Meghalaya CM to share dais with Modi today after political spat

Sangma however made light of it. "Sharing the dais with the Prime Minister is nothing extraordinary," Sangma said when journalists sought for his comments on his sharing the dais with Modi at Maligaon in Assam's main city of Guwahati.

In fact, Sangma and his West Bengal counterpart Mamata Banerjee are the only two Chief Ministers who has not met Modi after the Bharatiya Janata Party unseated the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance government in the Parliamentary elections.

However, the Meghalaya Chief Minister said that he would meet Modi only when it was needed.

"There has to be some specific reason to meet (the prime minister). When I need to meet, I will ask for an appointment. You do not have to read it from a different perspective because the Chief Minister has to meet the prime minister and the Prime Minister has to give an audience to the Chief Minister," he said.

"It is a question of not getting the right time. When I am free, the PM may not be free and be on tour." Sangma, the veteran Congress leader from Meghalaya, had described Modi as a "fundamentalist" and claimed he will never become the Prime Minister of India because of his fundamentalist background, but Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi will make it.

However, he  said that the statement made by him against Modi were political remarks. "During the elections, political parties will have to pursue their own political ideology, principles,  based on which you seek the support and mandate of the people," he said.

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Seven injured in grenade explosion at Lal Chowk in Srinagar

Unidentified militants hurled a grenade towards security personnel outside the defunct Palladium Cinema but the device fell short of the target and exploded on the roadside, they said.

Seven persons were injured in the blast which sparked off panic in the business hub.

The injured were rushed to SMHS hospital, the police said adding, the area has been cordoned off and a hunt has been launched to nab the militants involved in the attack. No militant outfit has so far claimed responsibility for the explosion.

On Friday, the fierce encounter in Arnia sector of Jammu region close to Indo-Pak border ended on Friday morning after the remaining fourth militant was gunned down by security forces during the terror attack on an Army patrol that in all left 12 people dead including five civilians and three army personnel.

"The encounter has ended and boys did a good job by preventing the militants from striking anywhere," Director General of Jammu and Kashmir Police K Rajendra told on Friday.

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India has no territorial ambitions, neighbourhood situation very delicate: Arup Raha

The Chief of Air Staff, who is also Chairman of the Chief of Staff Committee, said "there are doubts whether the rise of China is going to be peaceful or not" and "we have no option but to be prepared to meet such a challenge in the near future".

"....India has no territorial ambition, except for recovering the territories that we lost because of the history that we had to our neighbours. So we might like to recover those. But otherwise we have no intention of any territory being occupied by us from our neighbours or otherwise," Raha said here.

Delivering the Air Chief Marshal L M Katre memorial lecture, he said, "But we have a hostile border, with the legacy of the British rule and the conflicts we have had in the past. So we are vulnerable in terms of our security."   

India had to have the capability to not to wage war because its aim is to avoid conflict, but to deter an adversary from launching operations against us or waging a war against us, he said adding that sir force can play a key tole in it.

"So who is going to deter? What sort of capability do we require which will give us this deterrence against our adversaries?" he added.
  
Stating that there should be striking capability deep into the enemy's heartland, Raha added it can be provided "through aerospace power, Air forces of the country. That is how we can explore the vulnerabilities and criticalities of any adversary."

"That means we have to build up our striking power which would deter an adversary from launching any offensive against the country. To my mind that national instrument which will provide the best defence and deterrence would be in the shape of aerospace power of the nation," he said.

Speaking about the geopolitical environment which determines the role Indian Air Force should play in mitigating threats, Raha said, "If we take a broad scan we will realise that the strategic gravity has shifted in the recent times from the West to the East."

He said "the strategic gravity has shifted to Asia and Asia-Pacific, but there are huge challenges in terms security in the region. First of all the assertive China..., China is growing economically, it is able to spend huge sum, huge funding it can provide for developing its military power, especially Aerospace power."

Raha said China was now asserting itself in making claims on international waters and island territories and the international airspace in South China Sea and East China Sea. They are claiming new air defence identification zones, new areas of influence in the open ocean.

"It has got into conflicts with all its littoral neighbours. We are also having problems in terms of intrusion along the LAC (Line of Actual Control) in Leh-Ladakh sector as well as in Arunachal Pradesh. So the situation is not very good for the environment that is there, and peaceful rise of China may remain a distant dream if the things go the way it is happening now," he added.

Quoting from the article written by a prominent Security Analyst from Hong Kong, who mentions China is developing its capability to fight five important conflicts in the next 30-35 years that includes annexation of Taiwan, occupying Spratly Islands, annex south Tibet that is Arunachal Pradesh from India, get hold of Senkaku Islands from Japan and recover large territories in Russia and Mongolia, Raha said, "I hope it is not true, but there are doubts whether the rise of China is going to be peaceful or not."

"But we have no option but be prepared to meet such a challenge in the near future," he added.

Raha said Afghanistan and Pakistan region is also an issue. "We all know that Pakistan has been a fountainhead of terror though it is part of global qar on terrorism, but it is also encouraging terrorist activities and today with the withdrawal of American and western forces from Afghanistan, I think the situation is going to be very very delicate in terms of sub conventional threats to India."

He said "the ISIS (Islamic State of Iraq and Syria) which has grown with strength in Iraq and Syria and in the Middle East is going to be another challenge to the world.”   

"So the situation in our neighbourhood, specially Middle East and along the western borders, is very delicate and this challenge has to be dealt with proper planning and induction of our forces, specially Aerospace power," he added.

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Indian youths attracted to ISIS a matter of concern: Rajnath Singh

Singh also blamed "state actors" in Pakistan for attempts to destabilise India and said it has not abandoned its efforts to harm the country through "various tactics".

Speaking a day after a Mumbai youth returned home after a stint with ISIS in Iraq, he said although the terror group was born out of Syria and Iraq, the Indian sub-continent cannot remain untouched by this menace which should be understood.

"It is also a matter of concern that some Indian youths have been attracted to ISIS. We cannot take it lightly. We take it as a challenge" he said addressing a conference of the DGPs and IGPs here.

Singh said arrest of Arif Majeed, who returned to Mumbai after disappearing in ISIS controlled areas in Iraq, was not an action to harass him, asserting that all such incidents will be taken on a case-by-case basis.

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Sisodia, Rakhi Birla in AAP's second list of candidates

Sisodia will contest from Patparganj and Birla has been fielded from Mangolpuri, seats represented by the two former ministers in their earlier stint as legislators.

AAP National convenor Arvind Kejriwal's name is to be announced at the end after all candidates propose his name as party's CM candidate.
  
The party has renominated Madan Lal, Dinesh Mohania and Prakash Jarwal, former legislators from Kasturba Nagar, Sangam Vihar and Deoli areas respectively. Raju Dhingan, with whom the party was unhappy over his ineffective handling of the riots, has also been given ticket from Trilokpuri seat.

The party dropped Veena Anand, who represented Patel Nagar seat, and has nominated Hazari Lal Chauhan in her place. AAP has also given ticket to Gopal Rai, senior party leader, from Baburpur. Interestingly, the party had decided to change some of its candidates that came third in last assembly election, but Rai, who came third, has been given the ticket.

It has also changed candidates in six constituencies, giving chance to new faces. From Ballimara, it has fielded Imran Hussain, while from Matia Mahal it has nominated Asim Ahmed Khan as the party candidate.

Ram Niwas Goel and Raghuvendra Shaukeen are party candidates from Shahdra and Nagloi Jat respectively. The party had come third and (fourth in case of Ballimaran) in these constituencies in last assembly elections and has decided to field new faces.
  
It has also changed its candidate from Rithala and has given ticket to Mahindra Goel. With this list, the total number of candidates declared by the party has gone up to 35 in the 70-member Delhi Legislative assembly.
  
In the first list of 22 candidates, announced on November 13, the party announced ticket to 12 of its former legislators, which included four former ministers of the 49-day AAP government.

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Consumption of beedis higher than cigarettes: JP Nadda

However, the government does not have any plans of changing the tax structure to curb its consumption, he told the Lok Sabha in a written reply.

The World Health Organization's (WHO) "Technical Manual on Tax Administration Act" (2010) has recommended that tobacco excise taxes should account for at least 70 percent of the retail prices for tobacco products.

Nadda said as per the information received from the Finance Ministry, there is no proposal under consideration as of now to introduce a uniform taxation structure on cigarettes which covers all  lengths and does not allow for product substitution of higher taxed cigarette lengths with lower taxed cigarette lengths.

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Government would rein in all the looters of minerals and develop Jharkhand: PM Modi

He said the on-going Assembly election in Jharkhand will decide the future of the mineral-rich state and appealed to the people of Jharkhand not to treat it as an ordinary poll.

Likening the tribal state, formed in 2000, to children in the age group of 13-14 years who grow up slowly but mature fast between the ages of 13-18 yrs, he said Jharkhand too has entered the stage where it will take off fast and promised to help it grow and become the number one state of the country if BJP was voted to power.

"This election will decide the fate of the state and help it move on the path of development, if you vote for a majority government.
 
"Jharkhand has enough power in terms of its mineral deposits and can lead the country but unfortunately, the state was looted since its creation 14 years ago," he said.

Highlighting the coal policy framed by the NDA government, the prime minister said it "would rein in all the looters of minerals and benefit Jharkhand to the tune of Rs 20,000 crore in the next few years".

Accusing Congress of failing to mend its ways despite the debacle it suffered in the parliamentary poll, Modi said why should the people of the country vote for it when it was not ready to change.

He said India is being respected across the world becauseit now has a strong and stable government and asked the people to vote for a majority government headed by BJP in Jharkhand.  

Addressing an election rally here, he said the country has rejected the dynastic rule and voted BJP to power with full majority.

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Pakistan not a friend, but neighbour: V K Singh

"Pakistan is not a friend but a neighbouring country.India wants good relationships with all neighbouring countries, but not at the cost of security," the MoS in the Ministry of External Affairs said while talking to reporters here.

He said Pakistan should also think what type of relationship it wants with its neighbour.

The Minister said India is on its way to have a cordial relationship with Pakistan, but the outcome will be clear in the future.

To a question on the 39 Indians held captive by ISIS in Iraq, the Minister said there is no negative news so far.

On BJP supporting FDI, Singh said the party opposed it in retail business, but it will be better in larger trade.

The former Army Chief was here to attend an Army event.

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Comprehensive mobility plan for all cities advocated

They feel that efficient public transport is the solution and urged early intervention to enable the emerging cities to cope up with the problem to avoid the unwieldy experiences of mega and major cities.
  
The opinion came in the form of a set of 10 recommendations of the four-day long Urban Mobility India Conference, organized by Urban Development Ministry and the Institute of Urban Transport, that concluded yesterday.
  
The meet has recommended formulation of Comprehensive Mobility Plans for cities with over one lakh population focusing on introduction of public transport systems at an early stage to avoid the kind of problems that bigger cities are facing today.

The example of Naya Raipur, which had introduced Bus Rapid Transport System (BRTS) at an early stage in its development was highlighted as a good practice.
  
Noting that BRTS is in use in over 160 cities across the world, the participants noted that it may not have yielded desired results in some Indian cities, but it is workable and relevant.
  
The conference was attended by over 1,000 decision makers, experts, academia, industry delegates, civil society representatives and other stakeholders from 20 Indian states and 23 foreign countries. Over 70 presentations and 20 research papers were presented at the event.
  
O P Agarwal, Director-General of the Institute of Urban Transport, said that ‘Relevance of a particular mode of transport like the Metro or BRTS is guided primarily by the volume of movement of people and economics.
  
What is needed in the larger context is quick and reliable public transport in urban areas, he said.
   
"From the experience elsewhere in the World, it is evident that we need to focus on emerging cities with early intervention to ensure such options, Agarwal said.

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BJP to restart talks with Sena today over joining government

The BJP, facing the heat from several quarters over NCP's outside support to it to form the government, is keen to take the Sena onboard to ensure a stable government.

Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Friday said his party is keen to join hands with the Sena once again after a bitter split in the run up to the Assembly elections.

"I spoke with Sena president Uddhav Thackeray on phone a few days back and talks between the two parties will start on Friday," Fadnavis told reporters on Thursday.

The BJP, facing the heat from several quarters over NCP's outside support to it to form the government, is keen to take the Sena onboard to ensure a stable government.

Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Friday said his party is keen to join hands with the Sena once again after a bitter split in the run up to the Assembly elections.

"I spoke with Sena president Uddhav Thackeray on phone a few days back and talks between the two parties will start on Friday," Fadnavis told reporters on Thursday.

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AMU VC writes to HRD Mininstry over plans to mark Raja's anniversary

In his letter to the minister, Zameer Uddin Shah said if "certain elements" go ahead with their plans to hold a demonstration at AMU on December 1, "it could lead to massive student unrest at the campus".

However, the VC did not take the name of any party or outfit.

The Vice Chancellor has pointed out the possibility of "communal conflagration if political machinations are not controlled".

Some BJP leaders have decided to hold a demonstration on the campus on the birth anniversary of Raja Mahendra Pratap, an alumnus of AMU, whose family was closely associated with Sir Syed Ahmad Khan, the founder of the institution.

"Some elements are threatening to hold a demonstration on the grounds that Raja Mahendra Pratap donated large tracts of land for establishment of AMU and should be honoured accordingly.

"We have always acknowledged that the Raja did lease 3.04 acres of land to AMU in 1929 at a rate of Rs. 2/- per annum. We are proud of this freedom fighter. However, there were a large number of other donors and the main campus of the AMU was built on a land procured from the British government originally belonging to the Aligarh cantonment," he said.

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Worked out ways to improve coordination among agencies: NSG

"There is always scope for improvement and this is also one of the issues they are working together. I have come with a team from Delhi and we have worked out ways on improving the coordination further," Choudhury said in response to a question.

The NSG chief said that JMB module was keeping a low profile. The state and central agencies have learnt a lesson from the Burdwan blast.

He said, "after the theft has taken place you go to catch the thief" and when keep a low profile, they don't come to notice.

"In this case, we have learnt lessons and I don't think it would happen again. The state and Centre will make sure that they work together on this case," Chaudhury told reporters when asked whether the state government should have been more proactive in dealing with the JMB modules.

He, however, said the NSG received "100 percent" support from the state government while working on the Burdwan blast case.

Asked whether the state agencies were going slow on the inputs provided by the central intelligence agencies about JMB setting up a base here, Chaudhury said, "Earlier, ULFA ultras used to hide in Bangladesh and criminals from Bangladesh used to come and hide here. This is nothing new."

Talking about the kind of explosives used in the Burdwan blast, Choudhury said, "There were media reports suggesting that RDX was used. It was nothing of that sort. Ammonium Nitrate was used in the explosives."   

The NSG chief, however, refused to comment on West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's claims that the Burdwan blast was a handiwork of India's external spying agency RAW.

Choudhury also did not blame the state police for being unable to unearth the existence of terror module.
  
He said, "The incident occurred when the police were busy with Durga Puja and Eid... a single police station has to look after a lot of things."

"We have already organised special training camps for both West Bengal police and for Kolkata police. They already have the expertise and we would improve it further," Choudhury said.

Asked about a section of ruling party leaders allegedly  having links with the JMB modules, Choudhury said, "May be such things have been reported in the media. I don't have any such information. I am not aware of any such linkage."

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Odisha government optimistic about Posco project

"The Posco project work has not started. However, we are optimistic about implementation of the project," steel and mines minister Prafulla Kumar Mallick told the Assembly on Friday.   

Replying to a written question, the minister said the Odisha government has so far provided 2,752 acres of land to the state-owned Industrial Infrastracture Development Corporation Limited (IDCO) for the purpose of setting up Posco's 8 mtpa steel mill in the first phase.

IDCO has meanwhile handed over 1,880 acres of land to the steel company, he said.

Even as the company signed MoU with the state government for setting up a 12 mtpa capacity steel plant over 4,000 acre of land, it later decided to reduce land requirement to 2,800 acre and capacity to 8 mtpa, the minister said.   

The state government, he said, has already renewed water agreement for the Posco plant in 2010. The mega steel unit required 3.5 cusec of water.

This apart, the minister informed that the company has already signed bilateral agreement with the state-owned Odisha Power Transmission Corporation Limited (OPTCL) for availing 24 MW of electricty during the construction phase.   

Posco has also availed No-Objection Certificates (NOC) from the Ministry of Environment and Forest and State Pollution Control Board for the first phase of the project, Mallick said.

Meanwhile, the state government have made separate recommendations over notified and non-notified areas of iron ore reserve for Prospecting Licence (PL), the minister said.

"The state's recommendations of PL is under the consideration of the Centre," he said.

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All 245 Border Outposts in Tripura put on maximum alert: IG BSF

"We do not see strong possibilities of intrusion of Islamic terrorists like JMB and others to enter into the state. But the borders in the Feni and Moulavibazar districts of Bangladesh are still vulnerable, so we have put all the border outposts (BOPs) in alert," IG BSF of Tripura frontier B N Sharma said.

On the recent remark of Tripura Chief Minister Manik Sarkar that the insurgents were still using the soil of Bangladesh and were trying to be active before the elections of the 30 member Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC), Sharma admitted that there were two incidents of insurgents attack on BSF by the insurgents from Bangladesh soil.

A BSF jawan and a civilian driver were killed and another person was injured on November 17 when suspected NLFT militants fired at them at Khantlang, a village bordering Chittagong Hill Tract in Bangladesh.   

Another BSF jawan was shot dead by the ultras of the same group at Maldapara in Dhalai district on October 23.

"We need to re-look at the border. We have augmented our forces in the border to check such incidents and an alert was sounded along the border for keeping stringent vigil so that this kind of sabotage could not take place. We are also making a plan for quick reaction after such incidents," the IG BSF told reporters.
  
He said there are 32 camps of insurgents of Tripura in Chittagong Hill Tract of Bangladesh (CHT) and in Sylhet district of which 21 belonged to banned National Liberation Front of Tripura (NLFT).

Sharma said, out of the 856-km-long border, Central government gave sanction for erection of barbed wire fencing in 851 km. Fencing work completed in 703 km, work is in progress in 147 km and work is yet to start in 43 km.   

He said most part of the border in the state was brought under the coverage of flood lighting and closed circuit cameras were fixed for better surveillance.
    
"Work for setting up CCTV cameras completed in 577 km and work is on in 92 km. Besides, we have also installed biometric devices for identification of the real inhabitants in the border areas which would help checking infiltration," the IG informed.

Sharma said the large patch of areas are not guarded by Border Guard Bangladesh which help easy movement of Indian insurgents in their soil and added that in the recent IG level meeting with BGB in Sylhet, they (BGB) agreed to construct some BOPs in those areas to improve surveillance.

He said altogether 64 composite BOPs having all facilities would be constructed in Tripura of which 22 were already completed and 17 BOPs would be relocated for better border management.

Construction of one composite BOP costs Rs 5-6 crore having the facilities like good barrack, toilets, dining hall and helipad.

He said the BSF this year seized phensedyl worth Rs 2.14 crore, contraband worth Rs 14.57 crore and drugs worth Rs 5.39 crore.

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Operation to arrest controversial godman Rampal costs over Rs 26 crore

Amidst tight security, Rampal was produced before a division bench of justices M Jeyapaul and Darshan Singh here which adjourned the case to December 23 when Rampal would be produced along with co-accused Ram Pal Dhaka and O P Hooda.
  
Haryana DGP S N Vashisht submitted a detailed report of the operation at Satlok Ashram at Barwala in Hisar leading to the arrest of Rampal after large-scale violence.

The states of Haryana and Punjab besides the Chandigarh Administration and Union of India submitted reports of the expenditure incurred in connection with the operation to arrest Rampal for production in the High Court in the contempt case.

As per the figures presented by the states, Haryana spent Rs 15.43 crore on locating and arresting Rampal, Punjab Rs 4.34 crore, Chandigarh Administration Rs 3.29 crore and Union of India Rs 3.55 crore, totaling Rs 26.61 crore The bench asked the Director General of Police (DGP), Haryana, to submit medical report of those injured.
  
The court also asked the police to verify the antecedents of 909 arrested in connection with the violence at Satlok Ashram at Barwala for arresting Rampal. Police have been asked to ascertain whether any of those arrested had retired from the police or were ex-servicemen or were serving in the police and related agencies.

63-year-old Rampal was arrested on November 19 after a two-week tense standoff between his supporters and the police after close to 15,000 of his followers were evacuated from the sprawling premises.

During the standoff between Rampal's followers and the police, five women and a child had died, while more than 200 people were injured in the clashes. The High Court had on November 5 cancelled the bail of Rampal in a 2006 murder case after he failed to appear in the High Court.

The division bench had posted the matter for hearing on Friday with a direction to the Haryana Police chief to file an affidavit giving details of the operation carried out to arrest Rampal from his ashram in Barwala along with damage, injuries to people, details regarding arms and ammunition in the ashram and loss of property.

Rampal, against whom the High Court had issued non-bailable warrant in the contempt case, had failed to appear before it on three dates - November 5, 10 and 17. The court had suo moto taken up the issue of cancellation of bail on November 10 when Rampal failed to appear in the contempt case. He was arrested by Haryana Police on November
19 from his 12-acre Satlok Ashram.
  
The 'godman' was produced before the High Court on November 20 a day after his arrest in the contempt of court case. He was later remanded to five day police custody by a local court after fresh cases, including of sedition, arson and obstructing public servants from performing duty, were slapped on him which was subsequently extended by six days. So far, more than 900 followers of Rampal have been arrested on various charges. Besides sedition and other charges, fresh FIRs including that of murder were also registered against Rampal.

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Nepal played key role in Modi-Sharif handshake

"Although we have created an atmosphere for meeting of the two leaders, it is the two leaders themselves who took initiative for the handshake," Foreign Minister Mahendra Bahadur Pandey, who was also present on the occasion, said.
  
"SAARC is for creating a goodwill and understanding among all the member countries and the regional grouping could not move forward without the cooperation among them," Pandey said.
  
"We could not have forced them to shake hands," said the Foreign Minister, adding that the brief meeting between Modi and Sharif could not have taken place if the two leaders were not willing to do so.
  
Host country Nepal organised a retreat for the SAARC leaders in Dhulikhel, the picturesque resort city situated in the east of Kathmandu on the final day of the Summit.
  
The retreat organised by Nepal created an environment for the leaders of the two countries to come together.
  
On a question about whether he played any role for the handshake Prime Minister Koirala said, "SAARC will move forward in the path of democracy and development, and it will create an atmosphere of understanding and trust among all the member states."

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India should not have cancelled talks: Nawaz Sharif

"We had been talking to the Kashmiri leaders in the past whenever Pakistan-India talks are held. This is nothing new as we have to seek the opinion of the Kashmiri leaders on an issue that concerns them the most," Sharif told media on board his aircraft while returning home from the 18th SAARC Summit on Thursday.
  
Consultations held by Pakistan High Commissioner in New Delhi with Kashmiri separatists led to the cancellation by India of Foreign Secretary Sujatha Singh's visit to Islamabad in September.

Since then both countries have maintained that they are willing to engage in a meaningful dialogue provided the other side takes the initiative.

Sharif said that India should not have cancelled the Foreign Secretary-level talks as was agreed upon during his meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi following his swearing in at New Delhi, media reported.

He said Pakistan wishes to pursue the dialogue process from a position of dignity, honour and self-respect. "We believe in it and will maintain it at all costs," he said.
  
Sharif said Pakistan desires a "meaningful" dialogue to resolve all issues including the Kashmir dispute. His remarks come after frosty Indo-Pak ties briefly gave way to some warmth on Thursday when a smiling Prime Minister Modi and Sharif shook hands and exchanged pleasantries, but India cautioned against reading too much into such "courtesies".
  
Moments before the SAARC Summit concluded after two days of deliberations in Kathmandu, Modi and Sharif shook hands and exchanged a few sentences to loud applause of other leaders and their delegations which were witness to the cold vibes between the two Prime Ministers at the opening session when they ignored each other.
  
Sharif said he twice shook hands with his Indian counterpart and exchanged pleasantries at the SAARC Summit. He said Pakistan has always desired a meaningful dialogue with India with  sincerity and wants it to be reciprocated from the other side.
  
When asked how the ice between the two leaders was broken, Sharif said when he arrived at the retreat, Prime Minister Modi along with other leaders was already there.
  
He met others and also shook hands with Prime Minister Modi. Sharif also categorically stated that if India wants to restore ties, the Kashmir issue must be discussed and "that too seriously with full sincerity".

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Pakistan releases 36 Indian prisoners

The prisoners will be repatriated to India through the Wagah border check post near Lahore. The prisoners said they were very happy to be released and could not wait to be reunited with their loved ones.

They also said they were treated fairly in Pakistan. At least 419 Indian fishermen are currently held in Karachi's district prison Malir.

Such arrests are frequently carried out by both countries, as the maritime border in the Arabian Sea is poorly defined and many fishing boats lack the technology needed to be certain of their precise location.

The fishermen often languish in jail even after serving their term, as poor diplomatic ties between the two arch rivals mean fulfilling official requirements can take a long time.

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India-US trade policy forum will help move past rhetoric: Expert

"The ongoing engagement between our governments over the last several months has been encouraging," said Patrick Kilbride, executive director for International IP policy at US Chamber's Global Intellectual Policy Center.

"The re-launch of (India-US) Trade Policy Forum is a critical step in moving past rhetoric, and building trust and understanding based on common values," he said, adding that there is ample evidence that both countries share a wide range of mutual interests in the global economy, including intellectual property and innovation.

Kilbride said in both the discussions of the Trade Policy Forum and the government's formulation of IP policy they hope to see signs of a government-wide commitment to strong intellectual property rights in India.

"Those signs would include an indication that India will join well-established international treaties for intellectual property protection, rejection of compulsory licensing as a commercial tool and plans to strengthen the institutions of government that IP-intensive industries rely on," he said.

"These steps are not merely in the interest of global innovators, but are in the interests of India's own innovators and its future economic growth," Kilbride said.

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Modi, Sharif shake hands after cold vibes at SAARC summit

Modi put his hand on Sharif's arm as the two leaders looked at cameras with a long handshake even as they exchanged a few sentences. Loud applause greeted this apparent thaw which was in contrast to the two leaders ignoring each other on Wednesday.

"The two leaders exchanged pleasantries when they met for the first time after arriving here," External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Syed Akbaruddin said.

The leaders gathered at Dhulikhel in Kavre district, 30 km east of the Nepalese capital, for the traditional SAARC retreat on the concluding day of the two-day summit.   

At the retreat, they held private, unofficial talks in a relaxed and more informal atmosphere.

Sources said all the leaders met in informal settings and talked about various regional issues.

There was no discussion on bilateral issues, they said.
  
The SAARC Foreign Ministers, including External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and Pakistan Prime Minister's Advisor on Foreign Affairs and National Security Sartaj Aziz, were also present at the retreat.

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US hails SAARC push for better connectivity with Afghanistan

US Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia Nisha Desai Biswal, who attended the 18th SAARC Summit, said all the leaders of the regional bloc expressed strong determination to improve economic growth in the region which was encouraging and offered to provide required assistance in realising its goal.
  
The US is among the 10 observers in SAARC. "This has been a very successful SAARC summit. There was tremendous hope and determination to create the kind of connectivity that will bring this whole region into greater prosperity," Biswal said.
  
"So the statements of all of the heads of states were focused on that and we very much support that and hope that we can play a role in trying to bring that about," said Biswal, who represented the US at the summit.

Biswal also referred to Afghan President Ashraf Ghani's call for linking Afghanistan with rest of the region and said improving connectivity to the country will ensure its economic prosperity to a great extent.

"We are very supportive of the transition in Afghanistan. We want to see stability, security and economic prosperity and the economic connectivity that everyone is focused on is a key aspect of trying to bring that about and in ensuring that Afghanistan, which President Ghani said sits at the heart of Asia, can play a role in connecting all of these various parts of Asia," Biswal said.
  
"And in that I think we will see a better future for the entire region," she said. Asked about India's role in Afghanistan, Biswal said, "India has played a very important role and has provided a tremendous amount of economic assistance and I think India is continuing a very important role in Afghanistan's development." India has invested USD two billion in aid and reconstruction and has been involved in various transport projects.

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40 Indian prisoners released from Karachi jail

The release of the prisoners from Karachi's district jail Malir comes a day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif warmly shook hands and exchanged pleasantries at the 18th SAARC Summit in Nepal.

The released Indian prisoners included 36 fishermen and four others, Anwar Kazmi, told a spokesman of Edhi Foundation charity,

"Our organization is providing transport to take them to Wagah border with a packet containing clothes for their families and Rs 10,000 in cash to each of the released prisoners," Kazmi said.
  
They will be taken to Lahore and handed over to Indian authorities at the Wagah border.
  
It was not officially known when the fishermen were arrested but a local channel reported that they were held about a year ago.

The government so far has not commented on the release but an official said on anonymity that it was a goodwill gesture and the arrested Indians were set free on humanitarian grounds.

"When Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif visited India in May, we released 151 prisoners," the official said.
  
He said India should also release Pakistani prisoners and fishermen. India and Pakistan regularly arrest fishermen who venture into unmarked territorial waters of the two countries.

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'India well-positioned to attract international investments'

"The development priorities and economic agenda of the new Indian Government (also) present interesting possibilities for partnership with Singapore," said S Iswaran, the Second  Minister for Trade and Industry at a symposium on business prospects in India.

While it is still early days, the new government has announced several key initiatives, such as 'Make in India', Swachh Bharat and smart cities, he said.

He highlighted growing confidence in India underlining Prime Minister Narendra Modi's strong leadership ushering in "an era of political stability, certainty and growth in India". Iswaran pointed out the five decades of good diplomatic relations between Singapore and India.
  
"We look forward to elevating the Singapore-India relationship to greater heights and through different modalities of collaboration at the Centre and also in the states."
  
Singapore and India will celebrate five decades of bilateral diplomatic relations next year, which also marks the country's 50 years of independence. Addressing around 300 delegates at the Singapore-India Business Symposium, Iswaran re-emphasized Singapore's interest in contributing to India's mission to develop smart and sustainable cities.
  
"We have been requested by the Indian Government to share our experience in urbanization and city development," he said, adding, Singapore's public and private sectors could make a meaningful contribution from the experience gained over the five decades in developing the city state.
  
"We are, therefore, actively considering how best to work with the central government on its 'Smart Cities' initiative, and also with states like the new Andhra Pradesh on its Capital City project.

"This engagement will also enable Singapore businesses to participate in downstream needs and opportunities in areas such as township development, industrial and IT parks, as well  as utilities such as water and power," he said.

Most US presidents to fade from memory: Study

"By the year 2060, Americans will probably remember as much about the 39th and 40th presidents - Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan - as they now remember about our 13th president Millard Fillmore," predicted Henry L. Roediger III, human memory expert at Washington University in St. Louis.Hillary Clinton, if elected in 2016, has the potential to be much better remembered than her husband because her presidency would represent a unique first in American history.

Barack Obama may be well remembered for the same reason, the study authors said. Roediger has been testing the ability of undergraduate college students to remember the names of presidents since 1973, when he first administered the test to undergraduates while a psychology graduate student at Yale University.

Among the six presidents who were serving or had served most recently when the test was first given in 1973, Harry S. Truman, Lyndon B. Johnson and Gerald R. Ford are now fading fast from historical memory whereas John F. Kennedy has been better retained.

"The findings estimate that Truman will be forgotten by three-fourths of college students by 2040, 87 years after his leaving office, just like Zachary Taylor and William McKinley," Roediger said.

Kennedy was president less than three years, but is remembered today much better than Lyndon Johnson."One idea is that his assassination made him memorable, but that does not apply to James Garfield or William McKinley who were also assassinated and are remembered relatively poorly," Roediger found.

"Kennedy may be well recalled because his brothers and other family members were (and are) active in politics and help to keep his memory alive," Roediger speculated.

The current study compares results from the presidential-recall tests Roediger has given to three generations of undergraduate college students (1974, 1991 and 2009) and a similar test offered online to 577 adults ages 18-69 in 2014.

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Most US presidents to fade from memory: Study

"By the year 2060, Americans will probably remember as much about the 39th and 40th presidents - Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan - as they now remember about our 13th president Millard Fillmore," predicted Henry L. Roediger III, human memory expert at Washington University in St. Louis.Hillary Clinton, if elected in 2016, has the potential to be much better remembered than her husband because her presidency would represent a unique first in American history.

Barack Obama may be well remembered for the same reason, the study authors said. Roediger has been testing the ability of undergraduate college students to remember the names of presidents since 1973, when he first administered the test to undergraduates while a psychology graduate student at Yale University.

Among the six presidents who were serving or had served most recently when the test was first given in 1973, Harry S. Truman, Lyndon B. Johnson and Gerald R. Ford are now fading fast from historical memory whereas John F. Kennedy has been better retained.

"The findings estimate that Truman will be forgotten by three-fourths of college students by 2040, 87 years after his leaving office, just like Zachary Taylor and William McKinley," Roediger said.

Kennedy was president less than three years, but is remembered today much better than Lyndon Johnson."One idea is that his assassination made him memorable, but that does not apply to James Garfield or William McKinley who were also assassinated and are remembered relatively poorly," Roediger found.

"Kennedy may be well recalled because his brothers and other family members were (and are) active in politics and help to keep his memory alive," Roediger speculated.

The current study compares results from the presidential-recall tests Roediger has given to three generations of undergraduate college students (1974, 1991 and 2009) and a similar test offered online to 577 adults ages 18-69 in 2014.

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Australia out of step with new climate momentum

Abbott tried and failed to keep the issue off the agenda of the annual G-20 summit of wealthy and emerging countries that was hosted by the Australian city of Brisbane in mid-November. An agreement between Washington and Beijing to curb emissions, announced days before the summit, suggests he had misjudged the international mood on the issue.
  
Next week, attention turns to the next round of international climate change negotiations in Lima, Peru. For a nation of just 23 million, Australia has played a significant  role in past talks, but this time it's unclear what kind of role its delegation, led by Foreign Minister Julie Bishop, will play.
  
Abbott's conservative coalition won a landslide election victory last year over the Labor Party, which had grown unpopular in part because it had approved one of the world's highest taxes on major carbon gas polluters. Abbott not only ended that tax but years earlier helped scuttle an effort by his own Liberal Party to reach a bipartisan deal on a carbon-trading scheme, intended to encourage industries to produce less emissions.

G-20 heavyweights including the United States and Europe steamrolled Australia's efforts as summit host to keep climate change off the agenda in Brisbane. In the end, the G-20 agreed to work together toward a global agreement on reducing carbon gas emissions at a major UN climate change conference in Paris in September 2015.

The Lima meeting is the final high-level ministerial summit in which countries will aim to work toward a draft agreement to be presented in Paris. A European Union official described getting Australia to agree to the wording of a paragraph on climate change in the G-20 summit communique as slow-moving "trench warfare."

In arguing for keeping climate change off the G-20 agenda, Australia said it was not strictly an economic issue and would distract from goals including a plan to boost global  GDP by more than USD 2 trillion over five years. President Barack Obama miffed some in Abbott's administration when he said that among Asia-Pacific nations, "nobody has more at stake when it comes to thinking about and then acting on climate change" than Australia. "Here in Australia it means longer droughts, more wildfires. The incredible natural glory of the Great Barrier Reef is threatened," he said.

Calm restored in Ferguson after days of protests

Ferguson, a suburb of St. Louis, has been trying to regain normalcy after the violent protests Monday and Tuesday that resulted in more than 120 arrests and substantial material damage.

A number of residents Thursday interrupted their Thanksgiving celebrations to come to Canfield Drive, where an improvised monument of flowers and stuffed animals has been set up to memorialise 18-year-old Michael Brown.

Protests against the grand jury decision not to indict policeman Darren Wilson in Brown's killing continued Wednesday night in Los Angeles with cases of violence and arrests of several dozen people.

The protests spread to 170 cities across the US.Wilson, a 28-year-old police officer, shot Brown Aug 9 claiming that the youth was belligerent and attacked him, saying he felt his life was in danger. In an interview this week, Wilson said he shot Brown in self-defence and that he had a clear conscience, whereas several eyewitness accounts describe the incident as the cold-blooded murder.

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Pope Francis set for Turkey visit

He also plans to visit Istanbul for a meeting with the head of the Orthodox Christian church.

It will be the fourth time in history when a pope will visit Turkey.

During his trip, Pope Francis is scheduled to visit Istanbul's Sultan Ahmed mosque, the 17th century place of worship popularly known as the Blue Mosque.

He is also due to sign a joint declaration with Patriarch Bartholomew I, the leader of 300 million Orthodox Christians, on trying to bridge the divides between Catholicism and Orthodox  Christianity.

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Botched surgeries: Chhattisgarh HC orders seizure of banned medicines

The court also ordered to identify those people who have consumed these prohibited medicines and conduct health check-up camps for them.

A division bench of Justice TP Sharma and Justice Inder Singh Upoweja gave these directions on Monday while hearing an intervention petition filed by Congress leader Manishankar Pandey, petitioner’s lawyer Satish Verma said.

The HC had observed that those who have consumed Ciprocin-500 tablets and other banned medicines whether at sterilisation camps or elsewhere needed to be identified and subjected to medical examination.

The court further sought immediate seizure of banned medicines from all the places wherever it was distributed earlier, Verma said.
  
Besides, Chhattisgarh State Legal Services Authority has also been directed by the court to conduct camps in villages and use various means of communication to spread awareness among people regarding their health.
  
Earlier, the HC had taken suo moto cognisance of death of 13 women after tubectomies at state-run camps in Bilaspur and issued notices to Centre, state government and Medical Council of India seeking a report over the incident.
  
The court had appointed two advocates Salim Kazia and Sunita Jain as amicus curiae (friend of the court) to assist it on the issue.
  
On Monday, the state government submitted an interim report on the incident and sought more time to submit a detailed report.

Similarly, the Centre also requested for additional time to file a report on it while MCI pleaded to submit its findings after an investigation on November 25, Verma said.

Next hearing on the issue has been scheduled for December 22, he added.

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Rajasthan government to introduce self-attestation of documents from January 1

The Raje government will introduce new system of self-attestation and declaration of documents from January 1, 2015 by abolishing the old system of affidavit submission of every official documents for job, property, housing, and in government functioning, an official order passed last night said.
  
Candidates applying for a job or education in any of the departments, boards, commissions, or panchayati raj institutions of the state government would be able to do "self-attestation" and make submission accordingly.

The state government has simplified procedures for verification of documents and statements, the order said. The new system would also enable people to file self-attestation while dealing with house and property matters with the housing board, development authorities, boards, corporations, power companies, cooperative societies, panchayati raj institutions and civic bodies.
  
This would also be applicable while filing papers for making new ration cards, land transfer, power-electricity-water connections, caste certificate, driving license, pension, and other matters related to the state government affairs.
  
This will provide a relief to citizens especially students who had to go Notarian/Magistrate/ Gazzeted Officer for each paper certfication and attestation, the order said.
  
The new system would appear to be easy but any person committing error or fraud would be brought under laws of IPC leading to penalty in cash and jail term as punishment, it said.
  
The state government's order has been served to every department for implementation and website update by January 1 next year. Offenders would be punishable under relevant sections of IPC and would be imprisioned for a period ranging from six months to three years and also cash fine.

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Jammu & Kashmir polls: Nearly 33 PC voting recorded till noon

According to official figures, Doda Assembly segment has recorded the highest turnout of 41 percent, followed by Inderwal with 39.67 percent, Kangan with 39.50 percent, Sonawari with 38.99 percent.

Similarly, Bandipora Assembly segment recorded 32.72 percent polling, 36.89 percent in Banihal, 36.20 percent in Ramban, 37.20 per cent in Bhaderwah, 31.17 percent in Ganderbal, 37.54 percent in Gurez, 36.57 percent in Kisthwar.

Ladakh region, where the minimum temperature is eight degrees below freezing point, recorded slow polling in the morning hours.

Kargil Assembly segment recorded 24 percent polling, followed by Leh with 10.47 percent, Nobra with 27.52 percent and Zanskar with 22.80 percent polling.

While nearly 33 percent of the 10.52 lakh electorate exercised their franchise till 12 PM, serpentine queues could be seen at many polling stations as voters waited for their turn.

In the 2008 Assembly elections, an average of over 60 per cent polling was witnessed.

The situation across the state has been by and large peaceful so far, barring couple of stray incidents of violence in Ganderbal and Bandipora districts.

Suspected militants hurled grenades at two polling stations in Nowpora area of Bandipora and Naidkhai area of Sonawari but there was no damage done in the explosions.

The polling went on peacefully even after the explosions as the grenades landed some distance away from the booths. In Barsoo area of Ganderbal, PDP supporters clashed with National Conference supporters, resulting in minor injuries to one person.

Army Chief on visit to Jammu & Kashmir

Army Chief Gen Dalbir Singh Suhag is undertaking a visit to Jammu and Kashmir on Tuesday to review the security situation there as the first phase of polling goes underway.

Suhag will begin his tour of the state from Srinagar. He is expected to be back in the national capital later in the evening.

Ensuring a violence-free election in Jammu and Kashmir is a major task for the Army at the moment and the force has been put on high alert.

Some militant groups have given a poll boycott call in the state.

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Enforcement Directorate freezes two bank accounts of painter Shuvoprasanna

"We had sent summons to him to appear before the ED last Monday. He did not come and sent a chartered accountant instead with documents," an ED source said.

The source said as per the legal provisions, Shuvoprasanna would have to come in person.
  
The ED had also frozen two bank accounts of the painter, the source said, adding that there had been instances of diversion of funds.

The agency had earlier questioned the painter, considered close to the ruling Trinamool Congress, in connection with the sale of his shares in a TV channel to Saradha group chief Sudipto Sen.

But he was asked to appear again as the ED officials had spotted some inconsistency in his statements made, which the painter was avoiding.

As per the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, ED would first impose a penalty on the painter as a first step for not responding to the summons. The next step would be legal action including arrest, the source said.
  
The directorate on Tuesday also interrogated chief of Rose valley Gautam Kundu whose firm was also under the scanner for collection of deposits from the public.

The ED had also frozen nearly 2,500 bank accounts of Rose Valley.

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Manjhi terms no entry remark on central ministers 'sweet joke'

He, however, accused Narendra Modi's government of ignoring the state.

"It was 'meetha majak' (sweet joke)... I never meant it (central ministers will not be allowed entry into the state)," Manjhi said in his speech after presenting the ninth annual report of JD(U) government.

BJP had taken exception to Manjhi's remarks against seven union ministers who he had sarcastically described as 'sat bhaiya' (seven brothers). Prime Minister Narendra Modi had also mentioned it during his election rally in Jharkhand last week.

JD(U) central leadership including President Sharad Yadav had reprimanded Manjhi for the comment.

Manjhi, however, made a scathing attack on the BJP government at the Centre for allegedly ignoring the interests of Bihar.

Modi, he said, had failed to provide special category status which he had promised during the Lok Sabha poll campaign.

He also criticised the lowering of developmental funds under Indira Awas Yojna and MGNREGA and said the state had not been reimbursed Rs 1000 crore it had spent in the past on repair of national highways running through it.

Manjhi, who was flanked by his ministerial colleagues, appealed to the Prime Minister to accord due assistance to Bihar.

"Let bygones be bygones ... give Bihar its due by granting it special category status and other assistance," he added.

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Manjhi submits 9th annual report of JD(U) government

Manjhi was speaking after releasing the 124-page annual report card of JD(U) government on its completion of ninth year and made nine announcements to match it.

The announcements included Rs 300 per quintal bonus to farmers and free education to SC/ST boys and girls in higher education up to university level. Free education facility would also be provided to girls of other social classes.

Manjhi, who took over the reins of the state from Nitish Kumar in May this year after the former resigned in the wake of severe drubbing in general election, highlighted the state's progress in all sectors including power and agriculture.

Kumar, he said, had made a promise to the people that if his government failed to improve the power situation he would not come to them for vote in 2015.

"With power scenario showing constant progress I can say we have fulfilled the promise," he said.

Power availability, which was a mere 500-600 MW daily in 2005 when Kumar took rein, has risen to 2800 MW-2900 MW.

"By the end of this year its expected to go up to 4000 MW and by next year we are targeting to enhance it to 5000 MW daily," Manjhi, who was flanked by all his ministerial colleagues, said.

The Bihar chief minister said due to sustained efforts the state has been able to increase its forest cover from 7 per cent after bifurcation of Jharkhand from it to 12 per cent now. "We plant to increase it to 20 per cent by 2020."

The state government instead of promoting multinationals is encouraging cottage, small and medium industries to cut down carbon dioxide emission level and provide employment opportunity to people of the state.

Food Minister Shyam Rajak said Rs 900 crore has been earmarked for the bonus payment from state own resources.

The CM also announced the launch of 'Lok Samvedna Abhiyan" (public response campaign) under which officials would be trained to behave with sensitivity and in a dignified manner with people and public representatives.

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Shiv Sena threatens to expose media which project it in bad light

"Everybody knows that Shiv Sena is supporting the Union government and is sitting in Opposition in Maharashtra. But, there are certain media outfits that are making irresponsible comments on the Sena's stand," an editorial in party mouthpiece 'Saamana' said on Tuesday.

"These self-proclaimed clever media organisations are muddling the minds of the people against the Sena to suit some political party," it alleged while adding that "we will have to soon blow the lid of such organisations."

The media self-evaluates statements of politicians and parties in the name of 'freedom of press', the Sena said.   

"As soon as a politician or a political party makes a statement, the media pounces on it like vultures do on a dead body. Whatever may be said or written by a politician, media self-evaluates their statements in the name of freedom of press," it said.

"Every media outfit claws on these statements in their own way and there is a competition among them on who dissects the statements the most," it said.

Inspite of Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis reportedly admitting that he faced a lot of criticism for the manner in which the trust vote was carried out, the media is continuing to malign the Sena, the editorial alleged.   

"Devendra Fadnavis himself admitted that he faced a lot of flak for conducting the trust vote through a voice motion. But the media insists on maligning the Sena's name. This is not an example of good journalism," it said.

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Maharashtra needs clear policy on grid connectivity to solar power

Activists of city-based Vidarbha Industries Association (VIA) say that using electricity generated from roof top generators at homes and offices could attract penal action as there is no clear policy on grid connectivity to such sets.

The Central government has been striving since five years to give a big push to solar power. The Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission (JNNSM) was established for this purpose and a target of generating 20,000 MW of solar power by year 2022 has been envisaged.
  
But the state government is not keen and has failed to issue a clear guideline or notification to allow setting up of roof top solar generators that are available and affordable to a vast chunk of urban consumers, said Sudhir Budhay, an energy activist.
  
In line with JNNSM, the Central Electricity Authority on September 30, 2013, came out with strict guidelines and has directed all states to provide legal support for allowing roof top solar power generators.

At least 13 states comprising Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Punjab, Delhi, Uttarakhand, Rajasthan, Goa and Orissa, and all Union territories, have laid down norms to provide grid connectivity to roof top sets that are being accepted as a non-conventional energy source.
   
But Maharashtra has failed to toe the line, sources said. Also, Budhay said he has been fighting for this policy in the state but is facing stiff resistance from the state power distribution company which seems to harbour fears of heavy losses if its consumers shift to solar power.
   
While there is policy for solar power connectivity for units generating 1MW or more, there is no such clarity for smaller sets with less that 1MW or less than 33KV voltage level, he rued.

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Odisha asks Centre to enhance PMGSY allocation to Rs 1800 crore

"I would request you to consider allocation of Rs 1800 crore for the financial year 2014-15 and release of balance funds at the earliest for smooth implementation of PMGSY programme in the state of Odisha," Patnaik wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Stating that the Centre has indicated a figure of Rs 1178 crore as allocation of funds under the PMGSY for the state of which Rs 1051.50 crore only has been released so far, Patnaik said an amount of Rs 1615 crore was spent in the state under the same programme during 2013-14.

The Ministry of Rural Development has sanctioned an amount of Rs 17,814.24 crore since inception of the programe, Patnaik pointed out in the letter adding that out of the sanctioned amount Rs 11942.83 crore has been released and fully spent.
  
"This leaves a balance sanction of Rs 5871.41 crore. Therefore, the allocation of Rs 1178 crore made during this current fiscal will not be sufficient and needs to be enhanced to at least Rs 1800 crore. We have already spent Rs 800 crore out of the released amount," Patnaik said in the letter.

Patnaik's letter to the Prime Minister came when the ruling BJD MLAs have been agitating in the Assembly accusing NDA government of not giving adequate assistance to the state in view of the 2014 cyclone Hudhud.

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26.5 percent votes till 11 am, sporadic incidents in Jharkhand polls

Chief Electoral Officer P K Jajoria said barring reports of a couple of sporadic incidents, voting was "progressing peacefully with an impressive turnout of voters".

A landmine was detected at Hariharganj under Hussainabad Assembly constituency in Palamau district and was defused, he said. A couple of "fake explosives" were also recovered and there was no cause for worry, he said. Para-military forces were manning the areas, he said.

26.5 percent polling was reported till 11 AM and Jajoria said he expected better polling percentage this time than the previous elections.

Voting was picking up in the rural areas, he said. Braving the chill, women in large numbers had lined up in front of the polling booths even before polling began at 7 AM. Voting will end at 3 PM.

All the 13 seats are spread over the six Maoist affected districts of Palamu, Gumla, Lohardaga, Chatra, Garhwa and Latehar.

Ten sitting MLAs, including one minister, and several former ministers are among 199 candidates trying their luck today.

The Assembly seats going to polls include Chatra (SC), Gumla (ST), Bishunpur (ST), Lohardaga (ST), Manika (ST), Latehar (SC), Panki and Daltonganj, Bishrampur, Chhatarpur (SC), Hussainabad, Garhwa and Bhawanathpur.

A total of of 33,61,938, including 15,77,090 women voters, are eligible to exercise their franchise in the first phase to choose among the candidates, including 18 women and 72 independents.

This is the third Assembly election in Jharkhand which was carved out of Bihar in 2000.

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Samajwadi Party and Centre's intentions unclear on cane dues payment: Ajit Singh

"Even if a single sugar mill owner was sent to jail, other mill owners had not only made the payment of cane dues, but they would have also hiked the cane price", he said.   

Ajit, while talking to reporters here, said it is unfair to farmers that the state advisory prices had not been hiked.   

The RLD chief further attacked the Centre saying that the BJP came to power on the promise of brining back black money stashed abroad and "acche din", but they have now changed their tone on these issues.   

"As far as good days are concerned, they might have come for the BJP leaders, but the common people are still waiting for it," he further added.

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