CHENNAI, Apr 23: National Biodiversity Authority would establish a centre for biodiversity policy and law, in collaboration with the Government of Norway tomorrow.
“The centre would be more of a think tank. It would help India and Norway exchange expertise in the field and frame a legal framework on how to go about issues relating to biodiversity in India,” Balakrishna Pisupati, Chairman, National Biodiversity Authority told reporters here.
To be known as ‘Centre for Biodiversity Policy and Law,’ it would be represented by experts of NBA under the Ministry of Environment and Forests, while the Norwegian side would be represented by Division of Nature Management.
“The centre would help the country breed experts at home as and when we need expertise inputs and not having it on ad hoc basis as we have now,” Pisupati said.
Norwegian Ambassador to India Ann Ollestad, Norwegian Environment Secretary Heidi Sorensen and Indian Environment Secretary T Chatterjee would speak at the inaugural tomorrow.
A seminar on current issues on bio diversity has also been arranged after the inauguration, he said. (PTI)

BADAUN, UP, Apr 23: An FIR has been registered against ruling Samajwadi Party MLA Abid Raza and six others for allegedly beating a person and threatening him to register his property in the name of the legislator’s supporter, police said today.
The FIR was registered at Sadar Police Station on a complaint of one Mahesh Prakash on April 18. Prakash had alleged that he was called by the MLA at his office and asked to register his land in the name of Raza’s supporter.
When he refused, the MLA’s aide—Manoj Gupta, Rajendra Mathuria, Rizawn and others beat Prakash badly, he alleged.
The victim had met the Superintendent of Police, Ratan Kumar Srivastava, who ordered an inquiry into the matter by SP, City.
After inquiry, the role of MLA was prima facie established after which an FIR was registered against him last night, sources said.
Meanwhile, one Guddu Khan, considered a supporter of the MLA, has also lodged an FIR against Mahesh alleging that he had taken advance for registry of a plot but denied it later.
The police is probing the matter. No arrests have been made so far in these cases. (PTI)

NEW DELHI, Apr 23: As fresh cracks appeared in Team Anna after the expulsion of a Muslim leader, Anna Hazare today said there is no rift in the group over the “leakage” of information or yoga guru Ramdev.
In his first reaction after the expulsion of Mufti Shameem Kazmi after he was allegedly found recording the proceedings of Core Committee meeting in Noida in UP, Hazare said that there is no fallout over the issue.
“There is no rift. What rift are you talking about? A team member who leaked information yesterday, there was a problem. People in our team had asked why he did so. So he said he would not come back,” he told reporters.
“If there was a rift, they would have been fighting and there is no fallout,” Hazare said.
Kazmi has claimed he quit the camp as the group was turning anti-Muslim.
Hazare also said there were no differences in the team over the participation of Ramdev in the anti-corruption movement.
“Right now, for over a month, I will tour Maharashtra. He has our support in his campaign against black money and we have his support on Jan Lokpal. We are all fighting together on tackling corruption,” he said.
He said during the all-India tour, he and Ramdev will share stage wherever they meet. However, he said, there will be no joint tour.
His comments came amid growing unease in Team Anna over the “one-up manship” of Ramdev, with whom they had stitched an alliance to fight for the cause.
There were discussions on Team Anna’s association with Ramdev, whom a section of the activists’ believe has a “credibility crisis” due to allegations levelled against the yoga guru.
At the meeting yesterday, it was reiterated that there will not be a joint campaign with Ramdev but the two sides will extend support to each other in the fight against corruption.
Team Anna member and lawyer Prashant Bhushan said, “We have begun a movement against corruption and on that pretext, Ramdev supports us but we have no common platform or any consensus.
“We do have a consensus regarding these issues and common concerns regarding the country,” he said.
Another Team Anna member Kiran Bedi said both Hazare and Ramdev were fighting against corruption and both the movements were two sides of the same coin.
“The cause remains common. What you are seeing is the coming together of civil society against corruption…If corrupt can come together why not the voices against corruption come together,” she said.
Asked about differences of opinion in Team Anna regarding the issue of association with Ramdev, she said it was not necessary that everybody speaks in the same language. “The cause (is what) everybody appreciates,” she said. (PTI)

NEW DELHI, Apr 23: Supporting the United Nations Security Council Resolution authorising the establishment of a UN observer mission to Syria, India has called upon all parties to avoid violence in the interest of an impartial supervision and monitoring of the ceasefire.
The Resolution adopted yesterday says that the Mission would work for an initial period of 90 days, to monitor the cessation of violence there, as well as monitor and support the full implementation of a peace plan.
In his explanation of vote, India’s Permanent Representative to the UN Hardeep Singh Puri described the resolution, introduced by Russia, as a significant step in the Council’s collective support for the efforts of the Joint Special Envoy, Kofi Annan.
He noted with satisfaction that Mr Annan’s efforts over the last seven weeks had resulted in an improvement in the situation in Syria.
“Even though there have been reports of violations, the ceasefire that came into force on April 12 has been observed by all parties in a large part of Syria. Obviously, there is a need to sustain the gains made so far,” he said.
Mr Puri said India had voted in favour of the resolution 2043 with the expectation that United Nations Supervision Mission in Syria (UNSMIS) would implement its mandate impartially, objectively and fairly and help the Syrian parties to build on the ceasefire and commence an inclusive Syrian-led political process that will meet the legitimate aspirations of the Syrian people.
“For the success of the Annan plan, it is necessary that all parties implement their respective commitments under the six-point plan. We have noted that the Preliminary Understanding signed by the Syrian Government and the United Nations on April 19 set out clear conditions that have to be met by the Syrian government and the armed opposition groups. We hope that all parties, including the opposition, will abide by those conditions,” he said.
He called upon all countries interested in securing peace and stability in Syria to extend their full support for Mr Annan and UNSMIS, and also refrain from any action that may cause further bloodshed.
“This will help in the expeditious resolution of the Syrian crisis as well as in ensuring that the crisis does not spill over Syria’s borders,” said Mr Puri. (UNI)

NEW DELHI, Apr 23: The Supreme Court today dismissed a PIL challenging Army chief designate Lt General Bikram Singh’s appointment as the next Army chief.
The petition filed by former Naval chief Admiral Laxminarayan Ramdas and others had challenged the selection of Gen Bikram Singh as the next chief of Army staff on the grounds that he is facing allegations of involvement in a fake encounter in Jammu and Kashmir.
Lt Gen Bikram Singh is due to take over from present Army chief General V K Singh who will retire on May 31. (UNI)

NEW DELHI, Apr 23: It was love at first sight for Ines Smiljanic, a danseuse from Croatia who began treating Kathak as a way of life after meeting Pandit Birju Maharaj and now wants to continue a lifelong romance with the dance form.
Ines, who goes by her spiritual and artistic name Radha Madhavi, says she is “truly inspired” by Indian philosophy and Hindu religion.
“Kathak was the first classical Indian dance that I had the chance to see performed live. It was love at first sight. As a dancer I was impressed by the complicated dance technique, which requires tremendous sense of rhythm, graceful body movements, fast pirouettes and mesmerising footwork,” says the 27-year old dancer.
“I passionately wanted to learn Kathak, but soon I realised that it is endless, that you have to take it as a life time journey. It requires great discipline, dedicated practice and a lot of patience. Kathak has really taught me how to be patient,” says the Croat who is gearing up to join the National Institute for Kathak in New Delhi this year.
“It is really beautiful to live your dream, but at the same time it includes lots of sacrifices, hard work, frustrations and pain too. But, pain is only temporary and at the end of the day when you realise that you are doing what truly fulfills you, it’s all worth it. Really, Kathak is not just a dance form, it’ s a way of life!”
The dancer says if it had not been for the personal training from Pt Birju Maharaj, she definitely would not have taken considered making Kathak as her profession.
“Panditji encouraged me to continue my Kathak studies in India. I was impressed by his simplicity and amazing character. It was really wonderful to work with him, but at the same time, I felt a bit intimidated and those were some of the most challenging moments of my life,” she says.
The Zagreb-born dancer has strong roots in contemporary dance and classical ballet, and began learning Kathak in 2005.
She took admission in Kalashram Academy in Delhi in 2007 to study under Pt Birju Maharaj.
She, however, confesses that she found it difficult to promote and popularise the Indian dance form in far away Croatia despite performing intensively across the country.
“It was quite difficult to popularise Kathak in Croatia, because there aren’t many dancers with whom I could share and further promote this art form,” she says.
“I have intensively been performing in Croatia and had the opportunity to present Kathak at various music and dance festivals. Besides Croatia, I performed in India, as well as in the UK, Bulgaria, Slovenia, Bosnia and Hercegovina etc.”
On what she likes most about India, Ines says she had been attracted to Indian philosophy, culture and art and had been an active participant of yoga since the age of 12.
“What I really liked in India is how artists truly live their art. It is incorporated every aspect of their lives. And definitely, the warmth and hospitality of the Indian people,” says Ines who is currently preparing for her new life in India.
She is also preparing for her final examination in pilates at the University of Kinesiology and for a Kathak lecture demonstration at the 4th Middle European Student Indology Conference (MESIC) scheduled to be held from May 17 to May 19 at Faculty of Philosophy in Zagreb, Croatia. (PTI)

NEW DELHI, Apr 23: Ahead of the second half of the Budget Session of Parliament, the BJP’s executive meeting was held today to discuss the agenda for the session.
The executive meeting was held at the residence of senior BJP leader L K Advani and attended by other leaders.
The party sources said it will corner the Congress-led UPA government on corruption, price rise and other issues in Parliament session which begins tomorrow.
The NDA leaders will meet later in the evening today to discuss the strategy.
BJP spokesperson Prakash Javadekar said the party will also raise the issue of recent kidnappings by Maoists, including abduction of Sukma District Collector Alex Paul Menon in Chhattisgarh.
The BJP will also raise the issues related to the current economic situation after the recent statements of Chief Economic Advisor Kaushik Basu on economic reforms. (UNI)