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Invest Karnataka 2016: Centre Assures Full Cooperation to Karnataka

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Karnataka

Bengaluru: Centre on Wednesday extended full support to Karnataka Government that has organised a global investors meet, Invest Karnataka 2016 to attract investments in various sectors.

Speaking after inaugurating the summit, Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said Centre and State will work together in attracting investment and ensuring overall development of the state. In terms of attracting investment, Karnataka has natural advantage with its best human resources and natural instinct to learn and innovate, he said.

Union Minister for Road Transport, Highways and Shipping Nitin Gadkari said Centre is fully committed to extend all possible cooperation to the state government in developing infrastructure which is crucial in attracting investment.

“By the end of next year, my department alone will invest Rs 1 lakh crore in various infrastructure projects including development of roads and ports,” the minister announced. “Of them, works to the tune of Rs 60,000 crore will be taken up by end of this year and rest of the projects during next year,” he added. He appealed to the investors to invest in Karnataka.

Union Urban Development Minister M Venkaiah Naidu and Union Minister for Chemicals and Fertilisers Ananth Kumar too listed out various projects being taken up by their respective departments and termed Karnataka as one of the best states to invest in.

(PTI)

Woman throws flower pot at PM’S convoy, detained

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pot-Modi

New Delhi: A woman has been detained after she allegedly tried to throw a flower pot at Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s convoy. She allegedly insisted that she wanted to meet the prime minister.

An advance team had barricaded the road where the prime minister was to pass when this woman allegedly started fighting with the police.

The woman, who had been waiting outside the building that has the PM’s office, has been taken for questioning.

(Agencies)

Former Lok Sabha speaker Balram Jakhar is dead

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Balram Jakhar

New Delhi: Former Lok Sabha speaker and Congress veteran Balram Jakhar died on Wednesday morning, his son Sunil Jakhar said. He was 92.

The cremation will be held at his native village Panchkosi in Punjab’s Abohar town at 11 a.m. on Thursday, said Sunil who is a former Punjab Congress Legislative Party leader.

Balram Jakhar had suffered a brain stroke a year ago. He is survived by two sons and two daughters.

Balram Jakhar served as the speaker of Lok Sabha from 1980 to 1989.

He was also the Madhya Pradesh governor from June 30, 2004 to May 30, 2009. He also served as the union agriculture minister during former prime minister P.V Narasimha Rao-led Congress government.

(Agencies)

10 soldiers go missing as avalanche hits army post at Siachen

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Siachin

Jammu: Ten soldiers, including an officer, went missing on Wednesday after an avalanche hit them in Siachin Glacier in Jammu and Kashmir’s Ladakh region.

“Ten soldiers, including a junior commissioned officer (JCO), are missing after an avalanche hit their patrol at 19,000 feet above the sea level in southern side of the Siachin Glacier early Wednesday,” Colonel S.D. Goswami, spokesman of army’s Udhampur headquartered northern command, told IANS here.

“A massive rescue operation has been started by the army and the Air Force to trace the missing personnel who are feared buried under the avalanche,” he added.

Siachin Glacier is the world’s highest battlefield which the brave hearts of the Indian Army guard despite extremely hostile climate.

The winter temperatures often drops to minus 50 degrees Celsius in the region.

(IANS)

Prophet Muhammad (pbuh): A Pinnacle of Humanity

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Prophet Muhammad
An inter-religious conference on the theme ‘Prophet Muhammad – Pinnacle of Humanity’ was conducted on 30th January 2016 at Dr. Ambedkar Bhavan, Bangalore, from 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm.

The program began with the recitation of the Quran followed by the welcome address given by Dr. Saad Mohammad Belgami, President JIH Bangalore Metro who welcomed all the delegates and participants.

The key note address delivered by Moulana Syed Jalaluddin Umri (National President, Jamaat-e-Islami Hind). He said that Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) had come with the same message with which the previous prophets had come and he (peace be upon him) invited people to worship only one God who is the only creator of this universe and He who made everyone equal, more honourable is the one who fears God most. Prophet Mohammad preached rights and duties of every relationship and demonstrated it through his own behaviour and conduct.

The programme was followed by a talk by Sri Sri Shivanubhava Shivarudra Swamiji from Belimatha Mahasamsthana, Bangalore. He urged the audience to face every problem with firmness and always remember that God is with us and He will help us in every difficulty.

Later, Justice M. N. Venkatachaliah (Former Chief Justice of India) said that the world is looking at India as to how we will conduct ourselves as one human family and in order to be successful in this task we need the teachings of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh).

Later, Nadoja Sri Hampa Nagarajaiah (Renowned Litterateur) also addressed the gathering. The programme was followed by a talk by Giani Baldev Singh (Head Priest, Gurudwara Ulsoor, Bangalore). He said that God fearing people would worry about humanity and if we forget the teachings of the messengers then we would be deteriorated in life.

The program concluded on a positive note with a final talk by Mohammed Kunhi (Manager, Shanti Prakashana, Mangalore). More than a thousand people participated in the conference.

Maneka Gandhi says sex determination test must to track female foeticide

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Maneka Gandhi

New Delhi: Sex determination tests, which are banned in India, should be made compulsory to check the killing of female babies, Union Minister Maneka Gandhi has said.

“It is better that we change the policy. As soon as the woman is pregnant, it becomes compulsory for her to tell if it is a boy or a girl and she has to register. If she registers in the initial stages, you will be able to monitor whether the birth took place or not,” said Ms Gandhi, the Women and Child Development Minister on Monday.

“I am just putting out this idea. It is being discussed though there is no conclusion yet,” the minister clarified at the All India Regional Editors Conference.

She called it a different way to look at the problem of female foeticide. “We cannot keep catching people doing (illegal) ultrasound,” she said.

Sex determination tests were banned in India in 1994 in an attempt to check foeticide or the killing of female fetuses in parts of the country where the birth of a boy is considered a boon.

India is among the countries with the worst child sex ratios in the world. The 2011 Census showed that there are 914 girls to 1,000 boys in India.

Reacting to Ms Gandhi’s bold suggestion, some activists have said that allowing sex determination tests may be a disaster in less developed societies where women are given little choice.

(Agencies)

Anupam Kher ‘denied’ Pak visa, high commission says he never applied

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kher

New Delhi: Veteran actor Anupam Kher on Tuesday said he has been denied the Pakistan visa for his visit to Karachi for a literature festival. A Pakistani diplomat here however said that he has “not submitted” any visa application.

Anupam told a TV channel: “… I don’t know why I have been denied (the visa). But this is true that I have been denied the visa.”

The actor wondered if it is his point of view on Kashmiri Pandits or his pro Prime Minister Narendra Modi stance which led to the denial of the visa.

Manzoor Ali Memon, a diplomat from the Pakistan High Commission, however, told IANS: “He (Anupam Kher) has not submitted (any) visa application. Please check out from him if he has any receipt.”

The three-day Karachi literary festival will commence from Friday.

(Agencies)

SC refers curative plea on homosexuality to five-judge bench

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Supreme Court

New Delhi: A five-judge Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court will hear curative petitions seeking re-examination of its verdict criminalising sexual activity between same sex consenting adults under section 377 of IPC.

 

A three-judge bench comprising Chief Justice T S Thakur and Justices A R Dave and J S Khehar said that since important issues concerning the Constitution were involved in the matter, it would be appropriate to refer the issue to a five-judge Constitution bench.

The bench said that the larger bench would be constituted in the future. The bench was told there were eight curative petitions seeking re-examination of the order on the review petition and the December 11, 2013 judgement by which the Delhi High Court verdict de-criminalising section 377 (unnatural sexual offences) of the IPC was set aside. The bench was also informed that the churches of northern India and All India Muslim Personal Law Board were against decriminalising homosexuality.

At the outset, senior counsel Kapil Sibal, arguing for decriminalising section 377 of IPC, submitted that huge constitutional issues are involved in the matter. A battery of senior lawyers appeared in the case.

He submitted the issue concerns the “most private and the most precious” part of life that is right to sexuality within the four corners of your domain which has been held as unconstitutional. “By this judgement, you have bound the present and future generations to dignity and stigma,” he submitted.

Further, he said that human sexuality should not be stigmatised.Hearing his brief arguments, the bench said such an important issue needs to go to a Constitution Bench of five judges. The bench was informed that the high court judgement was not challenged by the Centre which had left it for the apex court to take a call on the issue.

However, when the high court judgement was overturned by the Supreme Court, the Centre had preferred the review petition which was dismissed.

The bench was hearing the curative petition filed by gay rights activists and NGO Naz Foundation against the apex court’s December 11, 2013 judgement upholding validity of section 377 (unnatural sexual offences) of IPC and the January 2014 order by which it had dismissed a batch of review petitions.

A curative petition is the last judicial resort available for redressal of grievances in court which is normally decided by judges in-chamber. In rare cases, such petitions are given an open court hearing.

The petitioners, including the NGO, which has been spearheading the legal battle on behalf of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community, had contended that there was an error in the judgement delivered on December 11, 2013 as it was based on an old law.

The apex court had earlier dismissed a batch of review petitions filed by the Centre and gay rights activists against its December 2013 verdict declaring gay sex an offence with punishment upto life imprisonment.

While setting aside the July 2, 2009 verdict of the Delhi High Court, the apex court had held that Section 377 of IPC does not suffer from the vice of unconstitutionality and that the declaration made by the high court was legally unsustainable.

(Agencies)

Karnataka eyes over Rs 2.5 lakh cr from global investors meet

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vidhana soudha

Bengaluru: Betting big on the upcoming global investors meet, the Karnataka government is looking to attract twice the Rs 1.30 lakh crore investment it has wooed in the last two years.

Ahead of the three-day mega event, Invest Karnataka 2016, beginning here on February 3, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah told reporters that with a thriving eco-system for investment the state’s expectations were “realistic”.

Several mega investment projects would be announced at the meet. Besides, the government hopes to mobilise investments in 116 investible projects identified already, he said.

He added that the state government has cleared proposals worth Rs 1.30 lakh crore in the last two years after he took over as the Chief Minister and they were in different stages of implementation.

The government is expecting to attract double the investment received so far, he said.

The CM further said that the state would reach the targets set in the new 2014-19 industrial policy, one year ahead of the timeframe.

The new policy envisages 12 per cent industrial growth, Rs 5 lakh crore investment and generation of 15 lakh jobs.

On the common refrain by the corporate sector regarding non-availability of land, he said the state cabinet had recently decided to hand over 13,000 acres to Karnataka Industrial Area Development Board.

“Land is not a problem. Karnataka has already created a land bank of 26,268 acres,” noted Rathna Prabha, Additional Chief Secretary (Industries and Commerce).

Over 100 top global and Indian leaders, including marquee investors, would take part in the meet, besides CEOs of domestic and global corporations, he pointed out.

Among the attendees would be Ratan Tata, Kumar Mangalam Birla, Anil D Ambani, Gautam Adani, Uday Kotak, N R Narayana Murthy, Sajjan Jindal and Baba Kalyani, officials said.

Fourteen sectors, including defence and textiles, have been identified for the meet, for which seven partner nations – France, Germany, UK, Italy, Sweden, Japan and South Korea – are arriving with huge delegations, Minister for Large and Medium Industries R V Deshpande said.
(Reopen MDS 3)

Both Siddaramaiah and Deshpande described as “tremendous” the response to the event, preceded by roadshows held within the country as well as overseas.

“We are confident that it will be hugely successful,” Siddaramaiah said.

On infrastructure bottlenecks, particularly in Bengaluru, a main source of concern for the investors, he said the government was trying to overcome them.

He said at a meeting recently, Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways, Nitin Gadkari had responded “positively” to a state proposal regarding funding the 70-km long peripheral road project for Bengaluru.

The project, which envisaged upgrading the roads into national highways and elevated corridors to connect them, required Rs 8,000 crore for land acquisition and Rs 3,000 crore for laying roads, he observed.

To a query on frequent complaints by the state government about lack of cooperation from the Centre, Siddaramaiah said, “We expect cooperation from the Centre. They will have to cooperate. Ours is a federal structure.”

Meanwhile, responding to a question on stiff competition from other states, Deshpande said that Karnataka with its inherent strengths and advantages continued to draw investment despite states like Andhra Pradesh and Telangana vying with it.

“Incentives and concessions are not the only answers for investment,” he said, emphasising that Karnataka has historically been a progressive state with a vibrant and productive industrial ecosystem.

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley would inaugurate the event, which will also see the presence of several union ministers including Nirmala Sitharaman, Suresh Prabhu and Nitin Gadkari.

(Agencies)

Carl Sagan’s wife mourns Rohit Vemula’s death

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Ann Druyan. (Credit: Reuters/Kevork Djansezian)

Ann Druyan. (Credit: Reuters/Kevork Djansezian)

Hyderabad: “I always wanted to be a writer. A writer of science, like Carl Sagan. At last, this is the only letter I am getting to write. I loved Science, Stars, Nature, but then I loved people without knowing that people have long since divorced from nature.”

This is precisely what Hyderabad Central University Dalit Research student Rohit Vemula wrote in his suicide note, speaking about his love for science.

The suicide triggered wide spread protests across the country and after few weeks of Rohit’s death, Ann Druyan, none other than Astronomer Carl Sagan’s wife has written a letter to Rohit Vemula and responding to his unfulfilled desire Druyan said: “To read his suicide note and to learn the details of his predicament is to get a vivid inkling of the actual cost of bias to our civilization. If we could somehow quantify the totality of lost contributions and innovations as a result of prejudice, I believe we would find it staggering.”

Druyan was told about Rohit Vemula’s death by activist Rajeev Ramachandran –  in a short but reflective letter.

“You tell me, Rajeev: Is it possible that the attention paid to Rohit’s story will lessen its chronic repetition? I am trying to find something hopeful in an otherwise heartbreaking example of needless suffering and squandered potential,” she said adding that she mourned Rohith’s death and lost promise.

Rohith hung himself in the hostel of Hyderabad Central University on January 7, days after he and four other students were banned from the hostel, cafeteria and other common areas on campus for allegedly beating a rival student activist.

(Agencies)

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