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Proposal to curb exit polls under consideration: Bhardwaj
New Delhi, April 21 (PTI) A proposal from the Election Commission (EC) to prohibit announcement of results of any opinion poll till the completion of the last phase of election is under government's consideration, the Rajya Sabha was informed today.
Minister of Law and Justice H R Bhardwaj, in a written reply, said the EC forwarded a proposal recommending the need for a specific provision in the Representation of the People Act, 1951, prohibiting publishing and disseminating of results of any opinion poll from the date of notification of an election till the completion of the last phase of polling.
"The proposal is under consideration," the minister said in response to a question asked by Jai Parkash Aggarwal.
In another reply on Women's Reservation Bill, Bhardwaj said the government is considering the EC's proposal for making it mandatory for the recognised parties to ensure fielding a minimum agreed percentage of women candidates in parliamentary and assembly election to retain their recognition with the Commission.
The proposal, commonly known as the Gill formula, is among the three proposals discussed by the UPA government with its constituents and leaders of the National Democratic Alliance and others in 2005.
Asked by Balavant if it was a fact that the Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha has publicly announced supporting the Women's Reservation Bill in case it is brought in, the minister said, "There have been reports in the print and electronic media about the public announcement of the Leader of Opposition supporting the Women Reservation Bill." PTI
Bangla Bandh peaceful, 250 arrested
Kolkata, Apr 21 (PTI) The 12-hour 'Bangla Bandh' called by the Trinamool Congress and SUCI to protest the price rice today hit normal life in West Bengal but was shortened by two hours to end at 4:00 pm as it was the wedding season.
The roads were almost deserted in the metropolis with an occasional bus to be seen, while shops, markets, offices and educational institutions were closed.
The shutdown was peaceful, with 250 bandh supporters arrested for obstructing road and rail traffic, IGP (Law and Order) Raj Kanojia told reporters here.
Eight state buses were damaged by bandh supporters at E M Bypass, he said.
Another state bus was damaged at Mahestala in South 24 Parganas with the driver injured by bandh supporters, the district police said.
Kanojia said most private buses were off the roads, though a few ran in the morning, but passengers were few.
Transport Minister Subhas Chakraborty said he had instructed both government and private operators to run buses in the evening after the bandh was over.
Chakraborty, however, expressed concern over the rising prices of essential commodities.
Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee led a procession at Hazra crossing to protest the price rise and announced that the duration of the bandh was being shortened by two hours following request by people as it was the wedding season. PTI
PM favours proper remuneration for civil, defence services
New Delhi, Apr 21 (PTI) Allaying apprehensions among government servants over the Pay Commission recommendations, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today said he favoured proper remuneration for the civil and defence services.
The Pay Commission has recently submitted its report and some apprehensions have been expressed by certain sections of the civil services on parts of the report, he said addressing senior officers on the Civil Services Day here.
"I would like our civil and defence services to be properly rewarded. I also believe that the tax payers will not grudge anyone of us better remuneration as long as we are serving the best interests of our people, most efficiently," Singh told them.
He said that the government has already set in motion a mechanism for hearing and redressing the grievances of the government servants.
In the wake of the criticism over the recommendations, the government last week announced the setting up of a high-level official committee headed by Cabinet Secretary K M Chandrasekhar to process the report of the sixth Pay Commission.
Observing that improved conditions of work "must go hand-in-hand with improvement in work," Singh said given government's deep commitment towards the welfare of all its employees equally, "I would also expect the highest standards of discipline and decorum from all civil servants". PTI
Munde says he will not visit Delhi to meet central leadership
Mumbai, Apr 21 (PTI) In a clear disregard of summons from the BJP central leadership, Gopinath Munde, who has resigned from all party posts, today said he will not be visiting Delhi and that he will instead be represented by two senior state BJP leaders.
In an apparent damage control exercise, the BJP leadership called Munde as also his detractor Nitin Gadkari to Delhi to sort out the differences in the state unit.
When asked if he is going to New Delhi to meet the party central leadership, Munde said he had conveyed his sentiments to party leaders in the state assembly, Eknath Khadse, and in the council, Pandurang Phundkar.
"I have full faith in their leadership and they will go on my behalf," he said, adding that he planned to attend the ongoing session in the Maharashtra legislative assembly.
Munde, who tendered his resignation yesterday, also said he was in touch with senior party leaders including party president Rajnath Singh since yesterday.
Denying that he was being isolated in the party, Munde said his grievances were about the party's style of functioning and not over the appointment of any particular person as the head of BJP's Mumbai unit.
"You are wrong if you interpret that I am being isolated. I have lakhs of followers and party workers behind me," Munde said.
"My anger is against the manner in which the party was functioning and not against the appointment of Madhu Chavan (as BJP's Mumbai chapter chief)," he said.
He denied that he was trying to build pressure on the party by tendering his resignation.
"I have taken this decision after much thought," he said.
When contacted, Gadkari said he was scheduled to meet with party leaders in Delhi this evening. PTI
Gagan Narang misses bronze, 5th in 3 position rifle
New Delhi, Apr 21 (PTI) Gagan Narang came close to a podium finish before eventually settling for fifth place in the men's three position rifle event in the ISSF World Cup in Beijing.
Narang, who won the bronze in the men's 10m air rifle event last week, seemed heading towards his second medal in the tournament after he qualified for the finals with a score of 1,165 (Prone 394, Standing 385, Kneeling 386).
Although he shot a decent 97.5 in the finals, it was not enough to be among the top three and the Indian eventually finished fifth with a total score of 1,262.5.
Sanjeev Rajput, the other Indian in the fray, finished a lowly 51st in a field of 58 shooters.
Rajput, India's only Olympic quota place winner in this event, shot 1,134 (Prone 392, Standing 366, Kneeling 376). PTI
India need to win against Belgium to remain in contention
Kazan (Russia), Apr 21 (PTI) With their fate for a berth in the Beijing Olympics hanging in balance, India have their tasks cut out when they take on Belgium in the women's hockey Olympic Qualifiers here tomorrow.
The Indians started the tournament with a comfortable 3-1 victory over hosts Russia in their opening match but suffered a big setback in the second match when they went down 1-2 to Netherlands Antilles yesterday.
The defeat will no doubt put enormous pressure on the Indian players who have no option but to pull up their socks and win against Belgium to remain in contention for a spot in the Beijing Olympics.
The USA were currently on top of the table with six points, having a better goal ratio than Netherlands Antilles who too have six points.
India find themselves in the fourth position in the six-nation Qualifiers with three points from two games. Belgium also had three points from as many matches but occupied the third position on account of a better goal difference.
Lowly France and Russia were yet to secure a single point and were at the bottom of the table.
The rest day today has given coach M K Kaushik some time to devise the strategies for the crucial game and the former Olympian was hoping that his wards would be able to deliver the goods when it mattered most. PTI
Deccan Chargers take on Daredevils on home turf tomorrow
S Janakiram
Hyderabad, Apr 21 (PTI) After a narrow defeat to Kolkata Knight Riders, Hyderabad Deccan Chargers would be aiming to register their first win in the Indian Premier League as they host Delhi Daredevils here tomorrow.
The home side will have a big advantage in their game against the Delhi outfit as explosive Pakistani import Shahid Afridi will join the team for tomorrow's clash at Rajiv Gandhi international stadium.
Apart from Afridi, the Chargers have a strong batting line-up consisting of captain VVS Laxman, Adam Gilchrist, Andrew Symonds, Y Venugopal Rao, Rohit Sharma and Ranji players D B Ravi Teja and Kalyan Krishna.
The bowling department also looks impressive with the presence of Scott Styris, Chaminda Vaas, R P Singh and talented Hyderabad left-arm spinner Pragyan Ojha, who took crucial wickets of Sourav Ganguly and Mohd Hafeez in their first match against the Knight Riders.
The Delhi Daredevils led by Virender Sehwag are on a high after their convincing victory over Rajasthan Royals in Delhi.
The Daredevils will have the likes of A B de Villiers, Shoaib Malik, Mohammed Asif, Tillakratne Dilshan and Abdul Razzak -- who missed the first match against the Rajasthan team -- will join the squad. PTI
Sania drops to 32 in WTA rankings
New Delhi, Apr 21 (PTI) Sania Mirza's absence from the WTA circuit due to a wrist injury has seen the Indian ace slip a couple of rungs to 32 in the latest rankings issued today.
The 20-year-old, who underwent a wrist injury in the US and is aiming to make a comeback for the French Open next month, has 917 points.
The Indian ace has, however, remained static in the doubles list, holding on to the 19th spot with 1830 points.
In the ATP doubles rankings, Mahesh Bhupathi and Leander Paes are steady at the 13th and 24th positions respectively.
Bhupathi and Paes took the previous week off to recuperate from minor niggles after the Davis Cup tie against Japan. PTI
Saudi welcomes Indian cos to invest in its energy sector
Ajay Kaul
Riyadh, Apr 20 (PTI) Saudi Arabia today said Indian companies were welcome to explore opportunities in its energy sector through join vetures, responding to New Delhi's keen interest to enter the hydrocrabon-rich Gulf country in a bigger way.
During the two-hour "warm" and "cordial" meeting between External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee and his Saudi counterpart Saud bin Al-Faisal, the two sides also agreed on setting up of a joint investment fund.
Riyadh had evinced interest in joining the fund which was proposed by India. The two leaders discussed possibilities to enhance two-way trade and investment with Mukherjee raising the proposed comprehensive Free Trade agreement with Gulf countries and Saudi Arabia's role.
Mukherjee expressed India's desire to convert seller- buyer relationship to a more participatory one where Indian companies explore oil and gas resources in this country.
India imports 26 million tonnes of hydrocarbon from Saudi Arabia every year accounting for one-fourth of imports of energy.
Responding to this, the Saudi Foreign Minister said "Indian companies are welcome to explore possibilities and identify projects", External Affairs Ministry spokesman Navtej Sarna said.
Mukherjee took up the issue of long-term multi-entry visa for genuine businessmen. The two sides will hold further consultations on this to work out an arrangemnet for easier visa issuance. PTI
BHEL wins mega contract for power plant in Bihar
Tiruchirapalli, Apr 21 (PTI) State-run power plant equipment maker BHEL has won orders worth around Rs 2,030 crore for supply and installation of the main plant package at the 1,000 MW Nabinagar Thermal Power plant project in Bihar.
A company press release said that the orders have been placed by Bharathiya Rail Bijlee Company Limited (BRBCL).
Slated for synchronization in the 11th plan, the units will add 24 million units every day to the grid on commissioning.
While BHEL, Tiruchirapalli, will manufacture steam generators with Electrostatic precipitators, the auxiliaries and others will be made by the Ranipet unit, the release said. PTI
RBI may resort to tight measures in policy to check inflation
Mumbai, Apr 20 (PTI) Worried over the unabated inflation now at over 7 per cent, Reserve Bank is expected to take more monetary measures including a hike in key short-term rates in its credit policy on April 29, top bankers said.
A possible 0.25-0.5 per cent hike in the repo rate could be on the cards to supplement the 0.5 per cent cash reserve ratio (CRR) hike effected last week by the apex bank, they said.
Repo rate is the rate at which the RBI borrows from the banks while CRR is the amount of funds that the banks have to keep with the RBI.
"The first priority of the Reserve Bank would be to rein in inflation. A 0.25-0.5 per cent hike in repo rates is quite possible," Uco Bank's Chairman and Managing Director S K Goel told PTI here.
RBI had hiked CRR by 0.5 per cent to 8 per cent on Thursday to suck out Rs 18,500-crore liquidity from the banking system as a measure to combat ballooning inflation.
"The impound on Uco Bank with this CRR hike would be around Rs 400 crore while the loss of income would be around Rs 24 crore. This would have an impact on the lending surplus of the bank," Goel said.
The bank's Asset Liability Committee (ALCO) will meet on May 5 to take a decision on lending rates, Goel said.
Even a 0.25 per cent hike in short-term rates could force banks to pass on the burden to their customers through a hike in lending rates. PTI
Clinton must win Pennsylvania to stay in the Presidential race
New York, Apr 21 (PTI) Hillary Clinton must defeat her rival Barack Obama in Tuesday's crucial primary showdown in Pennsylvania if she is to have any chance of becoming the Democratic Party's presidential candidate.
With the delegate tally of both Obama and Clinton running very close, the Pennsylvania primary is expected to be the most decisive in the race to be the party's candidate in the November election.
Though opinion polls have given 61-year-old Clinton a lead over Obama in Tuesday's contest, analysts say the former first lady must win the primary if she is to have any chance of becoming the first woman US President.
Interestingly, a win for Clinton would still not put her ahead of Obama, the 47-year-old senator from Arkansas, US media reports quoted poll pundits as saying.
With just 10 pre-convention contests remaining after Pennsylvania, it appeared mathematically impossible for either candidate to gather the 2,025 delegates needed for nomination going into the party convention in Denver in August.
Pennsylvania has 158 delegates to the August Democratic national convention, but the party's rules for apportioning those delegates mean that even a big victory will likely do little to close Obama's overall lead, analysts said.
The latest count of pledged delegates to the party's national convention in August, gives Obama the support of 1,644 delegates and Clinton 1,502, ABC News reported.
It is the first primary to take place since the poll in Mississippi on March 11, which was won by Obama.
In the last six weeks, the rivalry between Hillary and Obama, hoping to become the first Black-American US President, has increased despite the fact that no states have been voting. PTI
India-Chile to ink four pacts including coop on Antarctica
Sumir Kaul
Santiago, Apr 21 (PTI) With an eye on increasing South-South cooperation, India and Chile will be signing four agreements including an air services pact as President Pratibha Patil arrived here on the last leg of her three-nation visit to Latin America.
The two nations would be inking four projects which also include an agreement on Science and Technology and increasing cooperation on Antarctica, officials of Rashtrapati Bhavan said here.
Patil arrived here from Mexico late last night and was accorded a red-carpet welcome on her arrival for a four-day visit here.
While India already has a permanent mission in Antarctica, New Delhi further wanted to study the melting of ice-berg in the continent due to global warming.
India is among 46 countries which have signed the historic Antarctica treaty that set aside the land there as a scientific preserve which would be only used for scientific purposes and not for any military activities. Chile has claim over a major portion of land in the ice-capped continent.
An agreement on sports would also see cooperation being extended by this Latin American country to help the Indian football team.
In the aviation sector, the two sides will enter a pact to begin a code sharing between Air India and Chilean airliner -- LAN, the officials said.
The four agreements would be signed by Union Minister for Non-conventional Energy Vilasram Muttemwar and some ministers in Chilean government. PTI
Ash-Abhishek celebrate first wedding anniversary in Miami
Mumbai, Apr 21 (PTI) High profile Bollywood couple Aishwarya Rai and Abhishek Bachchan celebrated their first wedding anniversary in Miami where junior B is currently shooting for Karan Johar's 'Dostana'.
The couple yesterday came to a downtown Miami studio for the video conferencing specially arranged for the press to unveil the first look of their film with Amitabh 'Sarkar Raj' at a suburban hotel.
The film is set for release on June six.
During the interaction, Big B had to "warn" the duo to "behave themselves" as they cosied up before the video camera. "I see you doing some 'khusur fusur'. "There is the media here watching you," the superstar told the couple.
When Ash was asked why she has reduced her work post marriage, the actress said she has had a full year beginning with her marriage.
"Jodhaa Akbar was very well received. Now, there is Sarkar Raj and then Pink Panther," she said adding that she doing Maniratnam's next with Abhishek and also 'Robot' with Rajanikanth.
The couple said that they had begun their day seeking blessings of their respective parents.
"My father's best gift to me has been his blessings and his acceptance of the lady I wanted to marry a year ago," Abhishek said.
Ash said both she and Abhishek had gifted each other "togetherness" for a lifetime.
Jaya Bachchan, Amar Singh, Ash's parents Vrinda and Krishnaraj Rai were also present for the video-conferencing. PTI
Now the item boys are here!
Amit Das
New Delhi, Apr 20 (PTI) Flashing curves and gyrating is in for a competition. Now its time for men to burn the screen with their glistening six-packs.
With Bollywood on an experimental mood and escalating star power of actors, the Indian film industry is seeing a shift as far as item numbers are concerned with leading men shaking a leg as item boys.
While Shahrukh has emerged as the king of item songs, with films like 'Kaal' and Krazzy 4, Hrithik has recently burned the dance floor with his Michael Jackson look-alike dancing steps in Krazzy 4. Even Salman has put on his dancing shoes in 'Hello'.
"I think it is a very healthy trend. A lot of newer things are being attempted now a days. We always had item girls then why not item boys?" asks film analyst Taran Adarsh.
Director Jaideep Sen of Krazzy 4, who made the two leading actors dance in his film, says, "It helped the film in a big way. It proved to be the biggest attraction for the audience. It acted like giving icing on the cake." Even as the leading actors are ruling the roost, the other actors are also joining the item number bandwagon. While Tusshar Kapoor has already done a sizzling number in Rohit Shettys 'Sunday', Abhishek Bachchan will be seen strutting his stuff in a rocking track in Apoorva Lakhia's film 'Mission Istanbul'. Also Irfan Khan, who is not the best of dancers, will feature in a song in 'Teesri Manzil 302'. PTI
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