Nasheman

India's largest selling Urdu weekly, now also in English

You are here: Home / Archives for News & Politics

Abolishing Planning Commission has been harmful for India: Manmohan Singh

by

manmohan singh

New Delhi: Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today said that the country’s economic policy has “no sense of direction” after the Modi government decided to scrap the Planning Commission.

Singh also dismissed as “malicious” propaganda that no development had taken place during previous Congress regimes.

“Economic policy has no sense of direction and this is largely because Planning Commission, with all its deficiencies….was a positive dynamic instrument of steering the country’s economy,” Singh, known as the architect of economic reforms in the country, said.

He was speaking at the inauguration of a National Convention here organised by the Indian Youth Congress on the occasion of Indira Gandhi’s 98th birth anniversary.

Singh asked his party workers to tell people how government’s decision to abolish the planning body has been “harmful” for the country.

The senior Congress leader said that as Indira Gandhi followed Jawaharlal Nehru’s path of planned development, she always emphasised the need of Planning Commission for a country as diverse as India and one which faced multifarious challenges.

Recalling her contribution in various fields, including the Green revolution and the birth of Bangladesh, he said that Indira Gandhi believed that the plan body was necessary to address the development needs of all the parts of the country with a strong sense of vision and commitment.

Singh dubbed as “malicious” propaganda that nothing was done for the development of the country during the Congress regimes, including those of Jawaharlal Nehru and Indira Gandhi.

The former Prime Minister asked the Youth Congress and the Seva Dal to work together in reaching out to people when the party will be facing several state elections followed by the Lok Sabha polls in 2019.

(Agencies)

Bangalore Literature Festival returns with its 4th Edition

by

The flagship event on the Indian and International literary circuit will be held on 5th & 6th December, 2015.

Bangalore Literature Festival

Bengaluru: Bangalore Literature Festival (BLF), the flagship literary event on the cultural calendar of Bangalore city, is all set to roll out its fourth edition on 5th & 6th December, 2015 at the Hotel Royal Orchid, Old Airport Road. The BLF has emerged as the second largest literary conclave in the country that brings the best of minds in the world of literature to Bengaluru. Building on the success of the earlier editions, this time the festival brings together nearly a hundred stalwarts from the world of literature, in various languages, both from India and abroad.

This edition has multiple focus themes. The recent debates across the country on intolerance, the returning of awards by writers and artists, refashioning of history and appropriation of historical characters by political parties of all hues will find a resonance in the festival’s deliberations. The centenary of the World War 1 and the lessons it holds for world peace, as also the centenary of the Nightingale of India, Bharat Ratna M S Subbulakshmi will be discussed. A Carnatic classical concert of MSS’ trademark songs presented by her granddaughter Aishwarya Srinivasan, graced by MS Subbulakshmi’s daughter Radha Vishwanathan, will be an added attraction. Other themes will include mythology, advertising, history and biography, the Partition, contemporary politics, young adult literature, cinema, poetry and crime. This edition will feature an eclectic range of authors and speakers, including several distinguished names like Javed Akhtar, Chandrashekhara Kambara, Shashi Deshpande, Sarah Joseph, Upamanyu Chatterjee, M J Akbar, Devdutt Pattanaik, Barkha Dutt, Nandan Nilekani, Jairam Ramesh, Ashutosh, Piyush Pandey, Ramya, Padma Rao Sundarji, Prakash Belawadi, Anuj Dhar, Lakshmi Vishwanathan, Radhavallabh Tripathi, Jaishree Misra, Sambit Patra, Maya Mirchandani, Shatavadhani R Ganesh, Siddharth Dhanvant Shanghvi and others.

A sizeable contingent of Kannada voices will discuss and debate the state of the language, its future and also various aspects of the rich linguistic and literary traditions of Kannada. Notable among them are Narahalli Balasubramanya, Dayanand TK, Arif Raja, KN Ganeshaiah, Diwakar S, Kanaka Ha. Ma., Tulasi Venugopal, Prajna Mattihalli etc.

True to the festival’s moorings, several city-based writers like Jahnavi Barua, Zac O’ Yeah, Preeti Shenoy, Andaleeb Wajid, Rachna Singh, Poile Sengupta, Shoba Narayan, Milan Vohra, Sharath Komarraju, Mani Rao, Asha Francis, Nandita Bose and others are participating, as also are young voices of Indian Writing in English like Durjoy Dutta, Ravinder Singh, Manu Pillai, Aanchal Malhotra, Viral Shah, Rupa Gulab, Mona Verma, Manju Jaidka, Manjiri Prabhu and others.

In association with the Sahitya Akademi, the Festival brings to Bangalore compelling voices from the rich world of Indian languages –Dr. Radhavallabh Tripathi (Sanskrit), Dr. Subodh Sarkar (Bengali), Dr. Mohammad Zaman Azurdah (Kashmiri), Dr. Mridula Garg (Hindi), Vaasanthi (Tamil), Madhurantakam Narendra (Telugu), Sarah Joseph, Sangeetha Srinivasan and Janaky Sreedharan (Malayalam), Paramita Satpathy (Odia), Rakshanda Jalil (Urdu) and several others.

The international authors/speakers include Haroon Khalid and Anam Zakaria (Pakistan), Stephen Kopetzky (Germany), Joao Tordo (Portugal), Emily Holleman (USA), Anne-Marie Kenessey (Switzerland), Giles Hazelgrove (UK), Neal Hall (USA), Per Bloch (Denmark) and others.

As the only literature festival that has structured sessions for children and young adults as part of the ‘Makkala Koota’, BLF continues to wow the younger ones in the audience with interesting activities like writing workshop, mythology quiz, audio-visual storytelling with live sketching, cooking your story using puppets and doodle your wall. With Amar Chitra Katha, Pratham, Duckbill and Bookalore, performance storyteller Vikram Sridhar brings together a treat for children of all ages.

Languages are scarily getting endandered in an increasingly gloablised world. Being alive to this problem, BLF in associaiton with film makers Jenny Pinto and Ratnottama Sengupta will be curating a round-the-clock screening of national award-winning films in various endangered languages: ‘Byari’ (in language Byari, Director: Suveeran), ‘Orong’ (in Rabha/ Dir: Suraj Kumar Swarth), ‘Nachom-ia Kumpasar’ (in Konkani/ Dir: Bardroy Baretto), ‘Qissa’ (in Punjabi/ Dir: Anup Singh), ‘Ri’ (in Khasi/ Dir: Pradip Kurbah), ‘Crossing the Bridge’ (in Sherdukpen), ‘Pagdi – The Honour’ (in Haryanvi/ Dir: Rajeev Bhatia) and others. There will also be a panel discussion on ‘Why Speak of Little Languages In a Globalized World?’ featuring filmmakers, dancers, theatre persons and writers.

Buoyed by the success of the unique concept of ‘Lit-Mart’ where aspiring authors got to make crisp three minute pitches of their manuscripts to an array of literary agents, commissioning editors and publishers, Lit Mart returns this year. Entries are to be made by aspiring authors on our website and social media page and the shortlisted candidates will be asked to make their final pitches to the panel of Jayapriya Vasudevan, Deepthi Talwar, Rashmi Menon, Ajitja GS during the festival.

For the first time, BLF is coming up with a Literary Award in conjunction with Atta Galatta, the city-based bookstore and art-literature space brought to life by Subodh Sankar and Lakshmi Subodh. Atta Galatta is also the Official Festival Bookstore. The awards carry a total purse of Rs 2 lakhs under the 3 categories of -Best Fiction (English), Best Non-Fiction (English) and a Literary Achievement Award in Kannada. The judges are eminent writers Usha KR, Vivek Shanbhag and Harish Bijoor.

A main attraction in this year’s festival is a unique installation on World War 1 by Elke Falat from Germany. Based on a combination of historical material and a concentrated selection of artworks from Germany and India, it focuses on the effects, reception and historical narrative of the First World War and provides the opportunity for a re-positioning. In the process, diverse historical strands are taken up and carried to the here and now. Alongside the special prisoner-of-war camps, the exhibition focuses its attention on the search for traces in India and Bangalore. While most of the soldiers came from Northern India, men from Bangalore also took part in the war as members of the Mysore Imperial Service Troops. It should be noted that Bangalore was decidedly influenced by the British military and is still an armaments production site. The so-called “Bangalore Torpedo” was manufactured here during the First World War.

Vikram Sampath, Author/historian and Co-Founder of Bangalore Literature Festival, says, “Over the last three years, BLF has made a distinctive mark not only in the city, but also the country as a festival that is serious about issues concerning literature. Each year we have attempted to bring something new to the fore and engage our spirited audience with panel discussions, workshops and cultural programmes. This year too, we are pleased to host an exciting lineup of established and emerging authors and speakers who will discuss diverse topics. The idea is to make the festival a must-visit event in the country.”

Shinie Antony, author/co-founder BLF, says: ‘One can browse through multi-lingual books, attend book launches and author signing sessions, participate in workshops on detective writing by Zac O’Yeah, short-story writing by Indira Chandrashekhar and book-binding by Jenny Pinto, taste local and international cuisine – all in the true tradition of ‘Literature in the Park’.’

Partners this year include the Government of Karnataka- Departments of Tourism and Kannada and Culture, Microlabs, Goethe-Institut/Max Mueller Bhavan Bangalore, Sahitya Akademi and Symbiosis School of Media and Communication.

The Festival opens at 9.30 am on both days with sessions going on through the day across two parallel sessions on the green lawns the charming Royal Orchid Hotel. Entry is free and open to all via registration on the website www.bangaloreliteraturefestival.org and via Facebook and Twitter on #BlrLitFest. Pre-registration is highly recommended.

BJP and JD(S) seek Lokayukta’s removal

by

Bhaskar-Rao

Bengaluru: Taking the first step for the removal of Justice Y Bhaskar Rao from the post of the Karnataka Lokayukta, the Opposition BJP and JD(S) have submitted separate petitions to State Legislative Speaker KagoduThimmappa for initiating the process of conducting an inquiry into alleged charges of corruption in the office of Lokayukta on Tuesday.

The two opposition parties have also submitted similar petitions to State Legislative Council Chairman DH Shankaramurthy.
A total 46 BJP members and 37 JD(S) members in the Assembly have signed the petition.

After receiving the petition, the Speaker said he would write to the Chief Justice of Karnataka and request for constituting a committee of retired judges to probe into alleged charges of corruption in the office of the Lokayukta.

Lokayukta Justice Bhaskar Rao’s son Ashwin is at the centre of a controversy for allegedly being a key player in the racket in collusion with some officials of the body.

For the removal of the Lokayuka, one third of the total members of either House or both Houses of the Legislature must sign a notice of a motion for the removal on the ground of proved mis-behaviour or incapacity.

The Speaker said he would refer the petition to the Chief Justice of the High Court for investigation in two or three days.

The State amended the Karnataka Lokayukta Act during last session of the state legislature in July last and simplified the removal procedure of the anti-graft ombudsman.

Once the Speaker or the Chairman (or both) refer the petition to the Chief Justice, the Lokayukta would be precluded from discharging duties during the pendency of the motion.

Justice Bhaskar Rao has been continuously on leave since July and the institution of the Lokayukta has become virtually non-functional.

The State Government can appoint an Advocate to conduct the case.

Terming the entire issue as a “legally complicated matter,” Thimmappa said: “I want to have an unanimous opinion on this.”

“The three members, consisting two members appointed by Chief Justice and one member appointed by us will inquire and come out with a finding which will be placed before the Legislature and a final decision will be taken,” the Speaker explained.

(Agencies)

Those with vested interests not learning from Bihar debacle: Shatrughan Sinha

by

shatrughan-sinha

Patna: Launching a frontal attack on the party leadership, BJP MP Shatrughan Sinha today said those with “vested interests” are refusing to learn lessons from the Bihar debacle and asserted that no one has the guts or DNA to tick him off, an apparent dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Siding with veterans’ demand for fixing accountability for the loss, Sinha said the “camouflage” of collective responsibility is unacceptable and responsibility must be fixed on individuals for corrective actions.

The Lok Sabha MP ridiculed any move to take action against him for his ceaseless criticism of the party, saying it is just bravado of the ill-advised to talk of action.

“Some vested interests are still at it… refusing to learn any lessons, still working on creating misunderstandings through misinformation. R K Singh, former Home Secretary and a proud Bihari Sher (a tough nut to crack) is right. No one has the guts (or DNA) to give us a ‘fatkaar’,” he tweeted.

His DNA barb is an apparent reference to Modi’s DNA dig at Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar who had made it a major campaign issue in the Bihar assembly election.

“Those responsible for the debacle must answer what, why, where and how it all happened. They must satisfy the real stalwarts/veterans of BJP. It’s just bravado of the ill-advised to talk of action. The time is for reaction, understanding, apology and satisfaction of party godfathers,” he said.

Sinha has been critical of BJP since Bihar poll campaign took off but had been so far guarded in his attack on the top brass, bringing instead the state leadership in his line of fire.

His sharp attack indicates that the film actor-turned-politician has decided to escalate his attack even as he has been effusive in his praise of Kumar, who led the grand alliance of JD(U)-RJD-Congress to a massive victory.

(PTI)

No approval for Baba Ramdev’s Patanjali instant noodles: FSSAI

by

Baba-Ramdev-noodles

New Delhi: Central food safety regulator FSSAI today said yoga guru Baba Ramdev-promoted FMCG venture Patanjali did not have approval for its newly-launched instant noodles, which the company has vehemently denied.

Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) Chairperson Ashish Bahuguna said no approval or licence has been granted to Patanjali for its instant noodles.

“For instant noodles, the companies need to take prior approval. They (Patanjali Ayurved) have not taken approval for it,” he said.

“Patanjali Ayurved has approvals for other products but they don’t have approval for instant noodles. As of now only 10 companies have approval for instant noodles,” Bahaguna added.

Patanjali, however, strongly denied FSSAI’s claims. “We have licence for Pasta in central category from FSSAI. As per FSSAI, noodles come under the ‘pasta’ category. FSSAI has given us licence for relabeling in the pasta category,” Patanjali said in a statement.

Based on the licence for pasta category, the company has entered into agreements with various companies that have licences for making noodles, it added.

The company further said FSSAI has already admitted that it was no longer possible for the regulator to continue with process of product approvals, which was facilitated through an advisory in May 2013, following a Supreme Court order in August this year that upheld an order of Bombay High Court on the issue.

According to FSSAI’s May 2013 advisory, food products covering a broad spectrum including “novel foods, functional foods, food supplements, irradiated foods, genetically modified foods, foods for special dietary uses or extracts or concentrates of botanicals, herbs or of animal sources” should apply for product approval.

The High Court had ruled that the advisory does not have any statutory backing, but the FSSAI had approached the apex court against the verdict.

Patanjali had launched ‘Atta Noodles’ earlier this week in 70 gram packs priced at Rs 15, claiming to be cheaper than competitors, with an eye to take onMARKET leader Nestle’s Maggi, which had returned to the shelves five months after FSSAI had banned it.

(Agencies)

Muslims should declare Jihad against terrorism: Maulana Mahmood Madani

by

Maulana Mahmood Madani

New Delhi: The Muslims should declare a jihad (holy war) against terrorism as radicals and zealots have unleashed a reign of terror that challenges the basic tenets of Islam, which propagates and promotes peace and harmony, an Islamic scholar said on Tuesday.

“Waging a jihad is a positive act intended to root out evils from society. Killing of innocents can never be accepted as an act of jihad,” Jamiat Ulema-I-Hind leader Maulana Mahmood Madani said at a press conference at the Constitution Club here. It is the responsibility of Islamic nations to wage war against terrorists who are misusing the name of Islam, the Islamic scholar said.

“There is a need to check groups spreading hatred. Intolerance should be discouraged at all costs,” he said.Quoting teachings of Prophet Mohammed, he said that “saving one human being is like saving humanity”.Madani said countrywide protests would be held on November 18 to denounce terrorism. Protest rallies would be held in Delhi, Hyderabad, Mumbai and over 65 other cities in which leaders of various Muslim groups and organisations were expected to participate.

The Jamiat Ulema-I-Hind leader said it is a matter of great concern that terrorists are commiting brutal killings in the name of Islam.”They claim they represent the real face of Islam. So, it is incumbent upon Muslims, scholars and clerics to preach and propagate the real message of Islam and defeat the designs of fanatics who are out to malign Islam,” he said.

Madani said no one could deny that terrorist attacks have caused maximum harm to the Muslims. He said his organisation has held a series of conference and rallies against terrorism since 2007.

(IANS)

Former minister Gurupadappa Nagamarapalli passes away

by

Gurupadappa

Bengaluru: Veteran BJP leader and former forest minister Gurupadappa Nagamarapalli passed away here on November 17 at Vikram hospital in Bengaluru.

Gurupadappa(74) was taken to the hospital following a cardiac arrest. He is survived by five sons and two daughters.

Former chief minister Yeddyurappa and other leaders have expressed their heartfelt condolences on his demise.

“Gurupadappa’s contribution to the co-operation sector has been immense,” said senior BJP leader KS Eshwarappa.

He was elected as an MLA six times and served as a minister thrice. He was KJP MLA from Bidar north constituency.

The veteran’s last rites will be held in Bidar on Wednesday.

(Agencies)

Chittoor Mayor brutally murdered, husband injured in attack

by

Katari Anuradha

Chittoor: The Mayor of Chittoor was today stabbed to death and her husband seriously injured by unidentified assailants, in an attack suspected to be a fallout of a family dispute, police said.

The incident occurred at Chittoor Municipal Corporation office when five-six persons with their faces covered barged into Mayor Katari Anuradha’s chamber and stabbed her, resulting in her death, DIG (Anantapur Range) K Satyanarayana told PTI.

The Mayor, aged around 50, belonged to the ruling Telugu Desam Party (TDP).

Before escaping from the spot, the assailants went into an adjoining room where Anuradha’s husband K Mohan, also senior TDP leader, was sitting and apparently shot at him before stabbing him, Andhra Pradesh Additional Director General of Police (Law and Order) R P Thakur said.

Asked specifically if the mayor was shot dead, Thakur said she was stabbed to death.

Mohan was taken to the Christian Medical College Hospital at Vellore for treatment where his condition was reported to be serious, Satyanarayana said.

“As per preliminary information, the attack was carried out following a family dispute. An investigation has been launched and the truth will be revealed soon. The attackers belong to Karnataka and a hunt has been launched to nab them. We will catch them very soon,” he said.

A pistol and a knife have been recovered from the spot, the DIG added.

(PTI)

Vishwa Hindu Parishad leader Ashok Singhal dies

by

ashok singhal

New Delhi: Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) leader Ashok Singhal died at a hospital in Gurgaon near Delhi today.

The 89-year-old leader was admitted to the Medanta Medicity Hospital in the city on November 13 in critical condition. He was suffering from respiratory problems for over a month.

In a message posted on Twitter, PM Narendra Modi has said “The demise of Ashok Singhal ji is a deep personal loss. He was an institution in himself, whose life was centred around serving the nation.”

The VHP is an affiliate of the BJP’s ideological mentor the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh or the RSS.

Mr Singhal was at the forefront of the VHP’s campaign for a Ram temple at the disputed site in Ayodhya where the Babri Masjid was demolished on December 6, 1992.

Mr Singhal was earlier admitted to Medanta on October 20 after his condition deteriorated. He was flown in to Delhi from Allahabad in an air ambulance. He was discharged on November 11.

(Agencies)

Pramod Muthalik granted bail after arrested in Hassan

by

Pramod Muthalik

Ballari: Pramod Muthalik, the chief of Sri Ram Sene was released on bail on Sunday after he was arrested on Thursday from Hassan just before the state-wide protest called by VHP and Bajarang Dal.

The VHP and Bajarang Dal had called for protests after the government celebrated Tipu Jayanthi and the clashes that erupted in Madikeri which resulted in the death of a VHP activist. Muthalik was lodged in the central prison at Ballari.

As a precaution, twenty others were also arrested sections 107 and 151 of Criminal Procedure Code which pertain to apprehension on breach of peace and tranquility.

After release, Muthalik addressing the media said that he was not a terrorist. He further said that there was no concrete reason for his arrest.

However, as soon as Muthalik was arrested, his supporters had threatened of intense protests if he was not released within three days.

(Agencies)

KNOW US

GET INVOLVED

PROMOTE

Archives