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CBI books Deccan Chronicle Holdings in Rs 30cr fraud

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The CBI has filed a case against Deccan Chronicle Holdings Ltd (DCHL)and its Chairman T. Venkatram Reddy for allegedly causing a wrongful loss of Rs 30.54 crore to United India Insurance Co Ltd (UIIC), an official said on Friday.

The FIR registered by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Thursday also named Mumbai-based private firms CARE Rating Ltd and Infrastructure Development Finance Co Ltd and two former officials of UIIC.

The UIIC officials — Deputy General Manager A. Balasubramanian and Chief Manager K.L. Kunjilwar — made suspicious investments in the “privately placed short term unsecured redeemable non-convertible debentures issued by DCHL in 2011 in violation of the regulations”.

Balasubramanian and Kunjilwar entered into a criminal conspiracy at Chennai and other places to cheat UIIC and abused their official position as public servants by making the investments which was not repaid by DCHL, causing loss of Rs 30,54,25,350, said the CBI FIR.

“It is revealed that UIIC was investing the premium collected from the policy holders during the ordinary course of business in the form of shares, debentures, commercial papers, term loan etc in the public and private sector companies as per the investment policy guidelines based on the rules of Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDA),” the FIR said.

These investments are based on the rating made by Security and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) approved rating agency CARE Rating Ltd, it said.

The FIR said the overall borrowing powers of DCHL was increased from Rs 700 crore to Rs 1,000 crore on the Board of Directors’ annual general meeting held on September 29, 2007 and from Rs 1,000 crore to Rs 5,000 crore in a similar meeting on February 28, 2013.

“As on the date of issue of debentures, DCHL’s total borrowings was Rs 3,755.70 crore.”

According to the FIR, in the pursuance of the criminal conspiracy between July to October 2011, three office notes were put up by Kunjilwar for investment of Rs 10 crore each in 11.25 per cent unsecured non convertible debentures issued by DCHL for purchase of short term unsecured debentures with 364 days maturity without analyzing the proposal in detail and the same was approved by Balasubramanian.

“The investments were made in three different occasions deliberately in order to by-pass the investment committee of UIIC. Thus UIIC invested Rs 30 crore in DCHL. UIIC relied on the rating awarded by CARE Ratings Ltd.

“At the time of investment in 2011, the rating awarded by CARE Rating Ltd was PR1+ and at the time of redemption in 2012, the rating was drastically downgraded to D within a short span of one year.

“On the date of maturity in 2012, the principal amount with interest was not repaid by DCHL. DCHL had issued three cheques of Rs 10 crore each but when presented through encashment, they were dishonoured. Regarding which UIIC lodged a complaint against DCHL which is peding before court,” the FIR said.

(IANS)

Congress In Trouble As Muslim Leaders Hold A Secret Meet

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A secret meeting of more than 20 senior Congress Muslim leaders, soon after the meeting of Congress Election Committee on the background of state Assembly elections has created tension in the Congress party.

K. Rehman Khan, who missed entry to the Rajya Sabha for the second term, former union minister C K Jaffer Sharief, Ministers Roshan Baig, U T Khader, Tanveer Sait, C M Ibrahim, Firoz Sait, Rizwan Arshad and many other MLAs, MPs and former ministers were present on the occasion.

According to the sources, Muslim leaders are unhappy with AICC General Secretary K C Venugopal, who is also the party’s state in-charge. “The community is facing dearth of political leadership,” the leaders are believed to have told while pressing for post of either DCM or an equivalent position for any Muslim leader.

The meeting has decided to directly speak these issues out to the party high-command and AICC President Rahul Gandhi. It has decided to demand minimum 25 seats for Muslim candidates and ensure seats to Christian, Jain and other minority candidates in 5 constituencies.

There was a lengthy discussion regarding the possible effect on Muslims by providing minority status to Lingayats.

One-Third Women In Rural India Unaware Of Breast Cancer: Study

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While early detection is the key for successful breast cancer treatment, one in three women in rural India had not even heard of the deadly disease, finds a research led by a doctoral student of Indian-origin.

Breast cancer is the most common of the types of cancer occurring in India, followed by lung cancer and cervical cancer.

The findings showed that as many as 90 per cent of the women in rural areas are unaware of the possibility of self-examination of their own breasts.

A delay of more than three months in seeking care was observed in almost half of the women.

The delay in diagnosis and treatment was for more than twelve weeks in 23 per cent of the patients.

“Early detection may be crucial for successful breast cancer treatment. Therefore, it’s important to influence women’s awareness of the symptoms and their attitudes towards treatment,” said doctoral student Nitin Gangane in a statement released by the Umea University in Sweden.

“It’s urgent to have a national breast cancer programme in India, while at the local level, we need to raise awareness among women about breast cancer,” Gangane said.

The team performed two studies including over 1,000 women in the mainly rural-dominated district of Wardha in the state of Maharashtra in central India.

Hardly any women in the studies self-examined their breasts. Every third woman had not even heard of breast cancer.

On the other hand, most of the women showed a great deal of interest in learning more.

“Illiteracy, ignorance, poverty and superstition regretfully lead to many women delaying their contact with the health care system too long,” Gangane said.

In addition, no pain in the breast lump delayed a visit to the doctor.

Incorrect initial diagnosis or late referral for examination led to diagnostic delay, while the high costs delayed treatment.

According to the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) India is likely to have more than 17.3 lakh new cases of breast cancer and over 8.8 lakh deaths due to the disease by 2020.

A recently published study, in the Journal of Business Research showed that lack of early diagnosis of breast cancer may kill 76,000 Indian women in a year by 2020.

It also revealed that the average age of death from the disease has shifted from 50 years to 30 years.

(IANS)

Polling underway for four Rajya Sabha seats in Karnataka

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Polling was underway on Friday for four Rajya Sabha seats in Karnataka.
“Polling began at 9 a.m., on a steady note in the state legislature building to elect four of the five candidates in the fray for the Upper House seats,” said an election official.
Five candidates, including three from the ruling Congress and one each from the opposition — Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S) — are contesting for the four seats.

New Delhi: A View of Parliament house during the ongoing Winter Session in New Delhi on Wednesday. PTI Photo by Kamal Kishore (PTI12_9_2015_000201B)


The Congress candidates are L. Hanumanthaiah, G.C. Chandrasekhar and Syed Naseer Hussain and BJP candidate is Rajeev Chandrasekhar, who is seeking a second term, as his first term as an Independent member ends on April 2.
The election has been necessitated to fill the vacancies arising out of the retirement of incumbent members Basawaraj Patil, Rahman Khan and R. Ramakrishna of the Congress and Chandrasekhar.
In the 225-member state legislative assembly, including one nominated, the Congress has 122 legislators, BJP 48 and JD-S 37. Of all, seven seats are vacant.
As each candidate needs 45 votes to win the contest, the Congress is in a position to get two of its nominees elected easily, while its third candidate with 37 votes, will have to get 13 more votes to make up for the shortfall.
The ruling Congress legislature party met here to plan its strategy to win the third seat.
With Chandrashekar assured of victory by virtue of the BJP having 48 votes, the contest will be for the fourth seat between the Congress and JD-S, whose strength got reduced to 37 after 3 of its members were suspended for revolting against its leadership.
The JD-S also fears cross-voting by some of its members in favour of the ruling party’s (Congress) third nominee.

Conspiracy Being Hatched Against Us: Chandrababu

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Amid speculation that a CBI inquiry may be ordered into allegations of corruption against him, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu on Friday told TDP MPs that a ‘conspiracy is being hatched against us’.

The Telugu Desam Party (TDP) chief advised MPs and other top party leaders to remain alert and be prepared to face any difficulties.

In a teleconference with party MPs to take stock of the developments in Parliament, Naidu again voiced his apprehension that the BJP may target him, his son Nara Lokesh and other TDP leaders by slapping cases as they have pulled out of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA).

The TDP chief also alleged that the BJP was trying to weaken the political leadership in south India. He said since a strong TDP means a strong Andhra Pradesh, attempts were being made to weaken the party by using the YSR Congress Party and Jana Sena.

Naidu had earlier accused the BJP of trying to politically destabilize Andhra Pradesh by repeating what it did in Tamil Nadu.

“I have come into politics to serve the people and not for conspiracies and machinations. This should be kept in mind by the three parties,” he said referring to the BJP, YSR Congress and Jana Sena.

Naidu’s comments came in the wake of all the three parties making allegations of corruption against the TDP government, targeting him and his son Lokesh, who is also a cabinet minister.

On Thursday, BJP leader Vishnu Kumar Raju alleged that TDP government was involved in corruption in the Pattiseema project and cited the report of Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG).

Speaking in the assembly, Naidu made a counter attack by claiming that same CAG found fault with the Modi government on many issues.

Naidu also slammed the three parties for making similar allegations on Polavaram project.

“There were no corruption allegations when we were in NDA. How could we suddenly become corrupt after leaving the NDA?” he asked.

The TDP pulled out of NDA over the latter’s refusal to accord special category to Andhra Pradesh and fulfill other commitments made at the time of state’s division in 2014.

The TDP has also moved a no-confidence motion against the Modi government in the Lok Sabha. It could not be taken up due to unending uproar in the House.

7 years later, Anna Hazare to begin indefinite hunger strike for Lokpal again

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Social activist Anna Hazare began an indefinite hunger strike against the Centre in Delhi on Friday, nearly seven years after his anti-corruption movement caught the imagination of millions of Indians and shook the then UPA government.
The venue of his protest will be the same iconic Ram Lila Maidan, where he had sat on a hunger strike in 2011 demanding that the then government set up a Lokpal to investigate cases of corruption. This time, however, his target is the Narendra Modi-led BJP government.

Hazare has been pressing for setting up of the Lokpal at the Centre and Lokayuktas in the states, besides implementation of the Swaminathan Commission report, which has suggested ways to address the agrarian distress.

Hazare previously has accused the Union government of not appointing the Lokpal to investigate the cases of corruption, despite having a law in place. “Anna will first visit the Rajghat and then come to the Ram Lila Maidan, where he will go an indefinite strike,” said an aide of Hazare.
The day, March 23, has been chosen on purpose as Bhagat Singh, Rajguru and Sukhdev were hanged to death on this day by the British, the aide said. A core committee meeting of Hazare’s trusted aides and representatives of farmers’ organisations took place at the New Maharashtra Sadan on Thursday.
The 2011 anti-graft agitation by Hazare, which aimed at the increasing corruption cases that had surfaced during the UPA rule, had received the support of millions of people across the country. Some of the main organisers of that anti-corruption movement later formed the Aam Aadmi Party, which now governs Delhi. Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal was one of Hazare’s key aides.
The Delhi Traffic Police has issued an advisory warning to commuters to avoid taking routes towards Aruna Asaf Ali Road, Delhi Gate, Darya Ganj, New Delhi Railway Station, Ajmeri Gate, Paharganj, ITO, Rajghat, Minto Road, Vivekanand Marg, and JLN Marg.

We need to resist: Siddaramaiah calls for CMs of southern states to oppose Modi government proposal

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Concern and unity are growing in the south over the Modi government’s proposal to divide Central funds on the basis of 2011 census.

A certain unity in opinion is developing among the politicians of the southern states of the country. On Friday, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah tweeted a simple call to action to the Chief Ministers of Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Maharashtra and Puducherry: We need to resist.
The point of concern was the Narendra Modi government’s recommendation to the 15th Finance Commission to use the 2011 census to determine how much money the Centre will devolve to different state governments. So far, this has been done on the basis of the 1971 census.
“Center asks 15th FC to use 2011 census data instead of 1971 census used so far to determine devolution of taxes. This will further affect the interests of the south:we need to resist,” read a tweet from Siddaramaiah on Friday morning. He had tagged the Twitter handles of the six other Chief Ministers in his post. He also tagged DMK leader MK Stalin and Congress leader Shashi Tharoor on it.

BJP lying factory at work to spin fake news’: Rahul Gandhi hits out at BJP over CA allegations

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Congress president Rahul Gandhi today said the BJP’s “lying factory” was at work again, stymieing a media story on Cambridge Analytica allegedly being paid to sabotage the Congress by spinning “fake news” of the party working with the data firm instead.
Picking up from where he left off yesterday, Gandhi today again accused the BJP of making the real news “vanish” by accusing the Congress of working with the controversial firm charged with stealing data from Facebook.

BJP lying factory at work: Journalist set to break big story on how Cambridge Analytica (CA) was paid to infiltrate and sabotage the Congress in 2012. BJP rushes Cabinet Minister to lie and spin fake news: Congress worked with CA! Real story vanishes, Gandhi said on Twitter.

He also tagged a media report headlined, ” ‘Whistleblower’ Reveals Cambridge Analytica’s India Link”. The Congress and the BJP are engaged in a slinging match with each accusing the other of using the services of the controversial data analytics firm in previous elections.
Yesterday, Gandhi alleged that the government was managing headlines to deflect attention from issues such as the death of 39 Indians in captivity in Iraq and said the government was baiting the media. “Problem: 39 Indians dead; Government on the mat, caught lying. Solution: Invent story on Congress and Data Theft. Result: Media networks bite bait; 39 Indians vanish from radar. Problem solved,” Gandhi had tweeted.

Israel admits striking Syrian ‘nuclear facility’ in 2007

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Jerusalem, March 21 (IANS) The Israeli military on Wednesday acknowledged its involvement in airstrikes that demolished a suspected nuclear facility in Syria 11 years ago.

Israel said the air raid in the eastern Deir-al-Zour region in 2007 had removed “an emerging existential threat to Israel and the entire region”. It said the reactor was close to being completed.

Previously, Israel never admitted it was involved in the strikes. On Wednesday, the Israeli censor’s office lifted a long-held prohibition on publishing information on the attack, the BBC reported.

In a statement, the Israeli military said that in the assault, dubbed “Operation Out of the Box”, Israeli fighter jets attacked and destroyed an undeclared nuclear facility in Deir-al-Zour on September 6, 2007.

Several months after the strike, the US announced that intelligence indicated the site was a nuclear reactor with military purpose.

The International Atomic Energy Agency said in the past that the site was “very likely” to have been a nuclear reactor. It also suggested that it was being built with the help of North Korea.

Syria, which has joined the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, has denied this.

The attack was a result of an extensive intelligence effort. The collection of information began in 2004 and included cooperation with “parallel security forces”, the Israeli military statement said, hinting at top-level coordination between the Israeli government led by former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and the George W. Bush administration ahead of the strike.

Commenting on the operation, Israel’s then Chief of Staff Gabi Ashkenazi said the Army feared the strike would spark a war in the region and took steps to prevent an escalation as part of the preparations for the operation.

Israel’s Chief of Staff Gadi Eizenkot, who served as commander of the Northern Command during the operation, said: “The lesson from the 2007 attack on the reactor is that Israel will not accept the establishment of a capability that constitutes an existential threat to Israel. This is the message to our enemies in the near and far future.”

The issue recently resurfaced after Olmert compiled a memoir during his time in prison, where he served a 16-month corruption sentence.

The manuscript, which included a chapter about the attack and Olmert’s part in leading to the decision to execute it, was sent for review to the censor’s office.

(IANS)

Government to reach out to opposition to bring peace to Parliament

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As Parliament remained paralyzed for the 14th consecutive day, the government on Thursday decided to reach out to the opposition parties to ensure smooth functioning so that the pending bills get passed in both the Houses.

New Delhi: A View of Parliament house during the ongoing Winter Session in New Delhi on Wednesday. PTI Photo by Kamal Kishore (PTI12_9_2015_000201B)

Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Vijay Goel, who has been assigned the task to talking to opposition leaders, met Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad for a brief discussion. He will again meet him to discuss the issues in detail.

The Minister said he would also meet leaders of the TDP, AIADMK, TRS and other parties.

Ever since the second phase of Parliament’s Budget session began on March 5, disruptions have crippled both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha on a number of issues including demand for special status to Andhra Pradesh, Punjab National Bank fraud case and setting up of Cauvery Management Board.

The Congress, the Trinamool and some other opposition parties have been protesting against the banking fraud blamed on absconding jeweller Nirav Modi and his associates, while the TDP and the YSR Congress have been demonstrating for special status to Andhra Pradesh.

The AIADMK wants a board for the management of the disputed Cauvery river water. The TRS is demanding an increase in the reservation quota for jobs in Telangana.

“Only nine working days are left now after 14 wasted days. I request the opposition parties to ensure passage of important bills in both Houses. I am hopeful the opposition will cooperate,” Goel said.

“The government is in regular touch with the opposition leaders and I will meet them personally to ensure the smooth functioning of the Parliament,” he told reporters.

The Minister said the government was ready to discuss each and every issue concerning the political parties including no-confidence motion against the government.

“In fact the opposition is running away from discussion. We are ready to discuss even the no-confidence motion. We have adequate numbers in the House.”

Earlier, Rajya Sabha Chairman M. Venkaiah Naidu met the leaders of different parties in his chamber and sought their support to get The Payment of Gratuity (Amendment) Bill passed.

The Bill was passed by the Upper House before being adjourned for the day, however, without discussion and despite order in the House.

The Lok Sabha was also adjourned for the day, amid protests as opposition members trooped near the Speaker’s podium, raising slogans and displaying placards.

(IANS)

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