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Border settlement should be pursued as strategic objective: PM
Beijing, Jan 11 (PTI) Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has said India and China should pursue an early settlement of the boundary issue as a "strategic objective" while not allowing such differences to affect the "positive development" of the bilateral ties.
"I am going (to China) with an open mind to hold free and frank discussions on all issues of common interests with a view to shaping a relationship that befits our two countries and our future generations," Singh said in a written interview to the official Xinhua news agency published today, a day before he undertakes his maiden trip to the Communist nation.
Describing his visit as "part of the recent happy tradition of high-level exchanges" between the two countries, Singh said "India-China relations have today transcended their bilateral dimension and have acquired global and strategic significance." On the boundary issue, he was quoted as saying that officials were engaged in discussions in order to finalise at an early date an appropriate framework for a final package settlement covering all sectors of the India-China boundary.
"An early settlement of the boundary question will advance the basic interests of the two countries and should, therefore, be pursued as a strategic objective," Singh, who would meet Chinese President Hu Jintao and Premier Wen Jiabao during his three-day visit, said.
Noting that peace and tranquility have been maintained in the border areas, Singh said India was committed to resolving differences on the boundary question "through peaceful means and in a fair, reasonable, mutually acceptable and proactive manner, while ensuring that such differences are not allowed to affect the positive development of bilateral relations". PTI
PM wants speedy implementation of forest land rights Act
New Delhi, Jan 11 (PTI) With the forest land rights Act being notified, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has asked all states to ensure its speedy implementation so that the benefits of the "landmark" legislation reach the tribals while preserving the wildlife habitats.
Singh has written to Chief Ministers asking them to set up, at the earliest, the state-level, district-level and other committees required under the Scheduled Castes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006, for its effective monitoring.
"This is a landmark legislation in independent India that seeks to provide rights over land in their occupation to forest-dwelling scheduled tribes and other traditional forest dwellers who have been residing there for generations but whose rights could not be recorded," his letter said.
The act, which gives land rights to tribals, was notified on January one, less than a month after being passed by Parliament.
Reminding the Chief Ministers that the responsibility of implementation vests with the states, he said it was necessary to ensure proper enforcement of this act expeditiously, in keeping with the rules provided under it.
"While implementing the Act, it should be ensured that adequate protection is provided to critical wildlife habitats as provided for in the act," the letter further said. PTI
Rizwanur case adjourned for 5 weeks, CBI report remains sealed
Kolkata, Jan 11 (PTI) Hopes of the CBI report regarding the mysterious death of Rizwanur Rehman becoming public today did not fructify as the Calcutta High Court adjourned the matter for five weeks following the failure of main accused Ashok Todi and two IPS officers to file affidavits stating their position in the case.
The lawyers of IPS officers Ajoy Kumar and Gyanwant Singh, who were alleged to have intimidated Rizwanur into sending his wife Priyanka to her father Ashok Todi, prayed before Justice Dipankar Dutta that the report be circulated immediately and they be given more time to file affidavits, which had been directed in October.
Todi's lawyer Joymalyo Bagchi also made a similar prayer. On earlier hearings in the case, they had prayed for time to file the affidavits.
However, the counsel for the deceased's elder brother Ruqbanur, prayed that the CBI report be circulated only after the affidavits were filed, claiming that these could be influenced by the contents of the report.
CBI counsel Ranjan Roy prayed the report be circulated only after the final hearing in the case was completed.
Hearing all the parties, Justice Dutta directed Ruqbanur's counsel and also the CBI lawyer to file affidavits in their opposition within three weeks of the prayer for immediate circulation of the report.
The court gave two weeks to the police officers and Todi to file their affidavits in reply to the opposition.
After examining the affidavits, the court would decide on the question of circulating the CBI report when the matter comes up for further hearing on February 20. The CBI had earlier submitted its report before the court on January 8. PTI
Court Martial proceedings a public activity,CIC to Defence Min
New Delhi, Jan 11 (PTI) Observing that defence court of inquiry could not be construed as a private activity, the Central Information Commission (CIC) has asked the Defence Ministry to consider revealing details of court martial proceedings against an army officer.
In a recent order, the Commission has turned down the Ministry's plea to seek exemption from revealing to one Lt Col Harish Gulati information about inquiry proceedings initiated against him on the grounds that divulging such details would serve no public interest.
"It is clear that the applicant is seeking an information concerning a disciplinary case against him and as such it is not an information about some other person so as to attract exemption clauses under RTI Act. The details sought is about a court of inquiry, which is public and not a private activity," Chief Information Commissioner Wajahat Habibullah said.
In his Right to Information plea, Gulati had said that despite the court martial proceedings declaring him not guilty, his service was still under a threat.
Claiming that he was not provided a hearing and witnesses were threatened during the inquiry proceedings, he said he needed the information to establish that there were no grounds to further proceed against him.
The Ministry, however, took a plea that judgement of the court martial proceedings against Gulati was perverse and the case was still under process. Exclusion was also sought on the grounds that information sought by Gulati was held by it in a fiduciary capacity.
The Ministry has been directed to re-examine the matter afresh and take a decision on providing the details to Gulati within 15 days. PTI
US to help India set up Food and Drug Administration
New Delhi, Jan 11 (PTI) The US today expressed its willingness to provide technical assistance to India for establishing a Food and Drug Administration (FDA) like the one in America that is responsible for safety regulations for food and medicine.
"I had a discussion with the Health Minister (A Ramadoss) about the desire they have to create a Food and Drug Administration in India. We want to be supportive of those efforts and we are willing to provide technical assistance as their plan proceeds," Michael O Leavitt, US Secretary for Health and Human Services (HHS) said.
Leavitt, who visited a maternity centre run by the Municipal Corporation of Delhi here and administered polio drops to children, said: "We have a mutual commitment to ensure that products that are produced for consumers are safe and of high quality." The Secretary, who has met Ministers of Health, Commerce and Agriculture during his visit to India so far, said the US was committed to support India for eradication of polio, malaria and HIV.
"The US is committed to help India along with other organisations to eradicate polio forever. India is one of only four countries where polio continues to exist. It must be focused on until it is gone," he said.
On the partnership with India regarding HIV, Leavitt said: "We have a great deal of effort in our country on (treating) HIV/AIDS. We see a partnership with Indian government.
"Our Food and Drug Administration has recently begun to approve HIV drugs that are generic. Out of 57 we have approved, 52 have come from India. That is a very important partnership," he said. PTI
BCCI to fight for justice for Harbhajan : Pawar
Kolkata, Jan 11 (PTI) Throwing its weight behind embattled Harbhajan Singh on the racial row, the BCCI today said it would "do everything" to see that the ace Indian off-spinner gets justice.
"BCCI has decided to give full support to Harbhajan and provide legal help to fight it out," Pawar told reporters on the sidelines of an International seminar here.
"Three members of the Board -- Arun Jaitley and N Srinivasan, who are noted lawyers, and President-Elect Shashank Manohar will look after the case," he said.
Pawar was, however, evasive on whether India would pull out of the current Australia tour if the verdict of ICC's Appeals Commissioner went against Harbhajan.
"I have not heard anything about that," the incoming ICC President said, adding "I expect the controversy to be resolved as early as possible." Pawar, however, expressed satisfaction at the way the ICC had dealt with the Harbhajan case and the umpiring controversy as also the attitude of Cricket Australia on these issues.
To a question if he would take up the issues at the ICC's Dubai meet on Monday, he said "the ICC meeting has been called to discuss some other matters and not these ones." PTI
BCCI to do everything to get justice for Harbhajan: Pawar
Kolkata, Jan 11 (PTI) The BCCI asserted today that it would do everything to get justice for Harbhajan Singh by providing him full support and legal assistance to fight the racial abuse case against him.
"BCCI has decided to give full support to Harbhajan Singh and provide legal help to fight it out," BCCI chief Sharad Pawar told reporters on the sidelines of a programme here.
"Three members of the Board -- Arun Jaitley and N Srinivasan, who are noted lawyers -- and President elect Shashank Manohar will look after the case," he said. PTI
Tendulkar asks Yuvraj to bowl to find form
Ashish Shukla
Canberra, Jan 11 (PTI) Yuvraj Singh has been asked to bowl in order to improve his batting and he takes this advice rather seriously as it comes from none other than Sachin Tendulkar.
Tendulkar spent a great deal of time in the nets with the left-hander before the start of the three-day game in order to put the exciting stroke-player back on track.
Yuvraj has been an utter failure in the series so far, struggling to last a dozen deliveries, and Tendulkar believed his advice to the princely left-hander can no longer wait.
Tendulkar, it is now known, wanted Yuvraj to bowl a fair deal in the nets and in side games in order to gauge the bounce on Australian pitches.
Yuvraj still has not come to terms with the conditions in Australia and Tendulkar offered a lot of advice for him to overcome the problem.
The Punjab batsman has been adviced not to go for his shots as soon as he comes to the crease on these wickets.
Tendulkar apparently has told him that even he in 1991-92, allowed a lot of deliveries to go before starting to play aggressive shots.
Tendulkar cited the example of his unbeaten 154 in Sydney where he did not go for hook or pull shots even when he was in his 90s.
"At least, don't go for your horizontal shots till you are truly in," Tendulkar is believed to have told Yuvraj. PTI
Ishant not sure of what length to bowl on WACA pitch
Canberra, Jan 11 (PTI) India's upcoming paceman Ishant Sharma is looking forward to prove his worth on Perth's WACA pitch but is not sure what length to bowl on the track renowned as the fastest in the world.
India face Australia in the third Test at Perth starting January 16 and Ishant is excited at the prospect of bowling on the surface.
"I have spoken to my seniors about it and am told it helps fast bowlers a great deal. But I have to learn a lot and am not looking too far ahead of myself," Ishant said.
The Delhi bowler is not sure what length to bowl in Perth but remembers the lessons he has learnt on this tour so far.
"It is to bowl full length at the start of the innings and then pull it back," he said.
The lanky fast bowler did not feel he has bowled particularly well in the series so far.
"I have bowled well in patches and sometimes I miss my rhythm. Then I ask Dhoni and other seniors and they all help me." The 19-year-old paceman impressed everyone with his approach in Sydney even though he finished wicketless, despite the obvious nick from Andrew Symonds given not out. He looks back at the experience with a tinge of disappointment. PTI
Sania gets an easy first round opponent at Australian Open
Melbourne, Jan 11 (PTI) Sania Mirza, seeded 31st for the 2008 Australian Open, would open her campaign in the year's first Grand Slam tournament against Uzbek Wild Card Iroda Tulyaganova.
The 26-year-old Tulyaganova is currently ranked 317 on the WTA charts but was among the top-20 players in 2001.
The Uzbek girls has three singles titles to her credit and wins over Patty Schnyder and former world number one Kim Clijsters.
If Sania clears the first hurdle, she could face local challenger Sophie Ferguson, ranked 176 in the world, in the second round.
However, the sailing may not be that smooth afterwards as her possible third round opponent would be eight-seeded American Venus Williams.
The Australian Open begins at Melbourne Park on Monday. PTI
Musharraf says will quit if he faces impeachment proceedings
Islamabad, Jan 11 (PTI) Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf has said he will quit if the new government formed after the general election next month tried to impeach him.
"If that (impeachment) happens, let me assure that I'd be leaving office before they would do anything. If they won with this kind of majority and they formed a government that had the intention of doing this, I wouldn't like to stick around," Musharraf said in an interview to Singapore's Straits Times.
Two-thirds majority in parliament is required for any impeachment proceeding and the possibility of slain former premier Benazir Bhutto's PPP and Nawaz Sharif's PML-N together getting it after next month's elections is not being ruled out.
The President said Bhutto, with whom he was reported to be having power-sharing talks, was "brave" but got "carried away" in the euphoria of the public support in her last rally, where she was killed.
"She was brave. Certainly she was brave," he said of Bhutto.
When asked if he thought she was foolhardy, Musharraf replied: "No. In the euphoria of public support at her fatal rally, when thousands of people are there to cheer you, you do get carried away. When people start waving, you do things that you might not otherwise do. But certainly I would say that getting out of the vehicle was an unwise thing to do." Musharraf also said the mystery of whether a bullet wound killed the PPP leader or not could only be solved by exhuming the body, but the move was blocked by Bhutto's husband.
He added that the only evidence which could settle speculation about the the bullet wound, apart from photographs taken at the site of the attack, was an X-ray of Bhutto's skull. PTI
Govt may decide on PPP demand after British team gives report
Islamabad, Jan 11 (PTI) Pakistan government is expected to take a decision on the demand of ex-Premier Benazir Bhutto's party for a UN-led inquiry into her assassination after receiving the report of the Scotland Yard team probing the killing.
The government will also consult legal and constitutional experts before taking a final decision, but Attorney General Malik Qayyum believes the UN will not entertain the Pakistan People's Party's (PPP) petition for a probe unless it is endorsed by Pakistan's government.
"We should await the findings of the Scotland Yard experts before going any further," Qayyum said.
Sources in the government told 'The News' that asking for the establishment of a UN commission while the British team was already in the country would "not help".
They also pointed out that a UN-led inquiry on the lines of the probe into the killing of Lebanese Premier Rafik Hariri could not be formed as no other country has been implicated in the murder of Bhutto. Syrian officials had been linked to Hariri's killing.
The UN intervenes in disputes between states or members of the world body, and al-Qaida, which has been blamed by the government for Bhutto's killing, is neither, the sources said.
The PPP had yesterday given the government 48 hours to send its draft petition for an inquiry into Bhutto's assassination to the UN, failing which it said it would approach the world body to seeking suo motu action. PTI
Musharraf warns US against entering Pak to hunt al Qaida
Islamabad, Jan 11 (PTI) President Pervez Musharraf has said any unauthorised incursion by US forces into Pakistan to pursue al Qaida militants would be treated as an invasion, warning that US-led coalition forces in Afghanistan would "regret" such a misadventure.
"The United States seems to think that what our army cannot do, they can do. This is a very wrong perception. I challenge anybody to come into our mountains. They would regret that day," Musharraf said in an interview to Straits Times.
The New York Times reported earlier this month that Washington was considering granting the Pentagon and CIA new authority to conduct more aggressive covert operations in Pakistan's tribal areas where al Qaida is believed to be gaining strength.
Asked if any unauthorised incursion by US forces would be considered an invasion, Musharraf replied: "Certainly. If they come without our permission, that's against the sovereignty of Pakistan." Musharraf, however, said when it comes to Qaida supremo Osama bin Laden, the "methodology of getting him will be discussed together and we'll attack the target together".
"Any action against him will be free, if we know where he is, if we have good intelligence," he said.
The President said US forces alone would fare no better than their Pakistani counterparts in the rugged terrain.
"Here it's a mountainous terrain. Minimal communications infrastructure. Every individual has a weapon and each tribe has its own armoury and they don't like intrusions into their privacy at all," he said, adding "it's better if they ask some military or intelligence commander of their own whether their army, their people, coming into our mountains will operate better than our army." PTI
Gold may cross Rs 12,000 mark: Analysts
Mumbai, Jan 11 (PTI) Gold prices may zoom past the Rs 12,700 per 10 gram level (or USD 1,000 dollar an ounce) in 2008 giving investors a safe bet, market analysts have said.
Some of them said that prices may even touch Rs 15,000 per 10 gram around Diwali time when the demand shoots up.
However, it goes without saying that the rising spree in the precious metal rings in bad news for the retail buyers, particularly ahead of marriage season during which demand for ornaments and jewellery goes up.
Traders said after touching a new peak of Rs 11,475 per 10 gram today, the prices are set to go up further in the short-run in view of coming wedding season beginning last week of January.
Gold prices rose Rs 600 in just four trading sessions on aggressive buying by jewellers and stockists, indicating further firming up of rates in the domestic markets in the weeks to come.
While analysts were unanimous in saying that it would be premature to predict at this stage which way the prices will go, they said the current rally is likely to continue till January-end, because the settlement in futures trading is scheduled for January 28.
"It would be too premature to predict on gold prices in view of high volatility in the international market," All India Sarafa Bazar President Sheel Chand Jain told PTI.
He, however, said that if predictions of overseas agencies come true of touching 1000 dollars an ounce, the Indian gold would trade around Rs 12,750 per ten gram. PTI
Sensex vaults 245 points, Infosys in red
Mumbai, Jan 11 (PTI) In volatile trade, the Bombay Stock Exchange benchmark Sensex today surged by 245 points on the back of heavy buying in Reliance Industries and bank shares towards the end of the day's trading.
The 30-share BSE barometer started with a bang in response to IT bellwether Infosys Technologies third quarter results, which were better than its guidance. However, Infosys shares later met resistance at higher levels.
The Sensex ended the day at at 20,827.45, a net gain of 245.37 points, or 1.19 per cent, over its last close.
The National Stock Exchange index Nifty also recovered to close at 6,200.10, up by 43.15 points from previous close.
The second-line stocks in BSE, however, continued to be under pressure and lost further ground at close. Traders said investors in those stocks were selling to raise funds for investments in the forthcoming IPOs and attractive new mutual funds.
Analysts expected a strong trading bounce in the mid-cap index after a seizable correction in the last three days.
Heavyweights such as RIL, SBI, HDFC Bank, REL, ICICI Bank, DLF, NTPC and ONGC gained significantly and contributed immensely to the Sensex moving up.
Meanwhile, technical analysts placed the upper targets for the Sensex at 21,200-21,245 and lower trading support at 20,319-20050. It means continued volatility as the key index nears the 21,200 level. PTI
Inflation remains unaltered at 3.50 pc
New Delhi, Jan 11 (PTI) The whole-sale price index based inflation for the week ended December 29, 2007, remained unchanged at its previous week's level of 3.50 per cent.
The annual rate of inflation stood at 5.89 per cent a year ago.
According to the official data released today, the price of food articles' group declined by 0.3 per cent due to lower prices of fruits and vegetables, which fell by 2 per cent and fall in prices of fish-marine, moong and urad pulses by 1 per cent each over the previous week.
The prices of manufactured products, which have 63.75 weight in the price index, rose by 0.2 per cent for the week.
Meanwhile, oilseeds prices declined by 0.5 per cent but the prices of dairy products rose marginally by 0.7 per cent for the week ended December 29. PTI
Industrial growth plunges to 5.3 pc in Nov 07
New Delhi, Jan 11 (PTI) Growth in India's industrial production plunged to 5.3 per cent in November this fiscal from 15.8 per cent last year following a huge decline in the manufacturing sector.
The manufacturing growth dipped to 5.4 per cent in November from 17.2 per cent in 2006.
Electricity segment also showed a dismal performance growing by only 5.8 per cent, against 8.7 per cent. Mining was down from 8.8 per cent to 3.5 per cent.
For the April-November period of fiscal 2007-08, the Index of Industrial Production settled at a single digit figure of 9.2 per cent against 10.9 per cent in the same period last year.
All the segment indices were in the single digit for the April-November period. PTI
Sensex up 146 pts, small-cap shares under pressure
Mumbai, Jan 11 (PTI) The Bombay Stock Exchange benchmark Sensex was up 146 points at 10.30 am, even though the mid-cap shares fell further in late morning trade on heavy sell-off, amid release of better-than- expected third quarter results by IT major Infosys Technologies.
The market, however, continued to witness high volatility as investors took to heavy selling in the mid-cap and mall-cap shares to raise funds for the forthcoming initial public offers (IPOs).
The Sensex was quoted at 20,727.79 at 10.30 am, up 145.71 points over yesterday's close of 20,582.08.
The BSE barometer touched a high of 20,805.10, a rise of 228 points immediately after resuming trading in response to Infosys excellent performance, which is seen as better than the company's guidance.
The broader S&P CNX Nifty of the National Stock Exchange also was up 19.90 points at 6,176.85 at 10.30 am from previous day's close of 6,156.95. It traded in negative territory for a few minutes.
Due to heavy sell-off pressure, the small-cap index was down 239.18 points or 1.86 per cent at 12,619.45 at 10.30 am, while the mid-cap index fell by 70.65 points or 0.75 per cent to 9,369.80. PTI
Take your pick: Rs one lakh car or Rs one lakh cocktail
New Delhi, Jan 10 (PTI) With valentines season just round the corner, youngsters are saving up to woo their better halves this winter. But for all those with extra cash, the season offers an alternative. Either one can now go in for newly launched 'People's car' costing just Rs one lakh or buy a drink for your lady for the same amount.
Yes, a drink worth Rs one lakh. Called the "Cupid's Love Punch", it is probably the most exclusive and expensive wine cocktail available for the Delhiites launched by a leading Indian wine maker.
The speciality of this drink apart from its key ingredient, Sauvignon Blanc and Peach Schnapps(Italian sweet liquor) along with orange juice and aerated drink is a diamond ring at the bottom of the drink served in an Italian crystal glass.
According to ND Wines who have launched the cocktail, it is solely made for the people who are deeply in love and wants to propose to their better half in a unique way.
Eyeing the Valentines season, the wine maker has also come out with cheaper alternatives like 'Soothing swig" for the 'flirtatious types' costing a handsome Rs. 20,000. If you think that was enough, there is 'Love in your prime" cocktail which cost Rs 15, 000. PTI
A look into the minds of Bollywood directors on small screen
Annie Samson
New Delhi, Jan 10 (PTI) Former adman and one of the first actors from the country to make it big in cinema and theatres in the West, Kabir Bedi, now makes a return to the Indian small screen as a chat show host.
Bedi, who plays a role in James Bond movie 'Octupussy' and has also acted in popular TV serials 'The Bold and the Beautiful,' now plays the role of an interviewer who explores the minds of famous directors such as Shekhar Kapoor and David Dhawan.
The 60 plus actor whose most recent appearance was in the Sharukh-Khan-starrer 'Main Hoon Na' initially came to Mumbai with an ambition to become a director.
"The idea behind the show is to get to know the director's mind. My aim is not to confront or expose but delve into the experiences of the directors and have a conversation with them," he says.
So far Bedi has interviewed 13 directors, including Shekhar Kapoor, Aamir Khan, Rajkumar Santoshi, Anurag Kashyap and Prakash Jha and there are plans to do another 13 more. "I have tried to include directors from all age groups. Personally as an actor I have worked with a range of directors all my life and have always wanted to have a peep into what goes in their minds." "What prompts the directors to choose their subjects, how do they find inspiration and how to they conceive a role and get precise performances from actors is what fascinates me," says the actor has just tied up a major project in Italy. PTI
Reality shows losing charm and audience
Anurag Sharma
New Delhi, Jan 9 (PTI) With the falling number of SMSs and audience interest, reality shows no more rule the idiot box, say experts.
"The viewers have now become more discerning and choosy as the number of reality shows is increasing by the day. With exception to some programmes, the viewer's interest has declined. Number of SMSs is falling and TRPs (Television Rating Programme) are stagnant. But people still like to see programmes which is real and different, says Ashish Paul, V-P, Communication, Essel Group.
Actor Ronit Roy of 'Kasauti Zindagi Ki' and 'Jhalak Dikh La Ja' fame, says that number of SMSs of all the reality shows are falling as every other channel is launching the programme with the same pattern and concept.
"Every channel wants to tap the market and make profits because of the current boom in the television industry. Currently the television business is around Rs 19,500 crore and is expected to reach Rs 36,000 crore by 2010. The reality show business is 30 per cent and rest 70 per cent is still fiction," Ronit says.
"SMS interactivity is a major source of revenue for the channel and it helps with a definite database and viewership. SMS market for these shows has definitely gone up in last 2-3 years but now it is slowly falling with the abundance of same kind of shows," says Paul. PTI
Fighting HIV, Andhra takes up the challenge
Rajeev Ranjan Dwivedi
Hyderabad, Jan 8 (PTI) Many call them 'homosexuals', some term them as 'Gay', but they euphemistically express themselves as MSM, or plainly men who have sex with men.
An official figure from Andhra Pradesh AIDS Control Society (APSACS) put their number in the state at 45,000, while community members claim their numbers to be around 1.4 lakhs.
"The increasing number of MSMs has put a challenge for Andhra Government in fighting AIDS as Sexually Transmitted Infection (STI) and HIV prevalence remains high among this community," says G Ashok Kumar, the Project Director of APSACS.
According to reports, MSMs face the highest possible risk of contracting HIV as most of them try to hide their sex life, which is considered to be responsible for high prevalence rate of HIV among the group.
"As far as MSM is concerned, I must admit that this is a very weak area for us and we need to work on this more," adds Kumar.
An estimate puts the HIV prevalence rate in MSM community at around five per cent.
"But still there is a ray of hope, as examples of people braving up ridicule and ostracization keep propping up from within the community," he adds.
"In fact, there is an elected Councilor in Narsaraopet Municipality (Guntur District), who is a self confessed MSM and during elections his status was disclosed. His opponents ridiculed him during the campaigns but he had the last laugh!" reveals the project director. PTI
After vibrating condoms, cheaper female condoms are the next
Snehesh Alex Philip
New Delhi, Jan 7 (PTI) With newer studies revealing that Indian youngsters are experimenting with their sex life more than ever before, condom manufacturers too are now experimenting with their products to give 'absolute pleasure' and safety.
So, if it was the vibrating condoms that created controversy last year, 2008 promises to be even more exciting with the introduction of new female condoms which though were available in India before, stayed out of reach for common woman due to its high price and lack of publicity.
Hindustan Latex Ltd (HLL), a state-run condom manufacturer which markets the popular 'Moods condom' has just launched, Velvet female condoms.
"Female condom is the only power that a women has in her hands to protect herself from both pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases at the same time. Till now, this power rested with men. It is only now that women are getting to know about such a condom being available in the market," Rajeev Kumar, Product Manager, Consumer Business Division, HLL told PTI.
While HLL is optimistic about the potential growth of this particular segment, its rival firm TTK-LIG Ltd which markets the international brand, Durex condoms in India is keenly watching Velvet's performance before it takes any decision.
Velvet, a more cost effective product than its predecessor Confidom, which is for the premium segment is priced at Rs 100 for a pack of three whereas Confidom is priced at Rs 250 for a pack of two pieces. PTI
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Sensex: 20827.45, +245.37
The sensex closed at 20827.45, up 245.37
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1 U.S. $ = 39.295 INR
1 Japanese Yen = 0.3609 INR
1 British Pound = 76.981 INR
1 Canadian $ = 38.540 INR
1 Singapore $ = 27.452 INR
1 UAE Dirham = 10.698 INR
1 Saudi Arabian Riyal = 10.493 INR
1 Euro = 58.129 INR
1 Qatar Rial = 10.793 INR
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