Dilip Kumar's ancestral home in Pak declared national heritage

Updated on : 14-07-2014 08:49 AM

Legendary actor Dilip Kumar's ancestral home has been declared as a national heritage and Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has ordered authorities to acquire the dilapidated property, a move he hopes would bring Pakistan and India closer.

Sharif has already approved an order in this regard and sent it to Information Ministry, which has forwarded it to director general Pakistan National Council of Arts (PNCA) for implementation, an official statement said. After acquiring Kumar's home the government is planning to convert it into a museum. Kumar's 130 square metre home is located in Peshawar's famous Qisa Khawani Bazaar area and is in a shabby condition. Acting Director General PNCA Mashood Mirza confirmed that the council has received the order from Information Ministry with the instruction to implement it as soon as possible. He said at present somebody had been illegally occupying the house, who claimed to be a relative of Kumar, but is not his relative. Sharif had ordered the authorities concerned to complete the task as soon as possible. The government is planning to invite 91-year-old Kumar and other members of his family after converting the house into a museum. The chief secretary Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has forwarded a report to the federal government and requested it to take steps for acquiring Kumar's home and declare it a national heritage. Sources said Sharif believes the project would play an important role to bring people of Pakistan and India closer. Sharif approved the order and sent it to information ministry on Thursday and the ministry marked it to DG PNCA on Friday, instructing him to start work on it. Sources said Sharif was eager to promote the cultural relationship between India and Pakistan. He met with the representatives of Indian film industry in his last visit to India. Dilip Kumar was born Yusuf Khan in Peshawar. In the late 1930s, his family relocated to Mumbai. The Prime Minister's decision is testimony to the enormous importance Pakistan attaches to promoting art and culture by paying tribute to living legends like Dilip Kumar whose contributions to the sub continent cinema are unparalleled, an official said.

Warship damaged in mishap, Navy orders probe

Govt slaps USD 579 mn additional penalty on RIL

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Govt slaps USD 579 mn additional penalty on RIL

By sagarmedia on July 14, 2014 | Edit

The government has slapped an additional penalty of USD 579 million on Reliance Industries for producing less than targeted natural gas from its KG-D6 block, Oil Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said.

With this, the total penalty on RIL for missing the target in four fiscal years beginning 1st April 2010 now stands at a cumulative USD 2.376 billion, the Minister informed the Lok Sabha on Monday.

The penalty is in the form of disallowing costs incurred. The Production Sharing Contract (PSC) allows RIL and its partners BP Plc and Niko Resources to deduct all capital and operating expenses from the sale of gas before sharing profit with the government.

Disallowing costs will result in government’s profit share rising by USD 195 million from 2010-11 to 2013-14, he said.

In a written reply to a question, Pradhan said gas output from the Dhirubhai-1 and 3 gas field in the eastern offshore KG-D6 block was supposed to be 80 million standard cubic meters per day but actual production was only 35.33 mmscmd in 2011-12, 20.88 mmscmd in 2012-13 and 9.77 mmscmd in 2013-14. This year the output has been only 8.05 mmscmd.

His ministry on 10th July issued a notice disallowing USD 579 million in cost for output lagging targets in 2013-14.

The government had previously issued a notice to RIL disallowing a total of USD 1.797 billion in costs for falling short of production during 2010-11 (USD 457 million), 2011-12 (USD 548 million) and 2012-13 (USD 792 million).

Pradhan said the issue is currently under arbitration.

“The Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas has also raised a claim of additional profit petroleum to the tune of USD 115 million to be paid by the contractor, on account of disallowance of cumulative contract costs of USD 1.797 billion, till 2012-13,” he said.

After including cost disallowance in 2013-14, the total additional profit petroleum claimed from RIL comes to USD 195 million, he said.

“GAIL and Chennai Petroleum (who buy oil and gas produced from KG-D6 block) have been directed to remit the sale proceed of crude oil/condensate/natural gas from KG-DWN-98/3 (KG-D6) block which falls due immediately into the Government account so as to recover an amount of USD 115,263,612 at the rate of 50 per cent by each company and deposit the same with the government,” he said.

The Minister said RIL had put up production facilities to produce 80 mmscmd of gas but “has failed to adhere to the approved field development plan in terms of drilling and putting on stream the required number of wells.”

His ministry and its technical arm DGH blames non- drilling of committed wells for the production lagging targets while RIL and its partners say unexpected geological complexities like sand and water ingress led to output fall.

Ukraine clashes kill 15 civilians,

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Escalating clashes between pro-Kremlin separatists and Ukrainian forces on Monday killed 15 civilians and forced the new Western-backed leader to cancel a pivotal meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the World Cup in Brazil.An explosive security crisis just outside the eastern border of the European Union that has claimed more than 550 lives and inflamed East-West relations threatened to spiral into an all-out civil war over the weekend.Militias that the West and Kiev allege are being armed by the Kremlin used a Grad multiple-rocket system late Friday to mow down 19 Ukrainian soldiers and wound nearly 100 near the Russian border.Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said in a statement issued after phone talks with EU Council President Herman van Rompuy that he wanted the West to condemn “attacks by Russian soldiers of positions held by Ukrainian servicemen”.

Poroshenko’s statement provided no details of the alleged attack, nor did he indicate whether he was referring to the Grad incident. Further attacks have since killed 18 more troops and 23 civilians — 15 of them in what Kiev said were missile and other overnight rebel strikes staged across the eastern rustbelt — in violence that appeared to shatter any hope of a truce.

Kiev-backed authorities said nine people were killed and at least eight wounded in a suburb of the almost million-strong rebel stronghold of Donetsk.

Municipal workers in neighbouring Lugansk said six people had also died and seven were injured in various incidents in the other separatist bastion of 425,000.

Separatist commander Igor Strelkov said Ukrainian forces responded by sending dozens of tanks to the outskirts of Lugansk in preparation for a possible invasion.

But a spokesman for Ukraine’s eastern military campaign said footage aired on Russian state TV of two tanks moving through the Russian border city “was designed to sow panic” and denied that they belonged to government troops.

The civilian toll is one of the highest recorded over a two-day span in a three-month conflict that has threatened the very survival of the strategic ex-Soviet state.

And the military losses have profoundly dampened emerging hopes in Kiev that its recent string of battlefield successes had finally convinced the rebels to sue for peace.

Poroshenko has vowed to kill “hundreds” of gunmen for every lost soldier and ordered an airtight military blockade of Lugansk and Donetsk — both self-proclaimed capitals of their own “People’s Republics”.

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Categories : Politics

Textiles Minister Inaugurates 53rd India International Garment Fair

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Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Textiles Shri Santosh Kumar Gangwar today here inaugurated the 53rd India International Garment Fair. Speaking during the inauguration, Shri Gangwar said that India has a significant advantage of a young population offering huge potential for a demographic dividend. “The apparel sector, being the highest employment provider after agriculture, especially for women and the other weaker section of society, has a much bigger role and responsibility to play.”

Expressing happiness over the inauguration of the biggest garment fair in South Asia, Shri Gangwar said “this fair will provide the much-needed opportunity to source garment from India. The whole world is looking at us with hope. This sector, which yields rich dividend in terms of forex earnings by exports and highest employment potential, has received attention at the highest level.” Shri Gangwar also informed the audience that the Hon’ble Prime Minister has reviewed the performance of the sector and “attaches high importance to it”.

Secretary Textiles Smt. Zohra Chatterji in her address said that due to the initiatives taken by the Textiles Minister, “the Budget saw an increase in the duty free entitlement for import of trimmings, embellishments and other specified items from three percent to five percent of the value of their exports for apparel sector.”

Shri Virender Uppal, Chairman AEPC during the inauguration stated that, “the 53rd IIGF has attracted 416 buyers, which are divided almost 50:50 between the traditional and non- traditional market. This is an indication that the buyers from the non-traditional markets have started showing faith and see India to be a safe and compliant destination for sourcing garments. Exploring and engaging with the non-traditional market is the need of the hour, because most of them are emerging economies and are willing to source their requirements from India. Our strategy is to synergize the complementarities and harmonize our expertise and resources for optimal results. However, in no way we would undermine the traditional markets as they constitute the major share of our export basket”.

Buyers from across the globe including Brazil, UK, USA, Turkey, South Africa, Russia, Poland, Japan, UAE, Australia, Hong Kong, UK, Spain, Australia, etc. are visiting in the fair. The big buyers includes One Jeanswear Group from USA, Grupo Hotelshops, Mexico, Alpelo Conf. E.com Ltd from Brazil, OSP Group (Red Cat) from USA, Cape Union Mart from South Africa, PJSC Melon Fashion Group from Russia, The Original Factory Shop from UK, Cortefiel from Spain, Lulu International from UAE, etc. 416 numbers of buyers from 59 counties have confirmed their visit to the fair.

This event also has exhibitors from across the length and breadth of India, including Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Mumbai, West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Bangalore, Orissa and Punjab.

To showcase the range of design and emerging fashion trends fashion shows shall be held twice a day during all the three day fair. The Best Display Award Function would also be held on 15th July, 2014 where three Trophies – Gold, Silver and Bronze and six Certificates of merit would be given to the best displayed stalls during the fair.

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Categories : Business

Inflation dips to 5.43 percent in June 

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Updated on : 14-07-2014 01:56 PM

After rising to a five-month high in May, inflation dipped to 5.43 percent in June mainly on account of decline in prices of food items and vegetables with the exception of potato and onion.

It was at 5.16 percent a year ago in June 2013. As per the Wholesale Price Index (WPI) inflation, prices of vegetables as a category declined by 5.89 percent during the month, while that of potato and onion soared by 42.51 percent and 10.70 percent respectively in the wholesale market.

Inflation had soared to a five-month high of 6.01 per cent in May 2014. Among other important items, prices of sugar and edible oils fell by 2.09 percent and 0.75 percent respectively during June.

The food items that became expensive during the month include fruits (up 21.40 percent), followed by milk (10.82 percent), egg, meat and fish (10.27 percent) and rice (10.24 percent).

The inflation of food items as a category, however, continued to remain high at 8.14 percent during the month and will continue to be a cause of concern for the government which is gearing up to meet the impact of poor monsoon on the price situation.

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Categories : Business

Lok Sabha passes TRAI Amendment Bill 

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Lok Sabha on Monday passed the TRAI amendment bill 2014 by voice vote.

The war over the amendment in Trai act has begun with the protests by the Trinamool Congress on Friday when the government introduced a Bill in the Lok Sabha in this regard.

The government seeks removal of the legal hurdles in the appointment of the former TRAI chairman Nripendra Misra as the Principal Secretary to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

An Ordinance was promulgated on 28th May appointing Misra to the post.There is no hurdle in passage of the bill in Lok Sabha as the ruling alliance has sufficient number in the house.

But the government faces serious opposition in the Upper House Rajya Sabha as the ruling alliance NDA is not in the majority and will have to take support from the opposition .

The BJP will have to negotiate with non-UPA parties to seek their support for the Bill in the Rajya Sabha.

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Categories : Media, Politics

China’s art of war- An opinion of former Union minister Manish Tewari

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China’s art of war
The Asian Age — Jul 12, 2014
An opinion  of Manish Tewari
The Chinese leadership has demonstrated the will, erroneously, to leverage its comprehensive national power and ignore international opprobrium in pursuit of its territorial designs
Why did the Chinese-government approved Hunan Map Press and the Hubei Bureau of Surveying Mapping and Geo-Information suddenly decide to issue a map that shows Arunachal Pradesh, Aksai Chin and parts of the Karakorum tracts as integral parts of China?
The fact that the atlas was issued when a delegation led by the vice-president of India was in that country to commemorate the 60th anniversary of Panchsheel, the five principles of peaceful co-existence, makes it all the more disquieting. Concurrently, China violated Indian land and airspace in Pangong Tso and Chushul region of Ladakh respectively. An infelicitous coincidence or a deliberate design?
Provocation and harmony cannot go in tandem. However, as the Chinese philosopher Sun Tzu said, “The supreme art of war is to subdue the enemy without fighting”.
It is not the first time that the Chinese leadership has shown utter disregard for Indian sensitivities. Way back in 1979, while the then external affairs minister Atal Behari Vajpayee was on a visit to that country, China invaded Vietnam, compelling Mr Vajpayee to cancel his visit and return home.

Intriguingly in June this year, another Chinese mapping authority, Sino Mass Press, ostensibly issued a new map of that country showing 80 per cent of the South China Sea as internal Chinese waters. Earlier, in 1995, in pursuit of historical if not mythological claims, China had occupied Mischief Reef, and in 2012 it had seized Scarborough shoal both in the South China Sea and regarded as Philippines territory. The hard ball it played with Japan in September 2010 on the Senkaku/Diaoyutai Islands dispute still riles the region.

Why do nations indulge in creative cartography? Maps denote the renewal of a nation’s persona and identity. In the case of China, the politico-strategic leadership has always believed that the past two centuries, because of the imperial occupation of large parts of Asia, do not represent the natural order of things. It therefore invokes annals and ancient narratives to lay substantial claims on foreign territories. This is then further reinforced by conjectural cartography that bestows upon itself expansive latitude in delineating national boundaries to substantiate these abstract entitlements. Not only do they celebrate the extent of China’s eminent domain, but also mourn the loss of national territories.

With the economic rise of China and the consequential influence it wields, even militarily, in the region, it has developed a hazardous propensity to try and correct perceived historical injustices. While rewriting history has its own perils, gerrymandering is a sure recipe for disaster. However, the Chinese leadership has demonstrated the will, erroneously, to leverage its comprehensive national power and ignore international opprobrium in pursuit of its territorial designs. The power play in the South & East China Sea cannot but help the obvious conclusion that map making in China is a precursor to the more ominous actions that follow.
What are the lessons that India ought to draw from this latest provocation as well as the continual stand off on the border question over the decades? To understand the issue beyond the fact that the Line of Actual Control (LAC) is repeatedly transgressed under the subterfuge that it is inconsistent with the perception line that both the countries have of their respective borders, a peep into the past to discern mindsets shaped by national narratives is imperative.
Both India and China in their current avatars came into existence in 1947 and 1949 respectively. While Indian Independence was the result of a pacifist struggle against imperialism led by Mahatma Gandhi and his colleagues, the Chinese state was born out of a violent and protracted armed struggle led by Mao Zedong and his comrades. Though the Mao years were repudiated by Deng Xiaoping in 1978, the fundamental reality that got embedded in the Chinese psyche was deference for and a reverence to strength. While there may be a lot of economic liberalism on display — it is glorious to be rich, and have Weibo, the Chinese Twitter — at its core China remains a hard state. Historical mores and contemporary milieus shape the worldview of nation states. They invariably view other countries through that prism.
A classic manifestation of this truism is that notwithstanding the magniloquence that Asian affairs should be left to Asians, China has never challenged the claim of the United States of being an Asian power. China recognises that with its hub and spoke network of military alliances and now the Asian pivot, the US is the balancer of the first and last resort in the Asia-Pacific region. Strength begets respect.

It therefore should come as no surprise that whenever a change of government takes place in New Delhi, the Chinese state would be tempted to probe the temperament, will and resolve of the new dispensation, especially now since the current Prime Minister had stated during the parliamentary election campaign in Pasighat, Arunachal Pradesh, that “no power on earth can take away even an inch from India. Moreover the present world does not accept an expansionist attitude. Times have changed; China should give up its expansionist attitude and adopt a developmental mindset”. Now contrast this with the rather lackadaisical response of the new government to the cartographic aggression stating, “Cartographic depictions do not change the reality on the ground”. Can it then be concluded that the BJP government is nonchalant about misrepresentation of Indian territory on the atlases of the world?

Coupled with this is the fact that no firm message was given by the new government to the visiting Chinese foreign minister despite the bombast of the BJP while in Opposition on the issue of border intrusions, stapled visas etc. This perhaps served to consolidate the impression in the minds of our north-eastern neighbour that this government is unwilling to walk its tough talk.
This would have implications in the immediate future on a broad range of bilateral and multilateral issues germane to both the countries. Nothing can be more damaging than the impression that the party in government is blasé about its past utterances.
In addition to the international repercussions, back home it only reinforces the growing perception that has been created over the past one month — that the words and actions of this government are two parallel tracks not destined to meet.
The writer is a lawyer and a former Union minister. The views expressed are personal. Twitter handle @manishtewari

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Categories : Media, Opinion

SP: BJP intended to prevent development 

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Samajwadi Party

19 hrs  · 

BJP’s conspiracy law messing up being the last 02 years. Never ever any alleged name circled in Ayodhya agitation on issues like violence and sabotage has become his nature. Do not hesitate to attack them in the media.
Meanwhile, BJP leader and undemocratic power-drunk Mdand be unethical to conduct further. Socialist government and unrestrained unsubstantiated allegations are engaged in efforts to mislead the public. BJP leader ego forgot the dignity of language and political courtesy. Sometimes the serpent – the serpent in the role of administrative officers tend to be sometimes violent nature of his open hostility to perform proclaimed. It is evident that the fascist character. It is undemocratic act.
A 0 Q 0 Socialist government is under development agenda. The overall growth in the state is on the fast road map.Unexpected ways to power the center intoxication of power has got to his head. They elected constitutional majority in that plot against the socialist government has Lgee. For this, they resort to violent agitation to disturb the atmosphere of the state is to create a storm.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav socialist government enjoys public confidence. BJP pervert the law and those who engaged in conspiracies to spread instability in the state, the public will respond to the precipice. BJP – R 0 S 0 S 0 and Hmsngi BSP and their motivations are inimical to the progress of all state everlasting peace, social harmony and goodwill hurt Phuॅchane is upset. The chaotic activities by the Socialist government of laws and strictly forbidden anywhere in the state BJP would not allow violence in the guise of movement. Evil intent of the peace-loving people of the state BJP is ready to retort.
(Rajendra Chaudhary)
state spokesman

PRESS INVITATION: 9 a.m. Media Launch of UN Report

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PRESS INVITATION: 9 a.m. Media Launch of UN Report assessing India and South Asia’s Progress on Development Goals – WEDNESDAY, 16 JULY 2014

UNIC India

To k.manoharan@unic.org

Today at 10:07 AM

Press Invitation – For Media Persons only

United Nations Information Centre

cordially invites you to the

media launch

of

UN Secretary-General’s 2014 Report on

MILLENNIUM DEVELOPMENT GOALS

at 9 a.m. on Wednesday, 16 July 2014

(Early launch to avoid conflict with Parliament’s timings!)

VENUE: UN Conference Hall, 55 Lodi Estate, New Delhi-110 003

CHIEF GUEST:

Dr. Najma Heptulla

Union Minister of Minority Affairs, Government of India

The Report will be presented to the press by

Dr. Jayati Ghosh

Professor of Economics, Jawaharlal Nehru University

Ms. Lise Grande, UN Resident Coordinator

will reflect on MDG challenges and opportunities for India.

Mrs. Kiran Mehra-Kerpelman,

Director, UN Information Centre for India and Bhutan

will chair the launch.

The Secretary-General’s MDG Report is an annual global report card on how countries and regions of the world have fared in delivering on the urgent and time-bound promises made in the Millennium Declaration that sought to reduce global poverty, hunger, illiteracy, infant and maternal mortality, and pledged to create strategies for better gender equality, a cleaner environment and health for all.

RSVP: unic.india@unic.org; Phone: 46532242

Please carry a Press Photo ID with you to facilitate your entry into the UN Premises; 

You will have to trade the Photo ID at our security desk for the visitor’s pass; and follow standard security procedures.

RAJIV CHANDRAN

National Information Officer

United Nations Information Centre for India and Bhutan

55 Lodi Estate, New Delhi-110003, INDIA

Phone:  91-11-4653-2237

mobile:  98106-06833

www.unic.org.in

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