Cong candidate Laxman Singh files nomination
for Deeg bypolls

BHARATPUR, RAJ, Apr 20: Congress candidate Laxman Singh today filed his nomination papers for Deeg Assembly bypolls slated for May 8.

The bypoll was necessiated following the death of Arun Singh, an independent candidate, last month who had defeated Laxman by 99 votes in the last elections.

Divya Singh of BJP, Jal Singh of RJD and Babu Lal of Apna Bharat (independent party) had filed their papers yesterday.

Today was the last date of filing nominations. Scrutiny will be held on April 21 and withdrawal of names can be done by April 24. (PTI)

Pilgrim dies of heart attack in Pak, body brought back

AMRITSAR, Apr 20: Sixty five-year-old Lakhbir Singh from a village near Batala in Gurdaspur district had never thought that he would breath his last at Gurdwara Dera Sahib in Lahore where he died of heart attack last night.

The body of Lakhbir Singh, a resident of Sherpur village in Gurdaspur district, was brought back at the Attari Railway Station, near here, today by his fellow Sikh pilgrims who were part of the 3,000 strong ‘Jatha’ of the devotees who had gone to Pakistan to pay obeisance in the Gurdwaras there on the occasion of Baisakhi last week.

Besides, another unfortunate incident happened back in Pakistan when the Pak Rangers reportedly rounded up a woman from Jammu and Kashmir when she was shooting the scenes at Gurdwara Kartarpur on the banks of Ravi river near the border.

However, the identity of the woman was yet to be declared by the Pakistani authorities, said the pilgrims on their return at the Wagah Joint Check Post.

The Sikh community members in large numbers from Indian had celebrated Baisakhi at Gurdwara Dera Sahib in Lahore and at other Sikh shrines in Pakistan on April 13 and 14, holding prayer meetings and ‘Kirtan Darbar’ (singing of religious hymns). (UNI)

EC orders transfer of DC, Sehore

NEW DELHI, Apr 20: The Election Commission has ordered transfer of Sehore District Collector S K Mishra in Madhya Pradesh following complaints about his election management in Budhni Assembly constituency from where Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan is contesting in a bypoll.

Following complaints, the commission had deputed an official to inquire into the matter. A decision to shift the Collector was taken after receiving the report from inquiry panel, sources said.

Mishra has been ordered to be transferred as his election management was not upto the mark, the sources said.

The commission, which had sought a panel of three names for posting in place of Mishra, has directed the state government to appoint Raghavendra Kumar Singh.(PTI)

Sehwag brother’s house in Najafgarh sealed

NEW DELHI, Apr 20: The Municipal Corporation of Delhi today sealed a property owned by brother of swashbuckling Indian Cricket opener Virender Sehwag in Najafgarh area of west Delhi.

An MCD spokesman said the corporation this morning sealed a two-storeyed property of Sehwag’s brother Vinod Sehwag at Najafgarh which was being used for commercial purposes.

"The property had, for quite some time, been serving as a commercial complex on its ground, first and second floors instead of being used for residential purposes,"a spokesperson of the MCD told UNI.

The sealing of the property of Sehwag’s brother is part of MCD’s ongoing operation to seal commercial units in residential areas, as per the order of the Supreme Court. (UNI)

‘Stronger’ Left not to pull down UPA Govt
after Assembly polls

NEW DELHI, Apr 20: Refuting suggestions that a ‘stronger left’ would pull down the Manmohan Singh Government after the Assembly polls, the Left parties today asserted that they would not act as a "destabilising force" for the UPA regime.

The Assembly polls could not be treated as a referendum on the Congress-led coalition at the Centre, the Left leaders said while warning that the UPA’s stability and longevity, however, would depend on its "faithful adherence" to the Common Minimum Programme.

After the ongoing polls to five Assemblies, the Left parties will analyse the emerging poltical situation first individually followed by collective and comprehensive discussion, they said adding discussions would be held with other political parties who cooperate with them on an "issue-to-issue" basis.

Talking to UNI, CPI(M) polit bureau member and Rajya Sabha member Brinda Karat said after the polls, the Left will make a fresh assessment of the political situation, "but we have never been a destabilising force".

She said the question of reviewing the political situation did not pertain to one or two State Governments but the entire gamut of politics at the national level.

The UPA Government’s own "anti-people" economic policies, its privatising-spree rendering lakhs of people unemployed and attempts to usher in flexible labour laws and a pro-US foreign policy, trade and commerce could be its own undoing, the firebrand communist leader said.

CPI leaders A B Bardhan agreed that the Left parties would analyse the poltical situation comprehensively after the elections. "We have been watching the Manmohan Singh Government for the last two years," he said.

Mr Bardhan and his party’s national secretary D Raja, pointed out that the parties like the Mulayam Singh Yadav-led Samjawadi Party and the DMK were already extending their support to the Left on an "issue-to-issue" basis at the State and Central levels.

"We feel that the UPA allies will have to think afresh after the polls which seems to be against the Congress everywhere," they added.

CPI(M) polit bureau member and veteran Trade Union leader M K Pandhe said his party would hold the meetings of the party polit bureau and the Central committee immediately after the polls to review the political situation.

Dr Pandhe, a veteran Marxist leader, said a "stronger Left" would definitely further mobilise popular opinion against the "anti-people" policies of the Manmohan Singh Government, "which has been so blatantly violating the CMP in its letter and spirit’.

A "stronger Left" will be in a better position to influence the Government policies and programmes after May 11 when the elections are over, he added.

Ms Karat said to ensure its stability, the Government should faithfully implement the CMP, which is the basis of its own existence.

On the question of holding of the UPA-Left Coordination Committee meeting, last held nearly two months ago, the Left leaders questioned its validity and purpose when the Government was going ahead with decisions privatisation of Delhi and Mumbai Airports.

"The UPA-Left Coordination Committee issue will also come up for discussion after the polls," said Dr Pandhe. (UNI)

NECC appeals to J&K Govt to lift ban on entry of cull birds

MUMBAI, Apr 20: National Egg Coordination Committee (NECC) chairperson Anuradha Desai has appealed to the Jammu and Kashmir Government to lift the ban on entry of cull birds into the State, in the interest of the farmers and the consumers.

As the entry has been stopped, the poultry farmers in Punjab and Haryana are forced to feed the layer birds, which have outlived their productivity and are also not able to replace the flocks with the new ones, Ms Desai said in a release issued here today.

This, while affecting the farmers’ economy has resulted in an acute shortage of chicken in J&K and its price has sky-rocketed to Rs 300 per kg, which is neither helping the farmers, nor is in the interest of the consumers, she lamented.

In these conditions, the farmers are not able to feed the layer birds properly and soon these cull birds may starve to death, she regretted.

She said there has not been any report of birdflu in Punjab and Haryana and, therefore, there is no reason to ban the entry of cull birds.

Ms Desai also said even as the other States have lifted the ban on entry of live birds on the advice of the Ministry of Agriculture, J&K is the only State which continues it and movement of cull birds from Punjab and Haryana there has stopped completely. (UNI)

UPA pursuing minority appeasement politics: Rajnath

ALLAHABAD, Apr 20: Accusing the UPA of pursuing "politics of appeasement", BJP president Rajnath Singh today held the ruling coalition responsible for disturbing the demographic balance of the country and worsening the security situation.

The demographic balance of the country was getting disturbed with an alarming increase in the population of the minorities and "if this insidious trend continues, Hindus would be reduced to a minority by 2050", he told reporters after his `Bharat Suraksha Yatra’ reached here this morning.

People should "teach a lesson" to the parties responsible for bringing such a situation, he said.

Expressing concern over the security situation of the nation, the BJP president claimed that there was an overwhelming feeling among people about the country’s internal and external security, which is being threatened by Maoist insurgency and activities of the ISI.

Singh claimed that the ISI was establishing its network in Bangladesh.

"Unfortunately, Bangladesh is unwilling to acknowledge that its soil is being used for harbouring anti-India elements. The (UPA) Government ought to mobilise world opinion and put diplomatic pressure on Dhaka for cracking down on ISI camps operating in that country. Besides, fencing of the Indo-Bangla border must be taken up on war footing", he said.

Singh alleged that the Naxal menace was spreading across the country and the Government was refraining from adopting a pro-active approach as it was "under pressure from the Left whose support is vital for its UPA’s survival".

Alleging that religious conversions were on the rise under the UPA regime, Singh said during the course of his yatra he came across numerous instances of poor tribals being proselytised by Christian missionaries.

To counter such attempts, the BJP-ruled Rajasthan has brought an anti-conversion law and similar legislative measures were required in other states as well as at the central level, he said.

Asserting that the party faced "no threat" from the resignation of firebrand leader Uma Bharti the BJP president said "ours is the only national party which has never suffered a vertical split".

BJP, which had grown phenomenally in the first two decades after its formation, has suffered a decline recently, but "winds of change are blowing in favour of BJP", he said.

He also criticised the UPA Government for abolishing the ‘Ayodhya cell’ set up in the PMO by the previous NDA regime.

"This shows the Government’s lack of seriousness over sensitive issues. And it is not surprising that in the last one year, there have been terror attacks in the country’s political capital (New Delhi), religious and cultural centres (Ayodhya and Varanasi) and the hub of science and technology (Bangalore)", Singh added.

He said the party was serious about putting up a tough fight to Sonia Gandhi in the bye-election for the Rai Bareli Lok Sabha seat.

Singh claimed that in Uttar Pradesh the law and order and economic situation of the people has never been as good as during the BJP rule.

During his tenure as Union Agriculture Minister, he had introduced farmers’ income insurance scheme "which was appreciated by all, but thrown in the waste paper basket by the UPA Government", he said.

Earlier, former Union Minister Vijay Goel said both BJP president’s and senior leader L K Advani’s rath yatras will converge at Delhi on May 10.(PTI)

27 journalists to get Matri Shree Media Awards this year

NEW DELHI, Apr 20: About 27 journalists from the print as well as the electronic media have been selected for the prestigious Matri Shree Media Awards this year.

Prakash Jha’s ‘Apharan’ has been declared as the best movie of the year for the 30th Matri Shree Media Awards announced today.

Mr M K Laul, General Manager of the United News of India, will distribute the awards to the recipients at a function on April 30 at the Russian Cultural Centre.

The journalists who have been chosen for the award this year include the Chief Reporter of the United News of India Indiwar Parijat, Senior Correspondent at the Press Trust of India, Harmeet Shah Singh, Mr Dinesh Upretee of Univarta, Mr Naresh Kaushik of Bhasha, Mr Manish Pandey of the Times of India, Mr S Kannan of the Sports Special in Hindustan Times, managing director of Sadhna TV channel Rakesh Gupta, Senior Correspondent of Zee News Ashok Singhal, Mrs Sameera of Doordarshan News, Chief Cameraman of Star News Bharat Raj, Ms Anamika Ratna of Sahara Samay, Mr Neeraj Gupta of Aaj Tak, Mr K M Sharma of Total TV and Mr A K Handoo of All India Radio.

M Jamshed Alam Choudhry has been chosen for the award for his contribution in the field of social service while Mr Raj Khurana has been selected for his contribution to labour services.

Political Editor of the Hindustan Times Pankaj Vohra will preside over the function. Prominent among others who will attend the function are the News Editor of Punjab Kesari Mahender Khanna. (UNI)

A home for orphans in Tamil Nadu

MADURAI, Apr 20: When these orphans, often carrying HIV stigma, are shunned by the rest of the world, they find everything a home means to them at a village in Theni district of Tamil Nadu.

When the parents of Saran, a 12-year-old boy and his brother Ramu, died of AIDS, there was no place for them to go as no one came forward to help them being children of HIV+ patients. But they were fortunate enough to find a place in Nirmala Children's village at G Kallupatti in Theni District.

Brother James Kimpton, a Briton and founder president of the 'Reaching the Unreached' (Tamil Nadu-based NGO), who has established the Novel Children's villages in the district with the objective of providing a permanent home for such orphaned children, says about 245 children living in their villages and studying in their school are orphans of HIV+ parents. Of them 25 are HIV+.

With HIV/AIDS making children and women more vulnerable, the Children's village is planning to give priority to them in admissions in their villages so that they could find a permanent home and prepare themselves for an independent life, he says.

There is a sudden spurt in admission of children of HIV+ cases from just one or two students in 2002.

The uniqueness of the Children's villages where there are about 900 children, many of whom come under abandoned category, is that they find mother, brothers, sisters and grow up like normal children even without their biological parents.

Destitute mothers, even HIV+ widows act as mothers to children accomodated in 100 independent houses in four different villages. After the children reach a certain age, they are sent to hostels.

Kimpton says though the Children's programme was started in a home, it has grown into four villages since 1978. The inmates of Nirmala Children's village at Bodinayakanur serve children in that area. From kindergarten to high school they run all the classes and for higher studies they are sent to other institutions.

As the foster mothers themselves are destitutes, they pay more attention to the children. "They give love and affection they crave for and feel happy when they get it back from the children".

The HIV positive children-inmates are encouraged to take part in sports and other activities. Training is given to mother to take care of them in case they are injured.

"The HIV students are not seperated and grouped in such a way that they are spread out among all sections of the students. They are also given equal opportunities like other children", says Kimpton.

Any visitor to the village could see how best they try to keep the children in a village atmosphere, providing them food, teaching them how to play and study and develop a skill for themselves for their future.

Kimpton, who gives top priority to education, employment and health as per the request of the local people, says children's villages were set up intially with the help of local Panchayat officials who were not attached to any political party.

However, with the introduction of the Panchayat Raj and elections the villages are split into different political groups. "This will have impact on what project should be given priority, and the ultimate sufferers will be children", Kimpton said.

"Our villages have, however, not been affected by the change in the Panchayat Raj system because we maintained our priorities", he said.

He said that after the completion of the plus two, the children of the villages are given options to proceed according to their wish and capability.

"We have produced 40 professionals including doctors, engineers, teachers, lab technicians and so on. They have now got integrated into the society", he says proudly.

The NGO has taken care of even their weddings. "In fact two marriages took place this month. Thus from abandoned children in streets, our boys and girls head families".

Though it takes care of children between the age of one to 10, the sibblings are allowed to stay with them if they wanted. They have home for aged people and even leprosy-affected people. (PTI)

Telephonic helpline for disabled people in Delhi

NEW DELHI, Apr 20: The Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment today launched 'Disability Line', a telephonic helpline for disabled people in Delhi to provide them access to information on Government schemes and other facilities available.

It would provide information on diagnosis, treatment, counselling, education, employment, government schemes and facilities related to all disabilities, Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment Meira Kumar said inaugurating the 24-hour service from the New Delhi Telecom circle.

The Minister described the setting up of the 'Disability Line' in Delhi, based on Interactive Voice Response System (IVRS), as a major milestone in the process of disability information.

The Delhi line is the second after Maharashtra-Goa Telecom Circle, which was inaugurated in September, 2005.

The Ministry proposes to set up similar helplines in all the 26 Telephone Circles in the country soon, she said.

The Dil, which is one of the biggest IVRS in terms of the volume of information with varied channels of information dissemination in the world, will enable the disabled to avail the services in their neighbourhood.

The information is available in Hindi and English and can be availed through SMS and e-mail also.

Kumar expressed hope that the new Technology would bridge the information gap due to lack of awareness among persons with disabilities and the community and thus facilitate meaningful rehabilitation of the disabled.

The Minister also suggested networking of organisations for PWDs to Panchayats for dissemination of information.

As per census, 2001, as many as 2.19 crore people suffer from disabilities, which constituted 2.13 per cent of the total population at that time. 75 per cent of them live in rural areas.

About 8.4 per cent and 6.1 per cent of the total estimated households in rural and urban India, respectively are reported to have at least one disabled person and about 10.63 per cent of the disabled people suffer from more than one type of disability.

The prevalence of disability was 1.85 per cent among the rural population and 1.5 per cent in urban areas.

About 49 per cent of the disabled are illiterate and only 34 per cent are employed, she said and adding that it is now widely felt that a majority of such persons can lead a better quality of life if they have equal opportunities and effective access to rehabilitation measures.

These statistics highlight the need for dissemination of information on prevention of diseases causing disability, early identification, rehabilitation, education and economic independence of such persons.

The Dil has many technical uniqueness and features of Speech Recogntion (ASR), Fax on demand, Mobile connect/SMS, e-Mail, Management and Recording.

Any service provider in the field of disability can enroll in Dil about their services. It will be free of cost for government agencies and for those who provide services free of cost, but those who charge for their services will have to Pay Rs 1,000 per annum for enrolling. (PTI)

Advani invites TRS to join hands with NDA

ADILABAD, AP, Apr 20: After declaring support for the Telangana statehood cause, the BJP today went a step further and invited Telangana Rashtra Samithi(TRS), a partner in the Congress-led UPA government, to join hands with the NDA for achieving its goal.

"Should the TRS quit the UPA, the BJP will gladly join hands with it for the fulfillment of statehood aspirations of the people of Telangana," Advani told reporters here on the 11th day of his Bharat Suraksha Yatra.

Accusing the Congress of betraying the people on the issue, he said its pre-poll ally TRS would be "morally obliged to quit UPA if the policy of betrayal continued beyond the budget session of the Parliament".

Virtually setting a deadline for the UPA Government to introduce a constitutional amendment bill to carve out a Telangana state, the Leader of Opposition said he wanted to know why the bill was being delayed.

Noting that the promise of a separate state was the basis of the Congress-TRS alliance in the 2004 elections, he said "though two years have passed, Congress leaders at the Centre and state are behaving as if they never made this promise".

He even cautioned that if TRS failed to quit UPA, it would be guilty of betrayal of its promise of Telangana state.

Advani's offer of friendship to TRS comes against the backdrop of growing friction between Congress and the Telangana party on the statehood issue.

"In order to expose the dishonesty and duplicity of Congress on Telangana issue, I had dared the UPA to bring forward a bill on creation of Telangana," he said.

Asked what would happen if the UPA failed to come up with the bill in the forthcoming session, Advani said "the party will decide what to do".

When pointed out that the BJP was yet to submit its views on Telangana to the UPA sub-committee headed by Pranab Mukherjee, he said his party did not recognise it and turned the tables on Congress for continuing the policy of betrayal.

"The BJP would like Telangana to be carved out as a separate state in a smooth and amicable manner. In contrast to the way the new states were formed during the Congress Governments in the past, the NDA government had created Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and Uttaranchal states in a peaceful atmosphere," Advani said.

"I have no doubt that a separate Telangana state is a dream waiting to be realised. For, no amount of betrayal can work now, since the people are in a mood to punish the betrayers," he said.

Advani addressed 26 public meetings in four days in Anantapur, Chittoor, Medak, Nizamabad and Adilabad districts and covered a stretch of 832 kms in Andhra Pradesh, before entering the Vidarbha region of Maharashtra.

The BJP was the first party in the state to have promised to deliver Telangana state.

However, the post-poll political dynamics were such that the NDA's survival was dependent on TDP, a regional party opposed to splitting the state. As a result, the BJP had kept the issue on the backburner when it was in power at the Centre.

Now that its alliance with TDP has ended, the BJP is keen to join the Telangana bandwagon to revive the sagging morale of the cadre and the party's prospects in a region which was once considered its stronghold. (PTI)

Jimmy Shergill to try luck in Punjabi movies

NEW DELHI, Apr 20: With Bhojpuri and Punjabi films raking in big moolah, Bollywood bigwigs -- from superstar Amitabh Bachchan to one-film wonder Bhagyashree -- are testing waters in regional cinema. The latest to try his luck is actor Jimmy Shergill for whom "the call of the soil is too strong to ignore".

Shergill says he does not want to confine his acting to only Hindi films and is open to vernacular cinema. Not just this, he has pledged to do one Punjabi film every year.

"I have decided I would do act in one Punjabi film every year. I'm from a Punjabi family. I have studied in Punjab. I feel it's my duty to do so," says the actor whose Punjabi flick 'Mannat' will be released this year.

Shergill, who made his debut in Punjabi cinema last year with 'Yaraan Naal Baharaan' is game for a Bhojpuri film too. "If I get a good offer for a Bhojpuri film, then I'll lap it up. I was born in Gorakhpur and I am sure I'll pull off a film like that."

Talking about his forthcoming Hindi film - 'Tom, Dick and Harry', Shergill who was in town recently says after a string of serious, intense roles he was "dying to do a comedy" that would allow him to let his hair down.

"I really wanted to do a comedy for a long time. In this film, I play a character who cannot speak. I liked it because I had no lines to rehearse," he says with a mischievous smile.

Shergill says he watched an English play, 'Hear no evil, See no Evil and Speak no evil' to prepare for his character in the film.

Incidentally, the actor who commenced his Bollywood career with big-banner films like 'Maachis' and 'Mohabbatein', has box office success still eluding him.

But Shergill blames no one for that.

"All my career decisions are my own. I have been like a warrior in the film industry. When I did 'Mohabattein' and 'Haasil', people said I could do only these lover boy roles. Then I did 'Munnabhai...', 'Yahaan' and people said I could manage in these subtle, intense films. Now I have deliberately chosen comedy because I want to prove to the audience I can do this also," he says.

"Post-'Mohabbatein', there was a phase in my career, when I just went easy. I thought I would be very choosy in picking up the films I work in. But I still don't have any regrets."

Shergill, who says he has his kitty full with projects, will soon be seen in Naseeruddin Shah's directorial debut 'Yun Hota to Kaisa Hota' and Vidhu Vinod Chopra's 'Eklavya', both multistarrers.

"I am comfortable with all kinds of films, be it multistarrers or solo projects. Even if I have a two-minute but powerful role in a multistarrer, I would not think twice before doing it," he says.

Ask him about directors he would love to work with and his answer comes before he bats his eyelid- Gulzaar, the man who launched him in this big, bad world of Bollywood some years ago.

Shergill who admires Edward Norton, Matt Dillion, Ajay Devgan and Aamir Khan says his best performance has been in 'Yahan', where he played an Army officer in love with a Kashmiri girl in the backdrop of terrorist-infested Jammu& Kashmir. (PTI)