New Delhi/Jalandhar, July 1, 2013: Director CBI Ranjit Sinha today inaugurated the Integrated Investigative Capacity Building and Operational Planning Programme for Asian Big Cat related Crimes in South Asia, at the CBI Headquarters, New Delhi. The CBI in collaboration with Interpol’s Environmental Crime Programme, has organised the 5 day workshop , which is being attended by participants from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, China, Bhutan, Maldives, Pakistan, Nepal and Sri Lanka.  

Addressing the participants Director CBI Ranjit Sinha said that the CBI has played an important role in tackling poaching by revealing the activities of a highly organised and extensive network of poachers actively operating in Sariska Wildlife Park during 2002 to 2005. Sinha said that illegal wildlife poaching networks have crossed border linkages, and emphasised that, to effectively counter these, greater coordination between intelligence agencies and law enforcement agencies transcending national boundaries is required.

The  Director CBI stressed upon the need to save the Asian Big Cat  and said that saving the tiger amounts to saving the eco-system which is crucial to man’s own survival. He stated that ‘Project Tiger’ launched by India was instrumental in bringing the tiger back from the brink of extinction, and  hoped that this training programme will  help law enforcement  agencies of the region to come together for a robust and far-reaching partnership to combat illegal wildlife trafficking.

Representatives from the Interpol, WWF-India and USA-AID also addressed the inaugural session, which was graced by senior officers of the CBI, wildlife conservationists and representatives from the Ministry of Environment and Forests. The Wildlife Crime Control Bureau in India, National Tiger Conservation Authority and TRAFFIC India are partners in this workshop.

This programme to be held from July 1 to 5, 2013 includes sessions on New Initiatives in Tiger Poaching, Trends in Seizures, Tiger Genome Projects, Effective Prosecution of Wildlife Crimes, Wildlife Forensics and Investigating Wildlife Smugglers. The sessions will be addressed by experts in wildlife crime, Interpol and CBI officers, forest officers including Directors of Panna and Jim Corbett national Parks, tiger conservationists, senior lawyers specialising in wildlife crime and forensic experts.

Here’s the complete text of Director’s speech-

“My dear Colleagues from CBI, MoEF, NTCA, WCCBMs. loana Botezatu, Asst. Director, Environmental Crime Programme, INTERPOL

General Secretariat,

Distinguished Guests,

Eminent faculty,

Participants of this capacity building programme,

It is indeed my pleasure to have the opportunity to be present here in the inaugural function of the Integrated Investigative Capacity Building and Operational Planning for Asian Big Cat Related Crimes for South Asia.    I am extremely grateful to the officers of WCCB, NTCA, MoEF and TRAFFIC for joining hands with us in conducting this immensely useful training programme. I am also thankful to INTERPOL Environmental Crime Program-me for choosing India to host this event as India happens to be home to hundreds of majestic Asian big cats. India homes nearly half the world-wide population of tigers and thus tiger remains synonymous with India. More importantly, India has four decades of noteworthy experience in Tiger conservation efforts since the days of Project Tiger. I welcome you all to India, the land of the tiger.

Admired and revered for their beauty and vitality, the five species of big cats include tigers, lions, leopards, jaguars, and snow leopards. All are endangered, mainly due to habitat loss, poaching, and dwindling populations of their prey. India is the only place in the world where both lions and tigers reside. The Tiger - Lord of the Indian Jungles, evokes royalty, majesty and power. With its position at top of the ecological pyramids, the tiger is the symbol of India's wealth of wildlife.

The Harappan seals from the Indus valley civilization, dating back to 2500 BC, depict a man sitting on a tree angrily addressing a tiger waiting for him below. It symbolises our culture. The tiger is India's national animal. Tiger is also symbol of wilderness and well-being of the ecosystem. By conserving and saving tigers the entire wilderness ecosystem is conserved. It is not an exaggeration to say that saving tiger amounts to saving the ecosystem which is crucial for man's own survival. The saga of the Tiger in India follows more like a moon-waxing and waning - at times fascinating, distressing, and, more recently, a bit comforting.

India has the maximum number of tigers along with its source areas amongst the 13 tiger range countries in the world. India, with a population of 1.2 billion people, is home to about more than half of the world's Tigers. One can imagine the dimensions of human-animal conflict. Amidst a welter of pressures including the loss and fragmentation of habitat, large scale and organized poaching fostered by an ugly international demand, unregulated mining in tiger landscapes, loss of connectivity between source areas and ever increasing demand on our forests for developmental projects continue to challenge the efforts to save the tiger. Presently, the country's 1706 tigers are scattered across a fragmented system of 43 reserves which are under the governance of seventeen different state governments. The Challenge to protect these is formidable.

The Indian government has always accorded Tiger protection top priority and Project Tiger, one of the world's most successful conservation programmes launched in 1973, has brought the species back from the brink of extinction. This unique project is unparalleled not only in the scale of implementation and but also in its coverage of the diverse habitats. In spite of its outstanding record, the Project and its strategy proved to be inadequate in the face of galloping growth of illegal trade.

In the early 90s, a poaching spree had threatened to undermine the Project. The tragic stories of complete loss of tigers in Ranthambore Tiger reserve in the year 1997 shocked the nation. When the tragedy of the tiger continued to unfold in 2005, this time in Sariska Tiger reserve, the nation was jolted into action. In fact, CBI's investigation revealed the activities of a highly organized and extensive network of poachers actively operating in Sariska during 2002 to 2005. I am happy that these case studies are being presented to the participants of this programme. Considering the urgency of the situation, Project Tiger has been converted into a statutory authority — National Tiger Conservation Authority — by providing enabling provisions in the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972 through an amendment in 2006. In its present dispensation as NTCA, the Project strives to streamline scientific modules of conservation and co-opt communities as responsible stakeholders. People versus animals is being replaced by people for animals and animals for people approaches to life and development. The Government of India constituted another statutory body, the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau in 2007 to complement the efforts of the state governments and other law enforcement agencies of the country. It is heartening to note that NTCA is also raising, arming and deploying of Special Tiger Protection Force (STPF). With this multi agency framework, I sincerely hope we may succeed in conserving our wildlife heritage.

India has nearly 6.5% of the world's known wildlife species, and is one of the mega diverse countries of the world. The global demand for wildlife and its products puts at risk the mega diversity of the country. The most insidious and the immediate threat to the tiger is the illegal trade in its bone and other parts of its body. Wildlife trade is now well entrenched and widespread in India. The low risk of detection, huge profits and numerous cross border trade routes has made illegal trade an increasingly attractive business. The changing market dynamics and the lifestyles make the existing regulatory regimes inadequate in dealing with the wildlife crimes assuming organized status. It calls for coordinated actions in combating the wildlife related crimes including building capacity for scientific and professional investigation along with other measures.

Illegal wildlife trading networks have cross border linkages. To effectively counter this threat we need greater coordination between the intelligence agencies and enforcement agencies transcending national boundaries. India has a Memorandum of Understanding with Nepal on controlling trans-boundary illegal trade in wildlife and conservation, apart from a protocol on tiger conservation with China and Bangladesh. The process is on for bilateral protocol with Bhutan and Myanmar. A sub-group on tiger and leopard conservation has been constituted for cooperation with the Russian Federation. A Global Tiger Forum of Tiger Range Countries has been created for addressing international issues related to tiger conservation. World Bank's Global Tiger Initiative is engaged in efforts to curtail international demand for tiger parts and other wildlife through consumer campaigns that link up the loss of the tiger to larger issues of ecological devastation and biodiversity loss. The problem of demand is one of the most daunting and complex issues facing tiger conservation.

Central Bureau of Investigation is the principal investigation agency of the nation and it has evolved into a multi-faceted, multi-disciplinary law enforcement agency, its role expanding from the corruption cases to other cases viz. - cyber crimes, organized crime including wildlife crimes, narcotics, arms trafficking, arts and antiquities cases, counterfeiting of currencies etc. CBI maintains a robust incident response capability and possesses ability to adjust to emerging and evolving circumstances created by new threats.

Over the years, CBI has acquired sufficient expertise in investigation of cases having inter-State and international ramifications and organized crimes. Investigations into Sariska, provided the Bureau an opportunity to bring the notorious criminals involved in organized wildlife trade to book. We are happy to be part of this noble mission of protecting the Tiger, the greatest living symbol of our natural world. 9.0 In conclusion, let me reiterate that the training programmes of this sort will help the law enforcement and conservation officers of the region to come together and forge robust and far reaching partnerships to combat illegal wildlife trafficking.

 It is significant that representatives of eight South Asian nations and China are taking part in this Interpol and TRAFFIC initiative. I would like to express my sincere appreciation to INTERPOL for taking measures not only to ensure Capacity Building of member countries in this highly specialized area but also to enhance coordination and cooperation and in promoting international cooperation in countering organized wildlife crime. I am confident that all the participants will find this programme a very valuable learning experience.  I trust that this training will add value to our efforts in South Asia to conserve and protect the precious wildlife. I wish all the participants a pleasant stay in India.”

Dharamsala, July 1, 2013: Chairman-cum-MD of BSNL, R K Upadhyay is confident that  BSNL will once again become the leading phone company in India.

Talking to Media at Dharamsala on Monday CMD said, “We lacked behind the other private companies, as we could not purchase  the required equipments in last 4-5 years due to many reasons. Now everything is okay and tenders to purchase has been floated. BSNL has planned a Rs 40,000 crore capital for the purpose.”

He said, “Nigam is emphasising on present telephone exchanges to New Generation network NGN, to give all mobile facilities to our land line subscribers.” He said, “ Twentynine thousand such exchanges shall be converted to NGN. 28000 of them are in the rural sector.’

Upadhyay said that BSNL iis supending 52 % of its capital in employees salaries as compared to other competitive companies who are just spending 5-6 %.He said, “We are waiting for Govt. of India’s approval of VRS for our employees. He indicated that the average age of our employees is 50 years.

Upadhyay said, “ The remote areas of Himachal shall be connected through Micro wave so that fbre cable disconnectivity in bad conditions could be avoided.”

“70 telephone exchanges were affected in Uttarakhand tragedy, only 7 are to be restored now and all the 400 towers are now working there,” added CMD. He said that BSNL could respond to 4,000calls to give last location of lost persons through their cell phones record, to their near ones in last 7 days.

In the morning R K Upadhyay, alongwith other officials of Himachal visited Tibetan religious leader Dalai Lama in McLeodganj.

Chandigarh, July 2, 2013:  A team of 23 Kashmiri students and two teachers from remote border areas of Poonch (J& K) , led by Major Amit Mann, called on Punjab Governor and Administrator, UT, Chandigarh, Shivraj V. Patil, under educational-Cum –adventure tour named ‘ SAIR– E –GULISTAN, conducted by Indian Army today at Punjab Raj Bhavan.

While interacting with Kashmiri youth, Patil said that this educational/motivational tour will not only provide you opportunity to visit the various places of our country but will also inculcate a sense of national pride by witnessing vast cultural and religious diversity of India. He asked them to adopt broadmindedness and positive attitude in their lives. He said you all are citizen of India and you were allowed to go to any part of the country for education, employment and can live anywhere. He said the tour will also provide an exposure to the children to the country’s rich cultural heritage and economic progress and inculcate values of social, cultural and religious harmony in the young minds and pure souls.

Patil asked Kashmiri youth whether they want to join Army, Police or they want to do private job. All raised their hands showing willingness to join Indian Army and none was in favour of joining the police force. The Governor again asked them that, Why they wants to join Indian Army. Replying on this, they said that they want to serve the motherland. On asking regarding the tour, the students replied to governor that they were thrilled to see Golden Temple, Jalianwala Bagh and Retreat Ceremony at Wagah Boarder.

Earlier giving brief description regarding the visit, the team leader, Major Amit Mann said in continuation with the series of operation Sadbhavna, this team would visit prominent places in Jammu, Amritsar, Chandigarh and Manali. He said the aim of this tour was to sensitize the young minds to the development in the states of India and motivate them to be good citizens and pursue their dreams and ambitions in life. He said that these students have not got any chance till now to go out of J&K state and visit the other parts of the country. He said this initiative which Indian Army undertook in J&K state with the aim to bring the local populace of remote areas as well as militant affected areas of J&K into the main stream of our Nation.

Prominent amongst others who were present in the meeting included M.P. Singh, Principal Secretary to Governor and Major Vivek Anand, ADC to Governor.

Ludhiana, July 2, 2013: Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Ludhiana organised a prayer meeting for Santosh Koli, the Aam Aadmi party candidate from Seemapuri for the Delhi elections to be held in November this year. 

`Prarthana Sabha’ held at Jagraon Bridge here today, which was attended by hundreds of party volunteers including Ramesh Singla, District Convenor, Balbir Aggarwal, District Secretary, Harjot Singh Bains, Punjab State Convenor, Jinder Pal Gupta, Bahadur Singh and Raghuvir Chand Raju.

According to Kanav Vats, District Spokesperson for the party, “Santosh Koli is an RTI Activist who was deliberately hit by a car as she was going to the party office on Sunday afternoon. She is still fighting desperately for her life at Yashodha Hospital as she sustained grievous head injuries. Santosh has been associated with Arvind Kejriwal’s NGO Parivartan since 2001 and has been fighting the ration mafia in Delhi. More than nine attempts have earlier been made on her life including cutting her throat once. But that has never deterred her from actively fighting for the rights of the underprivileged and for justice to the people especially of Sundar Nagri which is a slum area in Delhi to which she belongs.”

Ramesh Singla, the District Convenor said that “this dastardly act shows the desperation of the corrupt ruling class of Delhi which consider honest and courageous fighters like Santosh a threat to their corrupt system. But they must realise that this cowardly act will only make our will to fight this rotten system stronger. We will keep praying that Santosh Koli not only recovers soon but is able to join this fight to root out these criminal elements from our society, very soon. We promise that soon we will usher in a new system where people like Santosh do not have to face such brutality again”.

New Delhi/Jalandhar, July 2, 2013:  The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has today filed a charge-sheet against 10 persons namely the then  Member (Staff), Railway Board, New Delhi; Mahesh Kumar ; Narayan Rao Manjunath, Managing Director of M/s G.G Tronics India Pvt. Ltd., Bangalore; Sandeep Goyal r/o  Panchkula; Vijay Singla, r/o  Chandigarh; Ajay Garg r/o Chandigarh;   Rahul Yadav r/o New Delhi; Samir Sandhir r/o New Delhi; Sushil Daga r/o Faridabad; C V Venugopal, r/o Bangalore and M V Murali Krishan r/o Vijayawada, under section 120-B o the Indian Penal Code read with section 7,8 and 12 of the Prevention of Corruption Act and substantive offences thereof in the Court of Special Judge, Patiala House Courts New Delhi in  a bribery case.

A case was registered by CBI U/s 120-B of IPC and Section 7, 8 10 of PC Act, 1988 against Member(Staff), Railway Board, New Delhi; two Chandigarh based private persons; Managing Director of a Bangalore based Private Firm; a private person based in Panchkula (Haryana); two private persons of New Delhi and one private person of Faridabad(Haryana), on the basis of source information.

It is alleged in  the charge sheet that Chandigarh based private person had demanded Rs.10 crore from then Member(Staff) of Railway Board, New Delhi  for shifting him for the post of Member (Electrical) lateraly from the post of Member(Staff).  Rs.10 crore was to be delivered to Chandigarh based private person in installments viz Rs.2 crore immediately; Rs.3 crore immediately after appointment as Memebr(Electrical) and Rs.5 crore after 5-6 months. The private person of Panchkula and another private person of Chandigarh were acting as conduit. The Managing Director of Bangalore based private firm had to mobilize the bribe amount on  behalf of Member(Staff) from the S&T Manufacturer & Traders.  Initial installment of Rs.2 crore was again decided to be delivered in two installment i.e. One crore on 3.5.2013 & another one crore after 3-4 days of first delivery. The MD of Bangalore based private firm could arrange only an amount of about Rs. 90 lakh, which was to be paid to Chandigarh and Panchkula based private persons on 03.05.2013 at Chandigarh on behalf of then Member(Staff) Railway Board, New Delhi.

CBI laid a trap and both private persons of Panchkula and Chandigarh were caught having accepted the said amount of about Rs.89.68 lakh from the two associates of one private person of New Delhi (an acquaintance of Managing Director of Bangalore based private firm).

The CBI had earlier arrested then Member (Staff) Railway Board, New Delhi; Managing Director of Bangalore based private firm; his two associates , a private person(resident of Chandigarh); another private person from Panchkula (Haryana) and certain other private persons in this regard.

The public is reminded that the above findings are based on the investigation done by CBI and evidence collected by it. Under the Indian Law, the accused are presumed to be innocent till their guilt is finally established after a fair trial.

DoT to explore option of compulsory fingerprints on issue of SIM card

New Delhi, July 3, 2013: On failure of the physical verification system after issue of SIM card, to keep a proper check over the criminals, the department of telecommunication (DoT), the Home Ministry has asked to explore an option of making it compulsory for cellphone service providers to take fingerprints or any other biometric feature of the subscriber, akin to Aadhaar, before activating mobile numbers.

Though the system of issuing cards was tightened after the 26\11 attacks when investigators found the LeT terrorists had used Indian SIM cards procured by local contacts on the basis of forged documents, it did not prevent its misuse.

In fact, the use of fingerprints in crime fiction has now become a reality with its use in real-life diction.  Since fingerprints offer an infallible means of personal identification, as of March 2013, the Unique Identification Authority of India operates the world's largest fingerprint (multi-modal biometric) system, with over 200 million fingerprint, face and iris biometric records.

The ministry suggested that the department may also maintain a central database comprising biometric features of all subscribers and opt for linking it with the National Intelligence Grid (NATGRID) for keeping those data at one place from national security point of view.

According to an official of the ministry, the issue was discussed even during the CMs’ conference on internal security last month when it was pointed out how SIM cards were being procured by terrorists\criminals on the basis of forged documents in absence of retailers’ and distributors’ failure to adhere to mandatory norms of physical verification.

The matter is likely to be discussed with all stakeholders including telecom service providers for devising an alternative system as it was noted that the existing ones (physical verification) was not happening in all cases due to sheer competition among retailers to sell as many SIM cards as possible.

Chandigarh, July 3, 2013: In a bid to tap maximum irrigation potential through non-conventional sources of energy for irrigation purposes in the state especially in the horticulture sector, Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal today urged the Government of India (GoI) to enhance the subsidy on solar water pumps from 30% to 80%.

This demand was raised by Badal before the Union Minister of New and Renewable Energy Dr. Farooq Abdullah, who called on Badal at the chief minister’s residence here this afternoon.

During the meeting, Badal said that Central government had been providing 80% subsidy of the benchmark price for solar water pumps as central financial assistance till 2004 but thereafter reduced it to 30%. He urged the Union Minister to restore the earlier subsidy available to the farmers.

In addition to this the chief minister also asked Abdullah to introduce Invertors and Battery backup system in the existing scheme of solar water pumps to enable the farmers to utilise their existing AC motor setup instead of purchasing new DC motors, which was not financially viable for them.

Regarding the state’s share of Rs. 285 crore for the development of non-conventional energy as per the 13th Finance Commission recommendations, Badal asked the Union Minister to get the process expedited for early release of the funds.

On the occasion, Farooq Abdullah assured Badal that he would soon take up all these issues with the Prime Minister personally for early solution, especially of subsidy enhancement for solar water pumps. He also advised Badal to personally write to the Prime Minister conveying his view point in this regard.

Emphasising to encourage the use of renewable energy sources, Union Minister said that their Ministry has supported installation of Solar Power Plants on the roof tops of all the government buildings like offices, institutions, colleges, hostels and hospitals to provide uninterrupted power supply besides water heating systems to reduce the conventional power load. Appreciating the efforts of the state government in popularising the solar and bio-mass energy, the Union Minister asked the Punjab government to launch a massive campaign to aware the general public for the optimum utilisation of these energy sources. He also asked to arrange Kissan Samalens (meetings) for which center would provide all types of technical support.

Prominent amongst those who were present on the occasion included Principal Secretary to CM SK Sandhu, Special Principal Secretaries to CM KJS Cheema and Gaggandip Singh Brar, Principal Secretary Power Anirudh Tiwari, CEO PEDA Manashvi Kumar and Director PEDA Balour Singh.

New Delhi/Jalandhar, July 3, 2013: The Central Bureau of Investigation has today filed charge sheet in the Designated Court at Ahmadabad against 7 officials of Gujarat Police U/s 302, 364, 368, 346, 120-B, 201, 203, 204, 217, 218 of IPC and Section 25(1)(e), 27 of Arms Act. One more accused person, also a police official, has since expired.

CBI sources said the alleged accused officials of Gujarat Police and certain other persons were instrumental in securing illegal custody of the four persons who were subsequently abducted and later killed in a fake encounter. The persons killed were kept in illegal custody separately before the fake encounter.

The accused police officials with the help of officers of other agency obtained weapons for the purported encounter. Thereafter, five accused officials of the Gujarat Police opened fire from their official weapons on Javed, Ishrat Jahan, Jishan Johar and Amjad Ali, which resulted in their death on the spot.

The sources said, the instant case was registered by the CBI on December 16, 2011 in compliance of the orders of the High Court of Gujarat.

The CBI said, further investigation is continuing.

The CBI made it clear that the public is reminded that the above findings are based on the investigation done by CBI and evidence collected by it. Under the Indian Law, the accused are presumed to be innocent till their guilt is finally established after a fair trial.

New Delhi/Jalandhar, July 4, 2013: People of Mahendragarh and Bhiwani districts have welcomed the inclusion of these districts of Haryana in NCR area.

A delegation of more than 100 people from Nangal Chaudhary Area under the leadership of President of Haryana Panchayat Samiti  Praveen Chaudhary called on Haryana Chief Minister, Bhupinder Singh Hooda at his New Delhi residence today.

On this occasion, Hooda said that on the inclusion of Mahendragarh and Bhiwani districts of Haryana in NCR, special grant will be provided for the development of these districts, which will help in the development of these districts at par with other districts included in NCR. He called upon the people to extend their cooperation to the efforts of the State Government, so that there is fast development in these districts.

Thanking the Chief Minister, Hooda on the behalf of the people of Mahendragarh district,  Praveen Chaudhary said that inclusion of Mahendragarh and Bhiwani districts of Haryana in NCR is a very big achievement. This has been possible due to the untiring efforts of the Chief Minister and Rohtak MP Deepender Hooda. This will help in speedy development of South Haryana.

The delegation included Zila Parshad Murli Pradhan, the President of Sarpanch Association  Rajendra Yadav, President of Gaushala and Alambardar Association  Rudmal Jaildar, the President of Food Circle, Nangal Chaudhary Motilal Seth, former Chairman of Panchayat Samiti, Narnaul  Ramvilas Yadav, Ex-President of Saini Sabha  Jugal Kishor Saini, Sarpanch  Matadin, Alambardar Kheta Ram, Purushottam Jaildar, besides about 100 other persons.

Dehradun (Uttarakhand), July 5, 2013: Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal today assured full support of his government to the Uttarakhand Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna in this hour of distress and said “We are with the aggrieved and calamity stricken people of Uttarakhand, and will extend full help in their rehabilitation and in task of reconstruction of the hill state.”  

Badal called on the Uttarakhand Chief Minister in his office here at Civil Secretariat.

Expressing deep concern over the havoc and devastation caused by flash floods which left a trail of unprecedented death and destruction in the valley behind, Badal said that the Punjabis were firm believers of the ethos of universal brotherhood, communal harmony, tolerance and peace as propagated by the Sikh Gurus, saints and seers, therefore the state government would make all out efforts by the grace of God in the execution of re-constructing Uttarakhand expeditiously. He said, “Punjabis are extremely keen to accomplish this robust task at the earliest in providing much needed succor and shelter to the victims of this disastrous calamity in the region.”  Sharing the sense of grievous loss of the people of Uttrakhand due to the recent fury of floods across the state beyond anyone’s imagination, Badal said that the state government was committed to extending a helping hand to the people of Uttrakhand in this hour of crisis and despair.

Badal told the Uttarakhand CM that Punjab government would give Rs. 10 crore for the reconstruction of all the religious shrines including Sri Kedarnath Temple and Gurdwara Sri Hemkunt Sahib which had been badly ravaged during the recent floods.

Apart from this, Badal said that the state government would send a consignment of 10,000 tons of Wheat flour (Atta) and Rice, 100 tons of sugar besides 10,000 blankets on July 9 as a relief measure for the flood victims across the far flung areas of the hilly state.  

On the personal request of Bahuguna, the Chief Minister agreed to send 10,000 woolens, sweaters and pullovers for the victims especially for the women and kids besides the delivery of dry milk powder in the region. The Chief Minister also conceded to the proposal of Bahuguna for supplying consignment of the Wheat flour and Rice in a phased manner as per the demand of the Uttarakhand Government.

Expressing complete solidarity with the Uttarakhand government and its people, Badal reiterated his commitment to bail out the hill state and help it in reconstruction of dwelling units in the worst flood hits villages as a benevolent gesture.

Bahuguna brought to Badal’s notice the severe damage done to ‘Sarai’ building at Gobind Ghat due to massive floods, Badal offered all support and assistance to the Uttarakhand government for the reconstruction of this seven storyed building at the earliest. He made a firm commitment on behalf of the people of Punjab to rebuild the hill state through every possible mean and measure.    

Expressing gratitude to Badal, Vijay Bahuguna lauded the efforts being made by the Punjab government to help them in undertaking the herculean task of restoring normalcy in Uttarakhand after being ravaged by massive floods. The Uttrakhand Chief Minister said that the people of this hill state would never forget the help extended by Punjab during this odd hour. Complementing Punjab for having dual distinction of being country’s ‘sword arm’ and ‘food bowl’ has once again demonstrated the rare spirit of magnanimity and generosity by extending all help and support to the people of Uttarakhand in the difficult time, for which they would be ever indebted to them.

The Chief Minister was accompanied by Secretary Food and Civil Supply DS Grewal, Secretary PWD PS Aujla and Special Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister Gurkirat Kirpal Singh. On the occasion the Principal Secretary of the Uttarakhand Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Sandhu was also present.     

WAS TAKEN OUT IN A CHARIOT (RATH) DRIVEN BY FOUR HORSES

New Delhi, July 5, 2013: Former Punjab Chief Minister and the scion of the erstwhile Patiala royal family Capt Amarinder Singh was on Friday installed as the president of the All India Jat Maha Sabha amidst an equally royal grandeur in presence of thousands of people at Talkatora stadium.

According a royal reception to Capt Amarinder that had all the regal grandeur, he was taken out in a chariot (rath) driven by four horses. The chariot had two elephants ahead in lead. As the chariot passed towards the stadium, Capt Amarinder was showered with flower petals while the drums kept on beating and people kept on dancing.

As the 'royal' entourage entered into the stadium, it was accorded a thumping standing ovation by thousands of people gathered inside.Acknowledging the love and affection showered at him Capt Amarinder promised to come to their best expectations. He said, he was touched and humbled by the love people have given him.

Speaking on the occasion, Sheila Dixit lauded the contribution of the Jat community in the nation building. She said, Delhi took pride in providing the reservation to the Jats in the government jobs and hoped it is extended at the central level as well. She congratulated Capt Amarinder for taking over as the new president of such a prestigious organisation which has rich history.

She announced that her government will provide land for the Kisan Bhawan in Delhi, which has been a long pending demand of the Jat Maha Sabha.

Addressing the function, Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda underlined the need for uniting the community. He promised that he will address all the pending issues related to the Jat community.

In his first presidential address Capt Amarinder thanked the Sabha for reposing so much faith and confidence in him. He said, he was touched the way he was unanimously elected the president of the Jat Maha Sabha and now accorded such a warm reception by the people.

He underlined the need for fighting against various social evils particularly the female foeticide and the drug addiction among the youth. He said, the community which has a golden past needs to live to its reputation and the expectations the people have from it.

Capt Amarinder asserted that the Jat community must get the reservation within the 27 per cent reserved for the Other Backward Classes. He made it clear that the Jat Sabha was not seeking any extra reservation and did not want to disturb the present reservation structure but only wanted that the Jats be included among the OBCs as have been their counterparts in other communities. He also clarified that the Sabha only wanted reservation for those Jats whose land holdings are less than eight acres and whose annual income is less than Rs 4.5 lakhs.

Earlier welcoming the delegates and guests Yudhvir Singh gave a brief description of the history of the Jat Maha Sabha and urged the community to rise to the occasion and live by the ideals and purpose with which it was constituted.

Prominent among those present on the occasion included the Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dixit, Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, Union Minister for Civil Aviation Ajit Singh, senior Congress leaders Renuka Chaudhary, Chaudhary Birender, General Secretary of the Jat Maha Sabha Yudhvir Singh and its national vice president Harpal Singh Harpura and a galaxy of dignitaries.

Others present on the occasion included Rana Gurjeet Singh, Kewal Dhillon, Tript Rajinder Singh Bajwa, Sukh Sarkaria, Sukhjinder Randhawa, Ramanjit Sikki, Ajaib Singh Bhatti, Joginder Singh Panjgraian, Hardayal Kambhoj, Mohammad Sadiq, Aruna Chaudhary, Raninder Singh, Harpartap Ajnala, BIS Chahal, Mohinder Rinwa, Dharamveer Agnihotri, Madan Lal Jalalpur, Kikki Dhillon, Jagbir Brar, Gurjit Aujla, Sonu Dhesi, Laly Jawandha, Gobind Khatra, Jagdeep Sidhu, Major Amardeep, Karanpal Sekhon and Jaspal Sarpanch.

New Delhi/Jalandhar,July 5, 2013: Haryana Chief Minister, Bhupinder Singh Hooda has called for unity among Jats for achieving the goal of reservation in Central Government jobs.

Speaking at the Jat Maha Adhiveshan of Akhil Bhartiya Jat Mahasabha in New Delhi today, Hooda said, whether it is political organisation or social, unity and cooperation is essential for success.

Hooda said that no Government prior to his Government in Haryana, showed courage to extend reservation to Jats in Haryana, but his Government decided to give reservation not only to Jats, but some other backward classes also in government jobs. Efforts are being made for reservation for Jats in Central Government also and I will continue to work for it till last, he said. He expressed hope that this issue will be settled soon, but this requires unity among different Jat Organisations.

He said that he is proud that he was born in a Jat family. I have not come in this Adhiveshan as Chief Minister, but as a soldier of Jat Biradari, he said. Jat community has been fighting against injustice. Even the hero of first battle of independence was the Jat Raja Nahar Singh. Jat biradari consists of Jats from Hindus, Sikhs and Muslims.

Hooda said that Akhil Bhartiya Jat Mahasabha was started in 1907 and the leaders at that time emphasized on cooperation with other communities and spread of education. In 1912, Jat Heros Anglo-Sanskrit School was founded and my grandfather Chaudhary Matu Ram was its president. He said that for the advancement of Jat community, it is necessary that we give good education to our children.

Those present on this occasion included the National President of Akhil Bhartiya Jat Mahasabha, Captain Amrinder Singh, Woman President of Jat Mahasabha Renuka Chaudhary and General Secretary Yudhvir Singh, Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dixit and Speaker Dr Yoganand Shastri and others. 

New Delhi/Jalandhar, July 6, 2013: The Union Minister of State for Environment and Forests Jayanthi Natarajan has said that swift and certain retribution and  punishment for wildlife crimes is essential to effectively counter poaching and killing endangered species.

Delivering the valedictory address of the Investigative Capacity Building Programme against Wildlife Crime, organised by CBI and Interpol at New Delhi, the Minister added that clear definition of culpability is required so that those indulging in destruction of environment and wildlife can be punished. 

Jayanthi Natarajan said that strict penalties coupled with strong and clear extradition agreements between countries are required to prevent illegal wildlife trading. 

The Minister stated that with the increasing pressure of human population, the tiger, the elephant and the rhinos have become the three most threatened animals in the South Asian region.

Complimenting CBI and Interpol for organizing the Capacity Building Programme, the Minister for Environment and Forests said such workshops and sessions for law enforcement agencies in this region will go a long way in tackling poaching and wildlife crime. 

Natarajan opined that, at present, wildlife crime is a low risk option, especially for those rich and powerful masterminds and financiers of wildlife crime who often go scot free even though persons indulging in actual poaching may be caught by police and forest officers.

In his welcome address, Director CBI, Ranjit Sinha said this capacity building programme has been found to be very useful to all the participant countries and organisations. He said that the commitment of the experts, conservationists and participants to the cause of saving the tiger and Asian Big Cat species must be saluted.

Speaking on the occasion, CBI Joint Director O.P.Galhotra who supervises the Wildlife Crime Unit, said that the CBI  takes up wildlife crime cases only on referrals , but, in the interest of preserving the tiger,  there is an urgent need to convince  14 state governments in the country, which are home to tigers , to accord general consent empowering CBI to carry out investigations.  Galhotra said that presently Uttarakhand, Chhatisgarh and Jharkhand have accorded the requisite general consent.

The five day Capacity Building Programme  for Big Cat related Crimes in South Asia (July 1-5,2013) , organized by the CBI and Interpol, and was attended by participants from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Pakistan, Maldives, Nepal and Sri Lanka . Representatives from Interpol, WWF-India and USA-AID were also present in the workshop.

The Wildlife Crime Control Bureau in India, National Tiger Conservation Authority and TRAFFIC India were partners in this workshop. The Programme included sessions on New Initiatives in Tiger Poaching, Trends in Seizures, Tiger Genome Projects, Effective Prosecution of Wildlife Crimes, Wildlife Forensics and Investigating Wildlife Smugglers. The sessions were addressed by experts in wildlife crime, Interpol and CBI officers, forest officers, including Directors of Panna and Jim Corbett National Parks, tiger conservationists, senior lawyers specialising in wildlife crime and forensic experts.

Dharamsala, July 6, 2013: There is moderate to heavy rainfall in the entire Himachal Pradesh for the past 36 hours.

Dharamshala experienced very heavy rain in the early hours of Saturday morning. The wet weather is still continuing. The Met Department say that Monsoon is very active in the state during last 36  hours, and precipitation occurred at many places with isolated very heavy falls in the Kangra district particularly. The other more affected districts are, Mandi and Una in Himachal Pradesh during last 24 hours. 

Palampur recorded the maximum of rain in past 24 hour with 134mm of precipitation , followed by Jogindernagar-128, Baijnath-120, Amb-86, Dharamshala-65, Jhandutta-47, Renuka-43, Paonta Sahib-38, Kheri-35, Ghamroor-34, Bajura(Agri)-25, Nahan & Bhuntar-24 each, Guler-23,Sujanpur Tira-20,Bhoranj-16 and Banjar-14 mm of rain.

Rain and thundershowers are predicted in almost entire state for the next 7 days. .

Pinjore (Haryana)/Jalandhar, July 6, 2013: The 22nd Mango Mela organised by Haryana Tourism, jointly with the Horticulture Department, Haryana, kicked off on a colourful note on Saturday at Pinjore Gardens.

Paramvir Singh, Agriculture, Animal Husbandry, and Dairying, Fisheries, Mines and Geology Minister, Haryana, inaugurated the Mela. Also present on the occasion were the senior officials of Haryana Tourism and Horticulture Department.

The two-day Mango Mela offers an ideal platform to the mango growers to sell their mangoes and mango products. The main objective of the Mela is also to encourage mango growers to adopt the latest practices to increase the mango production and quality so that they may get maximum return of their produce by tapping the domestic as well as international market. It also provides a great opportunity to the artisans and Self Help Groups to display and sell their hand looms and handicrafts products.

The Pinjore Gardens wore a festive look with colorfully draped poles and flower decorations adorning the venue. A number of interesting activities have been lined up for both the days of the Mela.

Different varieties of mangoes displayed at Mango Mela-2013.

Face painting competition in full swing.

Day performers entertaining onlookers.

Students take part in Rangoli competition.

Ludhiana, July 7, 2013: A medical relief team of doctors and paramedical staff left for Uttarakhand today to give medical care to the needy in the affected areas by the flood which caused unprecedented damage to life and property.

The mission is organised jointly by Indian Doctors for Peace and Development (IDPD), Indian Medical Association Ludhiana, Punjab Medical Representatives’ Association and Wholesale Chemists Association Ludhiana.

The team which is led by Dr Arun Mitra, General Secretary IDPD and executive member of IMA, Dr S K Prabhaker, Psychiatrist, Dr Rachana Bawa and Dr Neelam Arya General Physicians and Dr Shakeel Ur Rahman – Child Specialist along with Para Medical Staff Kuldip Singh Binder, Anod Kumar and Sanjeet Kumar.

The team will stay in the area for 5 days and examine patients in the remote villages. 

The team was given send off by Dr LS Chawla – President IDPD, Dr Manoj Sobti – President IMA Punjab, Dr Subhash Singla – General Secretary IMA Ludhiana, Rajesh Kaul – President Punjab Medical Representatives Association and Gurbakash Singh of Wholesale Chemists Association Ludhiana.

Ludhiana, July 7, 2013: A delegation of the architects today met the Union Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting (IC) Manish Tewari and submitted him a memorandum.

In a memorandum submitted to the minister, the delegates suggested to create an independent Ministry for Architects.

It was also demanded to stop introduction of architects (amendment) bill, 2011 in Parliament about which details have already been submitted separately.

Giving this information here, Sanjay Goel, Joint Secretary-IIA Chandigarh Punjab Chapter, said the delegation also demanded to get arrange their meeting with President of India, who use to be the Patron of The Indian Institute of Architects, having headquarters at Mumbai.

Besides, the delegation demanded to get arrange a national-level function in New-Delhi with President or Vice President or Prime Minister or HRD Minister, where both Presidents of Council of Architecture (COA) and The Indian Institute of Architects (IIA) will be present alongwith leading architects and office-bearers from throughout the country.

The minister was also urged to give better recognition to IIA and COA as well as office spaces in all State Capitals to run their chapter offices.

The delegates said if given chance, their National Body can give future blue print of whole country to the government for excellent planning and growth.

The minister gave a patient hearing to demands and suggestions of the delegates and assured to look into them.

Dharamsala, July 7, 2013:The State of Himachal Pradesh experienced heavy rainfall, as it is in total grip of monsoon period. In the last 33 hours, Dharamsala town remain the wettest place in the state ,she  recorded  178  mm of rain, metrological officials said here on Sunday.

Paonta Sahib in Sirmaur, the district adjoining Uttarakhand, experienced 141 mm rainfall. Other high rainfall areas are Gaggal-73, Mandi-60, Solan-54, Sundernagar-48, Jogindernagar-44, Kasauli-41, Seobagh and Dharmpur-33 each, Bhuntar Nahan-21, Kandaghat-16, Bhamaur-13, Una-10, Theog and Manali-8 each. Shimla received 7.9 mm rain, while it was 8.2 mm in Manali, 3 mm in Kalpa.

"Although the entire state is under the rain blanket, areas in Kangra and Sirmaur districts are experiencing  heavy rainfall in the past 48 hours, and if the situation continue ", a Met official said. He added that more showers could aggravate the situation in the state as most of the rivers and their tributaries are in spate.

The official said that heavy to very heavy rainfall /Thundershowers would also occur in the next week too.

"The water levels in the Ravi, Beas and Sutlej rivers have increased abnormally due to continuous rainfall. But the rivers are still flowing below the danger mark," a government spokesperson said. However, the deputy commissioners of the districts of Mandi, Kangra, Chamba, Shimla and Simour have warned the public to remain away from the riverbanks, and to keep an eye on the extra water release from the reservoirs.

Chandigarh, July 8, 2013: Punjab is now on the threshold of a Blue Revolution to encourage farmers to go in for diversification and opt for fish farming in the state.

Disclosing this here today Punjab fisheries minister Gulzar Singh Ranike said for this purpose an outlay of 11.16 crore has been reserved in the annual plan 2013-14 against Rs.10.55 crore during 2012-13. He said that the farmers were adopting intensive fish culture in ponds and tanks on modern scientific lines through composite fish culture of fast growing species. 

The Minister said that at present 11287 ha. area is under fish culture and there are around 8000 fish farmers. Punjab is having the highest average fish production of 6560 kg/ha. against the national average of 3000kg/ha. There are 868 kms of rivers and 4370 ha. reservoirs and 16585 kms of canals as notified water areas added the minister.

Ranike said that for making fish culture, more lucrative and attractive to farmers and for bringing more area under fish culture, the main thrust of the department during the 12th plan would be on providing quality fish seed of culturable varieties of fish; adopting more suitable village ponds under fish farming ; providing opportunities for gainful self-employment in rural areas, providing better extension services at pond sites; providing facilities of short term training in fish farming and to arrange visits of fish farmers to other states and developing saline/brackish water into fish farming. 

Chandigarh, July 8, 2013: The historic Gobindgarh Fort Amritsar, a legacy of Maharaja Ranjit Singh is all set to be put on International Tourist circuit as it will dedicate to the tourists in the September after completion of its first phase of restoration. 

Stating this here today, Sarwan Singh Phillaur, Tourism and Cultural Affairs Minister Punjab said that the conservation work of the fort has been started in a phased work and the first phase has already been completed with the financial assistance of the Asian Development Bank. The Minister said that the Fort would be opened to the Public on the eve of World Tourism Day in September and would remain opened for three days a week. Special arrangements have also been made for a heritage walk for the tourists. The walk would take the visitors on a voyage that would start from the Mukh Dawaar through the Nalwa Gate, Androoni Gate and Darbar Hall to the Tosha Khana, he added.

The Minister said that the state government would organise an exhibition and a guided tour for the tourists visiting this fort from across the world. A light and sound programme depicting the historical background and other minute details associated with Maharaja Ranjit Singh would also be planned by January next year.

The Gobindgarh Fort was built in 1760 AD and was associated with the Sikh warrior king, Maharaja Ranjit Singh. The fort, named after the tenth Sikh Guru, Guru Gobind Singh, by Maharaja Ranjit Singh was in the possession of the British army for nearly 150 years.