NEW DELHI, Mar 5:
The Broadcasting Audience Research Council (BARC), a television viewership measuring system of the broadcasting industry, may start generating TRPs by March, 2014.
This information was shared by Information and Broadcasting minister Manish Tewari in a written reply to a question in Lok Sabha.
“The ministry has been continuously following up the progress of setting up of a transparent and credible Television viewership measurement system by the Broadcasting Audience Research Council (BARC) of Indian Broadcasting Federation (IBF),” Tewari said in the written reply.
IBF has said that BARC may start generating TRPs by March, 2014, the Minister stated.
In response to another question, Tewari said that no final decision on the launch of a dedicated English news channel had been taken by Prasar Bharati as yet. (PTI)
BARC viewership system may start TRPs by March 2014
MHA employee arrested, remanded in espionage case
JAIPUR, Mar 5: An employee of the Foreigners division in the Union Home Ministry was arrested by Rajasthan Police in an espionage case in which he allegedly shared classified information with a suspected ISI agent who was held in Pokhran.
“Surendra Kumar, a class D employee posted in Foreigners division in MHA in DeLhi, was arrested last night after preliminary quizzing by intelligence agencies at a joint interrogation cell here,” Additional DG Dalpat Singh Dinkar said today.
Kumar was produced today in the court of an Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate who remanded him in police custody till March 7.
He was summoned here from Delhi for questioning on Sunday, Dinkar said.
Kumar allegedly had links with Sumer Khan, a suspected ISI agent who was arrested on February 24 for allegedly sharing information regarding defence instalments and activities near the border area in the desert state, police said.
Khan allegedly shared information about IAF’s fire power exercise ‘Iron Fist’ held on February 22 in Pokhran in Jaisalmer district with Pakistan’s intelligence agency ISI. (PTI)
NBW issued against IM founder Bhatkal, nine others
NEW DELHI, Mar 5:
Non-bailable warrants (NBWs) were today issued by a Delhi court against Indian Mujahideen founder Riyaz Bhatkal and nine other operatives of the banned outfit in connection with the February 21 Hyderabad twin blasts which claimed 16 lives.
During in-chamber hearing, District Judge I S Mehta issued the NBWs against Pakistan-based Riyaz Bhatkal, Iqbal Bhatkal, Mohsim Chaudhary, Amir Reza Khan, Dr Shahnawaz Alam, Asadullah Akhtar, Ariz Khan, Mohd Khalid, Mirza Shadaab Beg and Mohd Sajid, who all are alleged IM operatives.
During the hearing, two alleged IM operatives Syed Maqbool and Imran Khan were produced before the special NIA court after expiry of their five-day NIA custody and it remanded them to judicial custody till March 13.
The NIA told the court that Maqbool and Imran were taken to Hyderabad and they have revealed some important facts about the blasts, court sources said.
According to the sources, the NIA told the judge that the conspiracy behind the Hyderabad blasts was hatched by the IM modules and the agency also moved an application for issuance of production warrant against alleged IM operative Obaie-Ur-Rehman who is currently lodged in a Bangalore jail.
The court allowed the NIA’s plea saying “let production warrant of the accused Obaie-Ur-Rehman be issued through Superintendent, Central Jail, Bangalore for March 13.”
According to the NIA, the blasts took place in Hyderabad on the alleged instructions of Riyaz Bhatkal.
Maqbool and Imran, who were lodged in Tihar Jail after their arrest by Delhi police in the August 2012 Pune blast case, were handed over to NIA for their custodial interrogation on February 28 by the court after the agency alleged that they had recced Hyderabad’s Dilsukhnagar area, where the blasts occurred, last July.
The blasts in Hyderabad were triggered by IEDs planted near Konark and Venkatadiri theatres in Dilsukhnagar area.
The NIA had said that they required the custody of the duo to take them to Hyderabad and interrogate them for more clues about the blasts as the ongoing probe suggests that an IM module was behind it.
It had said that the duo’s interrogation would help in unearthing the exact plan envisaged by Bhatkal. (PTI)
Pak cueists to participate in Asian U-21 Snooker C’ship at Indore
NEW DELHI, Mar 5:
India’s reluctance to travel to Karachi for a snooker series over security fears won’t affect the relationship between the two nations as a four-member Pakistan team will visit Indore to participate in the Asian U-21 Snooker Championship, PBSA chief Alamgir A Shaikh said.
“A four-member team will definitely travel to India for the Asian U-21 snooker from April 1 to 7. The current turn of events will not affect our relationship with the Indian counterparts,” Pakistan Billiards and Snooker Association president Shaikh told from Karachi.
“We will soon submit our players’ visa applications to the Indian Embassy in Islamabad and are confident of getting it in coming weeks.
“We have got the invitation from the Asian Confederation of Billiard Sports (ACBS). Mohammad Majid and Hamza Akbar are the two players while the 1994 IBSF World Snooker Champion Muhammad Yousaf will be the coach and Javed Karim as manager. The team will be reaching Mumbai via flight either on March 28 or 29,” Shaikh added.
India and Pakistan yesterday postponed their snooker series planned for this week over security situation in the host city Karachi, following a bomb attack on Sunday.
At least 48 people, including women and children, were killed and 140 injured when two powerful blasts ripped through a Shia-dominated area of the southern Pakistani port city of Karachi, the latest in a string of attacks targeting the minority sect.
Talking about the cancelled tour, scheduled from March 7-10, Shaikh said it was an “unfortunate” decision and elaborate security arrangement had been put in place for the resumption of snooker ties between the two countries after a gap of eight years. (PTI)
Inter-School Declamation Contest held
Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Mar 5: An Inter-School Declamation Contest on the topic “Corruption” was organized by Jawahar Navodaya Vidyala, Gharota, in which students from various schools participated.
In Hindi declamation contest, Ruhi Sharma of Chenab Valley Public School, Ranjan secured first position, whereas the second and third positions were secured by Jawahar Navodaya Vidyala, Gharota.
In English declamation contest, Neha Gurndwal of Chenab Valley Public School secured third position.
On the occasion, Asha Durrani, Chairperson and Dheeraj Thakur presented awards to the winning students.
At the end, Sunita Chervoo presented vote of thanks.
Jora writes to DM seeking more IL sorties to Leh
Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Mar 5: Minister for Urban Development and Urban Local Bodies, Nawang Rigzin Jora has approached the Central Government to increase the IL sorties to facilitate airlifting of large number of Leh bound passengers stranded in Jammu.
Mr Jora in a letter to the Union Defence Minister, Antony has requested for increasing the frequency of Indian Air Force flights to Ladakh region keeping in mind the difficulties being faced by the passengers stranded in Jammu and Srinagar. “Since Ladakh region remains cut off from the rest of the world for six months during winter, air connectivity is the only source of transportation available to the people of this far flung area,” he said.
It is pertinent to mention here that Mr. Jora has already written to Central Aviation Minister, Ajit Singh to increase Air India flights for not only carrying stranded passengers from Jammu, but also help tourists to come to Ladakh to enjoy beauty of the region. He said that tourism was the backbone of Ladakh economy.
Sourabh reaches second round of qualifiers in All England Championship
BIRMINGHAM, Mar 5:
Rising Indian shuttler Sourabh Verma kept his hopes of reaching the main draw of All England Championship alive after notching up a hard-fought victory in the first round of the qualifiers here today.
But it was curtains for compatriots Anand Pawar and RMV Gurusaidutt as they lost their respective first round matches.
World number 43 Sourabh prevailed over Brice Leverdez of France 22-20 23-21 in a 40-minute battle and will take on Rajiv Ouseph, the top seed in the qualifiers, in the second round for a place in the main draw.
It was England’s Rajiv, who punctured Anand’s campaign after pulling off a thrilling 22-20 21-23 7-21 victory over the Indian in the first round of the qualifiers.
RMV Gurusaidutt also crashed out after a 17-21 21-13 10-21 defeat to Tanongsak Saensomboonsuk of Thailand in another match. (PTI)
Swimmer Arunoday Banerjee is dead
KOLKATA, Mar 5: Noted swimmer of Indian Railways Arunoday Banerjee died here this morning.
He was 39 and survived by his wife and a five year old son.
Born in 1974, Banerjee joined the South Eastern Railway (SER) in the year 1991.
He represented SER in All India Railway Swimming Championship from 1991 to 2008.
He also represented Indian Railways in Senior National Championship on six occasions between 1991 and 1998 in 400 meter and 1500 meter free style events. (PTI)
EGoM to discuss third round of spectrum auction today
NEW DELHI, Mar 5:
The Empowered Group of Ministers headed by Finance Minister P Chidambaram is scheduled to meet tomorrow to discuss the third round of spectrum auction.
“There will be discussion over the third round of spectrum auction which Department of Telecom (DoT) has to conduct to comply with the Supreme Court order,” government sources told.
The EGoM would take a call on the number of telecom circles in which spectrum would be auctioned, they added.
The apex court on February 15, 2013, had directed government to put entire spectrum for auction that was freed from cancellation of 122 2G licences.
The Government had put on sale 271.25 Mhz of spectrum in November 2012 even as 514.8 Mhz of spectrum was freed after the Supreme Court order in February last year cancelled 122 licences.
To comply with Supreme Court order, DoT will have to auction airwaves in at least 20 circles.
The Department will also have to take EGoM’s approval to auction spectrum in Delhi and Mumbai circles which failed to attract bidders for the second time since November 2012.
The second round of spectrum auction is scheduled to start from March 11. The government has received only one application from Sistema Shyam Teleservices for participating in spectrum auction.
Sources added that there is very bleak possibility of spectrum price getting reduced in 18 out of 22 telecom circles for which bids were received in November 2012 auction.
It was also not clear if spectrum price in remaining telecom circles – Delhi, Mumbai, Karnataka and Rajasthan – will be reduced for which there are no bidders in the upcoming auction on March 11.
Government had already reduced price of GSM spectrum in these four circles by 30 per cent after there were no bidders in November auction. (PTI)
Commodities worth over Rs 229 cr confiscated in 2012: Thomas
NEW DELHI, Mar 5:
The Government today said essential commodities worth over Rs 229 crore-worth in 2012 for violating norms under the law that seeks to check hoarding and price rise.
The Essential Commodities Act (ECA), 1955 enables state governments to impose stock-holding limit on traders of essential items like pulses and edible oils, and to take effective action for undertaking de-hoarding operations.
In a written reply to the Lok Sabha, Food and Consumer Affairs Minister K V Thomas said over Rs 229 crore-worth of commodities was confiscated in 2012, much higher than Rs 71.64 crore in 2011.
As many as 1,28,852 raids were conducted, 4,022 persons were arrested, 3,256 were prosecuted and 423 were convicted during last year, according to the data provided by the Minister.
To a separate query on inspection of godowns of state-run Food Corporation of India in Allahabad, Thomas said disciplinary action has been taken against 15 officials in the current fiscal for shortages and damages to foodgrains, including unsafe storage.
To another question related to supply of poor quality foodgrains through ration shops, the Minister said that complaints were received from Puducherry, Maharashtra and Gujarat so far this year and in some cases it was not found true. (PTI)