We are in constant touch with NC: Ambika

Srinagar, September 10:

Minister for Medical Edu-cation, Mr. Taj Mohi ud Din today said that gov-ernment has taken num-ber of projects in hand for the upgradation and de-velopment of health and medicare infrastructure in the State and work on these projects is being implemented on war foot-ing. Emphasizing for pro-viding better health and medicare facilities, the Minister stressed upon the Heads of Associated Hos-

pitals and executing agen-cies for speedy completion of all such projects with judicious use of funds.The Minister was address-ing a meeting convened

to review the functioning and execution of projects being implemented for the betterment of health and medicare setup.Among others Secretary Health Department, Prin-cipals of Srinagar and Jammu Medical Colleges, Medical Superintendents of L.D Hospital, SMHS, Bone and Joint and G.B Pant Hospitals, besides other concerned officers.Mr. Taj also stressed for satisfactory and full imple-mentation of healthcare

See Taj on Pg. 11

South East Asia Region Health Ministers Adopt Delhi Declaration On Blood Pressure

Srinagar, September 10:

Jammu and Kashmir NET/SET/PH.D scholars Tuesday shot a let-ter to Chief Minister Omar Abdul-lah and urged him to take sub-stantial measures on War Footing basis to evacuate the stay and speed up the process of Require-ment of 1650 Assistant Professors in Higher education Department.Pertinently M.Phil degree hold-ers had challenged the posts in its writ petition to the High court of Jammu dated 03-06-2013 where High court has directed that the notification for the said post shall remain in abeyance till the next

date of hearing.“Public service commission ad-vertised posts of more than 1650 Assistant Professors in Higher education Department vide its no-tification no 09-PSC of 2013 dated 23-05-2013 which has fallen flat as the M.Phil candidates challenged the notification. But in fact Public service commission has shown the eligibility and qualification for these posts as per the Univer-sity Grants Commission (UGC) regulations 2009, 2010,and 2012,” they said.Describing UGC as Highest gov-erning body to frame the rules they said, “As per its eligible cri-

teria and amendments from time to time 11/07/2009, 18,09,2010 and 12/10/2012 Regulations M.Phil has been barred for UGC and PG level teaching. Higher education Department followed the UGC guidelines and reframed the rules of SRO 423. As per the state cabi-net decision in May 2012 clearly indicates that only PH.D/NET/SLET candidates are eligible for these posts.They alleged that the delay in court process has put the career of thousand of highly qualified can-didates most of whom are at the verge of crossing the age-bar

See Requirement on Pg. 11

New Delhi, September 10:

Strongly pitching for com-pensation to the State for the losses it has to bear constantly on account of Indus Water Treaty (IWT), Chief Minister, Omar Abdullah Tuesday said had the Treaty not imposed restrictions, suf-ficient storage facility could have been created in the State for generation of hydro electric energy.Addressing the Power Ministers’ Conference this morning and speaking at the 6th meeting of Task Force on Development of Hydro Projects in the eve-ning here, the Chief Min-ister listed the initiatives taken by the State Govern-ment to realize the targets and achieve self-reliance

in hydroelectric sector.“There is a need to ur-gently initiate measures to alleviate suffering of the people on account of power shortage”, the Chief Min-ister told the Union Gov-ernment and also made a strong point for transfer of 390 MW Dulhasti HEP to Jammu and Kashmir State

as recommended by Prime Minister’s Working Group on Economic Development of J&K. “The recommen-dation needs to be taken its logical conclusion at the earliest to fulfil the aspiration of the people of the State”, he added.Omar Abdullah made out

See Omar on Pg. 11

Srinagar, September 10:

Amid rising tensions in the coalition camp on the Kargil Autonomous hill development council ‘Controversy’, Congress High Command Tuesday said that it was hopeful of a consensus emerging out of the deliberations between the leaders of both the parties at state level. The High Com-mand is also waiting for AICC President Sonia Gandhi to return from United States in a couple of days.“We believe a solution to this issue would be

carved out through ne-gotiations and I am sure leaders of both the par-ties at state level will sit together in the coordi-nation committee again to iron out the differ-ences.” AICC General Secretary and Incharge Kashmir affairs Ambi-ka Sonia told KNS over phone from New Delhi. She said that congress high command was in constant touch with Na-tional Conference and local congress leader-ship. Soni is believed to have met Chief Minister Omar Abdullah also who flew to New Delhi to pac-

ify the situation.“I don’t believe in pre-suming the things. I am optimistic and am hope-ful that the issue would be sorted out amicably.” Soni told KNS. She add-ed that the letters sent to AICC President So-nia Gandhi by the local Congress leaders seek-ing an intervention into the matter have been forwarded to her (Sonia) political advisor Ahmad Patel and Vice President Rahul Gandhi also.Meanwhile National Conference on Tues-day swung into damage control mode and sent

two of its senior most leaders Ali Mohammad Sagar and Nasir Aslam Wani to kargil for the on spot deliberations with the apparently adamant councilors who are be-lieved to have staked claim thus defying party president Dr. Farooq Abdullah’s directives of not doing so. Political Advisor to Chief Minster and senior party leader from Kargil Qamar Ali Akhoon who along with Finance Min-ster Ab. Rahim Rather is believed to have engi-neered the conflict

See NC on Pg. 11

New Delhi, September 10:

The Health Ministers of 11 SEARO countries adopted the ‘New Delhi Declaration on High Blood Pressure’ today at the 31st Meeting of Health Ministers. The text of the New Delhi declara-tion is as follows:“We, the Health Ministers of Member States of the WHO South-East Asia Re-gion participating in the Thirty-first Health Min-isters’ Meeting in New Delhi, India, appreciate the efforts being made by Member States and part-ners in the South-East Asia Region for preven- tion and control of high See Blood Pressure on Pg. 11

Srinagar, September 10:

Suggesting Hurriyat lead-ership to take a cue from Moaists of Nepal, Janta Dal United President Sha-rad Yadav Tuesday said that he would try to find out which hidden hands are trying to disrupt the peace of Kashmir by kill-ing innocent people here. “Innocent human beings were killed in Shopian and soon after reaching New Delhi he would meet Prime Minister of India to find out which unseen forces are disrupting the peace in Valley and are killing

innocent people here,” Ya-dav told to reporters dur-ing a press conference in Srinagar on Tuesday.“Music and murder have

no connection with each other. Music spreads the tides of peace but the day musical concert was be-

ing organized here; four people were killed in cold blood in Shopian. Zubin Mehta Show was politi-cized and it should have been held in New Delhi,” he said. “I don’t know why these youth were murdered and I don’t understand which unseen forces are doing this all. I would take up the matter with Prime Minis-ter of India and would find out why this bloody game is being played in Kash-mir,” Sharad Yadav said adding that we are all re-sponsible for the mess

See Take Cue on Pg. 11

Srinagar, Sep 10:

Police on Tuesday said it will make all the facts regarding Gagran incident public. When contacted In-spector General Police Kashmir A G Mir told KNS that investiga-tion is on to unravel the truth and circum-stances that lead to the Incident. “Our aim is to bring out all the facts and also make them public. We have to investigate if CRPF has followed the SOP when the militant opened fire at

naka party. We have already made it public that three local youth had no previous record of militancy against their name,” he said. “Having said that we will also have to in-vestigate under what circumstances they were accompanying a Pakistani militant on motor bike when the incident took place. We are collecting all the circumstantial evi-dences and a fool proof investigation will be carried out which will be shared with the public,” the IGP added.

CMYK

CMYK

CMYK

CMYK

WEDNESDAY September 11 | 2013 | 04 Zeeqad 1434 AH | PAGES 12 | VOL NO: 3 | ISSUE NO: 226 | RS: 2/- (AIR SURCHARGE FOR JAMMU /DELHI/LEH 50 PAISA)Pen For JusticeLargely Circulated, No. 1 Bilingual Daily of J&K

NC withdraws Nominations after Cong HC intervenes

Srinagar, September 10:

Authorities on Tuesday foiled Shopian chalo march by detaining and putting under house ar-rest top separatist lead-ers and imposing curfew in Kulgam and Pulwama while Shopian reeled un-der curfew for the fourth consecutive day. The Chairman of Hur-riyat Conference (G), Syed Ali Shah Geelani, had called for Shopian chalo to attend the Rasm-

e-Chahrum of the slain youth killed in CRPF fir-ing on Saturday. Authorities had deployed hundreds of policemen and paramilitary CRPF troopers in Pulwama, Kulgam and Islamabad to prevent people from moving towards Shop-ian. According to reports, scores of youth came on roads in Baba Mohalla and Gagran area of Shop-ian who pelted stones on police and Para-mil-

itary troopers deployed on roads. Youth burnt down tyres and blocked the roads to thwart the movement of police and CRPF vehicles.Police and CRPF used tear smoke shells to dis-perse the youth. During the clashes three youth identified as Zubair Ahmed Zargar, Ghulam Hassan Zargar and Amir Sohail were injured. Re-ports said that Zubair Ahmed was hit by a

See Shopian Chalo on pg. 11

http://www.zabarwantimes.com

Srinagar, September 10:

Terming the police confes-sion that the persons killed in Shopian were innocent as an eye opener for Indian civil society and world com-munity, APHC on Tuesday appealed the international human rights organiza-tions to pressurize India to stop the bloodshed of inno-cent Kashmiris and solve the Kashmir for once and all.The APHC has strongly de-nounced the government action of imposing curfew in Shopian. Expressing complete solidarity with

the people, the conglomer-ate has paid tributes to the courage of inhabitants of Shopian.Resorting to often repeated dictatorial tactics, govern-ment once again put APHC Chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq under house arrest so as to sabotage the joint executive and general meet-ing of conglomerate called on Tuesday to discuss the Gagran killings, worsening rights situations, and tense relations between India and Pakistan.The spokesman said gov-ernment by doing so has

See APHC on Pg. 11

WEATHER

TEMPERATUREMAXIMUM MINIMUMSUNSET ON(WED)SUNRISE ON (THURSDAY)

06:45 pm06:13 am

15.1 0C28.4 0C

FORECAST FOR NEXT 24 HRS:

FORECAST OF SRINAGAR:

Light Rain/ Thundershowers would occur at isolated places over the state.

Mainly clear sky. Maximum & Minimum temperatures will be around 30°C & 14°C respectively.

Providing food to poor is not wastage of money

Asks officers for timely completion of

developmental projects7 8 10

Confession of Police an eye opener: APHC

Asthma inhalers can stunt growth in kids

Omar reiterates demand for IWT compensation

Requirement of 1650 professors; Scholars write to CM

Take cue from Moaists of Nepal, prefer Ballot over Bullet: Sharad

Yadav to Hurriyat leadership

Shopian killings

Taj for satisfactory implementation of health schemes

Authorities foil Shopian Chalo March

Police assures to make facts of Shopian

incident public: IGP

KAHDC stalemate continues

500 MW Dulhasti-II to be a Joint Venture

Resolve to exchange knowhow amongst the member countriesCurfew lifted from Shopian and Pulwama, continues in Kulgam

Body of drowned boy retrievedSrinagar, September 10: The body of a drowned boy was retrieved by Budgam police from the Nallah. The boy was drowned amidst cloud burst and hail storm on 8th Septem-ber.8 year old boy Irfan Ahmad Dar son of Abdul Salam Dar resi-dent of Aarina, was drowned in Nallah Migund, amidst cloud burst and hail storm on 8th September, 2013 in the jurisdic-tion of Police Station Budgam. The body of the drowned boy was fished out and handed over to his relatives for last rites.

LC Panel inspects City HospitalsSrinagar, September 10: LC Panel Committee DRSC-II of Jammu and Kashmir Legisla-tive Council under the Chair-manship Mr. Vijay Bakaya accompanied by Dharambir Singh Oberoi, Ravinder Sharma, and Jahangir Hus-sain Mir, Tuesday visited G.B. Pant Hospital and LD Hospital Srinagar and inspected vari-ous units and facilities for the patients.The Committee inspected various sections of the G.B Pant Hospital including Rehydra-tion ward, ICU Units, Nutrition Rehabilitation Centre, Labs, Blood Bank and took stock of the latest lifesaving equipment installed in the Hospital. The Committee members also in-teracted with the patients and their attendants. Later, the committee convened a meeting to review the func-tioning of the Hospital and gave their valuable suggestions for its further improvement.The Committee also visited LD Hospital Srinagar and took stock of the ongoing construc-tion work on additional block of the Hospital. The Superin-tendent of LD Hospital said that new block constructed at an es-timated cost of Rs. 31 crore will be fully ready and operational by October this year. Commissioner Secretary, H&ME and Senior Doctors and officers of Council Secretariat accompanied the Committee.

5 injured in road mishapsSrinagar, September 10: Five persons were injured in differ-ent road accidents across the valley.A Winger bearing registration number JK02AP/1720 on way from Gulmarg to Srinagar hit and injured a pedestrian, Ami-ra Begum wife of Mohammad Abdullah resident of Drung, Tangmarg near post office Tangmarg. The injured lady was shifted to Sub district Hos-pital, Tangmarg for treatment. Tangmarg Police ahs registered a case in this regard.Meanwhile, a Motorcycle bearing registration number JK05A/1121 met with an ac-cident at Hardu-Suresh, in the jurisdiction of Police Station Khag, resulting in injuries to motorcyclist Noor Mohammad Ganie son of Ghulam Qadir and a pillion Mohammad Shafi Ahanger son of Ali Mohammad

See Injured on Pg. 11

Daily ZABARWAN TIMES NEWS Srinagar | wedneSday 11.9 .2013

SP College student from Karnah achieves milestones in cricket

SRINAGAR, SEPTEMBER 10:

In order to finalise the arrangements for 23rd Police Public Mela, being held at Bakshi Stadium Srinagar on Septem-ber 15, the Director General of Police (DGP), Ashok Prasad convened a high level meeting of police officers at Police Headquarters (PHQ) here Tuesday. The meeting had threadbare discussions for the smooth conduct of the mega event in a befitting manner. Prasad, while ad-dressing the meeting said that during the past few years, police public mela has provided an opportunity to police and the public to assemble and interact freely. People across the state have been seen anxious for the grand event. The oc-casion has brought the force much closer to the public and people from all shades of life are participating in the melas. He stressed to introduce more items in the mela representing different regions of the state to make the event attractive for the public. He also asked the officers to ensure sale of tickets on the mela day at the venue by establishing special sale counters. He stressed upon the officers to coordinate at all levels to make the event a success.The meeting was informed that almost all arrangements have been

completed for the day long mela. Sale of raffle draw tickets is in progress at vari-ous places across the state and people are showing keen interest in booking tickets. People’s participation at large scale is ex-pected and security arrangements in and around the venue have also been chalked out. Police bandobast for the event is being focussed on priority. It was also told that parking slots have been identified outside the venue for the convenience of the pub-lic and traffic arrangements finalized.The DGP disclosed that Police Public Mela will be inaugurated at 10 a.m. and conclude at 5 p.m.Raffle draw will be held at the venue at 4 p.m. sharp in presence of the public. This time a fabulous bumper prize has been in-troduced to make the event even more at-tractive for the public. The transparency in raffle draws has strengthened the trust of the people with the organizers, he added.

Prasad said that the revenue gener-ated through the melas is utilized for the welfare of police martyr’s families and their wards. Free education is provided to these wards with hostel facilities in police public schools in both the capital cities of the state, besides scholarships and coaching at different levels to nur-ture their talent in the field of education. Financial assistance for the marriage of

their daughters is also a part of the wel-fare measures, said Prasad.The meeting decided that the stall holders from vari-ous police establishment centres would reach Srinagar three days ahead of the event to establish their stalls at the iden-tified places.DGP asked for ensuring proper display of their items for sale on reasonable rates. “The event provides an opportunity to the public to get different items from different regions of the state under one roof. Painting competition for children and cultural items would be a part of mela for entertainment of the participants”, Prasad said.Among others, the meeting was attended by ADsGP, PL Gupta, SP Vaid, Smt. DR Doley, VK Singh, SM Sahai and Dilbagh Singh, IsGP, Dr. B Srinivas, AK Choudhary HK Lohia, Deep-ak Kumar, Rouf-ul- Hassan, Abdul Ghani, Dr. KK Saini, Muneer Ahmad Khan and SS Khandare, DIsGP, AS Bali, Syed Ahfadul Mujtaba, Abdul Hamid and KL Baghat, AIsGP (PHQ), GH Bhat, AA Kakroo, Ut-tam Chand and RS Sambyal, SSP Syed AH Bukhari, SsP, Bashir Ahmad, Altaf Ahmad Khan, Aijaz Ahmad and Bashir Ahmad Shah, Exen (PCD) ND Khawaja, Medical Superintendent Police Hospital Srinagar, Dr. MS Koka and other senior police of-ficers.

SRINAGAR, SEPTEMBER 10: One of the bright sportsman of S.P. College, Nishad Ali of B.Sc. 2nd Year has been selected to represent AHAD SULTANS in the forthcoming Downtown Champions League Cricket Tournament. In addition, the student has been called to ap-pear in trails for selection to State under-25 Cricket Team.

Describing the achievements as commendable by the student hailing from far-flung area of Karnah, Sports Board of the college and the Principal have felicitated Nishad Ali for achieving these milestones and wished him best of luck.

Career Counselling work-shop held at SP College

Srinagar, September 10:-

Career Counselling and Placement Cell of S. P. College orga-nized a daylong workshop on “Scope and Opportunities in Social Enterprises” in collaboration with Jammu and Kashmir Entrepre-neurship Development Institute.

Resource persons from JKEDI Syed Firdous, Ms. Diviya and Ms. Rafiya Farooq highlighted the state of unemployment in J&K and also informed about various schemes offered by JKEDI for under-graduates, postgraduates and professionals.

Principal of the college Dr. Yaseen Ahmad Shah stressed on the need for entrepreneurship, education and training. Ms. Rafi-ya Farooq counsellor DECC spoke on different self-employment schemes offered by the state.

The welcome address and vote of thanks was presented by Dr. G. J. Qureshi.

Police Public Mela arrangements finalised Mela provides an opportunity of interface with public: Prasad

Presides over

Governing Body meet

SRINAGAR, SEPTEMBER 10: Minister for Forest, Ecol-ogy and Environment, Mian Altaf Ahmad Tuesday in-augurated office complex of State Forest Research Institute here at Sonwar, completed at a cost of Rs. 80 lakh besides releasing a book on Biodiversity Stud-ies in Gurez. The Minis-ter also presided over the Governing Body meeting of State Forest Research Institute (SFRI).Commissioner Secre-tary Forests, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests, Chief Wildlife Warden, Director Hi-

malayan Forest Research In-stitute, Shimla, Director, SFRI, and representatives from SKUAST Kashmir and Jammu besides other senior officers of Forest department were present on the occasion.

It was given out that 14 lakh plant seedlings have been raised in the nurseries maintained and managed by SFRI apart from 3.50 quintals of seed supplied to the Forest

department during last year.It was told that Research

Advisory Committee of SFRI has already cleared eleven research projects while 15 field functionaries of the In-

stitute have been deputed for advanced nursery training course to FRI Dehradun. Un-derlining the need for main-taining inter departmental coordination, the Minister asked authorities of the Insti-tute to start research work in collaboration with SKUAST and Universities of the State.

Mian Altaf asked Director SFRI to formulate a plan for setting up of high-tech nurs-

ery aimed to raise the plants with fast growing capacity in a short period. He said tech-nological interferences in the field of forests have brought a revolution and directed the officers to use modern tech-niques being applied in other State for overall expansion and protection of forests.The

Minister also inspected the nursery set up within the com-plex and asked concerned to introduce innovative tech-niques in maintaining and managing the nurseries.

SRINAGAR, SEPT 10:

As part of providing good, transparent and accountable governance to the people of State, the Committee on Petitions (PC) of Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Council has asked the people in gen-eral to come up with peti-tions on any matter of general public interest for redressal of their grievances.

The Committee, which met here Tuesday under the Chairmanship of Muham-mad Ashraf Mir, decided that after examining the petitions received by the Committee, it will call the concerned de-partments as well as the peti-tioners to sort out the issues.

The Chairman said that the Committee, which is a competent forum, will wel-come the petitions from gen-eral public (except Govern-ment Employee/ Sub-judice matters) in this regard. He hoped that interested people would submit their applica-

tions on prescribed Performa published in local dailies on 4th September, 2013. He said that the petitions should be addressed to the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Coun-cil and sent to the Secretary, Jammu and Kashmir Legisla-tive Council, Legislative Com-plex, Srinagar/ Jammu. The format is also available on the Legislative Council website-www.jklegislativecouncil.nic.in.The Committee suggested launching wide publicity campaign to the aims and ob-jectives of the Committee on Petitions through print and electronic media for the ben-efits of the general masses. The Committee decided to publish the said performa in local Urdu dailies in Srinagar, Hindi dailies at Jammu and “Rangyul- the Kargil Num-ber” published from Kargil.

The legislators Aga Syed Ahmad Rizvi, Master Noor Hussain, Abdul Majid Bhat and S Dharambir Singh Oberoi suggested that the awareness

camps for general public be conducted at various district headquarters where the lo-cal representatives including Panchs and Sarpanchs would be involved so that a mes-sage will go to the people in general about the aims and objectives of the Commit-tee.The Committee observed that no response has been re-ceived from the LAWDA and Social Welfare Department on the two petitions which were sent to the concerned authorities for examination. The Committee decided to remind the concerned ac-cordingly. Threadbare dis-cussions were made on one petition received by the Council Secretariat which was finally sent to the con-cerned authorities for its examination.Among others Additional Secretary, Legis-lative Council Muhammad Maqbool Bhat and other senior officers of the Coun-cil Secretariat attended the meeting.

Mian Altaf inaugurates office complex, releases book

PC appropriate forum to settle issues

Asks public to come forward

Feed your mind today, Libra. The day’s energy supports growth and expansion, so why not see about learning about something you’re interested in? Challenge yourself by read-ing or taking a class. There are plenty of online subjects to engage you. Find something that interests you that you can do in your own time.

You’re more into socializing today than anything else, Scorpio. This could be great providing you don’t have a heavy workload. See who’s available and go for it. If you need to get something done, you’ll have to resist the temptation to chat too long. Use breaks for this and keep your focus on getting done what you’ve taken on. There’s always the evening to get together with friends.

You may find it hard to admit that you can’t do everything, Sagittarius. There are some jobs that you aren’t cut out to do. Why pretend when a better option would be to delegate the task to someone else? If you don’t feel a strong connection with something or someone, don’t force it. Pretending that you’re capable of something will only cause frustration for you and everyone else.

Don’t be surprised if you’re pensive, Capricorn. It’s one of those days when daydreaming can happen more readily. Your imagination may also be at a peak. Rather than fighting this so you can be more productive, jot your ideas down. It may be to your advantage, as better and innovative ways of doing things can pop into your mind. Take time to ponder. It can bring great results.

Chatting with your loved ones may be more appealing to you today than any other day, Aquarius. It may be important to curb this desire if there are many things that need your attention. If you’re at home, don’t spend all your time on the phone or loafing. Consider tending first to things that need to get done. Socializing will be far more enjoyable without guilty feelings about what you should be doing.

Pisces, you can expect to feel a little more energetic to-day. In fact, you may run circles around everyone. What a great way to start the day. Head out with the confidence that you can easily handle anything that comes your way. Take time to enjoy the company of others as much as possible. If there are meetings on the agenda, handle them right away.

Today may be a time of heightened reasoning and judg-ment for you, Virgo. What a great way to get things done! Pull out unfinished projects and get going. Tackle issues or problems that have surfaced recently by facing them di-rectly. Make the most of this day’s energy by thinking about ways to do things more efficiently. Be confident that you can handle anything.

You might feel like doing something different today, Ar-ies. Everyone needs a break from the regular grind and this is a good time to try something new. Perhaps you feel like varying your routine. If this is your day off, you might spend the day doing whatever strikes your fancy. Try a new ward-robe style. Go to a movie. Do something to spice up your life today.

Start your day writing in a journal, Taurus. This provides an avenue to communicate and connect with your inner be-ing. Things you need to do, ambitions, and even challenges can appear while you’re writing, providing a map that you can follow. Even if starting is difficult, stick with it. The words will come if you give it a chance. It can make your day much easier.

You might find it hard to get going, Gemini. Taking di-rection could rub you the wrong way, especially if you’re set on doing something different. Communicate your ideas and how you want to approach things rather than let irritation get to you. Your approach will be better received if you leave emotions out of it. You may even get kudos for staying calm and collected.

You might feel cheerful and generous today, Cancer. Helping others will probably suit you, and matters will move along smoothly. If there are outstanding projects from ear-lier, tackle them first. It’s an opportune time to get caught up on challenges. Don’t hesitate to lend a hand if you’re ap-proached or notice someone in need. This will benefit them as well as you.

Make an effort to connect with someone you miss today, Leo. Even if it feels painful at first, you’ll feel a lot better once you do. Pick up the phone, write a note, or send an email. Let the person know you miss and care about him or her. Expressing yourself is often far better than stuffing your feel-ings. The person may be missing you just as much.

SRINAGAR, SEPTEMBER 10:

A meeting of Committee on Government Assurances of Jammu and Kashmir Legisla-tive Assembly was held under the chairman-ship of MLA Mohammad Yasin Shah here Tuesday.

The Committee discussed and examined the action taken reports of Government As-surances pertaining to Housing and Urban Development Department (H&UD) besides its functioning.

The Committee members Ch Zulfikar Ali and Er Abdul Rashid gave their valuable sug-gestions for further improvement in working of the Housing and Urban Development De-partment.

Detailed discussion was held regarding menace of stray dogs with the Committee

directing the Srinagar Municipal Corporation (SMC) and Jammu Municipal Corporation (JMC) to take appropriate measures to reduce the stray dog population besides ensuring safety of common masses.

SRINAGAR, SEPTEMBER 10:

Minister of State for PHE, Irrigation and Flood Control, Nazir Ahmed Gurezi Tuesday visited various hilly areas included Kilshay, Sheikhpora, Kashpat and Gobaz Tutail of Tehsil Gurez and took stock of the problems faced by people besides reviewing devel-opmental needs. He also concluded a week long extensive tour to the constituency.

During his tour, the Minister inspected various developmental schemes included 6.5 Kms Neeru-Shinder road costing Rs. 4.70 crore, Rufeeji- Basgay road costing Rs. 11 crore, Sheikhpora foot bridge, ongoing lanes drains and protection bunds in these areas.

Enroute, several deputations met the Minister and apprised him about their in-dividual and collective problems. These included early sanctioning of IAY cases, es-tablishment of Anganwari Centres and con-struction of protection bunds.

Gurezi gave them a patient hearing and assured them that their genuine demands will be looked into.

In some cases, he gave on the spot di-rections to the concerned for immediate redressal.

Addressing the people at different places including Kilshay village the Minister said that the government under the dynamic leadership of Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has taken several measures to improve the living standard of the people of all the three regions of the State especially the weaker sections of the society.

He said several welfare schemes have been launched in the State in this regard. He appealed the people to come forward and take advantage of these schemes.

Referring to the unemployment in the State, he said though the unemployment is the big challenge before the Government but to tackle the problems various welfare schemes have been launched in the state in-cluding SKEWPY.

He said under the schemes number of unemployed youth have been benefitted.

Referring to the developmental works under execution in the tehsil Gurez, the Minister said that the construction work on various micro and macro developmental projects is apace in the tehsil and comple-tion of these projects will not only improve the socio-economic condition of the people of the area but also create employment op-portunities for the unemployed youth.

Gurezi conducts extensive tour of Gurez

Yasin chairs Assurance Committee meeting

Says imparting skills to youth a

means to provide employment

SRINAGAR, SEPTEMBER 10: The Minister of State for Technical Education, Power and Information, Vikar Rasool Tuesday flagged off buses car-rying students to other parts of the country for imparting skills to them under the Skill Development for Youth (SDY) Programme.Secretary Techni-cal Education, Parvez Malik, Director Technical Education, J.P. Singh and other officers of Technical Education Depart-ment were present on the oc-casion.

During the interaction with the youth sent under the pro-gramme, the Minister said that

by imparting different skills to them, Government is training them so that they can start their own ventures and units, which would go a long way in ensur-ing that the self- employment avenues are being created. This,

he said would also address the unemployment issue.

Vikar said that the gov-ernment has also introduced various other welfare schemes like, Himmayat, Udaan etc for Youth adding that onus now

lies on the young generation to come forward and avail maximum benefits out of these programmes started by the government.

It is pertinent to men-tion here that under the SDY

16000 youth would be impart-ed training in different skills so that they can be absorbed in various technical departments, besides the new projects being started by the government in the public and private sector.

Vikar flags off students under SDY to other States

Says SKEWPY has benefitted YouthSagar asks officers for timely completion of beautification, developmental projects

SRINAGAR, SEPTEMBER 10:

While asking the officers to ensure the timely completion of various beau-tification and developmental projects undertaken in the old city Srinagar, the Minister for Rural Development and Panchyati, Ali Mohammad Sagar has said that the same is necessary for ensuring sustained development and bringing the city on the tourist map.

The Minister was addressing officers during a review meeting convened to discuss the status of implementations of various projects undertaken for the beautification of Srinagar city.

Director Tourism Kashmir, Talat-Parvez, MD, J&K Cable Car Corporation, TufailMatoo, Secretary Waqaf Board, DFO, Urban, Syed Abid and other senior officers were present in the meeting.

Sagar directed the Managing Direc-tor, JK Cable Car Corporation to ensure

that the work on the Craft Centre and other related things of the Maqdoom Sahib Rope Way Project is completed as soon as possible, so that the same can be inaugurated and thrown open to the public.

The Minister also directed the offi-cers to speed up the pace of work on the proposed eco- park being developed on the foothills of the Hari Parbat Fort and the other related projects so that the area comes up as a tourist spot for the people living in old city Srinagar and its catchment areas.

Sagar also asked the officers to ensure the timely completion of vari-ous other projects undertaken for the beautification of the old city Srinagar on heritage pattern so that the whole area comes up on the tourist map which would go a long way in boosting the economic and other related activities in the area.

E ++HHEAAL L HH5 ZABARWAN TIMES

WEDNESDAY | 11 SEPTEMBER 20138 ZABARWANTIMES

High Blood Sugar Levels Linked to Brain Shrinkage

The Australian study of nearly 250 non-diabetic men and women found those with high blood sugar levels tended to have shrinking in brain areas linked to memory and emotional process-ing. The results held up even after controlling for lifestyle factors such as smoking and weight.“If replicated, this finding may contribute to a re-evaluation of the concept of normal blood glucose levels and the definition of diabetes,” wrote study author Dr. Nicolas Cher-buin, director of the Neu-roimaging and Brain Lab at Australian National University in Canberra, Australia.Previous research has

linked diabetes, a disor-der in which blood sugar levels are abnormally high, to age-related cogni-tive decline. But the new study, published Monday in the journal Neurol-ogy, suggested controlling blood sugar levels could boost cognitive health in non-diabetics.How exactly? The jury’s still out.Some studies suggest blood sugar control can help regulate the body’s inflammatory response, which has been linked to brain shrinkage. Another theory is that high sugar levels make the blood stickier, raising the risk of clots that starve the brain.Either way, experts said,

the study supports healthy eating to keep blood sugar levels in check.“This in line with many other studies that have been published and adds to all of the data on diabe-tes affecting brain health,” said Dr. R. Scott Turner, director of the Memory Disorders Program and a professor of neurology at Georgetown Univer-sity Medical Center, who was not involved with this study.For non-diabetic patients with high blood sugar lev-els, Turner recommended adopting the American Diabetes Association diet, which is high in non-starchy vegetables and low in carbohydrates and protein.

Household chemicals can give you heart diseaseExposure to perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), a manmade chemical used in the manufacture of some common household products, may lead to cardiovascular disease and peripheral arterial disease, a new study has warned.Surveys have suggested that PFOA (widely used in the manufacture of products such as lubricants, pol-ishes, paper and textile coatings, and food packaging) is detectable in the blood of more than 98 per cent of the U.S. population.Some evidence has suggested that an association may be biologically plausible between PFOA exposure and cardiovascular disease (CVD), according to the study back-ground.Anoop Shankar, M.D., Ph.D., and colleagues from the West Virginia University School of Public Health, Morgantown, examined the as-sociation between serum (blood) levels of PFOA and the presence of CVD and PAD, a marker of athero-sclerosis, in a nationally represen-tative group of adults. The study

used merged data from the 1999-2000 and 2003-2004 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES).The study suggests that increasing serum PFOA levels were positively associated with the presence of CVD and PAD, and the associa-tion appeared to be independent of confounders such as age, sex, race/ethnicity, smoking status, body mass index, diabetes mel-litus, hypertension and serum cholesterol level, the authors comment."Our results contribute to the emerging data on health effects of PFCs [perfluoroalkyl chemicals], suggesting for the first time that PFOA exposure is potentially re-lated to CVD and PAD. However, owing to the cross-sectional na-ture of the present study, we can-not conclude that the association is causal," the researchers said.Compared with the reference level of PFOA in quartile 1, the multivariable odds ratio among participants in quartile 4 was

2.01 for CVD and 1.78 for PAD, according to the results."In summary, in a represen-tative cross-sectional sample of the U.S. population, we found that higher PFOA lev-els are positively associated with self-reported CVD and objectively measured PAD. Our findings, however, should

be interpreted with caution be-cause of the possibility of residu-al confounding and reverse cau-sality. Future prospective studies are needed to confirm or refute our findings," the researchers concluded.The study was pub-lished online by Archives of In-ternal Medicine, a JAMA Net-work publication.

Asthma inhalers can stunt growth in kids

This is the finding from a comprehensive asthma study, which has Robert C. Strunk, MD, the Donald Strominger Professor of Pediatrics at Washington University School of Medi-cine in St. Louis as the se-nior author. The study involved more than 1,000 children ages 5-12 who were treated for mild to moderate asthma as part of the Childhood Asthma Management Pro-gram (CAMP) clinical trial. The children received treatment for more than four years at eight cen-ters, including Washing-ton University School of Medicine. They were di-vided into three groups: one received twice-daily budesonide, an inhaled

corticosteroid medication; a second group received nedocromil, an inhaled non-steroid medication; and a third group received a placebo. All children received alb-uterol, a fast-acting drug for relief of acute asthma symptoms, and oral cor-ticosteroids as needed for asthma symptoms. The researchers followed 943 participants in the tri-al at regular intervals until they reached adult height. Females were considered to be at adult height at age 18 or older and males at age 20 or older, Strunk said. In the first 4 1/2 years after the end of the trial, researchers took patients' height and weight every six months. Over the next

eight years, height and weight were measured once or twice a year. The mean adult height was about one-half inch, or 1.2 centimeters, shorter in the group that received budesonide than in the pa-tients who received nedo-cromil or placebo. The pa-tients who experienced the slower growth were pri-marily between 5-11 years old when they began using budesonide. The slower growth took place only in the first two years of the four-year study. As the study pro-gressed, the children who took the budesonide re-mained one-half inch shorter through adult-hood than the children who did not use the drug,

said Strunk, who treats children with asthma at St. Louis Children's Hospital. "This was surprising be-cause in previous studies, we found that the slower growth would be tempo-rary, not affecting adult height. But none of those studies followed patients from the time they en-tered the study until they had reached adult height," Strunk stated. Pediatric asthma special-ists at St. Louis Children's Hospital keep a close watch on the growth of their patients who use inhaled steroids, Strunk said. They are measured at every visit, and phy-sicians keep a growth curve. "If a child is not grow-ing as they should, we may reduce their steroid dose," he noted. "But we think that the half-inch of lowered adult height must be balanced against the well-estab-lished benefit of inhaled corticosteroids in control-ling persistent asthma. We will use the lowest effec-tive dose to control symp-toms to minimize concerns about effects on adult height," he added. The findings will be pre-sented at the European Respiratory Society meet-ing in Vienna, Austria, and published online in the New England Journal of Medicine

Study finds computer, television screen time directly linked to childhood obesity

SCREEN time has over-taken exercise as the most important factor in child-hood obesity and should be limited, a South Austra-lian study has found.The UniSA study looked at 2200 children aged be-tween nine and 16 years and found the length of time they spent in front of television and computer screens was a more likely indicator of being over-weight or obese than the amount of exercise they did.Study co-author and UniSA researcher Dr Carol Maher said screen time now made up about one quarter of waking time for the age group."In the past two decades, young

people's physical activ-ity behaviour has been the subject of scores of inter-ventions but, in compari-son, interventions aimed at reducing screen time have been relatively un-common," she said."Our findings suggest that screen-time reduction may be a more effective target behaviour for intervention studies aimed at reduc-ing overweight and obe-sity among children."The study found there were about two and a half times as many obese study sub-jects classed in the cat-egory of high-screen-time and low-exercise (10.7 per cent), as in the low-screen-time and high-exercise

category (4.3 per cent).Dr Maher said the value of physical activity also should not be underesti-mated."Increased likelihood of a young person being overweight or obese was more strongly and consis-tently associated with high screen-time than with low physical activity," she said."Findings underscore the need for interventions targeting screen behav-iour in young people."Dr Maher said the study, pub-lished in the latest edition of Acta Paediatrica, was carried out because there was debate in the scientific community about which factor had the stronger as-

sociation with obesity.The children's behaviour over 24-hour periods was studied and they were di-vided into groups based on high and low activity, as well as on high and low screen use, according to national guidelines.Low-activity children ex-ercised for less than 60 minutes each day and high screen-time children failed to meet national guide-lines."Increased likelihood of overweight or obese was often associated with high screen time, but only sometimes and less strongly associated with low ... physical activity," Dr Maher said.

5 Teas that make you slim!The brew that energises can

also help you lose weight. Here's

how... It's widely known that just one cup of tea can prevent strokes, arthritis, tooth decay and even keep cancer at bay. While it's regarded as nature's tranquiliser for its soothing proper-ties, the brew also has another great benefit - it helps shed weight. Scien-tists have shown that tea has high levels of compounds that battle the absorption of fat.

Here are 5 teas that can result in a

slimmer you... Star anise tea: promotes digestion Star anise, the fruit of a small ever-green tree (Illicium verum) native to China, can be used in the treat-ment of digestive troubles such an upset stomach, diarrhea, nausea etc. One may drink a tea made from it by

steeping a whole pod in one cup of hot water for 10 minutes. Strain this and sweeten it if required. Sip on this slowly when an upset stomach oc-curs.

Peppermint tea: controls what you

eat If you like peppermint tea then try and rotate that with a green tea drink as both speed up digestion and thus help you burn more calories. The peppermint leaves can be used to make a light, refreshing tea, which can be drunk either hot or chilled. To prepare the tea, take a tablespoon of fresh or dried leaves and add them to boiling water and let it steep for four to five minutes. Strain and add honey, if needed.

Green tea: builds metabolism

Research says the chemical EGCG found in green tea that speeds up the body's metabolism, is responsible for helping people lose the kilos - it can burn a whopping 70 calories a day! Green tea also raises the level of

antioxidants. It's believed the anti-oxidant catechins in green tea boost metabolism and helps burn fat (can burn a whopping 70 calories a day!) Steeping time for the tea: two to three minutes at 85 Degrees Celsius.

Rose tea: prevents constipation

One of the oldest flavouring teas available, rose tea - made by mixing fresh roses and the bud of the tea - has a major therapeutic effect on the human body. Apart from clearing toxins and beautifying the skin, rose tea contains vitamins A, B3, C, D and E and is known to act against infec-tions. It also prevents constipation and helps one lose weight.

Oolong tea: guards against obesity

Research reveals that oolong, a semi-fermented tea may have a stronger ef-fect than even green tea. It promotes fat burning is said to help reduce cho-lesterol and the concentration of fat in the body. About two cups per day is recommended. Steep oolong tea any-where from 30 seconds to five min-utes, for a more full-bodied cup.

E-cigarettes are equally injurious to healthElectronic cigarettes are being marketed as a potentially safer alternative to normal cigarettes, but new research has shown that they are still causing harm to the lungs.The study has also added new evidence to the debate over the safety of alter-native nicotine-delivery products.Electronic cigarettes are devices that deliver nicotine through a vapour, rather than smoke. There is no combustion involved but the nicotine in the device is still derived from tobacco. There has been much debate over the safety and ef-ficiency of the products, but little scientific evidence to support either claim.Researchers from the University of Athens in Greece aimed to investigate the short-term effects of using e-cigarettes on different people, including people without any known health problems and smokers with and without exist-ing lung conditions.The study included 8 people who had never smoked and 24 smokers, 11 with normal lung function and 13 people with either chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) or asthma.Each person used an electronic cigarette for 10 minutes. The researchers then measured their airway resistance using a number of tests, including a spirometry test.The results showed that for all people included in the study, the e-cigarette caused an immediate increase in airway resistance, lasting for 10 minutes. In healthy subjects (never smokers) there was a statistically significant increase in airway resistance from a mean average of 182 per cent to 206 per cent.In smokers with normal spirometry there was a statistically significant increase from a mean average of 176 percent to 220 percent. In COPD and asthma patients the use of one e-cigarette seemed to have no immediate effect to airway resistance.Professor Christina Gratziou, one of the authors and Chair of the ERS Tobacco Control Committee, said: "We do not yet know whether unapproved nicotine delivery products, such as e-cigarettes, are safer than normal cigarettes, despite marketing claims that they are less harmful. This research helps us to understand how these products could be potentially harmful."We found an immediate rise in airway resistance in our group of participants, which suggests e-cigarettes can cause immediate harm after smoking the device. More research is needed to understand whether this harm also has lasting effects in the long-term."The ERS recommends following effective smoking cessation treatment guidelines based on clinical evidence which do not advocate the use of such products," Professor Gratziou added.

NATION DAILY ZABARWAN TIMES

7 SRINAGARWednesday, 11 September,2013

Delhi gang-rape verdict: 4 convicted for rape & murder case that shook India

New Delhi: “I want to live,” the young woman told her mother in a Delhi hos-pital. Outside, on the streets, thousands marched, demanding justice for her and a safer country for women than the one where a student could be raped on a moving bus despite being accom-panied by a male friend, despite the bus rolling through a congregation of police check points, despite the ille-gal tinted windows and “school bus” lettering that should have telegraphed something bizarrely out of the nor-mal. (Delhi gang-rape case verdict: I want to live, she told her mother)She died on December 29.Today, four of the six men arrested for the facinorous attack were found guilty of rape and murder by a fast-track court, one of the changes her case has driven in India. They will be sentenced tomorrow; they could face the death penalty. A fifth suspect

hanged himself in jail in March; the sixth was 17 at the time of the attack and was sentenced last month to three years in a reform centre. Her parents, who had sold their small of land in Uttar Pradesh to ensure their only daughter could fulfill her dream of becoming a physi-otherapist, sat just a few feet from the convicted men in the congested court-room. They had tears in their eyes when the verdict was read out. Repeat-edly, they have asked that the men who

took their daughter’s life be hanged. She was looking for a way home on a Sunday night in December, accom-panied by her male friend. They had just watched The Life of Pi at a fancy South Delhi mall. It was 9 pm, a rea-sonable hour even by Delhi’s low-achiever safety standards. The men on the private bus that pulled over sold them tickets for Rs. 10 each. The brutality that followed on board would assail India and then the world within the next few hours.Her friend was thrown to the back of the bus after being battered with an iron rod, which was later used to violate her. “18 internal injuries,” the court order said today, highlighting “the act of pulling out the internal organ of the victim” as proof that the plan was to kill her.45 minutes later, the couple was then thrown from the bus. Her 28-year-old

friend has testified that the men tried to run her over, but he pushed her out of the way. “I never imagined that one human being could treat another so badly,” he said in an interview. (After raping ‘Amanat’, men on bus allegedly tried to run her over)There have been conflicting accounts from him and the police about how long the couple lay bleeding on the road, ignored by passers-by till a police van finally arrived and they were moved to hospital. Doctors who treated her said they had not seen such egregious injuries. “Her intestines were hanging out,” said one.For 10 days, she fought for her life in hospital in Delhi, while students and activists stomped deter-minedly through water cannons and batons, marching upto the President’s door, demanding swift trials for women who are raped, and an overhaul of ar-chaic laws to punish sexual offences.

Country on verge of destruction under UPA: Narendra Modi

Bhatkal’s aide discloses details of hideouts in Mangalore

New Delhi: Indian Mujahi-deen co-founder Yasin Bhat-kal’s aide Asadullah Akhtar alias Haddi has spilled the beans on his associates dur-ing a sustained interrogation by the National Investigating Agency (NIA). According to sources, Haddi has led inter-rogators to their hideouts in Mangalore and Hyderabad. A Western union Money transfer outlet in Mangalore has been identified by Haddi as the sources of funds from Pakistan. This is where he collected remittances from Pakistan before the Hy-derabad blasts. He has also led interroga-tors to hideouts in Mangalore where he, Yasin, Waqas and Tehseen Akhtar had stayed before the Hyderabad blasts. IED circuit, clothes of Waqas and Teh-sin, traces of explosives, damaged trol-ley bag in which explosives were ferried have all been recovered by the NIA. From

Bhatkal’s laptop the NIA has recovered 300 emails. The emails are believed to be in code language. NIA suspects these emails sent from laptop or private cyber cafes were to Bhatkal’s Pakistani handlers to discuss details of blasts in Hyderabad, Pune and Mumbai. Bhatkal, the head of IM’s operations in India, is the key suspect in the Pune German Bakery and Hyderabad Dilsukhnagar blasts.

Modi, 62, was made this year the BJP’s Lok Sabha poll campaign chief, lead-ing to speculation that he is in the race for the prime minister’s post.The country is on the “verge of destruc-tion”, said Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi while blaming the Congress for rampant corruption.Modi spoke at a public rally at Amroodon Ka Baag here Tuesday to mark the completion of 78-day-long election campaigning tours carried out by former Rajasthan chief minister Vasundhara Raje across the state.“The country is on the verge of destruction. The Congress before the Independence was different, but after the Independence, the entire party is dedicated to a single family,” Modi said while addressing thousands of BJP workers who had come to Jaipur for the rally from different parts of the state.Modi, 62, was made this year the BJP’s

Lok Sabha poll campaign chief, lead-ing to speculation that he is in the race for the prime minister’s post.He said that the Congress party has written a new ‘ABCD’ book for chil-

dren in the country.“Book ke anusar, A ka matalab Adarsh Ghotala, B ka matalab Bofors Ghotala, C ka matlab Coal Ghotala and D ka matlab....damad ka karobar (According to the book, A stands for Adarsh scam, B for Bofors

scam, C for Coal scam and D for son-in-law’s business),” Modi said.Modi said that the people don’t know what is happening in the country.“Our prime minister (Manmohan Singh) went to participate in the G-20 Summit. He returned, but no one in country knows what issues he raised there, what he told the international community. All he said was - who he wants to work under.”“The coun-

try has seen a government in last 10 years which has no accountability and power to take right decisions,” said Modi.Modi said the Congress has to be thrown out of power if the people want the country to get rid of corruption.“In this government, whoever is cor-rupt gets promoted. The government doesn’t have leaders, moral values, planning and right intention to run the country,” said Modi.He praised the previous National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government led by Atal Bihari Vajpayee and said that people still re-member its good governance.“The failure of the present government at the centre has led the economic situation to such a level that the rupee has landed in hospital where it is battling for life and death,” Modi added.Modi praised Vasundhara Raje for the 14,000-km long election campaigning tour and said that “parivartan ki aandhi” (storm of change) is quite obvious in Rajas-than as the people want change.

Delhi gangrape case: Sushma Swaraj demands to hang the convicts

Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Su-shma Swaraj on Tuesday said death penalty should be given to the four men convicted for the gang rape and murder of a 23-year-old physiotherapy intern. “All the four convicts should be given death penalty. This will help in controlling the rape menace. This will set an example for the future,” Sushma Swaraj told reporters. Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) leader Brinda Karat said: “The Dec 16 (gangrape) case is a horrendous and bar-baric crime. The judgment of guilt need not have taken so long.” Delhi gangrape case: Sushma Swaraj demands to hang the con-victs “Even in an open and shut case (like this), the court took nine months for the verdict, it indicates how the legal process works in the country. Let us wait and see what is the sentence,” she said. Former home secretary RK Singh said: “We do hope that will be a capital punishment. We have always believed that this was one crime which fully deserves a capital punishment.” A Delhi court on Tuesday convicted four men for

the December 16, 2012, gangrape of the physi-otherapy intern, who subsequently died of her grave injuries. The gory attack sparked nation-wide protests and nudged the central govern-ment into enacting a stringent anti-rape law. While an accused was found dead in a cell in Delhi’s Tihar Jail, a juvenile involved in the crime was August 31 sent by the Juvenile Justice Board to a reform home for three years after it concluded that he was involved in rape and murder.

Rahul to lead Congress from front in LS polls: Pilot

Rahul Gandhi will lead Congress from the front in the Lok Sabha as well as the assembly polls this year, Union Minister Sachin Pilot said on Tuesday, skirting the ques-tion whether he would be projected as Prime Ministerial candidate to take on Narendra Modi.“I am making it very, very unambiguous to you. Rahul Gandhi will lead this party to polls in 2014 and once we win, God willing, and when the UPA III is being formed, at that time you will see, who becomes our PM candidate,” he said.He was asked why the ruling party is so diffident about projecting its Prime Min-isterial nominee before elections when there are growing indications that Mr. Modi could be named BJP’s Prime Min-isterial candidate soon.“You can be less flamboyant but you have to be humane, approachable, and an acceptable leader, who has the heart to carry people along. Whether you are in coalition or in single party rule, it does not matter. The country is too large. We are a collection of so many religions, cultures and ethnicity that we need and we deserve an entity, who is able to take everyone along. To my mind, one person, who is able to transcend these divisions that we have of caste, religion, language and so on from this part of India to that part of India, the only per-son, who can symbolically epitomize all of India, is Rahul Gandhi,” Mr. Pilot told PTI in an interview.When pointed out that Manmohan Singh was declared the Prime Ministerial candidate during the release of Congress Manifesto before 2009 Lok Sabha elections, Pilot merely said, “Wait for manifesto day and may be we have some-thing to say then but I cannot say anything today.”He prefaced the comments by saying that Congress never declares its Prime Ministerial or Chief Ministerial candi-date and took a jibe at Modi, saying the urgency of wanting to be declared its PM candidate lies solely and solely with

one person and that is the Gujarat Chief Minister.His remarks come close on the heels of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh saying that Gandhi will be an “ideal choice” for the prime minsters’s post after the next Lok Sabha polls.”“I have always maintained that Rahul Gandhi would be an ideal choice for the Prime Minister’s post after 2014 elections (Lok Sabha). I will be very happy to work in the Congress under the leadership of Rahul Gandhi,” the Prime Minister had said.

BJP had criticised the PM’s re-marks, saying it lowers the dig-nity of the Prime Minister’s Chair.Mr. Pilot, however, said that Sin-gh might be referring to the fact that Gandhi is Vice President of the party.“Mr. Singh is also a member of the Congress Working Commit-tee. Presidents and Vice Presi-dents are heads of the party,” he

maintained.Asserting that he Congress will be able to take ahead the message of development and stability, Mr. Pilot said, “That is what we will take to the people under the leader-ship of Rahul Gandhi.”He expressed confidence that people will see all options and give the UPA a third chance to come back to power.The young minister, who is considered a key member of the Rahul Gandhi team, said there is a “visible change” in the functioning of the party after Gandhi becoming the Vice President with “accountability” having been incul-cated in the system.“Since he became Vice President eight nine months ago, there is a visible change in the functioning of the party. I say this because I have seen the kind of detailing he is do-ing with every state, leader, workers, legislators and party office bearers, who are now, meeting with him directly.

Providing food to poor is not wastage of money: Rahul Gandhi

The Congress vice-president was speaking at a function after handing over documents offering ownership rights to the first batch of residents of the resettlement colonies in Delhi.Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday attacked critics of the food securi-ty bill which was passed by Parliament last week, saying money spent on providing meals to the poor cannot be called “wast-age” of financial resources.He said the legislation is aimed at remov-ing hunger from the country by giving peo-ple right to food which is part of a series of landmark initiatives of the UPA govern-ment such as Right to Information Act and Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employ-ment Guarantee Act.“Is providing food to people called wast-age of money.... The opposition says it is a wastage of money. We want the poor peo-ple of the country to stand on their feet,” Gandhi said.The Congress vice-president was speaking at a function after handing over documents offering ownership rights to the first batch of residents of the resettlement colonies in Delhi.The ambitious bill, expected to benefit 82 crore people in the country, is seen as a “game changer” by the Congress as it pre-pares to face general elections due in May next year. The BJP had termed the Bill as a “gimmick” with an eye on elections though the party supported it.Some parties, including UPA’s outside sup-porter Samajwadi Party, had criticised the

bill saying it will put additional financial burden on states.A section of the corporate world has also slammed the Bill saying it will increase the financial burden on the government when the economy was going through a difficult phase.“We are giving rights to people. Rights means guarantee of development. After the food security legislation, no body in the country will remain hungry,” Gandhi said, defending the food security scheme.The bill was cleared by both houses of Par-liament and it will become law once Presi-dent Pranab Mukherjee gives assent to it.In his address, Gandhi said UPA government has ensured inclusive growth by changing the development paradigm through a num-ber of historic legislation like Food Security Bill, Right to Information Act and Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guar-antee Act.“We have brought a number of legislation in the last 10 years which have changed the development paradigm. The aim of the leg-islations was to ensure rights to people,” he said.Noting various initiatives of UPA government,particularly to ensure welfare of the poor people, Gandhi said India was going through a “transition” and had the po-tential to occupy the “first position” among all the countries soon.On Delhi Government’s performance, he said it has ensured welfare of all sections of society besides carrying out major infra-structural development.

Jagan Mohan Reddy case: N Srinivasan named in new chargesheetHyderabad: N Srinivasan, who has stepped aside as the chief of India’s cricket board, has been named in one of three fresh chargesheets filed by the CBI in the Jaganmohan Reddy dispro-portionate assets case today. The chargesheets have been filed against three companies - India Cements, which is promoted by Mr Srinivasan, Penna Cements and Bharathi Cements. Counsel for Jagan, Ashok Reddy, said the CBI had informed the court that the final three chargesheets in the case would be filed over the next two to three days. That should come as mu-sic to the ears of Jagan and his supporters as the top court had said in May this year that after the final chargesheet in the case is filed, Jagan can ap-ply for bail.The investigation agency alleges that India Cements invested up to Rs. 140 crore in Jagan’s companies as quid pro quo for water allot-ted to their plants in Nalgonda and at Tandur in Ranga Reddy district when his father YSR Reddy

was the chief minister of Andhra Pradesh. India Cements is already listed as an accused in a First Information Report filed in 2011 and Mr Srinivasan has been interrogated twice by the CBI in this case.The agency has similarly alleged that Penna Cements, promoted by Pratap Reddy, in-vested Rs. 68 crores in Jagathi Publications and Carmel Asia, both owned by Jagan, as a quid pro quo for over 1500 acres of land allotted preferen-tially.The third company charged today, Bharati Cements, has now become Raghuram Cements and was owned by Jagan, is said to have been al-lotted land in excess of what was allowed accord-ing to law. Jagan heads the YSR Congress party, which he formed when he split from the Con-gress after his father died in a helicopter crash four years ago. Jagan has been in jail for the last 15 months. His party alleges that he is the target of political revenge by the Congress, which it al-leges, is afraid of Jagan’s popularity.

Houses for Uttarakhand flood victims to be put in place by October 30: Vijay Bahuguna

NEW DELHI: Pre-fabricated house structures will be put in place at 19 locations in Uttarakhand before Octo-ber 30 to rehabilitate those displaced in the catastrophic June flash floods, Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna has said.“We have identified 19 locations in Uttarakhand where pre-fabricated structures will be put in place to reha-bilitate those who were displaced due to the catastrophic floods. “Around 70 to 100 families can be rehabilitated in one village which will have all the basic facilities including school, hospital and a community centre,” Bahuguna told PTI in an in-terview.

“The life span of these houses is esti-mated to be more than 35 years. We have floated tenders in this regard and the deadline has been set for October 30. The state government is giving Rs 3000 rent per month to them as of now,” he said. Bahugua also said that he hopes to bring the state’s tourism-based econ-omy back on track before the next summer. “Uttarakhand’s economy is based on tourism and we are working hard to bring that back on track. We are working round the clock and hope that things will get normal before the next summer though weather will play a major role in this,” the chief minister said. On being asked if the state was

facing any financial crisis, Bahuguna said it was getting enough support from the Centre but added that he was willing to accept other states’ contribution for the renovation work in Kedarnath. “We are getting enough financial assistance from the Centre. As far as renovation of Kedarnath temple is concerned, it will be done primarily by the Uttarakhand government but we are open to accept assistance from other states. “We will

make the budget and design public and will ask for public’s comment on it. If any other state wants to help us, they can,” he said.

Difficult to function as an independent

agency: CBI tells SC

NEW DELHI: The CBI on Tuesday told the Su-preme Court that it was facing difficulty in func-tioning as an independent investigating agency. The premier investigating agency said that it was functioning under a stranglehold of bureaucrats, during a hearing related to the coal scam. The agency told the apex court that its proposals are often returned with 20 objections noted by a head clerk in the department. It sought that CBI director’s proposals be routed directly to the minister in charge of the depart-ment of personnel and training.

‘Our son is inno-cent,’ says family of Delhi accused

When the verdict in the Delhi gang rape case was being delivered, the house of accused Akshay Thakur in Karma Le-heng village in Bihar’s Aurangabad dis-trict was facing a power cut. His family was hardly eager about to hear the judg-ment, having no expectations of relief from the court.“My son is innocent. I am fully confi-dent of that. Take all our property and belongings, but just give me back my son,” said Akshay’s distraught mother Malti Devi broke down when told about the verdict. Her relentless pleas have taken the form of hysteria. Family members dis their best to console her in vain. On the eve of the verdict, she fainted from exhaustion.Tension and distress is writ large on everyone’s faces at Akshay’s house. No one would believe that the 28-year-old youth, who never gave them any cause to complain, could ever be involved in the crime.“He was at home on December 16. The government should give him back to us in a fit condition, just the way we handed him over to the police. We will fight till the end, even if we have to sell all that we own,” Malti Devi said.“He has been framed,” said his wife Punita Devi. “They took him away to interro-gate and then arrested him. He said he is innocent and will be saved. I think he will come back. I just want my husband back,” she said as tears welled up in her eyes.