NEW DELHI, July 4:
When faced with hot searing heat the thought of rains is like the proverbial manna from heaven.
In a tradition observed annually by the Indian Council of Cultural Relations since 2004, noted vocalists and dancers are gathering to invoke the rain god through the Malhaar festival.
This year the festival beginning July 8 features artistes from different styles for each of the three day duration of the festival.
“The festival will provide yet another insight into both national and the international audiences into complex and the resonance of Indian performing arts traditions which varies from session to session,” says Suresh K Goel, Director General, ICCR
Malhaar is one of the rainy-season ragas performed from June to September. Its mood is joyful because the rain cause the crops to grow and the flowers to bloom. Malhaar is frequently combined with other ragas, particularly Megha.
Many artistes from medieval period and earlier such as Tansen, Baiju Bawra, Baba Ramdas, Nayak Charju, Miyan Bakhshu, Tantarang, Tanras Khan, Bilas Khan (son of Tansen), Hammer Sen, Surat Sen, and Meera were said to have been capable of invoking the rains using various kinds of Raga Malhaar. (PTI)

LUCKNOW, July 4:
Under attack from the Opposition, UP Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav today made a U-turn on his decision to allow MLAs to purchase four-wheelers worth up to Rs 20 lakh out of their local area development fund.
“I take back the decision now. I take back the whole decision… The reason behind this is that most of the MLAs have decided not to take the offer after the media hype,” he told reporters at his residence here.
Seeking to defend the move to allow MLAs to buy four-wheelers worth upto Rs 20 lakh and pay their depreciated value after five years to retain them, he said, “There are many MLAs who can’t afford cars…The order was not for all, it was not compulsory for everyone to take the offer.
“There are some MLAs who use 7-8 year old cars to go around their constituencies,” he noted.
The announcement in the state Assembly by the Chief Minister yesterday had sparked protests from BJP, BSP and Congress leaders who said the move would send a wrong message as the money to be used for buying the vehicles would come from MLAs’ local area development fund.
The Chief Minister had said, “Despite a financial crisis, the SP government has fulfilled all the promises it made in the party manifesto in the budget. MLAs are allowed to purchase vehicles upto Rs 20 lakh from their local area development fund”.
He had said that value of the vehicle will be depreciated every year and at the end of five years, the MLAs could deposit the depreciated amount to retain the vehicle or otherwise hand it over to the government.
“This will help MLAs who do not have money to buy a vehicle”, Yadav had said, adding the government would not pay for maintenance of the vehicle.
He had also announced the decision to hike the MLA fund by Rs 25 lakh from Rs 1.25 crore to Rs 1.50 crore.
“It was for once in five years that the MLAs could have bought vehicles to facilitate development work in their areas”, Yadav said.
“A strong opposition makes democracy strong … The role of the opposition is to give suggestions and it is also the responsibility of the government to accept good suggestions”, he said.
BJP leader Hukum Singh had said yesterday, “The decision to buy vehicles will not send a good message to the electorate. Even MLAs buying vehicles with their own money would look as if they have used public money for the purpose. We, BJP members, will not purchase vehicles with money from the development fund”.
BSP leader Swami Prasad Maurya had said the decision would not send a good message to the public and maintained that alternative arrangements would be made by the party for the purpose of purchasing vehicles.
“BSP members will not be utilising their development fund for buying vehicles,” Maurya had said.
Congress leader Pramod Tiwari had aired similar views and said that the Chief Minister should increase the MLA area development fund and reminded him about the announcement in this regard made by SP supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav in the House in 2007.
Akhilesh said that the Government’s intention was to provide the facility of vehicles to public representatives working continuously.
“Public representatives have to look into problems of roads, bridges, electricity and health in their areas. A number of MLAs are not in a position to buy vehicles,” he said.
“There were lot many things when the decision was to be taken. Now the scheme or the decision is being withdrawn completely,” he said.
The CM had yesterday announced in the Assembly the decision to allow MLAs buy four-wheelers worth upto Rs 20 lakh from their development fund and pay the vehicles’ depreciated value after five years to retain them. (PTI)

MUMBAI, July 4:
A bomb-like object detected outside a popular shopping mall in suburban Andheri sparked panic today in the city, which has witnessed several terror attacks in the past.
However, the Bomb Detection and Disposal Squad (BDDS) concluded that the suspicious object found in a garbage dump outside the mall was a “dummy” article usually used in films.
Police said a person spotted the object with aluminium pipes wrapped in black and red cloth pieces along with electrical circuit in the garbage dump near Infinity Mall in Andheri’s Adarsh Nagar, triggering suspicion that it could be a bomb.
Police reached the spot at around 11.30 AM and cordoned off the area before notifying the BDDS.
Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad and city police crime branch also reached the spot and traffic movement was stopped in the area.
“The nearby areas were vacated and people were taken to safer places,” Mumbai police spokesperson Nisar Tamboli told.
The BDDS and dog squad rushed to the spot and examined the object, police said, adding that the team concluded it was not a bomb, three hours after it was spotted. (PTI)

NEW DELHI, July 4:
Fans and the media have been eager to catch a glimpse of Abhishek and Aishwarya Bachchan’s baby Aaradhya but the new father says his daughter is not an “item to be displayed”.
Abhishek says that he and his actress wife want to give a normal childhood to the baby and would not show her in public.
“I am not comfortable with that, I don’t need to show her off. She is not an item that she has to be put up to display. She is a child and Aishwarya and I would like her to grow up as normal as possible.
“I do understand that her parents and grandparents (Amitabh Bachchan and Jaya Bachchan) are public figures but she is not yet and let her enjoy that. I have grown up in this industry and have been in this position so I understand the curiosity,” Abhishek told.
The couple, who got married in 2007, welcomed their first child on November 16, 2011.
The 36-year-old actor is busy these days promoting his upcoming action-comedy “Bol Bachchan”, which also stars Ajay Devgn, Asin Thottumkal and Prachi Desai.
Abhishek says he took up the project thinking it will be a good vacation for him but it turned out be his most challenging role ever.
“After finishing my last couple of films, which were predominantly all action movies, I wanted to do a comedy movie. I thought this would be easy, six months of picnic. But It was tiring and it made me realise to keep up the energy level in comedy films is difficult. I am exhausted,” Abhishek said.
Talking about his character, Abhishek said, “I wouldn’t call it a double role, in the film I am the same guy playing two characters. The character lies a lot so he makes up a fake twin brother. But its a new character and this was the hardest film I have ever done.”
Directed by Rohit Shetty and produced by Devgn, the film, which is inspired by Hrishikesh Mukherjee’s 1979 movie “Gol Maal”, hits the theatres on July 6.
Abhishek, who started his career in 2000 with “Refugee” and has appeared in more than 50 films, last tasted success with his 2009 release “Paa”.
Though it’s been a while he has had a successful film to his credit, Abhishek says he is not let down by the flops and has learnt over the years and is still learning.
“I have no problems with critics. I look forward to what they have to say. If its bad then I look forward even more. Why should I fight them or be negative about what they are saying? (PTI)
Probe ordered in complaint
against H D Kumaraswamy
BANGALORE, July 4:
The Lokayukta court today ordered probe on a complaint accusing JDS’ Karnataka unit chief H D Kumaraswamy of illegally denotifying land during his tenure as Chief Minister.
The Lokayukta Court judge N K Sudhindra Rao directed the Superintendent of Police (Lokayukta) Bangalore Urban to investigate and submit its report by August 17. (PTI)

NEW DELHI, July 4:
The Cabinet is expected to take a decision next week on the proposed national policies on IT and Electronics, Telecom and IT Minister Kapil Sibal said today.
These policies aim to raise revenue of both the sectors to USD 700 billion over the next eight years.
“Yesterday, cluster policy was approved. IT policy will probably come to Cabinet in the next meeting, hopefully as well as the Electronic Manufacturing policy. So, I think next week we will have both policies in Cabinet,” Sibal told reporters on the sidelines of CII’s Cloud Summit.
Under the Electronics Manufacturing Cluster scheme, approved by the Cabinet, the government will provide incentives of up to Rs 50 crore for setting up of each of the 200 EMCs, which will provide the ecosystem for manufacturing specific types of electronic products.
The Department of Electronics and Information Technology has circulated Cabinet notes for both policies.
The Draft National Policy on IT envisages increasing revenues of IT and IT-enabled services industry from USD 88 billion at present to USD 300 billion by 2020.
The draft National Policy on Electronics aims to achieve a turnover of about USD 400 billion by 2020, involving investment of about USD 100 billion and employment to around 28 Million people at various levels.
At the CII event, Sibal asked industry players to work out details on cloud computing services, one of the thrust area in National IT Policy, which will facilitate computer user to access softwares, store data and other such services on remote devices without purchasing them.
“Industry should work with Government to evolve standards for cloud computing on things like who can set-up cloud services, evolve standard for contracts that need to be signed for providing services. Privacy issues will come through legislation,” Sibal said. (PTI)

NEW DELHI, July 4:
Lt Gen Jatinder Singh, Commandant of the NDA at Pune, has been shunted out to ensure a free and fair investigation into the recruitment scam in the training institute where Rs 3-4 lakh was allegedly taken as bribe from each candidate for jobs including that of cooks and gardeners.
The decision to transfer Lt Gen Singh from NDA taken by Defence Minister A K Antony was announced today in the backdrop of six employees of the academy including the Staff Officer of the Commandant being arrested by CBI for allegedly taking bribes.
“This shifting is with a view to ensure a free and fair investigation in the alleged bribery racket in the recruitment of Group ‘C’ posts in the NDA, Khadakwasla, Pune,” Defence Ministry spokesperson N Aao said here.
CBI had arrested Staff Officer Colonel Kulbir Singh along with five others for allegedly receiving bribe from candidates during a recruitment drive at NDA last month.
CBI has alleged that Col Singh in conspiracy with the other accused had obtained illegal gratification of Rs 3 lakh to Rs 4 lakh from each candidate to give them appointment for subordinate staff like cooks, gardeners, lab attendants, library attendants and cadet orderlies.
The accused persons had allegedly taken signatures of those candidates, who had agreed to pay bribe, on blank sheets and later filled them with correct answers, it said.
The five civilians who worked as links between the candidates and the army officer include Balkrishna Charanlal Kanojia who runs a laundry at NDA and also owns two restaurants, Vishnu Prasad Sharma, Dattatrey Eknath Shitkal, Manoj Maruti Shiktkal and Ramesh Dilip Gaikwad.
The in-charge of tri-services training academies including NDA—Integrated Defence Staff Chief Vice Admiral Shekhar Sinha—had also met the Defence Minister over the issue.
Establishment Officer of NDA Suhas Shankar Waghmare was one of the six arrested by CBI last week over allegations that he had taken money from over 15 candidates. (PTI)

NEW DELHI/CHANDIGARH, July 4:
Upping the ante over Pranab Mukherjee’s nomination as UPA Presidential candidate, rival P A Sangma today demanded a copy of the Returning Officer’s detailed order rejecting his objection to the Congress leader’s candidature.
As the opposition-backed candidate made the demand, BJP threatened to file an election petition, a day after it called as “fabricated” his letter of resignation from the Indian Statistical Institute(ISI).
In his letter to the Returning Officer, Sangma has demanded that the copy of the detailed order be handed over to him by 5 pm today, as more than 24 hours have gone by after passing the order rejecting his objections.BJP leader S S Ahluwalia said “this is unprecedented.”He said BJP will decide on further course of action only after a copy of the detailed order is received.
Sangma, meanwhile, held a two-hour meeting at Leader of Opposition Sushma Swaraj’s residence in Delhi to discuss further course of action on the matter.Sangma’s counsel and BJP’s legal cell head Satya Pal Jain spoke of the option of moving an election petition.“All options are open…Election petition can be filed after the declaration of result…We will cross the bridge after receiving the copy of order on NDA’s plea against Mukherjee,” he told reporters in Chandigarh.
Accusing the UPA of “lowering the dignity” of the post of President, he said “election petition is the only remedy once the results are declared.”Home Minister P Chidambaram described as “scandalous” BJP’s contention that Mukherjee’s resignation letter to the ISI was forged, and said he must surely have taken note of this allegation levelled against him.
“It is a scandalous suggestion and I am sure Mr Pranab Mukherjee, the candidate, has taken note of this scandalous statement,” Chidambaram told reporters in Delhi in reply to a question on BJP’s charge against Mukherjee.
Jain said that at the time of filing of nomination for the presidential post, Mukherjee was holding an office of profit as chairman of the ISI.
Referring to the resignation letter written by Mukherjee to ISI President M G K Menon, he said “it is not validly acceptable.” (PTI)

KANGRA, July 4:
Tibetan Spiritual Leader Dalai Lama today stressed upon adoption of Indian Ayurvedic system of medicines as it was more effective.
Dalai Lama suggested that corporate hospital should keep both Allopathic and Ayurvedic system of medicines together for treating the patients in their hospitals.
While addressing the media conference at the inaugural of Fortis Hospital on Dharamshala Road today he said, “It is my own experience that traditional Indian system of medicines was very effective.” He added that well qualified doctors certainly matters but what matters more was the compassionate heart within the doctor who treats the patient. As this would help in the speedy recovery of the patient.
Earlier, Dalai Lama inaugurated 95-bedded Fortis hospital in the town, first of the Fortis hospitals in the state. The Fortis hospital will have fifteen departments which included Gynaecology,
Pediatrics and Neonatology, Emergency services, Orthopedics, Urology, Dialysis, Anesthesiology, Critical care, Radio imaging, CT Scan, Mammography and Laboratory technology. (UNI)

NEW DELHI, July 4:
Describing cooperatives as useful institutions for inclusive growth, President Pratibha Patil today emphasised the need to expand their scope by seeking greater participation of women and youths.
“Setting up of women cooperatives will be useful in many ways since these would be better acquainted with the requirements of women and can become instruments of their economic betterment,” Patil said in her speech at the inauguration of an International Cooperative conference here.
Similarly, the idea of cooperative should be imbibed in the minds of the youth, she said.
The conference was organised by Indian Farmers Fertiliser Cooperative Limited (IFFCO) during the course of the UN International Year of Cooperatives.
She said education institutions should hold courses on cooperatives in their campuses so that youth can develop an understanding and appreciation of the co-operative movement.
Highlighting importance of cooperative, Patil said over one billion people globally are members of one cooperative or another.
In India alone there are over 249 million members of about six lakh cooperative societies in a range of agricultural activities such as credit, fertilisers, production, processing as well as other sectors like housing, dairying and textiles, she added.
Patil said a resounding success of cooperatives in India is its ‘White revolution’ which made the country the world’s largest producer of milk and dairy products.
IFFCO, another cooperative that took shape in 1967 has emerged as the world’s largest cooperative and meets almost one-third demand for fertiliser in the country, she said. (PTI)