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Finally, Russia agrees to lower price of warship
Sibal cracks down on deemed varsities
I want to do something for Tollygunge, says Tapas
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Budget on July 3
LeT’s ‘key recruiter’ held
SPG gets first woman officer
‘Substandard’ Bulletproof Jackets
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Finally, Russia agrees to lower price of warship
New Delhi, June 4 The price is to be lowered than the existing demand of $ 2.9 billion, said well placed sources while adding the final price will be placed before the Cabinet by July 15. The countries will sign a fresh inter-governmental agreement on the warship. The deal for 45,000 tonne Kiev class Gorshkov, to be inducted in the Indian Navy as INS Vikramaditya, was signed in 2004 for approximately $948 million. The Russians hiked the price to $ 2.2 billion. This was later hiked to $ 2.9 billion forcing the UPA combine to set-up a committee to negotiate what it felt was an “unreasonable” demand. The tension had cast a shadow on the long-standing Indo-Russia military ties. Sources said the Russians had now agreed to revise the cost and lower the price. Last week, India released an additional $ 102 million taking up the payments made so far to $ 602 million The delivery of the ship is expected in December 2012 will be adhered too while adding that the ship is already afloat and it is no more parked in the dry dock. A high-level Indian team was in Russia last week to break the deadlock over the cost escalation of the aircraft carrier, it returned last night. The basic training for the first batch of the Indian Navy pilots for MiG-29 aircrafts, which will be operated from the deck of Gorshkov has been completed. The decision on the purchase of more MiG-29 aircrafts will be taken following the approval of the Cabinet. A senior functionary requesting anonymity said “Gorshkov is by far the most problematic of the deals with Russia”. The aircraft carrier is crucial for India that is projecting itself as a powerful navy. It’s only such carrier, the INS Viraat, is under going a re-fit while another one is under construction. For Russia it is important to show that it can still built such warships. After the fall of the Soviet Union, the ship building capacity was lost as it was located in Ukraine. Separately, the Indian team also made headway in supply of T-90 tanks. The Russians will supply 50 kits this year. Last year, no tanks were produced and this move would mean a resolution of the stalemate with Russia over transfer of technology. Defence minister AK Antony had expressed anxiety at delays in supply.
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Sibal cracks down on deemed varsities
New Delhi, June 4 The development comes in the wake of reports of poor admission and faculty standards at many such universities, including one Balaji Medical College in Chennai, whose affiliating deemed university was today put on show-cause notice by the government. The minister, meanwhile, asked the UGC to review all existing deemed varsities and report back deficiencies in three months. He asked for a review around the availability of qualified staff and infrastructure in the “deemed-to-be-universities” as well as the sanctity of the admission process for enrolment of students. Sibal spent the day reviewing the process for declaring an institution as a deemed varsity under section 3 of the University Grants Commission (UGC) Act, 1956, Act. There have been a host of complaints in this connection earlier.
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I want to do something for Tollygunge, says Tapas
New Delhi, June 4 “He is recovering and has regained consciousness,” the agency claimed on behalf of the hospital authorities. Pal, 49, while speaking to The Tribune in an exclusive interview on Tuesday, a day before he suffered the heamorrage, compared Parliament to ‘Bollywood.’ He said, “I am a two-time MLA from West Bengal and have been active as a social and political worker for the past so many years. I am also a successful actor of Tollygunge (Kolkata). Getting elected to Parliament and coming to Delhi is like graduating from Tollygunge to Bollywood,” remarked the self-confessed worshipper of Mamata Banerjee. “In December she came home for my daughter’s birthday party and told me: ‘Tapas this time you have to contest the Lok Sabha elections,’ and I was ready to go,” said the first-time MP. Pal also dispelled the impression of any hostility between him and political rivals the CPM and said: “I only consider Didi my guru. I don’t consider anyone wrong, neither the CPM nor the BJP.” Glamour is nothing new for the most well known actor of Bengali cinema currently. Born to a noted physician from Kolkata, Dr Pal of Chandannagar, Tapas first hit the silver screen with Tarun Majumdar’s “Dadar Kirti” alongside great actress Debashree Roy. His role as “Saheb” got him a Filmfare award as well as instant name and fame. Since then he has done more than 300 films and is also appearing in TV serials. Though he seemed a bit hazy about what he planned to achieve through his membership of Parliament he insisted that, “I want to do something for Tollygunge, for South Kolkata, for Nadia district, for my people. I want to make a name and get re-elected the next time again.”
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Budget on July 3
New Delhi, June 4 Meanwhile, Girijya Vyas will initiate on behalf of the Congress party the debate on the Motion of Thanks on the Presidential Address in the Lok Sabha tomorrow.Simultaneously Satyavrat Chaturvedi from the Congress will initiate the debate in the Rajya Sabha and K Kesava Rao will second him. In the Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition LK Advani and in the Rajya Sabha their new Leader of Opposition Arun Jaitley will remind the government of all the promises made in the Presidential address and impress upon the government to keep its promises. BJP deputy leader in the Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj avoided any direct criticism or comment on President Pratibha Patil’s address today and instead said, “We as the main Opposition will act as watch guards to ensure that the government keeps its promises as stated in the Presidential address. “They have promised to fulfil certain promises within 100 days. We will see that the government actually does that. And throughout the tenure of this Lok Sabha we will keep reminding of all the promises it has made in the Congress manifesto.”
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New Delhi, June 4 Mohd Omar Madni was caught by the Delhi police’s anti-terror wing special cell from near Qutub Minar in Mehrauli. “We caught him this evening after receiving an input from the intelligence agencies. He is a key operative of the LeT in India and Nepal,” Joint Commissioner of Police (special cell) PN Aggarwal said. A senior police official said Madni was “one of the key persons” involved in recruitment for the LeT from the country and sending them for training in Pakistan by exploiting the “porous” Indo-Nepal border. The police also seized $8,000, Rs 15,000 (Indian) and Rs 4,000 (Nepalese). The police suspect that he came to the capital from Aligarh as a railway ticket from Aligarh to Delhi with today’s date was also recovered from him. — PTI 25 taken into custody in Warangal Warangal (AP): Following a terror alert, 25 persons travelling by Dakshin Express were taken into custody at Jangaon station here after four country-made weapons were allegedly seized from their possession today, even as 13 other suspects were detained from another train, the police said. The search was carried out following an alert sounded by the Intelligence Bureau (IB) that terrorists were planning to strike important cities of south India. The police searched Dakshin Express at Jangaon and rounded up 25 persons travelling from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. They were produced before a Magistrate later. About 13 other suspects were also detained while searching the Hyderabad-New Delhi-Andhra Pradesh Express train at Kazipet Railway station in Warangal district. “They have been detained for questioning in the backdrop of terror alert in the state capital,” a senior police officer said. — PTI
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New Delhi, June 4 A 1996-batch IPS officer from Rajasthan, Binita Thakur, who will turn 40 on June 6, could not have asked for a better birthday gift as she would soon be in guarding the VVIPs. Sources said she would be joining the SPG as Assistant Inspector General. Thakur will be been kept in the outer cordon of the SPG whose task is to ensure smooth movement of the Prime Minister’s carcade. Thakur, who is pursuing her PhD in Zoology, is currently posted as Assistant Inspector General of Police at Jaipur Training Centre. — PTI
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‘Substandard’ Bulletproof Jackets Tribune News Service
Mumbai, June 4 After forcing an adjournment yesterday, the Opposition parties, led by Leader of the Opposition Ramdas Kadam of the Shiv Sena, tried to present an imported bulletproof jacket to Chief Minister Ashok Chavan. Kadam told the House yesterday that the jacket imported from the UK was of a high quality, weighed 10 kg and cost Rs 34,000. However, the bulletproof jackets procured by the Maharashtra police weighed only 17 kg and did not even fit those trying to wear it, Kadam alleged. He added that senior police officer Hemant Karkare, who headed the Anti-Terror Squad of the Mumbai Police, would have been alive if a good quality bulletproof jacket was available to him. The Opposition has demanded a high-level probe by a sitting high court judge into the procurement of bulletproof jackets for the police force. Chief Minister Ashok Chavan has assured to conduct the inquiry if the Opposition could prove any irregularities in providing suitable bulletproof jackets for the Meanwhile on Wednesday, the Maharashtra government admitted that it had been unable to find a suitable officer to head the ATS following the death of Karkare. Maharashtra Home Minister Jayant Patil told mediapersons that the government was finding it difficult to find a suitable officer though the vacancy would be filled in the coming week or so. Home Department sources say at least six senior IPS officers had refused to take up the job of heading the ATS. The Maharashtra government is planning to act tough against them and enter their refusal in officers’ reports.
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Kiran Kumar is AP assembly speaker
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Mumbai, June 4
