MAY 3

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Sports: Raina first Indian to hit T20 World Cup ton Pg 18 Better a living beggar than a buried emperor — LA Fontaine

IN BRIEF India keeps out of meet India will not be participating in the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty ReviewConference that begins here tomorrow, during which the US is expected to push non-NPT signatories to sign the pact.

“We are not parties to the NPT and we will not be participating,” an official at the Permanent Mission of India to the UN said. He said India would not be represented in the conference in any capacity not even as an “observer”. (PTI)

Terrorist killed Top Hizbul Mujahideen militant Basharat Saleem is believed to have been shot dead by a rival terror group Harkatul-Mujaideen headed by Noman in North Kashmir and the killing is perceived as a result of inter terror group rivalry. Official sources said Bhasharat, was kidnapped by the Noman’s group last week, following suspicion by the HuM terrorists . (PTI)

The Voice of Goa — Since 1900 panjim, monDaY, maY 3, 2010

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JUDGEMENT DAY FOR KASAB PTI MUMBAI, MAY 2

Seventeen months after terrorists from Pakistan unleashed death and destruction on the country’s financial capital, a court here will pronounce its verdict tomorrow on the fate of lone surviving 26/11 gunman Ajmal Kasab and two alleged Indian conspirators.

Kasab, a native of Faridkot, along with nine slain terrorists, has been charged with killing 166 people, including 25 foreigners, and injuring 304 others at the instance of Lashkar-eTaiba (LeT).

The Indian duo — Faheem Ansari and Sabauddin Ahmed — are accused of conspiracy in the brazen attacks. They are alleged to have prepared the maps of terror targets and passed them on to the LeT for execution of their diabolic plan.

If held guilty, they may face death penalty.

Ten terrorists, trained and armed by the outlawed LeT in Pakistan, had descended on India’s financial nerve centre on a fidayeen (suicide) mission and wreaked havoc during the 60hour siege, killing and wounding people at will.

The trial, perhaps the fastest in a terror case in India, had commenced on May 8 in a special court set up at Arthur Road Jail which recorded 3,192 pages of evidence after examining 658 witnesses on 271 working days.

Thirty witnesses in the court of judge M L Tahaliyani identified Kasab as the man who had

ROAD TO JUSTICE

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l The trial commenced on May 8 in a special court. 3,192 pages of evidence were recorded and 658 witnesses examined on 271 working days. l 30 witnesses in the court of judge M L Tahaliyani identified Kasab as the man who had opened fire. l The prosecution submitted 1,015 articles seized during investigations and filed 1,691 documents to support its case. The prosecution had also argued that Pakistan’s security apparatus was used by LeT in the November 26, 2008 attacks.

For the first time in the Indian legal history, Federal Bureau of Investigation officials deposed to give technical evidence.

Prosecution also tabled CCTV footages of the terrorists moving about with guns and firing at people.

If held guilty, Kasab may face death penalty.

opened fire at them.

The prosecution, led by Ujjwal Nikam, had submitted 1,015 articles seized during investigations and filed 1,691 documents to support its case. The prosecution had also argued that Pakistan’s security apparatus was used by LeT in the November 26, 2008 attacks.

For the first time in the Indian legal history, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) officials deposed to give technical evidence that the killers came from Pakistan using global positioning system (GPS) and that they made

NY cops foil terror plot

New York City Police direct pedestrians behind barricades in Times Square in New York.

PTI NEW YORK, MAY 2

Police today foiled a major terror attack by defusing an “amateurish” but potentially powerful crude car bomb in the heart of the New York city’s famous tourist hub of Times Square, averting what could have been a “very deadly event” in the United States.

“We are very lucky,’ New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg said in a hurriedly-organised press conference.

“We avoided what could have been a very deadly event,” he said. “It certainly could have exploded and had a pretty big fire and a decent amount of explosive impact.”

Traffic was stopped and redi-

rected to the surrounding areas as police closed down a section of Times Square after a foot patrol officer spotted a parked Sports Utility Vehicle identified as a Nissan Pathfinder around 6:30 pm last evening (4 am ISI today).

The officer noticed a box inside the vehicle with smoke coming out of it. The car parked in a crowded area was later found to be loaded with a bomb made of electrical components, three propane gas tanks and two additional gas canisters.

Soon after hotels, shops and restaurants in and around the Times Square were shut down and thousands of people, including tourists, residents and theatre-goers, evacuated from the area.

calls from their mobile phones through voice over Internet protocol (VOIP) to stay in touch with their handlers across the border.

Prosecution also tabled CCTV footages of the terrorists moving about with guns and firing at people. The images were captured on CCTV cameras fitted at CST railway station, Times of India building, and Taj Mahal and Oberoi hotels.

Photographs of Kasab shot by photojournalists Sebastian D’Souza and Sriram Vernekar were also placed before the court.

BJP seeks letters of support PTI NEW DELHI/RANCHI, MAY 2

Wary of reported rebellion among Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) legislators in Jharkhand, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leadership has sought letters of support from the 18 JMM legislators to provide a stable BJPled government in the tribal state, failing which the alliance will fall through.

BJP has insisted that the JMM MLAs give their letters of support to the party by Tuesday.

A BJP leader told Press Trust of India that in the meeting held here yesterday, BJP President Nitin Gadkari had categorically told Hemant, son of JMM chief Shibu Soren, that all JMM MLAs will have to pledge their support as BJP could not form a shaky government in Jharkhand.

“Even if one of the 18 JMM MLAs says he will not support a BJP-led government, we may decide not to form a government. We do not want to give the impression that we are dying to form a government in Jharkhand or that we are hungry for power,” the BJP leader said.

As political uncertainty in Jharkhand continued for the sixth day, JMM today asserted that Shibu Soren will stay on as chief minister for now.

Slow down, a speed gun is watching you HERALD REPORTER PANJIM, MAY 2

Beware!, all those who zoom on their bikes or four-wheelers a la filmy style. You will never know when you will be caught red-handed for over-speeding.

With rising road accidents in the State the traffic cell of the Goa Police has decided to induct speed radar guns to keep an eye on motorists who love overspeeding.

A radar gun or speed gun is a small unit that help to detect the speed of a vehicle for speed limit enforcement.

There are hand held, stationary and moving speed radar instruments. They are ver y sophisticated, able to track vehicles approaching and receding both in front of and behind the patrol vehicle.They can also track the fastest vehicle in the selected radar beam, front or rear.

Currently, the traffic cell has two interceptors but it wants to equip itself with speed radar guns as the rate of accidents happening due to over-speeding and drunken driving is on the rise, said the official from the traffic cell.

It has planned to purchase

about 25 speed radar guns worth Rs 2 lakh each. The government has given a green signal for this proposal, said the officer.

A supplier from Delhi is being considered for the supply of the equipments, he added.

Campaign against drunken driving :The traffic police has intensified its campaign against drunken driving and regular checkups are being conducted between 7 pm and 11 pm as most accidents happen either because of over-speeding or because people drive/ ride in inebriated conditions, said the officer.

As per the statistics available from the department, for April end 2010, a total 1656 accidents were reported, of this, of this 96 were fatal accidents with 104 deaths.

(Continued on page 10)

Goa Police in high gear HERALD REPORTER PANJIM, MAY 2

In the background of the United States warning of imminent attack on Delhi the Goa Police held nakabandi on major roads throughout the State from 6 pm today evening and also stepped up security at strategic locations.

Though a senior police official declined receiving any warning from the Centre and said, ongoing checking and nakabandi was part of the regular exercise, it was evident that whole police force of the State was put into high gear .

Besides surprise checks and nakabandi, the coastal police stations have been alerted and increased security arrangements have been upped in beach areas, it is learnt.

Also, security at vital installations have been increased, said our sources.

Due to thorough checking of vehicles on the national highways and in the coastal belt, traffic congestion was felt at many locations in the State.

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India: Amar Singh to act in Malayalam film Pg 9

Delhi terror threat call traced, youth held PTI SRINAGAR, MAY 2

The Jammu and Kashmir police today claimed to have made a breakthrough in the Delhi terror threat case with the detention of a suspected LeT operative hailing from Srinagar.

Umar Zargar, the Kashmiri youth, made the telephone calls at the behest of Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Toiba warning that blasts will be carried out in crowded markets of Delhi, police said.

Highly-placed sources in the Jammu and Kashmir Home Department said that the man was detained in the wee hours after a massive manhunt was launched to nab him.

Last week, the security agencies had monitored his activities including his conversation with one “Furqan”, suspected to be a LeT operative across the border.

Zargar had claimed that terror groups had entered India

Canada warns citizens too PTI TORONTO, MAY 2

After US, UK and Australia, it was Canada who warned their citizens who may be travelling to India about a threat of an imminent terrorist attack in the capital New Delhi.

The Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade said, “while there is a continuing threat of terrorist attacks throughout India at all times, credible and specific reporting indicates that a terrorist attack could be carried in the following days or weeks, in market areas of Delhi frequented by foreigners.” (Report on pg 9) through Bangladesh and Nepal to carry out blasts in the national capital.

He is alleged to have been roped in by the LeT for making

frivolous calls to create panic among the people, the sources said.

Intelligence inputs in recent weeks have warned of possible terror strikes in the national capital.

The US has also issued a fresh advisory warning of “imminent” terror attacks in New Delhi, particularly in busy market places like Connaught Place, Greater Kailash and Chandni Chowk, which are “attractive targets” for terrorist groups. Britain and Australia also issued travel alerts.

Delhi Police went on high alert increasing its presence at all important places in the national capital, especially the markets. Sniffer dogs were pressed into service and security cameras were also added in these markets which saw fewer shoppers on Sunday than the usual numbers.

Intercepted phone calls and e-mails suggested that an attack was imminent, the sources said.

Sex scandal hits BJP in Karnataka PTI BANGALORE, MAY 2

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in Karnataka was today hit by a sex scandal when a minister resigned following an allegation of rape made by the wife of his friend.

Food and Civil Supplies Minister Harathalu Halappa quit after a leading Kannada daily published a front-page report alleging he sexually assaulted the wife of a social worker.

Within hours of Halappa’s exit, the woman and her hus-

band from Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa’s home district Shimoga lodged a complaint of rape and criminal intimidation against him with Director General of Police (DGP) Ajai Kumar Singh tonight.

After filing the complaint at the DGP’s residence, the woman’s husband Venkatesh Murthy said the police chief assured that an inquiry would be conducted.

“He (Halappa) has done a bad thing. He should be punished.

It (the entire episode) should not become an entertainment

for people,” Murthy said while his wife alleged that Halappa had threatened to kidnap their children.

Murthy also alleged Halappa held out a threat to their life and added they did not file the complaint in Shimoga as they feared it might be “dumped” due to “political pressure”.

Earlier, Halappa rubbished the media report, dubbing it “baseless and untrue” and saw a political conspiracy by opponents, including some from his own ruling party.

Our Panchayat excelled in sports at least!! Can’t we get 50 marks under sports quota?

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Elect sincere, honest leaders: Swami Ramdev

Colva forum opposes airport at Mopa HERALD REPORTER MARGAO, MAY 2

Swami Ramdev lights the traditional lamp during a meeting at Mayem.

HERALD CORRESPONDENT MAYEM, MAY 2

Terming the Parliament as ‘pious constitutional body of the country’, Swami Ramdev has called upon the people to elect a sincere and honest leader, who will not misuse his position on getting elected.

He was addressing the residents of Gaonkarwada-Mayem on Sunday during a special meeting called by Bharat Swabhiman (Mayem unit), where he was invited as the chief orator.

He called upon the people not to become part of the addictions and other similar things which may harm health, wealth and ultimately the nation.

Narrating the importance of Pranayam and Yogasans, Swami Ramdev said these two things have the power to transform evil things into good leading to the welfare of the country.

“Diseases, internal fights and

ill nature are the three things which may led to the downfall of any country. If it is not controlled in time, there is a loss of Rs 21 lakh millions every year for the country,” he said adding that the money could be very well utilized for the welfare of country in all the terms.

Narrating the importance of natural monuments, water reservoirs and other ancient things which exists from tradition-totradition, he called upon the people to preserve and maintain such things.

He also highlighted the importance of organic agriculture having medicinal values, vegetables and inspired the people to undertake it for maintaining good health and ecological balance.

He also advised people to make use of Swadeshi goods which may save about Rs 15 lakh million every year.

Photo by Vishant Vaze

Speaking on the issue of evacuee property which was raised by the villagers, he said every citizen has a right over natural resources and other things.

“Similarly, they have similar right to live in this nation which is governed by laws of constitution and hence every citizens should be given their own democratic right,” he added.

He called upon the people to remain united to fight against all evils to make India a superpower in the world.

Earlier, the function commenced with Swamiji lighting the lamp, followed by felicitation of Swamiji by Mayem Sarpanch Anita Naik.

Dr Suraj Kanekar compered the function, who also put forth the problems of Mayem villagers to Swamiji. Local MLA Anant Shet was also present on the occasion.

Objecting to the building of a new airport at Mopa, the Colva Civic and Consumer Forum have demanded that the government upgrade the Dabolim airport with a less budge and save money which would have been spent on the proposed airport.

Secretary Judith Almeids said the people feel cheated since as per international aviation law, no two airports can operate within a distance of 150 nautical miles and distance between Mopa and Dabolim is hardly 30 nautical miles, adding that this would result in the closure of the Dabolim airport.

“Lot of people from and around our place use this airport frequently to travel abroad to their work destination and will be affected as they will have to travel to the other end of Goa. Also Colva being a tourist destination, local economy will suffer once Dabolim airport is closed.

Airports should be centrally located so as to benefit all the residents, also building a new airport at one end of Goa bordering Maharashtra proves that it is being done by people having vested interest, also it is understood that one private party is going to build the same under BOOT system also proves how much Government commitment is involved in the said project. The same company was in limelight for wrong reasons sometime back for charging passenger each time he or she flies as user development fee at the Delhi airport which is ridiculous”, she added.

GRAM SABHAS Merces VP urged to acquire garbage site HERALD CORRESPONDENT MERCES, MAY 2

With the Merces panchayat not finding a suitable site for garbage disposal, the Merces Vigilant Citizens Association (MVCA) proposed that the panchayat should immediately begin the process for land acquisition for the same at the site which has been earmarked in draft Regional Plan 2021.

The MVCA members also moved a resolution urging the panchayat to acquire land to build a complex which would house Panchayat Ghar, community hall, recreation centre, health centre, library, post office and other facilities for the benefit of the villagers.

Af ter the gram sabha ended, Sarpanch Prakash Naik along with Secretary Rupesh Halarnkar and MVCA members inspected the site, where the proposed garbage treatment plant would be set up.

Speaking to Herald, Secretary Rupesh said the panchayat would now move the file along with the resolution to the BDO for his say in the matter and then the file would be moved to the Goa State Pollution Control Board for its no

Merces Sarpanch Prakash Naik, Secretary Rupesh Halarnkar and villagers inspects the site for garbage treatment plant.

Photo by Manuel Vaz

objection certificate.

If all goes well and if the Pollution Board grants its approval for setting up of a garbage treatment plant at the proposed site, then the garbage woes could well be a thing of the past for the Merces villagers.

Earlier, a heated discussion ensued between a villager from VaddyMerces and Sarpanch Prakash over an alleged illegal construction in an open space. However, the sarpanch said he could not entertain the matter at the gram sabha since the proposal was submitted after

the stipulated date and the panchayat did not have the time to study it.

Sarpanch Prakash, however, expressed his willingness to discuss the issue at length in his office, at any time conducive to the villager.

Infrastructure first, then occupancy certificates: Benaulim gram sabha

Developmental works launched at Parra

HERALD CORRESPONDENT CALANGUTE, MAY 2

PWD Minister Churchill Alemao launched the developmental works for Parra on Sunday.

Alemao launched the developmental works in the presence of Calangute MLA Agnelo D’Souza, Parra Sarpanch Benedict D’Souza, ward member Claude Pacheco and a large number of people.

Referring to remarks in a sec-

tion of press by Aldona MLA Dayanand Narvekar that the PWD minister has plans to give ‘Wine’ to the people instead of water, Alemao said: “I do not blame him, but I will give sufficient water to the people and I mean it at all cost.”

“It is because of people that I am here as minister today and I will try and live up to their expectations,” added the minis-

ter.

Earlier, Alemao interacted with the villagers who highlighted continuous water woes.

Giving them a patient hearing, Alemao promised to take care of their water woes immediately and asked the PWD officials for release of sufficient water for the villagers or face action.

Agnelo Fernandes thanked the PWD minister for coming

to Parra to hear the grievances of the people. However, he regretted that at times when he takes the initiative to get the works done, someone else comes and takes the credit for the works.

Earlier, Benedict D’Souza extended a warm welcome to Alemao and Fernandes, while Chandrakant Harmalkar proposed the vote of thanks.

Underground cables will solve Porvorim power woes: MLA HERALD CORRESPONDENT PORVORIM, MAY 2

Workers repairing the roof of the Holy Cross Shrine at Bambolim on Sunday evening in view of forthcoming monsoon.

Photo by Rozario Estibeiro

Aldona ML A Dayanand Narvekar said underground electricity cables will be laid from Tivim sub station to Porvorim, for which the State government has sanctioned Rs 22 crore.

He was the addressing the public meeting organized by Penha-de-France panchayat in Community hall at Porvorim.

“The tender formalities have been completed and the work is expected to be completed within one year. Once the project is completed, the problem of power fluctuation being faced by the residents of Porvorim will be eliminated,” said Narvekar.

“As per the information given to me by the government in the Legislative assembly, the potable water requirement of Porvorim and surrounding areas is 10 MLD. Porvorim being at tail end do not receive sufficient water supply from Assnora,” he added.

He said the best solution to solve the water problem of Por-

vorim and adjoining areas is to construct a water treatment plant at Mapusa or Guirim. The proposal of his is under active consideration of the government.

He has also suggested to the government to lay a separate pipe from Guirim to Porvorim to supply raw water, which is being received from Tillari.

“The present water storage capacity at Porvorim is 6,000 cubic meters. The construction work of two overhead tanks, one each at Betim and Socorro, will be completed shortly and thus the storage capacity will increase to 7,300 cubic meters,” said Narvekar.

Narvekar said on the request of Goa Housing Board, the Goa Cricket Association has agreed to develop the football ground near Hanuman Temple, Porvorim, by spending around Rs 30 lakh.

“This ground will be of an area of 110 mtrs by 100 mtrs and it will have rubberized track,” said Narvekar.

Hundreds bid tearful adieu to Dr Susrut HERALD CORRESPONDENT PORVORIM, MAY 2

Hundreds of people from all walks of life bid a tearful farewell to Dr Susrut Agnelo Martins, who was laid to rest at Salvador do Mundo cemetery on Sunday evening.

Noted social worker, student’s leader and practitioner of Alternative Medicine, Dr Martins (48) breathed his last at Campal Clinic on Friday. He was admitted to the hospital following a neck and chest pain but he died due to massive heart attack. He is survived by his wife and two daughters.

Dr Martins’ body was kept at his residence at Paitona to enable the people to pay homage to him. Hundreds of friends, relatives, dignitaries and people from different walks of life offered condolences to the bereaved family.

Dr Martins funeral was attended by host of prominent personalities that included

Dr Susrut Martins being taken to the cemetery.

Photo by Anil Shankhwalker

politicians, film personalities, educationists, writers and large number of well wishers.

Aldona ML A Dayanand Narvekar visited the residence and offered wreath and condolences to his family. Among the dignitaries who paid their last respect included Goa Konkani Academy President N Shivdas, Konkani Basha Mandal President

Prashant Naik, former president of Goa Konkani Academy Pundalik Naik, former GKA vice president Dr Tanaji Halarnkar, Konkani writers Nagesh Karmali, Dilip Borkar, Damodar Ghanekar, Tukaram Shet, Nationalist Youth Congress President Rajan Ghate, film producer Rajendra Talak, Nandakumar Kamat and Adv Froliano Lobo.

Speaking to Herald, Aldona MLA Narvekar said Dr Martins was a good human being and social worker. “He was characterized as humble and honourable person of high stature.

With his death, I have lost a good friend,” said Narvkar.

Goa Konkani Academy President N Shivdas said Dr Martins played a vital role in the getting Konkani the status of official language.

“He was a social activist and worked for the betterment of the society. He formed Goan Youth Mahasangh to protect the interest of Goan youth. His death has created a big vacuum in the Konkani movement,” said Shivdas.

HND ADDS: Meanwhile, COrtalim MLA and Deputy Speaker Mauvin Godinho has condoled the death of Dr Susrut Martins.

Godinho said that Dr Susrut was a student leader and actively fought for 50 per cent bus concession to students. He also fought for Konkani language, Godinho recalled.

. A gram sabha member making a point to the Chair at the Sunday gram sabha meeting of Benaulim Panchayat.

Photo by Sidharth Mehta.

HERALD REPORTER MARGAO, MAY 2

Benaulim villagers on Sunday demanded a total stop on issuance of construction licenses for mega housing projects and demanded that t h e p a n c h a y a t ke e p s o n hold occupancy certificates till the infrastructure requirements are put in place.

At the Sunday gram sabha which witnessed noisy scenes over the absence of majority of elected panch members at the meeting, the members blamed the Panchayat for their lack of sincerity in putting a stop to mega housing projects.

The members pointed out that the villagers are made to suffer for want of basic infrastructure such as water and power supply, while the Panchayat body clears construction projects without taking the infrastructure requirements into account.

After much discussion, the gram sabha passed a resolution demanding that the Panchayat

body stop issuing licenses for mega housing projects and keeps on abeyance issuance of occupancy certificates for projects underway.

Deputy Sarpanch Stanley Fernandes, who chaired the meeting in the absence of the Sarpanch Carmelina Fernandes, supported the views of the gram sabha members by saying Benaulim villages lacks basic infrastructure and garbage disposal facility.

He said the fields and rivers are polluted as there is no garbage disposal mechanism, while the village is facing water scarcity for want of infrastructure.

On the garbage disposal site, the gram sabha members demanded that the Panch members shortlist 2-3 sites in their respective wards and called for a special gram sabha meeting for the selection of garbage disposal sites.

Stanley said the gram sabha members were furious over the absence of majority of the Pan-

chayat members at today’s meeting. He said the members were particularly sore that they cannot get any replies to their queries relating to ward problems for want of the ward members at the meeting.

On illegal hoardings, the deputy Sarpanch said the Panchayat will soon crack a whip against hoardings that have come up illegal along road sides.

Gram sabha member Geraldine Fernandes bitterly complained over the absence of the Sarpanch Carmelina for today’s meeting, demanding to know her presence at a sports event when she is on medical leave.

She said the village has badly suffered on the development front, with the Panchayat body even pursuing the proposal of land acquisition to set up a Primary Health centre near the Panchayat ghar.

On the garbage disposal site, Geraldine said the Panch members are trying to push the ball

in the court of the gram sabha when the elected representatives ought to have short listed the sites in their respective wards.

She lamented that the resolutions adopted at gram sabha meetings over the last two years and half have not been implemented by the Panchayat body. “The villagers are interested in the protection of their village, but till date not one resolution has been adhered to by the Panchayat”, she lamented.

Saying that the carrying capacity of the village is overloaded for want of infrastructure, she demanded that the Panchayat immediately stop the multi-dwelling units unless and until the village receives regular water and power supply.

“At today’s meeting, we have passed a resolution to stop all construction licenses till proper garbage disposal site is identified and the infrastructure is put in place”, she said.

People left disappointed as Chimbel meet ends abruptly HERALD CORRESPONDENT MERCES, MAY 2

A large number of Chimbel locals who had turned out for the gram sabha meeting to discuss and solve their problems had to return disappointed, as Sarpanch Chandrakant Kunkolkar abruptly ended the meeting when two groups of villagers created a commotion, which showed no signs of dying down.

The presence of police force could also not calm down the situation as one group was particularly aggressive over a derogatory comment made by a villager from the other group, and demanded that the meeting should be immediately ended.

The trouble began when Tukaram Kunkolkar of Chimbel Gram Seva Kala ani Sanskrutik Sangh (CGSKSS) discussed the issue of lack of basic infrastructure in the village and how mega housing projects are putting an additional burden on the already crumbling infrastructure, thereby denying the locals the first right to the basic necessities.

E l a b o r a t i n g f u r t h e r, Kunkolkar said water woes are not solved, power problems are multiplying and garbage woes continue to haunt the villagers, with no solution in sight to all these problems.

To highlight the same, some members of CGSKSS then displayed a banner which contained pictures of the problems facing the village like unattended garbage, mega housing projects, deforestation, multiplying slums, etc.

However, the displaying of the banner did not go down well with the other group of villagers who demanded that it should be immediately removed. But, as CGSKSS members continued to display the banner, a commotion began among both the groups as one villager alleged that the other group is deliberately trying to disrupt the proceedings of the gram sabha and that too under the influence of alcohol.

The remark angered the

other group of villagers, who then created a commotion and demanded that the gram sabha should not be allowed to proceed further and that it should be immediately ended.

When Herald questioned Sarpanch Chandrakant why he ended the meeting when there were many proposals left to be discussed, he said the situation was turning volatile and he did not want to allow the situation to go out of control. He further said since most of the points on the agenda were already discussed, he was within his rights to end the meeting to tide over the situation.

However, the drama did not go down well with many villagers who had come to discuss their genuine problems. A villager Dina Bandodkar, in fact, lamented that the meeting was ended abruptly and feared that in the near future, such unruly crowd would take advantage of frivolous situations and hijack the gram sabha.

Paul Fernandes said the police could have done more than being

just mute spectators and should have thrown out the villagers who were causing disturbances.

He further stated that the police utterly failed in using their powers to discharge their duties. “ The police were brought to ensure that the gram sabha was conducted in a peaceful manner,” Paul said and added that inaction on their part resulted in the abrupt end of the meeting.

But, an Old Goa police official begged to differ and said their main task was to maintain law and order at the gram sabha and that they were successful in doing so.

When questioned why they didn’t throw out the trouble makers, the police official said if the sarpanch had directed them, they would have done so. He further said since the two groups were involved in verbal discussion, the police could only wait and watch, as at no point of time did a situation arose of any physical assault taking place.

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4 statues desecrated at Curchorem HERALD CORRESPONDENT CURCHOREM, MAY 2

Vandals desecrated four statues installed in the courtyard of Guardian Angel Church, Curchorem, on Saturday night.

According to sources, the incident has resulted into strong resentment among the people against law and order in the State.

Guardian Angel Church, having a history of over 120 years, is situated in the main locality near Curchorem market. The Church compound is spacious and well illuminated, but despite this, some miscreants vandalized the statues of Our Lady of Lourdes and St Bernadeth installed in the grotto at the right hand side of the Church.

Both the statues were carved out from single pure white marble stones and were brought from Portugal about 50 years ago.

T h e m i s c re a n t s f u r t h e r climbed on the 10-feet high pedestal and damaged the statue of Christ the King installed in front of the Church.

The vandals also desecrated the statue of Fr Agnel D’Souza, which was installed down the steps of the Church. Besides, two electrical fixtures installed on both the sides of the statue were also damaged.

Church Parish Priest Fr Ligroin D’Costa lodged a complaint with

The desecrated statue of Our Lady of St Lourdes at Guardian Angel Church, Curchorem.

Photo by Suresh Naik

Curchorem police station.

Chief Minister Digambar Kamat rushed to the site at about 11 am and convened a meeting with priests, prominent citizens and others. Curchorem

MLA Shyam Satardekar, Quepem Mamlatdar Sudin Natu, Quepem DySP Rohidas Patre, South Goa SP Vaman Tari and others were present.

Chief Minister Digambar

Kamat assured that the culprits would be nabbed soon.

Later at about 12 pm, Home Minister Ravi Naik also visited the site and took stock of the situation. He said a separate Cell will be opened in the police department to tackle such cases of vandalism.

Speaking to Herald, local MLA Shyam Satardekar said anti-social elements are frustrated because their intention of disturbing communal harmony in the State by desecrating idols and statues has utterly failed.

“Police has to book them and expose them,” he added.

Fr D’Costa, who was deeply hurt with the desecration of the statues which he considered antiques, said the government has to tackle the issue seriously.

“The assurances that law will take its own course do not seem convincing. The night patrolling should be systematic and the manpower in the police department needs to be increased and proper training is required. The police should be given handsome salaries so that they do not turn towards corruption,” said Fr D’Costa.

“Awards should be declared to the citizens who provide clue to detect crime and policemen, who nab the culprits involved in desecrations, should also be awarded,” added Fr D’Costa.

Monitor milk prices, demands GOACAN HERALD REPORTER MARGAO, MAY 2

GOACAN has called for the monitoring of the prices charged to consumers for the milk packets sold by retailers and demanded action against traders overcharging on the MRP in view of the price hike announced by the Goa State Co-operative Milk Producers Union Ltd. In a representation to the Controller, Department of Legal Metrology and the Director, Department of Civil Supplies & Consumer Affairs, GOACAN has stated that in the past whenever there is a price hike of the milk packets, consumer forums have received complaints of violations of the Packaged Commodities Rules.

“These violations are committed by the milk producers where in they use the old sachets having the old printed prices and they then charge new rates which are rubber stamped on these packets”, GOACAN secretary Lorna Fernandes said.

She said there have also being a large number of cases of over charging beyond the Maximum Retail Price (MRP) as printed on the respective milk packets, adding that this overcharging is causing a huge loss

n There are also a large number of cases of over charging beyond the Maximum Retail Price (MRP) as printed on the respective milk packets.This overcharging is causing a huge loss to the consumer who is already affected by the price rise. to the consumer who is already affected by the price rise.

In this connection, GOACAN has requested that all the Taluka Inspectors of the Departments be alerted to take necessary action and impose fines after booking the cases against the culprits. Also, a public warning be issued to the producers & retailers to be forewarned that necessary ac-

tion will be taken in this respect by the Departments.

G O A C A N h a v e a l s o re quested the Departments to publicise the list of the Taluka Inspectors, their Office Address and the Telephone numbers and make an appeal to the consumers to submit complaints to the respective Taluka Inspectors so that the necessary cases can be booked.

She said the Departments should also publicise the relevant sections of the Rules under which these violations are committed and the amount of fines applicable to the seller/retailer for overcharging on MRP on a single packet.

Copies of the representations have been submitted to the respective Collectors & Chairpersons of the District Consumer Protection Councils in Panaji and Margao.

Meanwhile, GOACAN will write to the Registrar of Cooperative Societies to ens u re t h a t t h e G o a S t a t e Co-operative Milk Producers Union Ltd. provides all retailers selling products under the Goa Dairy brand with an Authorised Retailer display board stating Registration No. and Telephone No. for consumer complaints.

GOACAN has appealed to consumers to submit complaints of overcharging or tampering of printed price on milk packets of any brand from Goa or outside the State giving details of the name & address of retailer / seller to the GOACAN Complaints Cell, Post Box 187, Margao Goa 403 601 or by email to <goacan@gmail.com>

Vehicles undergo thorough search in Canacona HERALD CORRESPONDENT CANACONA, MAY 2

Vehicles plying along the highway and internal roads in Canacona taluka were subjected for scrutiny on Sunday evening, even as police remained tightlipped parrying questions saying the exercise is a regular phenomenon.

Police, after asking the motorists to stop, searched dickeys, cabins, under seats of fourwheelers and tool boxes of twowheelers.

Canacona PI Raju Raut Dessai was seen personally leading a police party at Char Rasta, as more police teams were seen stopping vehicles at PalolemAgonda road junction at Devabhag, while another team was stationed at Panna bus stop at Agonda.

Police sources informed that similar nakabandis are also erected at Polem check post and scrutiny of vehicles plying on either side is strictly resorted.

At one point, Canacona PI Dessai was heard directing a constable not to open bags of vehicle occupants, but look underneath the vehicle dickey instead.

The manner in which search of vehicles was conducted, it

Chief Minister, Digambar Kamat has said only education can bring about changes in the society and the world at large and underlined the need to keep Dr Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar as the model before the younger generation.

He was speaking as the Chief guest at a function organized by the Dalit Seva Sanghatana at the Ling-

HERALD CORRESPONDENT CALANGUTE, MAY 2

A 47-year-old man from Ferra Alto, Mapusa, drowned off Baga Beach on Sunday afternoon.

According to reports, Sergio Viegas was rushed to Primary Health Centre, Candolim, where doctors declared him broughtin dead.

PSI Narayan Chimulkar is investigating the case.

Male body recovered: (Vasco Reporter) Mormugao police recovered a decomposed male body which was washed ashore near Jetty in Mormugao Port Trust, Vasco, on Sunday at about 9 am.

According to Mormugao police, the body, which was completely decomposed beyond identification, was found floating in the sea near the Jetty.

Police further informed that the deceased, suspected to be in his thirties, was wearing black trousers and white shirt.

Police personnel check every vehicle passing along the highway and internal roads of Canacona taluka at Char Rasta and Palolem-Agonda road junction at Devabhag.

Photo by Kathy Pereira

looks like police are on lookout for arms or ammunitions, but surprisingly some police armed with a gun were seen conducting the exercise with bare hands or without any searching gadgets.

Canacona PI Dessai said: “This is one of those several Nakabandhis and there is no specific reason for doing so.”

He replied in the negative when asked if this is a ‘black-

rose’ exercise, which normally police undertakes to refresh their agility to trap decoys.

H o w e v e r, s o u r c e s i n formed Nakabandi is erected at several other places in entire South Goa with some attributing it to the reported Guardian Angel Church statues desecration, while others saying the strict scrutiny is due to trouble at opposition over fish transportation

at Assolna in Salcette.

There were also reports that ongoing Nakabandi is resorted to as a result of terror threat at national capital, which also kept police and other similar agencies on tenterhooks throughout the day at Delhi.

Late evening, it is learnt through police sources that every vehicle is checked after a message is received from police headquarters.

hayat Math hall here on Sunday.

Referring to the achievements of Ambedkar after overcoming hardships in life, the Chief Minister said Ambedkar came up in life and carved a niche for himself only through education.

“Through education, he came up in life. Society, nation and the community will come up only through education. India can become a super power only

through education”, he said.

Saying that the young generation should emulate the qualities of Ambedkar, Kamat said the Father of Indian Constitution did not restrict himself to his own community and is being considered a national leader and is being respected by the world at large.

The Chief Minister also made an appeal to Goan artists to show case their talents and made a mark for

themselves in the state.

The Chief Minister complimented social workers Avinash Shirodkar, who has bagged he Dalit Sakha Puraskar, for his contribution towards society. On the occasion, the Chief Minister also felicitated two senior journalists Sushant Kuncolienkar (Lokmat) and Mahesh Konekar (Tarun Bharat) for their contribution to the field of journalism.

Churchill assures to solve Bardez water woes soon HERALD CORRESPONDENT PORVORIM, MAY 2

PWD Minister Churchill Alemao has stated that the government is fully aware that residents of Bardez taluka are facing acute shortage of water.

He was addressing the gathering at Verem on Sunday after laying the foundation stone for the improvement of water supply scheme to Verem.

“It is this reason I have decided to commission the newly built water treatment plant of 50 MLD at Assnora by May-end or first week of June and release 20 MLD water for Bardez taluka.

With the additional supply, the water problem of Bardez taluka will be solved,” said Alemao.

He further said the existing 250 cubic metre service reservoir at Verem, which is located near INS Mandovi, was constructed in 1984.

“Due to vertical and horizontal expansions in residential areas and large-scale increase in tourism and hospitality re-

Audit report finds fault in Benaulim VP tax recovery HERALD REPORTER MARGAO, MAY 2

Saying that the working of the Benaulim Panchayat is in very bad shape, the Audit report for the year 2008-09 has said it is high time for the Panchayat to initiate some drastic action against the non-payment of taxes by invoking the provisions of the Panchayat Raj Act. The audit report found the arrears of various taxes ascending every years and maintained that the Panchayat have not taken any effective steps in the collection of huge arrears of revenue.

The report has further found huge variation in the budget estimates and the actual income and expenditure. In fact, the audit pointed out that the budget estimate for the year 2008-09 is defective as the figures adopted for framing the budget estimates are fictitious.

The main reason attributable for such an unrealistic budget figure is non framing of annual action plan by the Panchayat body. “These fluctuations in the budget estimate can be avoided by framing the Annual Action Plan for a particular years”, the audit said.

The audit has suggested to the Panchayat to invest more funds in fixed deposits without any further delay, saying the Panchayat have lost around Rs three lakh by keeping huge amount

of Rs 34.86 lakh for one year in the Saving account.

The audit observed huge arrears of rent in respect of the veterinary sub centre. The audit has sought clarification from the panchayat as to how the government arrears have accumulated so much.

The report further observed that the market auction for the year 2008-09 was not arranged for reasons unknown thus incurring a loss of revenue of Rs 1.60 lakh. The audit has asked the panchayat to justify the reasons for not auctioning the market fees for the year 2008-09.

On illegal constructions, the audit report said there are altogether 86 illegal constructions in the jurisdiction of Benaulim panchayat as per the illegal construction register. The report said the panchayat have not taken any action in this regard to settle these long pending cases and have asked for the progress in this regard.

Further, the report said the Panchayat has spent about Rs 1.65 lakhs towards Advocates fees, but no suit register has been maintained by the body.

The report said details of expenditure incurred has not been maintained and that the attendance of advocate in the court and the bills paid to him has not been certified by any responsible official or Panchayat secretary nor the Sarpanch.

ICAR discovers new variety of Mancurad mango HERALD REPORTER PANJIM, MAY 2

Only education can bring about changes in society: CM HERALD REPORTER MARGAO, MAY 2

One drowns off Baga beach

The Indian Council of Agriculture Research (ICAR), Old Goa has discovered a new variety of Mancurad mango at Siolim village in Bardez taluka .

Having average weight content of 480 grams it is considered to be of superior quality.

Also, it has less fibre, said a scientist at ICAR. What decides mango’s quality is its pulp ratio. Normally, a mango has pulp ratio of 60-70 per but the new variety found contains pulp ratio of more than 70 per cent.

Currently, ICAR has collection of about fifteen types of Mancurad varieties and efforts are on to discover new types that have remained in the dark and may extinct if not preserved.

The ICAR has collection of about 122 local varieties of mango in addition to hybrid and other varieties that are brought from other State and experi-

Power shut down HERALD REPORTER MARGAO, MAY 2

The electricity department has arranged a power shut down on May 3 from 9 am to 2 pm at the 11 KV Mandopa feeder for tree cutting and preventive maintenance.

Areas that will be affected by the shut down are Cruz Nagar, Bellem, Dongorim, Mandopa, Moddi, Telephone Exchange, Shantinagar, Firgullem and surrounding areas.

mented here.

Some of the varieties that are tried in Goa include a high yielding Sonpari, Royal special, Totapuri and Benesan.

The hybrid varieties introduced by Indian Institute of Horticulture Research (IHAR) Safeda is being also tried in Goa, said the scientist.

Other hybrid varieties introduced include Ratnagiri Afonso, Amrapali, Kesar from Gujarat and Mudhilika from North East. However, when it comes to mangoes, Goa’s first choice is Mancurad.

PWD Minister Churchill Alemao unfurls the foundation stone at Verem.

Photo by Anil Shankhwalker

lated demands, the existing service storage has fallen far short of actual demand,” he said.

“People of Verem and nearby areas are facing acute shortage of water. Therefore, the PWD has decided to construct a sump of 1,000 cubic metres and service reservoir of 800 cubic metres capacity spending about Rs 2.32 crore so that the distribution system will have improved pressure at consumer end,” added Alemao.

“I was instrumental in getting the Tilari irrigation project passed when I was the irrigation minister. Now there is no shortage of raw mater and what was required was an additional treatment plant at Assnora. Hence immediately after assuming charge of PWD, I laid emphasis on the construction of additional treatment plant of 50 MLD at Assnora,”” claimed Alemao.

“This project is nearing completion and once this plant is

fully commissioned, the water shortage problem of North Goa will be alleviated,” said Alemao.

Calangute MLA Agnel Fernandes said though Verem falls in Saligao Constituency, he considered it as an obligation to fulfill the commitment given by him to the electorate during the last election regarding improvement in water supply.

“I was fully aware that the residents were facing acute shortage of water. It is for this reason I took up the matter with the PWD minister consistently and got the project sanctioned.

Upon completion of the project, about 13,000 people from Verem and Nerul will be benefited,” said Fernandes.

Reis-Magos Sarpanch Sushmita Pednekar, Panch Sunil Shirodkar, former sarpanch Bhupal Chodankar and Sewage Corporation Chairman Shirodkar also spoke on the occasion. Ajay Pednekar compered the function.

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Heavy security cover in Delhi after terror alert PTI NEW DELHI, MAY 2

The national capital today remained under a security blanket in the wake of alerts of "imminent" terror strikes, with Delhi Police deploying a major chunk of its manpower on the streets and crowded commercial centres.

The security vigil that was stepped up yesterday after several countries, including the US and the UK, issued advisories warning its citizens of a terror threat, continued today with cinema halls and markets expected to brim with people on a Sunday.

The markets in Karol Bagh, Chandni Chowk, Greater Kailash, Lajpat Nagar and Sarajini Nagar, that are heavily

crowded usually and more so on Sundays, are being closely guarded, officials said.

So is Connaught Place, where a thick security cover was seen.

More policemen were deployed on the streets as soon as the advisories were issued and the entire top brass of the Delhi Police was out on patrolling duty.

Besides, security presence has been enhanced in crowded places like shopping malls, cinema halls, markets and transport infrastructure.

Highly-placed government sources told PTI that the advisories are being taken "seriously" and Delhi Police has been asked to be on "full alert".

"The Delhi Police is taking appropriate measures," its spokesperson Rajan Bhagat said.

The police have also appealed to public to be vigilant and fully cooperate with them and inform the nearest police station or toll free number 1090 on noticing any suspicious object, person or vehicle.

They said the identity of the informant will be kept secret.

The US, UK and Australia issued fresh advisories yesterday warning of "imminent" terror attacks in New Delhi, particularly in market places like Connaught Place, Greater Kailash and Chandni Chowk which are "attractive targets" for terrorist groups.

Illegal cattle slaughter Singaporean with gang busted, three held held hashish PTI NEW DELHI, MAY 2

Delhi Police today claimed to have smashed a gang involved in illegal slaughtering with the arrest of three persons and recovery of over 1,000 kg of meat from 36 cattle.

Idrish Ahmed (36), Shahnawaz (20) and Zahid Ahmed (19), all hailing from Bijnore in Uttar Pradesh, were apprehended from Defence Colony four days ago on a tip-off, Deputy Commissioner of Police (South) H G S Dhaliwal said.

A jeep and 1,076 kg of meat were recovered from them.

The trio told police that they

were regularly supplying cattle meat in the walled city of Delhi, Meerut, Sahibabad, Ghaziabad and other cities of Uttar Pradesh.

"The illegal slaughtering of cattle is mainly done in the villages of Karehali, Hussainpur, Hatain and Neendru of Bijnore and then the chopped off meat is supplied to Delhi and UP," Dhaliwal said.

Idrish is in this illegal business for the last several years but has never been arrested.

Shahnawaz got involved in these activities recently.

Zahid used to work as a driver in the vehicle used for transportation of cattle meat.

PTI NEW DELHI, MAY 2

A Singaporean national was arrested from the Indira Gandhi International airport here this morning for allegedly trying to smuggle seven kg of hashish.

Lee Weiqi (28) was apprehended during the security checking at the airport where he arrived to board a 6 am Luftansa flight to Munich, airport and NCB officials said.

Weiqi was under the surveillance of Narcotic Control Bureau (NCB) for the past few days. He was staying in a hotel in Majnu ka Tila.

Maoists block supplies to CRPF; Chattisgarh police drags its feet PTI RAIPUR, MAY 2

Visitors to Sarojini Nagar market passing through the metel detector to avoid any untoward incident at after security agencies alerted about possible terrorist strikes in Delhi on Sunday.

Supply of arms, ammo to Naxals: two more held PTI MAU (UP), MAY 2

Two more persons were today arrested as part of investigations into the alleged supply of arms and ammunition to criminal outfits and possibly Naxals by a gang involving certain security personnel.

The duo was arrested from Jagdishpur village here on the basis of inputs by Uttar Pradesh STF which had taken into custody six people, including two CRPF jawans, in connection with the case three days ago, a senior police officer said here.

"On the basis of inputs provided by the Special Task Force,

Dinesh and Shanker were arrested this morning from Jagdishpur village," Superintendent of Police Onkar Singh said.

He said the duo, allegedly involved in various criminal cases in the past, was acting as middlemen and 16 cartridges of 9 mm were recovered from them.

"Dinesh and Shanker are being interrogated and efforts are on to arrest more members of the racket," Singh said.

On April 30, the STF had arrested five security personnel and a retired sub-inspector following inputs that a large quantity of cartridges were being smuggled out of the

CRPF group centre at Rampur via a source in Allahabad to various criminal gangs and possibly Naxals.

Over 5,000 live cartridges, 16 magazines of INSAS rifles, .25 bore guns, SLR and AK-47s had been recovered besides 245 kg of empty shells following raids at various places.

"Going by the size of recovery, it is clear that the weapons were being supplied to some big organisation which could even be a Naxal outfit. Further details will be known only after completion of the investigations," ADG (Law and Order) Brij Lal had said in Lucknow.

Nearly a month after the Dantewada strike, the battle for CRPF continues even on other fronts as Chattisgarh Police is believed to have dragged its feet in ensuring safe passage of ration to paramilitary jawans due to heavy Maoist presence, prompting airdropping of supplies.

A camp in Chintalnar comprising two to three companies of 62nd battalion of CRPF, one of which was wiped out by Maoists on April six, have had their supplies airdropped two days back as the state police refused to accompany the paramilitary force in reaching there, official sources said.

Chintalnar was the site of the Naxal attack which killed 76 security personnel.

The Naxal presence in the area was picked up by the security agencies who suggested that Maoists had laid an ambush and were blocking all the supplies to the CRPF camp.

The jawans, virtually facing a blockade, sent messages to its headquarters in Raipur and Dantewada following which a high-level meeting was held.

However, the meeting could not end up in any decision after the CRPF sought protection of state police in ensuring that supplies, which also included anti-malaria drugs and mosquito repellent creams because of coming rainy season, reach the area.

State police officials said it was not possible for it to send a road opening party to Chintalnar as heavy presence of

Maoists was reported around Errabore.

Pushed to wall, the CRPF was left with no other option than to send the supplies through helicopter which airdropped the items at the camp, the sources said.

Neither the state police nor the para-military force officials were willing to come on record and privately they blamed each other for lack of coordination.

The lack of cohesiveness between the state police and the CRPF has been brought forward by the one-member committee of E Rammohan, who probed the Dantewada incident.

According to the reports discussed during the meeting, it was said that the Naxals had heavily mined the area and were ready to ambush any relief supply party going towards Chintalnar.

Besides this, reports suggest that the so-called military commission, which finalises the Maoist strategy, has rushed in its activists from the neighbouring Jharkhand towards Chintalnar area, the sources said.

Maoists have been restless ever since the CRPF camp came in Chintalnar. They consider it as 'capital' of Dandakaranya, a forest tract in the country's central-southern region covering parts of Andhra Pradesh, Orissa, the Bastar region of Chhattisgarh and Maharashtra, where the Maoists virtually run a parallel government envisioning a "liberated" zone.

Forest guards ill-equipped; 83 tigers poached during 1999-04 PTI NEW DELHI, MAY 2

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi being given traditional welcome at Tamil Nadu House, in New Delhi on Sunday.

US lobbyists spend $1 bn in first three months of 2010 PTI NEW DELHI/WASHINGTON, MAY 2

Amid a raging debate over corporate lobbying in Indian power corridors, the US government has disclosed expenses totalling about USD one billion by lobbyists there in the first quarter.

An analysis of lobbying reports filed with the US Senate Office of Public Records show that companies, trade bodies, unions and other groups spent nearly USD one billion on lobbying during January-March 2010.

According to data compiled by the US-based rights group Center for Responsive Politics, the USD 903 million spent in the first quarter this year is larger than overall lobbying expenses in three out of four quarters in 2009 and 11 per cent more than USD 811 million spent on lobbying during the first quarter of 2009.

Lobbying is legal in the US and the lobbying entities need to disclose their activities, including the expenses as also the ministries and offices where they lobby for their causes, every quarter.

However, such activities don't have legal sanction in India and many other countries, although lobbyists are said to be present in various other forms.

Last week, the Indian Parliament was rocked by a lobbying-related controversy and the

n According to data compiled by the USbased rights group Center for Responsive Politics, the USD 903 million spent in the first quarter this year is larger than overall lobbying expenses in three out of four quarters in 2009 and 11 per cent more than USD 811 million spent on lobbying during the first quarter of 2009. opposition parties demanded an explanation from the government and resignation of a minister over media reports alleging influence of corporate lobbyists in 2G telecom spectrum allocation.

With its PR representative caught in the controversy, the country's leading business house Tatas clarified its position through a media statement that its public relations agency never indulged in "payouts or seeking undue favours" in dealings with the government.

"All of Vaishnavi's interactions with the government on behalf of the Tata group have been related to seeking a level playing field and equity in

areas where vested interests have caused distortions or aberrations in policy," said a spokesperson for Tata Sons, the holding company of Tata Group.

"Further, Vaishnavi's interactions with the government on behalf of the Tata group, have, in keeping with Tata values, never involved payouts or seeking undue favors," the statement further added.

In the US, business associations such as the US Chamber of Commerce, led the way in terms of lobbying with expenses totalling USD 139 million during the first quarter.

They were closely followed by companies and special interest groups related to the health sector with lobbying expenses worth USD 138 million, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. These were followed by energy, finance, insurance and real estate sectors.

Some Indian companies also indulge in lobbying activities in the US. In the past, even the Indian government has spent millions of dollars on lobbying in the US, mostly related to the Indo-US nuclear deal.

The Indian companies having indulged in lobbying with the US lawmakers include big business houses like Reliance Industries and Tatas, as also industry associations like Nasscom, as per disclosures filed with the US Senate Office of Public Records.

Manipur to prevent entry of Naga leader

A total of 83 tigers were poached during 1999-2004 as forest guards in various reserves were ill-equipped and untrained to fight wildlife smugglers, a Parliamentary panel has said.

An audit examination revealed that nine tiger reserves -- Manas, Peiyar, Tdoba-Andhari, Pench (Maharashtra), Melghat, Kanha, Pench (Madhya Pradesh), Bandhavgarh and Panna â&#x20AC;&#x201C; did not provide training to their staff on regular or periodic basis, it said.

The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) headed by BJP MP Gopinath Munde which tabled its report "Conservation and Protection of Tigers" in Parliament recently, has highlighted the pathetic state of affairs in conservation of the big cats in the country.

It noted that forest guards were not equipped with

enough arms and ammunition required to combat poaching and illicit trade in 12 tiger reserves -- Namdapha, Indravati, Bandipur, Melaghat, TadobaAndhari, Ranthambore, Sariska, Simlipal, Kanha, Bandhavgarh, Manas and Sunderbans.

"While arms were insufficient in some reserves, in others discrepancies or shortages in ammunition were noticed," the panel said.

Though the National Wildlife Action Plan (20022016) "envisages that states should adequately train personnel to man all positions right from Park Director down to forest guards," the actual situation was not upto the mark, it said.

For instance, in Manas Tiger Reserve, the training imparted to staff was inadequate as it did not cover the areas of field craft, obstacles crossing and unarmed combat.

"The weapon training was limited to .315 rifles only. In Periyar Tiger Reserve, the system of pre-service training was not prevalent and only 27 forest guards out of 86 were imparted training during 2000-2005," the report said.

During the audit scrutiny, the panel found that in case of Corbett, Kanha and Bandipur tiger reserves, only 125, 172 and 31 patrolling 'chowkis' existed for which only 106, 148 and 47 forest guards were posted, respectively.

The patrolling camps in Kanha and Pench (Madhya Pradesh) were operated by unskilled labourers.

When asked, the Environment Ministry had admitted in March 2006 that the protection measures in the tiger reserves were adversely affected due to shortage of manpower and the situation has not improved despite addressing the states at various levels, the re-

Parliament panel for creation of SC Benches; Govt reluctant

PTI IMPHAL, MAY 2

PTI NEW DELHI, MAY 2

The Manipur Government has stepped up security measures at all border points to prevent entry of NSCN (I-M) general secretary Thuingaleng Muivah into the state on the apprehension that his visit might disturb communal harmony, official sources said today.

Muivah could enter Manipur, his home state, through two possible points -- the ManipurNagaland border at Mao gate in Senapati district and Jessami town on the Nagaland-Ukhrul route in Ukhrul district, they said.

India Reserve Battalion (IRB), Manipur Rifles and police commandos were deployed at these areas to prevent the entry of the National Socialist Council of Nagalim (I-M) leader who was to visit his home town at Somdal in Ukhrul district from May 3 to 10.

The 75-year-old Naga leader has not visited his birthplace since 1960, sources close to him said.

The Manipur cabinet had on April 30 decided to prevent entry as it might cause communal disharmony endangering the peaceful coexistence of different ethnic communities.

Muivah, a senior Tangkhul Naga in Nagaland, was to visit several Naga-inhabited areas in Manipur to hold consultations with Naga leaders on the ongoing talks between NSCN (I-M) and the Centre.

Terming the creation of Supreme Court benches as the "need of the hour", a Parliamentary panel has said the stand of the Government and the Chief Justice against such a move "cannot be justified" on the grounds that it would require constitutional amendments.

"The committee feels that unwillingness regarding establishment of the other Benches of the Supreme court cannot be justified on the grounds that it would attract a cumbersome process of constitutional amendment," the Parliament Standing Committee on Personnel, Public Grievances and Law and Justice has said in its latest report placed before Parliament.

The report said the Commit-

tee "is not in agreement with the (Law) Ministry and the opinion of the Chief Justice of India as well" on the issue.

While the Law Commission in one of its reports last year had supported creation of SC Benches, the Law Ministry told the parliamentary panel that it does not intend to "pursue the matter further".

The Ministry said that the issue was discussed in the meeting of the Full Court after which the CJI found no justification in establishing other benches of the apex court.

The report said a constitutional amendment for creation of SC Benches "is the need of the hour and would pose a step in the right direction to make the honourable court (SC) accessible to all the regions of the country".

Terming the Constitution as a "living document", the committee said there was enough scope to accommodate the demands coming out in a changed milieu.

It quoted Article 130 of the Constitution which states: "The Supreme Court sits in Delhi. It can, however, meet in any other place or places as the Chief Justice may, with the approval of the President."

In its 229th report in August 2009, the Law Commission said while a Constitutional Bench should be set up at New Delhi, four Cassation Benches at four regions should be created at Delhi, Kolkata, Mumbai and Chennai or Hyderabad to deal with appellate work arising out of the orders and judgements of High Courts of the particular region.

I-T goes all out against IPL; past record abysmal PTI NEW DELHI, MAY 2

Although the Income Tax Department is going all out to nab tax evaders in the high profile IPLrelated cases, its past record shows that the agency managed to secure prosecution in barely 15 per cent of the cases.

Going by this low prosecution rate, suspended IPL commissioner Lalit Modi and the franchisees he is said to have favoured, may not have much to worry about in the immediate future. That is assuming all the investigations against them result in chargesheets prosecutable

in court.

"On an average the department files 80-100 prosecution cases every year related to tax evasion. The prosecution rate is about 15 per cent as numerous cases are held up in litigation in various appellate tribunals, High Courts and the Supreme Court," a senior I-T officer said.

The department's prosecution rate cannot be compared with any other enforcement agency as legal proceedings under the I-T Act are civil in nature and gives a number of appeal forums to the assessee against whom the department has raised tax demands, the official said.

port said.

The National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), which is entrusted with tiger protection in the country, too admitted that seven to eight reserves including Simplipal and Indravati were facing leftwing extremism and have been out of bounds for the last seven years.

A total of 173 tiger deaths were reported during 19992004, the panel said and criticised the NTCA and the state governments for failing to take adequate measures for preservation of the striped animal.

"The remaining deaths were due to various reasons like natural causes (60), electrocution (13) and poisoning (7). The independent survey further reported that an annual average poaching figure of 22 tiger deaths over a period of six years was alarming," the panel noted.

Mamata announces candidates for all KMC seats PTI KOLKATA, MAY 2

Ruling out any seat adjustment with the Congress in the coming civic polls in West Bengal, Trinamool chief Mamata Banerjee today announced candidates for all 141 seats in the KMC elections, saying in war, there can be no friendly fight.

"Those who are giving oxygen to the CPI(M) here, we will not leave an inch to them," Banerjee told a news conference releasing the list of candidates for Kolkata Municipal Corporation polls, to be held on May 30 along with 81 other municipal bodies in the state.

Squarely blaming the Congress, its UPA ally, for the collapse of the alliance for the civic polls, she said, "Despite their refusal to leave a single seat to us in Murshidabad (a Congress stronghold), we gave them 25 here."

WBPCC yesterday announced candidates for 88 seats following clearance from the party high command, deciding to go it alone after Trinamool Congress offered them only 25 wards against their demand for 51, including the ones they had come first or second in the last KMC polls in 2005.

To a question, Banerjee said, "There is no question of a friendly fight (against Congress). In war, the term (friendly fight) does not exist."

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IITs prepare remedial measures for FJEE errors PTI MUMBAI, MAY 2

In the wake of several errors in the IIT-JEE papers this year, the elite institutes today devised multi-pronged remedial measures including scaling up the marks for the affected candidates for certain unprinted and unreadable questions.

The Joint Admission Board (JAB) of IITs, the apex body to decide the admission matters, today met here and evolved the "corrective measures" to ensure that "genuine students are not affected" by the errors in the exam which was taken by around 4.72 lakh candidates on April 11, 2010.

HRD Minister Kapil Sibal on Monday asked the IITs to come up with a remedial action plan within a week to ensure fair evaluation of papers of IIT-JEE. The JAB formulated a pointby-point remedial action and put out the measures in the IITJEE website.

The papers carried a few printing errors as subject-heads of mathematics and physics were interchanged. Besides, question 44 in the mathematics section of paper 1 in code 4 of the Hindi version was not printed. The Hindi version of the papers also carried wrong

instructions.

As per the English version of the paper, there were certain questions carrying 48 marks.

However, the Hindi versions presented the same questions with wrong instruction that they carried 18 marks.

"We are fully confident that there will be no problem after the corrective measures are implemented," Director IIT Madras, which coordinated the entrance, told PTI. For the error of unprinted question, the optical response sheet (ORS) of the candidates will be evaluated omitting the question 44 and the overall score for the mathematics section of Paper 1 of those candidates will be appropriately scaled.

In a few cases, the question paper contained two unreadable pages and two partially readable pages in the Physics section of Paper 1.

Since the registration numbers of these candidates have been taken note of at the time of the examination, their ORS will be evaluated omitting the unreadable questions and their scores for the Physics section of Paper 1 will then be appropriately scaled.

nHRD Minister Kapil Sibal on Monday asked the IITs to come up with a remedial action plan within a week to ensure fair evaluation of papers of IIT-JEE. The JAB formulated a point-by-point remedial action and put out the measures in the IIT-JEE website.

For the error of interchanging of subject headings, each ORS, both for Paper 1 and Paper 2, will be evaluated in two ways -- sequential question number-wise and subject headings-wise.

In each case the higher score of the two evaluations will be taken as the candidate's score. Should one of the ways of evaluating lead to a mark below the minimum qualifying mark in one of the subjects, the other way will be deemed to be the higher of the two scores.

CCB to clean market roads, gutters during night time HERALD CORRESPONDENT BELGAUM, MAY 2

In what could be termed as a trend setting example that has been welcomed by the public, the City Corporation of Belgaum (CCB) will clean gutters and roads in Belgaum Market during night time.

The novel idea is being implemented at the behest of Urban Development Minister S Suresh Kumar’s suggestion.

The minister during his recent Belgaum visit had directed the CCB officials to carry out the cleanliness during night as the traders in market area had complaints saying after the gutters were cleaned in the morning, the mounds of garbage were seen throughout the market area during the peak hours, hampering the business transactions.

On Friday night, the cleanliness in the Ganpat Galli, Khade Bazaar, Maruti Galli, Raviwar Peth and other areas commenced after 10 pm and went on until midnight.

On Saturday, the weekly market day, citizens were pleased to see the market area clean and refreshing. The traders too opened their shops in a hygienic and pleasing climate while shopping is an exhilarating experience for the customers too.

Gujarat outshines M’rashtra in Golden Jubilee celebrations

Scribe attacked by contractors

even bother to form an allparty committee for celebrations.

Rulers in Maharashtra did not find anything glorious about the state in the last 50 years and they didn’t try to project Maharashtra’s achievement, he said.

They have anyway nothing to tom tom about with acute load shedding, water scarcity, farmers’ suicides and deteriorating law and order situation staring them in the face, he said.

What could have saved the day for Maharashtra government would have been convening a special session of Legislature to mark the state’s Golden Jubilee year, he said.

In Gujarat, all 18,000 villages, towns and municipal corporations had simultaneously organised 'Jaynad' and 5.5 crore Gujaratis performed aarti-pujan of Gurjar Dhara by joining in recitation of ‘Jay Jay Garvi Gujarat', Bhandari said.

In Maharashtra, the celebrations did not go beyond the perfunctory events in Mumbai, he added.

UNI KAKINADA, MAY 2

PTI MUMBAI, MAY 2

The verdict is out: Gujarat, which like Maharashtra was formed on May 1, 1960, has outdone its neighbour in celebrating the golden jubilee.

The widespread and grand celebrations of the neighbouring state were no match for the two-hour long 'event’, a laser show off Marine Drive in Mumbai, organised by the Maharashtra Government, political observers said.

Gujarat took the lead from the very conception, by making preparations for the last one year and they are going to celebrate for entire year, state BJP spokesperson Madhav Bhandari told PTI. The main difference is that while Maharashtra’s was an 'event', Gujarat’s would be an year-long affair, he said.

"They (Gujarat) have planned taluka-level garib melas for the next one year," he said.

Gujarat Government sent a minister to every state, to present its achievements in the last 50 years , something that Maharashtra also could have done, he said.

They projected Gujarat as Gujarat, not as BJP-ruled Gujarat, Bhandari said, adding Maharashtra Government did not

Priest killed, temple hundi robbed UNI MYSORE, MAY 2

Members of various laughter clubs wearing traditional costumes take part in a rally in front of the Vidhana Soudha building, on the occasion of World Laughter Day in Bangalore, on Sunday.

HC wants Caste Scrutiny Committees for every district PTI MUMBAI, MAY 2

Laying down guidelines for the functioning of Caste Scrutiny Committees (CSC), the Bombay High Court has said that government should set up these committees district-wise.

Currently, each CSC exercises jurisdiction over several districts. Division bench of Justices P B Majmudar and R G Ketkar said in the judgement last week that more CSCs were needed.

The Court was dealing with a petition filed by one Tanaji Date, an employee of Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation. He had challenged the promotion of Prithviraj Kamble, his colleague, alleging that

latter's caste certificate was bogus.

Kamble obtained a certificate to the effect that he belonged to Mahadev Koli caste, a Scheduled Tribe, by misleading the caste scrutiny committee at Nashik in 2003, Date claimed.

The division bench, while hearing the matter, was shocked to learn that original records of the CSC at Nashik were missing.

While holding that Kamble indeed obtained the certificate fraudulently, court ordered departmental inquiry regarding missing records.

Further, the court laid down certain guidelines.

It said that CCS must verify

the claims about residence by 'spot inspection'.

It would be better to have Scrutiny Committees "district wise instead of regionwise, so that the heavy burden on the regional Caste Scrutiny Committees will be reduced substantially", the High Court said.

In Kamble's case, it was found that he originally obtained the caste certificate from Pune in 1985, which was invalidated by Pune CSC in 1987. But he again approached authorities in Nashik in 2003, to obtain another certificate.

To avoid such frauds, offices of all CSCs be interlinked so that every committee would know about decisions from other places, High Court said.

Flights operations from Mandakali airport likely before May 20 UNI MYSORE, MAY 2

The commercial operations from the muchawaited upgraded Mysore Mandakali airport are expected to commence before May 20, even though it got ready in September last year.

The uncertainty over the operations of flights by private or state-operated airlines will finally come to reality as airlines have agreed to start operations and sought concessions in terms of taxes (operation) from the Karnataka Government.

Mysore MP and former minister A H Vishwanath, who met Union Aviation minister Praful Patel along with Leader of the Opposition in the State Assembly Siddaramiah and KPCC President R V Desphande recently at New Delhi, appraised the situation and urged him to declare open the completed Mysore Airport.

Vishwanath told UNI that due to economic slowdown which badly hit airline, private players have not shown any interest. However, the situation has changed and now everything was ready for commencing flight operations.

The formal function is expected to be held in the second week of this month, he added.

Though the State Government officials here

maintained that they were awaiting clearance from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) to commence commercial flights, other sources maintained that obtaining clearance from DGCA was a secondary issue.

Securing clearance will be a matter of time as the airport meets the stipulated standards and safety parameters. DGCA inspection for clearance will take place once the airline operators announce their flight schedules without which the Airports Authority of India (AAI) will not post its personnel for manning the airport. What will the AAI staff do without any flights operating from the city, Viswanathan pointed out.

It was pointed out that Mysore receives around 2.7 million tourists throughout the year.

The fact that the airport was ready to handle traffic can be gauged from the number of chartered flights that were frequently using the facility. During the just-concluded TED conference, the authorities here handled nearly eight flights on a single day, according to the AAI officials.

Meanwhile, a random survey conducted to estimate passenger air traffic from Mysore has provided encouraging figures which could pave the way for operation of commercial flights from the city of palaces.

Unidentified assailants murdered the priest of a temple and made away with the money in the hundi at Sri Adhishkasti Mahadevamma Temple in Sangama Kshetra in Nanjangud taluk of Mysore district late last night.

Police said here today that the victim, Vittala Rao (65) hailed from KR Nnagara in Mysore district. He had been working in the temple since last eight months.

The assailants struck when the priest was asleep in the temple. The assailants gagged him and took him to the back of the temple, hit him on his head with a lethal weapon and murdered him. They then fled with the booty.

Police rushed to the scene of the crime with a dog squad and finger print experts. Nanjangud police are investigating the case.

Cash declaration register mooted to check corrupt govt staff HERALD CORRESPONDENT BELGAUM, MAY 2

According to the new directive of Karnataka government which has come into effect, the government employees and officials who are used to enter their offices empty pocket and many times return home with filled pockets may have to mend their ways.

The state Lokayukta department has recommended government to maintain a ‘cash declaration register’ in the government offices.

Accordingly, all the sate government employees including the officials would have to enter the cash they carry in their pockets while signing the attendance muster and while leaving the office.

In case the cash while leaving the office is more than the details of the same have to be

mentioned in the ‘cash declaration register’.

The Lokayukta department in the state which controls corruption and corrupt practices by carrying out raids on corrupt officials keeping check on corruption in Karnataka intends to introduce this novel system so that may bring control over corrupt practices in government offices.

The Lokayukta department which is wary of rising corruption practices in government offices thinks that such practices may come under control after implementing the system.

The Lokayukta has ordered that the new system should be stringently followed. The Lokayukta Superintendents of Police of every district in the state have been directed to oversee the implementation of the system.

Guidelines issued to keep tab on fake tutorials HERALD CORRESPONDENT BELGAUM, MAY 2

With the arrival of educational year in June, private tutorials keep mushrooming and to keep check on fake tutorials in Belgaum, the district education department has issued several guidelines with immediate effect.

According to the guidelines issued, the private tutorials must register the respective tutorial classes with the department. The registration fee has been also fixed for registering the tutorial classes.

Registration fees of Rs 5,000 and Rs 10,000 have been fixed for conducting tuition classes from first to seventh and eighth to tenth respectively.

The fees have to be deposited

with the office of the Deputy Director of Public Instructions (DDPI). The registration fee is non-refundable.

The DDPI has also set directives for setting of tutorial classes according to which separate rooms should be provided for the tutorials with sufficient supply of water.

While the strength of students has been fixed at 30 students per batch, well-trained teachers should be appointed.

The DDPI can inspect the tutorial classes any time to check whether the directives have been implemented.

However, teachers and professors employed with government schools or colleges cannot teach in such private tuition classes.

BJP’s oldest ally, the Shiv Sena, also did not mince words when it came to the way Maharashtra government marked the state’s Golden Jubilee.

"The government here is of Congress, which was opposed to creation of Maharashtra and Gujarat state," Sena spokesperson Neelam Gorhe said.

"Maybe the rulers thought that if they come too much on the forefront in celebrating the 50 years on a grand scale, it may not please their bosses,” she added.

Had it not been for parties like Shiv Sena and other organisations who held similar functions, the government function would have looked minuscule, Gorhe said.

On the Sena getting melody queen Lata Mangeshkar to sing `Maharashtra Geet’ at its function here last night, instead of the Government `requesting’ the singer to perform at the official function, Gorhe said "Lata sang on the day Maharashtra was formed 50 years ago. We wanted her to sing at the Sena function to mark the state completing 50 years."

A scribe of an electronic media was assaulted by the contractors when he was taking video footage of an underconstruction bridge which collapsed across Polavaram canal near Ramavaram in Jaggampet mandal today.

Krishna, representing 'Z-24' channel, suffered minor injuries when the contractor Ramesh along with his men assaulted him in the presence of other journalists who were taken aback by the sudden incident.

Police sources told UNI that based on a complaint lodged by Krishna, Jaggampet police have registered a case under Section 324 and 506 of the IPC for wrongful confinement and assaulting. The contractor and his associates were taken into custody pending further inquiry, sources said.

Jaggampet MLA Thota Narasimham and Praja Rajyam party leader Jyothula Nehru who visited the spot of the collapsed bridge condemned the high-handed behaviour of the contractors and expressed their solidarity with the journalists.

Kasab deserves no mercy, says disabled girl’s father PTI MUMBAI, MAY 2

Father of the 11-year-old girl disabled by the bullets of Pakistani gunman Ajmal Kasab is still an angry man.

On the fateful night of November 26, Natwarlal Rotawan was waiting at the Chattrapati Shivaji Terminus (CST) with his daughter Devika and son Akash for a train when two terrorists opened fire at the station.

Natwarlal, who runs a dry fruit shop at Kalbadevi in South Mumbai says Kasab must be hanged in full view of public.

"He has killed innocent people and deserves no mercy. The court must give him death penalty," a visibly annoyed Natwarlal said.

"That blood thirsty Kasab ruined my daughter's life. Now who will marry her. Her future is dark," an emotional Natwarlal said.

In June last year, Devika and Natwarlal identified Kasab in court as one of the two gunmen who had opened fire at her and other passengers at CST. Though the little girl is in deep pain and is too young to understand terrorism says she wants to eradicate terrorism and would do it by joining police force.

"I don't want other children to face what I had to go through. I do not want people to become a victim of terror. I will join police force and re-

Kasab may be operated for stomach ailment PTI MUMBAI, MAY 2

Lone surviving Pakistani gunman of 26/11 terror attack Ajmal Kasab is suffering from a stomach ailment and may have to undergo a surgical procedure after the court pronounces its verdict tomorrow, police said.

"Kasab has been suffering from a stomach disorder. He cannot have full meals at one go and takes little food at regular intervals. If he eats even a bit larger quantity he vomits," said a senior police officer on condition of anonymity.

Though media reports have claimed he was suffering from hiatus hernia (the protrusion of the upper part of the stomach into the thorax through a tear or weakness in the diaphragm), there has been no official word on it.

Kasab, who has been lodged in a special cell at Arthur Road jail, would undergo the operation sometime after the special court delivers the verdict, he said.

However, the officer did not specify when or in which hospital the surgical procedure would be conducted. move terrorism and hatred. I want peace everywhere," Devika said.

I will soon join an English medium school, study hard so that I can join police force, she said.

The girl is in no mood to let the disability dictate terms. "I am not afraid of them. I want to fight them all," she said.

Talking about the ill-fated day that changed her life drastically, Devika said, "How can I forget that night, when I saw people killed in front of me. It was scary and horrible to see all that. Whenever I see Kasab

on TV, I get very angry," she remarked "We were waiting for a train to Pune. We heard gunshots and saw two people with guns...firing at people just like in movies. I saw people running helter-skelter. While we were running, I was hit by a bullet and fell to the ground," Devika remembers what happened on 26/11 as if it happened yesterday.

Devika, who is forced to rely on her crutches, loved to play hide and seek and cricket but feels low when she sees other children playing.

MCI clears BIMS to run college HERALD CORRESPONDENT BELGAUM, MAY 2

The Belgaum Institute of Medical Sciences (BIMS), the government medical college which often failed to get permission of the Medical Council of India (MCI) in the last few years, has at last got the MCI’s permission to run the college this year.

From the next academic year, at least eight PG courses will be introduced in BIMS, according to its director Dr M R Chandrashekhar who said that the MCI also granted permission to start various UG courses at BIMS from this year itself.

BIMS was one of the few colleges in the state which came under the MCI scanner recently and was supposed to stop the courses if it had not fulfilled the requirements before the start of the coming academic year.

“Measures have been taken to run all the courses effectively at BIMS. The MCI also has granted permission to our college to start the final year MBBS course also.

Shortly, we will upgrade the 260-bed civil hospital into a 1000-bed hospital, as it is already attached to BIMS,” says Dr Chandrashekhar.

The BIMS management had appealed to the government to increase the student intake from 100 to 150 for MBBS course from the coming academic year. Before giving its approval to BIMS recently, the MCI expressed satisfaction over the existing

infrastructure at the college, which is presently the best among six new medical colleges in the state, said Chandrashekhar.

Incidentally, the construction of several buildings of BIMS has come to a grinding halt. The college also lacks many facilities needed to run the courses effectively. However, sourced in PWD said that the construction of all buildings at the BIMS premises should be over by this year end.

“To ensure speedy completion of the work, the BIMS management has already written to the government for change of private contractors who are taking up the work,” the source said.

Meanwhile, the PWD has decided to impose a daily fine of Rs 10,000 on private contractors for delaying the construction work, sources said, adding that the government would soon entrust

the work to a new contractor.

Before getting the MCI nod, the management of BIMS has assured MCI that all the construction of all the buildings and establishment of infrastructure would be completed this year.

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Oppn conspired to push criminal Global nuclear centre to train elements into BSP: Mayawati security forces in atomic field PTI LUCKNOW, MAY 2

BSP Chief Mayawati today claimed that Opposition parties had conspired and managed to push criminal elements into her party just before the last assembly polls that forced her to launch a drive to expel a large number of such leaders.

The UP chief minister yesterday ousted 500 party leaders and workers with criminal antecedents and also sought a second list of “criminals” still left in the party who, she said, will be expelled before May 13.

“As part of a conspiracy, Opposition parties specially SP, which dream of gaining power with the help of criminals, managed entry of such elements into BSP before the assembly election,” Mayawati told reporters here.

“The party has launched a drive to oust criminal elements from the party as a result of which 500 people having criminal antecedents have been expelled from the party,” she said.

Mayawati claimed that immediately after forming a majority government in the state, the BSP launched a special drive to end “Jungleraj” in the state under the previous SP regime and started a crackdown against criminals.

“SP and other political parties became wary of the crackdown as they felt all their criminal elements would be put behind bars and they would not be able to gain power in the state. They then started sending their criminal elements into the BSP as part of a well-planned conspiracy,” she said.

“When such elements gradually established their position in the BSP, they once again started ‘Jungleraj’ in the state,” she said.

Mayawati said after the March 15 rally, some senior leaders pointed out about the criminal elements in the party.

“I took a report from my own sources and found this to be true. On April 17, I held a meeting of core leaders and directed them to expel such people by April 29,” she said.

Mayawati said her directives were followed strictly and 500 people having criminal antecedents have been expelled from the party.

“Now stern action will be taken against such elements on the basis of criminal cases against them. The party leaders have been asked to prepare another list of such elements still left in the party and to expel them before May 13,” she said.

To a query, Mayawati said the list of

ousted people is yet to be screened but it may include some MLAs and ex-MPs. “I don’t pay attention on how influential a person is because a criminal have no caste or religion, he is merely a criminal,” she said.

The BSP supremo said the party wanted to assure the people that mafias and criminals will not be able to call the shots during its regime.

“The DGP, Principal Secretary Home and ADG have been asked to launch a special state-wide drive against criminals and put them behind bars,” she said.

Accusing the Opposition parties of attempting to engineer communal and casteist violence in the state, Mayawati claimed that BSP is the only party which does not hesitate to act against its own leaders if found involved in any criminal activity.

Ridiculing Opposition’s allegation of rising number of criminal cases in the state, Mayawati said she does not believe in figures.

“It was me who told the officers not to go by figures and to lodge FIR of needy person reaching a police station. They have been told that their performance would not be assessed on the basis of figures, but the action on the FIRs lodged,” she said.

PTI NEW DELHI, MAY 2

The Global Centre for Nuclear Energy Partnership, announced

by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh last month, will be set up in Delhi or its neighbourhood and involve first-of-its-kind training of security forces in the atomic field.

The centre, intended to be a state-of-the-art institute with four schools, will be open to nationals of any country to participate in research and development of design systems that are secure, proliferation resistant and sustainable.

Singh announced setting up of the centre at the Nuclear Security Summit on April 12 to demonstrate India’s responsible behaviour in the nuclear field.

Sources said preparations for setting up the institute had been going on for over six months before the Prime Minister made the announcement.

The centre will come up in

Flying squads to prevent spitting in Metro PTI NEW DELHI, MAY 2

People who spit inside Metro system and deface its property can no longer get away easily with the DMRC constituting four flying squads to conduct surprise checks on almost-everyday basis and fine erring commuters.

The four flying squads, which conduct surprise checks in Metro trains and stations, detected about 195 cases of spitting and 62 cases of defacement of Metro property during March.

This is one of the number of measures the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation is taking to instill better civic sense among its commuters as part of its preparations for the October Commonwealth Games.

“The DMRC recently constituted four flying squads to conduct surprise checks almost on everyday basis on all routes to catch and fine commuters who spit and deface Metro property,” DMRC Spokesman Anuj Dayal said.

He said station staff has been specifically di-

rected to keep a close eye on commuters indulging in spitting, littering or defacing the Metro premises.

“Thousands of foreign visitors are expected to use the Metro system during the Games scheduled in October later this year, and the Delhi Metro wants to maintain world class civic standards in its trains and stations to welcome them,” he said.

The station managers and controllers are authorised to realise penalty from the offending commuters and they have already been issued ‘Authorised For Penalty’ identity cards.

Lack of proper civic sense among the commuters is a major concern for the DMRC which has been taking a number of steps to impart the same to them.

Besides spitting and defacing of property, pushing each other, jumping on to the seats, not letting the passengers to get out from the train and obstructing the closing of doors are some of the problems encountered at crowded stations.

Delhi or its adjoining areas like Noida or Gurgaon, they said, adding the process is on to locate a specific place and acquire land there.

It will consist of four Schools dealing with Nuclear Security, Advanced Nuclear Energy System Studies, Radiation Safety and application of Radioisotopes and Radiation Technology in areas of healthcare, agriculture and food.

The centre will involve international participation from IAEA and other interested foreign partners.

The School of Nuclear Security Studies will impart training to security forces on application of physical protection systems and response procedures, to enhance physical security of nuclear facilities by developing and deploying most modern technological tools including information security.

It will also provide facilities for test and evaluation of sen-

Rape complaint filed PTI ANAND, MAY 2

An FIR has been filed against nine men for alleged raping a woman who had come here in search of job from Dahisar in Mumbai, police said today.

Complaint was lodged last night against one Laxman Marwadi and eight others, who are absconding, they said.

According to the police complaint, the woman whose husband had died seven months ago was asked to come to Anand for a better job by Marwadi, who was friend of her husband.

When the woman reached here on April 20, Marwadi took her to a room in basement of a mall, where he and two of his friends allegedly raped her. She was also threatened by Marwadi if she told about the incident to anybody.

Zoo keepers loading Sumit a 40 year old elephant being shifting from Lucknow Zoo to Dudhwa National Park, in Lucknow on Sunday.

Butterflies flutter in at Delhi conservatory PTI NEW DELHI, MAY 2

If you admire butterflies then it’s time to head towards Lodhi Garden in the national capital where hundreds of exquisite coloful winged jewels of nature are all set to fire your imagination.

In barely seven months, the butterfly conservatory set up in the three acres of land has become the abode of a wide-ranging attractive winged insects, flitting from one flower to another.

Angled Caster, Common Leopard, Common Evening Brown, Small Orange tips, Grass Jewels, Spirited Tiger, Plain Tiger and Peacock Paney are some of the many butterfly species to ensure a visual delight at the park.

“We hope the conservatory to boost the declining butterfly count in the city as at least 24 species of these fragile creatures have been already spotted in and around it.

“Over 51 new species of larval host plants have been planted to provide a site for the butterfly to lay eggs and also food source for the emerging caterpillar,” says NDMC Assistant Director (Horticulture) Satyender Pal. For instance, the Angled Castor feeds on Ricinus communis, Alfalfa butterfly on clovers and deerweed, Tragia involucrate

and Black rajah on the tamarind tree, Banded Blue Pierrot on Ziziphus Oenophila and Cabbage White on many plants in mustard family and cabbage family etc.

“Many of these plants, such as Murraya exotica, Grewia asiatica and Lantana camara have been brought from Aravali and Yamuna bio-diversity parks,” says ecologist M Saha Hussain from Center for Environmental Management of Degraded Ecosystems (CEMDE), Delhi University.

Hussain who has given technical guidance for creating the conservatory is currently engaged in developing miniature eco-system including butterfly garden in the bio-diversity parks.

The specially created space carved out of around 90 acres of Lodhi Garden is presently out of bounds for the public, but as it has been built in a low depression one can easily see the most fascinating insects from outside.

An in sectary has been setup for keeping larvae of butterflies and has been covered with a net for the safety of the larvae from the birds.

“As the butterflies which has life-span of 55 days, are very sensitive in nature, we are using only organic manure instead of any insecticide, pesticide and chemicals.

Also, efforts are ensured to use clean water for the plants in the conservatory,” says

Pal. A lotus lily pond and mud pond have also been developed which have become favourite congregation spots of the butterflies. The nearby herbal garden has come as an advantage where one can notice many pupa out of which butterfly emerges.

“Butterflies serve as an excellent barometer of our environment because of their sensitive nature to habitat destruction. Over the years, the number of these coloured creatures have dwindled due to climatic changes, pollution and shrinking of the green cover,” says Suhas Broker of an NGO, Green Circle, which has helped in setting up the project.

There are around 72 identified species of butterflies in Delhi, according to Hussain.

The concept of such mini butterfly garden is fast catching up with the authorities.

Other such conservatories are being planned

by NDMC in gardens like the Nehru Park.

Delhi-based Maulana Azad Medical College (MAMC) too proposes a similar conservatory while IIIT- Gwalior has already set up one with an aim to create awareness about eco-system among its management students, says Borker.

According to some estimates, there are about 20,000 butterfly species worldwide of which 1,501 are in India.

sors and systems used for physical security.

This will be the first time that security forces in the country would be trained in ensuring safety of nuclear installations and material.

The objective of the School of Advanced Nuclear Energy Systems Studies would be to pursue design studies and analysis of advanced nuclear energy systems with features to achieve intrinsically enhanced safety, security, proliferation resistance

and sustainability.

The programme modules will encompass reactor systems and applications, fuel cycle studies, accelerator driven systems, risk assessment studies, emergency planning and management and sustainability parameters assessment.

At the School of Radiological Safety Studies, research and development would be carried out in radiation monitoring including development of detectors and systems.

appointMents

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OHERALDO

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O HERALD O

Aren’t We All Racists?

Vol No CX No: 114 Goa, Monday 3 May, 2010

From pop to yoga

P

op stars and Yoga gurus have their own formula. About a fortnight ago, Goa’s most popular entertainer for over a generation, architect Remo Fernandes suggested at Margao that Goa’s politicians need to be “dumped” if the State is to be saved. Speaking at a news conference in Panjim, Yoga guru Baba Ramdev went further. He sought the death penalty for the corrupt.

Every one, even politicians and officials, will agree that corruption is perhaps India’s (and, by extension, Goa’s) most severe problem of our times. By the very leakages it causes, it emasculates development, squeezes the poor, and distorts our priorities big-time. In addition, it demoralises the honest, and warps our political process, besides effectively bringing the worst to the top.

But is the Remo and Ramdev approach right? Our controversial politicians (most of the ‘winners’) and officialdom (there are some honest officials, but it becomes tough to survive) are not born bereft of the honesty gene. We need to ask ourselves what makes them turn out that way, and, more importantly, whether we too would behave like them if we occupied their very place.

Something is drastically wrong with a system that places profit before people, corruption ahead of crusades, and prefers dishonesty to do-goodism. In part, the lack of inner-party democracy in most of our political institutions is also to blame. So is the belief that we can take on a legal and other infrastructure built with a colonial intent, and run a democracy with it.

Recent times have seen attempts to clean-up the system.

Right to Information Acts are a clear recognition that things have gone too far, and governance needs to be both accountable and kept in check. Both Goa, since 1997, and entire India, since 2005, have had such laws. But in Goa’s case itself, we have seen how the law was short-circuited over time, regardless of which party ruled Goa, Congress or BJP. Much more needs to be done on this front. A laid-back citizenry, a scheming officialdom and interfering politicians is not a good-enough combination, and can together distort the functioning of the best of such laws.

Besides keeping governance transparent, what is needed is for politicians to be accountable for every decision they take, or even influence. The ‘oral orders’ syndrome needs to be checked.

Rather than just changing the faces—or the necks (if the take the “hang them” suggestion seriously) -- of those involved in corruption, what we really need is systemic changes that work for the citizen. In Goa’s case, merely asking for ‘special status’ is not enough. We need to first decide what is needed—perhaps development that benefits the citizen, and doesn’t harm the ecology—and then find the ways of reaching there.

Labour dignity

O

ne unusual message that came up on Labour Day weekend this year was by way of an advertisement in the local media. It read: “Let’s strive to work together with a healthy respect for all kinds of work.”

Indeed. Many of Goa’s woes stem from the shyness, or reluctance, to take on “demeaning” work. Some kind of work is seen to be “below the dignity”, specially to us Goans; the “dirtywork” is best left to the migrant poor.

Strangely, when the out-migration virus gets into us, we are willing to take on any kind of job overseas. Is it because nobody knows us there, and our misplaced sense of “shame” vanishes?

Or is it because the payment levels are simply better?

Talking about which, it would certainly help if work which was seen as traditionally “demeaning” drew better payment rates. Secondly, jobs which call for a lot of physical labour could be made less demanding on the worker; if we complain of an acute lack of coconut-pluckers these days, why hasn’t our society been investing more in say equipment that makes climbing the tree easier and safer? Lastly, we need a change in mental attitudes; no more are we living in semi-feudal times, where certain jobs were pushed onto the weaker sections; to ensure that “low” caste and poor-paying work doesn’t go hand in hand, skills upgradation and wider access to education is a must.

Heritage site S. Kamat, Alto-Betim On the issue of the use of the old GMC building the government. should make public the report of the committee headed

by Vishnu Wagh so that Goa knows what was proposed. There is no question of handing anything over to the Delhi based real estate company, Fargo, which under one pretext or ploy will try to get possession of this heritage property. The old lease agreement signed with Fargo should be forthwith cancelled so that they as a matter of right, cannot keep coming back with alternative proposals like now where it is learnt that they are proposing to start a film school having no background in this activity and/or no proper affiliation to any well known school in this discipline. In fact the film school idea is not bad since it is consistent with making Goa a film and film festival centre and the Govt. of Goa should pursue it by asking FTII, Pune whether they could start a centre in Goa. There are other options like giving it to Anupam Kher, the well known actor, who runs a reputed school for acting in Mumbai

T

Every country of the world is racist in various ways, asserts CAETANO DE ABREU

here has been going a huge hullabaloo regarding the racial discrimination suffered by the Indian student pursuing their further studies in far away Australia when I presume that our colleges or universities are as good as any, if not, better. No matter, it is the opinion of the seeker and not the provider, for the maximum we can do is, watch the spectacle sitting on the fence and be carefree about the whole episode.

However, it is to be stressed that we can never remain in silence and be a lamb for the slaughter as the media is wrecking our brains. So to prove that our students are right and the Aussies wrong - whichever may be the way, no question asked and none given.

It is to be recalled that the biggest discriminators in the entire world are we, as from our ancestors came the repulsive Caste System which alienated families against each other with our women facing the brunt with no given dignity, self respect, nor emancipation, but just to be a servant and the object of carnal desire, towards procreation - which is undesirable.

About the Aussie mania, I did question some Goan friends, happily ensconced in that Outback milieu, if there were any discriminatory alienation about being present there, to which they replied in the absolute negative, and they elaborated further that it is just a question of adapting to the given environment and not to impose your culture upon others, a view that I totally agreed with as I am facing the same problems here in Goa to which I will refer to later.

It is to be recalled that a few years back there were discrepancies going between the Lebanese and the Indians who as usual were adamant to give way to their territorial ambit which belonged to the Lebanese and the Press in India termed it as racial discrimination without even checking the root cause towards that said disenchantment.

With regards to the latest imbroglio, is the murder episode of one Ranjodh Singh where three Indians are arrested, which makes one ask where does the ugly facet of racism come in ? And where are the institutes of education advertised in India but with no edifices therein? How can Oz be qualified as a racist nation when the gullible is taken for a ride?

I am not saying that Australia or for that matter any western country is not racist, as the inhabitants are more scared of losing their employment opportunities in the wake of influx

View from my panvddo from outside which is lamentable. Every Indian should know first that he is not migrating but merely pursuing further education which he might feel is not available in India. So, the dream of establishing himself in some distant shores is merely foolishness.

It is to be emphasized that Australia does not hate Indians, unlike what Bal Thackeray may presume, if there is any anger it is to do with absolute majority (barring a few) who are there not only to learn and take their educated skills back home, but to get an endorsement on their permanent residency. I am aware that that Indians go to exams with cheat sheets. I am aware that students apply to the universities with forged certificates.

I am aware that Indian students venture with supposed qualifications of competency when in actuality they are incompetent. I am aware that most of the Indian students do not know how to behave nor speak or write decent English, which to sum up is absolute beat-up and complete misinterpretation of the actual story about the incidents in Australia which I as the fence-sitter have

Life Lines

Trick or Treat

D

uring Halloween, children knock on people’s doors and spring ‘Trick or Treat’, where they casually threaten to trick the homeowner if they don’t get a treat. It’s a secular celebration observed by people in America.

We celebrate Trick or Treat in India too. Rajesh is an ambitious boss. His team subordinate Varun is nervous about the M.S.C exams he has applied leave for. Rajesh realizes he’s falling second place in the monthly stats. He has three days for the month-end, to make a difference. Varun doesn’t know what hit him. Rajesh calls him the next day letting him know he has to turn up for work or lose his job. He will also hold back his final settlement. Varun is stressed as he juggles writing his exam along with going to work soon after. Rajesh got 100per cent attendance and stood first that month.

Sunita always informs her dad about whom she’s meeting. Even though he is disapproving of one of her male friends, she tells him the truth. But lately he has gotten aggressive in his dislike for her friend. Sunita finds emotional blackmail off-putting.

and ask him if he is interested in opening a branch in Goa. With Fargo, the film school will only be a front and the premises will revert to their original proposal of a hiend shopping complex and the government Goa will be watching while the premises are misused

Waste of funds Soter D’Souza, Socorro The panchayat minister’s case about insufficient funds to Panchayats in Goa (Herald, April 25) seems unreasonable considering extravagance in expenditures by these local bodies that have no proper annual development plans in place.

Taking the case of Socorro Village Panchayat itelf, the Gram Sabha was shocked to learn last week that the existing building of the village panchayat built as lately as 1970 is being demolished to make way for a Rs 2 crore project of the Goa Infrastructure Development Corporation with provisions for 20 shops besides an office and community hall. This wastage of public money takes place when several village panchayats in the State do not have a de-

Smile with Smitha Smitha Bhandare Kamat

come to rationalize.

As we all know the Indians carry their Indianness up their sleeves and not ingrained into their hearts and think nothing but greatness about themselves which is pitiful as can be seen with their Cricket matches which they deem to be the supreme in the world, least realizing that Cricket is held only among nine nations, which is paradoxically nothing when there are 196 nations vying for Soccer supremacy, but yet we feel that we are the Invincible and there is nothing above us be in Sports, business, education, science, technology, agriculture, etc., never realizing that other countries have by far bested us in all of the mentioned spheres and more.

Our greatest drawback is the usage of Hindi wherever we go, being least concerned that others do not know the language nor are they even aware of the same, which is a point of contention in the semblance of acceptability. The other being the uncouthness where we feel that we being loud mouthed are superior beings and others, the riff-raff of the world. This is where the dis-

agreements follow and the term racism commences. Thus one cannot blame the westerners for being racists and chasing the Indians out of their environs, for their behaviour is least desirable and pathetic to say the least.

With my diatribe I am not discouraging anyone who are seeking greener pastures but the ethics is the key thus we should leave our Indianness way behind and mingle in an ambit where we are trying to make a living for posterity.

The Indian by nature and religion is a big bigot and with racism blatantly discerning in their grimace for which I am to underline a few of those characteristics. Like for instance take a look at the matrimonial column where request is made for fair and convent educated damsel, and yet we are the perpetrators of crimes against the Church. Take a look at the prevalent prostitution where white skinned foreigners are found cavorting with Indian men as if our Indian ladies are not worth a dime. Taking a gander about dark skinned tribal women who are literally raped and abused every day, what is their dignity in our hypocritical society, so aren’t we the racists too?

What about the misuse of our pristine environment for our personal gains, neglecting the denizens of that habitat. Does it not amount to racism? What about the racism unleashed by Shiv Sena on poor northerners and southerners due to whom the City of Bombay came to be known as the Commercial Capital of India? Does the Indore born Bal Thackery know that the Portuguese, somewhere in 17th century while on their way to conquer the fortress of Diu, came across seven uninhabited islands which they named as 800 Baia (good bay, which nasally sounded like Bombaim) and bestowed to King Charles II of England upon his marriage to the Princess Catarina and that King Charles leased to East India Company for a paltry amount of one Pound. Does Shiv Sena have any account of what the English did to bring Bombay to its present glory? All canards blabbed by the vote seekers in the name of Marathi Manoos, laced with large chunks of racism against their own fellow men.

Which brings me to the conclusion that racism is not inborn, unlike India, but inbred out of frustration and safety of their own. It is to be said if there is any country where racism thrives it is in India alone so we cannot blame the Aussies for this malignant tumour as we are the worst among the lot.

Veena has been asking her boss to discuss the promotion he had promised. Too much work, a meeting, a telephone conversation, physically tired, his list of excuses go on.

Manju is a happy person otherwise - her boyfriend Hari asks too many questions. “Are you sure he doesn’t like you romantically?

Are there no other colleagues he can discuss the problem at office with? Is your relationship with him legit?”

When Varun needs leave for vacation next time, he doesn’t hesitate to kill his dead grandmother a second time. Sunita misleads her dad by giving other friends’ names who will be present for the party, omitting the male friend’s name. Veena deceives her boss saying there’s important work needing his attention. When he arrives with a clear calendar for the day, she says it has gotten fixed. However, since he’s free now, maybe they can discuss her overdue promotion. The next time her colleague messages her in the company of Hari, Manju tells her boyfriend it was a promotional message.

The message is the same. Treat others well or get ready to

By D’lia Sera be tricked. Sometimes ‘tricks’ in the form of lies are necessary when you’re at the receiving end of unsympathetic behavior. A boss like Rajesh doesn’t mind taking advantage of his position or his subordinates. It is no skin off his back. Varun in turn has no compunction lying to a boss like that. Sunita’s dad has control issues. He believes he knows what’s right for his daughter.

With his experience, he probably would. But with her experience, she knows a thing or two too. Sometimes a parent has to know when their child has become an adult and give them the right to make their own decisions, including choosing their friends.

Veena’s boss is an opportunist. If he wants the work done, he doesn’t mind slathering on the butter and giving her false leads.

Whether he can not or will not, his vacillation isn’t admirable.

Veena ensures her scheming is bigger than his opportunist mind. Hari’s insecure, accusing and generally distrustful nature makes Manju protective of her sentiments. She provides a guard for herself by putting up a wall between her feelings and his criticism.

Letters to the Editor Letter of the Day

Wake up! Save Goa Dr. Nandini Vaz Fernandes, Margao Imagine you have a one bedroom flat and you keep on loading it with possessions, keep on adding members…What will be the possible outcome?..Yes ‘there will be disorder, commotion and mess in other words utter ‘chaos’. This is going to be the future of this tiny beautiful state.

Have a look at the pace at which the greenery of the green Goa is being destroyed by the real estate businessmen. Are these huge concrete jungles of residential complexes essential? And for whom? Can Goa sustain influx of heavy pocketed people from other states? How is the government going to cater to the needs of water supply and electricity to this ever-increasing population?

Every state has its own policies for development and to protect the interest of the people. How can the government turn a blind eye to the destructive effects of population explosion and allow Goa to be victim of population explosion due to influx of rich non-Goan immigrants? How do these people get highly paid jobs in Goan Industries? The non-Goans have outnumbered the Goans. The identity of Goa and Goans is at stake.

The prices of land in Goa have gone way beyond the reach of the Goans because every Tom Dick and Harry is entering into the business of real estate to sell Goa to non-Goans with black money. What is the government doing about this? Goa is not a destination for employment like the metropolitan . It is basically a tourist destination and therefore the government should do all it can to save the natural environment of Goa. cent office and community hall and Gram Sabha meetings have to be convened outdoor under a tree or pandal. A Gram Sabha resolution was slipped into the minutes somewhere in the year 2006 without it being on the agenda of the meeting. Thereafter, protests from the people were forwarded to the concerned department but there has been no action probably because it enjoys the blessings of the local MLA. The existing panchayat hall was built at a cost of just 45,000 rupees and was the first indoor badminton court in Goa which has been host to several State level badminton, table tennis and chess tournaments even in the monsoon season. That was the foresight of the then sarpanch and the panchayat Body. All that is now required is a few lakhs of rupees to replace the roof, construct one or two rooms and other maintenance. But instead, we have two crores of rupees being wasted and which could have been used to build infrastructure for some needy village.

Too susegad Arwin Mesquita, UAE Recent reports on the Vaddem lake contamination beg the question; why are the people acting only now? Forget about the short sighted, incompetent ruling politicians that we have elected. Surely the people of Vaddem should have seen this coming a long time back with the gross illegalities and corruption, facilitating the destruction/contamination of the area. It draws similarity with my village Colva, where contamination today has reached serious levels; a few spirited local activists were warning of this years back and fighting unnecessary developments that were threatening (destroying) the village but most of villagers of Colva were too susegad to act or in-compliance with the destruction of the village; and as for the non resident Goans, barring a few giving back to Colva, most of the Colva residents abroad were too busy having their social events, dances, football matches, entertaining MLA’s, flaunt-

ing their wealth etc!! Do we act only when it is too late or when the problem reaches our own door step?

Irresponsible EDC Stephen Dias, Dona Paula The ongoing work of revamping the Patto Plaza area which was earlier tendered to Kanaka Infratech Ltd., and was directed to start work by October 1, 2009 at the cost of Rs.9.20 crores to be completed by May 2010 before the onset of monsoon, has failed to materialise and as such the work of re-tendering by the Economic Development Corporation has begun. It is interesting to note that the EDC has only realized now, after a period of six months, that their work was proceeding at a very slow rate.

Now, the new tender will be floated soon and the work will be awarded to two companies instead of one, and the completion date will be by May 2011. It appears that the EDC did not take the interest to monitor the assigned tender work given to Kanaka Infratech and now, what is the guarantee the same situation will not arise again. The irresponsibility on the part of EDC, shows that they are taking Goans for granted for this kind of behavior.

It would be wise that this kind of high cost tender, should be well debated by the renowned architects of Goa, before the retendering process begins.

Wearing gold Adelmo Fernandes, Vasco It is understood that as a fall out of the theft at Hospicio Hospital by a person dressed in a doctor’s gown, the doctors in future would ask the patients not to wear gold ornaments, including mangalsutra, if they were admitted in the hospital .

It must be said that for a Hindu lady a mangalsutra is not just another gold ornament which ladies wear. A mangalsutra is supposed to be a sacred ornament which unites the woman to her husband. This is also true for a Catholic woman who wears a wedding ring. For a woman who is terminally ill these ornaments hold much more significance. So is it right for the doctors to tell female patients who are admitted in the hospital not to wear these two gold ornaments?

Paths of Wisdom

Delusion

by Narada Maha Thera “A man was forcing his way through a thick forest beset with thorns and stones. Suddenly to his t consternation, an elephant appeared and gave chase. He took to his heels through fear, and seeing a well, he ran to hide in it. But to his horror he saw a viper at the bottom of the well. However, lacking other means of escape, he jumped into that well, and clung to a thorny creeper that was growing in it.

Looking up, he saw two mice—a white one and a black one-gnawing at the creeper. Over his face there was a beehive from which occasional drops of honey trickled.

This man, foolishly unmindful of this precarious position, was greedily tasting the honey. A kind person volunteered to show him a path of escape. But the greedy man begged to be excused till he had enjoyed himself.

The thorny path is Samsara, the ocean of life. Man’s life is not a bed of roses. It is beset with difficulties and obstacles to overcome, with opposition and unjust criticism, with attacks and insults to be borne. Such is the thorny path of life.

The elephant here resembles death; the viper, old age; the creeper, birth; the two mice, night and day. The drop of honey corresponds to the fleeting sensual pleasures. The man represents the so-called being. The kind person represents the Buddha.

The temporary material happiness is merely the gratification of some desire.

When the desired thing is gained, another desire arises. Insatiate are all desires.

‘Sorrow is essential to life, and cannot be evaded.

Nirvana, being non-conditioned, is [quiescent].’”

(From Thus Have I Heard, edited by Minh Thanh and P.D. Leigh.)

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GOA, MONDAY, 3 MAY, 2010

Opinionated Canada warns of The farce of inquiry commissions

BY JOHN ERIC GOMES

1. Subash Chandra Bose was last seen boarding a Tokyo bound aircraft in Bangkok on August 18, 1948. Many believed he was still alive and some, that his ashes were kept in Renkoji temple in Japan. In 1955, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru constituted an Inquiry Committee headed by INA associate Major-General Shah Nawaz Khan, including Bose’s brother Suresh Chandra Bose. The Committee reportedly consumed over one crore and submitted the report in June 1956, which Suresh refused to sign! In 1970, Indira Gandhi appointed another committee headed by retired Supreme Court judge G D Khosla. This cost several crores of rupees, and found nothing new. Its report confirmed that Bose died in a plane crash and the Shah Nawaz Committee was reliable. However Moraji Desai rejected this report, and two decades later Vajpayee set up another Commission headed by another retired Supreme Court Judge Manoj Mukerjee in May 1999 which tabled a report in August 1945 stating that no accident took place as per the previous reports, so Netaji did not die in a plane crash, and rubbished media reports that a hermit Gumnami Baba who lived till 1985 in Faziabad was Bose. The UPA government rejected this report and public interest litigation has been filed in the Kolkata High Court against rejection of the report. Will this die down or will there be yet another commission on Bose?

2. Ayodhya Babri Masjid Demolition on December 6, 1992Exactly 10 days after, the mother of all inquires started with the appointment of retired Supreme Court Justice M S Liberhan to head the Commission, with a deadline of three months!.. After 399 sittings which took 17 years, including 48 extensions and expenditure of Rs eight crores, the report with ATR was finally tabled in Parliament by Home Minister Chidambaram on 22nd December 2009, which held 68 people guilty including L K Advani, Uma Bharati, Kalyan Singh, besides organizations like RSS, VHP and Bajrang Dal. The surprise was inclusion of Atal Bihari Vajpayee without having been called once as witness. The report was rubbished by the BJP, and from all accounts, it appears the government is not keen to act on it! What good did this report do to punish the culprits and bring those indicted to justice?

3. The 1984 anti Sikh riots after the assassination of Indira Gandhi saw the appointment of the Justice C K Thakker probe, which after expenditure of Rs 21 lakhs gave its report which was tabled in Parliament in1989. It indicted R K Dhawan, Indira’s right hand man. The government not only ignored it, but Dhawan was made Congress general secretary and also sent to the Rajya Sabha! The G T Nanavati Commission was thereafter appointed by the NDA government in May 2002. After more than six years and 13 extensions, the report submitted in 2005 to the ruling Congress government was buried, for it indicted people like Jadgish Tytler, HKL Bhagat, Sajjan Kumar MP and Delhi Police Commissioner S C Tandon. The CBI has said it has no evidence to prosecute Tytler and the case has recently been closed!

4. Another one man commission headed by Justice U C Bannerjee was appointed in January 2005 by the then Railway Minister Lalu Prasad to investigate the Godhra train burning incident of 22 February 2002, which already had the Nanavati Shah Commission giving Chief Minister Modi a clean chit. The Gujarat High Court ruled this Commission as illegal. There appears to have been a lot of manipulation in the Gujarat riots case, with witnesses turning hostile, so Supreme Court transferred investigations out of Gujarat. When Congress mentions the absence of justice in the Gujarat riots; the BJP vociferously drowns it by bringing up the anti-Sikh riots. It appears one justifies the other for inaction.

5. I recall just a few more such Commissions. The Justice S N Pukan Commission appointed by the Vajpayee government regarding corruption in defence deals which report was rejected by the Congress government because it gave George Fernandes a clean chit; the Justice Amir Das Commission set up by the Rabri Devi government in 1997 regarding the massacre of 58 Dalits by the Ranvir Sena with nexus with politicians which was dissolved by the NDA government, and the Justice Milap Jain Commission to inquire into the Rajiv Gandhi assassination which after 7years and an expenditure of Rs 2.8 crores which was politicized and led nowhere!

Conclusion- From the above, it is apparent that Inquiry Committees are a fraud on the people of India. They are generally used as a tool to contain public anger and are wound up/buried after enormous expenditure once that purpose is achieved. It is also alleged that Inquiry Commissions delay reports to exploits the perks and privileges members get. The Liberhan Commission spent more than a crore just on perks and allowances! The Commissions of Inquiry Act 1952 needs drastic revision. The basics should be a) Strict deadlines, no extensions (only in very exceptional circumstances) .b) Ceilings on expenditures laid down under various heads c) Apolitical body to select members d) One man Commissions should be the exception rather than the rule e) Report to be mandatory and transparently acted upon under due process of law, no matter which party in power.

Incidentally the rot starts in elections and the type of members that comprise the political parties. Discussions cannot/are not generally controlled by the Speaker, and hooliganism, opportunism, blackmails and corruption seems to be the norm (as is increasingly seen in Parliament) rather than the exception. Where is our Democracy heading?

‘imminent’ terror threat in Delhi PTI TORONTO, MAY 2

Canada has joined US and Australia in warning their citizens who may be travelling to India about a threat of an imminent terrorist attack in the capital New Delhi.

In an email circulated yesterday to registered Canadians living in India, the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade said, “while there is a continuing threat of terrorist attacks throughout India at all times, credible and specific reporting indicates that a terrorist attack could be carried in the following days or weeks, in market areas of Delhi frequented by foreigners.”

The travel advisory was the third sent out in recent days and warns travellers to avoid New Delhi’s popular Chandni Chowk area in Old Delhi.

“We advise to exercise a high degree of caution, to monitor your surroundings and to minimise your presence in market areas of the city,” the advisory said.

New Delhi has been relatively safe over the past year and a half.

The advisory also comes as India and Pakistan attempt to normalise diplomatic ties. This week both the south Asian neighbours agreed to schedule meetings between foreign ministers.

“Canadians are urged to ex-

ercise a high degree of caution, monitor their surroundings and minimise their presence in market areas of the city,” the Department of Foreign Affairs notice said.

The notice does not say what information led officials to issue the warning. However, it does point out that there have been a number of recent attacks in crowded markets and other areas, including a bombing outside a cricket stadium in Bangalore in April, and a February bombing at a bakery in Pune that killed nine people and injured dozens of others.

The Department of Foreign Affairs says Canadians should expect delays at all major airports in India as authorities boost security measures.

The notice also urges Canadians planning to travel to the Commonwealth Games in New Delhi this October to register with the department so they can be contacted and assisted in case of an emergency.

After Canada and US issued their warnings, the Australian government also issued a statement to its citizens urging that they exercise a “high degree of caution” if they are travelling in India.

The statement also cites an alert issued by the Indian government on April 29 that warned that terrorist attacks are “likely” in Kolkata, including at the local airport.

A boy cools himself in the waters of the Tawi River on a hot day in Jammu on Sunday. India’s monsoon rainfall is likely to be 98 percent of the long-term average, the weather office said last month.

4 die in mishap PTI NEW DELHI, MAY 2

Four young men from a family were killed while another was injured when their car rammed into a divider and overturned in south Delhi early today, police said today.

The accident took place near Ansal Plaza shopping complex in South Ex at around 12:30 am. All of them are relatives and in their twenties.

The deceased were identified as Sarabjit Singh (23), Amarjit Singh (30), Taranjit Singh (26) and Gurlin Singh (24). Taranjit Singh was a resident of Jalandhar while others belonged to Gautam Nagar.

Political crisis in Jharkhand affects developmental works PTI RANCHI, MAY 2

It has been five days since Jharkhand plunging into yet another round of political crisis which has affected developmental works in the state.

The trouble started soon after Chief Minister Shibu Soren on April 27 voted for the UPA government on a cut motion in Parliament and the subsequent change in stance by both the BJP and the JMM many times.

“It is natural things don’t move under such circumstances,” said a senior IAS officer when asked whether reports of Health Minister Baijnath Ram’s order had been ‘put on hold’ by a bureaucrat following the confused political situation.

For Jharkhand, political crisis is not new. It was carved out of Bihar on November 15, 2000 after years of demand by various political parties that development in small states could be

faster.

Nine-and-a-half years into the statehood, Jharkhand has had seven chief ministers and as many governors.

“Frequent political instability affects development works totally.

And instability in Jharkhand is phenomenal right from its creation for which the state is suffering from utter depression and has not travelled much,” opined ex-Jharkhand DGP R R Prasad.

“Political instability not only affects developoment work but each time a compromise comes up, corruption increases.

Bureaucrats stop work, files get buried and bureaucrats are not accountable for that because of political instability. And this kind of situations have happened several times in over nine years,” said Ramesh Sharan, an Economic Professor with the Ranchi University here.

“I think one more election should be held for the sake of

stability,” he added.

The Jharkhand Small Industry Association Secretary, Yogendra Kumar Ojha, felt “that constant change in policies by back-toback governments have affected industries, particularly the small ones.”

“Because bureaucrats don’t move files...and we are now not getting coal. Implementation of development policies stops once a crisis crop up,” he claimed.

The 74-year-old editor of a Hindi Daily, Balbir Dutt, having five decades of experience in journalism, said “the administration becomes inactive once political instability takes place, and Jharkhand has been in the instability-mode seven times in nine years.

“Not only it has seen seven CMs but also seven governors.

Technically there is CM now, but virtually there is no CM, making policy implementation difficult,” he added.

DU’s Cobalt mess-up among 16 cases in 10 years PTI NEW DELHI, MAY 2

Delhi University’s auctioning of a gamma irradiator containing Cobalt-60 without following procedures is the latest among 16 cases of radioactive material being stolen, lost or misplaced in the country in the past ten years.

The Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB), the apex radiation safety regulator of the country, said it has initiated investigation into at least 16 such incidents between 2000 and 2009.

One of the cases in 2004 was similar to that of the DU. An institution, name of which was not revealed by AERB, sold an “unused instrument with Cobalt60” to a scrap dealer, who cut open the device leading to contamination of the premises.

It was not mentioned whether anyone was injured in that incident.

According to the regulator, there have been only three recoveries, while the lost radioactive material in other incidents are yet to be traced.

In one of the cases, an employee with a Chennai-based company (Wens Quality Assurance Pvt Ltd) stole a radioactive source and threw it out in January 2009.

Fortunately, the source was recovered and taken back into safe custody and the company was issued a show-cause notice for the violations of AERB norms.

In August 2009, an industrial radiography device of a company reportedly fell from a vehicle during transportation from Pune to Mumbai by road at Pimpri. However, it was found intact

For expansion of the Army Air Defence College located in the vicinity, more than 1050 families of Nua Golabandh village in Orissa’s Ganjam district would be shifted to the nearby Kirtipur soon.

Although the village land was acquired by the Army college over two decades ago, located at Golabandha, about 20 km from here, the fishermen community dominated villagers had refused to vacate their land demanding rehabilitation in the vicinity of the sea.

“After searching along the coastline, we have identified a patch of 30 acres of land near Kirtipur, about 3 km away from Nua Golabandh to shift the villagers,” Ganjam district collector V K Pandian said.

“We have also agreed to shift to the new base because the identified land is less than one km from the sea,” said gram panchayat sarpanch Prafulla Kumar Behera.

Altogether 1074 families will be shifted to the new site.

“We are keen to shift to the

new site as the Army has imposed several restrictions on us like construction of new pucca building, fishing in sea during the testing period and collection of fuel woods,” Behera said.

Several dignitaries including the state’s Panchayati Raj Minister Prafulla Samal, local MLA Pradeep Kumar Panigrahi, district collector and village representatives visited the new site over the weekend.

The minister has assured the villagers that all necessary help would be extended to develop a new model village to rehabilitate them, said local MLA. The collector said the new village with all infrastructure facilities would be developed to rehabilitate the displaced families.

While the houses will be constructed through different schemes including the Indira Awas Yojana (IAY), Mo Kudia Yojana and the housing scheme for the poor fishermen families, other infrastructure facilities would be developed by the state government as well as the Army AD College, he said.

and thrown it into the Vashi Creek. Search operations with the help of the Navy were carried out, but the source could not be located.

In 2004, AERB officials recovered an industrial radiography exposure device from a scrap dealer. It was stolen from the pit room of one of the radiography institute.

The same year, an incident similar to the latest case of Delhi University, has also been reported.

Without naming the city or the institution, AERB in its 2004 annual report has mentioned that an institution had sold an “unused instrument with Cobalt60” to a scrap dealer, who cut open the device leading to contamination of his premises.

However, AERB did not mention whether anyone was injured in that incident.

“The incident occurred mainly because the user institute failed in monitoring the safe storage and security arrangement provided to nucleonic device awaiting for safe disposal,” the report says.

In 2003, three-level gauges containing Cobalt-60 radioactive sources were stolen from the R&D Department of TISCO, Jamshedpur. Police investigations found that those were sold to a scrap dealer in Delhi, but could not be found.

Similarly, between 2000 and 2002, there have been at least three such incidents of loss, theft or misplacement of radioactive sources by institutions.

Besides, there were several instances of non-compliance by institutions with regulatory requirements during transport of such material.

Of bench and the bar!

PTI NEW DELHI, MAY 2

Orissa villagers to be shifted for expansion of Army college PTI BERHAMPUR, MAY 2

from a village the next day.

In September 2008, a technician about to board a train at Hazrat Nizamuddin railway station here lost his suitcase containing an Industrial Gamma Radiography Exposure Device (IGRED). Despite extensive search by officials from AERB, the device could not be traced.

A “50 Ci Ir-192” industrial radiography source contained in Gammarid Radiography camera was stolen from the storage pit at Indo Gulf Fertiliser Ltd (IGFL) site in Jagadishpur, Uttar Pradesh in April 2007. Another such incident was reported by an institution in Jamshedpur three months later.

The sources in both the cases “could not be recovered despite extensive searches using highsensitivity radiation survey instruments”, says the AERB. In 2006, in another city, a trainee radiographer and his assistant forgot a fairly high activity IGRED device inside an autorickshaw while carrying it from its storage facility. This has also not been traced yet.

Another IGRED model Techops-660 was reported stolen by a radiography agency the same year and has not been recovered yet. However, no radiation injury has been reported.

In 2005, two instances of radioactive source theft were recorded. In May, two Ir-192 sources of moderate activity were stolen from an industrial unit and there is no trace of it, while an industrial radiography agency in Navi Mumbai reported that a fairly strong Ir-192 source was stolen in August.

Investigations revealed that a person working for another agency had stolen the source

Youngsters selected for the Lucknow brand week 2010, pose for a photograph in Lucknow on Sunday.

Amar Singh to act in Malayalam film PTI KOCHI, MAY 2

Former General Secretary of Samajwadi Party Amar Singh will be essaying the role of a Hindustani Classical singer in Malayalam film ‘Bombay Mittai’, which would also feature noted actress Dimple Kapadia.

The film, which began its shooting today, also has actor dancer, Neelambari

Perumal, daughter of Sri Lankan Tamil leader and former chief of the North East Provincial council of the country Vardaraja Perumal.

Talking to reporters here, Singh said he was not “living in fool’s paradise” to compare himself with Bollywood superstars Amitabh Bachchan or Shahrukh Khan.

“I know my limitations. I don’t want to

live in a fool’s paradise. Everyone has their niche and forte. They cannot become Amar Singh,” he said.

Singh said he was excited to act along with Dimple, who essays the role of his wife. When he was young he would not miss out any movie of the actress and preferred to watch her films rather than attend law lectures, he said.

A monkey dressed as a judge wearing white bands with one eye bandaged and the other kept open; foxes and wolves wearing white bands worn by judges and advocates. This is not some cartoon in a journal trying to lampoon the judicial system but a carving on one of the pillars of an iconic building in Mumbai - Bombay High Court.

Legend is that this was not the original drawing board but the work of a disgruntled Parsee contractor who felt that he was not duly paid by the main English contractor who built the building way back in 1879, says Vikaji Taraporevala, a senior advocate and writer in the book ‘Tales From The Bench & The Bar’.

“There is a general misimpression that the atmosphere in courts - where parties are engaged in forensic battles – is stern and forbidding and that court proceedings are dull and monotonous” says noted legal luminary Soli Sorabjee in foreword to the book.

“This erroneous impression is thoroughly dispelled by Taraporevala’s book,” Sorabjee says.

Although most of the incidents in the book relate to the Bombay High Court and the great advocates who practised in that High Court the range of book extends to other high courts in India as also lawyers and courts in the UK. Taraporevala also tells you that on the ground floor of the small causes court in Mumbai, there is a plaque on one of the walls which records the fact that the father of the nation Mahatma Gandhi made his debut as a lawyer in this court in 1891.

The author says it is not only politicians and business tycoons are interested in cricket. He re-

calls how Justice Tendolkar of the Bombay High Court had such an enthusiastic interest in cricket that during important matches he would call for his stenographer to attend his court even when he (the stenographer) was not required for dictation of judgements. The judge would tell him to get the latest score.

The stenographer then would go looking for someone with a portable radio and rush back to the court to keep Justice Tendolkar updated.

Not only this, with a big and exciting cricket match going on at the Bombay Gymkhana, Justice Sir Sajba Rangnekar called lawyers from both sides of a case to his chamber. They were told to cooperate with him in such a way as to enable him and them to see a crucial day’s play at the Bombay Gymkhana!

How about a poetry loving judge asking the lawyer to seek adjournment in the form of a poem? Justice Mangaldas Desai once told lawyer Mahashivprasad Dadhich that he would give adjournment provided the lawyer kept his reputation as a poet attorney and make an application in the form of a poem.

Prompt came the poem - “If the proposed date, be my happy fate, Why Lordship’s order be so late?” The adjournment was granted!

Reggie Mathelone, a judge, once let off a young offender with a light fine. Soon after the order, the constable brought the offender back to the court telling the judge the offender was abusing him. What is he saying, the judge asked? “He is saying you are a donkey,” the constable replied. “Let him go,” the judge said, adding “he may be right.”

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Medvedev orders thorough probe into prison death UNI MOSCOW, MAY 2

Russian President Dimitr y Medvedev has ordered a thorough investigation into the death of Vera Trifonova, Director of a real estate company, who died of acute heart failure in a pre-trial detention centre on April 30, the Kremlin's press service said.

Trifonova, a 53-year-old resident of Khimki near Moscow, had been in pre-trial detention since December on fraud charges. It was reported that she had diabetes and chronic kidney failure.

Medvedev asked Investigative Committee Chairman Alexander Bastrikin to submit all information about the incident and submit proposals on how the guilty should be punished if it proves to be fault of the investigating authorities.

Sergei Magnitsky, a lawyer at hedge fund Hermitage Capital had also died in the same prison while awaiting trial on tax evasion charges.

The Russian Prosecutor General's office said he died of a heart attack but his supporters allege that Magnitsky was denied access to medical treatment.

MORE OBITUARIES ON PAGE 11

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Maoists-enforced general strike paralyses life in Nepal PTI KATHMANDU, MAY 2

Amid deepening political crisis, thousands of Maoist cadres today took to the streets as part of an indefinite nationwide general strike aimed at toppling the multi-party government after Premier Madhav Kumar Nepal re f u s e d t o h e e d t o t h e i r supremo Prachanda's demand to quit.

The shutdown was launched by the former rebels a day after Prachanda, addressing a grand 'May Day' rally of the Unified CPN-Maoists, declared they would go for an indefinite strike if the 22-party coalition government headed by Premier Nepal was not dissolved to pave the way for a new dispensation led by his party.

Factories, markets, schools and colleges remained closed and vehicular movement halted as thousands of Maoist cadres demonstrated in different parts of the capital city, shouting antigovernment slogans since early this morning.

In a televised address last evening, Prime Minister Nepal refused to resign and appealed for dialogue, saying that an "all-party consensus is the only alternative that will pave the way forward".

"Shutting down the nation is not the way to find a solution

to this impasse," he said after t w o ro u n d s o f t a l k s w i t h Maoists, the single largest party in Parliament, on the issue of power-sharing failed.

Though the general strike was by and large peaceful in the capital, some sporadic incidents of violence occurred outside the Kathmandu valley.

Three Maoist cadres were injured and seven others arrested after a clash occurred between them and some locals in southern Nepal, police said. Minor clashes between Maoist cadres and locals in Chitawan district in southern Nepal were also reported.

The famous tourist city of Pokhara wore a deserted look as the general strike paralysed operations. Some people allegedly pelted stones at the Maoist demonstrators there, following which three private houses were vandalised.

In Birgunj, a southern Nepal town, an explosion was triggered allegedly by 'Akhil Terai Mukti Morcha', an armed Terai group, apparently in protest against the Maoists strike. However, no one was injured.

In Butawal, the Maoists allegedly vandalised two private offices and a shop for defying their strike, while a policeman was injured when the former rebels stoned a security vehicle

in Kanchanpur district of farwest Nepal.

The final examinations for students of 12th standard were also disrupted in various parts of the country due to the general strike, officials said.

During their massive rally yesterday, tens of thousands of Maoist cadres dressed in red shouted slogans like 'Topple the Puppet Government and Form Maoist-led National Government', 'Madhav Nepal Quit the Country', 'Protect National Independence', and 'Foil Conspiracy Hatched by Regressive Forces' Though the Maoists have 35 per cent seats as the single largest party in the 601-member Parliament, they have failed to garner support of other political groups to form a government again under their leadership.

Major political parties including Nepali Congress, Nepal Communist Party-Unified Marxist Leninist and Nepal Sadbhavana Party have asked the Maoists to turn their organisation into a civilian party, return properties seized by the former rebels, dissolve their para-military group called the Young Communist League (YCL), before they could consider supporting a government led by the Maoists.

Two rounds of talks held among three major parties, including the Nepali Congress (NC) and Maoists, failed to produce any outcome as the former rebels stuck to their one-point demand of dissolving the ruling coalition and forming a new government under their leadership, according to NC General Secretary Bimalendra Nidhi.

The strike today also paralysed normal life in Terai area bordering India and hilly districts as well, besides the capital city.

The government has deployed a large number of police and Armed Police Force personnel, stepping up security across the country.

Maoists have said they would allow movement of water tankers, vehicles containing dairy products, ambulances and press cars during their strike.

They would also allow markets to open between 6 pm and 8 pm to allow people to purchase essential goods.

The Maoists' strike, which comes despite Prime Minister Nepal's last minute call for them to withdraw it and assurance that all their demands will be addressed through peaceful dialogue, has threatened to jeopardise the four-year-old peace process in Nepal.

Sikh woman may have killed her 3 babies: police PTI TORONTO, MAY 2

People watch chukars fight, a traditional bazaar attraction, in Tajikistan's capital Dushanbe on Saturday. The price for a fighting chukar, or partridge, can reach $1000.

Explosions rock musical show in Lahore; 9 injured PTI LAHORE, MAY 2

Two low-intensity blasts occurred near a popular cafe here on Sunday, at a time when a musical performance was underway, injuring nine people including relatives of Justice (retired) Rana Bhagwandas.

"Two low-intensity devices went off outside a wall of the museum of Peeru's Cafe in Raiwind," Superintendent of Police Rana Mansoorul Haq said.

Faizan Peerzada, a director of the theatre group that operates the cafe, told PTI the two devices exploded within 20 minutes of each other.

Peeru's Cafe is part of the Rafi Peer theatre group's complex on Raiwind Road and the organisation's weekly 'qawwali' programme and a ghazal programme was underway at the time of the blasts.

SP Haq said the motive behind the blasts seemed to be to terrorise people attending such musical shows.

Former Supreme Court judge Rana Bhagwandas, who now heads the Federal Public Service Commission, was attending the musical performance with

member of his family.

He escaped unhurt but media reports said two of his relatives sustained minor injuries.

Peerzada said: "Thanks god, Justice Bhagwandas remained safe. It was a terror attack but we will not be terrorised".

Fire at US embassy in Pakistan PTI ISLAMABAD, MAY 2

A fire broke out in the main chancery building of the US embassy in the Pakistani capital today but there were no immediate reports of any c a s u a l t i e s , a s p o ke s m a n said.

"There was a small fire in the main chancery building," US embassy spokesman Richard Snel-

sire told the media.

The blaze had been extinguished and there was no act of terrorism linked to the incident, he said and ruled out any act of terrorism in the incident.

"We have no report of any injuries or any casualties. .. We don't have any reason to believe it was terrorist related," Snelsire said.

There was a fire on the first floor of the chancery, which is the main embassy building.

The extent of damage was not immediately clear.

The embassy, which is in the heavily guarded diplomatic enclave, was evacuated.

A 28-year-old depressed Sikh woman who was found dead along with her three infants in Calgary in October last year may have killed the babies herself, Canadian police have said.

Harsimrat Kahlon (alias Simmi Kahlon) was found dead in the home in October 2009. Family members subsequently found the bodies of three infants hidden in sealed plastic bags and suitcases around the basement unit she shared with her partner.

The mystery surrounding the four deaths were revealed on Thursday when police said the mother died of complications related to childbirth.

It was still unclear how the newborns died.

However, police said the case "has many of the characteristics of infanticide" due to the physical and psychological evidence they gathered.

Maoist activists shouting anti-government slogans arrive in the city center on a truck in Kathmandu on Sunday. The country came to standstill on the first day of an indefinite general strike called by the Maoists, bringing education centers, businesses, and markets to total closure and putting vehicles off the road.

Aid workers report heavy shooting in Darfur city

Abducted Afghan envoy pleads to save life in video footage

REUTERS KHARTOUM, MAY 2

Aid workers reported heavy gunfire in the capital of Sudan's North Darfur state El Fasher on Sunday, the scene of recent protests over a collapsed investment scheme.

The region's joint UN/African Union peacekeeping force said officers heard sporadic shooting in the main market, the same area where police used tear gas last week to break up a demonstration by investors who lost money in a failed p y r a m i d - s t y l e ' ' Po n z i ' ' scheme.

''The shooting is still going on ... It is heavy shooting,'' said one aid worker, speaking on condition of anonymity today morning.

''We don't know if it is police shooting, or civilians, or the Arab militias in town. They lost a lot of money and are very unhappy,'' said the aid worker, speaking to Reuters from their El Fasher compound by phone.

Darfur's UNAMID peacekeeping force released a statement saying it had advised staff to limit movements in the town.

PTI ISLAMABAD, MAY 2

The abductors of Aghanistan's ambassador-designate to Pakistan Abdul Khaliq Farahi, who was kidnapped in the northwestern city of Peshawar in 2008, on Sunday released a video in which he was shown pleading to authorities to accept the demands of his captors.

A hitherto unheard militant group, Kateeba Salahuddin Ayubi, issued the video in Waziristan tribal region and claimed responsibility for Farahi's kidnapping.

It was the first public statement by the envoy since he disappeared.

Farahi, 53, was abducted by armed men from the Hayatabad area of Peshawar. His driver was shot dead by the kidnappers.

The diplomat, who hails from Afghanistan's western Farah province, served as the Consul General in Quetta after the fall of the Taliban regime in Kabul.

In April 2002, he was appointed as Consul General in Peshawar and served in the position for six years. In August 2008, he was named as Afghanistan's ambassador to Pakistan.

He was kidnapped before he could present his credentials.

"I am Abdul Khaliq Farahi.

Thai PM talks tough, ‘red shirts’ refuse to give in REUTERS BANGKOK, MAY 2

Thailand's prime minister warned anti-government protesters today there was a risk of ''losses'' if they did not get out of a Bangkok shopping district they have closed for a month, but the protesters vowed to stay put. ''From now on, what the government will do may risk clashes and losses, but the government knows what it's doing. What needs to be done must be done,'' Abhisit Vejjajiva said in a weekly televised address. It was not clear what he meant by ''losses''.

Abhisit held a special cabinet meeting later today to discuss ways to end the stalemate.

Government spokesman Panitan Wattanayakorn said afterwards that Abhisit had come up with a plan to ease tensions, which would be clarified next week. In the meantime, the authorities would continue trying to persuade protesters to leave. ''The government will send text messages to protesters to tell them about the situation and is hoping they will return

home,'' Panitan told reporters.

But the red-shirted supporters of ousted premier Thaksin Shinawatra who are demanding early elections, said they were staying put, although they agreed to pull back a barrier around 200 metres to give cars access to a big hospital.

Asked by reporters if Abhisit had accepted that, Nattawut Saikua, a protest leader, said: ''That's Abhisit's problem. If he wants to do anything, we're prepared for that.''

Amid speculation martial law could be imposed to clear the protesters, who have forced ritzy shopping malls and luxury hotels to close, Abhisit appeared to rule that out, saying ''this instrument is not needed''.

Martial law would give troops more freedom to act to end the rally – for example, allowing detention without a court order for seven days. However, under a state of emergency declared in the capital on April 7, the security forces already have wideranging powers.

Some army commanders, including army chief Anupong Paochinda,

are reluctant to use force because of the inevitable bloodshed. On some evenings, tens of thousands of protesters gather in the occupied shopping district, women and children amongst them.

Anupong has called for a political solution, but hopes of a deal faded when British-born Abhisit rejected a red shirt proposal for an election in three months, saying he would not negotiate in the face of threats.

Yesterday, army spokesman Sansern Kaewkamnerd said the government had ordered police to retake the area around Chulalongkorn Hospital, near the Silom business district, to ensure public safety, using force if necessary.

The red shirt demonstrators caused outrage when about 200 of them barged into the hospital grounds on Thursday, looking for soldiers they thought were there preparing an attack.

Their leaders apologised and removed part of the barricade in the area to allow better access to the hospital. They moved the barricade back further today to let traffic flow to and from several hospital entrances.

China orders nationwide security to curb PTI BEIJING, MAY 2

China has asked its police forces nationwide to beef up security for lakhs of school children to protect them from attacks purportedly by mentally depressed people and ordered authorities to take stern action against the perpetrators of such crime.

Police forces were ordered to step up security of kindergartens and

schools after a spate of violent attacks against school children, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.

An emergency circular issued by the Ministry of Public Security also called for harsh punishments of criminals who attacked school kids in order to deter potential attackers.

It ordered all necessary measures be taken against attackers in accordance with the law to

stop a crime in progress.

The ministry instructed police to work with courts and prosecutors to handle such cases swiftly.

Police must also work with education authorities to comprehensively screen all campuses and their surrounding areas for security risks, it said.

Small hotels, Internet cafes and recreational sites adjacent to schools must be subject to inten-

sive security checks, the circular said.

It ordered stronger security patrols in and around school campuses at the beginning and the end of school days, and in schools situated in "risk-prone" communities. If necessary police posts should be set up to provide security, it said.

Schools were urged to tighten identity checks at entrances, hire secu-

rity guards, and install security alarms and closed circuit television cameras on campus.

The ministry asked police to closely monitor people who were inclined to threaten public security and to increase monitoring of dangerous items and materials, including knives.

Earlier, Vice Minister Education Hao Ping said a task force focused on beefing up security of the

Dear listeners, as you know, a year and six months ago mujahideen arrested me from Peshawar. For the past one year and six months, I have been spending my days and nights in very critical conditions," said Farahi, who has shown in the video wearing pants and a halfsleeve shirt.

"I appeal to my government and Afghan nation as well as the international community to make their last attempt and save my life. These people have accused me of working with misled and US representative government of Afghanistan and the punishment of this crime is death sentence," he said.

After Farahi recorded his statement, an armed militant standing behind him began recording his own statement in aggressive tone.

Besides highlighting the successes and achievements of mujahideen, the militant said it was blessing of Allah that they captured Farahi.

"This man Abdul Khaliq Farahi is an Afghan national. He is in o u r j a i l n o w. H e w a s Afghanistan's ambassador to Pakistan when he was captured by mujahideen. Pakistan too is a renegade country and is helping the US as a frontline state," the militant said.

Bombs kill 1, injure 100 in Iraq REUTERS MOSUL, Iraq, MAY 2

Two bombs killed one person and injured 100 others in northern Iraq today, police said, in what appeared to be an attack on the country's Christian minority.

A car bomb and a roadside bomb went off near buses carrying university students close to the turbulent and ethnically diverse city of Mosul, 390 km (240 miles) north of Baghdad.

The dead man was a Christian shop owner near the blast scene, police said.

FROM PAGE 1

Slow down, a speed gun is watching you Statistics for the corresponding period in 2009 reveal that 111 people died in road accidents. This year’s death rate is slightly less as compared to figures of the last year. The overall rate of accident of small State is comparatively high, nevertheless.

Traffic cells: Three new traffic cells as announced by Chief Minister Digambar Kamat some time back have become operational . New traffic cells had been announced for Ponda, Calangute and Curchorem.

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IVCA for one-rule consolidation PtI MUMBAI, MAY 1

The Indian Private Equity and Venture Capital Association (IVCA), has called for an 'onerule' consolidation of separate investment classes such as investment in listed and unlisted equity, derivatives and debt.

This should also be for the markets for Government bonds, corporate bonds and external commercial borrowings, as well as the rationale of taxation of transactions through the STT and stamp duty, especially for priority sector investments, it said.

The IVCA is the country's apex association for the private equity and venture capital industry.

Over the last five-years, the venture capital and private equity have invested over USD 48 billion in India providing critical capital to early-stage ventures and growth capital to

Mutual Fund Scheme Name A

priority sector, a statement issued here stated.

More than 2,000 ventures have received capital from the member funds of IVCA, it said.

IVCA has come together with Global India Venture Capital Association (GIVCA), formerly known as US-India Venture Capital Association (US-IVCA), creating the largest representative body for promoting the interests of the industry in India.

As a consequence of the merger, IDFC Private Equity's president and CEO, Luis Miranda, has taken over as cochairman along with Sequoia Capital India's managing direc-

Key to abbreviations: R Price: Repurchase Price; S Price: Sale Price; (D): Dividend; (G): Growth NAVs (Rs)

A

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

12.05 12.05 9.16 9.16 10.59 10.59 11.07 11.07

B

Baroda Pioneer ELSS 96 24.68 Growth Fund (D) 28.28 Growth Fund (G) 50.20 Bharti AXA Equity Fund - Eco Plan (Bonus) 18.54 Equity Fund - Eco Plan (D) 13.05 Equity Fund - Eco Plan (G) 18.54 Equity Fund - Eco Plan (QD) 14.25 Equity Fund - Retail Plan (Bonus) 18.46 Equity Fund - Retail Plan (D) 13.01 Equity Fund - Retail Plan (G) 18.46 Equity Fund - Retail Plan (QD) 14.20 Focused Infrastructure Fund (D) 10.97 Focused Infrastructure Fund (G) 10.97 Focused Infrastructure Fund (QD) 10.97 Tax Advantage Fund - Eco Plan (D) 13.13 Tax Advantage Fund - Eco Plan (G) 24.11 Tax Advantage Fund - Retail Plan (D) 13.11 Tax Advantage Fund - Retail Plan (G) 24.05 Birla Sun Life Advantage Fund (D) 90.80 Advantage Fund (G) 155.15 Basic Industries Fund (D) 30.88 Basic Industries Fund (G) 102.92 Basic Industries Fund - Trigger Plan (D) 11.11 Buy India Fund (D) 23.60 Buy India Fund (G) 38.87 Commodity Equities - Global Agri Plan - Retail (D) 14.20 Commodity Equities - Global Agri Plan - Retail (G) 14.20 Commodity Eq - Global Multi Commodity - RP (D) 12.51 Commodity Eq - Global Multi Commodity - RP (G) 12.51 Commodity Eq - Global Precious Metals -RP (D) 12.43 Commodity Eq - Global Precious Metals -RP (G) 12.43 Dividend Yield Plus (D) 14.37 Dividend Yield Plus (G) 76.54 Equity Fund (D) 73.09 Equity Fund (G) 259.90 Frontline Equity Fund - Plan A (D) 22.27 Frontline Equity Fund - Plan A (G) 82.61 Frontline Equity Fund - Plan B (D) 12.49 Frontline Equity Fund - Plan B (G) 12.49 India GenNext Fund (D) 14.03 India GenNext Fund (G) 21.59 India Opportunities Fund - Plan A (D) 19.57 India Opportunities Fund - Plan B (G) 53.74 Infrastructure Fund - Plan A (D) 13.51 Infrastructure Fund - Plan A (G) 17.39 Infrastructure Fund - Plan B (D) 12.48 Infrastructure Fund - Plan B (G) 13.00 International Equity Fund - Plan A (D) 8.62 International Equity Fund - Plan A (G) 8.62 International Equity Fund - Plan B (D) 9.02 International Equity Fund - Plan B (G) 9.02 Long Term Advantage Fund (D) 13.57 Long Term Advantage Fund (G) 13.57 Long Term Advantage Fund - Series 1(D) 12.27 Long Term Advantage Fund - Series 1(G) 12.27 Midcap Fund - Plan A (D) 25.62 Midcap Fund - Plan A (G) 109.22 Midcap Fund - Plan B (D) 13.78 Midcap Fund - Plan B (G) 13.78 MNC Fund (D) 79.74 MNC Fund (G) 185.29 New Millennium (D) 13.62 New Millennium (G) 19.61 Pure Value Fund (D) 16.03 Pure Value Fund (G) 16.03 Special Situations Fund (D) 10.04 Special Situations Fund (G) 10.04 Tax Plan (D) 46.11 Tax Plan (G) 13.14 Tax Relief 96 (D) 83.41 Tax Relief 96 (G) 11.25 Top 100 Fund (D) 14.45 Top 100 Fund (G) 20.81

C

Canara Robeco Emerging Equities (Bonus) Emerging Equities (D) Emerging Equities (G) Equity Diversified (Bonus) Equity Diversified (D) Equity Diversified (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)

tor, Sumir Chadha, as the other Co-Chair.

The IVCA has called for an Executive Committee meet on May 4 to formulate an approach to the regulatory environment.

IVCA's President, Mahendra Swarup, said, "IVCA represents the interests of global investors in India.

Our core membership from PE and VC firms are seeking clarity on a number of issues following the recent

17.33 14.31 20.70 23.35 23.32 51.28 20.06 24.36 12.17 12.17 17.52

Infrastructure (G) Multicap (D) Multicap (G)

21.99 13.64 14.71

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) India T.I.G.E.R. Fund - Regular Plan (D) India T.I.G.E.R. Fund - Regular Plan (G) Natural Resources & New Energy - Regular (D) Natural Resources and New Energy - Regular (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)

16.50 75.81 13.20 15.79 26.49 38.24 13.24 17.31 13.07 13.98 48.26 15.27 18.88 46.32 13.15 13.15 27.45 78.72 14.91 16.26 12.05 16.18 24.20 33.14 20.72 92.17

E

Edelweiss Absolute Return Equity Fund (D) Absolute Return Equity Fund (G) Diversified Growth Equity Fund - Plan A (D) Diversified Growth Equity Fund - Plan A (G) Diversified Growth Equity Fund - Plan B (D) Diversified Growth Equity Fund - Plan B (G) Diversified Growth Equity Fund - Plan C (D) Diversified Growth Equity Fund - Plan C (G) 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) 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) Tax Plan (D) Tax Plan (G)

10.54 10.54 13.11 13.11 13.14 13.14 13.18 13.18 18.10 18.10 10.80 11.85 11.77 11.77 14.87 77.43 13.10 11.52 13.08 8.86 8.86 11.06 11.06 14.07 17.55 11.62 49.52

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) Fortis 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 Bluechip Fund (D) India Bluechip Fund (G) India Flexi Cap Fund (D) India Flexi Cap Fund (G)

20.11 31.78 11.05 11.05 15.51 17.10 10.68 10.68 12.28 12.28 17.58 19.59 8.41 8.41 11.32 16.29 10.74 31.74 8.99 9.03 9.62 18.50 11.00 12.07 10.60 13.30 10.07 10.07 11.83 11.83 34.20 54.48 39.12 195.41 15.14 29.89

China mulls super regulator

developments in the FDI and taxation regime."

"We are now looking at a consensus which covers the existing policy on foreign inflows, and suggest specific short, medium and long-term legal, regulatory and other policy changes, which would lead to consistent implementation, irrespective of sectors, and independent of interpretation," Swaruop added.

Other than FDl, IVCA is also seeking to build regulatory-industry consensus on categories such as foreign portfolio investments by FIIs/NRIs and other foreign investments like Foreign Venture Capital lnvestor (FVCI) and private equity entities and suggesting rationalisation of these categories with a view to encourage foreign investment and reducing policy hurdles in this regard.

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) India Tax Shield (D) India Tax Shield (G) Infotech Fund (D) 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)

12.43 12.43 14.36 29.89 49.55 265.60 27.24 202.92 12.83 13.86 31.17 189.59 19.10 56.12 29.23 55.23 14.51 18.68 54.20 115.21

H

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) 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)

23.98 99.00 20.99 36.93 44.94 244.51 30.06 76.77 11.67 11.67 35.67 121.84 11.97 14.47 13.67 13.67 15.04 26.53 58.77 209.19 44.41 187.89 9.63 9.63 9.26 9.26 27.75 97.03 16.17 32.44 14.19 23.12 11.36 13.35 12.16 12.16 13.06 14.16 10.44 10.44

I

ICICI Pru Banking & Financial Services Fund - Retail (D) Banking & Financial Services Fund - Retail (G) Discovery Fund (D) Discovery Fund (G) Dynamic Plan (D) Dynamic Plan (G) Emerging S.T.A.R. Fund (D) Emerging S.T.A.R. Fund (G) FMCG Fund (D) FMCG Fund (G) Focused Equity Fund (D) Focused Equity Fund (G) Fusion Fund (D) Fusion Fund (G) Fusion Fund Series - II (D) Fusion Fund Series - II (G) Fusion Fund Series - III Retail Plan (D) Fusion Fund Series - III Retail Plan (G) Growth Plan (D) Growth Plan (G) Indo Asia Equity Fund - Retail Plan (D) Indo Asia Equity Fund - Retail Plan (G) Infrastructure Fund - Retail Plan (D) Infrastructure Fund - Retail Plan (G) Power (D) Power (G) Services Industries Fund (D) Services Industries Fund (G) Target Returns Fund - Retail Plan (D) Target Returns Fund - Retail Plan (G) Tax Plan (D) Tax Plan (G) Technology Fund (D) Technology Fund (G) R.I.G.H.T. Fund (D) R.I.G.H.T. Fund (G) IDFC Classic Equity Fund - Plan A (D) Classic Equity Fund - Plan A (G) Enterprise Equity Fund - Plan A (D) Enterprise Equity Fund - Plan A (G) Enterprise Equity Fund - Plan B (D) Enterprise Equity Fund - Plan B (G) Imperial Equity Fund - Plan A (D)

16.13 16.13 20.57 45.16 18.24 96.78 16.87 33.88 30.35 53.07 14.36 14.36 13.09 13.88 11.91 12.78 12.06 12.06 18.85 124.74 9.67 9.67 12.42 29.62 16.56 105.75 12.74 16.94 12.85 12.85 19.51 130.84 15.10 15.10 11.05 11.05 14.70 20.31 12.24 14.93 10.30 12.27 15.24

ReuteRs BEIJING

China is reviving a plan to set up a super regulator to streamline the government's oversight of the financial sector and reduce infighting that has hampered the existing watchdogs, local media reported.

The new regulatory agency would sit on top of the commissions currently in charge of the country's banking, insurance and securities industries, the Economic Observer reported.

It added that the plan could be announced later this year.

In 2007, when China last convened its five-yearly national financial work conference, the government considered establishing the super regulator but never went beyond the planning stage.

Imperial Equity Fund - Plan A (G) India GDP Growth Fund (D) India GDP Growth Fund (G) Premier Equity Fund - Plan A (D) Premier Equity Fund - Plan A (G) Small & Midcap Equity Fund (D) Small & Midcap Equity Fund (G) Strategic Sector (50-50) Equity Fund - Plan A (D) Strategic Sector (50-50) Equity Fund - Plan A (G) Tax Advantage (ELSS) Fund (D) Tax Advantage (ELSS) Fund (G) Tax Saver (ELSS) Fund (D) Tax Saver (ELSS) Fund (G) ING C.U.B. Fund (Bonus) C.U.B. Fund (D) C.U.B. Fund (G) Contra Fund (B) Contra Fund (D) Contra Fund (G) Core Equity Fund (D) Core Equity Fund (G) Dividend Yield Fund (D) Dividend Yield Fund (G) Domestic Opportunities Fund (D) Domestic Opportunities Fund (G) Midcap Fund (D) Midcap Fund (G) OptiMix Multi Manager Equity Fund - Plan A (D) OptiMix Multi Manager Equity Fund - Plan A (G) OptiMix Multi Manager Equity Fund - Plan B (G) OptiMix Retireinvest Fund - Series I (D) OptiMix Retireinvest Fund - Series I (G) Tax Saving Fund (Bonus) Tax Saving Fund (D) Tax Saving Fund (G)

18.44 15.25 15.25 23.69 29.23 14.11 17.10 13.24 13.38 14.96 18.68 13.95 13.95 16.61 12.12 16.61 15.77 13.45 15.77 18.73 35.40 19.31 21.24 13.19 34.94 15.98 20.12 10.61 10.61 10.83 12.09 12.09 27.04 13.32 27.00

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) Equity Fund (G) Financial Services Sector Fund (D) Financial Services Sector Fund (G) HI FI Fund (D) HI FI Fund (G) Large Cap Fund (D) Large Cap Fund (G) Mid Cap Fund (D) Mid Cap Fund (G) Multi Strategy Fund (D) 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)

13.68 16.89 11.31 12.18 7.21 7.21

30.28 96.02 18.18 20.76 11.43 11.43 8.94 8.94 7.36 7.36 10.51 12.13 16.51 23.73 15.22 43.84 10.84 10.84 10.71 17.48

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)

ReuteRs OMAHA, MAY 2

Warren Buffett said on Saturday he plans to visit India next March, and would not rule out the country for possible future investments.

Speaking at Berkshire's annual meeting in response to a shareholder question, Buffett said he had decided only on Friday to make the trip, saying the company's Iscar Metalworking Cos unit "is doing very well there."

Buffett said "we do not rule out India" as a possible locale for future Berkshire investments, whether in companies or marketable securities, though bureaucratic obstacles could complicate any plans to invest, including limitations on foreign ownership.

He added that "we've looked a lot at being in the insurance business in India." Insurance and reinsurance are Berkshire's

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 Equity Fund (G) MF Growth Fund (D) MF Growth Fund (G) MF India Vision Fund (D) MF India Vision Fund (G) 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)

18.28 18.82 42.96 6.10 6.10 14.73 20.05 14.33 15.42 9.45 9.45 9.92 25.17 10.85 12.24 8.72 8.72 10.07 17.70 9.87 27.56 8.17 8.17

M

Mirae Asset 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)

11.83 11.83 13.88 14.99 14.07 14.07 19.64 60.27

P

3.11 3.11 13.21 18.92 5.87 5.87 8.31 8.29 14.51 35.64 9.39 9.39 5.76 5.76 13.14 17.87 18.13 26.46 14.01 15.06 5.99 5.99 7.37 7.37 7.77 7.77

K

Kotak 30 (D) 30 (G) Contra (D) Contra (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)

Buffett to visit India

9.99 9.99 7.16 10.32 16.91 35.80 9.18 12.94 7.70 7.70 22.12 38.33 14.58

Principal Dividend Yield Fund (D) Dividend Yield Fund (G) Emerging Bluechip Fund (D) Emerging Bluechip Fund (G) Global Opportunities Fund (D) Global Opportunities Fund (G) Growth Fund (D) Growth Fund (G) Large Cap Fund (D) Large Cap Fund (G) Personal Tax Saver Fund PNB Long Term Eq Fund - 3 Year - Sr 1 (D) PNB Long Term Eq Fund - 3 Year Plan - Sr 1 (G) PNB Long Term Eq Fund - 3 Year Plan - Sr II (D) PNB Long Term E Fund - 3 Year Plan - Sr II (G) Resurgent India Equity Fund (D) Resurgent India Equity Fund (G) Services Industries Fund (D) Services Industries Fund (G) Tax Savings Fund

15.81 21.42 23.85 30.14 16.06 16.06 23.26 51.33 19.55 26.40 91.70 11.36 11.36 11.65 11.65 12.45 87.60 12.61 14.22 74.38

Q

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

R

19.77 19.60 19.64 19.65

Reliance Banking Fund (Bonus) 86.22 Banking Fund (D) 34.40 Banking Fund (G) 86.22 Diversified Power Sector Fund - Retail (Bonus) 81.72 Diversified Power Sector Fund - Retail Plan (D) 48.24 Diversified Power Sector Fund - Retail Plan (G) 81.72 Equity Advantage Fund - Retail Plan (B) 11.81 Equity Advantage Fund - Retail Plan (D) 11.81 Equity Advantage Fund - Retail Plan (G) 11.81 Equity Fund - Retail Plan (Bonus) 14.91 Equity Fund - Retail Plan (D) 14.91 Equity Fund - Retail Plan (G) 14.91 Equity Linked Saving Fund - Series I (D) 13.48 Equity Linked Saving Fund - Series I (G) 13.48 Equity Opportunities Fund - Retail Plan (Bonus) 32.21 Equity Opportunities Fund - Retail Plan (D) 22.75 Equity Opportunities Fund - Retail Plan (G) 32.21 Growth Fund - Retail Plan (Bonus) 75.94 Growth Fund - Retail Plan (D) 56.12 Growth Fund - Retail Plan (G) 457.79 Infrastructure Fund - Retail Plan (Bonus) 11.74 Infrastructure Fund - Retail Plan (D) 11.74 Infrastructure Fund - Retail Plan (G) 11.74 Long Term Equity Fund (D) 14.95 Long Term Equity Fund (G) 14.95 Media & Entertainment Fund (Bonus) 27.99 Media & Entertainment Fund (D) 20.12 Media & Entertainment Fund (G) 27.99 Natural Resources Fund (Bonus) 10.05 Natural Resources Fund (D) 10.05 Natural Resources Fund (G) 10.05 NRI Equity Fund (Bonus) 36.22 NRI Equity Fund (D) 21.55 NRI Equity Fund (G) 36.22 Pharma Fund (Bonus) 49.62 Pharma Fund (D) 37.01 Pharma Fund (G) 49.62 Quant Plus Fund - Retail Plan (B) 11.93 Quant Plus Fund - Retail Plan (D) 11.93 Quant Plus Fund - Retail Plan (G) 11.93 Regular Savings Fund - Equity Option (D) 22.88

main business lines.

Demographers expect India to overtake China as the world's most populous country within the next two decades, and Buffett predicted that "people in India will be living a lot better 20 years from now."

Buffett does not disclose where he plans to make future investments, but occasionally travels outside the United States to seek opportunities or check on Berkshire investments.

Among Berkshire's investments in Asia are the Korean steelmaker Posco and the Chinese car and battery maker BYD Co. Both have been profitable, giving Berkshire respective paper profits of $1.32 billion

Regular Savings Fund - Equity Option (G) Tax Saver (ELSS) Fund (D) Tax Saver (ELSS) Fund (G) Vision Fund - Retail Plan (Bonus) Vision Fund - Retail Plan (D) Vision Fund - Retail Plan (G) Religare AGILE Fund (D) AGILE Fund (G) AGILE Tax Fund (D) AGILE Tax Fund (G) Banking Fund - Regular Plan (D) Banking Fund - Regular Plan (G) Business Leaders Fund (D) Business Leaders Fund (G) Contra Fund (D) Contra Fund (G) Equity Fund (D) Equity Fund (G) Growth Fund (D) Growth Fund (G) Infrastructure Fund (D) Infrastructure Fund (G) Mid Cap Fund (D) Mid Cap Fund (G) Mid N Small Cap Fund (D) Mid N Small Cap Fund (G) Tax Plan (D) Tax Plan (G)

29.35 15.19 19.48 43.01 41.78 256.11 6.33 6.32 7.23 7.23 13.86 17.88 11.54 11.54 11.91 15.39 11.90 11.90 11.65 11.66 8.32 8.32 13.30 13.30 12.93 12.94 13.39 16.16

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) Star Value Fund (D) Star Value Fund (G) Super 20 Fund (D) Super 20 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 (D) 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) Magnum Emerging Businesses Fund (G) Magnum Equity Fund (D) Magnum Equity Fund (G) Magnum FMCG Fund Magnum Global Fund (D) Magnum Global Fund (G) Magnum IT Fund Magnum Midcap Fund (D) Magnum Midcap Fund (G) Magnum Multicap Fund (D) Magnum Multicap Fund (G) 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) Shinsei Industry Leaders Fund (D) Industry Leaders Fund (G) Sundaram BNP Paribas Capex Opportunities Fund (D) Capex Opportunities Fund (G) Equity Multiplier Fund (D) Equity Multiplier 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) Rural India Fund (G) S.M.I.L.E Fund - Regular Plan (D) S.M.I.L.E Fund - Regular Plan (G) Select Focus - Retail Plan (D) Select Focus - Retail Plan (G) Select Midcap - Regular Plan (D)

17.20 27.18 29.05 77.48 12.44 17.01 12.86 17.51 29.08 19.74 29.08 29.08 13.17 13.17 11.97 11.97 11.05 11.05 15.21 34.12 19.34 19.34 18.73 18.73 12.42 14.25 10.45 10.45 16.38 24.26 25.84 56.33 16.53 37.27 30.49 40.41 23.27 28.92 51.74 20.36 17.39 22.67 13.63 17.94 55.54 78.22 28.02 27.91 31.85 38.54 39.82 58.42 10.93 10.93 10.70 10.70 13.54 25.61 11.20 13.73 13.90 17.49 11.58 86.67 11.77 38.48 12.20 15.45 10.05 10.05 12.69 13.94 12.62 32.49 11.16 86.12 17.35

and $1.75 billion as of year end, according to Berkshire's annual report.

BOARD@MEETINGS Abhishek Inds HDFC Adinath Bio Highland Inds Ankur Drugs Idea Cellular Patel Integ BseL Infra JsW steel Century enka sparsh BPO Century tex Mirc elect tuticorin Alk edserv soft united Bank Globus Corp Nimbus Inds Source: Indiainfoline.com

Select Midcap - Regular Plan (G) Select Small Cap 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)

138.83 12.86 12.85 8.51 8.51 11.40 42.52

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) Equity Opportunities Fund - Plan A (D) Equity Opportunities Fund - Plan B (G) Equity P/E Fund (G) Equity P/E Fund - Trigger Option A 5% (D) Equity P/E Fund - Trigger Option B 10% (D) Growing Economies Infrastructure Fund - A (D) Growing Economies Infrastructure Fund - A (G) Growing Economies Infrastructure Fund - B (D) Growing Economies Infrastructure Fund - B (G) Growth Fund (Bonus) Growth Fund (D) Growth 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) Mid Cap Fund (D) Mid Cap Fund (G) Pure Equity Fund (D) Pure Equity Fund (G) Select Equity Fund (D) Select Equity Fund (G) 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) Ethical Fund (D) Ethical Fund (G) Infrastructure Fund (D) Infrastructure Fund (G) Star Share (D) Star Share (G) Tax Shield (D) Tax Shield (G)

13.80 14.78 15.41 16.35 21.13 29.67 12.92 13.92 22.34 79.88 45.05 39.48 39.92 11.15 11.15 11.98 11.98 37.66 18.61 41.44 22.40 34.02 17.02 17.02 35.36 66.40 16.37 17.39 36.85 92.87 44.35 61.82 19.61 24.44 14.77 14.77 43.38 39.77 39.51 15.19 15.17 21.94 16.45 21.95 14.57 14.52 36.38 51.68 19.41 32.75

U

UTI Contra Fund (D) Contra Fund (G) Dividend Yield Fund (D) Dividend Yield Fund (G) Energy Fund (D) Energy Fund (G) Equity Fund (D) Equity Fund (G) Equity Tax Savings Plan (D) Equity Tax Savings Plan (G) India Lifestyle Fund(D) India Lifestyle Fund(G) Infrastructure Advantage Fund - Series I (D) Infrastructure Advantage Fund - Series I (G) Infrastructure Fund (D) Infrastructure Fund (G) Leadership Equity Fund (D) Leadership Equity Fund (G) Long Term Advantage Fund (D) Long Term Advantage Fund (G) Master Equity Plan Unit Scheme Master Plus Unit Scheme (D) Master Plus Unit Scheme (G) Master Value Fund (D) Master Value Fund (G) Mastershare (D) Mastershare (G) Mid Cap Fund (D) 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) Top 100 Fund (G) Wealth Builder Fund (D) Wealth Builder Fund (G) Wealth Builder Fund - Series II - Retail Plan (D) Wealth Builder Fund - Series II - Retail Plan (G) Long Term Advantage Fund - Series II (D) Long Term Advantage Fund - Series II (G) Transportation and Logistics Fund (D) Transportation and Logistics Fund (G)

12.73 13.80 14.41 29.08 12.73 11.23 43.23 48.92 16.04 37.72 10.41 10.41 9.21 9.21 20.27 35.59 13.66 14.75 12.29 12.29 46.07 54.64 75.79 24.42 48.22 29.21 49.48 22.66 30.46 34.82 51.81 13.08 24.48 27.94 34.24 24.52 57.04 22.22 27.07 14.74 15.73 14.02 17.43 13.30 13.30 15.29 25.05

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GOA, MONDAY, 3 MAY, 2010

Bancassurance to garner 40% of pvt premiums

Tax reliefs in Fin Bill

The finance Bill has been passed despite the cut motions. The finance minister did not yield on the oil prices – would have been an embarrassment to the opposition since they walked out on this issue and even attempted a cut motion. It is sad that financial discussions do not come up to any level of intense debate in our parliament; is this because our political representatives do not understand economics and finance or is it because their level of interest is only in the show of political strength. Well the country is worse off for this!

The finance minister in his speech before the adoption of the finance bill informed the house that the final draft of the DTC is almost ready and will be put to the house in the monsoon session of parliament. He also proposes to bring legislation of the GST before the beginning of the next fiscal year. The Centre was willing to provide compensation to the states for the loss on account of the introduction of this law provided there is a consensus on the threshold limit and a common exemption lists for all states. GST being a composite act that requires consultations with the states, the Centre may not be in a position to keep the deadline as envisaged by the FM. However there is still time and let us see the progress during the year BURDEN OF SERVICE TAX ON HOUSING REDUCED Before passing of the Finance Bill the finance minister made certain cosmetic changes in the duty structure as also some in income tax. The relief packages of sectors including coffee and steel would cost the exchequer around 400 crore. A major aspect of relief is the service tax on new constructions will now be 25% as against the earlier 33% on the price of new constructions. Real estate developers were hoping that the price of land in the total cost be excluded; accordingly the abatement in the price has been raised from 67% to 75%. This is good news since the real estate sector has still not fully recovered from the economic downturn. Purchasers of flats will now have to pay service tax at 10% on 25% of the value of their apartments. Low cost housing under the

Washington Times mulls sale of paper REUTERS WASHINGTON, MAY 2

Executives at the Washington Times are looking into a possible sale of the newspaper, which has slashed staff in recent months in order to cut costs, The Washington Post reported on Saturday.

The daily newspaper, started in 1982 by Unification Church founder the Rev Sun Myung Moon, is in discussions with a number of parties interested in either buying the paper or becoming a partner with it, Nicholas Chiaia, a member of the paper's board of directors said. Chiaia could not be reached for comment.

Late last year, the newspaper eliminated its sports department as part of a cut of at least 40% of its staff to try stem losses amid advertising cuts and declines in readership.

schemes for urban renewal has been exempted from service tax. Good deal since this will reduce the amount payable by the poor for their houses. Good news for air travelers, the service tax for domestic travel has been capped at Rs 100 while for travel abroad it will be Rs 500. In the last few years, several of the newer airports having been levying user charges, with the levy of service tax, air travel will be marginally costlier. Travelers to the northeast would be however exempt from the levy of service tax. The finance bill was summarily passed. With the passing of the bill, it will become law for the year.

NEW EASY FORMS FOR THE NEXT YEAR The Income tax department has brought out Saral II a new set of forms for the AY 2010-11.

The form can be downloaded and can be filed either in a hard copy or electronically. The form is two pages, with page 3 being the acknowledgement. There are however 4 pages of instructions as how to fill the form and compute your income. It appears rather simple and for those who have only salary or pension, one house property and income from other sources, this form can be used. If you do not wish to break your head over filling the form, you can employ a Tax Preparer for a fee of Rs 250 – even the charges are indicated in the form. Each year the department brings out new and better forms. What happens to the reams of old forms that get printed each year?

Waste paper mills are back in business – recycling income tax forms that have only a single year use. For the next year with the introduction of the DTC, there certainly will be a new set of forms.

BEWARE OF VISITING TAX HAVENS May is holiday time, and many of our well heeled Indians make it to cool places such as Europe and America. Beware, the tax men are on the prowl looking at those traveling to tax havens. Switzerland is one such tax haven and a visit to that beautiful scenic country might ensure that your case is picked up for scrutiny in the next year!

(The author of the column is an Income Tax official.)

AI wants to cancel 777 order PTI MUMBAI, MAY 2

US aircraft manufacturer Boeing is understood to have offered Air India 10 single-aisle planes in lieu of three long-haul Boeing 777s, an order which the national carrier wants to cancel.

Negotiations between the two companies have been continuing for quite some time over the issue but no final decision has been reached yet, airline sources said here.

"Air India wants to cancel the delivery of three Boeing 777300 Extended Range aircraft.

But Boeing made an offer saying it was ready to deliver ten 737-800-aircraft in place of these three planes with a staggered delivery schedule," they said, adding hard negotiations are going on as a host of issues are involved.

LAUNCH PAD

Toyota Etios now in Goa

"Differences over pricing remains an irritant in striking the deal as Air India wants these aircraft to be supplied at the prices that prevailed when the orders were placed.

"But the the Boeing thinks otherwise," the sources said.

In 2005, Air India had placed orders for 68 aircraft with Boeing which included 18 B 737800 planes, 27 Dreamliners (B787-800) and another 23 B777 aircraft.

Of the 23 Boeing 777s, 15 are B 777-300 ER planes and eight Boeing 777-200-LR aircraft.

Air India has already taken delivery of 18 B 737-800s and 8 B 777-200 LRs. Of the 15 B 777-300 ER aircraft, it has received 10 planes while five more are to be delivered to it over a period of next 15 months.

Carbon Bazaar 2010 next week PTI NEW DELHI, MAY 2

Amarsingh Patil, director and CEO Sharaju Toyota, Naveen Soni, GM Dealer Development and Shrinivas Pawar chairman and MD Sharaju Toyota at the launch of the Etios.

PANJIM (HBD) -- Toyota Kirloskar Motor held the Toyota ‘Q’ World in Panjim, recently.

Toyota ‘Q’ World, a two day event saw the unveiling of the much-awaited concept model of Toyota’s new compact car – Etios.

With the Etios concept, Toyota is set to enter the mass volume segment. To ensure maximum accessibility to the customers, Toyota will expand its sales and service network to about 150 dealers by the end of 2010.

Toyota currently has its presence in Goa with Sharayu Automobiles at Cortalim, Goa. Sharayu Toyota shall be introducing a second facility at Colvale Industrial Estate, by June 2010. Innova, Corolla Altis and Fortuner are the market leaders in their segments in Goa with market shares of 65%, 28% and 53% respectively.

Commenting on the occasion, Naveen Soni said, “We would like to engage car enthusiasts and customers from across India and not limit this experience to just one city. This is an opportunity for us to get a direct feedback from customers across the country, which will in turn help us to further improve our products and services and serve them better. With the introduction of Etios concept, we hope to attain a sizeable market share in India in the shortest possible time.”

The exhibit included an exciting array of 8 vehicles which gave them a never before ‘touch and feel experience’ of Toyota vehicles. Toyota Etios concept was the highlight of the event.

The vehicles symbolized the following themes; Eco Friendly, Concept Car and the Toyota Line Up. The exhibit included the newly launched Etios concept and many more interesting and exciting vehicles in the current line up of Toyota products namely, the recently launched Prius, newly launched Prado Diesel and the popular vehicle in the SUV segment – Fortuner.

The Indo-German initiative 'Carbon Bazaar 2010' to be held here next week will target Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) to help them participate in Carbon Development Mechanism (CDM) and earn carbon credits.

"So far CDM investment has been limited to the mega projects in the country while SMEs have been neglected because of their financial constraints," a environment official said.

"But since SMEs are voracious consumers of resources and energy and the result is a significant generation of waste by-products, they need to be energy-efficient," he said.

In the first commitment period of Kyoto Protocol, it has proven difficult for SMEs to participate in CDM projects and to benefit from the foreign investment and technology transfer advantages the mechanism offers. But they cannot be neglected as they are vital to the growth of the economy, he maintained.

The 2-day Carbon Bazaar beginning May 10 will offer direct b-2-b meetings between SMEs and investors. It will also hold exhibitions showcasing the state-of-art tech. Stakeholders from across the world are expected to attend the event.

The CDM is one of the flexible mechanisms in the Kyoto Protocol allowing the rich nations to cut down their green house emissions by investing in green projects in developing countries and buy carbon credits (CERs) generated from them.

PTI MUMBAI, MAY 2

Bancassurance, a distribution channel, will play a crucial role in the overall development of the Indian insurance sector with the channel expected to generate 40 per cent of private insurers premium income by 2012.

"This is significantly higher than the current 25-28 per cent," a Towers Watson India Bancassurance Benchmarking survey 2009-10, said.

The total new business premium income in both the life and general insurance sector as at end-February stands at Rs 42,285 crore, as per IRDA data.

"Bancassurance is set to grow. Most insurance companies are facing a cost-pressure in bringing-in new business.

They are finding it difficult to recruit, train and retain people with the turnover rate as high as 70 per cent.

This is a big issue and the most viable option for them for distribution is bancassurance," R Krishnamurthy, MD, Towers Watson (involved in assisting clients on improving insurance distribution practices in India), said here.

In general insurance, presently 17 per cent of premium income comes from bancassurance but with relation to

public sector companies, it is as low as six per cent.

"This means there is an ample scope for growth," Krishnamurthy said.

One important initiative needed for improving insurance distribution practices here, as pointed out by the survey, is for banks to take up distribution activity with more focus through forming distribution companies which could either be wholly-owned by banks or in joint ventures with insurance companies, Krishnamurthy said.

On some drawbacks in distribution by banks,Krishnamurthy said that "amongst banks, many branches are not selling insurance products. It is vital to bring all branches into the selling-mode. The exploitation of branches for distribution has to be achieved," he said.

According to him, many branches were not selling what the customer really needs.

"There is a product-push and not sale of what the customer needs," he said. "There is an element of mis-selling here," Krishnamurthy said.

On general insurance, he said that "while 93 per cent of the life insurance companies are using the bancassurance channel, the key factor inhibiting a higher rate of growth of

general insurance sales through the bancassurance channel is the lack of processes for selling general insurance products and the comparative low priority accorded to them amongst the range of products that bank branch managers are now expected to sell."

An important finding of the survey is that banks predominantly sell ULIPs and do not show any significant interest in selling traditional or pure protection insurance products.

"Almost 90 per cent of bancassurance sales are by way of linked products and despite huge customer segments that are under-insured, there seems to be little interest on the part of banks or their insurance partners to tap this potential effectively," the survey said.

The survey was conducted over several months beginning mid-2009 and the survey findings were released late-last week. Towers Watson is a leading global professional services company that helps organisations improve performance through effective people, risk and financial management.

The company offers solutions in the areas of employee benefits, talent management, rewards and risk and capital management and has 14,000 associates globally.

VIP aims to become zero-debt Co in 2 yrs PTI MUMBAI, MAY 2

Leading luggage-maker, VIP Industries, is eyeing a 15 per cent growth in its top-line this fiscal besides aiming to become a zero-debt company in the next two-years, a top company official said.

The company also intends strengthening itself in allied segments such as handbags and bag-packs this fiscal, the official said.

"The market is perking up.

We are optimistic about FY 11 and should achieve a 15 per cent growth in our topline. We also plan to improve our product offerings in segments such as handbags, bag-packs, etc.," VIP Industries' Chairman, Dilip Piramal said here.

The company clocked a 24 per cent jump in its net sales in FY 10 at Rs 626.6 crore as against Rs 505.6 crore in the year-ago period. Its Profit After Tax (PAT) vaulted 463 per cent

to Rs 50.1 crore as against Rs 8.9 crore in the year-ago period.

"The market is growing, travel is picking-up and with the marriage season around the corner, our sales should pick-up considerably this month. I am confident of a top-line growth of 15 per cent this fiscal," Piramal said.

Earlier, much of the sales was concentrated during the marriage season but now with

travel around the year, the seasonality (dependence on the marriage season) is not much, he said.

VIP Industries aims to be a zero-debt company in the next two-years, Piramal said.

"We have already reduced our debt from Rs 130 crore to Rs 80 crore. We are on track to become a zero-debt company in the next two-years," Piramal said.

The company is presently in the midst of fine-tuning its

Australia unveils mining tax REUTERS SYDNEY, MAY 2

Australia's government angered its booming resources sector on Sunday by unveiling a new tax on mining projects from July 2012 under a sweeping pre-election tax overhaul which will also boost pension savings for workers.

The government will also cut the company tax rate from 30 percent to 29 percent from mid 2013 and to 28 percent by mid 2014, and will refund statebased royalties currently imposed on mining projects.

The new 40 percent Resource Super Profits Tax will hit big miners such as BHP Billiton, Rio Tinto and Xstrata and is set to raise about A$12 billion ($11 billion) in its first two years.

"If implemented, these proposals seriously threaten Australia's competitiveness, jeopardise future investments and will adversely impact the future wealth and standard of living of all Australians," BHP Billiton chief executive Marius Kloppers said in a statement.

Kloppers said the changes would increase the groups effective tax rate on Australian earnings to 57 percent from the current rate of around 43 percent.

Investment bank UBS said predicted a sell-of of Australian mining stocks on Monday as investors digested changes, which could also send a chill through mining mergers and acquisitions.

"I think it's clearly negative for the big miners. I expect them to be down fairly materially," UBS chief strategist David Cassidy said.

Treasurer Wayne Swan said the government expected strong opposition to its plan, from both the resources industry and conservative opposition parties, and would now consult miners on details of the new tax.

"We are under no illusions

Australian mining stocks face a sell-off on Monday as investors digest news that the government plans to slap a 40 percent tax on their profits, investment bank UBS said after the announcement on Sunday.

UBS chief strategist David

Marico Rev up 6.5% HERALD BUSINESS DESK PANJIM, MAY 2

about how difficult it will be to win support for this package," he said, adding support would never be unanimous.

Swan said the new tax would help all Australians share the benefits of a prolonged mining boom, fuelled by demand from China and India, which helped Australia avoid recession during the global financial crisis.

Australia faces elections in the second half of 2010, most likely in October, with Prime Minister Kevin Rudd ahead in opinion polls and seeking to win a second term in office.

The government says the changes will lay the base for a 10-year reform programme and won't seek to legislate for them until after the next election, when it could still face stiff opposition from a hostile upper house.

Conservative opposition leader Tony Abbott said he was strongly opposed to the new mining tax, which he likened to the government's shelved emissions trading scheme (ETS).

"I am deeply, profoundly hostile to the idea of a great big new tax, like the ETS, on the most important and productive

part of the economy," Abbott told reporters, without confirming whether he would try to vote down any changes.

PENSION BONUS With an election due within six months, the government also announced an increase in employer-paid pension fund contributions for workers, to 12 percent from the current 9 percent by 2019-20, boosting Australia's A$1.2 trillion retirement savings pool, the world's fourth-largest.

The contributions will rise by 0.25 points in 2013-14 and in 2014-15, then by 0.5 percent a year until reaching 12 percent, Swan said, sending an extra A$85 billion surging into retirement savings over 10 years.

The government will also contribute A$500 a year to pension-fund savings for lowpaid workers. Older workers would receive a low tax rate on contributions up to A$50,000 a year, up from a A$25,000 cap now.

Swan said the pension fund industry would swell by A$500 billion by 2035, fuelled by the changes.

The reforms will be wel-

comed by the funds industry, including big firms such as AMP and Axa Asia Pacific, as well as major banks that run large funds businesses, such as Commonwealth Bank of Australia.

Swan denied the new mining tax would discourage investment, and said governments had only received about A$9 billion extra from resource charges over the past 10 years, while resource profits were A$80 billion higher.

To further allay mining concerns, Swan said Australia would now also give mining companies a tax rebate to offset the cost of resource exploration from July 2011, in a move it said would benefit 4,300 companies.

The government will also set up an infrastructure fund, with an initial payment of A$700 million from 2012-13, to help pay for roads, ports, railways and utilities for resource industries.

Rudd told reporters the tax changes would help stimulate and expand the mining industry, quoting independent modeling as finding that the mining activity would grow 5.5 percent over 5-10 years.

...to hit mining stocks hard: UBS REUTERS SYDNEY, MAY 2

road-map for the next three to five years.

"Our strategy is to strengthen our existing business and eliminate any weaknesses that exist. We want to ramp-up our institutional sales and also focus on smaller items such as handbags and bag-packs, among others," he said.

The company presently enjoys an overall marketshare of 66 per cent in the organised sector, he said.

Cassidy said the news would hit locally listed global giants BHP Billiton and Rio Tinto, which dominate the country's hugely profitable iron ore industry, and also knock coal miners. The new tax could send a chill through mergers and acquisitions in the mining sector, he said, adding that US

coal miner Peabody Energy might now pause over its $3.7 billion bid for the Australian miner Macarthur Coal.

"I think it's clearly negative for the big miners. I expect them to be down fairly materially," Cassidy said.

"Obviously a fair amount will be influenced by what hap-

pened in the US and Europe on Friday (which fell heavily) but I definitely think that this will be taken negatively even though to some extent it was getting priced in (beforehand)."

"You would think twice about an Australian takeover (in mining) if you are seeing this news," he added.

Marico achieved revenue of Rs 602 cr during Q4FY10, a growth of 6.5% over Q4FY09.

Volume growth during the quarter was however higher at 14%. Revenue growth was lower owing to deflation in some of the companies key input materials part of which the company chose to pass on to the consumer in order to expand its consumer franchise.

The PAT during Q4FY10 stood at Rs 51 crore, a growth of 15% over Q4FY09. The results for Q4FY10 include two items that are not strictly comparable with the corresponding quarter in the previous year.

Adopting conservative principles, the company made a provision of Rs 1.1 crore towards excise duty on dispatches of coconut oil in packs up to 200 ml.

The company withdrew its Kaya Life prototype resulting in a provision of Rs 5.7 crore. The PAT growth before these exceptional items that pertain to the quarter was 37%.

TranSmart to set up 10 warehouses PTI MUMBAI, MAY 2

Tushar Jani- promoted TranSmart India Pvt Ltd will set up 10 more world class warehouses this year each costing about Rs 50 crore, a top company official said.

"We will set up another 10 top-end warehouses this year," TranSmart India Pvt Ltd and SCA group of companies chairman Tushar Jani said on the sidelines of a seminar here.

The company already has top end warehouses in six locations. The aim is to take the total number to 37 over the next couple of years, he said.

"All our warehouses will be managed through management information system enabled with wi-fi and barcodes, with an average size of around 1 lakh cubic feet. People can check from home where their material lies. We have reduced the turnaround time of a truck to just 45 minutes," he said.

The company will invest Rs 1,500-crore for all the 37 warehouses. 60 per cent of the debt will be raised from IDFC, he said.

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CAREERS & EDUCATION

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GOA, Monday, 3 May, 2010

Housekeeping Needs Skilful Resources

By Colin Savio Coelho

T

he hospitality industry has many diverse branches.

Each branch is as important as the other. There is one branch however, that could make or break a hospitality unit.

Housekeeping is one department where the staff need to be on their toes all the time.

You can get easily promoted to the department head level if you show the right inclination. However, in other departments of the hospitality business, you would need to move through various levels before becoming a department head. But the work you need to put in as a housekeeper is usually thankless!

This lady has put in 25 years in the industry as a dedicated Executive Housekeeper. Moni Bose was trained at the prestigious Oberoi School of Hotel Management in New Delhi. “I had to go through a long series of interviews. Then there were tests and more interviews which eventually culminated in a meeting with Mr. Biki Oberoi who is now Chairman of the Oberoi Group,” she recalls. It was only after this that she was chosen to join the institution. After completing her course, she

joined Hotel Oberoi Towers, Mumbai as Junior Executive Housekeeper and went on to become a professional of great standing.

Today Bose has risen to the ranks of Director of Update Recreation & Gaming (P) Ltd. Though she is in a top managerial position now, she does fondly reminiscence the days she spent as head of the department of housekeeping in various hotels, in Mumbai and abroad.

“As a housekeeper, you need to have an eye for detail and refined aesthetic senses,” she informs. “You need to see what colors match. You need to develop a sense for interiors even if you have not done any formal course in the subject,” she states. Another skill that a housekeeping professional should have is excellent manmanagement skills. “Most of the time we are dealing with a large and not a very well educated workforce,” she says matter-of-factly. There is a need to continuously motivate them.

“All this comes with being concerned about your coworkers’ welfare as well as exercising sheer administrative skills,” she emphasizes.

Physical fitness also plays an important role in this field. Bose enlightens, “You need to have a lot of stamina. This is an imp o r t a n t requirement since you need to be on your feet nine hours out of 10 while you are working.” Along with all this the housekeeper should also have financial skills like handling budgets and keeping expenses within the budget. She also needs to monitor regular supplies in guest rooms and reorder them when necessary. “The housekeeping executive is also responsible for training staff to ensure that acceptable standards are adhered to,” says Bose. She got the fundamentals absolutely right while she was at the Oberoi Hotels because of the strong systems and procedures they follow, she says, “Handling the department and training staff became much easier.”

Does the job of a housekeeper suit women more?

Bose agrees, “This is because women naturally have an eye for detail and a good aesthetic sense.”

But there is the downside also. She warns, “This profession is very time consuming and does not leave you with much personal time. If you are not careful, family life and hobbies will take second place.”

How well paid is the job and what is the scope?

1. From Left to Right Ms Moni Bose with 6 dogs first row Hamlet, Othello, Macbeth, Bose elaborates, “It is a well Second row -chilli, pepper Third Row Iris paid profession but it is a

thankless one as well!” But she also adds, “Accolades do come by from General Managers and other bosses who realize it is a tough job.” One thing Bose is very confident about, “You can be sure there will always be a demand for good housekeepers.

A skilled housekeeper will never be out of a job.”

There are two ways you can rise to head the housekeeping department. You can go to a catering institute and then get selected in a hotel or join a hotel as a supervisor and rise up the ranks.

Bose shares some experiences she has had as housekeeping executive. “You sometimes get called on to help out with a lady customer with a peculiar problem,” she reveals. Also the job does come with a wide range of authority and responsibilities.

“I was also, a various times handling the laundry, beauty parlour

Hope: A Positive Lifeline

By Alcina Dennis

T

he year end examinations are almost over and success and disappointments will be experienced not only by students, but also by others in other fields in this competitive world of ours. Success merits a smile or a pat on the back of the successful individual, but what about a disappointment or a failure? What does this merit? It merits hope.

Hope is the spring – board of all activity. A new hour, a new dawn and a new year.

All hold out hope. Some are afraid of hope because they are even more afraid of being disappointed. So, if you have no hope, you may perhaps protect yourself from being disappointed.

The point of having hope in life, is to always hold on to the possibility of a better life or a better world. When you have hope, you shape positive outcomes in nearly every situation. A learned gentleman was asked if he was an optimist or a pessimist.

He responded thus: “I’m really not an optimist, because I do not believe everything is going to turn out well and I am not really a pessimist, because I do not believe everything is going to turn out horribly, but I do cultivate hope in my heart, because it is the only antidote to cynicism, apathy, fear and malice.”

A failure or disappointment

I

merits a positive attitude, but what we read now-a-days is about a spate of suicides which makes us wonder what drives an individual to take his own life. The drastic action is perhaps due to intense despair and a feeling of helplessness. There are others who make all sorts

calling it quits. An introspection is a useful exercise to apprise one’s strength and weakness.

Considering the spate of suicides by school children, the Government of Goa should provide a helpline for youngsters in dealing with emotional or other problems in their life. It

of excuses to end their life – excuses like loneliness, loss of wealth, humiliation, shame and guilt that force them to make the decision to give up on life midstream. They do not have the will to live. However, by not getting disheartened by setbacks and by finding ways to overcome difficulties, we can learn to appreciate and enjoy whatever we have, instead of

seems that more girls commit suicides when compared to boys. Reasons stated are that in most cases, these suicides are due to education pressure, fear of failure in exams, pressure from parents, break-up in relationships and illness. Education experts, parents and teachers should come together and create an awareness among students. Special training should

be given to teachers to deal with the students facing such trauma.

Very often, parents too are blamed for putting unnecessary pressure on the students to study.

The upbringing of a child by the parents plays an important role in moulding the mind of the child. The new generation should learn its lesson from the experiences of the previous generation. This is their precious gift to the new generation. This is why the phrase ‘old is gold’ is often used with reference to the older generation.

A father may find his son intelligent but over-confident.

So he advises his son that sometimes, over-confidence leads to failure. A mother sees that her son is impatient. He cannot wait for anything to take place in the ordinary course of events, so she advises him saying that life is 1per cent action and 99per cent restraint.

Another parent finds that her daughter does not have the quality of perseverance. So she advises her daughter by saying, “My child, maturity is the ability to live with things that you cannot change.”

Such advise gives the child the right guidance. They review their actions and replan their life and then achieve great success in life.

Overcome Negative Beliefs -I

n India, the method for training an elephant is the following: When the elephant is very young, its leg is tied to a small post with a thin piece of rope. At that age the elephant hasn’t the power to break the rope or dislodge the post. It tries for a while and then gives up. As the elephant grows, there’s no reason to increase the girth of the rope or the post.

The elephant of course reaches such size and strength that it could, if it wanted, easily break free from the restraint. But having tried and failed earlier, it stops trying, convinced that it’s entrapped ...Doesn’t that sound like us?

Nothing has such a direct impact on our success in life as our beliefs. Napoleon Hill, author of Think and Grow Rich, says “What the mind conceives and believes, it achieves.” Joseph Chilton Pearce, author of Magical Child, says “Belief effects

perception.” Our beliefs affect what we see and what we accomplish.

If you’re to succeed in achieving your life’s dreams, you must begin to adopt what motivational speaker Wayne Dyer calls “No Limit Thinking.” What you can’t do is only what you can’t do yet. You are equipped like every other human being with the capabilities necessary to accomplish your goals. Author Richard Bach says: “Nobody is given a dream without the power to make it come true.”

Unfortunately, our beliefs are resistant to change because of the method we use for applying evidence to substantiate them.

Sometimes we develop a negative belief which starts as a misinterpretation of an event in our lives. That misinterpretation is reinforced by subsequent misinterpretations to the point that the original misinterpretation

is now seen as incontrovertible fact. We make our beliefs into reality.

When I was five years old, my family moved into a new neighbourhood. The neighbourhood kids had been friends with the previous occupants and weren’t open to newcomers. The day I arrived, half the neighbourhood kids were in my backyard on my swing set. When I went out there to join in, they wouldn’t let me. They told me I didn’t belong there and that I was stupid and ugly. The wound was substantial. In that moment, I decided that I was undesirable.

From then on, I carried that scar with me. Each new interaction was coloured by my decision that I was undesirable.

Somehow, I would telegraph my undesirability to others who would use that information, received unconsciously by them, to hold me at a distance. I’d sense their distance and would

use it to prove to myself that my notion of my undesirability was accurate. Each new interaction would reinforce my belief, and my belief would recreate the types of interactions which proved the belief true.

and the health club, alongwith the housekeeping department You never encounter routine jobs. I worked in the field for 25 years and each day was so different,” she divulges. She shows some pride when she says, “As a housekeeper, you are directly contributing to the profits of the organization.

There is no doubt that you don’t get accolades for a job well done, but if you do the job badly the customers will stay away.”

She recalls how the workforce at a hotel she worked in once went on strike. She was employed here still at the junior level then. The junior executives were called in to do all the odd jobs in that situation. She says, “In a situation like that, you could be called to work in any capacity, from cleaning rooms to washing dishes to even welcoming a head of state. It

could all come in a day ’s work.”

There is another sensitive side to Bose. She is also an animal lover and loves pets.

“The only pets I have had up to now are dogs,” she reveals.

She now has two turtles and they keep amazing her with their acts. “What amazes me most about them is their sense of recognition,” she asserts. She has noticed, “When I get home they start beating their flippers around to welcome me and tell me that they are hungry,” she says. Through the behaviour of her pet dogs she has concluded, “Dogs seem more intelligent than us humans.”

“They can understand humans when we talk to them but we can’t understand their language!” she rues.

Her love for her profession and her love for animals are very evident in her expression.

She has one appeal to make on behalf of animals, “I wish people can be kinder to animals.

We must realize that they also have feelings and emotions like we do.” Her professional experiences have helped her in many ways. And there are those lighter moments. “All my life I have spent looking for dust here and dirt there, but now a bit of untidiness does not make me hysterical!” laughs Bose.

About the Author: Colin Savio Coelho is a Margao, Goa based freelance journalist who also specializes in event publicity. He is an aficionado and promoter of Goan culture, especially music. Actively involved with his alma mater, he is the Jt Secretary Federation of Jesuit Alumni Association of India ( JAAI) and an active member of Loyola Ex-students Association(LESA), Margao and editor of Voice of JAAI newsletter

Managing And Protecting Intellectual Property- III

A

n IPR attorney is primarily responsible for safeguarding the commercial interests of his or her client. He protects the Intellectual Property Rights of individuals as well as organizations. As a part of this job, the IPR attorney is responsible for assessing if any given innovation, improvement or invention can be patented or not. He is responsible for creating draft patent applications, and protect the client in case of an infringement.

The specific works include: • To enhance the work environment for higher innovativeness for all those who are responsible for innovation and to explore.

• To guide the technology transfer in a competitive manner.

• Protection and safeguard of the Intellectual Property.

• Securing IP rights for original innovations.

• To maintain patent databases, dissemination of related information and train people on finding patentable inventions.

• Providing legal assistance to innovators and help them in drafting and filing patent applications.

• Co-ordinating with various IPR organisations and attorneys, • To create awareness about protection of Intellectual property.

With the advent of the Internet, the world has witnessed two tectonic shifts in the market dynamics - Free flow of Information and Globalization of the world Economy. In addition to the obvious positive aspects of instant access to the global storehouse of information, this boon brought along it its own set of evils. The major drawback being, information ceased to be proprietary. New innovations were quickly assimilated and applied in business organizations without benefiting the inventor. And since national economies became more interlinked, manufacturing power-

houses from emerging economies threatened companies that invest a large amount of their top-lines in research and development. IPR attorneys are integral part of in-house teams of business organizations formed with the sole aim of identifying and stopping copyright and IP infringements. IPR attorneys are also being actively employed by a whole range of organizations like Specialty Law Firms, Corporate houses.

Government and Self -supported Think Tanks, Law Enforcing bodies, Universities and Independent Research Organizations, Faculty at Law schools.

If somebody wants to become a patent attorney and be recognized as one he or she has to first register oneself. Generally the same methods are followed to become a patent attorney everywhere in the world.

The completion of the course and the at least two years of practice under professional supervision can ensure a bright career for the IPR attorney.

Remuneration A BSc graduate can hope to start with around Rs 8,000, while an MSc student can reach about Rs 10,000 as the starting salary.

In case of a B. Tech, BE or an M. Tech, the starting salary may touch around Rs 15,000 to Rs 20,000.

Course Area The IP Law course generally comprises of Biotechnology patent policy, Chemical and Biotech patent policy and practice, Comparative and International Intellectual Property seminar, Comparative patent law seminar, Computer law, Copyright Law, Electronics and Computers' Policy and Practice, International and Comparative Patent Law, International and the Country's regulation of foreign trade, Licensing of Intellectual Property Rights, Patent Enforcement, Patent law, Trademark law, Unfair Trade Practices Colleges, Institutions and Universities

So, it’s cool

L

ets face it. All of us who are our teens or have just crossed them, will have an idea of those who we call cool and the not so cool. Every college has them- girls for whom guys are ready to be of help at the snap of the fingers and boys who always have girls around them. Are they the only cool ones? Well that depends on what defines cool and of course falling under the umbrella of ‘cool’ really depends on who is holding the umbrella.

So what really makes one get the label of ‘cool’? What gives them that edge, that mysterious something that makes their actions the kind that others follow like a trend? While being cool might be about the language one uses, the clothes one wears and the attitude one sports, its definition depends on what is cool to the one who calls another cool. Generally it’s the ‘Yo’ popular kind who are generally termed cool.

But this does not mean if you aren’t hip and happening you aren’t cool. Here are some subtle traits that define cool in the not stereotypical way.

Confidence - almost a synonym for coolness. A confident person is one who projects a ‘I’m feeling good’ attitude and that rubs on to others. This person feels good about him/herself and is comfortable in one’s own skin. He/ she possesses a sense of pride in who one is, putting forth a body language that others respond to positively such that one’s actions, words, behaviour are even emulated and followed. Confidence can be seen in the non slouched walk, eye contact and ability to approach others with ease.

There are the ones who go about their lives unobtrusively, come

do their work/ attend classes and mingle in their own groups, make no noise or create any attention grabbing scene. No one says that if we fall into that category we aren’t cool. Were just not labelled ‘cool. ’Since being cool is also about being heard and having a voice. A lot of super talented, cool people on campus are not known because they don’t interact or come forward to display their skills, neither involve themselves in group activities.

It’s really cool to have a unique skill, a special talent but what good if hidden in the crowd? Cool people are socially aware and sensitive.

They understand others and the world around. This means being a part of change even if of a small level.

They make others comfortable and can sustain conversation, entertain and engage without bragging making one’s company enjoyable. While using fowl language might seem cool while in college, not everyone thinks so. A certain attire might seem appropriate for one sort of environment but completely out of place in the other.

Thought it may define one’s personality it may just be a good idea to be sensitive to one’s company, the place and context and therefore communicate similarly in body language and behaviour. No one says one has to change but one can adapt to maintain ones own way as well as respect the occasion.

The above are not in- your-face qualities one sees in people.

But their subtle presence makes a whole lot of difference to the way people are looked at (no matter the age) and the way they carry themselves. In some ways these define what might be ‘cool’ qualities to develop for a wholesome personality.

Do You Listen To Your Teenagers?

By Marc de Souza dults typically think they know more than children. We ask questions to locate trouble spots, often probing ones. Then we make a judgement and tell what should be done. From our position of authority, we expect what we tell to be followed.

This may be a helpful way to operate with small children, but we need additional skills with adolescents. Because they are entering into adulthood, teenage respond better to be approached as peers. We as parents need to listen to them with special understanding, Unfortunately, listening is not easy. Listening with the heart is a basic requirement for understanding our adolescent sons and daughters.

Adolescence is a time of bewildering emotions and intense new feelings: sexual desires, fantasies, ambitions, dreams, anger at being treated like a child, and strange feelings about bodily changes. Not until an adolescent identifies these feeling with words, will he or she begin to handle them in a rational, mature way.

Adolescents appreciate comments that are accepting, approving, affirming. It is reassuring to the adolescent to hear a parent say: "I can understand what you are saying," or "I appreciate your willingness

A

to tell me that," or "Good! You are saying it well".

Far better are general leads, that give the adolescent freedom to share what he or she chooses. Some general leads might: "Mind telling me about your game today?" or "Would you care to explain that more fully". This type of verbal response will increase comments from the adolescent.

Listen and understand how your child views life. It means trying to view a situation through the eyes of your adolescent.

As parents you must make a deliberate effort to know the inner life and feelings of your child. Responses convey the idea that you as an adult are trying to understand what is being said. Like, "let me tell you what I'm hearing, to see if I'm on target". All you are doing is using your own words to restate or summarize what the other person has just said. If you have heard correctly and stated it well, the adolescent's reaction will be to say: "That's right", and then continue telling his or her story. If you are not accurate in your feedback, you might hear, "No' that's not what I meant."

Your response has given the child a chance to clarify what has been said. You might indicate your interpretation of what you hear by comments such as: "You resent Dad's absence from your games. Is that correct? Or

"You feel we are picking on you.

Is that it?" Adolescents feel complimented if a parent takes time to hear them out while intently trying to understand.

The adolescent may be fearful and deeply troubled. Trapped by peer pressure, he or she may have become involved in drug or alcohol abuse, sexual activity, or vandalism. It is important that we as parents are able to

reflect the conviction that there is hope, regardless of the situation.

For some parents, this hope finds its ultimate source in the belief that God can change things and is seeking to do so for their child. This confidence in God gives a sense of hope the conversations they have with their child.

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www.oheraldo.in

Refreshing, Thirst Quenching Snack

The Endearing Goof

H

e is an anthropomorphic dog and is one of Mickey Mouse's best friends. In cartoon clips created during the 1950s, his name was given as both "George Geef" and "G.G. Geef", implying that "Goofy" was a nickname.

Physical Features Goofy’s main flaw is his clumsiness. He is loose-jointed and gangly, but flexible. Yet, he can move fast if he has to, but would rather avoid any overexertion, so he takes what seems to be the easiest way.

His posture is nil. He walks on his heels and his toes turn up. Though he is very flexible and floppy, his body still has a solidity and weight. He is not muscular, yet has the strength and stamina of a very wiry person.

Attire His clothes are misfits: his trousers are baggy at the knees and the pants legs strive vainly to touch his shoe tops but never do. His pants droop at the seat and stretch tightly across some distance below the crotch. His sweater fits him snugly except for the neck and his vest is much too small. His hat is of a soft material and animates a little bit.

Popularity For more than 60 years, Goofy - the awkward, toothy, curious, and good-spirited

Disney cartoon characters -has been enduringly popular.

Primarily, it's because he's funny.

I n any language, with any age group, Goofy's antics always communicate.

But, beyond that, his popularity is connected to the source of his humor. We generally see Goofy ever-valiantly attempting things that we ourselves might fear, "goofing" them up in a way that we're a little afraid we might, and yet shining through it all with qualities to which we most aspire.

Personality Goofy is cheerful, eternally loyal, and always willing to help his friends. He has a gentle, childlike innocence and wonder about the world around him. Goofy's positive and has a, "I'll try anything" attitude. And, perhaps most important, Goofy always assumes the best about his fellow man.

Think of the Goof as an everlasting optimist, a gullible Good Samaritan.

No matter what happens, he accepts it finally as being

NATURE Alisha Dourado (10), Std IV, St Joseph’s School, Sao Jose de Areal

A GIRAFFE Ansa Fernandes , Std IV, Presentation Convent HS., Margao

for the best. He is willing to help anyone and offers his assistance even when it is not needed and just creates confusion. He very seldom, if ever, reaches an objective or completes what he has started. It is difficult for him to concentrate on any one subject. Any little distraction can throw him off his train of thought and it is extremely difficult for the Goof to keep to his purpose. Yet the Goof is not the type to be pitied. He doesn't dribble, drool or shriek. His own anthem of confidence to young people, a song entitled "You Can Always Be Number One," was is encouraging to those who feel they can never excel in any task they undertake. The Goof's message is: It doesn't matter if you win or lose; just get up, try, and, most of all, have fun.

He has music in his heart, even though it is the same tune forever and I see him humming to himself while working or thinking. He talks to himself because it is easier for him to know what he is thinking if he hears it first.

His affable optimism and "how-NOT-to" way of doing things make him a perfect example for the young and old alike .

Goofy’s Message  Never judge the book by its cover  It is not looks but character that really matters  Always be optimistic and confident  Your popularity lies in your character and talent  Being ugly doesn’t mean you have to stop living

T

he summer is sizzling hot. Our palates are parched. We sweat and feel thirsty and hungry.

But we don’t feel like eating or drinking plain water. So how do we quench our thirst and satisfy our hunger at the same time, without harming our healthy by drinking aerated carbonated ‘soft drinks’ and yet eat and drink something delicious? The answer is, eating fresh fruits. Fruits are amongst the most delectable and delicious foods on Earth. They are also the ideal healthy convenience or snack food because you can just pick them up and eat them just make sure they are ripe.

What is a Fruit?

Fruits are produced by many plants in order to help in the dispersal of their seeds. It would be pointless for a plant to drop all its seeds directly beneath, by its roots, since all the seedlings would then compete with each other and their parent. Plants have therefore evolved various mechanisms by which their seeds can be dispersed.

But the fruits that we are interested in here

are those fleshy fruits which the plant has made attractive for us to eat.

RIVER VALLEY Denver Gomes (12), Std VII, St Britto’s HS., Mapusa

DANCING DOLPHINS Dnyaneshwar A Shindolkar (13), Std VI, Our Lady of Lourdes HS., Utorda

Wondrous Delight One of the wonderful things about fruits is that we are actually eating something offered to us by the plant.

Fruits are not as expensive as you think they are. Take a good look at how much money you spend on other food. It could be worth something to replace some of those expenses with fruit.

Fresh Fruit It is important, as far as possible, to eat fruit that is fresh, ripe and in season. The ideal way to eat fruit is to eat it straight from the plant. Once it starts to age, it loses its nutritional value in the same way as other parts of the plant do.

Fruits that are picked unripe will never develop their full flavour, sweetness or nutritional value because the plant hasn't had enough time to put all it wanted to in the fruit. With careful planning it is possible to pick fresh fruit from your gard e n

for 10 or even eleven months of the year.

Fruit that has been transported halfway across the

globe is normally picked under ripe and sprayed to stop it rotting. It is also not in harmony with the climatic zone in which we live so is much less good for us, as well as contributing to unnecessary pollution in the transportation process.

Nutritional Value Fruits are a nice juicy, tasty morsel full of naturally filtered water, natural sugars, flavours, vitamins and minerals , enzymes and other nutrients. Most are light and easy to digest and they are a natural convenience food because there is normally no preparation required.

They have a cleansing effect on the blood and the digestive tract. Fruits are best eaten fresh, ripe and raw. But do not suddenly eat a lot of fruit in one g o

(especially of the more acid berries) until you know that your system can cope with it.

Weight Loss

It has been recommended that we should be eating at least 5 pieces of fruit every day in order to gain the full health benefits of eating fruit.

Fruit can also benefit many people wanting to lose weight. Energy consumption is thought to be mainly influenced by the palatability, fibre content, density of energy and the variety of foods.

Eating fruit has the benefit of affecting some these factors.

Fruit is also low in sodium so they help reduce the chance of gaining water weight.

Providing you are eating about one-third of the diet as fruits & vegetables, you

should notice rapid weight loss because the ample fruit consumption helps fill the stomach faster encouraging less high calorie foods to be consumed. The total calorie consumption will automatically reduce even if we are eating plenty of fruit and vegetables. There is such a variety of fruits available that many can be freely eaten without consuming too many calories thereby controlling weight more effectively.

Stimulates Memory If you didn’t know yet: fruit is the ultimate brain fuel. Fruit has a positive effect on our brains. If you consume fruit effectively, your brains can recall information faster and more easily.

A CAMPFIRE Nicole Travasso (6), Std I , Childcare School, Margao

TARZAN Alroy Shane Lopes (10), Std IV, St Joseph’s School, Sao Jose de Areal

BEN 10 Kapila S Chodankar (11), Std V, Mary Immaculate Girls’ HS, Panjim

MICKEY MOUSE Joel Gomindes (10), Std IV, Mount Mary HS., Chinchinim

Colour Me ENTRY FORM MONGINIS Creative Me NAME: AGE:

STD:

Phone:

SCHOOL: HOME ADDRESS:

MONGINIS TWO BEST CREATIVE ME ENTRIES  Dnyaneshwar A Shindolkar (13), Std VI, Our Lady of Lourdes HS., Utorda wins a gift voucher of Monginis worth Rs. 125/-

 Denver Gomes (12), Std VII, St

Britto’s HS., Mapusa wins a gift voucher

of Monginis worth Rs. 75/-

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GOA, Monday, 3 May, 2010

Unimpressive Churchill down Salgaocar l

Felix scores brace; Salgaocar still in danger zone

Churchill…3 Salgaocar…1 HERALD CORRESPONDENT MARGAO, MAY 2

A brace by Nigerian striker Felix Chimaokwu powered defending champions Musli Power Churchill Brothers to a 3-1 win over Salgaocar Sports Club in ONGC 3rd I-league match at Nehru Stadium, Fatorda on Sunday. They led 1-0 at the breather.

Churchill now have 35 points from 21 matches. Dempo 47 from 23 matches and Mahindra 38 from 23 matches. Salgaocar have 24 from 23 matches and are above bottom placed Sporting with 21 points from 23 matches.

If Salgaocar lost, blame it on poor finishing by forwards Ekene Ikenwa and midfielder Francis Fernandes. On many occasions they had man-of-the match, Churchill goalkeeper Arindam Bhattacharya at their mercy but they lacked the finishing touch once in the danger zone.

Salgaocar’s Anthony Barbosa, Cajetan Fernandes and Rocus Lamare worked effectively in

Verna oust Nerul

holy cross soccer HERALD CORREPONDENT QUEPEM, MAY 2

Verna Sports Club,Verna defeated United Club of Nerul 3-0 to move into the semi-finals of 14th Holy Cross inter-village soccer tournament organised by Holy Cross Sports Club at Vodlemoll Kakoda.

They led 1-0 at the break.

Nerul pressed hard in the first half and came up with many scoring opportunities with Xavier Clemente at the helm of affairs but they failed to find the target.

It was in the 25th minute that Mariano Cruz opened the account for Verna through a superb volley.

Verna looked more dangerous in the second half and substitute Wilson Fernandes scored through a header.

Just before full time, Anthony Rego rounded off the tally.

Samson Menezes of Verna and Charles Pereira of Nerul were cautioned for unsporting behaviour.

the midfield to feed Ekene and Bevan D’Mello who kept the rival defence on their toes.

Churchill Brothers were a pale shadow of themselves as they were unable to strike a rhythm.

Salgaocar defenders Rouhollah Samienia provided little room for Odafe Okolie to break free especially in the first half.

Salgoacar right half Francis Fernandes wasted a gilt edged chance in the very 2nd minute when he was fed by Ekene but the former’s feeble push went to Arindam.

At the other end, the Salgaocar citadel survived a scare when Odafa broke free from a rival but his right footer was blocked

by Salgaocar goalkeeper Amit Nandy.

Bevan nearly opened the scoring in the 12th minute but his right footer was taken care by Arindam with great difficulty.

Churchill finally broke the deadlock in the 29th minute through a penalty. Following midfielder Ogba Kalu’s cross, Odafa worked towards the rival penalty box with Salgaocar’s captain Luciano Sabrosa in hot

pursuit. However, the ball hit Sabrosa’s hand which drew the attention of assistant referee Shaji Kurian from Kerala. Referee Pratap Singh awarded the penalty which left the Salgaocar bench angry. Felix made no mistake slotting past goalkeeper Amit. Sabrosa was cautioned.

Salgaocar raised their game and earned a free kick just outside the box. Rouhollah’s free kick beat Arindam but it deflected off the crossbar in the 43rd minute.

Salgaocar nearly found the equaliser at the stroke of lemon break but Bevan’s smart header was fisted away by Arindan. The ball travelled to Ekene, who made a mess of it.

Churchill put up a better display after the interval and Francis Fernandes blew away an easy chance shooting over from close.

Churchill doubled the lead through another penalty in the 53rd minute. Following midfielder Kalu’s cross inside the box, Luciano brought down Odafa, who himself

A Churchill Bros player intercept a pass from a Salgaocar player at Nehru Stadium, Fatorda on Sunday.

took the resultant spot kick to send the rival goalkeeper on the wrong way.

Churchill made sure of the victory when striker Felix completed his brace in the 59th minute.

Churchill could have scored yet again but Odafa and Felix spurned chances.

Salgaocar also had chances

to reduce the margin but substitutes Lester Fernandez and Manjit Singh bungled.

Churchill’s coach Carlos Roberto Pereira Da Silva was elated after the victory. “These are very valuable points,” he added.

Salgaocar ’s coach Karim Bencherifa said his team had failed to convert their chances.

Derrick, Dwayne, Rajesh, Hussain, Gajender, Ali, Aishwarya, Rohini top

The winners alongwith Admiral Sudhir Pillai, V M Prabhudesai, Cesar Menezes at Dona Paula on Sunday.

nat sailing HERALD SPORTS DESK PANJIM, MAY 2

Derrick regained the National Boardsailing title off Dona Paula on Sunday. Dwayne claimed the national junior crown.

The boardsailors literally flew over the waves as they raced in the ninth race in strong winds. Donald, Remy and Derrick started one behind the other in close formation.

Donald held the lead till the windward mark followed by Derrick and Remy.

Derrick then powered on the reach and shot past Donald, to take the lead. However, a determined Donald snatched the lead again in a tacking duel on the beat, and led again till the last leg of the race, only to be beaten by the Derrick again in the last reach.

In the laser full rig, Gajendar

Singh stamped his mark winning both races and the overall championship too. Gajendar had a tough fight on his hands today, with Sukhvir Singh and Mohanlal breathing down his neck. Gajendar managed to keep both the oponents at bay, in both races which saw plenty of capsizes in the strong wind conditions. The ultimate top three places were taken by Gajendar Singh, Harihara and Sukhvir Singh.

In the laser radial class, Rajesh Choudhary proved that he is head and shoulders above the rest wining both races comfortably. There was a close tussle between B. K. Rout, Jasvir Singh and Ramesh Kumar. In the

first race, Jasvir managed to pip Rout for the second spot. But in the third race Rout kept Jasvir well covered to take the second spot and push Jasvir to fifth spot. Rout thus managed to capture the overall second position in the championships with Ramesh Kumar taking the third spot.

In the laser radials (girls), Rohini Rao, who beat many of the male competitors, won the championships comfortably followed by Mrinalini. Santhanam in the second place and Pallavi Naik of Goa in the third sport.

In Laser 4.7, Swetha Sadanandan shocked all her male counterparts wining the

first race followed by Hussain and Rufus. Hussain kept Rufus covered all the way to ensure that he held him back, since he was his main opponent. Hussain, however, won the last race comfortably followed by Rufus andShweta.

Hussain thus captured the overall title for boys with Rufus taking the second spot and Praveen the third.

In the Laser Radial for girls, Aishwarya Cheziyan captured the title followed closely by Shweta Sadanandan in the second spot and Zephra Curimbhoy in the third.

Admrial Sudhir Pillai was the chief guest and gave away the trophies.

Goa girls in semis HERALD CORRESPONDENT MARGAO, MAY 2

Hosts Goa girls booked their place in the quarter-final knockout stage of 20th Sub Junior National Baseball Championship organized by Goa Baseball Association in association with Baseball Federation of India at PJN ground, Fatorda on Sunday.

In the last league match, Goa girls hammered Haryana 13-0 homes scoring their second consecutive one-sided victory. For Goa, Karishma Gaude, Anuja Budhalkar, Gauri Padkar and Sneha Bhomkar excelled.

Goa boys also scored their second successive win in the league tournament scoring a 15-

0 homes victory over Maharashtra. For Goa, Ganesh Sudhir, Amey Shetya, Vaishnav Pednekar and Jayesh Gaude played well.

Goa will play their last league match against Jharkhand.

Results: Boys - Delhi bt. Kerala 10-0, Orissa bt. Chandigarh 5-4, Delhi bt. Bihar 13-0, Goa bt. Maharashtra 15-0, Bihar bt. Assam 15-7, Tamil Nadu drew with West Bengal 4-4, Chandgarh bt. Uttarakhand 13-6, Chattisgarh bt.

West Bengal 10-0, Chattisgarh bt. Jammu & Kashmir 11-0.

Girls: Orissa bt. Andhra Pradesh 10-0, Delhi bt. Assam 10-0, Chandigarh bt. Manipur 110, Madhya Pradesh bt. Maharashtra 8-3, Goa bt. Harayana 13-0.

GOA DIARY Arpora- Nagoa soccer

PANJIM (HSD) -- The All-Goa inter-village Arpora- Nagoa panchayat soccer tournament organized by Arpora Sporting Club will be held from May 4 2010 at Salt Lake ground, Arpora. The winners up will be awarded Rs 25,000 and the runners-up Rs 15,000 besides trophies and other cash prizes.

The tournament will be held as per GFA s rules for private tournament. Teams registered with GFA may contact Babli Mandrekar on 9923184788.

3-a-side tie-breaker soccer

PANJIM (HSD) -- The 3-a-side tie-breaker soccer organised by Youth of Grande Morod, Saligao will be held on May 3 at Grande Morod, Saligao from 7 p.m on the occasion of Santa Cruz Chapel feast. Rs 6,000 (winners), Rs 4,000 (runners up) will be awarded.

Details may be obtained from Wilfred on 9637557450.

Vasco Club trials

MAPUSA (HSR) -- The Vasco Sports Club football scholarship moved into the second week at Chowgule ground, Margao. The batch will start on May 5 and end on May 8 (4.30 to 6 op.m.).

Vasco are planning to select players from this trial for U-18 and U-20 age groups. The scholarship is a collaboration with Chowgule College.

Vasco Academy manager, Richard Hood speaking to Herald said, “This is a great chance for boys to keep their dream alive of playing professional football. At the same time their educational needs have to be taken care of, so their career options away from football will also be looked into.”

Vasco are currently in contention for this season’s GFA U-20 crown, the senior team is looking to qualify for next season’s ILeague.

Details may be obtained from Richard on 9765782396.

All-Goa Venceslau Gonsalves volleyball inaugural: 2 STC Bambolim v. Odxel SC, Cown Club court, Santa Cruz, 8 p.m.

5th Late Frank Pires Trophy soccer: Segueire SC v. St Sebastiao SC St Cruz, Siridao church ground, 4.30 p.m.

Pilerne panchayat cup soccer: Clube Sao Minguel de Taleigao v. Siolim Sodiem SC Maddanim, ground, Pilerne, 4.45 p.m.

St Anthony’s Super Soccer: Don Bosco Oratory, Fatorda v.

Parish Youth of Nuvem, Colva ground, 4.45 p.m.

Holy Cross soccer quarters: Dramapur Sirlim v. Sporting Club of Davorlim, Vodlemol, Kakoda, 4.15 p.m.

Immaculate Conception festival soccer semis: Curtorim Gymkhana v. Navelim Sporting Club, Avedem panchayat ground, Paroda, 4.30 p.m.

St Sebastiao soccer: Milagres Boys Vaddy v. Mad Max, Taleigao, A Lua ground, Merces, 5 p.m.

James Alvares memorial beach soccer: Fukott v. Majorda, Hollant Boys v. 7788, Friends of James v. Parish Youth Velsao, Bogmalo beach, from 4.45 p.m.

3-a-side breaker soccer organised by Youth of Grande Morod, Saligao, 7 p.m.

GPL cricket semis: Salgaocar Sports Club v. Chowgule Sports Club, BITS Pilani, Sancoale; Goa Sports Academy v.

Dempo Cricket Club, Panjim Gymkhana ground, 9 a.m.

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Sao Minguel lift Colormax Trophy HERALD SPORTS DESK PANJIM, MAY 2

Sao Minguel Taleigao registered a 2-0 win over Arpora Sporting Club to annex the Colormax-Imperial Rolling Trophy in the finals of the football tournament organized by United Club Nerul and sponsored by Jaysingh L. Rane at Dr. Gustavo Monteiro stadium, Candolim on Saturday.

Sao Minguel Taleigao carried away the take-away trophy and the winner’s cash prize of Rs. 30,000 while Arpora Sporting had to settle for the runners-up trophy and a cash prize of Rs. 20,000.

Arpora Sporting did everything right but score. Taleigao scored once in each session of play.

Taleigao keeper Francis Fernandes was rightly awarded best goalkeeper prize of the finals for his excellent showing which denied Pramod Mardolkar, Pradeep Chopdekar and Samir Naik a goal..

Taleigao forged ahead in the 12th minute from a hot blooded direct free kick by Cedric Peixoto which hit the back of the Arpora nylons, with keeper Rupesh Kamat rooted to the post.

Medio Caetano Pinho scored

salgaocar soccer HERALD SPORTS REPORTER MARGAO, MAY 2

Sao Minguel Taleigao, winners of Colormax-Imperial Rolling Trophy alongwith Dr Susana de Sousa, DSYA director at Candolim on Saturday.

a gem of a goal in the 20th minute of the second half, after getting hold to a Samson Pereira’s square pass and finishing it with a half volley.

Earlier, UC Nerul’s officials Michael Gonsalves (president), Gregory Estrocio (secretary), Melville De Souza (treasurer) and Anthony Correia (sports secretary) introduced the chief

guest Dr Susana De Souza, director of sports and youth affairs, to the teams. Lavino Rebello, GFA executive committee member, Kishore Parab, Sayajit Rao Rane and Ramdas Pednekar were the special invitees.

I n d i v i d u a l p r i z e s w e re awarded to: Best goalkeeper Francis Fernandes (Taleigao).

Best defender Ramesh Palkar (Taleigao). Best half Samir Naik (Arpora). Best forward Pramod Mardolkar (Arpora).

First Scorer of the final Cedric Peixoto (Taleigao).

Best disciplined team Sodiem Siolim.

Gregory Estrocio (secretary) proposed the vote of thanks.

Bruno compered the function.

Ivana leading Eat, drink, speak, sleep football: Franco HERALD SPORTS DESK PANJIM, MAY 2

Goa’s Ivana Maria Furtado was leading with 5.5 points at the end of the 7th round at the U-11 National Chess championship at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Chennai.

Gauri Hadkonkar, Riya Sawant and Saeesh Bandodkar stand on 5 points each. Ivana beat Tarini Goyal of Chandigarh. Saeesh defeated Yashraj Purohit (1596), Rajastan. Gauri drew with Sribrinda Rout (1563), Orisa.

Lavina Boys win bogmalo soccer HERALD REPORTER VASCO, MAY 2

Lavina Boys, Fatorda defeated Verna 3-2 and Fukott-II, Velsao defeated Seven United, Carmona via the tie-breaker in James Alvares memorial beach soccer organised by United Youth Club of Bogmalo at Bogmalo beach on Sunday A beautiful brace by Wallant and a crucial wining goal by Ashely helped Lavina Boys to d e f e a t Ve r n a w h o s c o re d through Mario and Peter.

Fukott-II, Velsao defeated Seven United Carmona via the tiebreaker as both teams were locked 1-1 at regular time. Mario scored for Fukott-II while Meskeins equalized for Seven United.

Velsao Veterans prevail

F

ormer Olympian footballer, Fortunato Franco turned 74 on Sunday. He represented India at Rome Olympics and was part of the successful winning team at the Asia Games in Jakarta in 1962. Herald’s Sports Correspondent, Aldrid Da Costa caught up with him at his residence at Colva. Following are excerpts of the interview.

Q. You played under the late Syed Abdul Rahim for India. What was he like as a coach?

A: Rahim was like a father, mother, guide and mentor to me. He had the skill to understand the potential of a player and this probably came from his background as a professor. He was a small person with a big mind. The then FIFA President, Sir Stanley Rous in 1956 personally came and congratulated him for India’s fourth place finish in the Melbourne Olympics.

Q. During your playing days and after hanging up your boots, what job did you do?

A. Whilst playing in Bombay I was working for Tata’s who encouraged sportsman to do the country proud. After finishing with football I continued at Tata’s as a senior executive manager in public relations. In 1999 I retired and decided to move back to my roots in Goa with my family.

Q. You were recently awarded a

Rs. 5 lakh cash prize by SAG. How did you feel?

A. As a sportsman there is no better feeling than winning a gold medal for your country, seeing your flag hoisted and hearing your national anthem, and I had this feeling when awarded the prize as it was the recognition I got for representing my country which was more important than the m o n e y. I a m v e r y grateful to Goa Government, Chief Minister Digambar Kamat, Sports Minister Babu Azgaonkar, SAG, V.M. Prabudessai, Savio Messias and Jovito Lopes for this recognition.

Q. What advice would you give to aspiring young players?

A. Eat football, drink football, speak football and sleep football.

Q. The India team is planning to face the likes of Australia in next year’s Asia Cup. How do you think they will get on?

A. I would say to the boys that they should not fear any team and they should play with intensity. We drew 1-1 with France and narrowly lost to Hungary 2-1 in the 1960 Rome Olympics. When playing for our country we gave everything.

Even in those days there were a lot of distractions. I also be-

lieve in India we need a revamp of grassroots coaching to yield better results in competitions.

Q. What was the preparation like for the 1962 Asian Games?

A. In our team we bonded well. At that time two countries were not allowed to compete for political reasons. The vicepresident of the Games, who was from India, made a comment in the press which did not go well with the hosts and our buses were stoned and we got a hostile reception in the100,000 capacity stadium, but that did not distract our focus much.

Q. You set up the winning goal in the final with a free kick. Can you elaborate?

A. We beat South Korea 2-1 in the final in Jakarta. I took the free kick and passed to Jarnail Singh, who dribbled and scored the vital goal. What was significant was that Jarnail Singh was a defender but he had injured his head and needed stitches against Thailand in the earlier rounds. In the semi-finals, Rahim moved him to a striker position in which he scored against South Vietnam. He was kept as striker for the final and repeated the feat.

Velsao Veterans kept their nerves in a tense penalty shoutout to prevail over Bardez Veterans 6-5 via the sudden death tie-breaker to enter the last four of V.M. Salgaocar memorial veterans soccer tournament organised by Prime Sports Club at Nagoa ground on Sunday.

Bardez were way ahead but their strikers Vitorino Fernandes and Paixao Gomes wasted a couple of gilt edged chances. At the other end, Boy Menezes was denied twice by Bardez keeper Mario Aguiar.

After resumption, Bardez took the lead through substitute Shrikant Naik who headed in a Kashi Khandolkar lob. Velsao crawled back and restored parity through substitute striker Anthony Dias two minutes before the close.

In the tie-breaker, Manuel D'Mello, Anthony Dias, Peter Silva, Baptist D'Mello and Benny D'Mello made no mistake for Velsao while Lino Pereira, Kashi Khandokar, Claudio Pacheco and Vasudev Haldankar found the net for Bardez. Velsao keeper Baptist effected two saves in the sudden death to take his team to the semis.

Earlier, Franky Mascarenhas, former junior international was introduced to the teams by Jeronio Fernandes.

SC Davorlim in semis st anthony super soccer HERALD SPORTS DESK PANJIM, MAY 2

Sporting Club of Davorlim moved into the semi-finals of St Anthony’s Super Soccer beating Cavelossim 5-4 via the tiebreaker at Colva ground on Sunday. The teams were level 1-1 at full time.

Davorlim forged ahead in the 8th minute through Paxton Gomes following the goalkeeper’s lapse. Cavlossim equalised in the 38th minute of the second half through a placement by Raju Cardoso.

Romeo, Piedade, Joe, Rosebud scored for Davorlim. Wilson’s tr y was saved by Cavelossim goalkeeper. Alex, Shawn, Christbern netted fopr Cavelossim. Cliffton Cardoso and Joseph Fernandes’ tries were saved by the goalkeeper. Preston D’Sa was adjudged man-of-the match

PY Nuvem claim Salgaocar Trophy HERALD CORRESPONDENT CALANGUTE, MAY 2

Parish Youth, Nuvem scored a solitary goal victory over Navelim Villagers Union to lift the late V.M. Salgaonkar Trophy in the finals of inter-village football tournament organised by Saligao Sporting Club at Sporting ground on Sunday.

The first half was equally contested. However, it was Nuvem who forged ahead in the 25th minute off a spot kick by Jose Colaco. Referee Bombkar awarded the penalty as Milton Gomes handled the ball in the danger area.

C h a n g i n g o v e r, N u v e m mounted pressure and could have doubled the lead but an Alphon try was saved by Navelim goalkeeper Chandrakant at the

expense of a corner. Alphon missed another opportunity for Nuvem.

Navelim, on the other hand, shone in patches and could have levelled the score but a Richard try was collected by Nuvem keeper Flyod.

Nuvem almost doubled the lead with a header of Rowlin finding the net but he was ruled off-side. With time running out, Navelim mounted pressure on Nuvem defense with Richard and Jaison trying hard to find the net, but in vain.

Nuvem Parish Youth won the Trophy and Rs 20,000 while Navelim Villagers Union had to be content with the runners-up trophy and Rs 15,000 which were given away by chief guest, Yatesh Naik and Jack Coelho,

The players of Nuvem Parish Youth receiving the trophy from Yatesh Naik, Jack Coelho in the presence of Tony Remedious.

former sarpanch of Saligao.

Individual prizes: Best goalkeeper Floyd Colaco (Parish Youth Nuvem). Best defender Richard (Parish Youth Nuvem).

Crown Club vice-president Olavio Fernandes addressing the members of the Press on All-Goa volleyball championship alongwith Ladislau Gonsalves, Gabriel Gonsalves, Fortunato Braganza, Nelson Botelho in Panjim on Sunday.

Photo: Jovito Lopes

Big time volleyball will return at Santa Cruz from May 3-9 with Goa’s top clubs and some India players amongst two outstation teams fighting for Venceslau Gonsalves Trophy at the All-Goa Invitation Volleyball Championship sponsored by A Estrela and organised by Crown Club at the club court, Santa Cruz.

There will be several outstation volleyball players to showcase the talent, although the so called Goa’s top, Pappu, will be missing as Irwin Soares’ managed Ponda Gymkhana will not be participating in the event which has attracted in all 12 teams.

Hosts Crown Club will field two teams and several outstation players are expected in their

l

Chelsea down Liverpool

Liverpool 0 Chelsea 2 Fulham 3 West Ham 2 Sunderland 0 Man Utd 1 Reuters LONDON, MAY 2

Manchester United ensured the Premier League title race would go to the final day as they responded to Chelsea’s win at Anfield with a nervy 1-0 victory at Sunderland on Sunday.

Chelsea’s 2-0 success earlier had put the Londoners four points ahead but Alex Ferguson’s team clung on to their hopes of an unprecedented fourth successive title by closing the gap back to one with a game each remaining.

Chelsea, who have a superior goal difference of nine, are at home to Wigan Athletic while United host Stoke City.

Nani shot United into a 28thminute lead at the Stadium of Light but they wasted several other good chances, notably through Dimitar Berbatov and had to work hard to keep the hosts at bay in the second half.

In the other match Liverpool captain’s back pass to Pepe Reina was intercepted by Didier Drogba,

Best half: Sanford Cardoz (Navelim Villagers Union).

Best forward Richard Costa (Navelim Villagers Union). First scorer of finals Jose Colaco

(Parish Youth Nuvem).

Earlier, Tony Remedious, president of Saligao Sporting Club introduced the players to the guests.

ranks. So also, some other teams will also field players from outside Goa, with the sole purpose of providing rich fare so that ultimately it provides a big boost for the standard of volleyball which is on a downslide in Goa. “Goan volleyball needs to be revived to the glorious days of 80s. It is for too long that we are witnessing the decline of the game year after year and

the authorities do not seem to bother. As such, we are taking the initiative with a few others, to revamp the structure with the prime objective of improving the standard of the game,” disclosed Olavio Fernandes, Crown’s vice-president at a press briefing here on Sunday.

“Crown Club has been the nursery of volleyball in Goa and during its 73 years has had a chequered history, especially in volleyball. It is said that the game is dying at the senior level and it is our duty to do our best to revive it, for talent abounds at the junior level much thanks to inter-school and inter-college championships being organised regularly all over the State by Directorate of Sports and Youth Affairs, SAG and Goa University,” remarked Olavio.

“It is with great difficulty that we have managed to rope in the Signals team this time. That apart, we have scouted for promising players from the surrounding areas and invited to take part in the event. That was

possible because our sponsor, Gabriel Gonsalves, proprietor of A Estrela, has backed us up with finances and reinstituted the trophy in memory of his father Venceslau after 15 years,” explained Olavo.

“The winners will get Rs 30,000 and the runners-up Rs 15,000 besides trophies and other individual prizes,” stated Fortunato Braganza, president of the club, who is his hey days was an outstanding smasher having represented Goa at several Nationals and is intent in putting volleyball on a high pedestral as his passion for the game has not diminished an inch.

NIS coach Ladislau Gonsalves, who also hails from Santa Cruz, despite his knee injury, and Nelson Botelho, secretary were also present.

The teams: Crown A and B, Goa Police, Da Cruz Mala, Friends Circle, Pujari 6, Beta 6 St Cruz, JAS Trivandrum, 2 STC Bambolim, Odxel SC, Hauxi Yuvak Sangh, Segundo Bairro.

Matches will start at 8 p.m.

Steven Gerrard of Liverpool is tackled by Frank Lampard of Chelsea in Liverpool on Sunday.

who rounded the Spain goalkeeper to score in the 33rd minute.

And Frank Lampard netted in the 54th to ensure Chelsea triumphed at Anfield for the first time since October 2005 when the team went on to win its last title.

Manchester United’s threeyear title reign will be ended if Chelsea beat Wigan in next Sunday’s season finale.

Chelsea could win the double if it beats Portsmouth in the FA Cup final on May 15.

Messi puts Barca back on track la liga

Deportivo 0 Zaragoza 1 Tenerife 2 Racing Santander 1 Xerez 2 Almeria 1 Malaga 1 S Gijon 1 Valladolid 0 Getafe 0 Espanyol 0 Valencia 2 Villarreal 1 Barcelona 4 REUTERS MADRID, MAY 2

Lionel Messi scored twice to help Barcelona shake off the disappointment of their midweek Champions League semi-final exit with a 4-1 victory at Villarreal in La Liga.

Any thoughts that tired limbs or damaged morale might affect the defence of their league title were misplaced as Messi, Xavi and Bojan Krkic netted in the

first half at the Madrigal.

World Player of the Year Messi then bagged his second goal near the end to take his league tally for the season to 29 after Joseba Llorente had pulled one back for the hosts.

Barca have 90 points with three matches left, four ahead of Real Madrid who play Osasuna at the Bernabeu today.

Villarreal stay sixth on 52 points.

Earlier, Nikola Zigic scored twice to lead Valencia to a 2-0 victory at Espanyol that strengthened their hold on third place and Spain's last automatic Champions League qualification slot.

The towering Serbia striker, who will play at the World Cup in June, replaced David Villa early in the second half and changed the course of the game by netting twice from Vicente crosses in the 61st and 74th minutes.

Valencia have 65 points, nine ahead of fourth-placed Real Mallorca who visit Athletic Bilbao on Sunday.

Mario Bermejo headed a lastgasp winner for Xerez to earn the basement club a dramatic 2-1 victory at home to Almeria that kept alive their hopes of avoiding relegation.

Xerez stay bottom on 30 points but closed to within five of 17th-placed Malaga and safety.

Felipe Caicedo grabbed a late equaliser to keep Malaga out of the bottom three with a 1-1 draw at home to Sporting Gijon but they are now level on 35 points with 18th-placed Tenerife.

The islanders, who have an inferior head-to-head record, were 2-1 winners over Racing Santander and moved above Real Valladolid (33 points) who drew 0-0 at home to Getafe.

whole second period, stay five points adrift of safety after a calamitous late own goal from Federico Peluso in a 1-1 draw with fourth-bottom Bologna.

AS Roma clambered back to the top, at least for a day, after Francesco Totti added to his collection of classic goals with a marvellous lob in their 2-1 win at Parma.

Valeri Bojinov fired just wide for the mid-table hosts on five minutes before Roma, workmanlike on Labour Day, went straight up the other end and scored.

De Rossi pinged a pass forward and captain Totti timed his run to perfection.

Rodrigo Taddei nodded in for the second goal on 75 minutes.

Davide Lanzafame's superb header set up a nervous finish during which Parma's Luis Jimenez was sent off.

Totti's display and his 12th league goal of an injury-hit season offered food for thought for Italy coach Marcello Lippi as he considers whether the 33-yearold should come out of international retirement and play at the World Cup in June.

Third-placed AC Milan, whose coach Leonardo has hinted he will soon leave because of a difficult relationship with owner Silvio Berlusconi, beat mid-table Fiorentina 1-0 thanks to a 77thminute penalty from the inconsistent Ronaldinho.

Juventus miss Champions spot serie a

AC Milan 1 Fiorentina 0 Cagliari 2 Udinese 2 Catania 1 Juventus 1 Bari 3 Genoa 0 Chievo 1 Napoli 2 Atalanta 1 Bologna 1 Siena 1 Palermo 2 Sampdoria 2 Livorno 0 REUTERS MILAN, MAY 2

Big time volleyball at Santa Cruz

HERALD SPORTS REPORTER PANJIM, MAY 2

Man Utd take title race to final game

Juventus will not feature in next season’s Champions League after a 1-1 Serie A draw at Catania on Sunday ensured the seventhplaced side cannot finish fourth.

Sampdoria stayed two points clear in the fourth and final Champions League qualifying spot thanks to a 2-0 home win over relegated Livorno, with fifth-placed Palermo the only team that can now catch them with two games left.

Palermo won 2-1 at Siena to confirm the home side’s relegation after they were effectively condemned last weekend because of their poor goal difference.

Third-bottom Atalanta, who missed a first-half penalty and were reduced to 10 men for the

Henin champ AGENCIES STUTTGART, MAY 2

Justine Henin won her first title since coming out of retirement, defeating Samantha Stosur 6-4, 2-6, 6-1 Sunday in the final of the Porsche Grand Prix. The former No. 1’s victory on clay will give her a boost three weeks before the start of the French Open.

Nadal triumphs

ROME (AGENCIES) -- Rafael Nadal maintained his focus through two rain delays to beat fellow Spaniard David Ferrer 75, 6-2 and claim his fifth Rome Masters title in six years.

Having won the Monte Carlo Masters two weeks ago to end an 11-month title drought, Nadal improved to 10-0 on clay this year and provided another signal he is back to dominating on his preferred surface after a series of injuries.

Tirkey retires PTI NEW DELHI, MAY 2

Olympian and experienced Indian defender Dilip Tirkey today announced his retirement from the international hockey.

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SPORTS

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Man Utd take title race to final game Pg. 17

Unimpressive Churchill down Salgaocar Pg. 16

GOA, MONDAY, 3 MAY, 2010

www.oherald.in

India qualify for Super Eight PTI ST LUCIA (WI), MAY 2

India today qualified for the Super Eight stage of the Twenty20 cricket World Cup as Suresh Raina's maiden T20 hundred scripted team's thrilling 14-run win over South Africa in a group C match here today.

India escaped a late assault from the Protea batsmen to score their second successive win and topped their group.

Powered by Raina's hundred, first by an Indian batsman in the shortest format, India posted a commanding 186 for five after invited to bat at Beausejourn stadium.

India then just about managed to restrict their rivals to 172 for five, surviving a late blitzkrieg from the Protea batsmen, who did extremely well to get close to the target after a sluggish start.

India: D Karthik c Smith b Kallis 16, M Vijay c Boucher b Kleinveldt 0, S Raina c De Villiers b A. Morkel 101, Yuvraj Singh c Smith b Kleinveldt 37, Y Pathan c van der Merwe b Steyn 11, MS Dhoni not out 16, Harbhajan Singh not out 0. Extras: 5. Total: 186 for 5.

Fall of wickets: 1-4, 2-32, 3-120, 4-163, 5-178. Bowling: Kleinveldt 4-0-48-2, Steyn 4-0-24-1, M. Morkel 4-0-32-0, A. Morkel 3-0-39-1, Kallis 4-0-30-1, Van der Merwe 1-0-13-0.

South Africa: J Kallis c Jadeja b Chawla 73, L Bosman c Chawla b Pathan 8, G Smith run out 36, AB de Villiers c Chawla b Nehra 31, A Morkel c Harbhajan b Pathan 12, M Boucher not out 4, JP Duminy not out 4. Extras: 4. Total: 172 for 5.

Fall of wickets: 1-21, 2-118, 3-128, 4-152, 5-167. Bowling: Harbhajan 4-0-33-0, Kumar 1-0-3-0, Nehra 4-0-27-1, Pathan 4-042-2, Chawla 3-0-27-1, Jadeja 4-0-37-0.

Man-of-the-match: S Raina

Jacques Kallis (73, 3x4, 3x6) and Graeme Smith (36, 2x6) fought tooth and nail to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat, raising 96 runs for the second wicket, but their effort wasn't good enough to quell the Indian challenge.

De Villiers (31, 3x6) desperately threw his bat around towards the latter part of the innings, but the asking rate was far too high to scale.

Raina was the toast of Indian win, reaffirming that he is a dependable batsman when the going gets tough for his team.

He is only third batsman to score a hundred in this format with the first two centuries coming from the bats of West Indies' Chris Gayle and Brendon McCullum of New Zealand.

Raina was sedate at the start, but when he got his eye in and assessed the wicket, he went hammer and tongs, smashing fours and sixes with relentless ease.

Raina first Indian to hit T20 international ton

Suresh Raina today became the first Indian batsman and third overall to crack a Twenty20 international century after making a breezy 60-ball 101 against South Africa in a World Cup match here.

West Indies captain Chris Gayle and Brendon McCullum of New Zealand are the other two batsmen to have scored a century in the shortest format of the game.

He took 42 balls to reach 50, Morkel. but stepped on the gas pedal The diminutive 24-year-old as the innings wore on. He struck nine fours and five sixes barely needed 17 more balls to and first raised 88 match-winrace to his maiden TODAYâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S MATCHES ning runs for the hundred in T20 third wicket with Sri Lanka v. Zimbabwe Yuvraj Singh (37) cricket.

He virtually and then 43 with 7 pm slaughtered the West Indies v. England Yuusf Pathan.

South Africa pace Those partner11 pm attack, which had ships were the held sway in the hub around which first six overs of the innings. the Indian innings developed, Rory Langeveldt (2/48) and giving the bowlers the liberty Albie Morkel (1/39) were treated to try out their wares on this with disdain. So was Morne slow track.

Pakistan win over Bangladesh PTI ST LUCIA, MAY 2

Openers Salman Butt and Kamran Akmal cracked 73 each to guide defending champions Pakistan to a 21-run victory over Bangladesh in their opening Group A match of the Twenty20 cricket World Cup here.

Butt (73 off 46) and Akmal (73 off 55) shared a breezy 141run opening stand to help Pakistan pile up a competitive 172 for three after skipper Shahid Afridi won the toss and elected to bat in the slow Beausejour Stadium wicket here.

In reply, Bangladesh lost two early wickets but Mohammad Ashraful (65 off 49) and captain Shakib Al Hasan (47 off 31) kept them in the hunt with a quickfire 63-ball 91-run third wicket partnership yesterday.

But Bangladesh chocked under pressure and in the end they were restricted to 151 for seven in their stipulated 20 overs.

Comeback man Mohammad Sami was the pick of the Pak-

istani bowlers with three wickets for 29 runs while he was ably supported by fellow pacer M o h a m m a d A a m e r, w h o scalped two for 16 at the other end.

Left-arm pacer Aamer gave Pakistan the breakthrough in the first over, getting rid off Imrul Kayes caught by Misbah.

Tamim Iqbal (19) too did not

Pakistan: K Akmal c Abdur Razzak b Shakib Al Hasan 73, S Butt b Shafiul Islam 73, S Afridi c Mahmudullah b Shakib Al Hasan 9, A Razzaq not out 6, Misbah-ulHaq not out 8. Extras: 3. Total: 172 for three.

Fall of wickets: 1-142, 2-156, 3-158. Bowling: Mashrafe Mortaza 4-0-39-0, Abdur Razzak 4-0-41-0, Shafiul Islam 4-0-25-1, Naeem Islam 2-0-18-0, Shakib Al Hasan 4-0-27-2, Suhrawadi Shuvo 1-0-12-0, Mohammad Ashraful 1-0-8-0 Bangladesh: T Iqbal c & b Mohammad Hafeez 19, I Kayes c Misbah-ul-Haq b Mohammad Aamer 0, M Ashraful c Kamran Akmal b Mohammad Aamer 65, S Al Hasan c Umar Akmal b Mohammad Sami 47, Mahmudullah c Mohammad Aamer b Mohammad Sami 0, N Islam not out 10, M Rahim c Saeed Ajmal b Mohammad Sami 4, M Mortaza st Kamran Akmal b Saeed Ajmal 1, S Shuvo not out 1. Extras: 4. Total: 151 for seven.

Fall of wickets: 1-1, 2-31, 3-122, 4-123, 5-140, 6-145, 7-150.

Bowling: Mohammad Aamer 4-0-16-2, Mohammad Sami 4-0-293, Mohammad Hafeez 3-0-28-1, Abdul Razzaq 2-0-23-0, Saeed Ajmal 3-0-18-1, Shahid Afridi 4-0-37-0.

Man-of-the-match: Salman Butt.

Sports Ministry limits tenure for Kalmadi & Co

PTI NEW DELHI, MAY 2

In a bid to crack down on National Sports Federation heads who have been occupying the posts for too long, the Sports Ministry today said NSF chiefs in office for more than a decade will have to step down after their current term expires.

The Ministry has modified a 1975 regulation that means Indian Olympic Association chief Suresh Kalmadi and

several NSF chiefs including V K Malhotra (archery), Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa (cycling), VK Verma (badminton), captain Satish K Sharma (aero club) and BS Adityan (volleyball) cannot seek a reelection after their present term expires.

The move is also being interpreted as a fallout of Sports Minister M S Gill's ongoing feud with Kalmadi, who has been at the helm since 1996.

The Ministry said it has decided to restore the modified tenure clause,

which was kept in abeyance by former Sports Minister Uma Bharti in 2001, to encourage "professional management, good governance, transparency, accountability, democratic elections, etc. in NSFs, including IOA." The original 1975 regulation introduced by the Indira Gandhi government had capped the tenure of the President, the Secretary and the Treasurer at not more than two consecutive terms of four years each.

The modified clause caps the tenure of the president of an NSF, including IOA, to 12 years "with or without break". For the Secretary and the Treasurer, it shall not be more than two successive tenures of four years each.

"The Secretary and the Treasurer shall be eligible for standing for re-election to the post after a minimum interval of four years," the Ministry said.

"Further, there will be a retirement age of 70 years for all the members

and office bearers," it added.

Most of the NSFs have politicians at the top, while bureaucrats and businessmen too have been found clinging onto the top posts for long.

BJP leader VK Malhotra is heading the Archery Association of India for more than three decades.

Akali Dal leader Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa's reign as the Cycling Federation of India head is into its 14th year while VK Verma, a bureaucrat, is ruling Bad-

minton Association of India for 12 years.

Congress leader Captain Satish K Sharma heads the Aero Club for 24 years, while B S Adityan, a businessman, has been at the helm of the Volleyball Federation of India for 12 years.

Others who have been ruling NSFs for nearly a decade include Digvijay Singh (shooting), Ajay Singh Chautala (table tennis), Yashwant Sinha (tennis), Abhay Singh Chautala (boxing), Ashoke Ghosh (kho kho), KP Singh Deo (rowing) and KN Kapur (swimming).

BCCI Working Committee endorses charges against Modi PTI MUMBAI, MAY 2

Lalit Modi found himself completely isolated with all members of the BCCI Working Committee today endorsing

charges of bid-rigging and other financial irregularities against the suspended IPL Commissioner.

During the hour-long meeting at the BCCI headquarters here,

board president Shashank Manohar explained to the 22 members of the committee just why it was important to suspend Modi from all IPL and Board posts.

"All the members agreed upon the charges against Modi," a source told PTI. "All the happenings leading up to the suspension were also told to the members. Manohar

informed the members about several deals that Modi entered into without the IPL Governing Council's knowledge, including the TV rights deal," he added.

Modi was charged on five

counts, including irregularities in the bids of Rajasthan Royals and Kings XI Punjab and in the broadcast and internet deals, and has to file his replies within 15 days to these charges.

last long as he hit one straight back to off-spinner Mohammad Hafeez off his own bowling.

Needing 53 of the last five overs, a tired Shakib was caught at long off by Umar Akmal off Mohammad Sami and then Aamer put the final nail in Bangladesh's coffin, getting danger man Ashraful caught behind.