turnaround in the US and European economies and the consequent increase in spending on IT, Hexaware Technologies is eyeing over 25% growth in its topline and a substantial accretion in its headcount in FY 11.

"The business environment is steadily improving. Client acquisition has been good and we are in advanced stages of negotiations to seal about halfa-dozen deals worth around USD 150 million, making me confident of achieving a 25 per cent growth in our revenues in FY 11," Hexaware Chairman

Atul Nishar said.

The IT firm had clocked revenue of Rs 1,054.6 crore in FY 10 as against Rs 1,038.6 crore in the year-ago period. The company follows the JanuaryDecember financial calendar.

A healthy order pipeline backed by good client acquisitions (45 in FY 10 and 11 in the last quarter) coupled with disappearing pricing pressure will further help the company, the software services firm's chief said.

"Pricing pressure is a thing of the past and we believe prices will improve further. In fact, in some of our new orders we are charging higher."

‘Give equal tax treatment to overseas, resident Indians’ PTI NEW DELHI, FEB 20

Seeking equal treatment in investment and taxation between overseas and resident Indians, diversified conglomerate Hinduja Group today said amnesty must be given to bring back black money from foreign soil to India.

In a pre-budget memorandum to Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee, Hinduja Group Chairman S P Hinduja said, "Overseas Indian investment and taxation (must) be at par with resident Indians in all

respects."

Hinduja, who is also Chairman of IndusInd International Federation, said NRIs having their wealth in Overseas Corporate Bodies (OCB) should be allowed to invest in India.

"By lifting the ban on OCBs and simplifying the procedures for individual NRI investment, the market will be widened with more players," he said.

On the issue of black money, Hinduja said India should regularise foreign accounts on an ongoing basis to bring back the money allegedly stashed away

in tax-heavens such as Switzerland, Mauritius and Liechtenstein.

"Any time the account holder wants to bring back the money to India, it can be given as free gift to his relatives...Amnesty is not a one time solution and we will have to introduce systems and procedures to regularise the accounts at the foreign centres on an ongoing basis," he said.

The Indian government is facing intense pressure from the opposition, as also the courts, to act tough against

those who have amassed illicit wealth in foreign countries that have strict secrecy rules.

"The government may agree to convert the foreign holdings into Indian rupees and hold them in an unaccounted money account with the foreign government after recovering tax at the rate of 15-20 per cent," Hinduja said.

He put forward the example of nations like the US, which have reportedly brought back huge money into their native soil after the account holders had agreed to pay 15-20 per

cent tax on outstanding amount. "...there will be continuous regularisation of the accounts and flow of funds into India. No penalty may be levied or criminal action resorted to against the account holders except when the money had been acquired through fraudulent means," Hinduja added. Earlier this month, the Indian government had told the Supreme Court in an affidavit that it is trying to bring back the money by taking various steps such as levying tax under the Direct

Taxes Code Bill.

The government also said that it had completed negotiations for signing Tax Information Exchange Agreement (TIEA) with 10 countries, where the money is believed to have been stashed.

On the issue of corruption that has plagued India in the recent past, Hinduja said the government needs to address the issue as "recent corruption allegations have led to policy paralysis and impacted business confidence and FDI flows".

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GOA, MONDAY, FEBRUARY 21, 2011

Inspired by people-power revolts in Tunisia and Egypt, pro-democracy uprisings spread across the Arab world with protests raging in Libya, Yemen, Bahrain and Morocco even as rulers of Saudi Arabia were feeling increasingly isolated and concerned that the United States may no longer be a reliable backer.

China jittery after call for ‘revolution’

UPRISING ROCKS ARAB WORLD

Death toll in Libya put at 300

Jittery Chinese authorities staged a show of force Sunday to squelch a mysterious online call for a "Jasmine Revolution" apparently modeled after prodemocracy demonstrations sweeping the Middle East.

Authorities detained activists, increased the number of police on the streets and censored online calls to stage protests in Beijing, Shanghai and 11 other major cities. Citizens were urged to shout "We want food, we want work, we want housing, we want fairness" — a slogan that highlights common complaints among ordinary Chinese.

Many activists said they didn't know who was behind the campaign and weren't sure what to make of the call to protest, which was first posted on the U.S.-based Chinese-language advocacy website Boxun.com.

China's authoritarian government has appeared unnerved by recent protests in Egypt, Tunisia, Bahrain, Yemen, Algeria and Libya. It has limited media reports about them, stressing the instability caused by protests in Egypt, and restricted Internet searches to keep people uninformed.

The call to protest in China did not seem to garner much traction among citizens. In Beijing, 25-year-old Liu Xiaobai was stopped by police after he placed a white jasmine flower on a planter in front of a McDonald's restaurant that was the planned protest site and took some photos with his cell phone.

"I'm quite scared because they took away my phone. I just put down some white

Hundreds demonstrate in Tunisia

Hundreds of Tunisians demonstrated Saturday for a secular state following the murder of a Polish priest, verbal attacks on Jews and an attempt by Islamists to set fire to a brothel.

Rallied by a call on social network Facebook, they gathered in the main Avenue Bourguiba in Tunis waving placards reading, "Secularism = Freedom and Tolerance" and "Stop Extremist Acts".

"We've called this demonstration to show that Tunisia is a tolerant country which rejects fanaticism and to strengthen secularism in practice and in law," blogger Sofiane Chourabi, 29, said.

Police stood by as military helicopters circled overhead.

AFP CAIRO, FEB 20

Libyan protesters defied a fierce crackdown by Moammar Gadhafi's regime, returning today to a square outside a court building in the flashpoint city of Benghazi to demand the overthrow of longtime ruler Moammar Gadhafi.

Witnesses told The Associated Press hundreds of demonstrators gathered early morning at the court building after a day of bloodshed, during which Libyan forces opened fire on mourners leaving a funeral for protesters.

In the hours after that attack, a medical official said at least 15 people were killed.

But Mohammed Abdullah, a Dubai-based member of the Libyan Salvation Front, said that the toll could be much higher.

He quoted hospital officials in Benghazi saying the death toll might have reached 300.

Witness accounts said a mixture of special commandos, foreign mercenaries and Gadhafi loyalists armed with knives, Kalashnikovs and even anti-aircraft missiles went after the demonstrators.

Getting concrete details about the six days of protests in Libya is difficult because journalists cannot work freely inside the country, which Gadhafi has tightly controlled for 42 years.

Information about the uprising has come through telephone interviews, along with videos and messages posted online, and through opposition activists in exile.

AGENCIES BEIJING, FEB 20

Moroccans want change Protesters set up tents around the monument on the central Lulu Square in Manama, Bahrain.

Bahrain opposition plots strategy AGENCIES MANAMA, FEB 20

Bahrain's opposition leaders were mulling on Sunday on whether to join talks with the country's rulers after nearly a week of protests and deadly clashes.

A leader of the main Shiite political bloc, Abdul-Jalil Khalil, said the opposition is consid-

ering the monarchy's offer for dialogue, but he noted that no direct talks were yet under way.

Meanwhile, opposition groups are calling for a general strike to increase pressure on the rulers of the strategic Western ally — home to the US Navy's 5th Fleet.

Hundreds of protesters spent

‘Davis was giving nuke material to Qaeda’ AGENCIES LONDON, FEB 20

Double murder-accused US official Raymond Davis has been found in possession of top-secret CIA documents, which point to him or the feared American Task Force 373 (TF373) operating in the region, providing al Qaeda terrorists with “nuclear

fissile material” and “biological agents", according to a report.

Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) is warning that the situation on the sub-continent has turned “grave” as it appears that open warfare is about to break out between Pakistan and the United States, The European Union Times reports.

The SVR warned in its report that the apprehension of 36year-old Davis, who shot dead

two Pakistani men in Lahore last month, had fuelled this crisis.

According to the report, the combat skills exhibited by Davis, along with documentation taken from him after his arrest, prove that he is a member of US’ TF373 black operations unit currently operating in the Afghan War Theatre and Pakistan’s tribal areas, the paper said.

While the US insists that Davis is one of their diplomats, and the two men he killed were robbers, Pakistan says that the duo were ISI agents sent to follow him after it was discovered that he had been making contact with al Qaeda, after his cell phone was tracked to the Waziristan. tribal area bordering Afghanistan, the paper said.

the night Saturday back in the landmark Pearl Square. They reoccupied the site after the withdrawal of security forces, which stormed into the protest camp Thursday in a siege that killed five people.

The royal family, which was quick to use force earlier this week against demonstrators in the landmark square that has

been the heart of the anti-government demonstrations, appeared to back away from further confrontation following international pressure from the West.

The demonstrators had sought to reproduce successful uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt in attempting to bring political change to Bahrain.

Raja wants to attend

after the prime minister painting him as a culprit in his televised media interaction early this week, his Dravida Munetra Kazagham (DMK) MPs said.

Interim bail or permission: Though in judicial custody in Tihar jail here until March 3, he has asked his lawyer to examine and secure an interim bail from the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court to enable him to attend parliament to perform his duties as a parliamentarian.

Failing to get the bail, he wants the court’s direction to the jail authorities to take him to the parliament daily enable him to attend the Lok Sabha.

Raja is also simultaneously writing to the Lok Sabha Speaker to issue orders to the concerned authorities to allow him to attend proceedings of the House, the MPs said.

He does not want to attend parliament on the opening day of the budget session on Monday when the two houses will adjourn after the president’s address to a joint session as it does not serve his purpose, but he has asked the lawyer to secure an interim bail or get the court’s permission to attend the house from 11 am every day from Tuesday and return to the jail only after the day’s proceedings end.

Himself a lawyer, Raja’s view is that even convicted MPs whose appeals are pending in higher courts are allowed to attend parliament under police escort while he is just an accused who has not even been chargesheeted and hence the court cannot restrain him from attending the House, the DMK MPs said.

Failing to get relief from Special CBI Judge O P Saini who sent him to the judicial custody in the 2G scam on Thursday, Raja contemplates even approaching the High Court to get permission to attend the House.

CBI opposed: The CBI will be, however, opposing any interim bail or any sort of freedom from custody on the ground that the investigations in the scam have not yet been concluded and Raja can derail the process if he gets free access to meet anybody.

Once any MP in custody, whether convicted or not, is allowed bail and is brought to the parliament by police, he gets full freedom to move in the sprawling complex. The escorting policemen cannot go around with the MP in the complex which is completely under jurisdiction of the Lok Sabha Speaker.

Several thousand people rallied in Moroccan cities today demanding political reform and limits on the powers of the king, the latest protests demanding change to have rocked the region.

Over 2,000 people took to the streets of the capital Rabat, 4,000 according to the organisers, shouting: "The people want change."

In Casablanca, the North African nation's biggest city, over 1,000 people came out demanding: "Freedom, dignity, justice," an AFP correspondent reported.

The demonstrations were peaceful as of midday.

FROM PAGE 1 The CBI has got scent of Raja’s plans to attend parliament and hence is taking legal advice on how to prevent even his temporary release from judicial custody.

Its worry is that Raja will be moving around the parliament house complex and can meet those who are yet to be interrogated in the case, affecting investigations.

Of course, he cannot meet any such suspect in the house itself but the CBI has no way to check whom he meets in the central hall, the parliament library or any other place in the complex and that will defeat the very purpose for which he is confined in custody, agency officials point out.

Karuna plans: Meanwhile, the DMK MPs said their party supremo and chief minister M Karunanidhi is contemplating to make a day’s trip to Delhi next week to meet Raja inside the Tihar jails, provided his health permits six hours of flight to and from Chennai.

They said Karunanidhi wants to send a strong signal to the DMK cadres that Raja has done no wrong by meeting him in jail. It will also send a political message to the Congress. A trip to Raja before starting the assembly election campaign will remove despondency in the demoralised DMK cadres, party MPs said.

It’s Pawar play

pen and instead NCP’s Goa unit President Surendra Sirsat issued a statement stating “Pacheco has been asked to hold back till next week.” Subsequently, NCP’s National General Secretary Prafulla Patel had also contacted Pacheco reassuring him that his demand would be met.

Pacheco carries the support of majority of the State executive.

Sources stated that the State executive had even signed on their resignations from the party triggering en-masse revolt but the high command intervened last minutes to solve the crisis.

Sources added that the decision on Pacheco’s induction is likely to have a rippling effect on Goa’s political situation in the run up for the elections.

A group led by Churchill Alemao has already upset Pacheco’s applecart last time and this time around too, they are expected to revolt.

Chief Minister Digambar Kamat, also has to avoid any crisis as he is all set to pass the State Budget during the oncoming session beginning from March 16.

flowers, what's wrong with that?" Liu said. "I'm just a normal citizen and I just want peace."

Security agents tried to take Liu away, but he was swarmed by journalists and eventually was seen walking away with a friend.

Two other people were taken away by police, including a shabbily dressed old man who was cursing and shouting, though it wasn't clear if he was there because of the online call to protest.

Any potential protesters were far outnumbered by hundreds of rubberneckers at the busy Wangfujing pedestrian mall, who wondered if there was a celebrity in the area because of the heavy police presence and dozens of foreign journalists and news cameras.

In Shanghai, three people were taken away by police after scuffling in front of a Starbucks coffee shop in what appeared to be an attempt to attract attention.

Babush not assaulted

Monserratte’s allegations that police had stolen valuables from his house at Miramar were also ruled out by the investigating agency.

“The allegation of theft of jewelry, cash, credit cards by breaking and forcefully opening the drawer on the first floor of the bungalow at Miramar was found false as there was no damage to the drawer where jewelry was kept,” the affidavit reads.

Quoting an eye witness, CBI has said that Babush’s immediate neighbour has stated that she did not see any police personnel causing damage to the cars parked near the bungalow (at Miramar).

“She further stated that there was a crowd at the junction when she came out of her house on hearing the noise of breaking glasses,” the CBI has said in the affidavit.

The minister along with 37 others including his wife Jennifer, former Corporation of City of Panaji (CCP) Mayor Tony Fernandes, present CCP Mayor Carolina Po and others are charged for rioting, unlawful assembly with deadly weapons, causing hurt to public servants and under Section 3 of the Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act. CBI in its chargesheet mentioned that the minister collected a crowd to launch a protest march from Taleigao to the Panjim police station on February 19, 2008. Stones were also pelted on the police station and personnel, some of whom were not armed.

5 vehicles catch fire

to burning of dry grass.

A Muslim organization from Goa conducted a religious programme at GEC ground Farmagudi, which was attended by over 6,000 people.

According to one of the members of the association, at about 3.30 pm, a car belonging to the one of the participants caught fire, it soon spread to the other four vehicles, which were parked in the vicinity. organisation volunteers tried to douse the fire, but could not control it . The five vehicles which were damaged in the fire were a Bolero jeep, Omni van, Zen car, a Maruti Suzuki Sx4 and Matiz cars. Other vehicles, including buses, which were parked near the venue, were soon shifted away . Two fire tenders from Ponda were pressed into service.

After Egypt, Suu Kyi wants Twitter: report AGENCIES MONTREAL, FEB 20

Inspired by people-power revolts in Tunisia and Egypt, Myanmar's long-suffering opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi said she wants to join other pro-democracy activists by using Twitter and Facebook.

For most of the past 20 years until her release from house arrest in November, virtually all communication with the outside world had been denied the Nobel peace laureate by the military regime that rules the country.

Now she wants to catch up by joining the global online

community, she said in a telephone interview with Canada's Globe and Mail newspaper.

The pro-democracy icon said she finally has her first Internet connection at her Yangon home, and while she has paid more than USD 1,000 to a junta-controlled company for the privilege, the connection is too slow to access social networks.

"I think we need to -- what do you call it -- raise the megabyte?" she told the Mail.

"So we've applied for a stronger link-up," she added.

"As soon as the conditions are right, I want to have both Facebook and Twitter."

I think we need to -what do you call it -- raise the megabyte. So we've applied for a stronger link-up.

As soon as the conditions are right, I want to have both Facebook and Twitter. -- Suu Kyi The two popular US-based social networking sites were used by anti-government

demonstrators to thwart censorship during demonstrations in Tunisia that led to the

ouster of longtime dictator Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, and in Egypt where strongman president Hosni Mubarak was driven from power.

Facebook and Twitter also continue to be used to get out the latest information in other Middle Eastern and North African countries where anti-government demonstrations have been met with deadly violence. Aung San Suu Kyi, 65, hailed the role that the Egyptian army played during that country's 18-day revolution.

"What everybody noticed is the Egyptian army did not fire on the people, which is the greatest difference and the

most critical difference" between conditions in Egypt and those in Myanmar, she said.

The events in Cairo stand in stark contrast to what happened in her own country in 1988, when protests erupted against the military and were brutally crushed. Some 3,000 people were killed.

"Because the Burmese army does shoot down the people, it's not very likely that people will want to go onto the streets" now to press for the junta's ouster, she said.

"But on the other hand, one cannot say that the Burmese army is always going to shoot at the people."

SPorTS

Pg16 GOA, Monday, 21 February, 2011

Saligao oust Siolim aldona cup

HERALD SPORTS REPORTER MaPUSa, FeB 20

Saligao Sporting Club came from behind to defeat Siolim Sodiem Sports and Cultural association 2-1 to progress in aldona Cup soccer on Sunday. Siolim led 1-0 at the breather.

Prestino Fernandes opened the scoring after five minutes with a spectacular free kick.

Crossing over, Nazi Shaikh equalised through a free kick.

Puroshottam Kavlekar scored the winner for Saligao in the 60th.

Infant Jesus up

PaNJIM (HSD) -- Infant Jesus High School, Colva defeated our Lady of rosary High School 2-0 to move into the second round of Mahindra Youth Football Challenge U-14 school football.

Fleeden rodrigues and Jesmon Barretto scored

Salgaocar trounce 10-man Chirag R E S U LT S Salgaocar 4 Chirag 1 Viva Kerala 7 Air India 1 HAL 1 M Bagan 1 PTI KoLKaTa, FeB 20

Salgaocar retained their position at top demolishing a depleted Chirag United 4-1 in 15th outing of I-League at Yuba Bharati Krirangan here Sunday. ekene scored a brace, Yakubu and Francis Fernandes netted one apiece for Salgaocar while elija Junior reduced the margin for Chirag.

Chirag began in style forging ahead in the 4th minute but turned into a ten-man side when their livewire in midfield Denson Devadas was red-carded

GOA DIARY

Cricket tourney at Mollem

CoLLeM (HC) -- Jambavalium Sports Club, Mollem will organise their 8th all-goa limited overs tennis ball cricket tournament on February 20 at Mollem village panchayat ground at 9 a.m.

The winners will and runners-up will take home rs 3,000 and rs 2,000 respectively. The semi-finalists will pocket rs 500 each.

9-a-side soccer at Sada

VaSCo (HC) -- Mexico Sports Club, Headland, Sada, Mormugao will organise their 3rd all-goa 9-a-side soccer tournament on February 26 at Deepvihar Secondary School ground, Headland, Sada.

The winners and runners-up will walk away with rs 30,000 and rs 20,000 respectively.

Details may be obtained from rohit on 9881363365 and Uday on 9823363804.

State taekwondo at Mapusa

PaNJIM (HSD): The 3rd open taekwondo inter-state competition organised by goa State Taekwondo association will be held on February 26 and 27 at Indoor Stadium, Pedem, Mapusa. The competition will be held inindividual poomsae, pair poomsae, breaking, creative poomsae and sparring, according to Paulo Killman Fernandes, president.

Details may be obtained on 9822151028 or 9823207470.

in the 12th minute due to a double booking for rough tackling.

The departure of Denson made the Kolkata side rudderless and they succumbed to pressure by Salgaocar and conceded four goals.

With this victory, Salgaocar now have 34 points from 15 matches while Chirag remained at the 8th spot in the 16-team league.

Chirag took the lead as early as in the fourth minute when their striker elija Junior found the target capitalising on a pass from Joshimar. as Salgaocar were trying to find their rhythm after conceding an early goal, Chirag's Devadas unlawfully tackled Salgaocar's Japanese striker ryuji Seuoka in the 12th minute. referee Pratap Singh from Uttarak-

Navelim Villagers sail through HERALD CORRESPONDENT CaLaNgUTe, FeB 20

Navelim Villagers got the better of St augustias Sports Club, Pomburpa 2-1 to move into the quarter-finals of 1st all-goa inter-village football tournament for Laxmi and Subha memorial trophy organised by Nerul Sports Club at Nerul ground on Sunday.

Navelim led 1-0 at half time.

Navelim shot into the lead in t h e 2 1 s t m i n u t e t h ro u g h Jonathan Faleiro off Stanford.

Changing ends and down by a goal, Pomburpa fought back and restored parity in the 63rd minute through amit Halarnkar off Nevel’s free kick.

Jonathan once again scored for his team to give them a 2-1 lead in the 71st minute which ultimately turned out to be the match-winner.

hand gave him the marching order as he was earlier shown a yellow card for the same offence against the same player in the third minute.

Having numerical advantage, Salgaocar unleashed a series of raids with striker Yakubu a n d m e d i o ro c u s L a m a re

scheming most of the moves.

T h e y d re w l e v e l t h ro u g h Yakubu who beat Chirag keeper Somnath Khanra with a neat placing off gilberto oliveira in the 19th minute.

The Chirag defence which then managed to keep the rivals at bay from scoring further till

the middle of the second half, broke down in the 65th minute when Francis Fernandes put Salgaocar into the lead following a flag kick.

Salgaocar then struck twice more through ekene in the 72nd and two minutes before the long whistle to complete the tally.

Viva Kerala crush Air India 7-1 PTI KaNNUr, FeB 20

In a one-sided encounter, hosts Viva Kerala, thrashed air India Mumbai 7-1 to garner full points in 15th round match of I-League football at Jawahar Municipal stadium here on Sunday. at half time Viva led 2-0.

The Kerala outfit dominated the proceedings and scored at will. The floodgates were opened by Viva's striker P K

anilkumar in the 8th minute. anilkumar added two more in the 48th and 83rd minutes, Felix (38th), Karma (78th and 89th), N P Pradeep (90th). For air India, the consolation goal was struck by okorogeor Praise in the 75th minute.

The hapless air India goalkeeper avijit ghosh had a harrowing time under the goalpost as the speedy Viva strikers particularly anilkumar

tested him with some powerful shots.

With this win, Viva have moved to 11 points and are in the 12th place.

This was Viva's second win, after the first win against Mohun Bagan.

In Bangalore, HaL came from behind to hold Mohun Bagan 11 in another match. Sur Kumar scored in the 30th and J Murli equalised in the 37th.

Ivana gets FIDE WFM rating 4th World, 1st Asia, 1st India rank in U-12 HERALD SPORTS DESK PaNJIM, FeB 20

goa’s chess prodigy, double world champ, 11-year-old, Ivana Furtado secured her Women FIDe Master (WFM) title on the basis of winning a silver medal in U-12 girls category at World Youth Chess championship in greece recently. earlier, she was a Women Candidate Master (WCM).

Ivana’s current FIDe rating is 2001 and her rank in the U-12 girls as per the latest FIDe rating list being 1st at National, 1st at asian and 4th at World.

Betalbatim Sporting lift Wilred Leisure Cup HERALD SPORTS DESK PaNJIM, FeB 20

The captain and players of Betalbatim receiving the winner’s trophy from Shrinivas V Dempo in the presence of Reginaldo Lourenco,MLA, Elvis Gomes and others on Sunday.

MAS lift Union Trophy HERALD CORRESPONDENT Margao, FeB 20

riding on Prasad Patil’s superb 68, MaS XI, Ponda defeated Shirgao Cricketers to emerge winners in all-goa Union Trophy T20 Cricket tournament organised

by Union Club Margao at Fatorda.

Batting first, MaS XI scored 139 for nine in 19.5 overs. Prasad Patil made an impressive 68 while omkar Durbatkar hit a fluent 17.

For Shirgao Cricketers, rajendra Dabolkar was the most successful bowler scalping 5 for 20.

He was ably supported by abhijeet Talekar 3 for 16.

In reply, Shirgao Cricketers were bundled out for 126 on 19.3 overs. For MaS, Jayesh

Borkar (2 for 22), aashay Korde (2for 16) were the wicket-takers.

MaS XI were richer by rs one lakh while Shirgao Cricketers had to content with rs 50,000.

Man-of-the match Prasad Patil of MaS XI. Man-of-the series Salman ahmed of Shirgao Cricketers. Best bowler Stanley Fernandes. Best batsman Prasad Patil of MaS. Brief score: MaS XI 138 for 9 in 19.5 overs (Prasad Patil 68, omkar Durbhatkar 17, gaurish Phadte 8. rajendra Dabholkar 5-20, abhijeet Talekar 3-16) beat Shirgao Cricketers 126 all out in 19.3 overs (Krishna Volvoikar 33, Kishore Sinari 22, rajendra Dabholkar 19. Jayesh Borkar 2-22, aashay Korde 2-16, Prasad Patil 1-18).

Margao in quarters

nazario dias cup HERALD SPORTS DESK PaNJIM, FeB 20

Margao Sports Club moved into the quarter-finals of St rock Super Cup soccer in memory of Nazario Dias beating Chicalim Youth Club 6-5 via the tiebreaker at Calata, Majorda, Sunday.

S h e n o y Fe r n a n d e s a n d Charles Fernandes missed chances to score. adv radharao gracias was the chief guest and declared the tournament being organised by St rock Youth Club open.

Betalbatim Sporting Club beat DBo Fatorda 3-2 via the sudden death in the finals of Wilred Leisure soccer organised by Wilred Leisure Sports Club, Curtorim at Curtorim ground.

Both teams played good football to delight a large Sunday crowd, but could not score due to good goalkeeping by both custodians.

In the sudden death, Betalbatim proved better shooters.

Dickson, Hasten and Bradley scored for Betalbatim while Sunjay and Wilson scored for DBo. Desmond of Betalbatim saved four penalty kicks from roger,

Simon, ovlito and Vincent.

The winners pocketed rs 35, 350 while the runners-up had to be content with rs 25, 250.

Following individual prizes were awarded: Best goalkeeper of finals Terrance Barbosa (DBo).

Best defender of finals Malcom Fernandes (Betalbatim). Best half of finals aniston (Betalbatim).

Best striker of finals Vincent Barbosa (DBo).

Shrinivas V Dempo, president, gFa was the chief guest. reginaldo Lourenco, MLa was the guest of honour. elvis gomes, vice-president, gFa was the special invitee.

Joe Vaz welcomed. Diniz Sardinha proposed the vote of thanks.

GFA Second Division: Clube Sao Minguel de Taleigao v. Merces SC, St Cruz ground, 4 p.m.

GFA U-14: raia FC v. Curtorim gymkhana, raia ground, 4 p.m.

Laxmi and Subha soccer: Nagoa SC v. Wilfred Leisure SC, Nerul ground, 4.30 p.m.

Exhibition soccer organised

by Shantaram Boys: red Devils v. Blue Devils, Caranzalem ground, 4.30 p.m.

St Rock Super Soccer: UC Benaulim v. Sao Jose de areal, Calata ground, Majorda, 4.30 p.m.

Big win for Bresources Calata Boys Margao (HC) --Bresources Betalbatim Sporting Club thumped ambelim Sports Club 6-0 in gFa’s U-14 league at assolna ground on Thursday. Betalbatim led 2-0 at the breather.

The highlight of the day was a brilliant hat-trick by striker Josley Dias. He was a thorn in the rival defence as he single-handedly demolished the rival defence with good sorties. on the other hand, ambelim were at the receiving end throughout and were unable to trouble the rival defence.

Fraster Fernandes increased the tally with a blistering shot and Manoj rathod rounded off the tally late in the second half.

Betalbatim scored the highest number of goals (67) and conceeded one in 30 matches and finished their engagements with 30 points, topping group C and qualified for the play-offs. at Verna ground, Verna Sports Club blanked Snows Football academy, raia 2-0. Verna led 10 at half time.

Verna enjoyed the lion share of exchanges with their forwards putting the rival citadel under tremendous pressure. Flyod Fernandes opened the scoring in the opening session while Joshua Fernandes drove the last nail into Snow’s coffin.

With this win, Verna have also qualified for the play-offs.

triumph HERALD SPORTS DESK PaNJIM, FeB 20

Calata Boyz beat Costa Vaddo Boyz in the tie-breaker 4-3 in the finals of D’Sa WoodHouse interward football tournament organised by St rock Youth Club, Calata-Majorda on Sunday. There was no score at half time.

Calata Boyz surged ahead in the 12th minute of second half through Sydney goes but Cedric Coelho equalised in the dying minutes.

Urbano Menezes was the chief guest and gave away the prizes.

Dempo gave us a hard time: Sadd coach Fossati HERALD SPORTS REPORTER PaNJIM, FeB 20

al Sadd coach Jorge Fossati conceded his side’s passage to the group stage of aFC Champions League was not quite as comfortable as he would have liked it following a 2-0 victory over Dempo SC at Sheik Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium on Sat-

urday.

The hosts took the lead just after the half hour through abdul Kader Keita but then had to wait until a minute before time to make the victory certain when second-half substitute Leandro struck.

Though al Sadd dominated for large parts of the match, Dempo still caused one or two scares and Fossati admitted he could not relax until the second goal finally went in.

"I was hoping that our players would not underestimate the opponent and I was a little bit worried after Keita scored the opener. But when Leandro scored the second goal, I was comfortable,” he said.

"Dempo showed a big performance last night and our team lacked the final touch in front of the goal. The match was interesting for the two teams and they had a good performance,” said Fossati. "our opponents gave us a hard time. We went

into the game with big pressure after the heavy schedule that we have in the League and hopefully we will not be affected by it in the coming weeks.

"We tried to give some rest for our big players as we were afraid that they will be tired due to the busy schedule.”

The Qataris will play in group B of the aFC Champions League with al Nassr, esteghlal and Pakhtakor. "group B is very hard and we should expect tough matches," added Fossati.

"The match against esteghlal will be very hard as it is our opening match and we will try our best to win the game."

Dempo coach armando Colaco felt his players can be proud of their performance and is confident the experience they gained from the match will prove important in the future.

"I'm satisfied with the performance of my boys despite the defeat last night," he said.

"We have learnt a lot and it was a special game for us. I believe that playing against al Sadd will give us a lot of lessons.”

"I was hoping to win against al Sadd but our team was not lucky, especially because al Sadd have big players who have good experience like Keita and Leandro in addition to Yusef ahmed, who has a good future.” "ahmed gave us a hard time with his movement and our defenders were distracted by his good performance." al Sadd kept algerian international and former Porstmouth left wingback Nadir Belhadj on the bench but two other World Cuppers Kader Keita

(Ivory Coast) and Lee Jung Soo (South Korea) were named in the starting line-up al Sadd’s dominance was clear right from the start of the game and they created the first chance of the night after only eight minutes when ali afif ’s shot flew just wide of the Dempo goal.

But Dempo soon started to get into the game themselves and after 15 minutes they had their first chance when Soleye ranti Martins made a good run before firing a powerful shot that was narrowly off target. al Sadd threatened four minutes later when Hasan al Haydos struck a fierce effort from outside the area wide but went ahead in the 33rd minute when Cote d’Ivoire striker Keita headed home from Naser Nabeel’s cross.

Dempo, eager not to miss out on a place in the aFC Champions League for the second time in three years, went on the attack after that and came close to equalising six minutes before the break when a shot from Beto (roberto Mendes da Silva) from the edge of the area was denied

by Saad al Sheeb.

But Dempo’s eagerness to attack was leaving them in danger of falling further behind and al Sadd had another chance before the break when Majdi Siddiq cut a pass to Yusef ahmed, whose shot was saved by Dempo goalkeeper Subhasish roy. al Sadd started the second half strongly and went close in the 49th minute when afif ’s firsttime shot went wide before al Haydos’s effort was held by roy.

Martins almost brought Dempo level though

in the 53rd minute when he drilled an effort from the edge of the area but al Sadd keeper Saad al Sheeb did well to tip the ball over the crossbar.

Despite that chance it was al Sadd who continued to dominate and nearly scored a second goal four minutes after the hour mark when afif made his way into the right side of the area but his shot was pushed away by roy for a corner.

Sadd finally wrapped up the victory a minute before time when Brazilian striker Leandro lofted a shot over the goalkeeper and into the back of the net. armando Colaco made a very offensive change by bringing on Joaquim abranches in place of Peter Carvalho as Dempo went all out for the equaliser. But Sadd defended solidly and then in the 89th minute substitute Leandro killed the game off by scoring his side’s second.

Dempo fought bravely but in the end the gulf in class between the two sides was evident as al Sadd deservedly won the game.

The four-time Indian champions will now feature in group a of the aFC Cup, which also has al ansar (Lebanon), al Tilal (Yemen) and Nasaf (Uzbekistan).

Dempo starting line-up: Subhasish roychowdhury; Dominic Noronha, Mahesh gawli, rouhollah Samieinia, Samir Naik; Peter Carvalho (Joaquim abranches 77’), Climax Lawrence (godwin Franco 88’), ogba Kalu Nnanna, Clifford Miranda; Beto and ranti Martins.

Unused substitutes: Marcus Peixoto, Covan Lawrence, Clifton gonsalves, Joe rodrigues and Laxmikanth Kattimani.

www.oheraldo.in

Pg17

GOA, MONDAY, 21 FEBRUARY, 2011

Fans go gaga...

Kohli is a good prospect: Sehwag PTI DHAKA, FEB 20

A Sri Lankan fan waves his country's flag before the start of Sri Lanka and Canada match at Suriyawewa Mahinda Rajapakse international cricket stadium.

Bollywood Actress Mink Singh poses with the Cricket World Cup 2011 logo painted on her back in a bid to show her support for the Indian team in Mumbai on Sunday.

Lauding Virat Kohli, who got an unbeaten hundred in his Cricket World Cup debut game on Saturday, Indian opener Virender Sehwag said the youngster has matured as a batsman and would be a good prospect for the country.

"Virat kohli played really well.

I think he is showing that he has matured as a batsman. He is not throwing his wicket. He is a quick learner," said Sehwag.

Kohli, who led India to its under-19 World Cup win in 2008, also became the first Indian to score a century on Cup debut. The century was also Kohli's second unbeaten century against the neighbours.

Sehwag feels that Kohli "is a good prospect for India".

"He has got five hundreds,

Prove I took even Re 1, will resign as MP: Kalmadi n I can vouch that I have not gained financially even a single rupee out of these games and if proved otherwise I am prepared to step down as a Member of Parliament," Kalmadi said in a statement. I am deeply pained and constrained at the malicious campaign going against me regarding Commonwealth Games 2010. The stories going around are far from actual facts.

-- Suresh Kalmadi PTI NEW DELHI, FEB 20

Pained by reports of his alleged involvement in Commonwealth Games-related scam, former Organising Committee chairman Suresh Kalmadi today said he would resign as Member of Parliament in case any proof of him having taken even a single rupee surfaces.

"I can vouch that I have not gained financially even a single rupee out of these games and if proved otherwise I am prepared to step down as a Member of Parliament," Kalmadi said in a statement.

"I am deeply pained and constrained at the malicious campaign going against me regarding Commonwealth Games 2010. The stories going around are far from actual facts," he said in the statement.

Kalmadi, who was sacked as CWG OC head recently after Ajay Maken took over as the Sports Minister, also demanded the constitution of a Joint Parliamentary Committee to probe the issues surrounding the Commonwealth Games if the government agrees to form a JPC in the 2G Spectrum controversy.

"Were the government to agree to constitution of a JPC into the 2G Spectrum issue it would only be fair a similar process of Joint Parliamentary Committee should go into the entire range of issues connected with preparations, executions and conduct of the Commonwealth Games. I am confident that this would enable the entire truth to emerge in the public domain," said Kalmadi.

The IOA president, who is an

MP from Pune, re-iterated his oft-repeated claim that the OC budget was a very small amount of the total fund sanctioned for the Commonwealth Games.

"The OC budget for conducting the Games was just about 5 per cent of the total budget of CWG. In spite of this, I am the only one who have been singled out and targeted for investigations while the role of all other government agencies including Delhi Government and various other Central government instrumental agencies connected with the decision making process, who have been associated with 95 per cent of the budget, have been completely overlooked," Kalmadi said.

"The sports fraternity -- from athletes to officials and international media -- have lauded the success of the Games and termed it the best ever CWG. Yet, my reputation has been greatly harmed by the continuous allegations of wrong doing with regular media bashing.”

"It is a well known fact that even though the games were awarded in 2003, the actual w o r k t o w a rd s t h e g a m e s started somewhere in 2008, with the paucity of time on one side and reputation of country on the other side, there were pressures to complete and achieve target and deadline of 3 October 2010. I am thankful to the Hon'ble Prime Minister for his whole hearted support," said Kalmadi.

Kalmadi said all the decisions related to the Commonwealth Games were taken collectively and there were also government nominees overseeing every process.

"I wish to reiterate that there

was a well documented system of decision making in the OC and the all the government nominees in the Organising Committee and the Executive Board were part of this decision making on all issues including financials. It is rather strange that they have been totally left out with no responsibility is being attached to them for the decisions taken," he said.

Kalmadi admitted that there were mistakes made on the organisational front of the Commonwealth Games but it was understandable as India was hosting a multi-sporting event for the first time after the 1982 Asian Games.

"My only endeavour was to deliver the best games so that we could stake our claim for hosting the Olympics in India. I do admit that there may have been certain mistakes committed in the management as we have not hosted any big event like this after the Asiad 1982 and we lacked the requisite experience and knowhow. But attaching the corruption charge on me is totally unfair.”

"The Commonwealth Games 2010, were conducted in India after 28 years. It was the largest international multi-sport event to be staged in Delhi and India, and the world hailed the Games as the best ever hosted since the inception of the Commonwealth Games.

"I am extremely thankful to all my colleagues of all Sports Federations and the State Olympic Associations who have unanimously reposed their full faith and confidence in me in the General Body Meeting of IOA held at Ranchi recently.”

after driving a ball but Sehwag did not respond as he was busy looking in ball's direction.

Both the batsmen ended up at the non-striker's end and Bangladesh skipper Shakib Al Hasan's direct throw to the wicket-keeper led to Tendulkar's dismissal for 28.

Sehwag said the win has maintained the momentum that the team carried from back-toback wins in the practice games against Australia and New Zealand.

"It is so important to have momentum going your way. If you don't have it, you tend to lose matches a lot more. We have been very consistent in the three games we have played so far and this will help us play better as the tournament goes on.

It's been really good so far," he said.

Man City rout Notts 5-0 AP LONDON, FEB 20

A mother watches as her son tries out a cricket bat prior to buying at a roadside stall in Nagpur on Sunday.

The subcontinent has been gripped by cricket fever as the six-week long World Cup Cricket 2011 tourney is underway. During the cricket World Cup, millions of youngsters across south Asia where cricketers are treated as demi-gods, will try to copy their heroes at games played in streets and parks.

and a hundred on his World Cup debut," said Sehwag.

Meanwhile, Sachin Tendulkar's run-out due to a mixup was perhaps the only low point of Virender Sehwag's scintillating knock against Bangladesh but the Indian opener said his senior partner took the dismissal in his stride as, for him, winning the game was more important.

"He was calling, and I was not listening, and I was looking at the ball," Sehwag said.

"But when I went to the dressing room, he said: 'It's okay.

What's important is to win the game for the country. It's not important who is performing,'" Sehwag recalled.

Sehwag and Tendulkar had put on 69 by the 11th over when the run-out happened. Tendulkar charged down the wicket

Patrick Vieira headed in two goals on Sunday as Manchester City reached the FA Cup fifth round with a 5-0 rout of Notts County.

City weathered early pressure from the third-tier club before the 34-year-old Vieira rose to meet David Silva’s corner and nod home in the 37th minute with the help of Kr ystian Pearce’s deflection.

Vieira made a cleaner connection with Alexandr Kolarov’s corner in the 58th, but City had to wait until the last six minutes to finish of Notts County.

Late goals from Carlos Tevez, Edin Dzeko and Micah Richards completed the fourth-round replay rout.

The fifth round is already under way, with Fulham eliminating Bolton with a 1-0 win on

Sunday and Arsenal at Leyton Orient in the late match.

The quarter-final draw was also made Sunday and if Man City can overcome Aston Villa on March 2, Roberto Mancini’s side will play either Everton or Reading in the last eight later in the month.

At Craven Cottage, Ivan Klasnic scored his second FA Cup goal in four days for Bolton to secure a quarter-final trip to Birmingham on the weekend of March 12 and 13.

The Croatia striker, who scored the winner in Wednesday’s fourth-round replay against Wigan, volleyed home in the 19th minute against Fulham.

The quarter-finals will also see Manchester United host either Leyton Orient or Arsenal after edging past non-league club Crawley Town on Saturday.

Stoke will host West Ham or

Burnley, who meet on Monday.

In Sunday’s only Premier League match, West Bromwich Albion salvaged a 1-1 draw against bottom-place Wolverhampton Wanderers to move a point clear of the relegation zone.

Carlos Vela scored was his first West Brom goal since joining on loan from Arsenal last month in the 90th, netting the rebound after James Morrison’s shot was spilled by Wayne Hennessey.

It canceled out a first goal for Wolves from Jamie O’Hara, who is on loan from Arsenal’s north London rival Tottenham. The midfielder curled a 20-meter (yard) shot past Boaz Myhill in the 39th.

While Wolves remain bottom of the Premier League, West Brom are a point and a place clear of the drop zone after Roy Hodgson’s first game in charge.

Real close in on Barca REUTERS MADRID, FEB 20

Jose Mourinho’s nine-year unbeaten home record in league matches was never under threat as his side eased past Levante 2-0 on Saturday to close within two points of La Liga leaders Barcelona.

The Portuguese coach last suffered a league defeat in front of his own fans when Porto lost to visiting Beira Mar on February 23, 2002 and since then he has gone unbeaten in 148 games with Porto, Chelsea, Inter Milan and Real.

His 100 percent home record since arriving at the Bernabeu moved on to 12 wins from 12 with first-half goals from Karim Benzema and Ricardo Carvalho that put Real on 60 points.

Pep Guardiola's side host Athletic Bilbao on Sunday after suffering a league draw and a Champions League defeat over the past week, but Mourinho was not in the mood for mind games.

Third-placed Valencia slipped further behind on 48 points after they were held to a 0-0 draw at home by Sporting Gijon earlier on Saturday.

In the late game, Sergio Aguero scored a superb solo effort to earn Atletico Madrid a 1-0 win at Real Zaragoza that ended a run of four straight de-

feats.

Zaragoza hit the bar in the closing minutes but Atletico hung on to climb to seventh with 33 points.

Real were without suspended goalkeeper Iker Casillas and rested the likes of Pepe, Mesut Ozil and Xabi Alonso ahead of Tuesday's Champions League last 16 trip to Olympique Lyon, but still took the lead after only six minutes through Benzema.

At the Mestalla, Sporting, who had ended Barca's 16-match win-

ning streak with a 1-1 draw last weekend, put in another disciplined display to deny Valencia.

Unai Emery's side were feeling the effects of a midweek Champions League 1-1 draw at home to Schalke 04 and failed to put much pressure on Sporting's goal until the final minutes.

A fierce drive from substitute Jonas straight at the keeper at the end sealed a frustrating night for the home side who had striker Aritz Aduriz carried off with an ankle injury.

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Kiwis take flight with 10-wkt victory Kiwis overhauled the paltry target in eight overs.

With just 31.5 overs played, it was less than a third of what a full cricket one-dayer would be.

Kiwi opener Martin Guptill and Brendon McCullum scored quick-fire knocks of 39 and 26 respectively to take their team home within three hours.

Earlier, Bennett was the

w re c ke r - i n - c h i e f f o r N e w Zealand, who came into the mega-event rather low on confidence after losing successive ODI series to Bangladesh and India a few months ago.

His four wickets were instrumental in reducing the Kenyans to their lowest score after the 104 against the West Indies in the 2003 World Cup. This was also the fifth lowest

by any team in the World Cup history.

Playing only his ninth ODI for New Zealand after taking 11 wickets from six matches against Pakistan at home recently, Bennett ripped through the clueless Kenyan batting line-up by claiming four wickets in the space of 10 balls as his dream first spell read 5-0-16-4.

Bennett's earlier best came a

fortnight ago against Pakistan in Auckland when he took 4 for 46.

Bennett's pace partners, Tim Southee (3/13) and Jacob Oram (3/2) shared the other six Kenyan wickets.

For Kenya, only three batsmen -- opener Seren Waters (16), Collins Obuya (14) and Indianorigin Rakep Patel (16 not out) -- got into double figures.

Such was the capitulation that the last three Kenyan players – Nejhemiah Odhiam, Shem Ngoche and Elijah Otieno -- departed without even disturbing the scorecard.

The Kenyans, opting to bat first on a grass-less wicket, were totally exposed and they lacked technical prowess mostly going across to get rapped on their pads.

Canada’s wicketkeeper captain Ashish Bagai successfully dismisses Sri Lankan batsman Upul Tharanga during the Group A match at the Suriyawewa Mahinda Rajapakse international cricket stadium in the southern district of Hambantota on Sunday.

Kenya: Alex Obanda lbw b Tim Southee 6, Seren Waters lbw b Benn e t t 1 6, C o l l i n s Obuya lbw b Bennett 14, Steve Tikolo b Bennett 2, Maurice Ouma lbw b Bennett 1, Rakep Patel not out 16, James Kamande c Brendon b Oram 2, Thomas Odoyo c Ryder b Oram 2, Nehemiah Odhiambo b Southee 0, Shem Ngoche lbw b Southee 0, Elijah Otieno c Styris b Oram 0. Extras: 10. Total: 69 all out. Overs: 23.5.

Fall: 1/14, 2/40, 3/42, 4/44, 5/49, 6/59, 7/63, 8/68, 9/68. Bowling: Tim Southee 6-0-13-3, Nathan McCullum 4-0-15-0, Hamish Bannett 5-0-16-4, Daniel Vettori 61-16-0, Jacob Oram 2.5-1-2-3.

New Zealand: Martin Guptill not out 39, Brendon McCullum not out 26. Extras: 7. Total: 72 for no loss.

Overs: 8 overs. Bowling: Odoyo 3-0-25-0, Otieno 2-0-18-0, Kamande 2-0-21-0, Odhiambo 1-05-0. Man-of-the-Match: H Bennett.

PTI CHENNAI, FEB 20

Pacer Hamish Bennett picked up a career-best four-wicket haul as New Zealand trounced Kenya by 10 wickets in a totally lopsided World Cup Group A encounter here today.

Electing to bat first, the Kenyans were sent packing for their lowest World Cup total of 69 in just 23.5 overs before the

Intensity will rise: Vettori

PTI CHENNAI, FEB 20

The thumping 10-wicket win over Kenya in their World Cup opener today has reignited New Zealand's confidence and skipper Daniel Vettori said the intensity will only rise as the Kiwis proceed further in the mega event.

Vettori said the journey gets tough from here on but the Kiwis, who came here after demoralising series defeats to Bangladesh and India, are up for the challenge.

"We don't expect all other matches to be this easier. We are happy with how we have performed. I think bowling straight is going to be the key in this part of world. It is always going to be difference in the wicket," Vetorri said.

"We are ready for huge games too and it is important for us.

Once the confidence levels improve, we are in good stead. We will keep the same intensity for every game," he added.

Vettori credited his bowlers, especially Man-of-the-Match Hamish Bennett who grabbed four wickets, for the team's massive win.

"Obviously our confidence levels have improved after we started off so well today. We wanted to bat first. The wicket was tricky as the bounce was going up and down. However, it was good performance from our bowlers. They did exactly what I had asked them to do," Vettori said.

The vanquished Kenyans, meanwhile, are not too worried about their meek surrender and captain Jimmy Kamande said, "it is not the only thing (loss) and hopefully we get better in our performance as the tournament progress.

Jayawardene hits fastest ton in Lanka’s win PTI HAMBANTOTA, FEB 20

Mahela Jayawardene scored the fastest century by a Sri Lankan in World Cup as the hosts crushed a hapless Canada by 210 runs to open their campaign in the mega event in grand style, here today.

Riding on Jaywardene's 81-ball 100 and skipper Kumar Sangakkara's 87-ball 92, Sri Lanka rattled up a huge 332 for seven after winning the toss and then skittled out the minnows for just 122 with 13.1 overs to spare.

Canada were never in the chase after losing three wickets in the first four overs at a score of 12 as the Lankan bowlers toyed with the batting line-up of their rivals at the Mahinda Rajapaksha International Cricket Stadium.

Rizwan Cheema (37) was the top scorer for Canada as only four of their batsmen could mange the double digit score.

Cheema's fiery knock came off just 35 balls with four fours and two sixes.

Skipper Ashish Bagai was the only other batsman who defied the Lankan bowlers to

some extent as he made 22 runs off 47 balls.

Lankan pace duo of Nuwan Kulasekara (3/16) and Thisara Perera (3/24) rocked the Canada top order with a fiery opening spell and shared six wickets between them to contribute in team's easy win.

Spin ace Muttiah Muralitharan, who stifled the Canadian innings in the middle overs along with colleague Ajantha Mendis and part time slow bowlers, took two wickets at the expense of 38 runs in nine overs.

Earlier, Jayawardene plundered 100 runs off just 81 deliveries, his second World Cup

Gayle wants to be the best all-rounder

PTI NEW DELHI, FEB 20

He is one of the most devastating batsmen in one-day cricket but West Indies opener Chris Gayle is not satisfied being just that and intends to emerge as the best all-rounder of the ongoing World Cup. "I want to be the best allrounder in the World Cup. I should be able to do a bit of bowling and get a few wickets as well and also set up a good total for the team," Gayle quipped when asked about his personal milestone in the World Cup. West Indies will be opening their campaign against South Africa on Thursday and Gayle feels Graeme Smith's men are beatable and they need to go discreetly about their job.

"We are playing one of the favourites in South Africa and they are a top quality side in both batting and bowling. We have to be on our A game and capitalise on opportunities. They are beatable. We need to be discreet about the way we go about things," Gayle, a part-time offspinner, said after his team's practice session here.

"The preparation has been good. We came from Sri Lanka, of course things didn't go according to our plan but at the same time it is a big occasion and we want to get a winning start here.”

"The key is to get a good start and in this new format, the top four get to the quarterfinals and that would be the objective and then anything is possible. We have not done well in the two World Cups that I played and I hope things turn here. We need to have the self belief," he added.

The former skipper said he has his task cut out and he would be leading the batting line up, which has a few debutantes.

"I am the first one to face the ball, so I would lead the batting. Young Darren Bravo can bat really well. He is a key player, though it is his first World Cup. He has been batting

well," Gayle said.

"Unfortunately Barath missed out. We also have two experienced players in Shivnarine (Chanderpaul) and (Ramnaresh) Sarwan. Dwayne Bravo, Darren Sammy, Kieron Pollard all can bat well," he added.

Gayle also hoped Dwayne, who has been a bit off colour, would regain his form in the World Cup. "Bravo is a kind of player who can come like a firework and get that buzz around and bring the energy back in the team. He is a positive player. I am not too worried about him.”

Asked how they would adjust to the conditions in India, the 31-year-old Jamaican said they need to make necessary adjustments.

"We have to make necessary adjustments. We have a couple of young guys in the side. We know the wicket here would be slow but we would like to wait and see how the conditions are and adjust our game accordingly," he said.

"The bounce is a bit shorter here, in Sri Lanka it was bigger. The outfields are very fast. It is a challenge for bowlers, but spinners do well here," he added.

Gayle also felt that batsmen would win more matches during this quadrennial event.

"Batters will get

runs and teams which bat well will win more games but we are not taking anything away from the bowlers. They are capable and know how to go about theirbusiness," he said.

Gayle also described opener Virender Sehwag's inn i n g s against

Bangladesh as brilliant.

"Brilliant innings from Seh w a g . We a l l know what he is capable of. He is one of the most dangerous batsman around," he said when asked if he had seen Sehwag's innings in the opener between India and Bangladesh yesterday.

Asked about the prospect of achieving a double century in the World Cup after Sehwag came close to it during his 140-ball 175 run innings, Gayle said it was a possibility.

"The master blaster got a double century. Sehwag has played such a good innings. If you stay back and play longer, it can be achieved. It is a possibility.

Sachin has done it, Sehwag can do that," he said.

Asked if he fancied a chance to get to the double hundred, Gayle quipped, "Well, if I can get a chance, I'll definitely chase it."

Injuries have taken a toll on West Indies and even before facing a single ball in the World Cup, the Caribbeans lost two of their key players in Adrian Barath and Carlton Baugh and Gayle said it was a setback for them.

ton, while Sangakkara struck 92 after Tillakaratne Dilshan (50) kick-started Sri Lanka's campaign in the tournament with a solid half-century.

The experienced left-right duo of Jayawardene-Sangakkara scored briskly and added 179 runs in just 22 overs for a third-wicket stand that put the hosts -- who surprisingly left out express bowler Lasith Malinga from the final eleven – in the driving seat.

Jayawardne, who had 671 runs from 25 World Cup matches before today, got out after reaching his 12th ODI hundred, but

Decision to promote KP is positive: Prior PTI NAGPUR, FEB 20

Matt Prior has had to give up on his opening slot due to Kevin Pietersen's elevation in the England batting line-up but the wicketkeeper is not complaining as he feels it is a "positive move" to send his aggressive teammate up the order.

"It's a positive move. Wickets in the sub-continent would suit him. If KP is up and running, he can take the game away from any opposition. If he can bat for 30 overs, he will score big and the team's score will be even bigger," Prior told reporters during an interaction at the team hotel today.

England will take on Netherlands in their opening group encounter here on Tuesday.

As far as Prior's own batting slot is concerned, he said, "From my point also, it is a positive move. I love playing the spinners and I love batting in the middle overs. It wasn't the case that I wasn't good enough to open.

Middle overs will be very important in the World Cup and I am comfortable in my new role.

I have been in good nick."

However, the soon-to-be 29 glovesman reiterated that he was comfortable even while opening but "just didn't get those scores away which has been frustrating. I still believe that I can do a good job if I again open the innings."

Sangakkara was a little unlucky to have missed the landmark by just eight runs.

While Jayawardene hit nine boundaries and a six, Sangakkara found the fence seven times and cleared it once during their 179run association, a commendable effort considering the sluggish pitch and the long boundaries.

A swept boundary off Cheema signalled Jayawardene's intentions, who looked all at ease during his stay at the crease.

The elegant right-hander then hit Jimmy Hansra for a four in the 26th over,

before Sangakkara whipped one off the same bowler over wide mid-on for a boundary.

The Sri Lankan skipper reached his fifty in style, pulling Harvir Baidwan over the infield for a four.

Brief scores: Sri Lanka: 332 for seven in 50 overs (Mahela Jayawardene 100, Kumar Sangakkara 92, Tillakaratne Dilshan 50, Harvir Baidwan 2/59, John Davison 2/56).

Canada: 122 all out in 36.5 overs. (R Cheema 37, A Bagai 22; N Kulasekara 3/16).

Man-of-the-Match: M Jayawardene.

Favourites or not, I’m not bothered: Ponting PTI AHMEDABAD, FEB 20

Australian captain Ricky Ponting is least bothered about the talk that his side are not the firm favourites to win Cricket World Cup this time but said they have the wherewithal to lift the coveted trophy for the fifth time.

"We are not really worried about whether we start as favourites or not. Probably in 1999 and 2003 we were talked about as favourites but certainly not in 2007 (when Australia won in West Indies to create a historic hat-trick). It does not worry us at all," said Ponting ahead of their World Cup lung opener against Zimbabwe here tomorrow.

The 36-year-old Ponting, who led Australia to their last backto-back title triumphs after being a member of the victorious squad led by Steve Waugh in 1999 and would be playing in his fifth World Cup, said the coveted crown was not beyond their reach.

"We will try and play our best cricket over the next 5-6 weeks.

Obviously we want to win another World Cup and hopefully we will start with a win against Zimbabwe tomorrow. We have put in a lot of hard work," said Ponting, who is back into competitive cricket after missing the entire ODI series at home

against England due to a broken little finger.

"We have 15 players here who are capable of winning the World Cup. The selectors made that decision based on reports given by our medical staff," he declared when asked whether the decision to leave out Michael Hussey, who is recovering from a hamstring surgery, was premature.

Ponting said that though Australia have slipped down the Test rankings and were also beaten 1-3 by England at home in the last Ashes series, their one-day record made him proud. " We w a n t e d t o bounce back after the Ashes. We have maintained very high standards in one-day cricket whether home or abroad over the last few years. We are proud of that.

We know how to play here in the sub-continent in different stages of the tournament," said Ponting who is the second highest scorer in World Cup history behind India's Sachin Tendulkar.

Ponting, however, has played more matches than Tendulkar and is, in fact, poised to get past former teammate Glenn McGrath in the number of World Cup appearances tomorrow.

Match starts at 2.30 p.m.

of the 2007 World Cup in the West Indies, where they were blown away by a rampaging Australia, thus shattering their hopes of emulating the 1996 title-winning team.

"In 2007, we played really well and came agnoisingly close to repeating the heroics of our 1996 team. We've lost some superstars, but gained a really tal-

ented group of cricketers," he said, referring to Sanath Jayasuriya, Chaminda Vaas, who have been left out of the current team.

Jayawardene has a combined Test and one-day aggregates in excess of 18,000.

Sri Lanka along with Pakistan, Kenya, Australia, Zimbabwe and New Zealand make up Group A.

The two Australians are tied with 39 appearances ahead of tomorrow's tie at Motera Stadium.

Ponting said he was not aware of this landmark or that Australia have gone unbeaten in the last three World Cups for a total of 29 matches.

Jayawardene may retire after WC

AFP COLOMBO, FEB 20

The ongoing World Cup in the

sub-continent could be Sri Lanka vice-captain Mahela Jayawardene's swansong in international cricket.

Jayawardene said that his fitness levels will decide his future international career.

"I definitely don't want to drag myself through international cricket. I want to play as long as I am enjoying and contributing to the team and have the hunger," he said.

"This will be my fourth, and quite possibly, last World Cup, depending on form, fitness and the plans of the selectors in 2015," Jayawardene added on Saturday.

The 33-year-old stylish right hander led Sri Lanka to the final