Excelsior... Nation

Liquidity not a concern, says Chidambaram

BANGALORE, Mar 24: A day after meeting bankers on the issue of shortage of liquidity, Finance Minister P Chidambaram today said availability of lendable money is not a cause of concern.

"Liquidity is not a concern. But liquidity has to be maintained so that interest rates remain attractive to investors", he responded to a question by reporters question on the sidelines of a function here.

When asked if he would suggest a cash reserve cut for the reserve bank, Chidambaram said, "what RBI will do, RBI will do. I can’t decide what RBI will do."

Chidambaram also dismissed a journalist’s question which was based on the assumption that call money rates had increaed up to eight to nine per cent. "You are wrong. Call money rates have not not gone up to eight to nine per cent".

The minister said "I don’t know. May be it’s your idea," Chidambaram said when asked if service taxes are likely to go up by one per cent every year until it reaches 15 per cent.

Chidambaram had yesterday said in Delhi that a sub-committee of five members of Indian Banks Association has been formed and it would meet RBI Governor Y V Reddy next week to tackle the shortage of money availability in the system. (PTI)

Not interested to work under current BJP
leadership: Khurana

NEW DELHI, Mar 24: With his expulsion from the BJP virtually certain, suspended party leader Madan Lal Khurana today said he was not inclined to work under the organisation’s current leadership.

The former Delhi Chief Minister told PTI that he would prefer Delhi, his stronghold, to the party which he alleged was being run by "political managers".

Khurana, who defied party directives against joining expelled leader Uma Bharati’s ‘Janadesh Rally’ on March 21, said he was a fierce proponent of Sangh ideology that the former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister has pledged to pursue.

"But I am not inclined to work under the current leadership which is being guided by a bunch of political managers. I will give priority to Delhi over this party under its present dispensation," he said.

Khurana, who has announced that he would launch a ‘Delhi Bachao Morcha’ against the court order on demolitions, has appointed BJP MLA Dayanand Chandela as the secretary general of the proposed front. The morcha will be headed by suspended BJP leader and MLA H S Balli.

Khurana has written to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh urging for an Ulhas Nagar type ordinance to revoke court oder on demolitions in Delhi. (PTI)

Sonia asks party MPs not to resign

NEW DELHI, Mar 24: Congress president Sonia Gandhi has said that party MPs should not get emotional over her resignation from the Lok Sabha and follow suit.

Gandhi stated this to a number of leaders, including MPs, who called on her to express solidarity, a day after she resigned from Lok Sabha and as Chairperson of National Advisory Council, Union Minister Vilas Muttemwar said after meeting the Congress president.

The Congress president’s reference was apparently to Mumbai Regional Congress Committee president Gurudas Kamat, who submitted his resignation from the post as also as an MP to her yesterday. (PTI)

Victim identifies accused Kasliwal in rape case

MUMBAI, Mar 24: The 52-year-old victim who was allegedly raped by Abhishek Kasliwal, son of the owner of Sriram Mills, has identified the accused during a parade held here, police sources said today.

The parade lasted for 45 minutes and was held in central prison yesterday. Ten persons were asked to take positions in the parade and one of them was Kasliwal. The victim pointed at Kasliwal thus identifying him, the sources said.

Two other witnesses, Stephanie Jordan and Dilip Shetty, also identified the accused saying he was the same person who had earlier posed as Vicky Malhotra.

The victim, in her complaint to the police, had stated that the person who had raped her had given his name as Vicky Malhotra.

Kasliwal was arrested by Worli Police on March 12 after an Anglo-Indian from Kolkata who moved to Mumbai for a living, lodged a complaint of rape and assault against her.

The woman had alleged that she was waiting to catch a bus near the Prince of Wales Museum in south Mumbai on March 11 night when Kasliwal offered a lift before taking her to Sriram mills and "raping" her.

A medical examination of the woman has indicated sexual assault, police sources said, adding that hair samples and a condom found inside Kasliwal’s car had also been sent to forensic laboratory for examination.

The accused was also subjected to scientific tests in Bangalore but the results are awaited.

The court had earlier rejected the bail plea of Kasliwal and sent him to police custody. (PTI)

Sadhu surrenders, released on bail

PATNA, Mar 24: RJD MP Aniruddha Prasad Yadav alias Sadhu Yadav today surrendered in a special court here in connection with the multi-crore flood relief scam, and was later released on bail.

The RJD MP who surrendered in the court of Special Vigilance Judge prayed for his release through an application in backdrop of a ruling of Patna High Court.

Later, the Vigilance Court ordered for release of Mr Yadav on a personal bond of Rs 10,000 with two sureties of the like amount as per the order of Patna High Court. (UNI)

Media needs to get its priorities right: Aamir Khan

NEW DELHI, Mar 24: Lashing out at the mainstream media in the country for its "misplaced emphasis on the sensational", superstar Aamir Khan has said the degeneration of the level of news reporting in the fourth estate has led him to keep the media "off-limits".

It is his sense of outrage at the attitude of the print and visual media and the "absurdity" of the mainstream media content that, Aamir said, led him to keep himself 'aloof' from the media during the pre-release publicity of his superhit film 'Rang De Basanti', the actor said in an interview to the Tehelka newspaper.

"Despite the expected media interaction that the release of 'Rang De Basanti' demanded of me, I could not bring myself to deal with this kind of people--this monster that the media has become," Aamir said in an interview in the April 1 issue of Tehelka.

Instead, Aamir said, he let 'Rang de Basanti' ride on its inherent strengths to become a blockbuster.

Aamir said news reports like the Salman-Aishwarya tapes, the sting operation on Shakti Kapoor, a channel's faux interview with him (Aamir) and the "poaching" on an ailing Bachchan were examples of the "misplaced priorities" and the absurdity of the media.

"It isn't just the cynical decimation of the professional or intrusion into deeply personal aspects (his marriage) that irks Aamir, but also a cause of worry is the misplaced emphasis on sensationalism. "Because they want ads, they are destroying what is a very important part of society that is news reporting. They are wasting important national space that should be used in a more productive manner,"he said.

Stating that the core principle of journalism, that of being a watchdog was today being violated by the print as well as the visual media, he said,"the media is meant to be a watchdog of society, not its lapdog!"

Aamir said that when he started out as an actor he shunned the "tinsel press" for the same reason even though not talking to film magazines at that time (when there were no satellite channels) would mean cutting himself from his fans.

"I understood that but I chose to do what is right," he says. Today, however, he felt the same way about the mainstream press.

Countering the argument by many media houses that readership and viewership tastes are paramount, Aamir said, "great responsibility is invested in the press.

Media has to exercise more restraint and discretion than filmmakers if it claims to be a serious purveyor of news.

On sting operations, he said such operations were admissible if they were governed by public interest.

Holding the Hindi as well as the English media guilty of "overkill", Aamir said, "some news channel has to get up and say I am not indulging in this. It might

lose viewership for the first month or so but it will establish that it is not indulging in all of this. And I am sure people will come around."

(UNI)

Shot through camera not film but contemporary art

NEW DELHI, Mar 24: It is an art form with a difference - where the camera is the brush and the projection screen the canvas. The result is video installation art or contemporary art with a time dimension.

Like cinema, video art too uses moving picture and audio. The untrained eye may mistake it for a piece of experimental cinema, but video art is different because it may not employ trained actors, dialogue, music, story plot or have a coherent narrative or even aim at entertaining people - the ultimate aim of motion pictures or television.

The spirit of rebellion and an urge to push the creative bar of fine-art are the hallmarks of video art that saw its heydays in the West in the 1960 and 70s with the invention of the handycam.

Video art is a powerful opposition against the commercialisation of art. "It is a form of art that cannot be possessed or owned as it is not up for sale, says Sonia Khurana, one of the few practitioners of this art form in India.

Curator Puja Sood explains by saying that video art is generally combined with other media or a performance, thus giving the installation a deeper context and making it experential and interactive, experiential, something 2-d art cannot do.

For instance sisters Anusha and Ein Lall in an recent exhibition titiled "The Performative Self" juxtaposed live performace with the video playing in the backdrop, letting the video take dominate at times while completely halting to create a seamless, single piece of communication.

Khurana on the other hand sought to understand the meaning of "what performace means to her" through her piece called 'Skin'. In another called "Sleep" she has filmed herself over a period of time, trying to fall asleep, in the process exploring neurosis.

Video art is actually a rebellion against the "seduction of technology" and a voice against "the structured format of film and advertising."

"This is not to say that the form does not have its own grammar," clarifies Khurana.

So can any one with an artisic bent and access to camera and editing machine take up this art form? Sood explains with an analogy, "A lot of people can paint but can their painting acquire a meaning? It's the same with video installation art.

Khurana believes that like conventional art, video art too has its good and bad works . At its very best video art is akin to a good potrait "revealing textures and new meanings each time you look at it. "It has a certain immediacy and interactivity that no other form does."

She says that video art can be used to make powerful statements just like the 2-d canvas. My film 'The Flower Carrier' for instance is a strong comment on the politics of beauty.

Sood agreeing with her adds that a painting requires a sense of history on the part of its audience for it to make a comment or risk being too literal, while video art is free from this baggage.

Like conventional art it can also be used as a form of therapy, self- discovery and education, something which Khurana is exploring.

Khurana says while initially the art fraternity and purists were sceptical, they have now begun to accept it as a valid art form.

"I am looking to see how I make the medium relevant beyond the art fraternity."

Sood on the other hand believes that the form has tremendous potential due to its inherent use of moving visuals and sound. "We have a sophisticated audience in terms of the visual format. Who knows, one day people will receive it on their TV sets or flock the cinema halls to see it." (PTI)

Computer personnel turn to ancient Ayurveda for relief

KOCHI, Mar 24: They may be modern age computer kids on the block, ready to beat any deadlines. But overworked and stressed, these IT personnel are turning to the world's most ancient system of healing -- Ayurveda -- for relief and good health.

More and more IT personnel from India's hot spot destinations -- Bangalore and Hyderabad -- are seeking help from Ayurvedic specialists for relief, says eminent Ayurvedic Physician and partner of the Kerala-based Vaidyaratnam Oushadhasala, Ashtavaidyan E T Neelakandhan Mooss.

A 14-day treatment has been formulated by the Oushadhasala for typical ailments connected with the extensive use of computers -- like eye strain, neck pain, joints, back and handpain, loss of concentration and sleeplessness.

At a very young age, computer personnel are affected by these ailments, Mooss told PTI. The package has been developed after a lot of research and experiments, he said.

Specialists from its Vaidyaratnam Ayurveda College also visited Infosys following requests from the IT major to give a lecture demonstration on their Ayurveda package treatment.

Mooss said a full fledged treatment is being offered at the Vaidyashala at Thrissur where IT personnel from various parts of the country and abroad flock.

A few months ago, they started a clinic at Koramangala in Bangalore and are now looking for a bigger space to provide more amenities to its patients. The treatment would soon be offered at its Oushadhasalas at Secunderabad and Mumbai, he said.

Ayurveda is being increasingly recognised as the best Alternate Medical System across the globe and has emerged as safe and effective option to Western Bio-Medicine, Mooss said.

Ayurveda identifies any disease as a disharmony of the "body-mind-soul", he said.

Some of the commonly identified ailments are eye strain due to continuous looking at the monitor, neck pain due to wrong height of the chair or table, pain in the hand due to wrong positioning and height of the keyboard and mouse, back pain due to non-ergonomical chairs, loss of concentration, sleeplessness due to deadlines and pressures of work, he said.

Three types of treatment -- "Shirodhara", "Kizhi" and "Pizhichal" are offered as per individual needs as part of the package.

Mooss said NRIs from the US and other countries are also coming for treatments for IT related ailments. Though documentation of the number of patients having been so far treated has not been made, their numbers are definitely on the rise, he said.

The Oushadhasala has also introduced selected 'Kwatha' (Kshayas) as tablets and capsules. This is mainly considering the markets outside Kerala.

The R&D laboratory has developed about 15 new patent products. The flagship product, which is accepted on a large scale, is 'Mehanil', an anti-diabetic tablet formulation, he said.

On its turnover, he said the Oushadhasala is targeting a turnover of Rs 30 crore during 2006-07 and is expecting to touch Rs 50 crore within three years. (PTI)

Health disaster management manual for South
Asia by June

MUMBAI, Mar 24: Hit periodically by natural disasters, South Asian countries would now have a special Health Disaster Management Manual for better preparedness to tackle the calamities.

This manual is being specially prepared by the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) Medical Association, formed on January 6 this year in Dhaka under the stewardship of Bangladeshi Prime Minister and current SAARC chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia to take up health related issues affecting the region.

"We have unique problems common to us, phenomenally different from the West. But we realised that we are never prepared to tackle health issues during a disaster. This prompted us to prepare a special Health Disaster Management Manual," SAARC Medical Association (SMA) president Dr Sanjiv Malik told PTI here.

Malik, who is also the national President of Indian Medical Association (IMA), said citing an example that "During the Gujarat earthquake, we realised after two weeks that people urgently needed splinters to treat lower limb injuries. Unfortunately these were not available in the country. We had to amputate the injured persons' limb."

According to him, a scientifically documented manual, dealing with disasters would help in better crisis management and help to tackle epidemic outbreaks linked with certain types of disasters.

"We have given ourselves six months time. By June 30, the SMA would come out with this manual. This is being done in association with WHO and the national Governments of the seven member nations," Malik said.

The Association is also dealing with quackery, which is rampant in this part of the world.

"We all have this problem. In fact the problem is so enormous in Pakistan that it observes 'Anti-Quackery Day' every year February to create awareness amongst people," he said.

He also claimed that even though the problem was equally severe in India, the Government has been negligent towards the issue. In some of the states like Maharashtra and Delhi, the Anti-Quackery Bill was still pending before the Legislature.

"It hasn't been passed fearing annoying a particular section of vote-bank. We want to pressurise the State Governments to pass the Bill," he said.

The next on the agenda was exchange of top healthcare personnel between SAARC countries.

"If we can form a pool of specialists in various areas, we can learn from each other and serve the region better," he said.

According to the SMA president these measures would also help in long term progress in the region.

"Once such measures are taken, we would be able to function more systematically. We can make this region a medical tourism hub. Already India is becoming one. This would become a major revenue model for the countries," he said. (PTI)

Naxals launch daring attack on jail, free prisoners

PARLAKHEMUNDI, ORISSA, Mar 24: In a daring pre-dawn swoop, armed naxalites today attacked a sub-jail in R Udayagiri town of Gajapati district and freed its prisoners, killing two policemen in the process, official sources said.

The naxals also took hostage officer-in-charge of the local police station Ranjan Kumar Mallick and jailor Rabinarayan Sethi, the sources said.

Over 80 ultras, including women, attacked the police station, a nearby Orissa Special Armed Police (OSAP) camp, treasury, tehsildar's office and a telecom tower spreading terror in the town as they shot two policemen and injured two others, district collector Binod Bihari Mohanty said.

Mohanty, who escaped the attack by taking refuge in a house, said that police claimed three of the ultras, including a woman, were also killed when police returned fire.

However, the three bodies were taken away by the naxalites as they retreated, he said.

The exchange of fire continued for over two hours, Mohanty told PTI on the telephone adding that a large amount of arms had also been looted by ultras.

The ultras, who approached the town from two different directions, retreated via Saralapadar route towards the deep jungle.

The two policemen killed have been identified as constable Prasanta Patnaik and sentry Tuna Dehury, the sources said.

One of the injured policemen has been sent to MKCG Medical College Hospital at Berhampur while the other is being brought here for treatment at the district hospital, they said.

The police station had been totally ransacked by the naxalites who "pulled down" the gates of the sub-jail allowing prisoners to escape, the sources said.

The naxals had disconnected the telephone lines in most offices and also disrupted electricity supply in the town, they said.

Reports said around 50 prisoners, including some naxalites, were in the sub-jail which has a capacity of 40. It was not known how many prisoners had escaped.

The attack, reminiscent of the naxalite raid on Koraput town three years ago, caught policemen by surprise at around 5.30 am. Many OSAP jawans had gone for jogging when their camp was attacked, the sources said.

Collector Mohanty said he had stayed overnight at the Inspection bungalow of the Revenue department at R Udayagiri after returning from a tour of Mohana area.

Police launched a combing operation in the area after the ultras retreated, he said.

Superintendent of Police, Gajapati, A N Sinha is on his way to the town with reinforcements, he added.

The naxalites had blocked entry to the town from different directions by felling trees and pushing boulders on the road.

Reports also said that the ultras may have planted landmines on the road to R Udayagiri town. (PTI)

PM calls for new industrial revolution in Punjab

AMRITSAR, Mar 24: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today called for a "new wave of industrialisation" in Punjab alongwith a second green revolution so as to bring this border state back on the rails of development and prosperity.

Addressing a public gathering before flaging off the Amritsar-Nankana sahib bus service here, the PM reminded the people of Punjab's glorious history of industrial growth and the first green revolution which had made the state the granary of India. Each town and city has been renowned for specific industrial products - bicycles, hosierty, machine tools, sports goods etc but over the last two decades, however, Punjab has lost its leadership role in many areas,he added.

"We need a new wave of industrialisation in the state. We need large industries which will generate demand for ancillary products" he said.The PM also laid stress on the need to provide technology and marketing support to small industries and to create a skilled pool of people, who can drive this growth.

" We need to have better roads, transport facilities and power supply", he added in his speech in Punjabi.

Refering to steps being taken to improving the economy of Punjab,he said that the allocation of 1500 mws of power to Punjab from a super thermal power station to be set up in Chhattisgarh and 1200 mws of power from other power stations in the country had been made. Power supply in and around this Holy City will improve greatly through the creation of a major new sub-station here at a cost of Rs 150 crore,he added.

He also refered to the proposal of the Central Government to establish an Indian Institute of Science Education and Research in Punjab. The PM said that he had directed the National Highways Authority of India to complete at an early date the four-laning of widening of the Amritsar-Jalandhar, Amritsar-Pathankot, Kiratpur-Chandigarh, Ambala-Chandigarh highways as well as take up as early as possible the six-laning of Ambala-Jalandhar road and Ludhiana-Chandigarh road.

Turning to the Wagah border he said that the Government has also decided to develop on-port and off-port facilities at Wagah International border. This includes reducing waiting time for immigration and custom formalities at Wagah,he said.

"We will modernise customs infrastructure at Wagah and speed up security clearance. We propose to expand immigration, customs and security halls and increase number of counters, and provide better amenities",he added.

Dr Singh said that the facilities at Wagah will be improved to make it easier for the arrival and departure of jathas and delegations. An animal quarantine station will be set up for exporters of live stock,he disclosed.

He also announced the improvement of facilities for the Amritsar-Lahore buses.The infrastructure for the Beating Retreat ceremony at Wagah border post would be upgraded,he added.

The Prime Minister complimented the farmers when he said that every farmer in Punjab was a proud soldier in the war against poverty and hunger. "Your hard work has made India proud and prosperous, your courage and enterprise makes each one of us proud" he said.

Refering to the Rs 100 crore central grant announced in the Budget for reserach in Panjab Agricultural University (PAU), Ludhiana he said that he was hopeful that with this grant PAU would usher in a second green revolution.

Refering to the dark period of terrorism Dr Singh said that Punjab had seen many years of great pain and sorrow but now was the day of hope for the state."Punjab has seen many years of waste and violence but the past is behind us and this golden land of ours is once again bounteous and filled with joy",he added

He said that the Government in Delhi and in Punjab have been working tirelessly for the development of the state.

While refering to the steps taken by his government for restoring the to restore the glory of Amritsar, he said that the Central Government had sanctioned Rs 72 crore to compelte the 'galiara' (beautification) project around Sri Harmandir Sahib. He also refered to the establishment of a Centre of Research on Sri Guru Grant Sahib Studies in the Guru Nanak Dev University (GNDU) here and the allocation of Rs 48 crore for the completion of the Khalsa Hertiage Project at Anandpur Sahib.

The PM said that the Government was taking further steps for the development of Amritsar. "This is a holy and historic city with a great past. An international city hwhose people reside in all corners of the world",he added.

The PM disclosed that both Amritsar and Ludhiana are covered under the New Jawaharlal Nehru National urban Renewal Mission. Through this Mission the Centre can fund the Sri Guru Ram Das Urban Development Project in Amritsar costing nearly Rs 240 crore and an elevated road project costing Rs 210 crore

He also announced that the Amritsar-Wagah Road would be widened and made into a top class road so that it can become an international highway for trade, travel and tourism. He also announced that steps were being taken for upgradation of facilities at Attari railway Station, being a major international railway station of the country.

Dr Singh also a mention of his dream Special Economic Zone (SEZ) project for the Holy City. This city and its neighbouring areas had great industrial potential and this needed to be revived and the SEZ was one such step in this direction,he added.

Express concern about the problems being faced by the industry at Gobindwal Industrial Complex, Dr Singh asked the Punjab Government to look into all the issue and come up with a package for its revival. He assured all necessary support from the Central Government in this regard.

The PM took the opportunity to announce that the historic Gobindwal fort which was built for the defence of this holy city, will be handed over to the Punjab Government.Presently the fort is occupied by the army.

Again turning to the agriculture sector Dr Singh said that there was a need to move forward and transform the agriculture to the next level. In this context he refered to commercial agriculture centered around horticulture as practiced by farmers in states like Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.

Punjab farmers need to do the same if they are to keep ahead of the rest of the country,he suugested while assuring the State Government of all help to establishing the necessary marketing and storage infrastructure and tranport facilities.

Dr Singh said that the high speed rail freight corridor connection the Western and Eastern ports had been extended to Punjab to enable easy transport of goods.He said that his government was also working towards creating a second international airport in Punjab near Ludhiana and he was hopeful that this project will materialize in the coming months.

(UNI)