No wrong in projecting Rahul as PM
candidate: Arjun Singh

NEW DELHI, Apr 14: Senior Congress leader Arjun Singh today saw no wrong in projecting Rahul Gandhi as the Prime Ministerial candidate in the next Lok Sabha, saying that the young leader has all the qualities of his father.

"Why not," he shot back in an interview, when asked whether a young leader should be projected for the top job as like it happened in 1984 when Rajiv Gandhi took over as the youngest Prime Minister after the assassination of Indira Gandhi.

"He (Rahul) has all the qualities of his father. He is making sincere efforts in acquiring the information and knowledge that is required", the HRD Minister said when specifically asked about the MP from Amethi, who is being depicted as the youth icon by the party.

He steered clear of NCP chief Sharad Pawar’s view that Manmohan Singh be projected as the Prime Ministerial candidate and that the UPA should fight the elections collectively.

"These are individual views....It is for the UPA to decide. I have no view. Whatever is the party view, is my view", he said on the Prime Ministerial candidate.

On the issue of UPA contesting the election collectively, Singh said it is a suggestion (by Pawar). UPA will decide whether or not it is feasible.

On whether Congress should fight the next elections in a coalition or should fight it on its own to regain its lost ground, he avoided a direct answer. "This question you should put to others. I am not competent enough to answer that," he said.

Replying to a question on price rise on which the government has come under attack from all insides, he admitted it would have an impact on future elections.

At the same time, he insisted that the government is giving full attention to check the price spiral but no one has any magic wand for any instant results.

Some steps have been taken and the results would be visible in the coming days, he said, adding the procurement of rice and wheat would start, leading to improvement in the stocks and there would be no environment of scarcity.

The price rise would be a thing of the past by the time the country goes to polls, Singh said.

Singh, who had played a proactive role on the OBC reservation issue, said that UPA coordination committee would meet soon after the reconvening of Parliament session on April 15 to sort out differences among allies on the creamy layer issue.

He said without confronting the Apex Court, the Government would examine the suggestions from allies.

The HRD Minister said a communication would be sent to the institutions, including IIMs, this week on the admission process. (PTI)

MP Govt to set up Ramayan Kala museum

BHOPAL, Apr 14: Madhya Pradesh Government has announced setting up of what it says the world’s first Ramayan Kala museum at Orchha this year.

The museum will be set up with the cooperation of Adivasi Lok Kala and Tulsi Sahitya Academy.

"Three years ago, the Culture Department had set up Saket Ramayan Kala museum at Orchha where crowns, masks, and puppets used in staging of Ramlila and Chitra Phalak (pictorial presentation of Ramayan in different styles) were displayed," said Minister for Culture Laxmikant Sharma today.

The new museum will have vast collection of pictures based on Ramayan, besides art, masks, traditional attires, crowns and musical instruments used in presentation of Ramlila and Ram Katha in Sri Lanka and various South-East Asian countries, he said.

Material for research will also be available at the museum.

A reference centre will be set up that will facilitate researchers to assess Asian extension of Ramayan and its comparative study.

This year, India’s Ramayan traditions have been selected for study by UNESCO, apart from documentation of various fold traditions of Ramlila. (PTI)

SC to hear petitions on Ram Setu today

NEW DELHI, Apr 14: The Supreme Court will hear tomorrow the petitions opposing the demolition of Ram Setu also known as Adam’s Bridge for completing the Sethusamudram project.

A bench headed by Chief Justice K G Balakrishnan is due to hear a batch of petitions filed by former Union Minister Subramanian Swamy, former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and AIADMK supremo J Jayalalithaa and others seeking declaration from the apex court that Ram Setu is a monument of national heritage.

The Central government will be pressing for vacation of the interim stay granted by the Supreme Court against the demolition of 31 km long Ram Setu.

The Centre and Karunanidhi government in Tamil Nadu are pressing for vacation of interim stay granted by the apex court on August 31 last year.

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi, Union Minister T R Baalu, state Chief Secretary Loknath Tripathi and others are facing contempt of court proceedings for enforcing Tamil Nadu bandh on October 1, 2007, for speedy completion of Sethusamudram project in defiance of the Supreme Court orders dated September 30, 2007, directing the State Government not to enforce the bandh.

The Central Government had to withdraw its earlier affidavit, questioning the existence of events and characters described in Ramayana saying that there was no scientific evidence to prove the occurrence and existence of the events and characters mentioned in Ramayana, under tremendous public pressure.In its latest affidavit the Central Government has left it to the Supreme Court to decide whether Ram Setu is a natural formation or is man made. (UNI)

Insomniacs increasing in city that never sleeps

MUMBAI, Apr 14: In a city that never sleeps, residents are tossing and turning all night with the fast paced life taking a toll on their nocturnal patterns.

With the change in lifestyle and late night schedule, even the children are complaining of insomnia, health experts said.

Psychiatrist like Manoj Bhatavadekar of the Lokmanya Seva Sangh and NGO Juvenile Diabetes Foundation attribute this to lack of sleep hygiene.

"We recommend good sleep habits - wake up at a particular time even if one goes to bed late, avoiding stimulants before sleep, using bed only for sleeping and going to bed only when you feel sleepy," he said.

As part of a month-long drive, an awareness programme for general physicians and specialists on how to tackle the problem of insomnia without pills is being held here.

Talking about children, he said, they need more sleep than adults but with the their day packed with so many activities besides school, even the children go to bed late and have to get up early.

"Many of them are not able to concentrate because of lack of sleep and we get a lot of such cases," Bhatavadekar, who advises parents and students, said.

He said even in case of insomnia in patients with depression and other illnesses, the doctors teach them how to manage sleep.

Like insomnia the number of people who snore is also increasing at an "alarming" rate.

Snoring, meaning obstructive breathing, is no longer a laughing matter and should be taken as a potential medical problem and taken seriously even when there are no other symptoms. It can also indicate a possibly dangerous and life-threatening disease, according to experts.

According to international classification, there are 88 types of sleep disorders. The common ones are insomnia, snoring, obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), nocturnal cardiac ischemia, sleep related asthma and pregnancy associated sleep disorders, according to Ramanathan Iyer, consulting sleep medicine expert at Hiranandani Hospital.

The sound of snoring originates in the collapsible part of the air passage where there is no rigid support. It involves the back of the nose, palate, tonsils and the tongue.

"It is important to appreciate that snorers need not be obese or overweight as commonly thought," Iyer said.

Heavy snorers are more likely to be hypertensive and develop angina pectoris than non-snorers. The most advanced stage of snoring is obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) that causes cardiac, pulmonary and even behavioural problems, say experts.

OSA is sleep-related disorder in which there is a repetitive collapse of the upper airway resulting in obstruction to breathing. The disease is principally manifested by snoring and daytime sleepiness.

Partial collapse of the airway in the night causes snoring while total collapse of the airway causes complete blockage of the pipe with no air reaching the lungs.

"These phenomenon can seriously affect the body, particularly brain and heart," he warned.

Heavy snorers should have a thorough examination of the mouth, nose, throat and larynx by an ENT surgeon. Studies in a sleep laboratory (polysomnograms) are essential in adults who have symptoms of sleep apnea, he said.

The city has many hospitals that offer polysomnograms which are done during the night, Iyer said.

A study done by expert A F Udwadia indicated that OSA is widely prevelant in India and approximately 7.5 per cent of the population suffers from this disorder.

In Western countries, the disorder has a prevalence of 0.03 per cent to 5.1 per cent, sleep medicine specialists said.

Snoring should not be ignored and proper medical advice from chest specialist, sleep medicine experts, neurologist and psychiatrist should be taken to get relief by the sufferers and the family members should help them in doing so, Harish Shetty of the Indian Psychiatry Association said. (PTI)

Kanshiram wanted my statues
erected beside his: Mayawati

LUCKNOW, Apr 14: BSP supremo and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati today claimed that late party founder Kanshiram, in his will, wanted her statues to be erected beside those belonging to him.

"In his will, Kanshiramji stated that as ‘Mayawati is my true follower, her statues shall also be installed’," the Chief minister said, addressing a huge gathering at Ambedkar Park here on the occasion of the 117th birth anniversary of Dalit icon Dr Bhim Rao Ambedkar.

"Following Kanshiramji’s will, my statues have been installed next to those of him at Bahujan Prerna Kendra in Lucknow and New Delhi, where his ashes are kept," Mayawati said, while asking party workers to keep her ashes after her death alongwith those of the party founder.

Quoting Kanshiram, Mayawati said memorials and statues of a person should be installed while he or she is alive. "That’s why my statues have been installed in Lucknow and New Delhi," she said.

Thousands gathered at the park strewn with flowers and blue flags to celebrate Ambedkar’s birth anniversary.

The venue reverberated with slogans like "UP hui hamari, ab Delhi ki baari (UP is ours, now it is time to capture Delhi)" and tunes with lyrics like "Daliton ke sab dukh har liyo re Mayawati beheniya (All grief of dalits were redressed by sister Mayawati)" and "Mayawati ke roop me Daliton ke liye Shakti rup hua avtar Bhaiya (Mayawati is reincarnation of Goddess Durga for Dalits)." (PTI)

UMA attacks NDA, UPA, to hold protest in Tibet today

NEW DELHI, Apr 14: Attacking both the NDA and the UPA Government for their "weak responses to the injustice against Tibetans", Bharatiya Jana Shakti today declared its chief Uma Bharti would go to Tibet to participate in their protest against the suppression of their human rights by China.

Ms Bharti would enter Tibet through the Uttarakhand border tomorrow before addressing a rally of the community at Joshimath.

She will take the Tapovan route and enter Tibet through border at Malari.

In a statement here, the party said the weak-kneed" response of the Government was encouraging China to carry on its repressive campaign against the peaceloving Tibetans.

The party said Indians have always found religious and cultural affinity with Tibet, so India should come out with full support for the struggling community.

Ms Bharti has also written to the top leaders of her previous party BJP like L K Advani and Rajnath Singh, and also to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi to come out in support of the Tibetans’ struggle.(UNI)

Programme for dealing with climate change to begin

NAINITAL, Apr 13: A programme to train personnel to develop future strategies and to deal with the upcoming threats due to climate change in India has been initiated by an international non-profit organisation in collaboration with the British High Commission.

Leadership for Environment and Development (LEAD), an organisation with a rapidly growing network of 1,700 personnel in 80 different countries across the world, would along with the British High Commission train the persons coming from various section of the society.

The persons selected could be a local community leader, a farmer and a highly qualified academician/scientist.

In India climate change is often termed by experts as a leadership free zone and hence local/regional climate change concerns are seldom taken into account when decisions are taken at national level. In other words, information gap is more glaring between local and national level than national and international level, experts say.

The programme would initially be confined to Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Indo-Gangetic Plain of Uttar Pradesh and the north-east comprising all seven states and West Bengal.

Pragaya Varma, Executive Director of Lead India said that in all, 60 climate change leaders, 30 from each region would be trained. The programme would further be implemented in China, Mexico, Brazil and Indonesia, she added.

According to Central Himalayan Environment Association (CHEA) -one of the key partners in Uttarakhand - the selected individuals will be trained on all relevant aspects of leadership such as system thinking, team building, negotiation and conflict resolution, cross cultural communication, skill building over a period of one-and-half years.

The programme would later on be implemented in other parts of the country. Speaking about the choice for initiating this programme in Himalayan region, CHEA said though it is difficult to precisely predict the large-scale impacts of the changing climate on human beings in the world, tropical countries including India with high populations are likely to suffer more.

There are reports about glaciers recession in Himalayas, declining wheat productivity in northern Indian plains, early ripening of wild edible fruits of kafal (myrica esculenta) and early flowering in rhododendrons in central Himalaya, loss of agricultural land due to the rise in sea level in Sunderbans, it said.

Many diseases such as dengue, chicken guinea are spreading in regions where they were earlier unknown, CHEA added.

Leadership and partnerships are required to respond to the challenges from local to global scale.

The key implementing partners for the northern and north eastern regions are CHEA and TML. The programme will also draw upon the expertise of individuals and institutions working in the field of climate change in both regions, by inviting them to join a ‘regional advisory council’.

Lead was established in the wake of the world earth summit held in Rio De Janeiro in 1992 to cater to the need of creating a new generation of global leaders. (PTI)

Environment has an impact on fertility: Survey

CHENNAI, Apr 14: Believe it or not, the environment around you has an impact on your fertility.

Chemicals, toxins, and pesticides could find their way into one’s system and wreak havoc on the fertility, especially among the males.

This was the starling findings of a study done by the fertility centre at Kovai Medical Centre and Hospital, Coimbatore.

The study conducted by the Centre with a sample size of 200 males, drawn from urban and rural areas of the district, revealed that environmental hazards could contribute to infertility among men.

The study demonstrated as how environmental hazards and chemicals, especially cadmium could cause infertility in men, director of the centre and consultant in reproductive medicine, Dr C V Kannaki Uthraraj said.

"After ruling out genetic and hereditary factors, we found that pollution, caused by chemicals and pesticides were the major cause for infertility among men," she said.

It was more shocking that the pollution related infertility was prevalent even among rural men, who were not exposed to any major environmental hazards.

A closer look, however, revealed that handling of pesticides by them could be the reason for this, she said, adding unlike many other toxins, pesticides are well known to cause health and reproductive problems. The study also proved that cadmium level was very high in 200 km radius in the district.

The Centre proposed to undertake a bigger study with the help of a sponsor "to look deeper" and find whether the problem was widespread, throughout the state.

Dr Kannaki said besides likely risk factors, such as smoking and drinking habits, stress, among professionals, especially those engaged in the IT sector also contributed for infertility among men.

"IT professionals visiting the Centre is on the rise in the recent past and we found stress in the work place is the major cause for infertility among men," she says.

The Centre, dedicated to the service of the infertile couples, provides every available modality of treatment to their door steps at an affordable cost.

We work with the goal of "a baby for every couple", Dr Kannagi says, adding the Centre rendered ethical treatment as per ICMR and international guidelines with a success rate of 30 to 40 per cent, which speaks for the quality of care.

The state-of-the-art laboratory at the Centre had facilities like infertility counselling, basis infertility work up, harmonal profiles and imaging.

The art had andrology lab, sperm preparation for IUI, sperm banking, testicular tissue banking, in-vitro fertilisation, intra cytoplastic sperm injection, assisted hatching, sperm freezing, embryo freezing and egg donation surrogacy programmes.

Dr Kannai has just returned after addressing the second congress of the Asia Pacific initiative on reproductive and sixth biennial meeting of the pacific rim society for fertility and sterlity held in Singapore.

She was among Asia Pacific’s top experts, infertility specialists, scientists and researchers, who exchanged ideas and discussed the infertility problem.

The Congress showcased the latest technology in art and related infertility equipment. She shared the success stories at the fertility centre, run by her and details of the study conducted by the centre on the impact of enviromental hazards on male fertility. (UNI)

Amarinder bows before high command,
shares stage with Bhattal

TALWANDI SABO, BATHINDA, Apr 14: Bowing before the dictates of the Congress high command, a reluctant Capt Amarinder Singh today shared the stage with Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) chief Rajinder Kaur Bhattal at the party’s public rally, organised on the occasion of ‘baisakhi’ here today.

" I cannot pull along with Mrs Bhattal as she is soft towards the Akalis", the former Chief Minister said talking to reporters while leaving the rally site.

Advocating a tough stand against the ruling Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD)-BJP alliance, he alleged that the PPCC chief was "playing a friendly match with the Akalis" while Congress workers were being targeted by the State Government. " I will stand by her if she takes a tough stand", he added while indicating that he will start meeting party workers from April 19 to listen their grievances.

Capt Singh left the rally site even before Mrs Bhattal commenced her speech. However despite sharing the stage, a clear divide was quite noticable between the Capt Singh and Mrs Bhattal camps.

A large number of youth who were present at the rally wore handkerchief’s on their wrists to show their support for the former Chief Minister. They only shouted slogans in favour of Capt Singh and remained silent when the PPCC chief began her speech.

Though the rally was organised by the supporters of Mrs Bhattal but the supporters of Capt Singh clearly outnumbered those of the PPCC chief.

In his address, Capt Singh lambasted the SAD-BJP Government for targeting Congress workers and booking them in false cases. " When we return to power we will not spare those responsible for harassing our workers", he added.

Throwing light on the history of the Akali Dal, the former Chief Minister took a dig at the SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal. " I want to ask Sukhbir whether he is a baptised Sikh, as all past SAD heads had been baptised", he said.

Capt Singh also had a dig at Sukhbir Badal’s beard. ‘’ Akali presidents never used to tie their beards but this one (Sukhbir) ties his beard’’, he added.

Mrs Bhattal laid stress on the working of the SAD-BJP Government. She claimed that the Government had failed on all fronts and had failed to live upto the aspirations of the people of the state.

She also pointed to the recent lathicharge on Aanganwani workers at Bathinda and asked Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal to tender an unqualified apology.

Senior party leader Jagmeet Singh Brar and a number of MLA’s, were present at the rally. (UNI)

Historic moment: Mukherjee
Kolkata-Dhaka rail service start after 43 years

KOLKATA/DHAKA, Apr 14: After a gap of over four decades, rail services between Kolkata and Dhaka resumed today with the simultaneous launch of ‘Maitree Express’ from here and the Bangladeshi capital in a move aimed a strengthening ties between the two neighbours.

Bedecked with flowers and amidst fanfare, the six- coach train began its nearly 15-hour historic run from a station in north Kolkata for Dhaka at 7.10 hours as External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee gave the go-ahead signal through a remote control on ‘Poila Baisakh,’ the Bengali new year’s day.

Simultaneously in the Bangaldeshi capital, the Dhaka- Kolkata service left the Cantonment station after officials greeted passengers with flowers.

The rail connection between Kolkata and Dhaka was snapped during the 1965 Indo-Pak conflict when Bangladesh was part of Pakistan. However, India and Bangladesh in 1996 resumed direct bus service linking Kolkata and Dhaka.

The Maitree (friendship) Express will cover 538-km running 120 kms on Indian soil and the rest in Bangladeshi territory. With the Indian rake having a capacity of 368 passengers and the Bangladeshi one 418, the service will leave their respective starting points on Saturdays and return the next day.

On its inaugural run, the train was briefly stopped in Nadia district in West Bengal by a group of people who squatted on the track demanding rehabilitation of Bangladeshi refugees. It, however, resumed its journey without security personnel having to use force to remove the blockade.

Describing the occasion as memorable, Mukherjee said the service would bring the two countries closer. He also thanked Railway Minister Lalu Prasad at the function for introducing the train.

"It’s a historic moment for India and Bangladesh," Mukherjee said, as the train with 65 passengers on board left Kolkata’s Chitpur station, resuming the service after a gap of 43 years.

As the train whistled from Dhaka station amidst a colourful function marked by Bengali folk songs and dances, Bangladesh’s Foreign Minister Iftekhar Ahmed Chowdhury said "It is a historic occasion for both the countries. We will be more close after the resumption of passenger train service". The train, which has both economy and air-conditioned coaches, left Dhaka with 370 passengers.

Bangladesh’s interim Government’s advisers including Commerce and local Government Ministries, India’s High Commissioner in Dhaka Pinak Ranjan Chakravarty and senior officials attended the flag off ceremony.

The two countries had signed the final agreement for resuming the train services earlier this week, after the respective Cabinets had endorsed the accord.

At the function here, Mukherjee, accepting a suggestion from Information Minister P R Dasmunshi, said he would take the initiative to celebrate on board Maitree Express, the birth and death anniversaries of Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore, who had the rare distinction of composing the National Anthem of both India and Bangladesh.

Describing it as a historic day for both India and Bangladesh, Lalu Prasad said the UPA Government has taken initiative to strengthen ties with Bangladesh and other neighbouring countries to ensure peace without which prosperity could not be achieved.

Reports from Nadia, where the train was stopped for a few minutes by activists squatting on the track, said 87 people, including 11 women, were arrested for blocking the train. (PTI)

People bee-line to get clicked with Pratibha Patil in Brazil

SAO PAULO, Apr 14: It was a photo opportunity for dozens of Indians in this commercial capital of Brazil as President Pratibha Patil began her first leg of three nation tour to Latin America.

After her brief inaugural speech at the reception hosted in her honour, the organisers of the function, possibly surprised at an early end of the function, asked all those who had gathered to queue up for clicking themselves with the first woman President of India and within no time the entire hall at a five-star hotel saw people bee-lining for the opportunity, taking the security by surprise.

After nearly 30 minutes, the organisers, unable to cope up with the rush decided to call it an end and quickly the President was escorted out of the room.

Patil is on a 13-day visit to Brazil, Mexico and Chile.

In her brief address to the Indian community based in Sao Paulo, the President said both India and Brazil are large democracies and major countries in their respective regions. "The emergence of our two countries as leading players in the global arena has been propelled by their large and qualified manpower resources, big land mass, vibrant trillion dollar economies and the spirit of entrepreneurship that permeates our societies," she said.

"It is only fitting that the visit to Brazil should begin from the large metropolis of Sao Paulo which enjoys the honour of being the economic and commercial capital of Brazil," Patil said, adding the metropolis was unique as it has the world’s only university of yoga.

"I am also told that nearly 80 per cent of Brazilian cattle stock derives its origin from India’s Nellore variety, which is known in Brazil as Zebu. The year 2006 marked the 100th anniversary of the import of first cow from India into north-east Brazil," she said.

She complimented the Indian community for their contribution in development of Brazil and said: "You are not only our ambassadors in a distant country but are also contributing to the building of bridges of understanding between the two countries."

"We have established an overseas Indian facilitation centre, which can be your window to invest in and benefit from India," she said, adding "work has begun on establishing a `diaspora knowledge network’ - an electronic platform to facilitate transformation of ideas into community action in India."

An "India development foundation" is also on the anvil which would allow you to contribute to social development causes in India," she added. (PTI)

India proposes new steps to combat climate change

WASHINGTON, Apr 14: India has proposed a set of steps, including ‘climate proofing’ of public infrastructure investments, food security and water resources that the developing countries can adopt to combat climate change.

"Governments can start working on key vulnerabilities like ‘climate proofing’ of public infrastructure investments, food security, water resources and pursue policies to incentivise private actions toward energy efficiencies," Finance Minister P Chidambaram said at a breakfast meeting on ‘Taking the Bali Process Forward’, organised as a part of the Spring Meetings of the World Bank here.

Highlighting the steps undertaken by the government, Chidambaram said: "Indias Green House Gas (GHG) emissions are among the lowest in per capita terms. They will, of course, inevitably increase as we endeavour to remove poverty and provide basic needs to all the people."

"Our Prime Minister had categorically declared that even while pursuing development goals, Indias per capita GHG emissions will always remain below the per capita GHG emissions of developed countries," he said.

He said India has unilaterally taken significant steps to meet the challenges including "measures to promote clean technology, review the fuel emission and efficiency regulations, mass transport systems, encourage the use of gas and building sustainable Greenfield cities."

"A quick analysis showed that our Government has spent 2.6 per cent of GDP during 2006-07 on adaptation-related activities. We propose to bring out our National Action Programme on Climate Change shortly," he said.

"We are also going to establish a permanent institutional mechanism to play a coordination role to explore and implement ideas on climate change and to take on the important responsibility of advocacy", Chidambaram said.

He also underlined the need for "fair burden sharing" and efforts to build "trust between developed and developing countries" for an effective global action on climate change.

"Global action on climate change will require building trust between developed and developing countries. There must be trust about the neutrality of processes or institutions through which agreements are implemented, money is disbursed or disputes are resolved," the minister said.

"The solutions should include fair burden sharing and measures to realise sustainable patterns of consumption and production. The UN Framework Convention on Climate Change should be the only basis for a global compact, anchored as it is in the well-established principle of equity and common but differentiated responsibility" he said.

The Finance Minister said that no discussion on climate change can be taken forward without underscoring the deep inequity in the causes and impacts of climate change.

"The developed world has caused the problem with many decades of unsustainable development process. But it is the poorer countries that will be worst affected," Chidambaram said.

Chidambaram stressed that the global community had "a shared responsibility to think through the complex challenges of climate change and come up with fair, equitable and imaginative solutions".

"Given their responsibility for causing the problem, the developed world has two clear obligations: to massively reduce their GHG emissions, and to provide new and additional financial and technological help to the developing countries to manage mitigation as well as adaptation efforts," he said. (PTI)