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Chamba gears for the famous Mingar Fair CHAMBA, July 17: Himachal Pradesh is gearing up for one of its most important and traditional fairs, Minjar, celebrated during monsoon here, .....more Nitish
dubs Congress MADHUBANI (BIHAR), July 17: Taking a cue from former Bihar chief minister Satyendra .....more Court
to hear cheating MUMBAI, July 17: A local court will hear on July 20, a complaint filed by a film distribution company alleging cheating by .....more IMDT issue set to dominate next Assam Assembly polls GUWAHATI, July 17: The controversial Illegal Migrants (Determination by Tribunal) Act, that dominated Assam politics since its enactment in 1983, ....more |
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Mobile phones for train drivers, guards to prevent accidents NEW DELHI, July 17: For the first the in the country, railway drivers, guards and station masters will remain in touch ....more Court
to pass order on MUMBAI, July 17: A local court here will deliver verdict on July 19 on the issue of allowing the prosecution to withdraw ....more Transport scene in Delhi and NCR towns to be transformed NEW DELHI, July 17: Travelling between Delhi and neighbouring areas of .......more AIADMK govt in TN should be removed: Ramadoss CHENNAI, July 17: Considering that during its four year rule AIADMK government in Tamil Nadu has done "nothing" for people's welfare, the one .....more |
Chamba gears for the famous Mingar Fair CHAMBA, July 17: Himachal Pradesh is gearing up for one of its most important and traditional fairs, Minjar, celebrated during monsoon here, attracting thousands of people every year. The week-long festivities starts on the last Sunday of July at famous Chowgan amidst religious fervour. Prayers are offered in Lakshimi-Narain Temple. People wear a silken tassel with stalks of Minjar (maize plant), as a symbol of their prayers for a bountiful harvest. Minjars are sent to friends and relatives together with fruits, sweets and money. The celebrations reach their zenith during the colourful procession which starts from Raghunath Temple in the ancient Akhand Chandi-Mahal of Raja of Chamba, preceding the immersion cermony. The idols of Raghuvir Verman and various other Gods and Goddesses in palanquins are taken out from the palace and people in thousands take part in the procession which is followed by the old Shahi flags of the Raja of Chamba. When the procession
reaches the the river bank, the chief guest stands on a
decorated platform. Amidst chanting of mantras. He throws
minjars, a rupee, a coconut, some drub and flowers into
the river as a offering to the Rain God. After this, all
the people throw their offerings into the river, marking
the culmination of the fair. There are several legends associated with the festival. According to one, in the 10th century, the river Ravi flowed through Chamba town and the Champawati temple and Hari Rai temple stood on opposite banks. However on the request of the King and the inhabitants of Chamba, a saint prepared a cord of seven colours, named Minjar, and performed a 'yagna' after which the river changed its course so that everyone could visit the Hari Rai Temple. (PTI) |
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Nitish dubs Congress as a communal party MADHUBANI (BIHAR), July 17: Taking a cue from former Bihar chief minister Satyendra Narayan Singh's book in which he has alleged complicity of a few Congress party leaders in the Bhagalpur communal riots, senior JD (U) leader Nitish Kumar today took a pot shot at the Congress saying the revelation had brought forth the communal face of the party. Singh's book has made it clear that the Congress party has a communal face. The Congress which has been dubbing the BJP-led NDA as communal is yet to steer clear of the allegation levelled by the former CM on a few party leaders of fomenting the Bhagalpur riots in which more than 1000 people had lost lives, he told reporters before embarking on his 'nyay yatra' here. It's like the pot calling the kettle black, Kumar said hitting out at Congress campaign that the BJP-led NDA was communal. Singh in his book - "Meri Yaadein Meri Bhul" (my memories, my follies)- had hit out at party colleagues Bhagwat Jha Azad, also a former Bihar CM and Shiv Chander Jha, the then Assembly Speaker, for having a role in the Bhagalpur riots. Making a scathing attack on RJD president Lalu Prasad, the JD (U) leader who is leading NDA's nyay yatra said, he misused the strength of his party's 24 MPs in getting the assembly dissolved instead of using it in promoting the cause of the state's development by bringing more Central funds. Today is the last day of the first phase of nyaya yatra. After starting from Madhubani this morning, the yatra will culminate into a big rally at Darbhanga in the evening. (PTI) |
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Court to hear cheating case against Hrithik Roshan on July 20 MUMBAI, July 17: A local court will hear on July 20, a complaint filed by a film distribution company alleging cheating by actor Hrithik Roshan, his father Rakesh Roshan and maternal grandfather J Omprakash over the sale of marketing rights of Hindi film `Kaho Na Pyar Hai' and their other home productions. Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate J B Pankhe has kept the matter for final hearing after he recently took on record the reply filed by complainant, Popular Entertainment Network, on a police report which probed allegations against the Roshans, advocate Dipesh Mehta told PTI. The court had earlier ordered police to investigate the allegations of cheating levelled by Popular Entertainment Network against Hrithik, Rakesh Roshan and J Omprakash. Popular's Jayantilal Gada had filed six complaints against Hrithik and his family alleging that his firm had been cheated by the Roshans, who had backed out of their agreement with the film distribution company and for various other matters. Police submitted its report on October 12 last year and the court had asked the complainant to file its reply thereon. According to Mehta, the police, in its report, had said that the Roshans had not (not) committed any criminal violation of law and that the dispute between them and Popular Entertainment Network is of civil nature. (PTI) |
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IMDT issue set to dominate next Assam Assembly polls GUWAHATI, July 17: The controversial Illegal Migrants (Determination by Tribunal) Act, that dominated Assam politics since its enactment in 1983, would continue to haunt the state in the Assembly elections due next year with all political parties clamouring to woo the minority voter with the struck-down legislation. The ruling Congress, which introduced the Act and defended it, was unlikely to meekly give up its use to garner votes from among the minority vote block, felt political analysts here. Political experts say the Congress, would now in all probability, earn the minorities' confidence by convincing them that their security lies in only supporting the party, which would bring about another judicial process to protect them. The party was expected to retain its superiority at the hustings as the minorities, particulartly the Bangladeshi immigrant stock, traditionally prefer to rally around the Congress as they are prone to believe that the party was their 'protector', they say. Stung by the Supreme Court verdict striking down IMDT, the Congress has reportedly turned to 'author' of the Act, to chalk out a fresh legislation on the same lines as the defunct law. After conferring with
Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi and Jamiat-ulema-i-Hind, the
main person who drafted the IMDT Act, noted lawyer Abdul
Muhib Majumder expressed confidence of being the 'key
player' in the scripting a new law which probably would
extend to the entire country. During the Congress Chief Minister Hiteswar Saikia's regime in Assam, Majumder as the Law minister then had drafted the IMDT Act on October 15, 1983 at the height of the All Assam Students Union (AASU) anti-foreigner movement. The main purpose of this controversial act, applicable only to Assam, was only to detect and deport illegal foreigners from the state. The main opposition Asom Gana Parishad, which welcomed the apex court order on IMDT on a petition filed by its MP Sarbananda Sonowal, as an AASU leader, was quick to assure that no legitimate Indian citizen, of the minority community, needed to worry as "we guarantee protection to all Indian citizens." Facing the crisis of a split, after it expelled its founder President and architect of Assam movement Prafulla Kumar Mahanta this month, the AGP has perhaps received a shot in its armv with the Supreme Court verdict. Ecstatic over its "victory", the AGP was poised not only to project itself as the saviour of Assam to garner the local ballot, but certain to convince the minorities that they were safe with the regional party, with their assurance, analysts observe. The other opposition party
BJP, which has lately been attempting forays in Assam,
was quick to point out that it was the only national
party that was in favour of the repeal of IMDT. Though there was initial fear that BJP may launch an anti-minority campaign post-IMDT, experts say the party is unlikely to make such a move at a time when it was attempting to establish a base in the run-up to the polls. The BJP would not want to be viewed as a trouble-maker and an instigator of communal tension in state, they pointed. The AASU however has assumed the role of peacemaker by convening meetings with the important minority religious policial and students' organisations to maintain communal harmony. AASU advisor Samujjal Bhattacharya claimed that the IMDT was a hindrance to identify foreigners and only two lakh plus had been identified but now with the Foreigners Act, things would be easy. Meanwhile the minority
organisations, which play a crucial role during the
polls, have opposed the scrapping of the law. Though the Assam accord came into place in August 1985 to end the Assam movement, the IMDT Act continued to be in place causing divisions within the Assamese society. While the majority community lived in the fear of being surpassed in numbers, the immigrants - members of the minority community - were afraid of being labelled 'foreigners'. However, experts are of the view that annulment of the law was also not likely to easily solve the illegal foreigners problem in Assam. As per the Assam accord, signed among the AASU, Centre and state governments, those Bangladeshis, who came here after the cut-off year of 1971, would have to be deported back. For those who came during and after 1971, many now have children and grand children. So the big question looming large was would they, along with their descendents, be deported, or only the first generation would be sent back, experts wondered. Another question is about the role these people are likely to play in the coming polls. (PTI) |
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AIADMK govt in TN should be removed: Ramadoss CHENNAI, July 17: Considering that during its four year rule AIADMK government in Tamil Nadu has done "nothing" for people's welfare, the one point programme of PMK was to removing this government, PMK founder Dr S Ramadoss, has said. Some of the recent announcements made by the government were nothing new but what had been announced in the state assembly, he said at a public meeting here last night on the occasion of the PMK entering the 17th year of its existence. On the other hand his party could list out the anti-people measures of the government. "The AIADMK government is anti-people and anti-workers and should be removed", he said. Listing out the various agitations launched by the party for the cause of the poor and the downtrodden, he said his party's growth could not be curtailed. Speaking on the occasion party president G K Mani, MLA, said within a short span of time his party had grown from strength to strength. (PTI) |
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Readers of RSS mouthpiece back Advani NEW DELHI, July 17: Even as the RSS mounted pressure on BJP president L K Advani to step down, its mouthpiece 'Organiser' today carried several letters from readers praising Advani and defending his remarks on Jinnah in Pakistan. "Hindutva as a bulwark force emerged on the political scene of our country because of the ingenuity of Advani alone. Advani laid the foundation of Katasraj Temple with the active sponsorship of ex-premier of Pakistan right in the heart of that country. It is only Advani who can do it," said a letter in the latest issue of the weekly. Another reader said after reading Advani's entire speech, he could not find an iota of evidence of Advani praising Jinnah. "When nothing was found objectionable in that speech, then from where these people got the information that Advani has praised Jinnah as secular?" asked the reader from Nagpur, where the RSS headquarters is located. The magazine is widely circulated among RSS cadres, supporters and sympathisers across the country. Asserting that Advani's remarks required to be judged in the context of historical hard facts and truths without any political bias or motive, another reader said "after all, Jinnah perhaps realised later the evil effects of partition and wanted exchange of population for restoring peace..." A Hyderabad-based reader said "what Jinnah assured in the Constituent Assembly of Pakistan was equal civil rights to every citizen - Muslims and non-Muslims alike." There was only one letter which described Advani's remarks in Pakistan as "Himalayan blunder." (PTI) NEW DELHI, July 17: When cellphones were jammed, it was text messaging which prevailed during London blasts; Gujarat government used SMS to send flood warning messages last month and during tsunami, SMS was the most efficient way of sending relief and rehabilitation information. SMS is moving beyond sending mere appointment messages or acting as a caller tune service. The power of the text is fast moving to be an efficient solution during disasters and crisis. In a country like India, where "dating" does not enjoy parental sanction, SMS till now is the most common private channel of communication. It is also extensively used by caller tune services, but service providers say, the thrust is slowly shifting to its other wider uses - for sending important information, a crisis broadcast medium and even for awareness purposes. "SMS or text messaging is one of the most powerful, viable and instant mode of communication and has proved its reach especially during crisis like tsunami when it proved to be a most efficient way of sending information about relief operations to people in coastal areas," says T V Ramachandran, Director General, Cellular Operators Association of India. Agrees Mohit Bhatnagar, Vice President (Value Added Services), Airtel, "SMS is fast evolving as a medium beyond just entertainment to a broadcast solution during crisis, where the aim is not to create panic but to send across information." According to reports, during the London blasts, panicked residents and visitors generally found their cell phones jammed. But those who had text messaging system were often able to get messages through. When floods hit Gujarat, state government used the power of SMS to send across the message that due to floods in the Vishwamitri river, people should move to higher and safer areas. "For emergency situations, we have come up with a SMS broadcaster, through which thousands of messages can be sent in one go. However, due to security and privacy reasons, this is being given just to government and public safety agencies," says Bhatnagar, noting "it is not to be used for promotional purposes." Ramachandran says as a marketing strategy, service providers are constantly promoting its various uses... Its cost effectiveness is adding to its power. Bhatnagar says as of today, around 65 - 75 per cent of cellphone users are making use of SMS facility, though those receiving SMS is a much higher percentage. The SMS facility in vernacular languages too has expanded its reach and except elderly who do not seem to know how to read or write, everyone seems to be using it, he says adding "around 12 - 13 million SMS are sent by Indians per day." From a mere 'teenage fad', SMS has fast evolved into an essential business tool. It enables small enterprises to conveniently and cost effectively manage their mobile workforce and replicate the office on the move. Jobs can be posted and answers received through SMS and it is also most cost effective to stay in touch with colleagues internationally. SMS is also being used by doctors to remind patients about their medicine dose and is also proving to be an efficient tool of communication with the deaf. (PTI) History of India's satellite launch vehicles THIRUVANANTHAPURAM,July 17: Twenty-five years ago on July 18 at 08:03:45 hrs, an anxious A P J Abdul Kalam breathed a sigh of relief when SLV-3 injected Rohini satellite RS-1 into a low earth orbit. That was India's first ever successful launch of SLV-3 under the leadership of Dr Kalam that paved the way for the development of launch vehicles in the country. Now it is history, and today India is one of the major players in the filed of space technology. From injecting a payload of 35 kg in to low earth orbit to the latest GSLV Mk-III capable of launching 4,000 kg in to Geostationary Transfer Orbit, India's space programme has witnessed many ups and downs. When the space community here is celebrating the Silver Jubilee of the first successful launch of SLV-3 on July 18, 1980, they will have the honour of sharing their views with the first citizen of the country who is incidently the then project director for SLV. The President wanted to be present here at the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre(VSSC) here exactly on the Silver Jubilee day of the landmark success. However, he rescheduled the programme to July 28 in view of the week-long mourning declared by the state government following the death of former Chief Minister P K Vasudevan Nair. In all probability, it is going to be a nostalgic moment for Dr Kalam when he arrives at the Thumba Equitorial Rocket Launching Station. ''A full size model of the SLV-3 has been brought from Sriharikota for the special occasion,'' said VSSC director B N Suresh. At 1130 hrs ist, the President will witness the symbolic launch of Rohini sounding rocket. He will also interact with his 'SLV colleagues.' Dr Kalam, who spent many years in vssc, would share his thoughts and vision with scientists on the steps to be taken to put the country on top in space technology. When looking back, the first experimental flight of SLV-3 on August 10, 1979 was a failure. But the determination by young scientists under the leadership of Dr Kalam had a taste of success a year later. The Rohini satellite RS-1 was injected into a nearearth orbit of 308 X 915 km on July 18, 1980 at 08:03:45 hrs and the satellite remained in orbit for 371 days. The SLV-3 was a four-stage vehicle --23 m long and weighing 17 tonnes, including 13 tonnes of solid propellants. Following SLV-3, a larger launch vehicle called Augumented Satellite Launch Vehicles(ASLV) was deployed. SROSS-1 satellite was launched by an ASLV on March 24, 1987. A few years later, more powerful Polar Satellite Launch Vehicles. With eight consecutive successful flights so far, PSLV has proved itself as a reliable workhorse. It has demonstrated multiple satellite launch capability having launched four small satellites for international customers besides seven Indian satellites. PSLV was used to launch ISRO's exclusive meteorological satellite, KALPANA-1 into Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit(GTO) in September 2002. The vehicle would also be used to launch a spacecraft for India's first mission to Moon, 'Chandrayaan-1.'' In its ninth flight conducted on May 5, 2005, PSLV-C6 launched India's remote sensing satellite, the 1,560 kg CARTOSAT-1, along with a 42.5 kg piggyback satellite, HAMSAT in a polar sun synchronous orbit of 632 km apogee and 621 km perigee. For the first time, the state-of-the-art second launch pad at Satish Dhawan Space Centre at Sriharikota was used for launch. Then came the Geosynchronous Launch Vehicle (GSLV) in tie-up with Russia. In its first operational flight, GSLV-F01 launched 1,950 kg EDUSAT into GTO with precision. Now, the VSSC engineers were working hard to develop an indegenious GSLV. There are also several ambitious projects on the pipeline. With the President's dreams running high, space community is hoping to achieve more hights in the near future. (UNI) Pandharpur gears up for Aashadhi Ekadashi PANDHARPUR (DIST SOLAPUR, MAHA), July 17: Security has been bolstered at this temple town -- the seat of Lord Vitthal -- as nearly a million devotees are expected to come here tomorrow to offer prayers on the occasion of `Aashadhi Ekadashi'. "The security has been substantially beefed up not just because of the terrorist strikes. Keeping in mind the January's tragedy at Mandhardevi, where over 250 people had died in the stampede, adequate arrangements are in place for this year's Pandharpur Yatra," police sources said here today. `Pandharichi wari', the annual pilgrimage on foot to this temple town on the banks of Chandrabhaga river has carved a nich for itself with the tradition being meticulously executed year after year. Solapur district administration and the Pandharpur Vitthal Mandir Yatra organising committee here are gearing themselves up for the event and helping out the police and PWD departments for the smooth conduct of the yatra. As part of the security arrangement, about 150 officers, including six Dy SPs, 20 police inspectors, 90 asst police inspectors (APIs), 60 lady APIs, 1,000 home guards personnel have been deployed at various sensitive locations, Solapur SP Vinay Choubey told PTI. A dog squad and two metal
detectors were also being put to use, Choubey said. The overall deployment of personnel is 30 per cent more than the previous year, he said adding, "inside and just outside the temple, we have posted more policemen than every year so as to avoid any untoward incident." The supplementary arrangements include over 100 traffic policemen, who are managing the large inflow of pilgrims and the vehicles on different roads with diversions and one-ways planned with precision so as to avoid traffic jams, official sources added. Meanwhile, the Maharashtra State Transport Corporation (MSRTC), which runs buses from literally all its depots across the state to this town, has been the major facilitator for pilgrims. "In all 22,000 buses from all depots of the state, have been bringing lakhs and lakhs of devotees since two days. The pilgrims travelling in the buses come from places as far as Amravati and Bhandara in Vidarbha," MSRTC sources said. Pilgrims also come from
distant places in neighbouring states of Andhra Pradesh
and Karnataka. (PTI) |
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