We The State - Issue 32 Vol 2

We

he StateMAY 05 TO MAY 11, 2014

Vol-02. Issue-32. Bhopal. Monday Page-12 Price-5/-

POSTAL REGD. MP/BHOPAL/4-323/2013-15

Published simultaneously from Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh

Online edition availble at wethestate.com and wethestate.blogspot.in

3

School vans andautos shouldcomply with prescribedguidelines

4Cong legislatorsworked againstparty candidates

5Child marriagesstopped inmany districts ofstate

11

Sonakshi follows and

copiesJacqueline

10

Pollard hasbeen spokento after ugly

spat withStarc: Rohit

6Will Modi beable to solvethe countrys

economicwoes?

he Chennai train blasts show extremistswill not pass up any opportunity toexploit loopholes in security prepared-ness. Blasts have raised security alert

levels. Given security imperatives, reverting to ashorter election schedule should be consideredfor future Lok Sabha polls.

Already this election season has seen twomajor attacks targeting the electoral process.First, Maoists in Chhattisgarh carried out twinattacks in the state's Bijapur and Bastar districtsthat resulted in the deaths of seven polling offi-cials and five CRPF personnel. In the secondincident ultras triggered a landmine blast inJharkhand that killed three polling officials andfive policemen returning from election duty.Maoists disrupted polling in certain areas ofOdisha by damaging EVMs and other pollingequipment.

Although investigations into the Chennaiblasts are yet to ascertain the motive behind theincident, terrorism cannot be ruled out as anexplanation. Against the background of ongoingLok Sabha elections the blasts could representan attempt to create panic and disrupt the elec-toral process. This raises legitimate questionsabout the efficacy of having a long-drawn-outelection schedule with nine phases the mostin the electoral history of the country. Electoralprocesses face threats from terrorist groups andextremists of different hues. Attacks during elec-tion season aim to subvert the democraticprocess by spreading fear among voters andputting additional strain on poll machinery. Inthis regard, voting in Kashmir has been particu-larly affected by instances of terror with mili-tants targeting those associated with the politi-cal process. This has seen some areas ofKashmir record voter turnout as low as 2%.

NEWS max

he BJPs PM candidateNarendra Modi hasmanaged to reach out

to the farthest end of the countrytravelling across length andbreadth of India. BJP has nodoubt their campaign strategywill benefit them this electionseason. As only two phases ofpolls remain, the BJP issued astatement captioned, LargestMass Outreach Campaign inElectoral History of aDemocracy, creditingNarendra Modi for addressingan unprecedented 5827 publicrallies, programmes, events, 3Drallies and Chai pe charcha. Thesix page statement is designed toconvey the level of energy andstamina that Modi has displayedsince he was declared BJPsprime ministerial candidate inSeptember last year.

Party spokesman MeenakshiLekhi claimed, It would not bean exaggeration to describe theModi campaign as one of thebiggest mass mobilisation exer-cise seen anywhere in the histo-ry of electioneering. The scaleand intensity of the campaignbecomes even bigger when oneunderstands the large populationand geographic spread of India.Yes, in the past political leadershave led marathon campaigns

but the scale at which this cam-paign has been done beats themall by miles."

She then cites some statis-tics, starting from 15thSeptember 2013, when Modiaddressed his first rally afterbeing anointed as the BJPs PMcandidate till 10th May 2014when campaigning for the lastphase of 2014 Lok SabhaElections ends. The Gujarat CMhas addressed 437 rallies acrossIndia from Jammu to

Kanyakumari, from Amreli toArunachal Pradesh. From 15thMarch to 10th May he has trav-elled almost 3 lakh kilometres.More than the miles covered andnumber of rallies addressed,however, the statement is moreof a mid-course reaffirmation ofModis singular leadership. Thestatement does not mention asingle name other than Modi.The only-Modi message is alsobeing driven home by hisramped up attacks on regional

leaders like Mamta Banerjee,Sharad Pawar, Navin Patnaik,Farooq Abdullah andJayalalitha, some of whom arepotential post poll allies. But it ispart of a well thought out strate-gy on part of Modis core team.Take Modis personal tiradeagainst Mamata during his lasttwo outings in Bengal, whichoffers a dramatic contrast to hisinitial overtures when heexpressed appreciation for herwork in Bengal and lauded herguts. But as the electioneeringgained momentum, the BJPstarted getting feedback thatModi was gaining surprise trac-tion among Bengali middle classand even in rural areas.

Second, it became clearer tothe BJP leadership that Mamatais not inclined to join the BJP inthe post poll scenario due toMuslim vote considerations.Rising support for Modi on theground is eating into votingblocs of all the parties in con-tention in Bengal, includingCongress, Trinamool and Left.Farooq Abdullahs NationalConference is another partywhich is on BJPs hit list. Anangry rebuttal by Modi toFarooqs secularist challengewas addressing not just BJPscore supporters but reaching outto other voting blocs to whomKashmir remains a key issue.

Attacks during electionseason subvert demo-

cratic process

How WE look it !

New Delhi

T

T

Modis marathon campaignunmatched, claims party

spokesperson

Silent revolution transpiring in thedense jungles of Chhattisgarh

In the deep-dark forests of theAchanakmar tiger reserve inChhattisgarh, spread over an expanse of557 square kilometers, wild animals andhumans coexist. As dusk falls, it is timefor the wild to emerge, forcing thehumans to lock themselves in. What iscommon on both sides of the lockeddoors is darkness, for there is no electric-ity in the villages falling in the bufferzones of the reserve. Or so it used to be.

On 3rd May, residents of Bamhani, afar flung village in the Achanakmar TigerReserve, have moved on from the days ofsheer darkness, with lit bulbs, chargedmobile phones, refrigerators and water-motors becoming increasingly common.The credit for this silent revolution tran-spiring in the dense jungles goes to theGovernment and non-government organ-izations - and the villages are now lit upand better still, using natural light.

Jan Swasthya Sahyog, an NGO withexpertise in the field of healthcare, is oneof the NGOs that have distributed solarlights in the area in the last three years.Besides, the Government's EnergyDepartment has also provided power tothese villages by installing solar plants.Most of the villages in this region havestreetlights as well as domestic lightsthrough solar energy. "From preparingfood at night to a walk towards the farm,

a minimum quantity of light is alwaysrequired. Villages with no electricity orheavy power cuts face far more chal-lenges in their day-to-day life. Electricityshortage also affects healthcare directly.Because, if there is a power cut duringone's dinner, one is unlikely to enjoyone's meal. This was a major reason whycheap solar lights were provided in thearea," explains Sant Kumar, a JanSwasthya Sahyog activist.

For the last three years, Jan SwasthyaSahyog has assisted with making solarlights available in villages in Lormiregion of Mungeli District and Kotaregion of Bilaspur district. Though the

cost of one solar light is Rs 500, forhealth activists it is available for Rs 250and for villagers, at a nominal rate of Rs100. The government's ElectricityDepartment has its own solar plant in vil-lages with no power supply.Unfortunately, it often remains switchedoff during the monsoon season as the sunis not visible for many days at a stretch.Ironically, it is that time of year whenpeople actually need more power.Adivasis are used to sleeping on theground without beds or cots (charpais)and hence often become victim to snakeor scorpion bites. The presence of solarlights could easily prevent this hazard.

Explains Sant Kumar, "The light we pro-vide saves energy. Once the battery isrecharged, it can work for two days. Thislight can also be charged in the cloudyseason."

Located amid lush green forests is thepicturesque village of Chiraigoda, withwooden houses constructed far from oneanother. This village is home to theUraon Adivasis. "I have two solar lights,of which only one is in good condition. Ithelps my children to study after dark andin the preparation of food. It has alsomade our night trails easier, helping uskeep a check on our fields. Paddy seedscan be threshed in the light of a solarbulb. Often, we hang the solar light ontrees to keep the wild animals at bay,"shares Dhaniram Ekka, a local adivasi,with evident satisfaction.

He adds, "Earlier, we would neverreceive adequate kerosene from theration shop, only a litre a month. Thosewere difficult times." "The service pro-vided by government solar plants is notsatisfactory as they remain inactive forwant of repairs. Jan Swasthya Sahyogpurchased the plant from a Mumbaibased company that has given one year'sguarantee and if it gets faulty during theyear, the company will either replace itor repair it. In future, we wish to train amechanic who can repair it locally,"shares another tribal Sant Ram.

A total of 986 candidates had contested the 90 seatsin last (2013) state assembly polls in Chhattisgarh and796 of them lost their deposits. Of these 552 were in thegeneral category seats, 165 in the scheduled tribe (ST)and 79 in the scheduled caste (SC) reserved seats.According to the latest data released by the ElectionCommission of India, there were a total of 901 male and83 women contestants in the polls.

Of them 735 men and 59 women lost their deposit.The two candidates in the others category also failed tosecure their deposits. The security deposit for generalcategory is Rs 10,000, whereas it's Rs 5000 for the

reserved category seats. As compared to 2008, the per-centage of the candidates losing their deposits washigher in 2013. In 2008 assembly polls, 82% of the can-didates (871 of 1066) had lost their deposits. In 200375% candidates (615 of 819) ended up having theirdeposits forfeited.

About 80% of the 986 candidates, who contested thelast assembly (2013) elections in Chhattisgarh, lost theirdeposits to the tune of Rs 67.40 lakh, as they failed tosecure the minimum of one-sixth of the total votespolled in their respective constituencies. While none ofthe 90 BJP candidates lost their deposits, the BSPtopped the list of national parties with 84 of its candi-

dates getting their deposits forfeited. The BSP had con-tested all the 90 assembly seats in the state. TheCongress, which also contested 90 seats, lost deposit onone. Besides 12 of 13 CPI candidates lost their deposits.None of the contestants of CPM (4) and NCP (14) man-aged the one-sixth votes, and met a similar fate. Thesame was the situation for another 210 candidates ofregistered political parties, as they too failed to savetheir deposits.

Among the 353 independent candidates, deposits ofthe 335 were forfeited while one of them managed towin the polls. As regards the 118 candidates of State-level parties has been forfeited.

Raipur

RAIPUR

796 candidates lost deposits in assembly polls

2 MAY 5 TO MAY 11, 2014 (MP & CG)CHHATTISGARH EXPLORE

3 MAY 5 TO MAY 11, 2014 (MP & CG)BHOPAL

s politicians scramble for Indias 815million votes in the most expensiveand closely contested general elec-

tion in the nations history, an unexpectedprotest is rumbling from what was once oneof the countrys most placid voter blocs: itsfarmers. The protest is inflamed by risingattention to the shocking suicide rate amongfarmers. Since 1995, more than 2,90,000farmers have killed themselves. The figure iscompiled by the National Crime RecordsBureau and the actual number of farmerswho have ended their lives must be muchmore than that.

These suicides are the result of desper-ation wrought by decades of official corrup-tion, crushing debt and cruel neglect.According to the Vidarbha Peoples ProtestForum, an NGO in Vidarbha region ofMaharashtra that monitors suicides andfights for financial support for the families ofthe dead, government aid to beleagueredfarmers is always promised but is oftenstolen, or simply not delivered. KishorTiwari, secretary of the organization said,Politicians think we respond to campaign-ing. No. We respond to action. Tiwari saysthe high suicide rate is the direct product ofdeep poverty aggravated by the govern-ments risky economic policies and bureau-cratic apathy. Moreover, he thinks suchdeaths are purposely underreported. Manysuicides occur among agricultural workerswho are not officially categorized as farm-ers. The most important problem is the waya farmer is defined at the ground level assomeone who has a title to land. This is like-ly, for instance, to leave out tenant farmers,and, particularly, women farmers.

BRIEF School vans and autos shouldcomply with prescribed guidelines

Madhya Pradesh Child RightsProtection Commission has directedRTO, Bhopal to ensure that school vehi-cles, vans and autos should comply withprescribed guidelines of the TransportDepartment. As many as 27 cases wereput forth for hearing before a joint benchof the commission chaired by itsChairperson Smt. Usha Chaturvedi here

recently. The commission heard 2 specialcases also. The bench also comprisedcommissions members Smt. VijayaShukla, Smt. Rita Upmanyu andVibhanshu Joshi.

On the complaint of District ChildWelfare Committees President, the com-mission directed police inspector ofRithaura Kalan in Morena district toinform the commission immediately on

tracing missing children. On the com-plaints received from students, the com-mission directed Shajapur DistrictEducation Officer to ensure safe bath-rooms arrangements in hostels, issuenotice regarding negligence committedby principal in Akodiya in distribution ofcycles to students and install complaintboxes in all government schools in devel-opment blocks. The commission alsodirected to ensure action within 10 daysfor construction of a parapet on the wellin government primary schoolKhidiyakhanda under village SoyatKalan. In the case of return of child toSmt. Sapna Pachori of Palace ArcadeKolar Road, Bhopal, from the in-laws, thecommission decided to take action onlyafter hearing version of the father. Girlstudent Satyam Malviya of Bhopal hadappealed that she does not want to staywith his father and step-mother. On thecommissions directive, arrangement wasmade for her stay with her uncle till examand send her to her maternal grandmotherafter that.

BHOPAL

Shocking suicide among farmers:Govt aid seldom delivered

New software to access works of 3-tierPanchayats in Madhya Pradesh

A

Chief Secretary Anthony de Sa inau-gurated a one-day national workshop onthe web portal developed for concurrentaudit of Panchayats by the Panchayatsand Rural Development Departmenthere today. Representatives ofGovernment of India and 6 states partic-ipated in it. Panchayat Darpan softwarewill improve fiscal management andaccounting system of 3-tier Panchayats.

Chief Secretary de Sa said that this isyet another innovation of MadhyaPradesh known for its various innova-tions. Panchayat Darpan software willincrease relevance of Panchayat raj indemocratic set-up. The Chief Secretarysaid that this portal will prove importantin empowering Panchayat raj institu-tions and transparency in their works.

The Chief Secretary congratulatedPanchayats and Rural DevelopmentDepartment for launching the portal. Hehoped that the new software will go along way in maintaining details ofimmoveable assets of Panchayats,grants received from government, rev-enue receipts, Panchayats own fiscalresources, geographical information anddevelopment works being undertakenunder various schemes.

Welcoming representatives fromother states, the Chief Secretary wishedfor the workshops success.

Additional Chief SecretaryPanchayats, Rural Development andSocial Justice Smt. Aruna Sharmainformed that Concurrent Audit Systemhas been launched for panchayats.Before launching Panchayat Darpan,

post-audit of Panchayats as well as allschemes of Rural Development andSocial Justice Department was done forthe first time in year 2012-13. Due tofirst-time initiative for concurrent auditand inspection of accounts at the decen-tralized level, large number of inactiveaccounts have also been detected.

The system is enabled to maintaindetails of budget allocated under 13thFinance Commission, State FinanceCommission, stamp duty, impositionand recovery of taxes, MNREGA, vari-ous housing schemes, School Educationand Tribal Welfare departmentsschemes, health schemes and pensiondistribution.

Madhya Pradesh Panchayat RajDepartment has launched innovation ofConcurrent Audit System. The task of

Concurrent Audit in 10 divisions of thestate has been entrusted to suitable insti-tutions by inviting global tenders afterpreparing proposal in consultation withoffice of the Accountant General andChartered Accountants Institute ofIndia.

For simplifying accounting system,software Panchayat Darpan has beenmade available on the web portalwww.mppanchayatdarpan.org. The soft-ware is helping chartered accountantfirms to maintain accounts of 3-tierPanchayat institutions systematicallyand smoothly. Presiding over the work-shop, Principal Accountant General(CAG) MP Gwalior K.K. vastava saidthat maximum cooperation will beextended to this useful software ofMadhya Pradesh government.

BHOPAL

4 MAY 5 TO MAY 11, 2014 (MP & CG)

Cong legislators workedagainst party candidates

As e n i o r

Congress leader here said that theCongress has a fair chance to win atleast five LS seats but reports indicatethat about 10 party legislators workedagainst party candidates. Even the 10Congress MLAs campaigned againstthe party candidates and two of themwere highly active against Union minis-ter of state Charandas Mahant, the partycandidate from Korba. However, leaderof the opposition and senior Congressleader TS Singh Deo said he did nothave any information that any of theparty MLAs campaigned against thepartys official nominees in the LokSabha polls. Deo, however, admittedthat several leaders in Surguja area haddefied the party and he will seek actionagainst them. The intra-party rivalryand open factionalism within theCongress fold in Chhattisgarh is noth-ing new.

Congress MP Charandas Mahantsaid he did not get the required cooper-ation from his own party cadres in theLok Sabha polls. He has reportedlybrought the matter to the attention of theparty high command which has assuredhim to look into the matter after May16. Similarly in Surguja Lok Sabha con-stituency, initially Congress candidateRamdev Ram was in a better position.In this Lok Sabha area the Congress has

seven legislators. However, as the dateof polling closed in, some Congress leg-islators stayed away from the campaignand as a result the prospect of the partycandidate became dismal, sources said.

Similarly, in Mahasamund the dif-ference of opinion was clearly visiblebetween the local leaders and Congresscandidate and former chief minister AjitJogi. The situation was such that theparty could not declare an election coor-dinator. According to sources, Dhamtarilegislator Gurmukh Singh Hora wasmade election coordinator for Kanker

Lok Sabha seat against the consent ofJogi and as a result his supporters wereaggrieved. Some people say this wasdone especially to create discomfort forJogi. In Raipur Lok Sabha seat too, theparty cadres were divided into twocamps about the selection of candidate.Initially the party wanted ChhayaVerma as its candidate but later declaredthe name of Satyanarayan Sharma forthe seat. Role of state Congress chiefBhupesh Baghel was also questioned.Baghel was reportedly not in favour ofSatyanarayan Sharma. Similarly,

Baghels father Nandkumar had alsoopenly come out with statementsagainst the partys official candidate.Although Bhupesh himself clarifiedsaying that he does not buy the argu-ment of his father and he has politicaldifference with his father, his rivals maytry to embarrass him on this score.

Apart from this, some party leadersare also raising questions on the entirepoll management strategy of the party.They said the party high command hadallocated three choppers for campaign-ing and had provided all necessarylogistic support for the state but theywere not utilised properly because ofthe rivalry. Candidates have lodgedcomplaints with the top leadership ofthe party of sabotage against at least tenparty legislators at different levels andthe intra-party rivalry is expected toescalate after May 16 if the results goagainst the Congress which is widelyexpected.

The state assembly election held lastyear in November had witnessed a closefight between the Bharatiya JanataParty (BJP) and the Congress which lostthe polls largely because of infighting.The percentage of votes polled by theBJP and the main Opposition Congressin the assembly polls showed that a gapof mere 0.75 per cent of votes betweenthe two parties helped the BJP to pulloff the winning hat-trick.

During the last 10 years, Dantewada (South Bastar)has lost 724 square kilometre of forest cover as largenumber of people have set up new hamlets at the cost ofdestroying the dense greenery as also 26 species ofmedicinal plants are facing extinction due to overexploitation. Safety of jungles was not possible on thestrength of forest department alone, instead arousingself conscience amongst people was also necessary forthe same, said experts in a symposium organised atDantewada recently. Speaking in the symposium dis-trict forest officer JR Nayak said the people must saveforest as well as environment. In the universe flora andfauna are complementary to each other but due to

excessive exploitation of forest natural balance gets dis-turbed rapidly. Population burst can be assigned as onethe gravest reason for destruction of forests even as pro-tection of environment is moral as well as social duty ofus all, Nayak added.

One of the key speakers of the symposium journal-ist Hemant Kashyap while citing the report of UnionEnvironment Ministry said that during the last nineyears thousand of kilometres of forests have been deci-mated out of which Bastar district lost 190 square kilo-metre whereas Sukma and Dantewada of districts ofSouth Bastar areas lost 724 square kilometre of its for-est cover. Excavation on land having biodiversityforests, uncontrolled grazing in forest areas, focus onplantation of maximum number of trees having com-

mercial viability and multiple development projectshave proved detrimental to a number of plant species.On the other hand, attack of weeds also posed gravedanger to biodiversity in the area. Over exploitation hasbrought 26 species of herbal medicinal plants to nearextinction and to save this treasure from vanishing fromBastar, forest department needs public help, saidKashyap.

In the symposium, members of forest managementcommittees who had come from villages also kept theirviews. In the function, Sub Divisional OfficerChoudhary, Bacheli Circle officer V K Chakravarty,Dantewada Circle officer Prakash Netam, large numberof forest employees and members of forest safety com-mittees were present.

Raipur

S Bastar loses 724 sq km of forests in a decade

RAIPUR TRAIL

RAIPUR

5 MAY 5 TO MAY 11, 2014 (MP & CG)MADHYA PRADESH

At least 230 underage marriages wereprevented in different districts of the stateby teams of department of women andchild development (DWCD) with thesupport of respective district administra-tions on Akshay Tritiya on Friday.Akshay Tritiya is considered an auspi-cious occasion for marriages and severalmass marriage ceremonies are heldacross the state on this occasion. Reportsof underage marriages are often receivedfrom these mass and other solo cere-monies.

Teams of DWCD fanned out in differ-ent districts and prevented marriageswhere the brides or grooms were found tobe underage. Police also helped in theprocess. The highest number of 35 childmarriages were prevented in Mandsaurfollowed by 27 in Dewas, 17 in Sehoreand 16 in Shajapur. In six districts ofUjjain division, 114 underage marriageswere prevented. No complaints of under-age marriages were received from sixdistricts of Bhopal, Tikamgarh, Datia,Morena, Bhind and Sidhi. The DWCDhad held awareness programmes acrossthe state through anganwadi centresahead of Akshay Tritiya. Public warningsagainst child marriages had also been

issued. Child marriage is a retrogradesocial practice whose elimination will notonly require a change in the mindset ofsociety but also a strict legal and otherschematic intervention, the Ministry hassaid. Akshay Tritiya is considered an aus-picious day in the Hindu calendar and alarge number of children are married offon this day in Rajasthan, MadhyaPradesh, Chhattisgarh, Bihar, Jharkhand,Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand, particu-larly in the rural belt. On Akshay Tritiya,also known as Akha Teej', thousands of

marriages take place with a majority ofthese being of minors. Efforts by the gov-ernments to crack down on child mar-riages have met with mixed success. In2010, there were reports of mass childmarriages from Rajasthan's Gothera vil-lage, despite the State government'sinstructions that such violations wouldmean reprimands for administrators.Police said they were unable to stop themarriages because the villagers secretlyorganised the ceremonies two daysbefore Akshat Tritiya.

BHOPAL

The state government has promoted

M.K. Goyal, Member, Revenue Board,

Gwalior to Chief Secretarys pay-scale.

Following promotion, he has been posted

as Officer-on-Special Duty-cum-

Administrative Member, Board of Revenue,

Gwalior. His post has been declared at par

with Chairman, Board of Secondary

Education.

CM Chouhan gives farewell toPrasanna Kumar Dash

Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan

gave Additional Chief Secretary Industries

Prasanna Kumar Dash a farewell by pre-

senting shawl and coconut here today.

Chief Secretary Anthony de Sa was also

present on the occasion. It is noteworthy

that Dash has retired from administrative

services after his long and outstanding

service. Remembering Dashs praiseworthy

services, Chouhan wished him bright

future and healthy life.

Governor pays tributes to Dr. ZakirHussain

Governor Ram Naresh Yadav has paid

tributes to former President late Dr. Zakir

Hussain on his death anniversary. The

Governor said that Bharat Ratna and edu-

cationist former President Dr. Zakir

Hussains role had been important in

nationalistic works and freedom move-

ment. His works as Chairman of University

Grants Commission are worth emulating.

The Governor has exhorted youths to play

a creative role in nation-building by follow-

ing ideals and messages of Dr. Zakir

Hussain.

hile addressing 30th annualfunction of Madhavrao SapreMemorial Newspaper Museum

here recently, Governor Ram NareshYadav said that Indian journalism boastsof glorious past since all heroes of free-dom struggle were associated with it.

Journalism is meaningful only whenit guides society properly. Media shouldhighlight all aspects and not any particu-lar ideology. On the occasion, GovernorYadav honoured 15 outstanding journal-ists and social workers associated withjournalism. The function was presidedover by litterateur Prof. Ramesh ChandraShah. The Governor also went round anexhibition organised on the occasion.

Governor Yadav said that youthshave brought about every revolution inthe country. Young journalists shoulddraw inspiration from sacrifices of free-dom fighters to give a new thinking anddirection to the country. Yadav said that

entire history of Indias freedom move-ment, reforms, Swadeshi and economicmovement etc. are safe between the linesof newspapers and magazines. Yadavsaid that great freedom fighters likeMahatma Gandhi, Shaheed BhagatSingh, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, BalGangadhar Tilak, Pandit Madan MohanMalviya, Maulana Abul Kalam Azad etc.had chosen media as a tool for service to

nation and social reforms by realising itsmight. Presiding over the function, Prof.Shah said that journalism has undergonea sea change since ancient times till date.We should not stray from our values andjournalistic traditions and practices. Hesaid that Sapre Museum is a uniquemuseum of newspapers and magazines.Institutions Founder CoordinatorVijaydutt dhar gave detailed information

regarding the museum. AdditionalSecretary Public Relations Lajpat Ahujasaid that there is no end to creative jour-ney of journalism. We have inheritedheritage of humanity and behaving cour-teously with journalists, he added.

The Governor conferred SantoshKumar Shukla Memorial Award toAdditional Secretary Public RelationsLajpat Ahuja, Rajendra Nutan Award toBhagwan Upadhyay, Yugal KishoreShukla Award to Prof. Kamal Dixit &Arvind Sheele, Makhanlal ChaturvediAward to Arun Chouhan, Jagdish PrasadChaturvedi Award to Rajesh Chaturvedi& Chandravesh Pandey, JhabarmallSharma Award to Om Prakash Gaur,Rameshwar Guru Award to Dr.Vidyulalta and Su Khushboo Joshi, K.P.Narayanan Award to Anup Dutta,Yashwant Argare Award to Rajesh Gaba,Arogya Sudha Puruskar to AnilSirwaiya, Homai Vyaralwala Award toNaval Jaiswal and Mujeeb Farooqui.

BHOPAL

Journalism should properly guide society

M. K. Goyal promoted toChief Secretary pay-scale

WBHOPAL

Child marriages stoppedin many districts of state

07-05-2014- Wednesday - VaishakhMah Shuklapaksh-AstamiPositive directions -North and WestBad time 12:23 pm to 2:01 pmGood time 5:52 am to 9:08 amand 10:45 am to 12:22 pm and 3:39 pmto 6:55 pm

08-05-2014-Thursday- Vaishakh MahShuklapaksh-NavamiPositive directions-North and EastBad time 2:01 pm to 3:39 pmGood time 5:51 am to 7:29 amand 10:45 am to 2:00 pm and 5:17 pm to6:55 pm

09-05-2014- Friday -Vaishakh MahShuklapaksh- DashamiPositive directions -North and EastBad time 10:45 am to 12:23 pm

Good time 5:51 am to 10:44 amand 12:24 pm to 2:01 pm and 5:18 pm to6:56 pm

10-05-2014- Saturday -Vaishakh MahShuklapaksh-EkadashiPositive directions-South and EastBad time 9:07 am to 10:45amGood time 7:30 am to 9:06 amand 12:23 pm to 5:18 pm

011-05-2014- Sunday - Vaishakh MahShuklapaksh-DwadashiPositive directions - South and EastBad time 5:18 pm to 6:57 pm Good time 7:28 am to 12:23 pmand 2:02 pm to 3:40 pm

12-05-2014- Monday -Vaishakh MahShuklapaksh-TrayodashiPositive directions- South and WestBad time 7:28 am to 9:06 am

Good time 5:49 am to 7:27 amand 9:07 am to 10:45 am and 2:02 pm

to 6:57 pm

13-05-2014-Tuesday-Vaishakh MahShuklapaksh-ChaturdashiPositive directions-South and WestBad time 3:40 pm to 5:19 pmGood time 9:06 am to 2:02 pm

By AACHARYA SARVESHE-Mail: [email protected]

Mobile: 9826609192

Vastu tips for flatsSlope of balconyshould be towardsthe East or North. Check out theNorth-east cornerof flat as this portion must beconverted intoworship room orleft open. Kitchen should bein the South-east direction. Check or construct over-head tank inSouth-west andunderwater tank inNorth-east.

rom tackling a sad growthrate and ever-rising infla-tion to a depressed busi-ness environment,

Narendra Modi, the BJPsprime ministerial candidate,has been portrayed as the

one-stop solution to all theeconomic woes the coun-try faces after 10 years of

UPA administration.Expectations of a

turnaround in theeconomy are

huge if Modicomes topower buthow muchwill he be

able to actu-ally deliver can be debated.

While the BJP manifesto does speak about its overall objec-tive of improving economic growth and development, mosteconomists and analysts admit it does not offer enoughinsight into the partys economic policies.

The infrastructure-related stocks have been performingreally well recently in the hope that Modi will come topower. They expect that with a stronger and more decisiveperson at the helm of affairs, the pace of infrastructure devel-

opment will quicken in the country, just like it did in Gujarat.Since Modi has been projected as a pro-business leader, theindustry is also hopeful that they will get more relaxationslike reduced excise duty so that there is a revival of businessgrowth. While the industry hopes robust infrastructure facili-ties will be created, it is also well aware of the difficultiesModi may face in negotiating with states. That is going to bea tricky area for BJP. Foreign direct investment has been abone of contention between BJP and Congress. While BJPhas welcomed FDI in all sectors, it continues to resist it inmulti-brand retail. UPAs confidence vote in 2012 on theissue has compelled BJP to harden its stance on the issue.

The BJP manifesto lists some good things but lacks clari-ty in the ideological statement that reflects a sound develop-ment strategy. There is a clear contradiction between the so-called Gujarat growth model, which focuses mainly on estab-lishment and growth of corporate houses, and the labour-intensive growth path (that the manifesto talks about), pro-moting small-scale industries and inclusive growth. The twomodels cannot go together. The Gujarat model, which focus-es mainly on economic growth, at almost any cost, believesin achieving high growth through good governance (focusedmainly to the needs of the corporate sector), good infrastruc-ture (focused mainly to the needs of the corporate sector) andmore importantly through high levels of subsidies, incentivesand concessions such as cheap land, cheap water supply andeasy access to other natural resources to the corporate sector.This has promoted highly capital-intensive growth in Gujaratalong with a highly dualistic growth.

ASTROLOGY

6 MAY 5 TO MAY 11, 2014 (MP & CG)EDITORIAL

Fresh violence in Kokrajharcause of serious worry

he fresh outbreak of communalviolence in the riot-hitKokrajhar district of Assam iscause for serious worry. Twelve

persons, reportedly belonging to theminority community, have been killedsince Thursday evening. In theKokrajhar violence of July-August2012, over 100 people were killed andnearly four lakh displaced after tensionsescalated between indigenous Bodosand minority migrant Bengali Muslims.

Accounts by reporters covering thegeneral elections have revealed thatMuslims and Bodos continue to live inperpetual fear in areas they are in minor-ity. The elections that concluded onApril 24 in the Bodoland TerritorialCouncil Districts (BTCD) have nothelped either. They were held amidrecurring violence, firings, physicalassault, destruction of property, andintimidation of political workers and layvoters. Paramilitary forces were alsoinvolved in an anti-insurgency operationin the BTCD hill tracts against militants

demanding Bodo statehood. The exactreasons communal, political or mili-tant for the latest violence continue tobe speculated upon. But the state gov-ernment has its task cut out. Paramilitarypresence may have restored a semblanceof peace since late-2012, but communaltensions and political and militant vio-lence have continued unabated.

The communal violence has its gen-esis in the Bodo sentiment of feelingdemographically and economically mar-ginalised in their homeland. While theinitial targets were Assamese-speakers,soon Bengali-speaking Muslims weretargeted. The indifferent attitude of suc-cessive Assam and Central governmentstowards verifying the Bodo claim thatthese were illegal migrants fromBangladesh aggravated tensions. It is theblind eye towards successive riots in1993, 1994, 1996 and 2008 that sparkedthe unprecedented rioting and the conse-quent humanitarian disaster of 2012.

Political parties, trapped in the com-peting compulsions of votebank politics,

have neglected and derailed the peaceand reconciliation process. The rulingCongress has ceded much of its politicalspace in the BTC districts to its unreli-able ally, the Bodoland Peoples Front(BPF). The BPF, despite dominating theBTC since 2003, has declined in influ-ence, by soft-peddling Bodoland state-hood and misgovernance.

Allegations of BPF involvement inthe 2012 riots have alienated minorities.The polarisation between Bodos andMuslims, Bodos and non-Bodos, andHindus and Muslims, was reflected inthe general elections.

The BPF candidate ChandanBrahma, BPF rebel and sitting MPSansuma Bwiswmuthiary, and inde-pendent candidate UG Brahma aggres-sively vied for the Bodo vote. A formerULFA commander, Hira Sarania, wooedthe non-Bodos like the Assamese,Bengali Muslims and Hindus, andAdivasis. Allegations of violently coerc-ing dissenting voters rest uneasily on allthese candidates.

F

T

Will Modi be able to solve thecountrys economic woes?

7 MAY 5 TO MAY 11, 2014 (MP & CG)POLITICS

fter bitter word play, the principalcontestants in the ongoing Lok Sabhapolls, the Congress and the BJP, havedecided to cross swords over issues

likely to impact the functioning of the nextgovernment. The Centre, which is in its lastlap, has announced that it would appoint ajudge to probe into the allegation of snoop-ing on a woman by the Gujarat police ondirections of then state home minister AmitShah, a close confidant of BJP PM candidateNarendra Modi. On the other hand, seniorBJP leader Arun Jaitley, reacting to the move,said that the new government at the Centrecan review any mala fide last-minute deci-sion taken by the UPA government on thesnoopgate controversy to harass its primeministerial candidate Narendra Modi, who isalso the chief minister of Gujarat. He alsoaccused the Congress of being desperate asthere are high chances of the NDA coming topower. It reflects their (UPA) arrogance andsoon they will be voted out of power, Jaitleysaid. Jaitleys sharp criticism came afterunion home minister Sushil Kumar Shinderevealed that the Cabinet had taken the deci-sion to appoint a Commission of Inquiry toprobe the incident of snooping on a womanin Gujarat and they are going to appoint ajudge before 16 May.

2.96 crore voters cast votesin MP in Lok Sabha elections

Out of total 4 crore 80 lakh voters inMadhya Pradesh, 2 crore 96 lakh 8 thou-sand 839 cast their votes in 29 Lok Sabhaconstituencies in the state in recent elec-tions. In the year 2009 Lok Sabha electionsone crore 94 lakh 87 thousand 254 out of 3crore 80 lakh voters had exercised theirfranchise. Total number of male voters inthe state was 2 crore 52 lakh 90 thousand307 of which one crore 67 lakh 3 thousand386 cast their votes. Similarly, one crore 28lakh 86 thousand 724 out of 2 crore 28 lakhone thousand 637 female voters exercisedtheir franchise. In this way, polling per-centage of males and females was 66.05percent and 56.52 percent, respectively.Maximum 13 lakh 16 thousand 44 out oftotal 21 lakh 14 thousand 92 voters exer-cised their franchise in Indore Lok Sabhaconstituency followed by Bhopal where 11lakh 29 thousand 930 out of 19 lakh 55thousand 379 voters cast their votes.Mandla stood third where 12 lakh 16 thou-sand 859 out 18 lakh 24 thousand 212 vot-ers cast their voters followed by Gwaliorwith 9 lakh 87 thousand 912 voters out of18 lakh 73 thousand 658 voters.

Besides, 11 lakh 42 thousand 960 vot-ers cast their votes in Dewas Parliamentary

Constituency, 11 lakh 11 thousand 344 inBalaghat, 10 lakh 30 thousand 365 inHoshangabad, 10 lakh 72 thousand 459 inVidisha, 10 lakh 10 thousand 147 inRajgarh, 10 lakh one thousand 310 inJabalpur, 10 lakh 15 thousand 170 inUjjain, 11 lakh 58 thousand 50 inMandsaur, 10 thousand 81 lklh 404 inRatlam, 10 lakh 66 thousand 205 in Dhar,11 lakh 42 thousand 321 in Khargone, 12lakh 47 thousand 671 in Khandwa, 10 lakh68 thousand 115 in Betul, 8 lakh 54 thou-sand 276 in Morena, 7 lakh 29 thousand 91in Bhind, 9 lakh 75 thousand 672 in Guna,8 lakh 90 thousand 365 in Sagar, 7 lakh 66thousand 555 in Tikamgarh, 9 lakh 12thousand 929 in Damoh, 8 lakh 74 thou-sand 320 in Khajuraho, 12 lakh 618 inSatna, 8 lakh 29 thousand 794 in Rewa, 9lakh 86 thousand 625 in Sidhi and 9 lakh71 thousand 13 voters cast their votes in

Shahdol Parliamentary constituenc Rs.23.58 crore liquor, cash and jewelleryseized during Lok Sabha elections.3 lakh litre illicit liquor worth Rs.8.35 crore seized during polls

Strict action was taken to ensure freeand fair Lok Sabha elections in 29 con-stituencies in Madhya Pradesh in all 3phases.

Apart from police and Excise staff, fly-ing squads, Income Tax teams and SSTconducted search operations to check mis-use of black money and illicit distributionof liquor in districts. During these searchand checking operations cash and kindincluding liquor worth Rs. 23 crore 58 lakhwas seized.

During elections, Rs. 9 crore cash wasseized of which flying squads seized Rs. 6lkh 94 thousand 100, SST Rs. one crore 25lakh 8 thousand 810, police Rs. 75 lakh 21

thousand 960 and Income Tax DepartmentRs. 2 crore 6 lakh 47 thousand. Duringelections, 2 lakh 97 thousand litre illegalliquor worth Rs 8 crore 35 lakh was seized.Flying squads seized 425.6 litre liquorworth Rs. 97 thousand 650, SST 454.8 litreliquor worth Rs. 88 thousand 70, police onelakh 92 thousand 551 litre liquor worth Rs.6 crore 7 lakh 80 thousand 699 and ExciseDepartment seized one lakh 3 thousand 183litre liquor worth Rs. 2 crore 24 lakh 88thousand 350.

Police seized 899.404 kg drugs/nar-cotics worth Rs. 2 crore 78 lakh. Flyingsquads seized various kinds of goods worthRs. 33 lakh 73 thousand 759 and SST Rs.43 lakh 38 thousand 370 and police seizedother materials worth Rs. 4 crore 50 lakh16 thousand 876. In this way, Rs. 3 crore 9lakh cash, Rs. 2 crore 80 lakh worth bul-lion, Rs. 8 crore 35 lakh litre liquor worth2 lakh 97 thousand, Rs. 2 crore 78 lakhworth In Harda district, 24 thousand 600litre Made-in-Haryana IMFL was seized. InKhargone district, Rs. 76 lakh was seizedand handed over to the Income TaxDepartment.

Of these, Rs. 34 lakh 47 thousand wasreturned after scrutiny. In Jhabua district,4.50 kg gold worth Rs. one crore 29 lakhwas seized.

Counting of votes for 29Parliamentary constituencieswill be held on May 16 amidsttight security. Training willalso be imparted to officersand employees before count-ing. Vidhan Sabha-wisecounting will be held at 51district headquarters. For this,3 thousand 303 tables will beplaced. In one counting hall,14 tables will be placed and in2 halls/rooms 7 each.

As many as 28 tables willbe placed at GovernmentDegree College Sheopur forcounting of votes of Sheopurand Vijaypur Assembly con-stituencies, 84 at GovernmentPolytechnic College Morena

for Sabalgarh, Jaura,Sumawali, Morena, Dimniand Ambah, 70 tables atCollectorate Bhind for Ater,Bhind, Lahar, Mehgaon andGohad, 84 tables at MLB Artsand Commerce CollegeGwalior for Gwarlior Rural,Gwalior East, Gwalior South,Bhitarwar and Dabra, 42tables at School forExcellence Datia for Seodha,Bhander and Datia, 70 tablesat SPS College Shivpuri forKarera, Pohri, Shivpuri,Pichhor and Kolaras, 64 tablesat Post Graduate CollegeGuna for Bamori, Guna,Chachauda and Raghogarhand 42 counting tables will beplaced at Nehru Degree

College Shivpuri for countingof votes for Ashok Nagar,Chanderi and MungawaliVidhan Sabha constituencies.

As many as 112 tables willbe placed in Indira GandhiEngineering College Sagar forcounting of votes of Bina,Khurai, Surkhi, Devri, Rehli,Naryawali, Sagar and BandaVidhan Sabha constituencies,70 tables at GovernmentMaharaja College Chhatarpurfor Maharajpur, Chandla,Rajnagar, Chhatarpur,Bijawar, Malehra, 56 tables atPolytechnic College Damohfor Pathariya, Damoh, Jaberaand Hata and 42 tables will beplaced at Polytechnic CollegePanna for Pawai, Gunnaur and

Panna Vidhan Sabha con-stituencies. As many 196tables will be placed atExcellence Higher SecondarySchool Satna for counting ofvotes of Chitrakoot, Raigaon,Satna, Nagaud, Maihar,Amarpatan and RampurBaghelan Vidhan Sabha con-stituencies, 112 at SGSGovernment College Sidhi forChurhat, Sidhi, Sinhawal andDohani, 42 at PolytechnicCollege Singrauli forChitrangi, Singrauli andDevsar and 42 tables will beplaced at Indira Gandhi HomeScience College Shahdol forVeohari, Jaisingh Nagar andJaitpur Vidhan Sabha con-stituencies.

Bhopal

Bhopal

UPA looks for judgeto snoop on Modi Tight security for counting in districts;

over 3000 tables to be usedA

8 MAY 5 TO MAY 11, 2014 (MP & CG)

While doctors in Chhattisgarhfully endorse the World HealthOrganisation's (WHO) latest draftguidelines, recommending less than50 grams or 12 teaspoons of sugarintake per day, they fear that it'simplementation may not be possiblein the state, as healthy life style car-ries least importance for the people.Besides, the daily diet, which isheavy on carbohydrates, makessugar control further difficult.

The WHO's new draft guide-lines also proposes that sugarsshould be less than 10% of totalenergy intake per day. It further sug-gests that a reduction to below 5%(about 6 teaspoons) of total energyintake per day would have addition-al benefits. Dr Kalpana Dash,endocrinologist in Apollo Hospital,Bilaspur, said the WHO's guidelinesare "ideal" for leading healthy

lifestyle but Chhattisgarhians' maindiet is rice, a complex carbohydratehigh on sugar. She said besides peo-ple generally have a lot of sugarhere and it forms 80% of theirintake. Dr Abbas Nakvi of RamKrishna Care hospital said the peo-

ple of the state are yet to get healthconscious. "They aren't aware aboutthe ill effects of consuming sugar",he said adding the many people feelthat they can consume as muchsugar as they want if they aren't dia-betic. Incidentally, prevalence ofdiabetes in the state is on the rise,

even though it still remains belowthe national average. According toofficials, data collected from vari-ous health camps indicate a preva-lence rate of diabetes of 4% to 5%,against a national average of 9.2%assessed by the InternationalFederation of Diabetes (IFD).

However, when it comes to theglobal prevalence rate of 3%,Chhattisgarh is ahead in the race.What is worrying is that the presentprevalence rate of diabetes in thestate is even higher than the WorldHealth Organisation's projectedglobal rate of 4.4% in 2030.

WHO guidelines refer to theadded sugar and the sugar naturallypresent in fruit juices, honey, syrup.Intrinsic sugar, present in fruit andvegetables, is not counted. It's a bit-ter pill to swallow, say doctors,adding that the guidelines shouldhave come sooner.

Raipur

High sugar intake making peoplesick, awareness lacking

MUST READ

Goldman Environment Prize winnerwants protection for all activists

he winner of GoldmanEnvironment Prize,Ramesh Agrawal, a

grassroots activist fromRaigarh, has reiterated hisdemand for a CBI inquiry intothe attack on him, in 2012,allegedly executed at the behestof Jindal Steel and PowerLimited.

The award, Agrawal hopes,may make him safer, as he maynot be directly attacked by any-body, whose interests are hit byhis activism, as it will triggerinternational reaction now. "ButI want that all the activists inIndia should be protected by thegovernment," he said.

Agrawal, alleged that thelocal administrators policeand court in Chhattisgarh havefailed to expose the real con-spirators, who planned theattack. "It is pretty clear thatthere was Jindal Group's handbehind the attack. None of theassailants otherwise had anystake in attacking me," said

Agrawal, who was shot at in2012 inside his internet cafe,Soon after National GreenTribunal revoked the permitsrequired by JSPL for the min-ing, citing various violationsreported in Agrawal's petitions.Agrawal had also filed a peti-tion in the high court ofChhattisgarh, demanding a CBIinquiry into the matter, tounravel the bigger conspiracy.

Chhattisgarh police has fileda charge-sheet naming sevenaccused, including a Jindalemployee, a retired armybrigadier, KK Chopra, and hisassociate SN Panigrahi, whorun a security agency, SuperiorFire and Security Service,which provides security forJindal Steel and Power Limitedin Raigarh. The main attacker,who hails from Andhra Pradesh,is still absconding. Both Chopraand Panigrahi are out on bailand Jindals have repeatedlyrefuted all allegations againstthe company. Even thoughAgrawal survived the attack andtwo bullets hit his groin andthigh, shattering his femur, he

continues to have six metal rodsand discs attached to his lowerbody and leg for support.

"Now that the internationalcommunity has recognised ourefforts, I hope things might betaken seriously by the govern-ment," said Agrawal adding,"till now the government, mostof the time, is hand in glovewith the corporates and compa-nies." Agrawal's confrontationwith JSPL began in 2008, whenhe organised residents to voicetheir opposition and filednumerous petitions highlightingJSPL's failure to hold mandato-ry public meetings and obtainenvironmental clearance for thecoal mining project and also thepower plant at Tamnar. Withfour million tonnes of coal pro-posed to be mined every year,the mine would have beenamong the biggest of its kind inChhattisgarh.

The government had givenenvironmental clearance to themining project in 2009, whileChhattisgarh government wasasked to withdraw approval forthe power project.

RAIPUR

T

n the occasion of Labour Day, 2014, it is a timeto reflect where women stand in the economicgrowth of the country. There has been a signif-

icant change in the status of women, when we look atindicators like gender parity in education, womensparticipation in various sectors in the economy, partici-pation of women in local governance etc. Yet we can-not treat women as a homogeneous category. On onehand they occupy highest seats of power and authoritywhile on the other hand there are still large sectionswhich are deprived of critical life choices such as ageof marriage, childbirth, number of children, choice oflivelihood, level of education etc.

Whereas there is no dearth of opportunities todayyet there are barriers to making full use of these oppor-tunities which prevent many girls and women fromrealising their full potential. These barriers stem large-ly from socio-cultural factors. While there has beentremendous improvement in the status of women, thereis still a long way to go to ensure gender parity. Theadverse child sex ratio is one such indicator which setsan alarm to all of us since this is not a natural phenom-enon and reflects a deep-seated son preference prevail-ing in the society. In quantitative terms the participationhas certainly increased, but to make it more effectivegirls and women need to utilise the existing opportuni-ties fully for their empowerment.

Barriers prevent womenfrom making full use

of opportunities

O

ourism has never been a priority areafor any political entity in the country,and therefore the sector has never found

a mention in their manifestos. However, there is a marked difference this

time around, which, of course, is a blessing indisguise and a silver lining for an industry thathas been craving for attention and support frompolicymakers. The leading opposition party,Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), in their electionmanifesto, has identified tourism as a prioritysegment as part of their agenda, labelled the5Ts (Talent, Tourism, Trade, Tradition andTechnology). They have identified tourism,considering the sectors ability to empower theyouth by creating jobs and for its potential togenerate foreign exchange. The manifesto,among other things, also commits to develop-ment of 50 thematic tourism circuits, dedicatedtrains for Rail Tourism, the DiamondQuadrilateral project for high-speed trains,etc., which are quite futuristic.

This kind of commitment that too from aparty that is, according to many pre-poll sur-

veys, expected to form the next government,definitely augurs well for the tourism industry.

Indian elections are a keenly watcheddemocratic spectacle in the world. Around 75crore people participate directly in the deci-sion-making process, which is unparalleledby all standards.

The political heat and dust that rises and thefestivities associated with itcampaigns, ral-lies and people patiently waiting to listen totheir leaders in the countrysideultimatelylining up to polling booths on the D-Day, areunique to Indian elections.

We are yet to expose this spectacle as atourism product to the outside world. There area few ingenuous tour operators who have, oflate, ventured into promoting Election Tourismas a package to international travellers.However, a vast majority is yet to explore thepotential of this segment. With the countrysleadership recognising tourism as a seriouseconomic activity, let us hope Indian electionswill also become a reason to fuel InboundTourism in the years to come.

9 MAY 5 TO MAY 11, 2014 (MP & CG)

Eco Hotels UK plans to setup 100 hotels in India

co Hotels UK Plc plans toset up 100 eco-friendlyhotels in India in the nexteight years. Noting that the

Eco Hotels UK has developed theworld's first carbon-neutral hotelbrand, The Eco and Ecolodge,Suchit Punnose, CEO, Red RibbonAsset Managementowners ofEco Hotels UKsaid, "The firstmarket we are targeting is thegrowth market of India, which hasone of the largest demands forhotel rooms in the market."

"It is the intention of the com-pany to develop an inventory of10,000 rooms by 2022, which willamount to 100 hotels with 100-room average," Punnose said.

Red Ribbon Asset Managementis setting up India's first steel mod-ular buildings factory in Indapur,Pune, which will commence pro-duction in 2015 with an annualcapacity to roll out 40 hotels with100 rooms each per annum. "Theability of the steel modular tech-nology to deliver a hundred-room

hotel completed in 24 weeks on afixed cost and time guarantee is apowerful tool for Eco Hotels UKPlc to achieve its roll out target,"said Punnose.

The Eco and Ecolodge will rep-resent premium-value budget pric-ing across all properties. The prop-erties will have solar rooftop andwind turbines to generate greenenergy and the buildings will havehigh LEEDs rating as it is built onmodular technology, thereby sig-nificantly reducing the carbonfootprint, Punnose said.

"We are planing to increase ouroperating inventory levels to 300rooms in fiscal year 2014-15 andrapidly scale up the roll out of thefranchises across the country thisyear. We have identified issuesrelated to Indian hotel sector andhave definitive plans to mitigatethem to deliver uniform guestexperience and value for money ina professional manner across allour properties," said Jay Krishnan,CEO, Eco Hotels UK Plc.

BJP identifies tourism sectorsability to empower youth

nce blue chip CentralPublic Sector Enterprises(CPSEs) like BSNL, Air

India, Hindustan Cables Ltd andFertiliser Corporation of Indiatoday stand testimony as to hownot changing with the changingtimes and technology could changetheir fate and turn them into sickunits. However, there has beenalways a silver lining in this regardas the government has been relent-lessly making efforts to revivemaximum number of sick publicsector units (PSUs) to take thecountry's growth engine forward.This was possible with the help ofrevival packages provided by thegovernment to these units. Withthis aim, the Government set upthe Board for Reconstruction ofPublic Sector Enterprises(BRPSE) to advise the govern-ment, inter-alia, on the measures torestructure/revive, both industrialand non-industrial CPSEs. Sincethen cases of around 67 sick

CPSEs have been referred toBRPSE up to December 2013, outof which the Board has made rec-ommendations in respect of 62cases, while returning five cases tothe concerned ministries for fur-ther examination.

No wonder, there has been sig-nificant improvement in the over-all condition of these enterprisessince 2004. In comparison to 90sick CPSEs in March 2005, therewere 66 sick PSUs in December2013. As per the BRPSE recom-mendations, of these cases, 45were accepted for revival by theGovernment. Most of the remain-ing cases are awaiting nod forrevival while in case of 45 casesaccepted for revival, 14 havealready turned around includingBharat Pumps and Compressors,Cement Corporation of India,HEC, Andrew Yule and MECONand making profits while othershave been infused with revivalpackages.

COMMERCE

Nursing sick unitsback to healthO T

E

10 MAY 5 TO MAY 11, 2014 (MP & CG)

Mumbai: MumbaiIndians skipper

Rohit Sharmatoday defended

his teammateKieron Pollard

and said the uglyspat involving the

West Indianand

Royal

Challengers Bangalore`s Mitchell Starchappened in the heat of the moment andwon`t be repeated. The incident tookplace here on May 6. "We all have spo-ken to him. I thought whatever hap-pened, happened in the heat of thegame. Nobody wants to ruin the spiritof the game. It happened and we havespoken about it and we have to moveforward now," Sharma said on the eve

of the IPL defending champions` clashagainst two-time former winnersChennai Super Kings at the WankhedeStadium. "Pollard, we know is anaggressive player. He didn`t do any-thing purposely. As a captain it was myduty to explain or tell him what sort ofbehaviour you should have on field. Wehave had a word with him and he isokay with that. Hopefully he will notrepeat such mistakes," he told reporters.The incident referred to was Pollardcharging with the bat at Australian left-arm pacer Starc after the latter deliv-ered the ball to him despite the batsmanhaving backed off from the crease. Itwas a despicable incident as Pollardhad advanced menacingly at Starcbefore throwing his bat which,luckily,hit the turf well away from thebowler. Starc was fined 50 per cent ofhis match fees while Pollard was fined75 per cent. On tomorrow`s gameagainst formidable rivals Chennai,Sharma said it will be a very intensecontest between two top sides.

Pollard has been spoken to afterugly spat with Starc: Rohit Sharma

Convicted German bankerGerhard Gribkowsky, a key witnessin the corruption trial of BernieEcclestone, told a court on Fridaythat the Formula One boss offeredhim a $10 million bribe in 2004.Questioned for several hours at theMunich hearing, Gribkowsky saidthe motoring magnate had offeredhim the multi-million dollar bribe inorder to resolve a legal dispute linkedto the sale of Formula One rights.

Gribkowsky was risk manager atBayernLB bank at the time, whichwas the biggest shareholder ofFormula One but Bernie Ecclestonehad a veto with a "golden share". TheGerman bank had decided to chal-lenge that veto in court. According toGribkowsky`s testimony, Ecclestone,in 2004, proposed during a telephoneconversation to give Gribkowsky themoney "to abandon the legal

process". Gribkowsky, on his firstday of evidence, told the court that heinformed his bosses and police aboutthe offer, despite there never being aninvestigation into this latest allega-tion of bribery.

He also claimed that he wasoffered a second bribe of $80 millionin Singapore, which appeared to takethe court by surprise. "And you aretelling us this now, like this?" said

Judge Peter Noll, who adjourned thehearing until next Tuesday.Ecclestone, 83, is accused of payingGribkowsky $44 million (32 millioneuros) in 2006 and 2007 to ensure hiscontinued grip on the motor sportsempire he had built up over fourdecades. Ecclestone, who has plead-ed not guilty, faces a maximum jailterm of 10 years if he is found guilty.He admits making the $44 millionpayment (32 million euros) not as abribe but as hush money after ablackmail attempt.

Prosecutors charge that themoney was a bribe meant to ensureBayernLB sold its shares toEcclestone`s preferred bidder, CVCCapital Partners of Britain, now thesport`s majority shareholder. TheGerman was sentenced to eight-and-a-half years in prison in 2012 afterbeing convicted of corruption in rela-tion to the money.

A u s t r a l i awill throw moremoney at topmedal prospectsto prepare forthe 2016 RioOlympics afterthe sports-mad nationslumped to its worst medaltally in 20 years at theLondon Games. Sports min-ister Peter Dutton said 650 ofAustralia`s best athleteswould benefit from a newlydesigned program that real-locates A$1.6 million ($1.5million) directly to thebrightest medal hopes andemerging talents. That wouldcome from a re-designedDirect Athlete Support(DAS) program of A$48 mil-lion over four years, Duttonsaid in a statement. Themeans-tested scheme would

mean the topmedal prospectscould be in linefor up to a 30percent hike infunding, he said."More directfunding throughthe Australian

Institute of Sport for poten-tial Olympic, Paralympicand Commonwealth Gamesmedallists is an importantpart of Australia`s plan toremain on the podium ofworld sport," Dutton said.Australia has traditionallypunched above its weight atthe Olympics, finishing sixthin the medals table at the2008 Beijing Games andfourth at Athens and Sydney,but the 10th-placed haul atLondon prompted localmedia to slam sports author-ities for wasting taxpayers`money.

SPORTS

Ecclestone accusedof '$10 million' bribe

Australia to splashcash on Olympicmedal prospects

Melbourne

Munich

11 MAY 5 TO MAY 11, 2014 (MP & CG)GLAMOUR

Have no differenceswith Karan Johar: Kajol

ctress Kajol denied reports claiming she had differ-ences with her friend and filmmaker Karan Joharpost her appearance on his talk show "Koffee With

Karan".When asked about it, she said: "No differences at allwith Karan Johar." Kajol, who cut down her movie assign-ments post motherhood, will next be seen in her home pro-duction and added: "I have confirmed this news before andyes, I am doing that project."

A

Jimmy Shergill gets serious

nown for his cute and chocolaty looks, actorJimmy Shergill has essayed several roles withease. However, now he's becoming serious, as he'slooking to shed his boyish image for Akshay

Kumar's next Fugly. The youth entertainer flick is looking to give Jimmy's

image a complete turnaround and will show him as outrightbad boy villain. The actor, who is eagerly waiting for Fugly,said, "When I heard the narration, I could sense that the storywas inspired from real life.

K

Sonakshi follows andcopies Jacqueline

Ranbir Kapoor and Kareena Kapoor Khanscousin Armaan Jains debut films trailer a hit!

ome years ago when Jacqueline Fernandez createdher Twitter handle naming "aslijacqueline" shehardly realized that it will make another

Bollywood dame go for it. Now, we hear Sonakshi Sinhahas created an account on twitter which is called"alsisona". Not only this, Jacqueline, who recently post-

ed a picture of herself with a hula hoop onInstagram, seems to have inspired

Sonakshi too, who has put a similarpicture on her account, giving fuel

to speculations that Sonakshi isaping Jacqueline. However,both the actors are not talkingabout the trend. A source

said it wasn't a planned move oranything and it's juts a coinci-

dence. Jacqueline buy goodies for herstaff. While shooting for Kick in Poland,Jacqueline made it a point to buy goodiesfor her staff back in Mumbai and cameladen with various gifts for her staff.All of them were quite excited aboutthe goodies that she got for them.

S

aj Kapoors grandson is all set for a Bollywood debut with Lekar Hum Deewana Dil.Ranbir Kapoor and Kareena Kapoor Khans cousin Armaan Jain recently launched thetrailer of his debut film Lekar Hum Deewana Dil at producer Dinesh Vijans residence.Grandson of showman Raj Kapoor and son of Reema Jain, Armaan Jain has set his foot

in the Hindi film industry. Southern babe Deeksha also marks her first film alongside Armaan.Lekar Hum Deewana Dil has been directed by Arif Ali, Imitiaz Alis brother and therefore thefirst trailer gives you the feel of Imtiazs first film Socha Na Tha. AR Rahman has composed themusic of the film, which is touted to be very upbeat, young and vibrant. The music definitely hasa wave of freshness to it and is like nothing that we have heard before. The trailer of the film isdoing really well on video sharing platforms and social media networks. The trailer has goneviral on the internet and is being well received by the industry insiders and the audiences. Seeingthis it seems that Armaan will definitely have a grand opening at the box office. An entertainer

for the youth by the youth, Lekar Hum Deewana Dil,is all about making mistakes and growing up as ittakes audiences through the journey of two friendswho take decisions, face consequences and learnfrom them. It reflects the act first, think later senti-ments of todays youth and how relationships failover unrealistic expectations. The star studded trailerlaunch was attended by Anahita, Homi Adjania,Arjun Kapoor, Huma Quereshi, Sunil Lulla andPritam. Eros International and Saif Ali KhansIlluminati Films have produced the film Lekar HumDeewana Dil directed by Arif Ali. The film is all setto hit theatres on July 4, 2014. Will the success of theKapoor khandaan be repeated by Armaan or not?Will Arif Ali be as good as his brother Imtiaz? Onlytime will tell us the answer to the two.

R

ix captive-bred gharials

were satellite-tagged and released in the RiverGandak, bordering Valmiki Tiger Reserve, Bihar,as part of the restocking of this critically-endan-

gered reptile in the wild. This is the first time ever thatgharials have been satellite-tagged. The initiative wasundertaken by the Bihar Forest Department in collabo-ration with Wildlife Trust of India (WTI). The gharials,five females and a male, were sourced from SanjayGandhi Biological Park, Patna.

Since 1940s, there has been a drastic decline ingharial population, dropping 96% from 5000-10000individuals to less than 200 in the 1970s. The currentpopulation stands at less than 200 mature individuals inIndia and less than 35 in Nepal, and presumably extinctin Pakistan, Bangladesh and Bhutan.

Basheer Ahmad Khan, Principal Chief Conservatorof Forests, Bihar said, This is just the beginning; welook forward to expand this project if current restockingis successful. We will also research if we can restockgharials in other rivers of Bihar as well.

Congratulating the team, Vivek Menon, ExecutiveDirector WTI, said, Gharials present another oppor-tunity for India to showcase its leadership in wildlife

conservation. These reptiles are at great risk of extinc-tion, and we are proud to be associated with theirrevival efforts. The initiative entailed screening of thesix individuals, physical marking and tagging withsatellite transmitters for post-release monitoring, beforerelease into River Gandak.

BC Choudhury, Senior Advisor, WTI, under whoseguidance the tagging and restocking happened, quoted,Restocking of gharial is not new, what is new is tag-ging and restocking gharial with satellite tag which isfirst for India and also for the species. Indias gharialsconservation program was initiated from a clutch ofeggs originating from River Gandak in early 1970s.Now returning them back to the wild is the programcoming full circle. A Rapid Action Project supported

by WTI and surveys by other agencies reflects presenceof around 20-25 gharials in the River Gandak. To enrichthe natural population, a restocking project was initiat-ed by the Forest Department following discussions inthe State Wildlife Board meeting in 2012, chaired by theChief Minister, Nitish Kumar.

Samir Kumar Sinha, WTIs Regional Head, Biharsaid, In Bihar, gharials have been seen only in theRiver Gandak and at some stretches of River Ganga. Toselect the most suitable and safe release site for thegharials, we conducted a survey and identified fewlocations based on characteristics such as river channel,bank substratum and anthropogenic influences at suchlocations. A long stretch of the River Gandak in itsupper reaches is less disturbed as it falls within ValmikiTiger Reserve (Bihar) and Sohagi Barwa WildlifeSanctuary (Uttar Pradesh). So, we selected this stretchas the release site.

Gharial is listed as Critically Endangered speciesin the IUCN Red List and under Schedule I of IndianWildlife (Protection) Act. It is one of the largest livingcrocodilian which can grow up to six metres in lengthand weigh up to 160 kgs. Its snout is designed to eat fishonly and it got its name from the bulbous nasalappendage which grows on males during adulthood.

In a major boost to coastalbiodiversity conservation pro-grammes in the country, aninternational agency has setaside around Rs 80 crore forsustainable management ofeight coastal and marine pro-tected areas through a five-yearproject.

Maharashtra has the biggestshare with three project sites Thane creek, Ansure creek andVelas-Dabhol coast inRatnagiri district.

The Maharashtra ForestDepartment (MFD) willreceive technical assistancefrom the agency for preserva-tion the biodiversity of theseecologically important areas.At the sites, Gesellschaft frInternationale Zusammenarbeit(GIZ) will conduct baselinestudies and research and comeup with management plans anddevelop strategies for viableincome-generation pro-grammes for the locals depen-dant on this biodiversity fortheir livelihood.

The GIZ project wouldenable eco-tourism and man-grove regeneration along theThane creek. MFD is likely tostart motorboat-enabled wet-land tourism near the northernpart of the Vashi bridge andemploy locals as guides, anMFD official said. It has been

decided that a steering commit-tee will be formed to devise aplan to find a solution to thepollution of Thane creek. Thecommittee would include offi-cials from the MaharashtraPollution Control Board, fish-eries department, maritimeboard and members from non-governmental organisations.

We hope this project willprovide a launching pad for theclean-up of the Thane creek.We have planned to bringtogether important stakeholdersto devise strategies to clean thecreek and implement other con-servation programmes. We aredoing this to ensure our pro-gramme will continue evenafter this project ends, said NVasudevan, chief conservatorof forests, mangrove cell, whois the nodal officer appointedby the MFD for this project.The actual visible effects of thisproject will only be seen onlyafter a few years, he added.

Meanwhile, dolphin-watch-ing tours and tours through tur-tle-nesting sites will beginalong the Velas-Dabhol coast.The MFD will also arrange forhome stays at this site.

Mussels and oysters farm-ing, crab farming, honey farm-ing will begin near the Ansurecreek to engage locals in theconservation activities.

12 MAY 5 TO MAY 11, 2014 (MP & CG)

Owned Printed and Puplished byM.M. Baig. Printed at lucky, 267, Pragati Nagar, Shahanshah garden, Bhopal (MP) and published from H.No. 101, A Sector Indrapuri BHEL, Ward No. 63, Dist. Bhopal- 462021, M.P.

Tele/FAX 0755-4292545, Mob. 9425029901 [email protected] RNI No. MPENG/2012/46415 Editor: M.M. BAIG- Responsible for selection of News & Articles under PRB Act, Subject to Bhopal jurisdiction

Patna (Bihar)

S

New Delhi: The governments been left red-faced. At least 45 crucial files related to policy mat-ters and industrial projects have gone missing fromthe environment ministry (MoEF). Most of thesefiles were processed when Jayanthi Natarajan andVeerappa Moily were environment ministers.

The missing files have also attracted the atten-tion of the countrys premier investigating agency,the CBI. CBI officers met ministry officials at leasttwice last month. A source said the officers willagain meet ministry officials this month. Among themissing files is one on the Mundra Port of GautamAdani-led Adani Ports & Special Economic Zone(APSEZ) in Gujarats Kutch district.

The ministry is still to formally find out which orhow many files are missing. Sources say if this isdone the number would go up considerably. Wecame to know of these 45 missing files when wewanted to go through them for official reasons, asenior ministry official said.

He, however, went on the defensive saying themissing files would not affect any major policy deci-sion or ministrys action for or against any indus-trial group.

Also, the official stressed that the CBI did notinquire about the missing files. They wanted toknow about the delay in processing files, and thealleged corrupt practices prevalent in the ministry...

They said they will come again, maybe after elec-tions. But it seems they were not clear about whatthey actually wanted to know.

A CBI source said the agency is likely to start aformal inquiry into the matter after the elections. Itwould mainly focus on files that have gone missingover the years from the ministry. There could be adeliberate attempt on part of some of the ministryofficials to misplace or destroy files for various ben-efits, a CBI officer said. In Gautam Adanis case,the ministry is left with a photocopy of the originalfile, which may not be considered authentic if anyaction is to be taken in the matter.

We needed to look into Adanis file in view of acomplaint regarding some violation of rules at theMundra project. But we could not take any actionbecause the original file is missing, another min-istry official said. He, however, quickly added thatthe violation was minor. We are now thinking ofhow to use the information available in the photo-copy.

As of April 2014, environmental and coastal reg-ulatory zone clearances for one of the facilities pro-posed by APSEZ at the Mundra port have beenwithheld by the ministrys experts appraisal com-mittee. It has sought a detailed action plan. In anattempt to control further damage, the ministry hasstarted to digitise all its records to rid its tradition-al fifth floor store room of files at ParyavaranBhavan. But digitisation may also help the environ-ment ministry to know how many more files havegone missing.

Boost to protection ofcoastal and marine areas

Mumbai

NATION

Captive bred gharials released in river Gandak

With only few days left toUPA govt, crucial filesdisappear from MoEF

-S. ManiEmail: [email protected]