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Flood like situation in Guj, Army on alert, 6000 evacauated
Ahmedabad, Jul 2 (PTI) Heavy downpour across Gujarat has caused a flood-like situation in Saurashtra and South Gujarat regions of the state after which authorities put the army an alert even as the death toll in rain-related incidents mounted to fourteen.
The Army has been put on alert in several parts of Gujarat, including Ahmedabad, as the state administration evacuated over 6,000 persons from low-lying areas across the state.
The worst affected districts are Bharuch, Narmada and Surat districts of South Gujarat and those in Saurashtra region are Bhavnagar and Surendranagar districts.
All these districts received over 400 mm rains since yesterday, official sources said.
Till now 14 persons have died in rain-related incidents.
Nine of them died in Vadodara district alone while four persons died in a wall collapse in Bharuch district. A police constable was swept away in flood waters in Botad town of Bhavnagar district.
The state government has set up a emergency response centre at Gandhinagar to oversee relief and rescue work. It has also deputed different ministers to visit affected districts and oversee rescue operations.
In Saurashtra region, Junagadh district was badly hit by the continous downpour. About 700 school children who were stranded in Alfa school due to flooding have been rescued.
Twenty two children of a Swaminarayan school, who were trapped in a bus marooned by flood waters in Jasapar village of Jamnagar district were also rescued. PTI
Patil, Shekhawat locked in straight fight in Prez poll
New Delhi, Jul 2 (PTI) The July 19 Presidential poll will witness a straight fight between UPA-Left nominee Pratibha Patil and NDA-backed independent Bhairon Singh Shekhawat after all other nomination papers were rejected today.
All the four sets of nomination papers of Patil and two sets of Shekhawat were found valid on scrutiny, Lok Sabha Secretary General, P D T Achary, who is also the Returning Officer, announced at a press conference.
He said all other nomination papers were rejected on scrutiny. PTI
Govt has no role in fixing gas prices: Oil Ministry
New Delhi, July 2 (PTI) Government has no role in fixing prices of natural gas produced from areas auctioned under NELP and only approves the pricing formula, Petroleum Ministry has told a Committee of Secretaries appointed to look into the vexed issue.
Petroleum Secretary M S Srinivasan today made a detailed presentation to the CoS on the gas supply scenario and how demand in fertiliser sector was to be met.
The CoS, which began consultation on Friday, continued its discussion today and decided to solicit views of fertiliser and power ministries on July 5, official sources said.
The Prime Minister's Office had on May 23 conveyed that the fertiliser sector should get priority in natural gas allocation and power sector should be encouraged to rely more on coal for new capacities.
Accordingly, Petroleum Ministry informed that domestic gas production will increase from 80.54 million standard cubic meters per day in 2007-08 to 119.98 mmscmd in 2008-09. As much as 74 mmscmd of additional supplies would be added in 2009-10, 84 mmscmd in 2010-11 and 94 mmscmd in 2011-12 as Reliance Industries, GSPC and ONGC begin production from KG fields.
These would be more than the 47.65 mmscmd demand for fertiliser sector - 7.73 mmscmd unmet demand of current units, 6.35 mmsmcd for conversion of naphtha based units to gas, 3.96 mmscmd for conversion of fuel oil units to gas, 17.66 for expansion and 11.95 mmscmd for opening closed units.
Sources said conversion of naphtha and fuel oil units to gas would help the exchequer save Rs 6,400 crore in fertiliser subsidy. PTI
Sensex surges to record high in volatile trade
Mumbai, July 2 (PTI) Stock market benchmark Sensex today surged to a new intra-day peak of 14,745.97 and settled at a record high of 14,664.26 points on hectic buying by funds in blue-chips led by cement and capital goods stocks.
The BSE Sensex rose by 13.75 points, or 0.09 per cent to close at 14,664.26 point, surpassing the previous record of February 9 this year. It also set an intra-day high record at 14,745.97, after touching a low of 14,638.88.
However, the second wide-based National Stock Exchange index Nifty shed 4.55 points to settle at 4,313.75.
Trading activity remained bullish particularly in cement and capital goods on expectations of some change in product prices which might improve earnings.
Engineering stocks such as ABB, Larsen and Toubro and Punj Lloyd as well as cement scrips like ACC and India Cements led the rally on the bourses. PTI
Bombay HC to hear RIL plea on July 5
Mumbai, July 2 (PTI) The Bombay High Court will on July 5 hear Mukesh Ambani-run Reliance Industries' appeal for review of an interim court order limiting gas sales from its KG-D6 block to brother Anil's group company RNRL and state-run NTPC.
RIL today filed an appeal before a division bench headed by Chief Justice Swantra Kumar seeking a stay on an interim order by a single bench restraining it from selling gas to companies other than Reliance Natural Resources Ltd and NTPC.
The appeal will be heard on July 5, an RIL spokesperson said.
RIL had last month invited bids from power and fertilizer companies with consumption of more than one million standard cubic meters per day and falling on its gas pipeline from Kakinada in Andhra Pradesh to Ahmedabad in Gujarat.
But Anil Ambani Group, which claimed half of the 80 mmscmd planned peak output from KG-D6 was committed to RNRL as part of the family split, approached the court for a stay.
A single bench of the Bombay High Court in an interim order stated that the 81.6 mmscmd output is only for RNRL, NTPC or RIL's captive use for next eight years.
Incidentally, July 5 is also the date when the single bench was to give its final view on RNRL's petition.
According to the Ambani family spilt agreement, RIL was to supply 28 mmscmd of gas to Reliance Energy at 2.34 dollars per million British thermal unit (mBtu) and also sell the 12 mmscmd of gas earmarked for NTPC if its agreement with the state-run power major collapsed.
RIL had bid 2.34 dollars per mBtu price for NTPC's tender for sourcing LNG/natural gas three years ago when crude oil prices were at around 35 dollars per barrel. With oil prices jumping to 70 dollars per barrel, it sought price discovery and arrived at a price of 4.33 dollars per mBtu. PTI
Exports growth modest, imports jump in May
New Delhi, July 2 (PTI) India's exports grew at a moderate pace of 18.07 per cent in May, while non-oil goods pushed overall imports by 26.36 per cent - inflating trade deficit by over 45 per cent compared to the year-ago period.
Exports in May stood at 11.86 billion dollars against 10.04 billion dollars, while imports went up to 18.07 billion dollars from 14.30 billion dollars, leaving a trade deficit of 6.21 billion dollars against 4.26 billion dollars in May 2005.
However, export growth was markedly slower in May compared to the 23.06 per cent achieved last month.
"The export performance in May reflects execution of old orders by exporters. The rupee rise impact may be visible from July onward," Commerce and Industry Minister Kamal Nath said.
Oil imports dropped by 2.99 per cent to 4.74 billion dollars in May this fiscal from 4.88 billion dollars in the comparable month of the previous year, according to official data released here today.
Fuelled by fast economic growth, the non-oil imports went up by a whopping 41.58 per cent to 13.33 billion dollars against 9.42 billion dollars in May, 2006-07.
Cumulatively for April-May this fiscal, exports increased by 20.37 per cent to 22.43 billion dollars. Imports for this period totalled to 35.71 billion dollars showing an increase of 33.05 per cent.
Exporters have been making a strong case before the government for relief given the over eight per cent increase in the value of rupee against dollar in the past few months.
According to Commerce Ministry officials, the Prime Minister's Office is working on a package which may be announced in the next 10 days. PTI
GM India June sales up 43 per cent
New Delhi, July 2 (PTI) General Motors India today reported a 43 per cent increase in sales during June on the back of its newly-launched Chevrolet Spark.
The company sold 4,779 units in June this year as against 3,346 units in the corresponding month of the previous year, GM India said in a statement.
The sales comprise 1,504 units of hatchback Chevrolet Spark, 1,550 units of multi-utility vehicle Tavera, 1,227 units of Aveo/Aveo U-VA and 498 units of sedan Optra, it said.
"With ever increasing demand of the popular Chevrolet brand, GM India has been registering a consistent surge in the monthly sales," GM India Vice President P Balendran said.
The company has launched a diesel variant of its premium sedan Chevrolet Optra in June.
The company plans to grab ten per cent market share by 2010 and for this purpose has raised the production capacity of its Halol facility to 85,000. The company is also setting up a new manufacturing facility in Talegaon in Maharashtra, which is expected to start production by next year.
The Talegaon plant would have a capacity of 140,000 vehicles which would take the total production capacity of the company to 2,25,000 units per annum by next year. PTI
Indo-Thai trade to touch USD 10 bn in three yrs
Kolkata, July 2 (PTI) Bilateral trade between India and Thailand was expected to touch USD 10 billion in the next three years from the current USD 3.4 billion, Vice-Chairman of the Board of Trade of Thailand Somkiat Anuras said today.
The volume of two-way trade would touch USD four billion in the current financial year, Anuras told reporters on the sidelines of a seminar on 'Emerging opportunities post FTA' organised by Ficci here.
He said bilateral trade would get a boost once the free trade agreement (FTA) between India and Thailand was signed.
Anuras said Thailand would have to do a lot of homework to take the volume of bilateral trade to a satisfactory point. PTI
Stakes high as India and Pakistan clash at a new venue
Glasgow, July 2 (PTI) India and Pakistan, the traditional rivals who have suffered similar failures and revivals in the recent past, face off once again in an off-shore cricket one-dayer here tomorrow.
The two teams would be meeting for the first time since the World Cup two months ago, during which time both have gone through enough upheaval that other sides usually experience in a decade.
The one-off tie is to raise funds for Prince Charles' charity but there would no lack of edge that goes with any Indo-Pak clash. If anything, the teams go into the match with a lot riding on the outcome than ever before.
Having suffered ignominious first round exits at the quadrennial event, both India and Pakistan are experiencing a revival of sorts.
Pakistan, led by 25-year-old Shoaib Malik who succeeded Inzamam-ul-Haq, crushed Sri Lanka 2-0 in Abu Dhabi in May.
India had a successful tour of Bangladesh, winning both the ODIs and Tests comfortably. And they have the momentum going into the match after a 2-1 series win over South Africa in Ireland.
Both the squads are hunting for a coach, following the tragic death of Bob Woolmer who guided Pakistan during the World Cup and Greg happell's decision not to renew his contract with India. PTI
Huge bookings for 2008 Beijing Olympics
Beijing, July 2 (PTI) The first phase of ticket sales for the 2008 Olympic Games has ended with more than seven lakh people booking over 4.9 million tickets, which is far exceeding the supply, organisers said.
"We have received more than 700,000 orders," Director of the Beijing 2008 Ticketing Centre, Rong Jun said.
"More orders are expected to come in the next few days as some are delivered by mail," he said.
Of the 700,000 orders, about 90 per cent were over the internet, with the rest through Bank of China branches or by mail.
Though bookings far exceeded the supply volume of 2.7 million tickets for the first phase from April 15 to June 30, it doesn't mean all are sold out, he said.
"Orders are relatively centralised," he explained. "Some hot events such as the opening and closing ceremonies are over-subscribed, while a few other events are a little unpopular," Xinhua news agency quoted him as saying.
He said it was certain that the distribution of the opening and closing ceremonies' tickets will be decided by draw of lots. Other popular ticket choices were for football, basketball, volleyball, table tennis, badminton, diving and gymnastics. PTI
A tale of two batsmen - Sachin, Yuvraj
Belfast, July 2 (PTI) India's 2-1 triumph over South Africa in the off-shore series has been a tale of two batsmen.
If Sachin Tendulkar hogged the headlines at the start with his two 90-plus knocks but Yuvraj Singh put the smiles back on the Indian team by sealing victory in the last two matches.
While the return of Tendulkar's old brilliance, although in flashes, would have warmed the cackles of the Indian fans, to see Yuvraj play the crucial role of finisher to perfection would be a better reason to rejoice.
And, as if symbolising the passing of the baton, the master batsman decided to share the man of the series award with the Punjab left-hander.
"It is only because of Yuvraj that we are holding this trophy," Tendulkar said.
Captain Rahul Dravid, ever the eloquent, was not at a loss for words to praise Yuvraj either.
"He's got the power, he's got the skill and he's matching that power and skill with temperament, mental strength and brains. That's a deadly combination," Dravid said after the six-wicket win in the third and final one-dayer on Sunday.
"He has been a fantastic finisher for us. He is up there among the best one-day players in the world without a doubt. It's not an easy job to do under pressure and he does it really well." PTI
Yousuf, Razzaq unlikely to be named in twenty20 squad
Karachi, Jul 2 (PTI) Pakistan's senior players Mohammad Yousuf and Abdul Razzaq are unlikely to find places even among the probables for the inaugural ICC Twenty20 World Cup to be held in South Africa in September.
The national selection committee is due to submit a list of 30 players by July 7 and sources confirmed that Yousuf and Razzaq were not in the run to be named among the probables.
"The feeling among the selectors and the Cricket Board is that slowly there is a acute need to inject fresh blood into the one-day side and the consensus is that this should start with the Twenty20 World Cup," one source said.
He said the selectors and the Board had decided to identify players who could be available for the 2011 World Cup to be co-hosted by Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.
"The selection of all-rounder, Fawad Alam for the series in Abu Dhabi in April and than for the two one-day games in Glasgow is part of this process," the source said.
Yousuf, who set a new Test record by scoring over 1700 runs last year, and Razzaq have been an integral part of Pakistan's one-day and Test teams in the last eight years.
An indication of the Board's new planning came when both were overlooked for the captaincy and vice captaincy and the Board appointed youngsters Shoaib Malik and Salman Butt to these prestigious positions at the cost of some heartburning among a few players.
Pakistan is not an avid supporter of having a Twenty20 World Cup and recently PCB Chairman Naseem Ashraf expressed surprise over the ICC decision to start organising the tournament even though many of the Test playing nations still didn't have a domestic Twenty20 tournament in place. PTI
Statistical highlights of the last one-dayer bw India-South Africa
Belfast, July 2 (PTI) Following are the statistical highlights of the third and final one-dayer between India and South Africa, played here on Sunday. # India registered their first ever win in a bilateral series against South Africa away from home.
# India, with two successive six-wicket victories at Belfast, for the first time, have won two successive ODIs against South Africa outside Asia.
# Yuvraj Singh (61 not out) posted his 28th fifty - his first fifty in 9 innings.
# Yuvraj got his 14th Man of the Match award. He headed the batting averages (121.00 - runs 121) on either side in the series.
# Herschelle Gibbs (56) completed his 1,000 runs against India - 1030 (ave.46.81) in 27 matches.
# Justin Kemp (61) recorded his 10th fifty - his first against India.
# Sourav Ganguly (2/24) registered his best bowling figures against South Africa in ODIs, eclipsing his 2 for 30 in the TVS Cup at Dhaka on 13.4.2003.
# After 3 and a half years, Ganguly has claimed more than one wicket in an ODI. After claiming 3 for 41 against Australia at Sydney on 22.1.2004, the aforesaid performance is his best.
# Sachin got his 13th Man of the series award for aggregating 200 at an average of 66.66, apart from claiming 2 wickets at 10.00 runs apiece. His tally of 13 Man of the series awards is a record by any player in ODIs.
# Mark Boucher, with Sachin's catch, became the second wicketkeeper to have taken 350 catches in ODIs. He has now effected 369 dismissals - 351 catches + 18 stumpings in 250 matches. PTI
Koirala, Gyanendra to celebrate their birthdays this week
Shirish B Pradhan
Kathmandu, Jul 2 (PTI) Birthdays of two prominent figures in Nepal politics -- Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala and ousted monarch Gyanendra -- fall this week but the celebrations will have a contrast.
Though Koirala, who turns 84 today, will celebrate the day in a simple manner, Gyanendra will play host to over 1,800 high profile people at his birthday bash on July seven. The ousted King is turning 61 on July seven.
Koirala will not cut the birth day cake, nor will hold any party to celebrate his birthday, which lies on Monday as per Hindu Calendar, according to family sources. Koirala's birthday as per Christian calendar falls on April 4, three day ahead of Gyanendra's.
"My father doesn't want to celebrate his birth day, we have arranged simple worshipping and his well-wishers and party cadres will present him flowers at his residence at Baluwatar," Koirala's daughter Sujata, who is also the central member of Nepali Congress, told PTI.
Suajata said she would present "a perfume and a small idol of Ganesh, which he likes very much," to her father.
Flowers and 'prasad' from the Pashupatinath Temple will be sent to him during the birth day, family sources said.
Student activists of the party are organizing a small programme for the Prime Minister in Kathmandu and people are visiting his residence with a bouquet of flowers to wish him happy birth day and good health.
Gyanendra, is organising a grand party at the Narayanhity Royal Palace this weekend. However, there is no official ceremony this time, palace sources said. PTI
Indian origin engineer to be sworn in as mayor in US village
New York, Jul 2 (PTI) Harvinder S Anand, chief executive of an MNC, will create history when he will be sworn in early tomorrow (IST) as the first Indian American mayor of an upscale village in New York state, three per cent of whose 1,930 residents are of Indian origin.
"I am honoured and humbled," said Anand, who came to the United States 25 years ago and had been the resident of Laurel Hollow village, south-east of New York, for the past 10 years.
Anand, 46, has been president of the gated community's homeowners association and village trustee during which he won admiration of residents and outgoing mayor Denise DeVita asked him to run for the post.
Anand graduated as a Chemical Engineer from Panjab University and is the chief executive of Royce International, a multi-national corporation involved in manufacture of industrial chemicals for textile, aerospace, electrical, automotive, marine and construction industries.
He said he only wants to serve his community and has no plans to seek higher offices. The residents praise the professionalism with which he tried to resolve issues.
Anand, married to a practising internist Chandni Anand, has a son and a daughter.
Village of Laurel Hollow is a water front community on the North Shore of Long Island, in Nassau County. It has some of the most expensive real estate in the country, with homes ranging in values from USD 2 million to USD 15 million.
Laurel Hollow is home to the 107-acre Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, an internationally recognized genetic and cancer research centre that is on the National Register of Historic Places. The experimental stations from which it grew were established in 1893, predating the village.
Three researchers at the centre have won Nobel prizes for their genetic work. PTI
Pak ministers hit back at CEC for his comments
Islamabad, Jul 2 (PTI) A senior Pakistani minister has flayed the Chief Election Commissioner for suggesting that President Pervez Musharraf should desist from attending public rallies, calling it "premature and inappropriate".
Hinting that Musharraf would continue to address rallies of the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Q, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Sher Afgan said CEC Qazi Mohammad Farooq had made a "premature and inappropriate statement" when the law allows that.
"The law allows the president to address public gatherings until the Election Commission of Pakistan announces the elections schedule. The president has not violated any law by addressing public meetings. CEC's statement is premature and inappropriate," Daily Times quoted Afghan as saying.
Farooq has said in Lahore that it was "not appropriate" for Musharraf to address public meetings as it would be tantamount to dabbling in politics.
Minister of State for Information Tariq Azeem, however, struck a different line, saying Muharraf should not only take part in PML-Q rallies but even address meetings of opposition Pakistan People's Party or Islamist Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal if invited.
Online newsagency said that Azim has agreed with a statement of the CEC that president's participation in political gatherings was inappropriate, saying the President, as a symbol of the federation, should not seek the support of any single political party.
He said the president discussed matters pertaining to national importance and development projects at public gatherings and did not try to garner support for the PML-Q. PTI
Obama moves ahead of Hillary in fund raising for his campaign
Dharam Shourie
New York, Jul 2 (PTI) Democratic White House hopeful Barack Obama, despite trailing his rival Hillary Rodham Clinton by several points in opinion polls, has vaulted ahead in raising funds for his campaign.
Obama campaign announced yesterday it had raised USD32.5 million in the April-June quarter while Clinton campaign said she had raised around USD27 million during the period.
But the funds raised by Clinton include USD21 million for party primaries and rest for the general elections. Against this, Obama campaign says it has raised USD 31 million for party primaries and USD1.5 million for general elections.
The money collected for the elections cannot be used for party primaries and generally, the candidates who lose money transfer the funds collected for general elections to the candidate who gets the nomination.
In the first January-March quarter, Clinton had raised USD26 million which included USD18.9 million for party primaries against Obama's more than USD25.6 million. But Obama could use the whole first quarter money for the primary.
Clinton had also transferred USD10 million from her Senate campaign funds.
However, analysts say that Obama would need to spend more in the third quarter in an effort to catch up with poll numbers of Clinton as he began an early television ad campaign with two spots in Iowa State.
That would mean his spending might be higher than Clinton's. PTI
Philately: A forgotten hobby
Sunandita Dasgupta
New Delhi, July 2(PTI) Once considered the "king of hobbies", fit for those who seek knowledge and aesthetic pleasure, stamp collection no more holds any attraction for the techno-savvy youth of this fast-paced internet age.
Detaching the stamps delicately from envelopes, rinsing and drying them before using paper hinges or "havids" to place them in albums, exchanging them with others to enhance the collection -- all these may have an old-world charm but the young have no time for such activities, say philatelists.
At times like this, when speed is the buzzword, the prominence of telephone, e-mail and SMS is spelling doom for traditional communication modes like letter-writing, in the process also sounding the death knell for the hobby of stamp collection, or philately, they say.
"More and more people are turning to internet to communicate with friends and relatives. Though the pleasure of receiving a well-written letter cannot be compared with anything else, nowadays the emphasis is on speedy communication," says a senior official of the New Delhi-based Indian Philatelic Museum. PTI
Maharashtra Newsletter: Saffron alliance under strain
Vilas Tokale
Mumbai, Jul 2 (PTI) The Hindutva alliance in the state is under strain following Bal Thackeray's decision to support rival UPA-Left Presidential nominee Pratibha Patil.
After its decision to back Patil evoked allegations of betrayal from BJP, the Sena has gone on the offensive, saying `nobody need teach us Hindutva.' This was after BJP charged the Sena with deviating from the Hindutva agenda by not supporting NDA-supported candidate Bhairon Singh Shekhawat.
It was not the issue of Hindutva but the question of supporting a Marathi person who has got an opportunity to become President for the first time since Independence.
The Sena supremo Bal Thackeray himself made it clear that the decision to support Patil was because she was a `Marathi manoos' (Marathi person) and `what else could be befitting than having a Marathi as President when the state celebrates its golden jubilee in 2010.' There were ample indications on the Sena's mood even before the party announced its support to Patil on June 25. The Sena mouthpiece 'Saamana' had even front-paged a detailed write-up on the 'cordial' ties between the Sena chief and Patil's family.
Now, after the Sena announced that it would help enthrone the first Maharashtrian in Rashtrapati Bhawan, BJP's top leader in the state Gopinath Munde, who is also the party's national general secretary, said the Sena has betrayed his party by not backing Shekhawat. PTI
From the States: PSUs in Kerala make a turnaround
N Muraleedharan
Thiruvananthapuram, July 01 (PTI): For long dubbed as 'white elephants' eating up public funds, the public sector companies in Kerala are slowly making a turnaround with the LDF government's strategies beginning to show results.
Of the 67 public sector units under Industries Department, 22 this year made operational profits with five of them contributing a modest dividend of Rs.7.49 crore to the government.
The amount may look paltry, but for the ailing state-run industries and public utilities that have accumulated a huge loss of Rs.5706.96 crore, this has come as psychological boost holding the message that all hope is not lost.
Infusion of professionalism, success in bringing workers and trade unions round and strategic partnership with the central PSUs have helped the cash-sapping behemoth to regain some vitality.
According to state Industries Minister Elamaram Kareem, who is known to be personal monitoring and making tireless efforts to improve working of the PSUs, the government's aim is to take the number of profit-making units to at least 40 by the end of 2007-08.
Coming from the CPI-M's trade union wing CITU, Kareem has often said that the government did not have any illusion that it had a magic wand to turn all the units profitable by a single stroke. But, many of them could be saved and sustained through realistic policies that suit the changed times.PTI
Caste-based reservations have helped human development in south India: Book
New Delhi, July 01 (PTI) The unique feature of high rates of human development in the southern states of the country can be attributed to the encouragement given by these states to educate people through provision of caste reservations in educational institutions, according to a new book.
This (reservations) has not only increased the urge of the lower castes to educate but also helped to improve other human development indicators, the book, 'Caste-based Reservations and Human Development in India' by K.S.Chalam says. Chalam, a professor of Economics at the Andhra University is member of the Union Public Service Commission.
"Allowing individuals to vote irrespective of their caste is not the be-all and end-all of democracy. Therefore the founding fathers of the constitution had incorporated caste-based reservations as one of the methods of achieving it. However, no attempts seem to have been made to assess the impact of this strategy in achieving the expected goals", the author says.
"It is ironic that whenever an effort is made to review it, people are divided into groups as antagonists and protagonists. A dispassionate judgement on this important issue has remained an apparition", the author says.
Citing UNDP figures, the author says the higher human development index (HDI) in Kerala and Tamilnadu is found to be equal to that of middle-income countries. The achievement of high levels of educational and health indicators in Kerala, Tamilnadu and Karnataka suggest that pure economic factors alone are not responsible for these accomplishments.
(about the book: 'Caste-based Reservations and Human Development in India', by K.S.Chalam, Sage Publications, pages 210, price Rs.275/-). PTI
Digest of Domestic news for week June 23 -June 29
Digest of domestic news for the week June 23-Jun 29, 2007 Saturday Hyderabad: Incessant rains and strong winds wreak havoc in Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Goa and parts of Maharashtra, claiming 70 lives and prompting authorities to evacuate thousands of people even as the army joined rescue operations in worst-hit Kurnool district.
New Delhi: UPA-Left candidate Pratibha Patil files her nomination papers for the Presidential poll, the first nominee of a major political combine to enter the July 19 election fray.
Guwahati: Hours before the start of the Asian Athletics Grand Prix here, the proscribed ULFA explodes a bomb in front of a mosque situated near a commercial area, killing at least four and injuring 20 others.
Sunday Mumbai/Hyderabad: Torrential rains lashes Karnataka and Maharashtra, throwing life out of gear while the situation improved in worst-hit Andhra Pradesh and Kerala even as the toll in these states mounted to over 130.
Bhubaneswar: The 18-month-old son of a diamond polishing firm's manager, who was kidnapped from Surat last week, was found by police near a temple in Orissa's Cuttack district.
Puskhar (Raj): Holding Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje responsible for the death of 26 people during the recent Gurjar quota stir, the national-level mahapanchayat of the community demands her immediate resignation and also called for cases to be registered against those involved in the police firing.
Monday Sultanpur (UP): Five persons -- three prisoners and two jail guards -- were killed and over fifty people injured, six of them seriously, when inmates of the district jail here clashed with security personnel.
New Delhi: The NDA suffers a setback with Shiv Sena, oldest ideological ally of BJP, breaking ranks by coming out in support of UPA-Left Presidential nominee Pratibha Patil giving a jolt to Vice President Bhairon Singh Shekhawat who filed his nomination unfazed by the arithmetic heavily loaded against him.
Pampady (Ker): Five HIV positive children in Mar Dionysius Primary school in Kottayam district face a boycott with most of the parents today refusing to send their wards to the institution and even threatening to withdraw the kids.
New Delhi: Seeking to resolve differences in the bilateral air services agreement, India and Kuwait will hold discussions before July 1, when the middle-east nation's decision to bar Air India and Indian from flying to that country will take effect.
Tuesday Patna/Ranchi: Normal life was hit in Naxal strongholds in Bihar, Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh by a 48-hour economic blockade called by the CPI-Maoist to protest the government's economic policies even as the rebels targeted railway tracks at several places.
New Delhi: Facing flak over the visit to Indian waters by the American nuclear-powered USS Nimitz aircraft carrier, the government today allayed concerns over environmental hazards by saying the warship is not known to be carrying nuclear warheads.
Patna/Ranchi: Normal life was hit in Naxal strongholds in Bihar, Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh by a 48-hour economic blockade called by the CPI-Maoist to protest the government's economic policies even as the rebels targeted railway tracks at several places. Wednesday Chandigarh/Amritsar: Acting on a court directive, Punjab government gives the go-ahead for the arrest and prosecution of Dera Sacha Sauda head Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh on the charge of hurting religious sentiments of Sikhs as the Sikh clergy rejected his fresh apology.
Pune: The multi-crore fake stamp paper case takes a dramatic turn with the former Mumbai Police Commissioner R S Sharma being discharged by a local court and the key accused Abdul Karim Telgi expresses his "desire" to plead guilty.
New Delhi: With hardly a week to go for a precious letter written by Mahatma Gandhi days before his assassination under the auctioner's hammer, government has stepped in with efforts to acquire it but Christie's says it will go ahead with the sale.
Thursday New Delhi: The 17th century Mughal marvel, Red Fort, has joined the ranks of 26 other Indian sites, including the Taj Mahal, to be included in UNESCO's list of World Heritage sites.
New Delhi: India will make a bid to acquire a letter of Mahatma Gandhi written 19 days before his assassination, which is up for auction in London on July three.
Pune: Abdul Karim Telgi, the kingpin of the multi-crore fake stamp scam, is sentenced to rigorous imprisonment for 13 years and fined over Rs 100 crore by a court here after he dramatically broke down while pleading guilty and seeking leniency.
New Delhi: World Health Organisation announces a special award for Union Health Minister Anbumani Ramadoss for his contributions to control tobacco consumption in the country.
Friday
New Delhi: The NDA seeks action by the Election Commission (EC) against UPA-Left presidential nominee Pratibha Patil, alleging she had given her consent to the Congress to seek disqualification of Rajya Sabha member Natwar Singh for supporting rival Bhairon Singh Shekhawat.
New Delhi/Jalpaiguri: India rejects the US contention that NAM has "lost its meaning", with the government and political parties stressing in unison the continued relevance of the movement for promoting democracy in the world order.
New Delhi: The much-awaited pact on the 7.4 billion dollar Iran-Pakistan-India gas pipeline is likely to be delayed by at least a couple of months as New Delhi and Islamabad have opposed seller Tehran's last minute changes in agreement on pricing.
Pune: Fines of over Rs 251.26 crore -- perceived as unprecedented in legal circles -- have been imposed on fake stamp paper scam mastermind Abdul Karim Telgi by a special court here. PTI
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Sensex: 14664.26, +13.75
The sensex closed at 14664.26, up 13.75
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______Forex_______
1 U.S. $ = 40.650 INR
1 Japanese Yen = 0.3314 INR
1 British Pound = 81.757 INR
1 Canadian $ = 38.393 INR
1 Singapore $ = 26.661 INR
1 UAE Dirham = 11.068 INR
1 Saudi Arabian Riyal = 10.838 INR
1 Euro = 55.256 INR
1 Qatar Rial = 11.168 INR
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