Congress Strongly Opposed to Corruption : Rahul   GIDDERBAHA JAN 27: Sending a clear signal to partymen, Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi today said those who indulged in corruption would face an end to their political career. "Before allotting tickets I met party candidates and told them in straight terms that if at any level I come to know about involvement in corrupt practices of any partymen his career will end immediately," Rahul said at an election rally in this hinterland of Malwa region of the state. Taking a dig at Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD)-BJP alliance in Punjab, he said that, "they (the ruling combine in Punjab) only make speeches but do nothing on the ground and fight polls for personal benefits". He said that the Congress was committed to eradicate poverty from the country. He lambasted SAD-BJP alliance for talking about converting Punjab into California and at the same time asked BJP leader L K Advani that why did he become ignorant about corruption in BJP ruled states of Karnataka, Jharkhand, Chattisgarh and Punjab. Reiterating his party's stand for a strong Lokpal, he said that, "we want to make Lokpal a constitutional body which remains out of all kind of pressures". "It was BJP led NDA which brought impediments in the path for a strong Lokpal...Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Congress President Sonia Gandhi and the Congress brought a bill of Lokpal in the parliament, but the BJP and its allies pushed red button to put brakes on bringing a strong Lokpal," he said. (PTI)
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Arab spring in the offing in Punjab : Manpreet   BADAL (PUNJAB) JAN 27: Manpreet Badal, who till last year was with the ruling Akali Dal as its Finance Minister in the coalition government, feels an Arab Spring is in the offing in Punjab to unseat the government headed by his uncle Parkash Singh Badal. Citing the anti-government protests across the Arab world, Manpreet feels people in Punjab are also in mood for a change. "If in the Arab world, in Africa or in Islamic countries, the girls and women could bring about a revolution, it is a different ball game in Punjab. People are in a mood to script a new story this time. You see, the results are going to be a lot different than what you think... People were sick of this system and their patience is running out," he told PTI. Manpreet claimed his PPP-led 'Sanjha Morcha', which comprises CPI and CPI-M also, said his combine would extend his support to "whichever party agrees to implement our agenda or our manifesto in toto". Manpreet, the estranged nephew of the Chief Minister, who resigned as Finance minister when he did not agree with the state's fiscal policies, feels Punjab's problems cannot be solved with coalition governments and urged the people to vote decisively. Manpreet said his party wanted to reform the police set-up by depoliticising and delinking the men in uniform from politics. "That's a big impediment in the growth story of Punjab. Rule of law must prevail. The entire system of postings, transfers, promotions has to be out of the purview of politicians", he said.(PTI)
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Congress releases 'Vision Document' for UP   LUCKNOW JAN 27: Congress' "Vision Document 2020" for Uttar Pradesh lays out the roadmap for all round development by bringing in key changes in the sectors education, employment and economy in the state where it has been out of power for more than two decades. The document released today from ten different cities focuses on nine main points and has enlisted very ambitious plans like setting up 1000 skill development centres to provide jobs to 20 lakh unemployed youths and amendments in law to check the persecution of females. Another key plan is to provide electricity to the farmers in day time for agriculture and in the night for their homes. The Vision Document targeting "Nav UP, Nav Vikas (new Uttar Pradesh, new development) encapsulating party's plans for the state, also talks about reviving the traditional industries of the state by infusing new technology and providing the needed financial support. The nine focus areas of the document with the punchline of "Justice, Development and Right (Nyaya, Vikas aur Adhikar)" are employment, agriculture, education, health, women empowerment, empowerment of weaker sections including most backward classes, minorities and SCs STs. The document is an attempt by Congress to convince the electorate of its intention to bring about a change in the state, which had been ruled for more than two decades by BJP, SP and BSP, party sources said. Through the document, Congress has also laid out special development plans for regions like Bundelkhand in a bid to blunt Mayawati's attempt to woo voters through the proposal of creating four separate states out of UP. It was released today in Gorakhpur, Varanasi, Lucknow, Allahabad, Kanpur, Jhansi, Agra, Meerut, Shahjahanpur and Moradabad by a host of leaders including Union Ministers Kapil Sibal, Salman Khurshid, Sriprakash Jaiswal, Rajiv Shukla, Meenakshi Natarjan, Jitendra Singh, Rajiv Shukla, Delhi Chief Minister Shiela Dikshit and Prime Minister's Advisor on Innovation Sam Pitroda. (PTI)
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HC: Not to interfere in admission of kids below 4

New Delhi Jan 27: Three-plus-toddlers can be admitted to pre-nursery classes with the Delhi High Court on Friday refusing to interfere with the age criteria and admission process in pre-schools saying "inclusive elementary education" is needed for all children. "Denying informal education to three-plus children would be discriminatory and counterproductive," a bench headed by Acting Chief Justice A K Sikri said while dismissing the plea of an NGO that only children of four years and above be admitted in schools.
The judgement came on a PIL filed by the NGO, Social Jurist, which had sought court's intervention in restraining private unaided schools in the national capital from admitting three plus kids in pre-school classes.
The bench, also comprising Justice Rajiv Sahai Endlaw, differed with the findings of the Ganguly Committee which had said that children below the age of four years should not be burdened with the schooling process.
"We do not agree with the findings of Ganguly Committee as even the Right to Education Act provides for the inclusive elementary education for all the children since their conception to eight years of age," the bench said.
It clarified that schools having pre-school (nursery) or pre-primary classes at entry levels may continue with their respective admission procedure.
In its petition, the NGO had pointed out that some schools have been admitting three plus children, while others have been taking in only four plus children and this has led to creation of two entry levels.
The High Court, however, refused to interfere with the age criteria saying elementary education was necessary for all the children and schools may stick to their respective admission procedure. (PTI)

Will scrap 4.5% sub-quota for minorities: BJP manifesto

Lucknow Jan 27: BJP's election manifesto for Uttar Pradesh, with focus on education, health, employment, law and order and construction of Ram Temple was released on Friday. Addressing the media on the occasion, BJP leader Om Prakash Singh said, "BJP's manifesto gives due consideration to problems of farmers, dalits, backwards, poor and unemployed youths. We have promised to create five lakh jobs and also Rs 18000 allowance for the unemployed youth of the state if the party manages to form its government in the state. "
"The manifesto has also promised tablets for high school students for Rs. 1000 and laptops for class XII students for Rs. 5000," he added.
Hitting at the Congress' minority reservation card, Singh said, "We will scrap the provision of sub-quota of 4.5% for minorities within the existing 27% quota for Other Backward Classes (OBCs)."
On his turn, BJP's Sudheendra Kulkarni said, "We will make Uttar Pradesh the best state in the country."
"BJP will have a strong lokayukta. Chief Minister will come under the purview of the lokayukta To be given a prosecution wing," he added.
Kulkarni also said that BJP will install statues of other thinkers and idols like Sant Kabir, Sant Ravidas, Bijli Pasi, Jhalkari Bai.
The party, which has already released its vision document, for all round development of the state, released its manifesto in presence of senior leaders of the party, including national vice-presidents Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, Kalraj Mishra, Uma Bharati, general secretary Narendra Singh Tomar, Om Praksh Singh and state president Surya Pratap Shahi.
Seven-phased elections will be held in Uttar Pradesh from February 8-March 3. (Agencies)

Anti-Naxal ops: CRPF DG wants his men to be 'junglee'

New Delhi Jan 27: Giving a new mantra to over 70,000 CRPF troops engaged in anti-Naxal operations, its chief K Vijay Kumar has asked them to turn 'junglee' (inhabitants of forests) and hit the Maoists "hard" before eliminating them. Kumar, who took over the reins of the force after the paramilitary suffered its biggest ever setback in Chhattisgarh's Dantewada where Naxals ambushed 75 men in 2010, has asked his men to be like hunters, who hide in the area of the hunt and ultimately "neutralise" it. "Your adversary is far too inferior than you- in training, in equipment, in physical strength, in tactics, in weaponry, in number, in food he takes. He cannot give you a face to fight. He believes in hiding, hitting and running. This is his strength.
"Let us also modify our tactics- be like hunters, hide in his area and hit him hard. Learn to be a junglee," Kumar said in his recent official communication to his troops to boost their morale. Decoding the Naxal modus-operandi, Kumar, who is credited to have eliminated forest brigand Veerappan as head of the STF in 2004, said, "Just like a snail, let us carry our rations and load on our back and stay in jungle for longer duration, invisible, silent to let him fall in our trap and hit him hard, pushing him back.
"The harder we push, the more of them (Naxals) will get neutralised. The more of them get neutralised, the fewer of us will have casualities. So remember pushing means fewer casualities...continue it in every skirmish he (Naxals) dares to have with you," the Director General wrote to them in a signed letter.(PTI)

'Bifurcation of states' necessary to reduce corruption

THRISSUR JAN 27: Prof N S Ramaswamy, National professor of Research and Management, today said bifurcation of states was necessary to achieve desired progress and reduce corruption. The largest 10 states in the country should be divided into 30 states and several districts to ensure efficiency, Swamy told reporters here.
He said that there were 450 million workforce in the country, of which 30 million accounted for the organised sector. He stressed the need for bringing more workforce to the organised sector as it could concentrate on development and add value to human efforts. It was essential to improve public-private-participation to a great extent for overall development of the country and stress should given for the rural development.
Private sector showed more efficiency and less waste of men and materials, he added, the government should concentrate on labour-intensive industry rather than capital intensive only. It was essential for a state like Kerala to concentrate on service industries like, tourism, hotels and education as they could provide employment to more number of people. (PTI)

INS Sudarshini joins Southern Naval Command

Kochi Jan 27: INS Sudarshini, the second sail training vessel, was on Friday inducted into the India's Navy Southern Naval Command. INS Sudarshini is a follow-on class of INS Tarangini which joined Southern Naval Command in 1997. Designed by British Naval architect Colin Mudie, the ship was inducted by Vice-Admiral KN Sushil, Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief. Built at the Goa shipyard, it is commanded by Commander PK Boyiri Varma and has an overall length of 54 m. The vessel can sail for up to 20 days with a crew of five officers, 31 sailors and 30 cadets. It will join the First Training Squadron based at Southern Naval Command at Kochi, a Navy release said. Sail training ships are crucial for training of naval officers in seamanship, navigation, ship handling and braving the elements. INS Sudarshini is expected to undertake a historic ASEAN voyage in September this year. The voyage, which will cement the historic ties of India with ASEAN countries, will touch 18 ports in eight countries. (PTI)