Unrecognized parties may now get symbol six months before polls

Arvind Kejriwal's Aam Aadmi Party can now be allotted a common symbol anytime after July 15. The Election Commission on Friday decided to facilitate allotment of a common symbol to a registered unrecognized party that contests at least 10% of the seats in a state, six months in advance.

Hindu nationalist’ Modi kicks up storm with puppy remark

Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi has said he didn't feel guilty for the 2002 Gujarat riots, in which more than 1,000 people were killed, but said he felt as sad as an occupant of a car that runs over a puppy.the 'real Modi' was a Hindu nationalist leader or pro-business chief minister, he said, "I'm nationalist. I'm patriotic. Nothing is wrong. I'm a born Hindu. Nothing is wrong. So, I'm a Hindu nationalist so yes, you can say I'm a Hindu nationalist because I'm a born Hindu."

9th government in 13 years

JMM leader Hemant Soren, son of party chief Shibu Soren, was on Saturday sworn in as the new chief minister of Jharkhand.Hemant Soren, who heads the ninth ministry in less than 13 years, became the fifth tribal CM after Babulal Marandi (once), Arjun Munda (thrice), Shibu Soren (thrice) and Madhu Koda (once) since the state was created on November 15, 2000.

Pran, Bollywood's most hated villain, bows out

Born into a wealthy family in Delhi Feb 12, 1920, Pran lived and was educated in Lahore, Kapurthala, Meerut, Dehradun, Rampur, Unnao and finally Mumbai as his father, Lala Kewal Krishan Sikand, was a government contractor building bridges and roads, including the Kalsi Bridge near Dehradun.Though he seemed interested in and pursued a course in photography in Lahore, a chance meeting with a movie producer got Pran a role in "Yamla Jat" in 1940 when he was 20.Pran, who had married Shukla in 1945 (the couple later had two sons, Arvind, Sunil, and daughter, Pinky)His contribution was finally recognized with the award of the Indian film industry's highest award - the Dadasahab Phalke Award - for 2012.

Visually challenged navigate Mount Abu with Braille route maps

It was excitement galore. Best of the iron horses were lined up at NAB-PNM Rehabilitation Centre for the Blind in Mount Abu on Wednesday for the second car rally, where drivers were sighted, but the navigators were visually challenged. The cars had begun whirring as their respective drivers kept testing the accelerator.

Supreme Court clears way for running of dance bars in Maharashtra

Seven years after they were banned, dance bars can again run in Maharashtra with the Supreme Court today upholding a Bombay high court verdict quashing the state government's order.
A bench comprising Chief Justice Altamas Kabir and Justice S S Nijjar also vacated its stay order on implementation of the high court judgement.On the other hand, various organisations representing dance bars, restaurants and bar girls had argued that the preamble of the Bombay Police (Amendment) Act, 2005, which had been struck down by the high court as unconstitutional, holds that dance performances for public amusement were permissible.These organisations had also submitted that there were over 70,000 women engaged in dance bars and several of them had already committed suicide due to unemployment and financial crunch.

Modi has credibility, BJP needs to change: Ramdev

Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi has "credibility" while the BJP needed to "bring a lot of change" in its character, Yoga guru Ramdev .Expressing support to Modi as the BJP's prime ministerial candidate, Ramdev told reporters here, "Modi is a secular leader...he developed Gujarat a lot, including areas belonging to minorities."

Did sages predict Uttarakhand calamity?

The floods that ravaged the Himalayan dhams of Kedarnath, Badrinath, Gangotri and Yamunotri last month may have surprised many, but ancient sages seem to have forseen the possibility of these shrines becoming inaccessible in the future. They also made provisions for the shrines - at least two of them - to be replicated elsewhere when that happens. Tucked away in the Garhwal Himalayas near Joshimath are the shrines of Bhavishya (future) Badri and, what some people claim, the Bhavishya Kedar. According to local belief, these are the places which have been prophesised as the future Badrinath and Kedarnath once the original shrines become inaccessible. The recent rains and cloudburst have almost brought about such a situation. Is the time then ripe for the prophecies to come true?

India needs fundamental change in politics: Amartya Sen

Calling for reforms, Nobel laureate economist Amartya Sen has said that India needs a fundamental change in politics to usher in an inclusive and equitable growth.
"We do want many, many changes that include reforms, which has made a contribution to India and could make more but it requires not just policy changes, it also requires quite a fundamental change in politics and the political economy of the country," Sen said on Monday night. At the launch of his new book 'An Uncertain Glory: India and its Contradictions' published by Penguin, he said, "We believe that India is in a very difficult situation now and the glitter of the achievement might well hide that".

Congress attacks BJP over registration fee for Modi meeting

In a bid to cash in on Modi's popularity, BJP's Andhra Pradesh unit is collecting a registration fee of Rs 5 per person to attend the public meeting. Modi, the newly appointed election campaign committee chief, will address the meeting on August 11.The party has said that it would contribute the collected amount towards Uttarakhand flood relief.

Bihar midday meal death toll rises to 21

Eleven more children who ate midday meal at their school in Bihar's Saran district died overnight, pushing up the toll to 21. Ten more children are battling for their lives, officials said, as the tragedy triggered protests.
Amarjeet Singh, principal secretary, education, confirmed the toll and said he suspected the deaths occurred by organo phosphorous poisoning caused by traces of insecticides.

SC turns down plea to reduce age of juvenile from 18 to 16 years

The Supreme Court on Wednesday refused to reduce the age of juvenile from 18 to 16 years and dismissed a plea that minors involved in heinous crimes should not be protected under the law.A bench headed by Chief Justice Altamas Kabir said that interference in Juvenile Justice Act is not necessary and dismissed a batch of PILs which were filed in the aftermath of the December 16 brutal gang-rape and murder case in which a minor was also allegedly involved.

MIM for merger of Anantapur, Kurnool with Telangana

The Majlis-e-Ittahadul Muslimeen (MIM) reiterated on Tuesday that it was against the division of the state but in a new tune, advocated the creation of Rayala-Telangana by the merger of two districts from that region with the 10 Telangana districts. The party naturally sought Hyderabad as the capital of the new state.
While the MIM has made its opposition to the division of the state clear at the allparty meeting and before the Srikrishna Commission, seeking the merger of the two Rayalaseema districts of Kurnool and Anantapur is a new stance. Earlier, the MIM was for the merger of all the four districts of Rayalaseema with Telangana.

Married or not, Domestic Violence Act binding, says Kerala HC

In a significant ruling, Kerala high court has held that a woman is entitled to get protection under the provisions of the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act even if she was in a live-in relationship.
"What was intended under Sect 2(a) of the Act was a relationship of the same nature as marriage and nothing more", Justice K Harilal said in his order on Tuesday while dismissing a petition filed by a man hailing from Cherthala in Alapuzha district against a complaint from his live-in partner seeking protection from domestic violence and compensation

No common entrance test for medical colleges, rules SC

The Supreme Court on Thursday set aside a Medical Council of India (MCI) notification mandating common National Entrance Eligibility Test (NEET) both for undergraduate and postgraduate medical and dental courses in government and private institutions.
In a majority judgment, Chief Justice Altamas Kabir and justice Vikramajit Sen held that it was beyond the powers of MCI to make such an arrangement of common entrance test both for government and private institutions.
However, in a dissenting judgment, justice Anil R Dave dismissed the petitions by private medical and dental colleges challenging the MCI notification providing for common NEET for both undergraduate and postgraduate medical and dental courses.

Served death: Bihar school meal cooked in insecticide container

An insecticide container was used to cook vegetables served to children in a school in Bihar's Saran district, initial reports suggested, as the toll from Tuesday's tragedy rose to 22 with three more children battling for their lives in hospital.Students said a lizard tail was found in the food. All the children are reportedly out of danger.

Supreme Court steps in to stop acid attacks, help victims

The Supreme Court on Thursday ruled that acid will only be sold to persons who have a government-issued identity cards. State governments will have to pay Rs. 3 lakh as compensation to an acid attack victim.Following are some of the new rules that the government is mulling to implement:

• Only licensed shopkeepers will be allowed to undertake the sale of acid.

• Sellers must also demand the identity proof, residential address, telephone number and purpose of purchasing acid, from the buyer.

• Acid sold in retail must be so diluted that it does not have any corrosive effect on humans.

• Shopkeepers will have to maintain a daily record of buyers and the quantity of acid sold.

• Acid will not be sold to anyone below the age of 18.

India to raise new corps for China border

The Indian Army is all set to flex and toughen its muscle in the northeast, with the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) on Wednesday clearing its proposal to raise a mountain strike corps along the China borderThe offensive capability to counter a rising Chinese military will come at a cost of more than Rs. 62,000 crore.

The CCS approval for the strike corps comes at a time when strains are showing in the military ties between the countries due to China's aggressive posturing along the disputed border in the Ladakh sector.Indian forces are also weighing up a proposal to patrol deeper into the disputed territory with China, beyond the limits observed before the border standoff in April.Currently, they do not carry out surveillance all the way up to India's perceived border because of a self-imposed restriction that has never been made public.

Satire website on Narendra Modi's plans taken off

A website, Narendramodiplans.com, which promised a detailed explanation of how Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi plans to run the nation if elected as the prime minister, has been taken off after having received 60,000 unique visitors in 20 hours.

The website was essentially a one page -- simple javascript application' with the BJP leader's picture that told visitors to click on an option to know more about his plans for 2014 Lok Sabha elections.
The content, perceived as harming the public reputation of the BJP strongman from Gujarat, has been removed from the site and the following message appears:
"I quit. In a country with freedom of speech, I assumed that I am allowed to make decent satire on any politician more particularly if it's constructive. Clearly, I was wrong. Apparently, you could make fun of only the leading party like @fakingnews with morphed pics, dirty jokes, cartoons and whatever, but dare you touch the opposition with javascript, they'll haunt you down. So, the first day was fun with 60,000 hits in 20 hours. And that's that."

Akhilesh expands cabinet,3 new ministers inducted

Governor BL Joshi on Thursday administered oath of office to three Cabinet rank ministers while one minister of state was elevated to independent charge in the Akhilesh Yadav ministry in Uttar Pradesh.
While senior SP leaders and MLAs Narad Rai (Ballia) and Kailash (Ghazipur) were inducted into the ministry as cabinet ministers, minister of state Ram Murti Verma from Ambedkar Nagar was elevated to Cabinet rank.
Minister of state Gayatri Prasad Prajapati from Amethi has now become minister of state with independent charge.
Besides Akhilesh Yadav, Samajwadi Party president Mulayam Singh Yadav, ministers and a large number of MLAs were present at the brief swearing in ceremony at the Raj Bhawan.

Mandela to mark 95th b'day in hospital

Former South African president Nelson Mandela will spend his 95th birthday in a Pretoria hospital on Thursday, and is said to be making "remarkable" progress.

P Sathasivam sworn in as Chief Justice of India

Justice P Sathasivam was on Friday sworn in as the 40th Chief Justice of India (CJI) by President Pranab Mukherjee.He took over the post from Justice Altamas Kabir, who served as the CJI for over nine months.

Justice Sathasivam, 64, took oath in the name of God at a brief ceremony at Darbar Hall of Rashtrapati Bhavan.

Deccan Chronicle director gets bail

MS Reddy, independent director of debt-ridden Deccan Chronicle Holdings Limited (DCHL), on Thursday got bail in a cheque-bounce case by furnishing a security bond of Rs. 20 lakh.
Judicial magistrate Ashok Kumar issued the bail order here. Reddy, director and one of the promoters of Deccan Chronicle, was arrested by the UT police and produced before the court on Thursday in the case registered on the complaint of Religare Finvest. On May 18, the court had issued non-bailable warrants against all directors of DCHL

BJP chief claims English bad for India, triggers outrage

BJP chief Rajnath Singh has stirred up a huge controversy with his comment that English has caused a great loss to India by eroding its cultural values and stymieing the growth of Sanskrit in the country. The comment was greeted with derision by intellectuals and political leaders on Friday.

Anybody who thinks that the growth of English has been a bane for India is seriously out of touch with reality. In the era of globalization, it is one of the critical advantages India has vis-a-vis countries like China. Indeed, China has itself recognized this and is seeking to catch up in a hurry. In any case, to blame one language or culture for the sorry state of another language is to miss the point. There is no contradiction between the growth of English and the thriving of native cultures. English represents, for most Indians, the language of opportunity, while their mother tongues are often the language of expression. The BJP chief should see English as cause for celebration rather than mourning.

BJP announces 2014 poll bugle, sets up 20 campaign subpanels

The BJP on Friday announced an 11-member campaign committee headed by Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi and 20 campaign panels to deal with manifesto drafting, vision document, new voters and media management among others.

The campaign committee includes BJP CMs Shivraj Chauhan, Raman Singh and Manohar Parrikar besides central leaders Murli Manohar Joshi, Arun Jaitley, Sushma Swaraj and Venkaiah Naidu.

The campaign committee does not include party veteran L K Advani who had vehemently protested Modi's appointment as head of the panel at the BJP's national executive in Goa.

Advani's exclusion is seen to be due to his seniority. He is part of election-related discussions as a member of the BJP parliamentary board which in its meeting on Thursday cleared the panels and the campaign committee.
The media management committee comprises Gujarat leader Amit Shah and Sudhanshu Trivedi - political advisor to BJP chief Rajnath Singh - besides Jaitley and Swaraj.

The manifesto committee is headed by former party president Murli Manohar Joshi and includes senior leaders Jaswant Singh and Yashwant Sinha.

BJP's vision document will be drafted by Rajnath Singh's predecessor Nitin Gadkari. Others on this committee include Gadkari's associate Vinay Sahasrabuddhe and O P Kohli.

Karnataka leader Ananth Kumar will be in-charge of the committee entrusted with planning of rallies, while devising strategies to connect with "new voters" has been assigned to Amit Shah with others including Amritsar MP Navjyot Sidhu and Poonam Mahajan, daughter of late Pramod Mahajan.

BJP general secretary Dharmendra Pradhan is in-charge of public outreach.

Reaching out to different sections of professionals will be overseen by RSS appointee Murlidhar Rao and Vinay Katiyar. A committee for "special contact" will be headed by Gadkari and election-related organization is the charge of Ramlal.

Rajya Sabha MP Mukhtar Naqvi is in-charge of logistics like travel and programmes while Bihar leader Rajiv Rudy has been given charge of booth management.

Cashless treatment of crash victims to start

The country's first cashless treatment of road accident victims, which ensures free treatment in the first 48 hours, will be launched next Monday with the 200-km stretch from Gurgaon's 32-lane toll plaza to Jaipur bypass of NH-8 to be the pilot corridor.

A trial run has been conducted on this stretch for the past three weeks involving over 70 volunteers trained by AIIMS as first responders. The programme, to be launched by the road transport and highways ministry, aims to shift crash victims within 20 minutes to a nearby hospital. Sources said more than 50 hospitals have been networked to admit injured people immediately and provide treatment.

Ten advance life-support ambulances have been deployed on the pilot stretch. "These would be stationed at an approximate distance of 20 km from each other, thus serving 10 km on either side. The average response time will not be more than 20 minutes," said Birendra Mohanty, vice-president of Financial Inclusion Solution Group (FISG) at ICICI Lombard.

Officials said a toll free number (1033) to call an ambulance or report an accident had been activated and a call centre was engaged to take care of all such emergency calls. "We have already asked NHAI to activate this number for all accidents reported on national highways," said a ministry official.

SC bans surrogate ads for tobacco products

The Supreme Court on Monday banned surrogate advertisement of tobacco products by lifting a seven-year-old interim order of the Bombay high court. The Bombay HC in 2006 had admitted petitions by manufacturers challenging certain provisions of the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products (Prohibition of Advertisement and Regulation of Trade and Commerce, Production, Supply and Distribution (Amendment) Rules, 2005 and had stayed Rule 2(e) which banned indirect advertisement of tobacco products.

Tobacco companies were extensively promoting their products through various medium specifically targeting children, in violation of Section 5 of the Tobacco Control Act, 2003 read with Rule 2(e) of the 2005 Rules, the petition said.

Surrogate advertisements and targeting of children violated Article 13 of WHO's Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), the petitioner said. Article 13(1) of FCTC states that "parties recognize that a comprehensive ban on advertising, promotion and sponsorship would reduce the consumption of tobacco products".

Textbook publishers revamp ebooks to fight used market

A booming market in recent years for selling and renting used college textbooks has saved students across the United States a ton of cash.But it has put textbook publishers in a bind. They don't make a cent unless students buy their books new.So increasingly, publishers like Pearson Plc and McGraw-Hill Education are turning to a new model: Creating online versions of their texts, often loaded with interactive features, and selling students access codes that expire at semester's end.Publishers save on printing, shipping and process returns. The ebooks are good for learning and good for their bottom line. There's just one catch: Persuading students to go digital isn't easy.Online products accounted for 27 percent of the $12.4 billion spent on textbooks for secondary schools and colleges in the United States last year, according to research firm Outsell Inc.

SC bench headed by new CJI slams decision of just-retired CJI Kabir

In an unprecedented development, a bench headed by Chief Justice P Sathasivam strongly disapproved of a series of orders passed by a bench headed by his immediate predecessor Altamas Kabir granting relief to Jaiprakash Associates Ltd (JAL) by virtually sitting in appeal over the order of another bench of the apex court which had declined to give concession to the construction and infrastructure group.

The orders passed by the bench headed by the ex-CJI helped the company dodge depositing Rs 100 crore as penalty that Himachal Pradesh high court had slapped on it in May last year for misrepresenting facts for securing clearances to set up a cement plant.

Tough to fix marriage age for girls, Supreme Court says

Eight years ago, two high courts allowed minor girls to marry after they acknowledged that they had eloped voluntarily with their beaus, leading the National Commission for Women to rush to the Supreme Court expressing fear that this would legitimize marriage of minors -- an offence under the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act.

The NCW had said that given the wide disparity in various laws on the issue of marriageable age of girls, there was an urgent need to bring uniformity by addressing the question: "what is the correct statutory age for a girl to wed".

The Supreme Court on Wednesday said it was difficult to arrive at a straightjacket formula on marriageable age of girls to fit every case. "We do not find anything wrong in the two cases decided by the high courts," a bench of Justices J S Khehar and Dipak Misra said.

The Delhi High Court on October 5, 2005 and the Andhra Pradesh High Court on February 1, 2006 had allowed underage girls to marry their lovers after dropping kidnapping charges registered against the men by police.
Congress turns the spotlight on Hyderabad

After categorically stating that there will be no more consultations on Telangana, the Congress high command has reportedly summoned chief minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy, deputy CM C Damodar Rajanarasimha and PCC president Botsa Satyanarayana to Delhi on Friday for further talks, said to revolve around the status of Hyderabad.

Congress sources said Kiran Kumar Reddy will leave for Delhi on Friday morning while Botsa and Damodar are slated to depart for the national capital on Thursday. Meetings for the three state leaders have been scheduled with Union home minister Sushilkumar Shinde and finance minister P Chidambaram, and possibly party president Sonia Gandhi. Interestingly, the Congress core committee is scheduled to meet in Delhi on Friday evening where there are expectations that a date for the much-expected Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting said to focus on Telangana will be fixed.

According to the sources, the three leaders have been called to specifically discuss the status of Hyderabad post division of the state. "One of the options being explored is the appointment of an administrator for Hyderabad, including the GHMC limits. While Article 239 of the Constitution deals with the appointment of administrators to Union territories, Article 239 AA deals with the administration of Delhi. Both are being examined,"

Gujarat restaurants plan to name dishes after UPA scams

Get ready to bite into a piping hot "2G ka samosa" or a toasted "Coalgate sandwich" because restaurants in Gujarat may soon serve your favourite dishes with a dash of politics.

Members of the Gujarat Rajya Hotel Federation (GRHF) have decided to stand up for Mumbai eatery Aditi Restaurant that was forced to shut down by Congress workers on Monday for criticizing the UPA government in its bills. (The eatery had re-opened on Tuesday.) Members of the federation are planning to name some of their dishes after the scams that have surfaced during the UPA regime.

Hotelier and GRHF member Ashwin Gandhi has discussed the proposal with other federation members. "Naming food and drinks after scams is an apt reply," Gandhi told TOI. "Every citizen has the right to express his views." The GRHF has over 6,000 members across the state.

Family-run companies better at succession planning

It happened in quick succession. Late last month, PepsiCo India announced that Manu Anand, its India and South Asia president was quitting with immediate effect. Just a day later, Walmart India announced that its CEO Raj Jain had put in his papers. Both these professionally managed companies, known for their best practices, seemed to have been caught unawares and could announce only an interim CEO, demonstrating in good effect the poor state of succession planning in certain quarters of India Inc.

In contrast, family-run companies have actually shown a better record when it comes to succession planning. At Godrej Consumer Products, a Godrej Group company, CEO transition was smooth when Vivek Gambhir replaced A Mahendran. Similarly, HCL Technologies brought on board Anant Gupta early this year to steer the Shiv Nadar group company with an eye on the future even though existing CEO Vineet Nayar is barely 50. Gupta has very large shoes to fill as Nayar, who continues as vice-chairman, had not only proved to be a successful CEO but also fashioned himself as a management thinker at the global level, opening doors for his company at global corporations. Then for all its hoopla, the selection of Cyrus Mistry as a successor to Ratan Tata through a long-drawn process was perhaps another example of a smooth transition in a family-run empire.
Tata himself contributed in good measure by giving Mistry a free hand and by deciding to operate from a different office altogether. Besides, GM Rao of the diversified infrastructure conglomerate, GMR, got a family constitution drafted to deal with matters regarding ownership and power sharing.

Ahmedabad Metro to be driverless, gets a nod for broad gauge

Ahmedabad metro rail will be driverless and broad gauge project, said a top expert involved in the project. The broad gauge will result in savings of Rs 1,000 crore in capital expenditure and Rs 20 crore annually in operational expenditure. A Design Advisory Committee for the project has given a go ahead after considering pros and cons versus the standard metrog uage.

"Metro Expresslink for Gandhinagar and Ahmedabad (MEGA), the company in charge of the project, has zeroed in on Broad Gauge on the basis of recommendations of members ofDAC and their report submitted earlier to the State Government. In the last Technical Advisory Committee (TAC), the report by the Gauge Committee was discussed and it was decided to do further study in detail to arrive at more informed decision," said an official of MEGA.

France-based metro rail consultants M/s Egis Rail has been appointed by MEGA to undertake a comparitive Cost Benefit Analysis of Broad Guage (BG) and Standard Guage. The findings of its report were placed before the DAC and all the members unanimously accepted it.

The report claimed that there will be cost saving on infrastructure and system, rolling stock and also on operation and maintenance on ongoing basis. By selecting BG there will cost saving on civil cost of stations by around 15%, on viaducts by around 2% and on depot by around 7%. The higher capacity of wider coaches of BG will reduce the requirement of the number of coaches and MEGA will save around 11% on rolling stock.

The total cost benefit for rolling stock and infrastructure and system in capital cost will be more than Rs 1,000 crore and Rs 20 crore per year in operation and Maintenance. Core infrastructure works will begin in fourth quarter of year 2013 and Phase I is scheduled to be completed by August, 2017. The entire project including Phase II will be fully operational in March 2021.

MNCs should stop using Indians as guinea pigs: FDA to high court

Multinationals should stop treating Indians as guinea pigs, the FDA told the Bombay HC on Friday, while opposing Johnson & Johnson's plea to restart its Mulund facility. A division bench of Justice S J Vazifdar and Justice M S Sonak.

The court heard J&J's plea challenging FDA's order directing closure from June 24.

FDA claimed that in 2007, J&J had used ethylene oxide treatment (EtO) to 15 batches of baby powder and did not check for residue. But J&J argued that it had checked three of the batches for residue in 2009, and had found none.

Ashutosh Kumbhakoni and Ashutosh Gavnekar, advocates for FDA, said on finding that the Ph (power of hydrogen) levels were high, J&J transferred all 15 batches into a processor and corrected the level. To check for contamination, instead of the steam sterilisation treatment, they sent the bottles for EtO treatment to a lab. "After the treatment, they was no check for residue...the . They transferred the packed bottles were sent to Mulund and the into the market," said Kumbhakoni, adding that a whistleblower had alerted the FDA about the matter in 2010.

Indians head to Gulf in 'begging' season

It's more than a fortnight since the month of Ramzan began and a regular stream of Indians has been heading to the Gulf countries, literally with begging bowls in hand. Reason: This is the time when alms (zakat) are given generously.The huge money that can be made is a powerful magnet. Each beggar makes nearly Rs 6 lakh in the 30-day period, while the 'take' on Fridays can be as much as Rs 5,000, say officials.

Mohammad Amjad, 41, of Bihar, now in the UAE, said he made Rs 13,000 in the first two days of the holy month. The money is sent home through 'hawala' operators as people on visit visas cannot hold bank accounts.
A fortnight before Ramzan begins, says an emigration official, word is spread that agents are looking for people to travel to the Gulf. The amount charged varies from Rs 75, 000 in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh to a little more than Rs 1 lakh in Tamil Nadu.

In Tamil Nadu, especially in places such as Rameswaram, Kilakarai, Kumbakonam, Chidambaram and Vellore, agents arrange 'packages', including air tickets, visas and accommodation, for around Rs 1.25 lakh.
The fact that begging is illegal all over the Gulf and those caught face hefty fines and jail terms has not acted as a deterrent. About 57 Indian beggars have been arrested in Saudi Arabia and 29, including many women, picked up in Dubai since July 10 when Ramzan began. All of them entered the UAE on visit visas.

As many as 20 police patrols have been deployed in Dubai as part of the annual anti-begging campaign. Similar arrangements have been rolled out in Abu Dhabi and Sharjah. In 2012, nearly 650 beggars were arrested in Dubai, one-third of them during Ramzan. Bahrain, Muscat and Qatar are preferred 'destinations' during Ramzan.

Every year, hundreds of Indians, Pakistanis, Sudanese and Africans travel to the Gulf on such visits, with those from India and Pakistan forming the majority. 8Immigration officials at Chennai airport say they see familiar faces leaving the city at the beginning of each Ramzan and returning home after Eid.

50% organ needs can be filled by brain-dead

'Bengal to get India's first transplant hospital' - this headline grabbed attention as it heralded hope and optimism in a sea of despair. The hospital which will be set up by 2015 could well change organ transplantation in India and smoothen matters in a country beset by mind-numbing fear and bureaucratic delays over this issue.

India, with a population of over a billion, should, in fact, have a ready supply of organs for its chronically ill. Speak to anyone waiting for an organ. Hear about his desperate search for a liver or kidney, talk to a family crippled financially by repeated dialysis or see the tears of a mother whose child lies exhausted with liver disease. And then ask yourself: can I make his life better?

India's figures for organ donation are shocking. It has 0.16 donors per million population (in 2012) compared to 35 for Spain, 27 for Britain and 26 for US. In India, 12 people die every day for want of an organ. Some 2.1 lakh require a kidney transplant annually, but only 3,000-4,000 get it.

It's a crushing story of galloping demand and abysmal supply. The case of late Union minister Vilasrao Deshmukh is an apt example. He suffered from liver cancer but passed away before he could get the organ. It needn't be this way. According to guesstimates, there are almost 90,000 brain deaths annually, mostly due to road accidents. Experts say that 50% of all organ needs can be met by these casualties.

So what is hindering donation? Lack of awareness, coupled with myths and superstitions. Often, families of brain-dead persons do not permit organ donation. However, misconceptions can be overturned by media and relentless ad campaigns. Religious leaders can be roped in to talk about the benefits of organ donation.

As for the government, it should set up a national registry for organ transplant on a priority basis. Examples can be gleaned from the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network of the US or UK Transplant Centre. It should make rules simpler so that organs of brain-dead patients can be harvested fast. Philanthropic organizations can pitch in to bear the humongous cost of transplants, while insurance companies can include this procedure among those that can be reimbursed.

All is not bleak. There are heartening stories of swap transplants, incompatible donor transplants and donors as young as three years; of Tamil Nadu being the best state in organ donation with more than 1,700 transplants since 2008.

You, too, can help. Sign up for a donor card to ensure that your organs - eyes, heart, lungs, kidneys, liver and pancreas - can be harvested after death. Can there be a bigger legacy to leave behind? Or a better way to be a guardian angel?

IAS Durga Shakti Nagpal who took on sand mafia suspended

The UP government late on Saturday night suspended Durga Shakti Nagpal, the sub-divisional magistrate of Gautam Budh Nagar. Nagpal, a 2010 batch IAS officer, who has been in news for her crackdown on illegal sand mining, was allegedly suspended over a dispute related to a religious place.

KG basin gas price: SC issues notices to Centre, RIL

The government's controversial decision to raise the price of natural gas came under judicial scrutiny with the Supreme Court on Monday agreeing to examine the matter and issued notices to the Centre and Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL).

A bench headed by Chief Justice P Sathasivam issued notices to Centre and RIL on the issue.

The apex court issued notices on petition by MP Gurudas Dasgupta.

A life spent in Mawsynram, the wettest place on earth

Deep in northeast, villagers use grass to sound-proof their huts from deafening rain, clouds are a familiar sight inside homes and a suitably rusted sign tells visitors they are in the " wettest place on earth".

Oddly enough, lifelong residents of Mawsynram, a small cluster of hamlets in Meghalaya state have little idea that their scenic home holds a Guinness record for the highest average annual rainfall of 11,873 millimeters (467 inches).

Trinamool surges ahead in Bengal panchayat polls

The green surge that crushed Bengal's 34-year-old Red citadel in 2011 continues to swamp the countryside, but is just short of a clean sweep.

Mamata Banerjee's Trinamool Congress decimated the Left in south Bengal, but met with hurdles in the north, where the Congress and the Left were ahead of the ruling party in Jalpaiguri, Uttar Dinajpur, Malda and Murshidabad. The projected Lok Sabha tally extrapolated from the grassroots would put Trinamool's seats at 27 out of 42, a prospect that would give Mamata bargaining power in national politics.

Outsiders destroying J&K’s culture, Geelani says

Hurriyat hardliner Syed Ali Shah Geelani has asked Kashmiris not to allow five-lakh-odd "outsiders" mostly from Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, and West Bengal, to trample upon their culture. Shortage of labourers in most parts of the valley has led to an increase in migration of both skilled and unskilled workers from other states to Jammu & Kashmir, and Geelani sees threat to Kashmiri culture from the "outsiders".

Narendra Modi eyes Obama in battle for cyber world

Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi seems out to prove he is more popular than US President Barack Obama — at least on social networking sites.

Having faced a defeat at the hand of the US president in November 2011 when Modi lost following a last-minute spurt in negative votes in the fifth annual Mashable awards in the category of 'Must-Follow Politician On Social Media', the Gujarat CM now wants to get back.

India to restore LPG, kerosene subsidy to Bhutan by early August

India has assured Thimphu that the subsidy on LPG and kerosene it supplies to Bhutan will be restored by the first week of August. New Delhi had earlier this month decided to put an end to the subsidy causing much heartburn in the strategically important country at a time when it was in the middle of its parliamentary polls.

Many said India was trying to influence the outcome of the polls — ruffled as it was with then PM Jigme Thinley's policies — but South Block steadfastly maintained its decision was apolitical. Government sources here said all "administrative, technical and financial arrangements" are in place for resumption of subsidy on cooking gas and kerosene.