Centre approves scheme to boost e-governance in states

NEW DELHI, Jan 24: The Centre today decided to set up "Data Centres" across all states and Union Territories at a cost of Rs 1623.20 crore as part of the establishment of the core infrastructure for the National e-Governance Plan (NeGP).

A meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, gave its approval for the "State Data Centre Scheme" which will enable the 29 states and six UTs to set up highly reliable, robust, shared and secure infrastructure to host state-level e-governance applications.

Information and Broadcasting Minister Priyaranjan Dasmunsi told mediapersons that the Centre would provide technical and financial support to the states and UTs for setting up State Data Centres.

He said the scheme would have an outlay of Rs 1623.20 crore which includes both capital and operational expenses for a period of five years.

Mr Dasmunsi said the scheme would provide state-level e-Governance applications to deliver Government to Government, Government to citizen and Government to business services electronically.

He said the scheme would be implemented in a period of 12 months from the date of approval of individual state data centres based on proposals from the states.

The CCEA also gave its approval for the implementation of the going Plan Scheme for creation of consumer awareness during the eleventh plan period (2007-2012).

The campaign would be undertaken through the print, electronic, outdoor and other media covering the entire country.

Mr Dasmunsi said the awareness would help in emergence of consumers who irrespective of age, socio-economic class or gender are empowered enough to make free, fair and informed choices of products or services with the help of information, standards and safeguards that are available, accessible and responsive. (UNI)

Transition from director to actor not easy: Farhan Akhtar

MUMBAI, Jan 24: The transition from behind the camera to the front as an actor has not been an easy process for me, said Bollywood filmmaker Farhan Akhtar.

"As a director, there has to be a clarity with which you communicate with the cast and crew on the sets. But an actor has to deal with his internal confusion as to whether he is essaying the right emotions required of the character he is portraying. It is an intuitive process and even though it is not easy, I am comfortable in both roles. As a director, I am creating my own vision on celluloid whereas as an actor, I am being part of somebody else’s vision," said Farhan while interacting with reporters on sidelines of a function where he was announced as a brand ambassador of the German watch ‘A Lange & Sohne’ last evening.

Farhan, who strode to fame with his debut film ‘Dil Chahta Hai’ few years ago, is making his debut as an actor in Abhishek Kapoor’s ‘Rock On’. He plays the lead vocalist of a band and the film spans ten years in the lives of the band members which includes Farhan himself, Arjun Rampal and Purab Kohli.

Farhan will also be seen playing the lead in sister Zoya Akhtar’s debut directorial venture, which goes on floors in April.

To a question on whether he would give up direction if his acting career flourishes, Farhan replied, "I am not quitting direction at any cost."

Farhan said his directorial project will go on floors this October. "It is tentatively titled ‘Voice from the Sky’ and is a Hindi movie," he said.

When asked about the much talked about sequel to ‘Don’, Farhan said story and screenplay have been completed. "I am working on the dialogues. It will go on floors in the first quarter of 2009. The cast will be the same with a new storyline," he informed.

Farhan also denied speculations that Deepika Padukone will feature in ‘Don 2’.

He said there is no question of any controversy over title rights of ‘Don 2’. "When we bought the rights of the original film, we had made it clear to the producers that we are open to a sequel. The story line is entirely different and hence I do not think there will be any issues over the title,"he added.

What made him sign as a brand ambassador of the German watch company ‘A Lange & Sohne’, he said he identified with the brand as a creative person and admitted that it was a limited edition and targeted at an exclusive market.(UNI)

Ordinance soon to give more teeth to FMC

NEW DELHI, Jan 24: The Government today decided to promulgate an ordinance to grant autonomy to commodities market regulator Forward Markets Commission.

The decision to issue an ordinance to strengthen legal and regulatory framework of FMC was taken at the Union Cabinet meeting here, Information and Broadcasting Minister Priya Ranjan Dasmunshi told reporters.

After the amendments to Forward Contracts (Regulation) Act, 1952, the Commission will get power to decide on its own listing and de-listing of commodity bourses and give approval to exchanges to start options trading and other regulatory issues.

The amendments will also allow the regulator to undertake search and seizure operations and initiate steps to stop "dabba trading" (illegal futures trading), FMC Chairman B C Khatua said.

The ordinance will be promulgated shortly. It will be placed before Parliament for approval during the forthcoming Budget session which is slated to begin in February.

In order to strengthen FMC, the ordinance proposes to increase the number of members of the Commission from four to nine, which would include a maximum of three full time members and a Chairman.

It is also being stipulated that no member would be allowed to take up jobs in future in any entity dealing with commodity exchanges.

The amendments will also allow the Forward Markets Commission to recruit its own staff and frame its own regulations, like the way stock market regulator Securities and Exchange Board of India does, Khatua said.

The proposed amendments would also strengthen penal provisions by empowering the Commission to impose fines up to Rs 25,000 on defaulters against the present limit of Rs 1,000, he added.

After the amendments, Khatua added, the Commission could exercise discretion in using penal provisions in the interest of commodities futures markets.

Those aggrieved with the decision of the FMC would be allowed to appeal to the Securities Appellate Tribunal, he added. (PTI)

CIC asks Govt to consider Wadia’s
plea for info on Jinnah House files

NEW DELHI, Jan 24: The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has been directed by the Central Information Commission to consider afresh the plea of Mohammad Ali Jinnah’s grandson Nusli Wadia for information regarding a letter his mother Dinah Wadia wrote to then Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee for restoration of the ownership of the Jinnah House in Mumbai.

Mr Wadia had filed a writ petition in the Bombay High Court seeking a declaration that the possession of the property, Jinnah House, by the Indian Government was illegal and prayed for restoration of the same to the petitioner.

He had moved an application to the MEA in June last year seeking documents, notes of meeting and file notes relating to or arising out of the letter sent by Ms Dinah Wadia to the Prime Minister in July 2001.

He had also sought minutes of meetings with the Prime Minister and any other Ministers/Officials on the matter and opinions given by any authority or person, including legal advice.

Mr Wadia had said the documents applied for by him in his application under the RTI Act were of the utmost importance in deciding the matter in the court.

The Ministry gave him some of the information sought but denied some taking shelter under section 8 (1) A of the RTI Act which blocks such information from public disclosure of which may prejudicially affect the country’s relations with a foreign State.

"As you are aware, the matter of Jinnah House has been subject of discussion at the inter-governmental level between India and Pakistan from time to time. Issues concerning our relations with Pakistan are involved. A close scrutiny of the documents pertaining to this case indicate that disclosure of the contents of some of the documents, would prejudicially affect the relation of India with a foreign state," Mr Wadia was told by the CPIO of the Ministry in response to his application.

He then moved the 1^st Appellate Authority on September 9 last year, but his application was rejected on the ground that a second appeal could not be entertained on the same matter already decided upon by the 1st Appellate Authority.

Following the above ruling, Mr Wadia then approached the CIC.

The Commission, after its final hearing involving all the parties on January 15 decided that the MEA should consider his application afresh and supply the remaining information sought by him, though in an edited version.

The CIC pointed out to the MEA that as per its own admission, it had provided some of the information which was "confidential or secret", so other information too could be provided to him even though that may be classified so long as its disclosure did not come under the Section eight of the Act.

Moreover, it said the provisions of Section 8(1) have to be read with Section 8(2) and Section 10(1). Under Section 8(2), a public authority may allow access to exempted information if public interest in disclosure outweighs the harm to the protected interests.

"In the present case, neither the CPIO nor the First Appellate Authority has examined the matter concerning denial in the light of provisions of Section 8(2) or Sec 10(1), since no notice required u/s 10 (2) has been given to appellant Shri Wadia," said the Commission in its ruling last week.(UNI)

Dreaded don Brajesh Singh arrested
in Orissa; narco test likely

LUCKNOW, Jan 24: The special Cell of the Delhi Police, with the assistance of their Orissa counterparts, has arrested dreaded Eastern Uttar Pradesh mafia don Brajesh Singh, wanted in several cases of murder and kidnapping in UP, Bihar and Jharkhand.

Brajesh was absconding since 2001 after being injured in an encounter with the gang members of another mafia and Independent MLA Mukhtar Ansari in Gazipur district. Brajesh is said to be close to some bigwigs of Bharatiya Janata Party, especially the "Thakur" lobby. His brother Udaynath alias Chulblu Singh is a BJP MLC in the upper house of the state legislature.

The mafia don was arrested in Bhubaneswar yesterday by the Special Cell of the Delhi Police when he was travelling in a Honda City car.

State Additional Director General of Police (Crime, Law and Order and STF) Brij Lal confirmed the arrest of Brijesh in the Orissa capital.

"The arrest will certainly put an end to criminal activities in East UP by the gang members," he said.

The ADG said the mafia don would be brought to Lucknow on a transit remand very soon. A narco test would be carried out on him to find out the modus operandi of the gang members, he added.

The UP Government had announced a reward of Rs 5 lakh on the head of Brajesh against whom there are at least 22 criminal cases in different parts of the state.

Mr Lal said a fake passport in the name of one Ajay Singh was also seized from Brajesh at the time of his arrest.

News of Brajesh appeared in the media in July 2001 after his encounter with Mukhtar gang. He was said to have been killed or seriously injured in the encounter.

Brajesh Singh was a close friend of the Independent MLA from Mau Mukhtar Ansari before they became enemies. An accused in the recent Mau communal riots, Ansari is lodged in Ghazipur jail.

On July 16, members of the notorious Brajesh Singh gang ambushed Ansari’s car in Ghazipur district. Ansari escaped but four others were killed in the exchange of fire. It had been alleged that Brajesh was hired by a former Chief Minister to eliminate Ansari.

Brajesh wields considerable support among the Thakur community in eastern Uttar Pradesh. His major source of earning had been the coal belt of Jharkhand and kidnapping for ransom.

According to Mr Brij Lal, after the murder of Brajesh’s father in 1984, he entered the world of crime and in 1986 carried out large- scale killings in Chandauli district of the state.

Quoting reports from Orissa, the UP Police said Brajesh had been staying in Bhubaneswar for the last three years and running ‘Vindyachal Real Estate Developers Pvt Ltd’ as a cover.

The Delhi Police has sought a transit remand for him from a local court.(UNI)

LJP calls for statewide agitation against Maya Govt

LUCKNOW, Jan 24: Accusing the BSP Government in the state of "pursuing anti-people policies and misusing public money", Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) has called for a statewide agitation on February five.

"In her nine-month rule, Chief Minister Mayawati has done nothing for the welfare of the people of the state. Instead, she is busy trying to augment her own security and wasting public money on demolishing parks and buildings", state LJP spokesman Raj Kumar Ojha here said.

The party also alleged that the law and order situation in the state had worsened during Mayawati’s regime and the crime graph had shot up drastically.

"Mayawati, in her attempts to expand her party’s base outside the state, finds little time for Uttar Pradesh where her party rules", Ojha said.

He also alleged that Dalits were being increasingly targeted in the state under Mayawati’s regime.

"Attacks on dalits had gone up in the state during the past some months", he alleged.

The LJP would not remain silent on attacks on dalits and would launch a state-wide agitation on February five next, he added. (PTI)

Rahul Mahajan, Shweta seek divorce by mutual consent

GURGAON, Jan 24: Late BJP leader Pramod Mahajan’s son Rahul Mahajan and his wife Shweta were today directed by a sessions court here to stay separately for six months before it took a decision on their plea for divorce by mutual consent.

District and Session Judge Ramendra Jain directed both of them to appear before the court again on August 1 after a gap of six months.

Shweta had earlier appeared in the court on December 13 last and had sought mutual consent divorce but the court said it would take action only when both Rahul and Shweta appear jointly before it.

Their marriage was solemnised on August 29, 2006 in the presence of BJP’s top brass, three months after Pramod Mahajan was shot dead in Mumbai.

The two had completed their flying course together abroad and had worked as pilots with an airline company.

"It’s a matter of mutual consent and private matter. I don’t want to talk on it any more and what I have said is said and speculation is not part of it and my vocabulary," Rahul had said at that time.

The Mahajan marriage apparently ran into trouble within a few months and a Mumbai tabloid had carried photographs of Shweta with what appeared to be a bruise on her arm after alleged physical abuse by Rahul. She, however, refuted the allegation.

Rahul was earlier hospitalised after an alleged drug overdose. After recovery, he was arrested by the Delhi Police on charges of drug possession and consumption and has an ongoing case against him. (PTI)

Shahrukh Khan to be conferred with French title

MUMBAI, Jan 24: The French Government will confer "Officer of the Order of Arts and Letters" title on Bollywood star Shahrukh Khan for his contribution to Indian film industry, a senior French government official said today.

"The title is being conferred to recognise the successful work done by Khan in 15-year career span and his contribution to Indian cinema - as an artiste and entrepreneur," Audiovisual Attache - Head of the French Film and TV office, French Embassy in India, Mohamed Bendjebbour said.

The distinction is given to persons who have established themselves by their creativity in the field of art, culture and literature or for their contribution to the influence of the arts in France and throughout the world, Bendjebbour said.

French Ambassador in India Jerome Bonnafont will confer the title on Khan at the inaugural ceremony of four-day French film festival - First rendezvous with French cinema here in Mumbai on January 27.

This is not the first time an Indian film personality is being honoured by the French Government. In 2005, renowned director Adoor Gopalakrishnan was bestowed with a similar title as Khan, while last year Amitabh Bachchan was conferred with "The Legion d’Honneur", France’s highest civilian honour.

"We have the tradition of honouring great film personalities in India. Our Government believes that Indian film industry is today among the best in the world in terms of quality," the official said.

The three-day festival will showcase seven commercial French titles, in an attempt to initiate and popularise French cinema in Mumbai, before travelling to other cities.

The Cultural Service of the French Embassy in India is organising the festival, in association with UniFrance, an organisation committed to promoting French cinema across the world.

"Indian cinema and the audience both have matured a lot in last couple of years. This change has coincided with the multiplex boom in India. We thought the time is ripe to tap its potential," said Philippe Martinet, Cultural Counsellor to the French Embassy in India, adding "we also want filmmakers to use France as the backdrop for their movies."

Among the seven films to be screened, would be Roman de Gare (Crossed Tracks), directed by the Academy and Palm d’or awardee, Claude Lelouch. Other films are La Science Des Reves (The Science of Sleep), and the world premiere of Asterix at the Olympics amongst others.

All these films to be showed in the festival would be released in India. Major companies like Polydor and Shemaroo have bagged the title rights for India release.

"We’ve spent some time conducting non-commercial screenings of French movies in multiplexes across the country and have received a good response," said Martinet. (PTI)