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Showing posts from July 24, 2011

Indian businesses tap mining boom in Mongolia

President Pratibha Patil on Friday asked Indian industry houses to exploit the vast opportunities in the mining sector in Mongolia, saying that the gold, copper and uranium reserves in Ulaanbaatar hold much in store for them. "The mining boom that Mongolia is presently experiencing is predicted to make Mongolia's economy the fastest growing in the world by 2013. The World Bank's annual GDP growth rate projection for Mongolia in 2013 is 22.9 per cent," Patil said. "Such predictions, indeed, are staggering and Indian business must take due notice. Mongolia's mineral wealth, including significant reserves of coal, copper, gold and uranium, offer investment opportunities for Indian companies," she said. "Implementation of these projects will generate significant demand for construction and mining equipment, as well as in such areas as power generation, water supply and rail transport. I would recommend the Indian business delegation to look closel

Kalmadi to move plea to attend Parliament in HC

Congress MP and sacked CWG Organising Committee chief Suresh Kalmadi on Thursday withdrew his plea from the trial court, seeking permission to attend the Monsoon Session of Parliament, saying he will approach the Delhi High Court for the same. Special CBI Judge Talwant Singh accepted Kalmadi's submission that the high court was the appropriate forum to decide his plea for custody parole to attend Parliament."The application dated July 22 of Suresh Kalmadi seeking permission to attend the eighth session of Parliament is dismissed as withdrawn," the judge said. 66-year-old Kalmadi, who is a Lok Sabha member from Pune, had on 22nd July moved the application for custody parole to attend the 8th session of the 15th Lok Sabha. Earlier this month, Kalmadi had written to Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar seeking her permission to attend the session of Parliament scheduled from 1st August to 8th September. The Speaker, however, had said he would be able to attend Parliament on

India repatriates 91 Pakistani prisoners

In order build confidence, India repatriated 91 Pakistani prisoners, including 87 fishermen, at the Amritsar-Wagah Border on Tuesday on the eve of crucial talks between the Foreign Ministers of both the nations in New Delhi.All the prisoners crossed the international border on the basis of 'Emergency Travel Certificate' issued by the Pakistan High Commission in the national capital, officials said. While, the 87 fishermen, arrested for illegally entering India's territorial waters, were released from Gujarat's Jamnagar jail, one was freed from a Haryana prison and two were from Amritsar central jail. Another prisoner Mohammad Raheel, who was in Sangrur jail in Punjab, was arrested from Jammu and Kashmir for suspected involvement in terrorist activities, they said. Two prisoners released in Amritsar were arrested for crossing international border without valid documents.The Pakistanis spent one to five years in Indian jails. The repartition move comes on a day when

Railway Revenue Earnings up by 10.45 per cent

Railway Revenue Earnings up by 10.45 per cent During the Period 11th – 20th July 2011-The total approximate earnings of Indian Railways on originating basis during the period from 11th to 20th July 2011 were Rs. 2641.85 crore compared to Rs. 2391.89 crore during the same period last year, registering an increase of 10.45 per cent. The total goods earnings have gone up from Rs. 1577.16 crore during the period from 11th to 20th July 2010 to Rs. 1743.64 crore during 11th July – 20th July 2011, showing an increase of 10.56 per cent. The total passenger revenue earnings during the period 11th to 20th July 2011 were Rs. 804.79 crore compared to Rs. 715.44 crore during the same period last year, reflecting an increase of 12.49 per cent. The revenue earning from other coaching amounted to Rs. 68.10 crore during this period compared to Rs. 61.73 crore during the same period last year, showing an increase of 10.32 per cent. The total approximate number of passengers booked during the period

SNA’s Festival of Performance by Akademi Awardees

New Delhi, July 26: The fourth day of the Festival of Performing Arts, featuring recipients of the Sangeet Natak Akademi Awards 2010, being held between 23-31 July in the premises of Sangeet Natak Akademi (SNA) here, witnessed three performances by noted artistes – Kalamandalam Raman Chakyar (Kutiyattam), Klamandalam KG Vasudevam Nair (Kathakakli), and the playwright, D Vizai Bhaskar ( Kurchi – play in Telgu) Profile of these artistes are detailed below: KALAMANDALAM RAMAN CHAKYAR Born in 1950 in Painkulam village in Kerala, Shri Raman Chakyar received his training in Kutiyattam under Gurus Painkulam Rama Chakyar, Kidangoor Rama Chakyar, and Ammannur Madhava Chakyar. He obtained his Post-Diploma certificate in Kuttiyattam from Kerala Kalamandalam in 1976. Here, he also learnt to play the Mizhavu under Shri Chathakutam Krishnan Nambiar.Over the years, Shri Raman Chakyar has established himself as a leading performer and teacher of Kutiyattam. His performances have been presented

Raja begins arguments opposing corruption charges

Former Telecom Min A Raja on Monday defended himself against corruption charges in the 2G scam, saying he had not done anything wrong and was merely following the policies pursued by his predecessors and the NDA govt. DMK MP pleaded before Special CBI Judge O P Saini that there was nothing wrong in his decision of not auctioning 2G spectrum as he had "implemented only what I have inherited." Senior Advocate Sushil Kumar, appearing for Raja, said if Raja is being prosecuted for following a certain policy then all Telecom ministers since 1993 are liable to be prosecuted as they too followed the same policy."If policy pursued by me was wrong, then all former Telecom ministers since 1993 should also be in jail with me (Raja)," the counsel said while opposing framing of charges against Raja. He said, "As Telecom Minster Arun Shourie distributed 26 licences while Dayanidhi Maran distributed 25 and I (Raja) distributed 122 licences. Numbers make no difference, how

Thimphu-Joint Press Statement-Indian-HM & IM of Pakistan

Joint Press Statement Issued After Meeting Between Union Home Minister And Interior Minister of Pakistan The Union Home Minister and the Interior Minister of Pakistan had a meeting in Thimphu yesterday. Following is the text of the joint press statement issued after the meeting.“The Home Minister of India, H.E. Mr P Chidambaram and H.E. Senator A. Rehman Malik, Interior Minister of Pakistan, met on 23rd July 2011 in Thimphu on the margins of the Fourth Meeting of SAARC Interior/Home Ministers. The meeting was held in a cordial atmosphere. The two Ministers discussed matters of mutual interest and concern. The Indian Home Minister referred to the requests made by the Home Ministry of India, some of which were pending with the Pakistani side since their last meeting. The Interior Minister of Pakistan also sought an early response to some of the queries made in the same context. The Interior Minister of Pakistan affirmed that his Ministry was working toward an early visit of a Judic

P. Chidambaram’s at the Fourth SAARC -HM-Meet

As we prepare for the XVII SAARC Summit this November in the Maldives, there is much that our nations have achieved in the past 25 years, about which we can be proud. A significant milestone is the start of courses at the South Asian University in New Delhi in August last year.The SAARC Visa Exemption sticker system is also an important initiative. A new format in two categories has been approved by the SAARC Secretariat, who should soon have the new stickers available for issue by our authorized officials. However, we still have much to do. Our group is yet to achieve even a significant part of the potential in our region. I would like to reiterate India’s continuing commitment to discharge its responsibilities in SAARC in an effective manner. We shall do our best to ensure that SAARC evolves into a vibrant regional economic organization. Here, I would like to recall the fruitful meeting that we had during the Conference of the Interior/Home Ministers of SAARC countries in Islama