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Govt warns of tough steps to check inflation
New Delhi, Apr 16 (PTI) Accusing cement and steel industry of entering into cartels to exploit consumers, Finance Minister P Chidamabaram today warned of tough measures to check rising prices.
"If their behaviour (steel and cement manufacturers) does not change, government will not hesitate to take tough measures," Chidambaram said while intervening in the debate on rising prices in the Lok Sabha.
Finance Minister admitted "the cement and steel manufacturers are behaving like a cartel... And we have to break this logjam." He also assured the House that government will not hesitate to "sacrifice revenue to control prices".
Amid a walk-out by the opposition and Left parties, Chidambaram said inflation has gone up because of rise in international prices of commodities such as wheat, rice, edible oil and metals, apart from speculative activities in the market.
He said government has taken many fiscal measures in the Budget and cut customs duty on several items later to control prices, but states would also have "to take stringent measures against hoarders and prosecute them expeditiously." Pointing out that RBI has already raised mandatory deposits by banks with the central bank eight times in recent past, he said that Governor Y V Reddy will assess the situation and take appropriate monetary steps.
When interrrupted by the members who said the Minister was trying to shift the responsibility to state governments, he said the powers to take action under the Essential Services and Maintenance Act (ESMA) rests with them and added "if I have the power I will do it tomorrow." PTI
Left takes on Govt over price spiral in Lok Sabha
New Delhi, Apr 16 (PTI) Friends and foes targeted the Congress-led ruling coalition in the Lok Sabha today over "failure" to check the price spiral with the CPI wondering whether there was any government in place.
The key Left party, supporting the Congress-led coalition for the past 4 years, regretted that its experiment of backing the UPA might have failed.
"I am sorry. We supported them for four years.... The experiment might have failed. Government is out of place", CPI leader Gurudas Dasgupta said initiating a special discussion on price rise.
An adjournment motion on the issue for which notice had been given by BJD's Braj Kishore Mohanty was not admitted by Speaker Somnath Chatterjee.
Asserting that the government "must establish justification of its existence", Dasgupta expressed apprehension that there could be food riots due to scarcity and high prices.
Accusing the Government with "shameless surrender to the delinquent market forces", the CPI leader was critical of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for his reported statement expressing difficulties in controlling inflation.
When the Prime Minister offers no relief, then the country becomes "panic stricken", he said, wondering where the Government's fire fighting machinery is when the prices are aflame.
He said that it was not proper for the government to "hide behind the cover of global price rise" when black marketeers and hoarders "were having a field day" in the country. PTI
Bus mishap: 41 bodies of students recovered
Ahmedabad, Apr 16 (PTI) As many as 41 out of the 44 bodies fished out of the Narmada canal were those of students, mostly girls, who were travelling in the bus that fell into the canal today.
The victims belonging to different villages of Bodeli taluka near Vadodara were going to taluka headquarter to appear in their last examination, state Water Resources Minister Nitin Patel said.
The bus was on its way from Targol to schools in Bodeli when it fell into the Namrada canal, about 60 kms from Vadodara.
The children were studying in different schools of Bodeli, Patel, who rushed to the spot, said.
The examination in Bodeli school has been cancelled following the incident, he added.
"Our top priority is to conduct post-mortem of those who have died and hand over the bodies to the greaving family members," he said.
A team of doctors is conducting post-mortem at the nearby hospital, Patel said, adding some of the bodies have already been handed over to the family.
Bodies of three adults which have also been recovered from the 60 feet deep canal, includes that of bus driver and conductor, Patel said.
He said the state government has appointed a five-member high power committee to inquire into the incident. PTI
More security men fall prey to naxals than to ultras in NE, JK
New Delhi, Apr 16 (PTI) Casualties among security personnel have been higher in naxal-hit states than in the militancy-affected regions of Jammu and Kashmir and North-eastern states, the Rajya Sabha was informed today.
According to government statistics, 45 security personnel were killed in naxal-infested areas during the first quarter of the year, more than three times the casualties suffered in Jammu and Kashmir and the North-eastern states in the same period.
Security forces in Jammu and Kashmir and North-eastern states have suffered 12 casualties till March this year, Minister of State for Home Affairs Sriprakash Jaiswal said.
The casualties suffered by security forces in naxal affected states have dramatically increased in the last two years. While the forces suffered 157 deaths in 2006, the number increased to 236 in 2007.
Naxal-hit regions have also seen less number of militant deaths. While Jammu and Kashmir and North-eastern regions have respectively reported 72 and 171 number of extremists killed, regions affected by left wing extremism have reported only 66 such kills.
The data also reveals that incidents of terror have increased in the North-east and naxal-hit areas, Jammu and Kashmir has seen a reduction in number of such incidents in the last two years.
In 2007, J-K reported 1,092 incidents of terror incidents, down 575 from 2006 which reported 1,667 such incidents. PTI
BSP sweeps by-polls in UP
Lucknow, Apr 16 (PTI) The ruling BSP has won the by-elections to all five constituencies, two Lok Sabha and three Vidhan Sabha, which went to polls on April 12.
BSP candidate Bhismshankar alias Kushal Tiwari won the Khalilababad Lok Sabha seat by a margin of over 64,000 votes, trouncing his nearest rival Bhalchandra Yadav of Samajwadi Party, election office sources said here.
BSP nominee Akbar Ahmad Dampi won Azamgarh Lok Sabha seat defeating his nearest rival Ramakant Yadav of BJP by a margin of over 53,000 votes.
Brij Singh secured the Colonelganj Assembly seat defeating her nearest rival SP's Yogesh Pratap Singh by a margin of over 9,000 votes. Rajni Tiwari won Bilgram Assembly seat by over 38,000 votes defeating SP candidate Vishram Singh.
Rajpal Tyagi (BSP) won Moradnagar Assembly seat by a comfortable margin, defeating the Rastriya Lok Dal candidate. PTI
Nothing wrong in India taking home advantage: Kirsten
Mumbai, Apr 16 (PTI) The Kanpur pitch may have kicked up a storm for being too favourable for spin-reliant India against South Africa, but coach Gary Kirsten today said there nothing wrong in taking the home advantage as long as the tracks are not dangerous for the visiting sides.
Kirsten, who received a cash prize of USD 75,000 and a shield from ICC CEO Malcolm Speed on behalf of captain Anil Kumble for the Indian team finishing second on the ICC rankings behind Australia, said different countries offer different conditions and no one should complain.
"As far as I am concerned India won the Test match at Kanpur. I have no issues on the pitch. I leave it to the BCCI. There are different (pitch) conditions in different countries. Succeeding away from home is a big challenge," the former South African Test opener said.
"I am very pleased that groundsmen and curators around the world are not overdoing it. In all these years only one pitch was considered dangerous (the pitch at Jamaica's Sabina Park in Kingston in the 1998 series between West Indies and England)," he added. PTI
English cricketers may play in IPL 2009
London, Apr 16 (PTI) English cricketers may be able to participate in the last two weeks of Indian Premier League's 2009 edition with their Players' Association claiming that the country's board was willing to soften its stand on the matter.
The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has made it clear that its players will not be allowed to play in the cash-rich league until 2010 due to their international commitments.
But, Professional Cricketers' Association chief Sean Morris has claimed that the Board will review its stand and players will get to play in the Twenty20 tourney next year albeit only in the later stages.
"There will be a little bit of a window when England players return from West Indies. They will then be able to participate in possibly last two weeks of that tournament in 2009.
"I think they will play. It is going to be driven by market forces, the players will go and play Twenty20 cricket. It makes a lot of sense to allow them to play based on the fact that we've got the World Twenty20 coming up five weeks later," Morris told BBC Sport.
"Don't we want our best player competing in the leading domestic tournament at that time? The communication between the England players and the ECB has increased," he added.
Morris said the players will only benefit from the tournament.
"There are so many positive from the players' point of view to come out of these Twenty20 tournaments.
"If you've got a family and you've been travelling the world for 10 months of the year and you've got the option to go an earn twice as much money for five weeks work, no one is going to reject that," he said. PTI
Sportspersons should be given top priority: P T Usha
Kozhikode, Apr 16 (PTI) Maintaining that sportspersons should be given top priority in the Olympic torch relay run in New Delhi tomorrow, former sprint queen P T Usha today said people from other walks of life should also join in the event to bring glory to the Olympic movement.
"No doubt, sportspersons should be considered first to run in the relay but the Olympic movement itself will be complete only if people from all walks of life participate in it," she told PTI here before emplaning for Delhi to run in the relay.
Asked if she agreed with the new Sports Minister M S Gill that politicians and film stars be excluded from the event, the former Olympian said "since the Olympic movement symbolises peace, there should be no opposition to inviting others".
"Let there not be any issue if others have the right to hog the limelight in the event as the Olympic movement is itself for global peace," Usha said.
"Any responsible individual can carry the torch, which is the symbol for unity and there is nothing wrong in inviting other celebrities after giving prominence to sportspersons," she said.
Reacting to Gill's opposition to inviting politicians and film stars for the torch relay, IOA President Suresh Kalmadi had yesterday said that International Olympic Council guidelines encouraged the participation of citizens from all walks of life in the event. PTI
Kumble might miss IPL opener
Bangalore, Apr 16 (PTI) Indian Test skipper Anil Kumble may miss the inaugral match of the Indian Premier League for his team, the Bangalore Royal Challengers, as he has still not recovered from his groin injury.
"He (injured Kumble) probably might miss the first game definitely," Royal Challengers' skipper Rahul Dravid said, adding, another team member, Nathan Bracken would be able to join the squad only in the first week of May.
Given the twenty20 format, Dravid said the tournament was "very, very competitive" and therefore there were no favourites.
"I think there is no clear favourite in the tournament", he said.
On his comment made in Chennai over auctioning in team selection for IPL, Dravid said it was an "off the cuff" remark that was taken out of context, and then went on to support the IPL concept.
"It's a great opportunity for domestic cricketers", he said. "It's a domestic tournament with international flavour".
The team's manager, Martin Crowe, said the T20 format would "speed up" the one-day games and test matches. This format is now "sitting along side" the other two versions "comfortably", he said. PTI
Markets remain buoyant, Sensex up 91 pts
Mumbai, Apr 16 (PTI) The markets remained upbeat and the benchmark Sensex peaked by over 260 points in intra-day but pared most of the gains to settle the day higher by over 90 points.
The Bombay Stock Exchange 30-share index closed the day at 16,244.19, a rise of 90.53 points, or 0.56 per cent, from its previous close. The barometer had touched a high of 16,413.80 in early trade.
The broader 50-share S&P CNX Nifty of the National Stock Exchange improved by 7.65 points, or 0.16 per cent, to close at 4,887.30 from its last close.
Asian markets also closed higher. Indices in Japan, Taiwan, Singapore and South Korea were up about 1.0 to 1.5 per cent. European markets traded in the green in early trade.
Marketmen said IT giant Infosys Technologies's improved guidance for next year boosted the stock markets for another day today. However, the Sensex dropped a major portion of day's gains as investors in second half booked profits at current higher levels keeping in view the long weekend due to a holiday on Friday.
They said investors looked optimistic of the earning season after the Infosys posted a profit growth and gave improved outlook for medium to long term despite rupee's appreciation against dollar.
The IT bellwether's projection has somehow offset the lingering fears about a US recession in the last fiscal, they added. Besides, positive global cues also boosted the investor sentiments.
After lifting key index to above 16k level yesterday, the IT stocks hogged the limelight again today and pushed the BSE IT Index by 3.73 per cent. While Infosys Tech gained by another 5.90 per cent, Wipro shot up 5.35 per cent. PTI
Gold softens as funds shift to firming equity markets
New Delhi, Apr 16 (PTI) Gold today fell by Rs 15 at Rs 12,210 per ten grams on the bullion market here due to lack of buying support as most of the funds shifted to rising stock markets.
Selling activity picked up as major market players encashed their holdings in gold and preferred to park funds in firming stock markets.
Global markets, including Indian equity markets turned bullish during the day on heavy purchases by investors in fundamentally strong stocks.
Marketmen said major players indulged in selling gold even as the overseas advices remained firm and domestic market witnessed buying by retailers for the current marriage season.
In London, gold climbed by 3.80 dollars to 931.71 dollars an ounce.
In the domestic market, standard gold and ornaments lacked necessary buying support and lost Rs 15 each at Rs 12,210 and Rs 12,060 per ten grams respectively. Sovereign, however, gained Rs 30 at Rs 9,930 per piece of eight gram.
On the other hand, silver ready recovered by Rs 50 at Rs 23,600 per kg on retailers buying while silver weekly-based delivery declined by Rs 100 at Rs 23,210 per kg.
Silver coins remained steady at Rs 26,600 for buying and Rs 26,700 for selling of 100 coins. PTI
Inflation control and robust GDP cannot go together: FM
New Delhi, Apr 16 (PTI) Inflation control measures like sucking excess money out of the economy and the robust GDP growth cannot go hand in hand, Finance Minister P Chidambaram said today.
"You cannot have both," Chidambaram said in the Rajya Sabha during the debate on price rise issue.
Finance Minister's remarks came when senior BJP leader Murli Manohar Joshi countered P J Kurien (Congress) saying tightening of money supply would impact growth.
Kurien was defending the government on the issue of price rise stating the Reserve Bank has revised eight times the Cash Reserve Ratio to suck the liquidity so as to control inflation.
Chidambaram has recently stated that if GDP growth was to be sacrificed by some margin, the government would not mind it for controlling inflation.
The RBI is due to announce the annual Credit Policy on April 29 and economists are expecting hike in the CRR in the wake of inflation touching a three-year high of 7.41 per cent, bringing the government under political and public pressure. PTI
Indian financial mkt not vulnerable to global developments:RBI
New York, Apr 16 (PTI) Amid fear of global slowdown and its impact on the world economy, the RBI has said that Indian financial market is not vulnerable to overseas development.
"The money government securities and foreign exchange markets, have been stable in India and, in our view, they may not be vulnerable in terms of direct and first-round effects (of global slowdown)," Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Governor YV Reddy said at the World Leaders Forum here yesterday.
He further said, "in our assessment, the Indian financial sector is likely to be less affected by the contagion than most other emerging market economy (EMEs), in respect of first-round or direct effects." However, he added, the Indian equity markets, have been volatile in the recent months and that has some impact on changing sentiments.
Referring to the current turbulence in the market, he said, India has not been contributing in the global macro economic imbalances, "though it has a stake in how the issues get resolved in the near future." Further, making a case for sovereign wealth funds (SWFs), the government-owned investment vehicles, he said, India, which is receiving lot of investment in form of SWFs, "is interested in the current debate".
Although, he added, the huge forex reserves of USD 300 billion were being managed by the apex bank of the country as per the IMF guidelines. PTI
Sensex up 245 pts in morning trade
Mumbai, Apr 16 (PTI) The stock markets extended their rally to third straight day today with the benchmark Sensex rising by 245 points at 1030 hrs on buoyant global cues and optimism about robust earning season.
The 30-share index, surged further to 16,398.48 at 1030 hrs, a net rise of 244.82 points over its previous close of 16,153.66.
The broader 50-share S&P CNX Nifty of the National Stock Exchange also gained 63.30 points at 4,942.95 at 1030 hrs from its last close of 4,879.65.
Brokers said the market seem to be largely driven by encouraging global cues amid some second-line companies such as Petronet LNG and Power Finance scheduled to announce their Q4 results latter during the day.
The market is expected to continue rally triggered by good performance by Infosys Technologies despite rupee's sharp appreciation against dollar and lingering fears about the US recession during the last financial year, they added.
IT shares attracted hectic buying support for the second consecutive day, lifting the BSE IT index by another 135.01 points at 1030 hrs. PTI
Prachanda makes moves to ensure smooth transition to power
Kathmandu, Apr 16 (PTI) Looking for a smooth transition to power, Maoist chief Prachanda has begun the exercise of holding talks with leaders of the seven party alliance in an effort to forge a consensual approach to pressing issues facing Nepal.
Prachanda has already met Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala to discuss the latest political situation after the landmark April 10 Constituent Assembly polls in Nepal.
After leading his party to a surprise victory, the former rebel leader also met with Indian Ambassador Shiv Shanker Mukherjee and discussed the latest political developments.
Prachanda, 53, whose real name is Pushpa Kamal Dahal, has vowed to sack King Gyanendra and abolish his 240-year-old monarchy within a month.
He has also met human rights activists, who in the past have accused the Maoists of engaging in rights violations during their decade-long insurgency in the country.
The Maoists so far look set to dominate a 601-seat assembly that will rewrite Nepal's constitution and decide the land-locked nation's future political set up.
However, forming a new government may not be an easy task for the Maoists as some of key parties in Nepal's ruling alliance have indicated they may not join the next administration led by the former rebels.
"We have not given big emphasis to joining the government and the Nepali Congress (NC) has not yet made up its mind on whether to join the new government or not," NC central committee member and newly-elected legislature Narahari Acharya said as the Maoists intensified their efforts to form a consensus government.
Another Nepali Congress leader Mahesh Acharya, a close aide of Koirala, said the party's Central Working Committee would decided whether to join the government or not. PTI
Empty benches greet Patil in Brazil Senate
Sumir Kaul
Brasilia, Apr 16 (PTI) President Pratibha Patil walked into a near empty Brazilian Senate for her address, leaving Indian Embassy officials and the hosts red-faced.
A visibly displeased President's office enquired from Indian Ambassador Hardeep Singh Puri the reasons for the thin attendance.
Only 15 of of the 81-member House turned out on Tuesday to greet 73-year-old Patil who is on a 13-day tour of Latin American countries, with Brazil being the first stop.
Seated on the front row were Union Minister Vilasrao Muttemwar, Devisingh Shekhawat, President's husband and Puri.
A senior Brazilian government official said it was not unusual for sparse attendance during special sessions since only leaders of political parties are invited. This view was also articulated by Brazilian Ambassador to India Marco Antonio Diniz Brandeo.
The President's office was unwilling to buy such explanations and saw it as an embarrassment for the Head of State, who is on her first visit abroad since assuming office last year.
In her address, Patil made a strong pitch for a permanent seat for India in an expanded UN Security Council, favouring a closely coordinated approach by the G-4 countries (India, Brazil, Germany and Japan) to get into the top UN body.
Patil again found empty benches when she moved to the Chamber of Deputies (Lower House) where she was introduced to legislators. The President made a brief speech about improvement of Indo-Brazil ties. PTI
18 killed as train collides with bus in Bangladesh
Dhaka, Apr 16 (PTI) At least 18 people were killed and 30 others injured when a train rammed into a packed bus at a railway crossing in central Bangladesh in the wee hours today, officials said.
Officials said the Dhaka-bound Ekota Express coming from Dinajpur hit the bus at Balla in Kalihati Tangail at about 3 am, killing 16 people on the spot and injuring 30 others.
The injured were admitted to Tangail General Hospital where two of them succumbed to injuries while five others with critical injuries were sent to Dhaka for better treatment, a police official said.
Police, quoting survivors said, all the 50 passengers of the bus were local weavers who were on their way to join a weekly rural 'haat' (weekly marketplace) from Balla to Korotia.
Witnesses said the railway crossing was kept open when the intercity train coming from northwestern Dinajpur to Dhaka rammed into the bus and turned it into wreckage.
"Senior railway officials rushed to the scene immediately after the accident while an investigation has already been ordered," Bangladesh Railway spokesman Shafiqul Islam said.
Islam said the gateman of the railway crossing Habibur Rahman was suspended while a seven-member committee was constituted to find the reasons for the accident. PTI
Maoist chief Prachanda has no time to celebrate historic win
Shirish B Pradhan
Kathmandu, Apr 16 (PTI) After leading his party to a surprise victory in the landmark Nepal polls, Maoist supremo Prachanda was having a busy schedule, unable even to spare time to celebrate his win or interact with the media much.
Prachanda, or the "fierce one", whose real name is Pushpa Kamal Dahal, hardly came out of his house at Nayabazar here, heavily guarded by his People's Liberation Army personnel.
Except holding a brief press meet soon after his victory from Kathmandu-10 and Rolpa-2 constituencies, the Maoist leader, who has vowed to abolish the Himalayan nation's 240-year-old monarchy within a month, did not have much time even for the media.
A close aide said the 54-year-old former schoolteacher is having an extremely busy schedule and dozens of people are in queue to meet him. "He (Prachanda) is in no hurry to talk to the media," he told PTI.
Prachanda had a meeting with Indian Ambassador Shiv Shanker Mukherjee, who went to congratulate him at his residence.
The Maoist chairman also met human rights activists and went to Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala's Baluwatar residence to thank him for successfully conducting the historic constituent assembly elections.
Unlike the Maoist number two leader and prime ministerial candidate Babuarm Bhattarai, who went to Gorkha in the west to celebrate his victory and thank the voters, Prachanda could not spare time to go to Maoist stronghold Rolpa. PTI
Delhi to host festival of B R Chopra films
New Delhi, Apr 16 (PTI) A three-day-long festival of movies by veteran filmmaker B R Chopra will be held in the national capital from April 18.
A special tribute is being given to Chopra, whose 94th birthday falls on April 22, with the screening of nine of his masterpieces by the Film and Television Producers Guild of India as part of its initiative "Guild Greats".
Chopra, his son Ravi, actor Raj Babbar, filmmakers Basu Chatterji, Bobby Bedi and Raj Tilak and music maestro Ravi are expected to attend the opening ceremony at the Siri Fort Complex here after which "Insaaf Ka Tarazu" will be screened.
Co-organised by ASSOCHAM, the other films to be shown are: "Hamraaz" (1967), "Waqt" (1965), "Ittefaq" (1969), "Baghban" (2003), "Gumraah" (1963), "Nikaah" (1982), "Naya Daur" (1957), and "Chhoti Si Baat" (1976).
All the films to be screened were either made with a social objective or broke new ground.
If "Insaaf Ka Tarazu" dealt with legal problems, "Gumraah" showed the dilemma of a woman in a triangular relationship.
"Nikaah" questioned the law of divorce in Islam while "Baghbaan" showed the mirror to the young who often ignore their ageing parents. PTI
Chak De, Guru, Jab We Met lead IIFA nominations
New Delhi, Apr 15 (PTI) After bagging several awards back home, three mega Bollywood hits 'Chake De India', 'Guru'and 'Jab We Met' are also leading in the nominations for the prestigious IIFA awards to be held in Bangkok in June this year.
The nominations were announced by IIFA Brand Ambassador and Bollywood megastar Amithabh Bachchan at a function held here today.
"We started off very modestly but it (IIFA) has become a global celebration of Indian cinema bridging across cultures, tourism and people," the actor said announcing the nominations.
The 9th International Indian Films Award function is being held in Bangkok from June 6 to 8 this year.
Speaking at the function Thailand's Ambassador to India Chirasak Thanesnant said, "I admire the effort taken by the IIFA. Indian films are very popular in Thailand. We hope the award function will increase the people to people contact between the two countries." Today's function which was held in a city mall, however, was marred by mismanagement as hundreds of people breached security and vied with each other to have a glimpse of the matinee idol. PTI
Actress Soha Ali Khan opts out of Olympic torch relay
Mumbai, Apr 15 (PTI) The Olympic torch relay in New Delhi on Thursday suffered yet another casualty with Bollywood actress Soha Ali Khan today announcing she was pulling out of the event citing "very strong personal reasons." Soha's decision came signficantly on a day when the new Sports Minister M S Gill said he was not in favour of stars or politicians to be associated with the relay due to take place on Thursday and that only real athletes should carry the torch.
The actress' announcement also came close on the heels of football captain Baichung Bhutia and the country's first woman police IPS officer Kiran Bedi boycotting the event though for different reasons.
"I fully support the Olympic relay and am saddened at the disruptions in its path in various parts of the world as well as the violence in Tibet. But I can't run due to very strong personal reasons," Soha, who was initially a part of the relay with actor brother Saif Ali Khan and 'Rang de Basanti' co-star Aamir Khan, told reporters here.
On suggestions from sports fraternity that only sportspersons should run the Olympic torch relay, Soha said representatives from various fields belonging to the country through which torch relay passes, should be welcomed to run.
Bhutia had said his action was to express solidarity with Tibetan protestors while Bedi felt she did not carry the Olympic flame in a "suffocating security" environment, a reference to a massive security drill that will be in place to keep Tibetan protestors at bay.
Indian cinema catching up with international standards: Baweja
Chandigarh, Apr 15 (PTI) The Hindi film industry is fast "internationalising itself," noted director-producer Harry Baweja said today.
"We are catching up fast with international cinema. The quality, special effects and content are attracting overseas markets," Baweja told reporters here.
Baweja, who had a meeting with Punjab Governor and Chandigarh Administrator General SF Rodrigues (Retd), said the latter was keen to project the city as a film destination.
"The Governor feels more films should be shot in Chandigarh and Punjab," he said.
Baweja also spoke on his forthcoming big budget film, which would mark the debut of his 27-year-old son, Harman Baweja.
"The film, 'Love Story 2050,' is a Rs 50-crore budget science fiction to be released on July 4. Priyanka Chopra has been cast opposite Harman. We hired the services of top special effect studios from Canada, US and Australia to shoot the film," he said.
He said the services of John Cox, who had won an Oscar for animation, has been hired for the movie, while Anu Malik has composed the music score.
On decline of the Punjabi film industry over the years, Baweja said, "The quality of films has definitely gone down, but with more multiplexes opening in Punjab, it would attract more audiences and film makers would also churn out quality stuff". PTI
Socially relevant films? Better govt makes them: Farooq Shaikh
Rajeev Ranjan Dwivedi
New Delhi, Apr 15 (PTI) The task of making socially relevant films rests with the government as an individual producer dare not take such risks, feels a veteran Bollywood actor, Farooq Shaikh.
"Investing in a movie on social issues is highly risky in terms of business, so why should anyone take a risk. Instead, the government should finance such movies to create awareness in the society," points out Farooq Shaikh, who is known for his contribution to parallel cinema.
Shaikh, who made his last appearance in the movie 'Mohabbat' in 1997, on his comeback in the films, says, "this year I am confident of being caught by any director or producer".
He pioneered the idea of cinestars getting back to the small screen with 'Jeena Isi ka Naam hai' on Zee and now the entire fraternity seems to be following in his footsteps. When asked about it, the actor quips, "more than achievement it was just a matter of time." On the importance of making socially relevant movies and serials, he points out, "such attempts do have an impact. Although it does not solve a major problem but it raises certain points, at least to let people ponder over the matter".
However, the star of 1970s and 1980s feels that coming up of the 'middle of the road' movies, which provide entertainment besides educating people on certain issues, like 'Rang De Basanti', 'Tare Zameen Par', are setting a good trend. PTI
Evidence of first Indian settlers found in Tamil Nadu
Annie Samson
New Delhi, Apr 15 (PTI) A team of Indian scientists have discovered genetic evidence that tribal villagers living in Tamil Nadu were among the first migrants from Africa to settle down in India.
Geneticists led by Prof Ramaswamy Pitchappan of Madurai Kamaraj University have found out that the marker gene in the group of people from a small village Jyothimanickam near Madurai matched those of the first settlers in India. The findings point to the fact that the villagers are among the direct descendants of the first settlers.
Pitchappan who conducted the research in collaboration with Oxford Research University found that DNA of Virumandi Andithevar, a 30-year-old systems administrator from the village, matched M130, the chromosome marker, which gives proof that the first human migration into India took place around 70,000 years ago.
"The M130 is the oldest marker in India and there is no other marker older than that for India. The DNA samples from, Virumandi and others were found to have this marker and we were able to deduce that they were among the first human settlers in India, who obviously spread from Africa," Pitchappan who is Prof Emeritus at the Madurai Kamraj University told PTI.
The findings will be aired on Discovery Television, where historian Michael Wood will narrate the story of the world's most ancient civilization in the six part series 'The Story of India' beginning on April 16. PTI
Music directors facing the music
Amit Das
New Delhi, Apr 15 (PTI) It's no longer the monopoly of themes, storylines or titles of Bollywood flicks that hog the headlines. Bollywood music directors too are in the news many times for wrong reasons, the latest being the 'Krazzy4' case.
If it was the "Choli ke peeche kya hain" song that had the judiciary intervening, the use of the title "Sholay" too reached the corridors of courts for justice, along with plagarism which is as old as the industry, but now it is the increasing boldness in use of suggestive words and slang that for sure will keep Bollywood music in the limelight for reasons other than melody, feel experts.
The lingo of Indian music industry is changing. While this new phraseology is inevitable, there is a line of difference between being classy and crass, feels expert.
While words like 'mirchi', 'bidi', 'daru' etc are being used, suggestive words like 'kiss me', 'touch me', 'craving for your body' etc are also being extensively used nowadays in Bollywood music, especially in item songs.
"There is a clear demarcation between what is contemporary and what's crass. I'm all for experimentation but certainly there should be no allowances for undermining the diginity of a language. If the intent itself is wrong or undiginfied then that will get reflected in the language the lyrics the expressions and the entire song," says Prasoon Joshi, lyricist of 'Fanna', 'Rang de Basanti' and 'Taare Zameen pe.' Agrees lyricist Neelesh Misra. "'Mukhdas' or the opening verses are sometimes peppered with such words to make them catchy -- and, perhaps, because there might be a view that shock value might work better for the song," he says. PTI
Here even the Speed Post takes months
Leh, April 14 (PTI) Two months after getting his bundles of clothes worth some five lakh rupees booked at Grand Post Office, New Delhi, to be sent to Leh through 'Speed Post' Namgyal, a petty cloth merchant from Ladakh, is still waiting for his parcels to be delivered.
After purchasing his clothing stock for the coming summer season, he booked it at Speed Post at GPO New Delhi in the month of February but there is no sign of the parcel. "I purchased the stock looking at the demands from different schools for uniform;there is now risk of losing the business," he says.
Namgyal's is not an isolated case.
Another retailer Togo has some 80 parcels undelivered even after months of getting booked for Speed Post service of the Indian Postal Service. There are many other such complaints from the small business community of the Ladakh region.
According to Sonam Jorgais, President, Merchant Association, Leh, such postal packages belonging to petty businessmen from both Leh and Kargil districts that remain undelivered for months run in thousands. The issue has been taken up with the J&K Government.
Jorgais says, the parcels through different postal services including speed post are normally dumped at Chandigarh to be airlifted in chartered flights to Leh. When things go smooth we receive our parcel in three to four days, he says adding that such 'prompt' deliveries, however, are rare.
The Ministry of Communication of the state government recently shot off a letter saying the undelivered parcels belonging to traders from Ladakh should be airlifted without further delay. PTI
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