Promises that government will work hard for India's rapid economic growth and for shielding it from effects of global slowdown.

My dear countrymen, brothers, sisters and dear children, I greet you all on this “anniversary of our Independence”.

The leaders of our freedom movement, under the stewardship of Mahatma Gandhi, had dreamt of an independent and prosperous India. On this day in 1947, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru took the first step towards the realisation of that dream by hoisting the Tricolour at the Red Fort.

The journey we began on 15 August, 1947 is now 65 years old. We have achieved much in these 65 years. Today is certainly a day to celebrate the success of our democracy. However, on this occasion we should also introspect about what remains to be done. We would achieve independence in the true sense only when we are able to banish poverty, illiteracy, hunger and backwardness from our country. This would be possible only when we learn from our failures and build on our successes.

Brothers and Sisters, You are aware that these days the global economy is passing through a difficult phase.The pace of economic growth has come down in all countries of the world. Seen together, the European countries are estimated to grow at zero percent this year. Our country has also been affected by these adverse external conditions.

Also, there have been domestic developments which are hindering our economic growth. Last year our GDP grew by 6. 5 percent.This year we hope to do a little better. We cannot do much about the conditions that prevail outside our country. But we must make every effort to resolve the problems inside our country so that our economic growth and the creation of employment opportunities in the country are again speeded up.

While doing this, we must also control inflation.This would pose some difficulty because of a bad monsoon this year. However, we have taken many measures to deal with the situation. In districts where there has been a deficit of 50 percent or more in the rainfall, diesel subsidy is being provided to farmers by the Government.Seed subsidy has been enhanced.Funds available under the Central scheme for fodder have been increased. Our effort is to ensure that people do not face difficulty due to shortage of seeds, fodder or water in any part of the country. It is good that we have a big stock of foodgrains because of the hard work of our farmer brothers and sisters, and availability of foodgrains is not a problem for us.

Brothers and sisters, As far as creating an environment within the country for rapid economic growth is concerned, I believe that we are not being able to achieve this because of a lack of political consensus on many issues.

Time has now come to view the issues which affect our development processes as matters of national security. If we do not increase the pace of the country's economic growth, take steps to encourage new investment in the economy, improve the management of Government finances and work for the livelihood security of the common man and energy security of the country, then it most certainly affects our national security.

I promise to you today that our Government will work hard for India's rapid economic growth and for shielding the country from the effects of the global economic slowdown. I promise that we will work hard for creation of new employment opportunities for our young men and women living in villages and cities. We will make every possible effort to secure the livelihood of our poor brothers and sister, our workers and our farmers. We will leave no stone unturned to encourage investment in our country so that our entrepreneurs can make a substantial contribution to our economy.

My dear countrymen, I believe that this period of difficulties will not last long. Even as we face these problems, we should be encouraged by the fact that we have achieved extraordinary successes in many areas in the last 8 years.We now need to replicate these successes in newer areas. Brothers and sisters, It has been our endeavour in the last 8 years to empower our citizens socially and economically so that they can contribute to the sacred task of nation building.

Today, one out of every 5 households in the country has become eligible to benefit from the Mahatma Gandhi Rural Employment Act through a job card.In only the last one year we have provided employment to more than 8 crore people under this scheme. When the UPA Government came to power in 2004, we had promised that we would provide electricity to all villages. To fulfill this promise, we launched the Rajiv Gandhi Rural Electrification Scheme. More than 1 lakh new villages have been provided with electricity connections under this scheme and now almost all the villages in the country have been electrified. Our next target is to provide electricity to each and every household in our country in the next 5 years and to also improve the supply of electricity.

My dear countrymen, No praise is high enough for our hard working farmers.They have produced a record output of crops successively in the last 2 years. Because of our Government's efforts for development of agriculture and for protecting the interests of farmers, agriculture has grown at an average rate of 3.3 per cent in the 11th Plan which is substantially higher than the 2.4 per cent we achieved in the 10th Plan. In the last 8 years, we have doubled the support prices of crops.We are providing loans at low interest rates to lakhs of farmers.

Our children are the biggest strength of our country. If our children are provided with good education and are healthy, then our future would be bright.This is the reason why we have paid special attention to the needs of children in our policies and programmes. The education of children has been made mandatory by law. In the year 2006-07, only 93 per cent of children in the age group 6-14 years were getting admission in schools.Today almost all children in this age group are being admitted to schools. More than 51,000 new schools have been opened in the country and about 7 lakh teachers appointed in them in just the last 2 years.Now we will focus on improving the quality of education.

In the next few months we will put in place a system of continuous assessment of the benefit our children are getting from teaching. Participation of the community and parents would be ensured so that they can be satisfied with the quality of teaching. The Mid-day-meal scheme provides nutritious meals in schools for about 12 crore children everyday.This is the biggest scheme of its kind in the world.

In the last one and half years no new case of polio has come to light and now India does not figure in the list of countries affected by this disease. Malnutrition in children is a big challenge for us. We have taken steps in many dimensions to deal with this problem. In the last 8 years, the number of mothers and children benefiting from the ICDS has doubled.The process of making the ICDS more effective is in its last stages and will be completed in the next 1 or 2 months.

We had launched the National Rural Health Mission in 2005 so that health services can be extended to each village in the country. Today this Mission is being implemented with the help of 10 lakh health personnel including 8.5 lakh Asha workers. After the success of the National Rural health Mission, we now want to expand the scope of health services in our towns also. The National Rural Health Mission will be converted into a National Health Mission which would cover all villages and towns in the country. We are also formulating a scheme for distribution of free medicines through Government hospitals and health centres.

Brothers and sisters, We want to create many new job opportunities for our youth in the coming years.To achieve this it is necessary that we train them in skills which our economy needs. It is our endeavour to put in place a system in which training facilities are available in many new skills.We also wish to provide short duration training courses of 6 weeks to 6 months for our young brothers and sisters.

The National Skill Development Council has formulated a major scheme for skill development in which 8 crore people will be trained in the next 5 years. This is an ambitious scheme which can be implemented only through a specialised agency of the Central Government. Therefore, we are considering the establishment of a National Skill Development Authority so that skill development programmes all over the country can be implemented in a coordinated manner.

We would also need contribution from the private sector and non- Governmental organisations in this work.Creation of new employment opportunities is possible only when we encourage industry and trade. For this we need to speedily improve our infrastructure. Recently we have taken new measures to accelerate infrastructure development. Ambitious targets have been fixed in roads, airports, railways, electricity generation and coal production.

The Government will take steps to increase investment for infrastructure development with the help of the private sector. To attract foreign capital, we will have to create confidence at the international level that there are no barriers to investment in India. Brothers and sisters,Just 10 years back only 3 out of every 10 households in our villages were benefiting from banking services.

Today more than half of the rural households get the benefit of bank accounts. It will be our endeavour to ensure that all households benefit from bank accounts in the next 2 years. We want to create a system in which money from Government schemes -pension for old people, scholarship for students and wages for labourers - can be credited directly into people’s bank accounts. This would reduce inconvenience to the beneficiaries, make it easy for them to receive payment and increase transparency. For this work, we will take help from the Aadhar scheme under which about 20 crore people have been registered so far.

To provide housing for our poor brothers and sisters residing in urban areas of our country we will soon launch the Rajiv Housing Loan Scheme. Under this scheme, people belonging to the economically weaker sections would be given relief on interest for housing loans of less than Rs.5 lakh.

This year we will present the Twelfth Five Year Plan for consideration of the National Development Council.The Plan would determine the future course of action on all important matters relating to the country's development. It would lay down measures for increasing our present rate of economic growth from 6.5 to 9 per cent in the last year of the Plan.The Plan would focus special attention on areas important from the point of view of reaching the fruits of development to each citizen of our country and specially to the weaker sections of our society. I have full confidence that the Centre and the States will act together to implement the Twelfth Plan in an effective manner.

Brothers and sisters, The incidents of violence which occurred in Assam recently are very unfortunate.I know that these incidents have resulted in the disruption of the lives of a large number of people. We fully sympathise with those families which have been affected by the violence.We are doing everything possible to provide relief to them.

I also promise to you that our Government will make every effort to understand the reasons behind the violence and work hard with the State Governments to ensure that such incidents are not repeated in any part of the country. We have achieved success in many areas of internal security. In Jammu and Kashmir, people participated in large numbers in the Panchayat elections. There has been a reduction in violence in the North Eastern States and we are engaged in dialogue with many groups there so that they can join the mainstream of development.

We have initiated new schemes of development in areas affected by naxal violence to ensure that the grievances of the people residing there, especially our brothers and sisters belonging to Scheduled Tribes, can be removed and their lot can be improved. However, we need to be constantly vigilant as far as internal security is concerned. Communal harmony has to be maintained at all costs. Naxalism is still a serious problem. The incidents which occurred in Pune in the beginning of this month point to the need for much more work to be done in the area of national security.We will continue to do this work with sincerity in the future also.

My dear countrymen, I would like to congratulate our scientists and technologists who have enhanced our prestige by successfully testing the Agni V Missile and launching the RISAT- I Satellite in space this year. Recently the Cabinet has approved the Mars Orbiter Mission. Under this Mission, our spaceship will go near Mars and collect important scientific information.This spaceship to Mars will be a huge step for us in the area of science and technology.

Brothers and sisters, We have seen a lot of discussion in the recent months about the role of our armed forces and their preparedness. I would like to emphasise here that our armed forces and paramilitary forces have defended the security of our country both during war and peace with valour and honour. Our soldiers have made the biggest of sacrifices, whenever needed.Today I would like to reassure our countrymen that our armed forces and paramilitary forces are prepared to face any challenge.

The Government will continue to work for modernizing these forces and providing them with the necessary technology and equipment. Today, I would like to thank our security forces, who are guarding our frontiers bravely, from the bottom of my heart.We will continue to make efforts for their welfare. Our Government has set up a committee to examine issues relating to pay and pension of armed forces personnel.This committee will also look into matters concerning pension of retired men and officers and family pension being paid to their families. We will take prompt action on the recommendations of the committee, once they are received.

My dear countrymen, Our Government has paid special attention to the welfare of Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, minorities, women and other weaker sections. The special needs of our tribal and backward districts are being met through programmes such as the Integrated Action Plan, Backward Regions Grant Fund and Tribal Sub Plan.

Through the Forest Rights Act, we have given proprietary rights to lakhs of our brothers and sisters belonging to Scheduled Tribes on land on which they have been living for generations. We are formulating a scheme to ensure that people belonging to Scheduled Tribes can get fair and remunerative prices for the forest produce they collect.

The Government wants to speedily convert the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Bill into a legislation. Through this law we want to provide funds for the benefit of our tribal brothers and sisters in the mining areas. We will make the 15 points programme for minorities more effective.

The Multi-Sectoral Development Programme being implemented in districts with large minority populations will be expanded. We have enhanced the amount of post-matric scholarship available to children belonging to Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, Other Backward Classes and minorities.Our efforts to make these scholarship schemes more effective will continue.

We are considering a new and effective law to put an end to the repulsive practice of manual scavenging and to provide opportunities to those engaged in this practice to begin their lives afresh.

Brothers and sisters, Our commitment to make the work of the Government and administration transparent and accountable stands. On the last Independence Day, I promised you that we would take many steps for this purpose.I am happy to state that during the last 1 year we have achieved good progress in this area.

The Lok Sabha has cleared the Lokpal and Lokayukta Bill. We hope that all political parties will help us in passing this Bill in the Rajya Sabha. A number of other Bills have also been presented before Parliament. The Cabinet has cleared a Public Procurement Bill.We will continue our efforts to bring more transparency and accountability in the work of public servants and to reduce corruption.

But we will also take care that these measures do not result in a situation in which the morale of public functionaries taking decisions in public interest gets affected because of baseless allegations and unnecessary litigation. Brothers and sisters, In my first message to the country after assuming the office of Prime Minister I had appealed to you to contribute to the sacred work of nation building.

I am very happy that today more of our citizens than ever before, and specially the youth, are taking interest in issues related to the progress of our society and country. Our Government believes that the difficult problems which India faces can be resolved only with the cooperation of the common man.

It will be our endeavour that in the coming time, still more people help us in tasks like removal of poverty, illiteracy and inequality.I believe that no power in the world can stop our country from achieving new heights of progress and development. What is needed is that we work together as one people for the success of our country.

Let us once more resolve that we will continue to work for a progressive, modern and prosperous India. Dear children join me in saying Jai Hind, Jai Hind, Jai Hind.

Read more ...

Rajya Sabha member Amar Singh Friday appeared before the Delhi Police for questioning in the cash-for-vote scam.

Singh drove to the Crime branch’s interstate cell in Chanakyapuri at 10.45 am in his Mercedes car. He did not speak to the waiting media persons before entering the complex.

Singh, the then general secretary of Samajwadi Party, is accused of sending bribe money to win over three BJP lawmakers during the 2008 trust vote.

His appearance before the police comes after the Delhi Police issued summons to him under Section 160 of the Criminal Procedure Code, asking him to present himself before the Crime branch.

The decision to call Singh for questioning comes after the arrest of Suhail Hindustani, who allegedly acted as a liaison between Singh and BJP MPs.

On Sunday, police had arrested Sanjeev Saxena, once considered close to Singh who allegedly delivered cash to the MPs to vote in favour of the UPA during the trust vote.

The arrests and fresh investigations into the case have come after Delhi Police was slammed by the Supreme Court last week for its “callous” approach in this case.

Besides Amar Singh, police is also expected to question Samajwadi Party MP Reoti Raman Singh and BJP MP Ashok Argal.

Questioning of BJP leader L K Advani’s former aide Sudheendra Kulkarni, who allegedly was behind sting operation to trap the bribe-givers, is also likely to take place.

Read more ...

Rajya Sabha Grants Permission to Question Amar Singh in the Cash For Votes scandal. The 2008 cash-for-votes scandal caught on camera by CNN-IBN has now saw a second arrest in the form of BJP worker Suhail Hindustani. He was arrested on Wednesday by the Delhi police for allegedly facilitating the cash transactions between Amar singh and BJP MPs. It is reported that the police is now set to question Amar Singh in connection with the case.

"I have nothing to hide, Amar Singh has the main role in this," Suhail Hindustani said on Wednesday.

Hindustani's alleged role in this deal was to assure BJP leader Sudheendra Kulkarni that he could talk to anyone from BJP MPs to top Congress leaders and could help in fixing a deal. He was present at the 'spot' where Amar Singh's close aid and secretary, Sanjeev Saxena, allegedly bought cash to bribe the BJP MPs.

Hindustani also had confessed before the parliamentary enquiry panel that he had worked closely with Kulkarni.

CNN-IBN has learnt that Amar Singh is likely to be questioned by the police on Friday. Sanjeev Saxena had named Singh as the man who paid the bribe which he merely transported to BJP MP Ashok Argal's house.

In the expose by CNN-IBN, Ashok Argal can be seen talking on phone (probably to Amar Singh) confirming that he had received the Rs 1 crore.

The police, however, is looking for more answers from Amar Singh. They want to know if he was the one who paid the entire amount himself or was there another contributor?

The police also want to know if he was in touch with any senior Congress leader?

There are other important questions which need to be answered. Why is the police making enquiries in this case after a gap of 3 years?

Will the investigation now only restrict itself to Amar Singh or will it also focus on the Congress?

Whose government was Amar Singh trying to save?

The answers to all these will be received once the police are done with their questioning in the probe.

Read more ...

Barely 48 hours after serial bomb blasts rocked Mumbai, Congress and the NCP are at loggerheads over portfolio allocations.

To a comment from chief minister Prithviraj Chavan that it was a mistake not to keep the home, finance and planning portfolios with the CM, the NCP top leadership asked for a swap: Home and finance for the CM’s post!

Chavan later retracted his statement and said that he had been quoted out of context.

“We are ready to swap, provided the Congress is willing to part with the chief minister’s post inclusive of ministry of urban development and housing. In the bargain we are willing to hand over home, finance and planning,” the NCP said. Earlier, Chavan told TV channels, “I think it was a mistake. We should have re-looked at it. I don’t know of any other coalition government where the portfolios of home, finance and planning are not with the chief minister.”

He qualified this with: “This was a division agreed to by us in 1999 when Congress-NCP first came to power in the state. That pattern was based on the model adopted by the Shiv Sena-BJP government during 1995-99.”

The NCP said it was a veiled attack against its cabinet ministers and also a comment on their “underperformance”. Congress political managers swung into damage control, stating that Chavan was just putting facts into perspective, not implying any changes in the portfolio share nor commenting on the home minister’s performance.

“First of all I would like to assert that the chief minister is the head of the government. Every decision related to any portfolio put forth in the cabinet requires his consent. Secondly, he has powers to take any decision related to any department,” state NCP president Madhukar Picchad said. “The division of portfolio was mutually taken by high commands of the Congress and the NCP in 1999. By questioning the decision is the chief minister trying to suggest the top leaders made a mistake?”

A senior state cabinet minister (NCP) said, “Padmasinh Patil held the home portfolio when Sharad Pawar was the chief minister of state.”

During the Shiv Sena and BJP government (1995-199), chief minister was Manohar Joshi who retained urban development and Gopinath Munde was home minister. Later, Narayan Rane was the chief minister and Munde retained the home portfolio. The minister further said, “Chavan who has worked in centre should understand that home ministry is held by PC Chidambaram and not prime minister Manmohan Singh.”

Deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar (NCP) sought to put an end to the controversy stating that this was not the time to fight over portfolios.

After the 2009 state assembly elections the then chief minister Ashok Chavan had suggested that ministry of home should be handed to Congress. He said the CM should be incharge of home affairs.

Top NCP central leaders dismissed the suggestion. They indicated that if Congress insisted on home they would not entertain any discussions on government formation.

Read more ...

Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi on Thursday said that 99% of the terror attacks had been stopped in the country, thanks to various measures, including improved intelligence. Addressing a press conference in Bhubaneswar, a day after serial bombings in Mumbai killed at least 17 people and injured more than 130, the Congress MP called for efforts to stop terrorist attacks in the country.

"It is very difficult to stop any single terrorist attack," he said, adding that 99% of the attacks have been stopped. "We must stop 100% attack." Referring to Wednesday's attack, Gandhi said the response of the government was prompt.

"We are responding to it in a quite organised fashion." Gandhi, the son of Congress chief Sonia Gandhi, is on a two-day visit to Orissa beginning Wednesday to strengthen the grassroots base of the party.

He returns to New Delhi on Thursday.

Read more ...

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Tuesday announced marginal changes to his cabinet, retaining
key ministers in core policy areas as the embattled government struggles with policy paralysis and major corruption scandals.

Avoiding a major cabinet reshuffle of the Congress party-led coalition government is likely to disappoint investors who had hoped for new blood to tackle poor governance and high inflation, and want economic reforms to catalyse growth.

Following are details of key personnel changes.

JAIRAM RAMESH, RURAL DEVELOPMENT MINISTER
In a surprise move, the influential and maverick Jairam Ramesh was moved to the rural development ministry from environment, where he took a strong stance in blocking multi-billion-dollar industrial projects over green concerns.

With a reputation as a blunt policy-maker, the silver-haired Ramesh reaffirmed India's commitment to bolstering nuclear power plant construction following Japan's nuclear crisis, brushing off anti-nuclear protests.

He differed with Singh on several policy decisions, including on clearance for South Korean firm POSCO's proposed $12 billion steel mill. The prime minister has said he had pressured Ramesh to change several decisions.

Ramesh is close to Congress party president Sonia Gandhi and will be expected to help drum up crucial grassroots support amongst India's rural electorate ahead of akey election in Uttar Pradesh, the country's most populous state, next year.

His ministry is in charge of implementing a rural jobs scheme, which costs nearly 1 percent of India's GDP and has been criticised for being inefficient, but which has been popular amongst Congress' rural
voters. Analysts cite this scheme as the single biggest reason for the government's re-election in 2009.

Ramesh's move is seen as bringing an efficient administrator to a ministry that has long been neglected.

JAYANTHI NATARAJAN, ENVIRONMENT MINISTER
Natarajan, a spokeswoman for the Congress party, is seen as a loyalist of Sonia Gandhi. She was last a minister 13 years ago and unlike Ramesh, is not expected to differ on policy issues with the prime minister.

Analysts say the 57-year-old Natarajan will bring in a more measured style to the ministry, and hope this will remove a key obstacle to the granting clearances for coal mining, setting up power plants or building factories.

SALMAN KHURSHEED, LAW AND JUSTICE MINISTER
As the government grapples with a multi-billion dollar telecoms licensing graft scandal, Salman Khursheed, former corporate affairs minister, takes on a potentially important role in steering a
police investigation into the massive fraud, a move sorely needed to restore government credibility.

Analysts say Khursheed, trained as a lawyer, will need to better articulate the government's positions to the Supreme Court as it grapples with rising public anger at a string of scandals ranging from the
Commonwealth Games last year to telecoms.

A member of the ruling Congress party, the Uttar Pradesh (UP) native began his career in the office of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in the early 1980s. An Oxford graduate, he is an amateur playwright and stage actor.

Close to Sonia Gandhi, Khursheed is seen as a key player in the party's campaign to rebuild its strength in UP. Congress needs to rebuild itself in the state if it is to lessen its reliance on coalition allies. It has been a minor player in UP for over two decades now, and the state is controlled by  Mayawati, the leader of the former untouchable castes, who has often held the balance of power in parliament.

VEERAPPA MOILY, CORPORATE AFFAIRS MINISTER
Moily, former law and justice minister, becomes the new corporate affairs minister. A senior member of the ruling Congress Party, his power base is in Karnataka state, the capital of which is Bangalore.

Known for his occasional public gaffes, he takes on corporate affairs at a time of discontent amongst foreign investors at India's failure to embrace economic reforms including simplifying land acquisitions for investment and further opening up India's potentially lucrative retail sector to goliaths
like Wal-Mart.

DINESH TRIVEDI, RAILWAYS MINISTER
Dinesh Trivedi, a politician with Trinamool Congress becomes railways minister, replacing his party chief Mamata Banerjee, who resigned in May to become chief minister of West Bengal.

Trivedi comes to a ministry which has long been used by politicians to distribute largesse in the form of new trains, engine and coach factories, and jobs.

Critics say this has rotted infrastructure and caused a safety neglect, underlined by two major railway accidents this month.

Read more ...

8 new faces in Manmohan ministry; Jairam moved out of Environment

In the much-talked about revamping of his ministry, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Tuesday dropped seven ministers, inducted V. Kishore Chandra Deo and seven other new faces, and elevated three others including Jairam Ramesh from whom Environment and Forests has been taken away.

Dr. Singh did not touch the ‘big four’ —Finance, Home, Defence and External Affairs —— but shifted M. Veerappa Moily from Law to Corporate Affairs and brought Salman Khursheed in his place.

Trinamool Congress leader Dinesh Trivedi has been elevated to the Cabinet rank and given the Railways portfolio left vacant by Mamata Banerjee after she became the West Bengal Chief Minister.

Beni Prasad Verma became a Cabinet Minister for Steel, a portfolio he earlier held as Minister of State with Independent charge.

The other new faces in the Council of Ministers are Jayanthi Natarajan (Environment and Forests), Dibrugarh MP Paban Singh Ghatowar , Trinamool Congress leader Sudip Bandopadhyaya (Health and Family Welfare), Alwar MP Jitendra Singh (Home), Milind Deora (Communication and IT) and Rajiv Shukla (Parliamentary Affairs).

Ministers who have been dropped from the Cabinet are M. S. Gill, B. K. Handique , Kantilal Bhuria, Murli Deora and Dayanidhi Maran. While Mr. Maran had resigned last week in the wake of him being named in the 2G scam, Mr. Deora had offered his resignation citing old age and had reportedly sought a berth for his son Milind.

The new ministers would be sworn in at a function at the Rashtrapati Bhawan this evening. While there were eight additions, seven have been axed.Restructuring incomplete Mr. Ramesh, who was seen as a pro-active minister but often courted controversies by his handling of environmental issues, has been shifted to Rural Development in the Cabinet.

The restructuring exercise appeared incomplete with additional charge of Textiles and Water Resources being given to Anand Sharma and P. K. Bansal respectively. Mr. Sharma retains Commerce and Industry and Bansal retains Parliamentary Affairs.

HRD Minister Kapil Sibal continues to hold additional charge of Telecom, while Overseas Indian Affairs Minister Vayalar Ravi retains additional charge of Civil Aviation.

Telecom portfolio went to Mr. Sibal after DMK representative A. Raja resigned over allegations in 2G spectrum allocation. No DMK representative was inducted today as replacements for Mr. Raja and Mr. Maran. Apparently, some of the portfolios have been kept as additional charges so that DMK can be accommodated if it chooses to send replacements.

DMK is expected to decide on the issue at its General Council meeting on July 23—24 at Coimbatore. Veteran Parliamentarian from Andhra Pradesh V. Kishore Chandra Deo makes his entry into the Cabinet for the first time, making him the second minister from the State after S Jaipal Reddy.

Srikant Jena, who nursed a grudge when he was made Minister of State in 2009, has got a promotion being given Independent charge of Statistics and Programme Implementation. However, he continues to be MoS in Chemicals and Fertilisers where DMK’s M. K.

Alagiri continues to be Cabinet minister. Jena was a Cabinet Minister in the United Front government of 1996—97.The lone Congress MP from Chhattisgarh Charan Das Mahant makes a debut as MoS in Agriculture and Food Processing. Gurudas  Kamat has been shifted from Home and Communication ministries to a newministry of  Drinking Water and Sanitation with Independent Charge.

Rural Development Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh has been shifted to Science and Technology and Earth Sciences.

Minister of State for External Affairs E. Ahamed has been also been allocated the HRD portfolio. Minsters of State V. Narayanasamy and Ashwani Kumar shed Parliamentary Affairs portfolios which have gone to new entrant Rajiv Shukla and Harish Rawat, who retains MoS for Agriculture and Food Processing.

Minister of State for Shipping and Railways Mukul Roy, who yesterday defied the Prime Minister by not visiting the rail accident site in Assam, has been divested of the Railways portfolio.

Read more ...

Television-actor-turned politician Smriti Irani was on Saturday nominated by BJP as one its two candidates from Gujarat for the biennial Rajya Sabha elections.

Irani, who also heads the BJP's mahila morcha or women's wing, shot to fame with her role in a family soap opera. She was nominated as the party's candidate for the Upper House by BJP's central election committee here on Saturday.

Irani has been an active member of the party and a popular campaigner for elections since she joined the BJP in 2003. She had lost Delhi's Chandni Chowk Lok Sabha seat to Congress's Kapil Sibal in 2004.

Dilipbhai Pandya is the other BJP candidate from Gujarat who has been nominated for the Rajya Sabha. Pandya has been a minister in Narendra Modi's cabinet.

Read more ...

Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi on Saturday accused the Uttar Pradesh government of giving the land of "lakhs of farmers" in Uttar Pradesh to builders and said the farmers had to face bullets if they demanded their rights.

Addressing the party's massive farmers' rally or 'kisan mahapanchayat' at Numaish Maidan here, Gandhi compared the land acquisition policy of Congress-ruled Haryana with that of the Mayawati government and said farmers in Uttar Pradesh were not even informed when their lands were acquired.

"Land of lakhs of farmers is being taken in Uttar Pradesh and being given to builders. When farmers say give us our rights, they have to face bullets," Gandhi said.

"Wherever I go, farmers say that if their land is taken then they should get the right price for it. 'We are killed and the government doesn't even talk to us if we talk about our rights'," Gandhi quoted farmers as saying.

Referring to his visit to Tappal last year and to Bhatta-Parsaul villages of Greater Noida in May, Gandhi said that protesting farmers had to face police bullets.

"The painful thing is that the farmers were not doing anything wrong. Only seeking their rights. Police fired at them, killed them," he said.

Gandhi said he had not met any farmer or labourer who was against development.

"They want proper money for their land. They are not against development or against roads," Gandhi said, and added that land was taken from farmers for constructing golf courses.

He said the central government will try to bring in a land acquisition bill in the interest of farmers.

"We will try our best to give such a law in Lok Sabha that is in the interest of farmers, labourers," he said.

Referring to his march over the past four days through villages in western Uttar Pradesh that culminated in the kisan mahapanchayat on Saturday, Gandhi said leaders should go to the people.

Congress leaders present at the rally included state Congress chief Rita Bahuguna Joshi and union ministers Salman Khurshid, Sri Prakash Jaiswal, Sachin Pilot, R P N Singh and Beni Prasad Verma.

Braving heavy rains, farmers and Congress workers today gathered here for the 'kisan mahapanchayat', marking the culmination of Rahul Gandhi's four-day foot march in Uttar Pradesh.

Travelling in buses, trucks and tractor-trolleys, the villagers arrived from the wee hours at the sprawling Nomaish
Ground here, amid tight security.

Senior Congress leader Salman Khurshid, union ministers Sachin Pilot and Jitin Prasad and state unit president Rita Bahuguna Joshi were among those present.

Heavy rains, however, led to waterlogginng at the venue and also damaged the waterproof tents erected for the assembly to be addressed by Rahul. But the crowds soon began to surge as the showers stopped.

"We have come here because we are hopeful that Rahul Gandhi's leadership will herald change in Uttar Pradesh," said
a Congress leader from Meerut J P Singh, who has been camping here since last night.

With Congress leaders and workers thronging the town, no hotel accommodation was available in the area.

Huge posters of Rahul Gandhi dominated the complex. Four big hoardings on the stage had pictures of Congress chief
Sonia Gandhi, Rahul, Joshi and AICC incharge for UP Digvijay Singh.

A muti-tier security ring was in place in and around the venue. On Thursday, Rahul faced a security scare when a
young man carrying a licensed revolver was detained while trying to move close to him in Tappal during the 'padyatra'.

Rahul yesterday wound up his foot march through the dusty heartlands of rural Uttar Pradesh and returned to Delhi.

Read more ...

Sources reveals that DMK will not replace Maran, Raja in Cabinet. The DMK has lost two ministers
in the Cabinet in eight months, but sources
say the party is not considering replacing A
Raja or Dayanidhi Maran with other
candidates for now.
Mr Raja resigned in November, he has been
accused of corruption and of engineering
India's biggest swindle, the 2G telecom
scam; Mr Maran resigned yesterday, again
on the basis of corruption charges
pertaining to his stint as Telecom minister
before Mr Raja took over the ministry from
him in 2007.
Congress leader Pranab Mukherjee is
expected to meet DMK leader M Karunanidhi
tomorrow.
After Mr Maran quit as Union Textiles
Minister yesterday in Delhi, Mr Karunanidhi
told reporters in Chennai that he had not
sent a list of candidates to replace him to
Sonia Gandhi or the Prime Minister. His
comments came amidst speculation that
senior DMK leader TR Baalu would be
inducted into the cabinet at the next
reshuffle, expected shortly.
Mr Karunanidhi is Mr Maran's grand-uncle.
Sources close to the DMK President say that
for now, his priority remains his daughter,
Kanimozhi, who is in jail along with Mr Raja
for allegedly accepting a bribe along with
him from a company that won undue
favours when Mr Raja allotted mobile
network licenses and spectrum in 2008.
Kanimozhi was taken into Tihar Jail in Delhi
in May, a day after the DMK was routed in
the Tamil Nadu state elections. Mr
Karunanidhi was voted out as Chief Minister.
The DMK fought the election with the
Congress. The dismal performance of the
alliance and the arrest of Kanimozhi by the
CBI have been strangling the partnership
that Mr Karunanidhi holds with the Congress
at the Centre. With 18 Lok Sabha MPs, his
party is a formidable partner in the
Congress-led UPA coalition.
Sources say that in end-July, the DMK will
hold an executive meeting to decide
whether to continue its alliance with the
Congress.

Read more ...

Thailand is set to get its first female premier in Yingluck Shinawatra, but observers say her victory as her famous brother's political proxy cannot be seen as a milestone for women's rights.

Virtually unknown just two months ago, Yingluck led the Puea Thai party to a stunning victory Sunday, but she largely owes her meteoric rise to her fugitive brother, ex-premier Thaksin Shinawatra, who controls the party from abroad.

As a result, Thai feminists are reluctant to claim Yingluck's poll win as a triumph for equality, saying her victory is less about breaking glass ceilings and more about riding on the coat-tails of a man.

"How can we be proud? The whole world knows it's about Thaksin," said Sutada Mekrungruengkul, director of the Gender and Development Research Institute (GDRI) of Thailand.

"Compare that to Aung San Suu Kyi who has struggled for 20 years and is still not the prime minister of Myanmar," she told reporters, referring to the neighbouring country's democracy icon who is marginalised by the military.

Promising to revive the populist policies of her controversial sibling, who was ousted in a coup in 2006, Yingluck appeared to stick closely to Thaksin's directions, and he even described her as his "clone".

"There is no doubt that Yingluck Shinawatra won this election because she is Thaksin's sister," said Andrew Walker, an expert on Thai politics at the Australian National University Canberra.

Yet the 44-year-old businesswoman and mother-of-one defied sceptics who thought her novelty value would soon wear off.

Warm, charismatic and composed, Yingluck ran a slick, energetic campaign that won over large swathes of the public.

Before storming into politics, she was a well-respected businesswoman in a country widely praised for having a large number of female executives.

Until recently she was the president of Thai real estate firm SC Asset Corp and she has also held various other positions in Thaksin's business empire.

Research by business consultant Grant Thornton revealed earlier this year that Thailand boasts the greatest percentage of women in senior management of any country -- 45 percent compared with a global average of 20 percent.

But female politicians have lagged behind.

In the last election in 2007, just 13 percent of seats in Thailand's lower house went to women, falling behind a 19.5 percent world average and an Asian average of 18.3 percent, according to the global Inter-Parliamentary Union.

"Thailand is a society in which women often play a very active role in the social and economic life of their communities, but political leadership, locally and nationally, has been dominated by men," said Walker.

"Many women, young and old, will be delighted and inspired by Yingluck's dramatic rise to the top."

While blood ties were key to her candidacy, Yingluck is actually following a tried-and-tested formula of combining the political power of her family name with her feminine attributes, said Thailand analyst and author Chris Baker.

Indira Gandhi of India, Benazir Bhutto of Pakistan and Corazon Aquino of the Philippines are just a few examples of the women who have followed in the footsteps of male relatives.

"It's a very, very powerful formula in Asia. We've seen it time and time again," said Baker.

The blueprint may have worked, but activists are already criticising Yingluck for shying away from women's issues in the run-up to the ballot, and many doubt whether gender equality will be high on her agenda.

She provided little reassurance to feminists when, announcing her candidacy in May, she said: "I will utilise my femininity to work fully for our country."

Yingluck "never said a single word about women's rights promotion during her campaign," said Sutada of GDRI.

"We have a lot of women's issues in Thailand, particularly violence against women and discrimination against women," she said, adding that the vast majority of Thailand's 32 million women lived in poor or rural areas.

"She might have the anatomy of a woman, but she thinks like a man and I don't think she will do anything extraordinary for women," said Arpaporn Sumrit, a lecturer at the Women's Studies Centre at Chiang Mai University.

Sutada hoped Yingluck would be strong enough "to step out of her brother's shadow and be herself" -- a sentiment many curious Thai women will share as the political novice prepares to take on the top job.

"I'm kind of a feminist and I want to see what it's like to have a woman as our prime minister," said Nattamon Tassanakulpan, a 21-year-old who voted for Yingluck.

Read more ...

Nine ruling Congress party MPs resigned on Monday to press their demands for a separate state of Telangana, roughly halving the government's majority and heaping more pressure on the beleaguered party.

The members giving up their seats called for government action on the long-standing demand for a new state hours after dozens of Congress lawmakers stepped down from the assembly in Andhra Pradesh.

If accepted by the speaker, the resignations are likely to further delay the ruling coalition's attempts to pass long-delayed reform bills key to continued growth in Asia's third-largest economy, but they are unlikely to lead to the fall of the government.

Government hand-wringing over the four-decades old demand has lead to violent street protests in Andhra Pradesh, which is likely to be a crucial battleground state in the 2014 election, sending 42 members to parliament in New Delhi.

Losing nine MPs will put Congress and its allies on the back foot when parliament reopens on August 1, and may disrupt business in a chamber that has lost months of legislative work because of opposition protests over corruption.

The failure to resolve the issue of the new state, after the government gave in-principle support for the creation of Telangana last year, underlines a sense of drift in Congress, with party chief Sonia Gandhi and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh seemingly unable to take big decisions.

"It was an accident waiting to happen. In a way, it was another case of mishandling a political situation," said political analyst Amulya Ganguli.

"(The government) will limp along for some time. It will be quite a stormy session."

FORCING THE ISSUE

Seven Lok Sabha MPs tendered their resignations in person to their speaker of parliament, and two others sent their resignations by fax, a Rajya Sabha lawmaker who also stepped down from his seat told reporters.

"We want to identify ourselves with the aspirations of the people of Telangana," said K. Keshav Rao.

The resignations must be accepted by the speaker and that may take weeks.

Analysts cautioned that the resignations may not be accepted in order to give Congress time to strike a deal with the rebel MPs and avoid losing their votes in parliament.

"It makes it more complicated for the government but the government is not in trouble," said political analyst Mahesh Rangarajan, adding that the political opposition was also weak in parliament.

"It will force the Congress party to make a decision on Telangana."

The Congress-led coalition, which before the resignations held a rough 18-vote majority, has seen its reputation damaged by widespread voter anger at a string of multi-billion dollar corruption scandals.

"Congress is not against Telangana. The government is trying for a consensus," Congress spokesperson Shakeel Ahmad told reporters.

"This is a highly sensitive and emotional issue, an appropriate decision will be taken at an appropriate time."

Last week, Manmohan Singh was forced to refute widespread accusations that he was a "lame duck" leader presiding over a government in paralysis, as a failure to tackle high inflation and graft made Congress appear out of touch with voters.

A failure to pass reforms such as bills to overhaul land acquisition policy, an archaic taxation system and to liberalise foreign direct investment rules have suffered as the government drifts, dampening market performance and spooking investors.

Read more ...

Rajya Sabha MP and 2G co-accused K
Kanimozhi looks at a long haul in jail as the
Supreme Court – her last hope -- rejected
her bail plea in the spectrum case.
The bail plea of Sharad Kumar, the managing
director of Kalaignar TV, was also rejected.
The apex court asked Kanimozhi and Kumar
to approach CBI special court for bail after
charges were framed against them. The
Bench said the CBI court can thereafter
decide on their pleas, uninfluenced by the
earlier bail proceedings.
Kanimozhi and Kumar have been accused by
the Central Bureau of Investigation of being
involved in the illegal transaction of Rs 200
crore to Kalaignar TV which was alleged to
be a bribe given by a telecom operator that
benefitted in the scam.
The CBI has rubbished their claim that the
money was a loan to their television
channel. Both Kanimozhi and Kumar hold 20
per cent shares each in the channel.

A special Supreme Court Bench heard the
plea today after two judges recused
themselves from hearing the matter last
week.
Kanimozhi made an impassioned plea for
her freedom but faced a tough time before
the Bench headed by Justice G S Singvi.
Singhvi has been monitoring the case from
the beginning and had asked searching
questions to the government on the role of
several influential people in the multi-crore
scam.
It was the last hope for DMK chief M
Karunanidhi's 43-year-old daughter
Kanimozhi, who has been in jail for almost a
month. Her plea for bail was rejected first by
the special CBI court and then by the Delhi
High Court.

Read more ...

A two-Judge Bench of the Supreme Court on Friday recused itself from scheduled hearing of DMK MP Kanimozhi’s bail plea on Monday, prompting the Chief Justice of India (CJI) to refer the case before a special Bench comprising Justice G S Singhvi who is monitoring the probe in the 2G spectrum scam case.

A Bench of Justice Singhvi and Justice B S Chauhan would now hold the hearing on bail plea of the daughter of DMK Chief M Karunanidhi and Kalaignar TV MD Sharad Kumar on June 20.

Justices P Sathasivam and A K Patnaik, who are now presiding over a Vacation Bench, informed the CJI Justice S H Kapadia about their decision recusing from hearing the case.

Kanimozhi and Kumar have been in jail since May 20 after a special Court had denied them bail for their alleged role in the 2G scam. Both are accused of receiving more than Rs 200 crore for Kalaignar TV from accused Shahid Balwa’s firm allegedly as quid pro quo for spectrum allocation.The case has seen several high-profile persons including corporate honchos behind the bars.

Earlier, the CBI filed an affidavit in the Court opposing their bail pleas contending that they could influence witness and tamper with the evidence after being released from jail.  The probe agency also trashed the plea made by Kanimozhi and Kumar that Rs 200 crore money was received as loan amount.

CBI also referred to the order passed by the Delhi High Court denying bail to both the accused. It maintained that the High Court had dismissed their plea for bail after examining different material evidence and other factors.

Taking up the hearing on the bail petitions, the apex Court had on June 13 asked CBI to explain where the Rs 200 crore, allegedly diverted to DMK-owned Kalaignar TV in 2G scam, had gone and also to file a response in a week's time.

A Bench comprising Justice Chauhan and Justice Swatanter Kumar had also asked CBI to come out with a status report on the loss to the state exchequer due to the award of 13 licences to one of the telecom operators besides the trial proceedings in the CBI special Court.

Kanimozhi and Kumar had moved the apex Court seeking bail on June 10 challenging the Delhi High Court verdict rejecting their bail on the ground that they had strong political connections and there was a possibility of them influencing witnesses.

Read more ...

Foreign minister says past deals such as the Oslo accord will be threatened by efforts towards UN recognition of Palestinian state.

Catherine Ashton and Avigdor Lieberman prior to their meeting in Jerusalem.

Israel will renounce past agreements made with the Palestinians if they press ahead with unilateral plans to seek recognition of a Palestinian state at the UN, foreign minister Avigdor Lieberman has said.

"A move like that will be a violation of all the agreements that were signed until today," Lieberman told the EU foreign policy chief, Catherine Ashton, in Jerusalem. "Israel will no longer be committed to the agreements signed with the Palestinians in the past 18 years."

The principal agreement referred to is the Oslo accords, signed in September 1993, under which the Palestinian Authority (PA) was created with responsibility for administering parts of the West Bank and Gaza.

Lieberman's comments further raise the stakes in the run up to the UN general assembly in September, at which a majority of the 192 countries are expected to back a Palestinian state. Israel and the US are fiercely opposed to such a move and pressure is being applied to the Palestinians to abandon their approach.

Ashton is visiting Jerusalem and the West Bank in an attempt to break the impasse in negotiations between the two sides. Talks collapsed last September after Israel refused to extend a temporary and partial freeze on settlement construction.

In May Barack Obama publicly backed the creation of a Palestinian state based on the pre-1967 borders, with agreed land swaps, as an outcome of talks. The US president's move angered the Israeli prime minister, Binyamin Netanyahu, who wants to retain the large settlement blocks in the West Bank. Obama's speech was intended to hold out the prospect of a negotiated alternative to the Palestinians' unilateral plan.

The Israelis say they are ready to resume negotiations on the basis of the Palestinians recognising Israel as a Jewish state. The Palestinians reject this on the grounds it pre-empts talks on the right of return of Palestinian refugees.

Lieberman, a hawkish member of the Israeli coalition government, said on Friday: "In light of [PA President Mahmoud] Abbas's current stance, the chances for negotiations are zero ... Israel is prepared to renew negotiations. The ball is in the Palestinians' court."

Israel has launched a global campaign through its embassies against the Palestinian move to garner support for its state ahead of the UN meeting. It is particularly worried about the position of European countries.

David Cameron indicated to Netanyahu in London last month that Britain might back a Palestinian state if there was no substantial progress in negotiations.

Germany and Italy have said they will oppose the Palestinians' move. France's position is thought to be similar to the UK's although it is trying to broker a peace conference as an alternative.

The US is expected to vote against the Palestinian move, and to use its veto in the UN security council over a Palestinian application for membership of the UN. It is applying pressure on Abbas and his officials to rethink their strategy.

However, Palestinian negotiator Muhammad Shtayeh told journalists on Thursday that the Palestinian Authority would press ahead with seeking recognition and membership of the UN regardless of whether talk resume.

"We are by all means going to the United Nations, whether there are negotiations or no negotiations," he said. "We think that is not either/or. We think that going to the United Nations and negotiations can go hand in hand and they are complementary to each other."

Both the Palestinians and the Israelis were focusing on the stance of European countries, he said. "For us and the Israelis the battle is over Europe because the issue is not how many states, the issue is also quality states, with all respect to everybody," he said.

A spokesman for Ashton said: "It is more urgent than ever to engage in meaningful negotiations and move the peace process forward ... What is needed is a clear reference framework to allow both sides to return to the negotiating table."

Ashton had called for a new meeting of the Middle East quartet, comprising the EU, US, Russia and the UN, to discuss the issues, he added.

If the Palestinian Authority was dismantled Israel would be obliged under international law to assume full responsibility for the administration of all the territory it has occupied since 1967.

Meanwhile the Turkish humanitarian organisation IHH has announced it is pulling out of the flotilla of ships taking aid to Gaza later this month after the Turkish authorities refused to give permission for the Mavi Marmara to sail.

Nine Turkish activists were killed on board the Mavi Marmara a year ago when Israeli commandos stormed on board in an attempt to prevent it breaching Israel's sea embargo around Gaza.

Other organisations participating in this year's flotilla have said they will go ahead without the IHH.

A senior Israeli military official has said the navy will stop the flotilla, using force if necessary.

Read more ...

Yoga guru Baba Ramdev may be in hospital, but is not giving in to demands of breaking his fast. All efforts are on to convince Baba Ramdev to end his fast which has entered its ninth day today.

Spiritual guru Sri Sri Ravi Shankar is expected to visit Ramdev for a third time today to try and convince him to end his fast. Sri Sri paid a visit to Baba Ramdev yesterday but couldn't convince the yoga icon to break his fast.

"He is adamant... I am adamant that he will give up his fast. I will stay here as long as it takes for him to give up his fast," Sri Sri told mediapersons after meeting Baba Ramdev for the second time on Saturday.
The spiritual guru also expressed his willingness to mediate between the yoga guru and the government.

"I am always ready for reconciliation, the issue is sensitive. If the government wants to do something, then I am always ready to talk", Sri Sri said.
The Uttarakhand government has already appealed to Baba Ramdev to end his fast.

"We have asked him to break his fast, his well being is very important for India and for the world as he has established India's identity in the world in all spheres. Everyone is looking upto him and it is important for him to recover to fulfill his efforts for our country," Uttarakhand Agriculture Minister Trivendra Rawat said on Saturday.

Many other political leaders, especially from NDA-ruled states like Punjab and Madhya Pradesh, also tried, but failed to convince Baba Ramdev to give up his fast-unto-death.

In the midst of the debate on whether Ramdev's agitation was organised by the RSS, the organisation's chief Mohan Bhagwat issued a statement asking Ramdev to give up his hunger strike.
But the yoga teacher is adamant he won't give in until his demands on black money are met by the Centre.

Ramdev was admitted to the Himalayan Hospital in Dehradun on Friday after his condition deteriorated following his fast against corruption. There were also some concerns regarding Baba Ramdev's health as his blood pressure had dropped despite treatment. However, doctors briefed the media on Saturday and said the condition of the yoga guru is improving.

The yoga teacher was carried out of his ashram in Haridwar on a stretcher on Friday afternoon after doctors attending to him said his liver had been affected and his blood pressure was worryingly low because of his hunger strike. Ramdev was given glucose en route to the hospital, but he has refused to end his hunger strike.

The yoga icon whose followers run into lakhs started his fast last Saturday morning in Delhi at the Ramlila Maidan. 65,000 people were in attendance on Saturday night when the police broke up the camp with teargassing and a lathicharge. The Baba was evicted and flown back to Uttarakhand.

The action at Ramlila Maidan ended days of negotiation between the government and the Baba over his suggestions for how to tackle the problem of crores of untaxed money that have been shipped abroad. The late-night violence united Opposition parties who accused the government of violating citizens' right to peacefully protest. Civil activists who have declared Gandhian Anna Hazare their leader pounded the government too, with public criticism and a one-day fast at Rajghat on Wednesday.

The government has disclosed that various tax inquiries are being conducted against the Baba's business empire whose reported turnover is more than a thousand crores. Yesterday, the Baba retaliated by declaring online the balance sheets of the four trusts that he runs for charitable purposes. However, he did not share the financial records of the 34 companies that are linked to him and are run by his close aide, Acharya Balakrishna.

The Baba has also been forced to defend a controversial remark he made earlier this week - that he would recruit 11,000 young men and women who would reciprocate if attacked. Yesterday, he said his remark had been distorted and misreported. "The words should be used in the right context... I said I will make a force who will not beat anyone but they will not get beaten either," the yoga teacher said, adding, "what is the harm or wrong if I speak about shaurya (valour)".

The Baba's remark - seen as incendiary by his critics - had also provoked criticism from other social activists and a warning of legal action from the government.

Read more ...

Critics say the e-mails may damage Palin's presidential chances

Details are emerging of Sarah Palin's life as governor of Alaska, following the release of 24,000 pages of her e-mails by officials in the US state.

As well as the mundane matters of political office, the correspondence reveals her frustration over rumours about her family and marriage.

Media organisations applied to see the e-mails in 2008 when she was picked as the Republican running mate.

Mrs Palin is widely viewed as a potential 2012 presidential candidate.

Alaska has released 24,199 printed pages of e-mails covering Mrs Palin's first 21 months as governor - from 2006 until she accepted the vice-presidential nomination.

Praise for Obama

Reporters from a number of news organisations descended on the Alaskan capital of Juneau on Friday to sift through the documents, which were only released in paper form.

Some of the correspondence is written in Mrs Palin's trademark folksy manner. The day after she was plucked from relative obscurity in 2008 for the presidential ticket of Republican nominee John McCain, she wrote to an associate: "Can you flippinbelieveit?!"

The e-mails reveal her irritation at the so-called Troopergate affair, when she was accused of pursuing a vendetta against her sister's ex-husband, an Alaska policeman.

"I do applogize if I sound frustrated w this one. I guess I am. Its killing me to realize how misinformed leggies [legislators], reporter and others are on this issue," she wrote to colleagues.

The state of Alaska's investigation into Troopergate found that Mrs Palin had abused her power by dismissing an official who had refused to sack her former brother-in-law.

In another e-mail, Mrs Palin praises a speech on energy policy made by then-presidential candidate Barack Obama, asking her aides to write a statement "saying he's right on".

Tanning bed

The cache of documents includes examples of some of the hate mail addressed to Mrs Palin.

Some news organisations have appealed for help from readers to scan the e-mails

The e-mails also reveal:

• Her frustration with reporters' questions about whether or not she believed in dinosaurs and whether they co-existed with humans
• Her attempts to link her predecessor, Frank Murkowski, with Bill Allen, an oil company chief executive found guilty of bribery, extortion and conspiracy. "I've asked Frank Bailey to help me track down soem [sic] evidence of past administration's dealing with Bill Allen," she wrote
• A response in 2008 to a blog post alleging she had had an affair: "I feel like I'm at the breaking point with the hurtful gossip… I hate this part of the job and many days I feel like it's not worth it"
• A demand in January 2008 to know who had leaked an e-mail, telling a colleague: "Hate to see you or anyone else being accused of purposefully setting me up with it being leaked, but that's what I'm hearing"
• Her attempts in several e-mails to find the identity of someone who alleged that she had not buckled her son, Trig, properly into his car seat
• Her frustration over state officials' access to a personal computer in her bedroom at the governor's mansion without her notice, in which she writes: "Who, when, etc conducted this search of my bedroom's computer and the other house computer?"
• A request to aides to set up a meeting with John McCain's team, several months before he chose Mrs Palin as his running mate
• An aide suggesting a meeting with Pete Rouse, then chief of staff "for a guy named Barack Obama". "I'm game to meet him," Palin replied.
• Her attempt to install a tanning bed in the governor's mansion in Juneau

The media have been perusing the heavily redacted documents, with several news organisations seeking help from readers.

The Washington Post appealed for "100 organised and diligent readers" to help reporters get through the e-mails, while the New York Times posted the e-mails on its website.

The authorities withheld nearly 2,300 pages, citing executive privilege and privacy concerns.

The treasurer of Mrs Palin's political action committee said the e-mails showed a "very engaged Governor Sarah Palin being the CEO of her state".

"The e-mails detail a governor hard at work," said Tim Crawford.

'Out of context'

The sheer volume of requests for the documents are said to be the cause for the nearly three-year delay in their release.

Mrs Palin resigned as Alaska governor midway through her first term

Requests have also been made to release e-mails chronicling Mrs Palin's final 10 months in office. But officials have not yet begun reviewing those requests.

Mrs Palin told Fox News last Sunday that "a lot of those e-mails obviously weren't meant for public consumption", adding that some might take some of the messages "out of context".

Elected governor of Alaska in 2006, Mrs Palin resigned in July 2009 and embarked on a career as a public political figure.

This has included appearances on the Fox News Channel and a reality television programme about her family life in Alaska.

Mrs Palin has a fiercely loyal base among conservative Republicans, but is disdained by many Democrats and liberals.

She has kept political commentators guessing on whether she will declare her candidacy for next year's Republican presidential nomination.

Mrs Palin recently embarked on a tour of national historic sites, with news media in pursuit.

Read more ...

Govt rules out further talks with Baba Ramdev

The Government has ruled out any mediation or talks with Baba Ramdev after activist Swami Agnivesh approached Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee in this regard on Friday.

Ramdev, who's been on a fast since June 4, was forcibly admitted to the ICU of a local hospital in Dehradoon on Friday after his health started deteriorating and put on drip.

Ramdev was administered glucose but he refused to call off his fast.

"We have had to take this step as Baba's vital parameters were falling. We have given him glucose," said M Meenakshi Sundaram, District Magistrate, Haridwar.

The doctors took him away on a day when the other revered priest Sri Sri Ravishankar himself flew to Haridwar to appeal to Baba Ramdev to end his fast.

Ever since his dramatic attempt to escape from Ram Lila Maida in women's clothes, Baba Ramdev has been spending his mornings and evenings in front of live TV cameras with each medical bulletin, every medical check up getting converted into a TV image.

But perhaps Ramdev had realised that his campaign was now beginning to flounder with questions being raised against the manner in which he had built his business empire worth over Rs 1000 crore.

"Companies had to be floated as there were a lot of things which couldn’t be done by trusts," Ramdev had said on Thursday.

With the civil society group led by Anna Hazare also making it clear that they didn’t agree with Baba Ramdev's policies, his only friends were from the BJP. The party tried to take credit for what it called was terrific management by its own state government in Uttarakhand.

"It’s good that his fast has been broken, I compliment our state government," said BJP spokesperson Ravi Shankar Prasad.

But despite the enforced breaking of the fast, Ramdev will now find it difficult to move beyond the accusations levelled against him by the Congress - that he was not just merely a yoga guru but more of a Sangh parivar front.

Read more ...

   +

     

New accounting terminology to go into effect:

1Crore = 1 Khoka

500Cr = 1 Koda

 

1000Cr = 1 Radia

10000Cr = 1 Kalmadi

100000Cr = 1Raja

100Raja = 1 Pawar

10000 Pawar

=

=

=

=

=

=

 

Itna share karo ki pura INDIA padhe.

Read more ...

The entire opposition today slammed the police action against Baba Ramdev's hunger strike as a "shameful" chapter in India's democracy with the main opposition party accusing Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress chief Sonia Gandhi of ordering the crackdown.
BJP announced it would hold protests acrossthe country against corruption and "police brutality" against Ramdev and his followers.
"The incident that took place yesterday at midnight at the Ramlila ground is one that has blemished democracy. Those people were protesting against corruption and black money through democratic means. But Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Sonia Gandhi ordered the atrocities on these people," BJP President Nitin Gadkari said in Lucknow.
In Delhi, Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj said the police action was carried out at the directions of the Prime Minister and had the "full approval" of the Congress President.
"This is not democracy...the police cannot alone had taken such a step. It had the approval of the Prime Minister and full approval of the Congress President," Swaraj said.
Her counterpart in the Rajya Sabha, Arun Jaitley said while government refuses to takeaction against separatist leaders like Syed Ali Shah Geelani who held a programme in the capital, it took action against a "patriotic sanyasi".
In Patna, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar described the use of 'brute force' to evict Ramdev and his supporters as a "major blowto democracy".
"It is a major blow to democracy and an attack on the democractic rights of the people ... It is also an attack on the fundamental rights of the citizens," Kumar said.
"As many as four central ministers and top officials were holding parleys with Ramdev for several days and reverentially describing him as 'Baba'. What compelled the government to change its tactics and take extreme actions against the protesters?" he said.

Read more ...