Police probe threat to India’s richest man

 

Mukesh Ambani at the India Economic Summit 2007 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

 

Indian police are probing a threatening letter sent by militant Islamists to India’s richest man, Mukesh Ambani, for supporting a nationalist politician, police and reports said on Thursday.

 

The Mumbai Mirror said Indian Mujahideen had threatened to harm the head of the Reliance Industries group for backing Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi who is expected to make a bid to become premier in polls next year.

 

Reliance is a major investor in Gujarat and Ambani hailed Modi as a leader with a “grand vision” as well as calling him a “brother” at a major business conference in Gujarat in December.

 

The letter, delivered to a Reliance office in Mumbai, also accused Ambani of grabbing land belonging to a state-run statutory body to build his 27-storey residence in the city, believed to be the world’s most expensive private home, according to the newspaper.

 

Police confirmed they were investigating the letter, without giving details of its contents.

 

“We got the letter yesterday and we’re verifying all the facts and an inquiry is going on,” Mumbai police spokesman Satyanarayan Choudhary told AFP.

 

Indian Mujahideen has been blamed for several recent deadly attacks in India, including the recent twin attacks in southern city of Hyderabad, which killed 16 people.

 

Related articles

 

• Mukesh Ambani’s security cover not a dole (thehindu.com)
• India assigns commando squad to protect its richest man (with gallery) (vancouverdesi.com)

 

Indian Convicts Redefine ‘Business’ Behind Bars

The Holy Bible says, “Hear, O man; what does the Lord require of you but to love mercy, do justice, and walk humbly with your God?” Criminals are often judged as the unwanted part of the society. May be they have committed crimes for which they were convicted once, but government takes many corrective measures to inspire them to go out and live a respectful life after their conviction. Here we sum up few business initiatives taken by those who were punished and sent to jail once, but now are turning themselves to successful entrepreneurs.

1. Inmates Turned Fashion Designers- Tihar jail

A collection of clothes designed by women inmates of the Tihar Jail were displayed at a fashion show as part of Women’s Day celebrations. The Tihar Jail has for the past five to six months been running a fashion designing course with about 550 women inmates currently enrolled in the course. “The message that we want to give through this event is that we can manufacture quality products in the jail which can compete with any branded items in the market,” said Sunil Kumar, Chief PRO, Tihar Jail. The jail has a factory which has 1100 people employees and the turnover was 15 crore last year and this year it has been around 30 crore.

2. Bakers Behind the Bar- Kerala Jails

After netting a handsome revenue of 6.75 crore in nine months through food-making venture, prisons in Kerala are planning to diversify into more products like cakes, pepped and footwear with an aim of fruitfully engaging prisoners and selling these items to the common man at affordable prices. According to a top Prison Department official, the prison food business posted an impressive turnover of 6.75 crore in the first nine months of this year and is expected to touch about 10 crore by the end of March, 2013.

When Kerala Prison Department ventured into the food business, the sole model before it was the food-making unit of Tihar Jail in Delhi, which sold about of 1.5 crore chapatis and 20 lakh packets of chicken curry last year. While hotels charge 75-90 for a plate of chicken curry and 7-8 for one chapati, the jail chicken-chapati combine costs just 30. The prisoners also benefit from the initiative with cooks and helpers earning 117 as their daily wages so that they can send an average of 3500 to their families a month.

3. Convicts Take a Shine to Leather – Indore Jail

The Indore jail prisoners have a new passion. And the passion also involves fashion. With 40-50 kg of leather made accessible to them every month, the inmates are busy whipping out leather goods to be sold locally. The jail has also been planning to market the handbags and wallets Bhopal, and a national squash later. The training is imparted by the Tata International Ltd, ), engaged in the business of leather goods.

“At present, the leather products (bag, handbags and wallets) are sold locally by small retailers. This is because the quality is not up to the level of a TIL product. To help them achieve the required quality, a technical person will be sent to the jail to train one of the inmates, who will be the master trainer. He, in turn, will teach the others,” said a company spokesperson, stated Business Line.

Cakes costing below 100 and low-price rubber sandals are the next in line and the food business initiative would be extended to two more prisons soon.

4. Handicrafts in Cuff – Jagdalpur Jail

The prisoners at Jagdalpur Jail have set a very inspiring example for many who have been convicted. Inmates at Jagdalpur Central Jail make a wide range of eminent mats and bed sheets, which are in high demand in global markets. There are also around 351 convicts who make art work, handicraft and other designer materials worth 1 crore every year.  “Now, they are always busy in different kinds of activities. These prisoners were being trained in handicrafts and other works so that they could start their own business after being released from the jail”, an official said, stated dailypioneer.com.

The jail has also arranged short term courses that help the prisoners to utilize their free time as well as use their labor in a positive way. The also make other products apart from bed sheets and mats like, beds, sofas, dining-tables, chairs, office tables, steel furniture, cupboards, terracotta items, swings, foot mats, table mats, pen holders and items with cloth, like towels.

5. Penitentiary “Dabbas”  – Tihar Jail

The women prisoners in Tihar Jail are ready to launch their own Tiffin services, and Tihar will be the first prison to start such a business. The idea was that the inmates would prepare the meal and supply lunch to corporate houses and government offices athwart the city.

 Director General (Prisons) Vimla Mehra told Newline, “We are planning to start with the women’s jail first and expand the project to the other jails according to the demand. The number of tiffins, inmates to be engaged in the project, the cuisine and menu depends on the demand. Tihar will try its best to satisfy the customers and give them excellent quality and tasty food” Once instigated the service will be an add on to Tihar’s bakery and snacks business that sells ISO-certified biscuits, nut crackers, salty mixtures and other snack items.

#Boston Marathon blasts leave ‘so many people without legs’

President Barack Obama said perpetrators would pay

Two bomb blasts which brought carnage to the Boston marathon with three dead and more than 100 injured was being treated Tuesday as a “potential terrorist” attack.

The two explosions 13 seconds apart threw victims into the air as the famed race came to an end, tearing the limbs off some. An eight-year-old boy was reportedly among the dead.

As cities from New York to Los Angeles went on high alert, Americans with ever-vivid

Security was stepped up in major cities across the United States amid fears of a repeat of the September 11, 2001 attacks. President Barack Obama said those who planted the bombs will “feel the full weight of justice.”

 Runners continue to run towards the finish line of the Boston Marathon as an explosion erupts near the finish line of the race in this photo exclusively licensed to Reuters by photographer Dan Lampariello after he took the photo in Boston, Massachusetts, April 15, 2013. Two simultaneous explosions ripped through the crowd at the finish line of the Boston Marathon on Monday, killing at least two people and injuring dozens on a day when tens of thousands of people pack the streets to watch the world famous race.  REUTERS/Dan Lampariello

Obama went on national television to warn against “jumping to conclusions”, but a senior White House official said such an attack was “clearly an act of terror.”

Special agent Rick DesLauriers, who heads the FBI’s Boston bureau, told reporters: “It is a criminal investigation that is a potential terrorist investigation.”

More than 100 people were injured, Massachusetts governor Deval Patrick said, without giving an exact figure. The Boston Globe said more than 140 were hurt and that one of those killed at the scene was an eight-year-old boy.

Surgeons worked into the night on the wounded from the two powerful blasts, which were about 100 yards (metres) from each other.

Police and doctors quoted by US media said ball bearings had been packed into the bombs causing horrific injuries.

Some people had arms and legs torn off at the scene. Several victims had “traumatic amputations” at the race medical tent or in hospitals, said Alasdair Conn, head of emergency medicine at the city’s Massachusetts General Hospital.

Five other hospitals were also used for the victims.

More than 27,000 runners were in the 26.2 mile (42 kilometer) race that is one of the world’s most prestigious marathons. Tens of thousands of people were packed around the finish. Many of the runners had completed the race when the bombs erupted.

The blast and clouds of smoke tore through crowds on Boston’s Boylston Street and blew out nearby shop windows. Streets around the bomb sites were kept closed as forensic experts moved in.

Video footage on American TV showed the detonation behind a row of national flags. One 78-year-old runner was blown to the ground and many bloodied spectators were pushed by the force of the blast through barriers onto the street.

Bill Iffrig, the runner who fell, said “the shockwave must have hit me. My legs felt like noodles.” But he got up and walked away again and told his story to many US media.

But other witnesses near the bombs told how bodies had been piled up on top of each other.

“We saw people with their legs blown off,” Mark Hagopian, owner of the Charlesmark Hotel, told AFP from the basement of a restaurant where he had sought shelter.

“A person next to me had his legs blown off at the knee — he was still alive.”

“It was very loud. You could feel the ground shake,” added Dan Lamparello, another witness.

NBC News, citing officials, reported that police had found “multiple explosive devices” in Boston, raising the possibility of a coordinated attack.

Boston authorities urged people not to congregate in large crowds and the area around the attacks was sealed off.

Police warned there would be heightened security around the city on Tuesday with random checks of backpacks and bags on buses and commuter trains. Many streets would also remain closed.

Governor Patrick said late Monday “the city of Boston is open and will be open tomorrow, but it will not be business as usual.”

The twin explosions come more than a decade after nearly 3,000 people were killed in airplane strikes on New York, Washington and Pennsylvania on September 11, 2001.

Security was stepped up in New York and Washington — both sites of 9/11 attacks — as well as in Los Angeles and San Francisco.

New York police boosted security at hotels and other city landmarks. The Boston blasts rattled US markets, sending the Dow and the S&P 500 down at the close.

The national flag over the white dome of the US Capitol in Washington was lowered to half-mast in honor of the blast victims.

 

New York City police officers patrol outside the Barclays Center prior to a Brooklyn Nets basketball game on April 15, 2013 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. Police say they have stepped up security following explosions at the Boston Marathon that resulted in two deaths and more than 100 injuries.  (Getty Images/AFP)

Karunanidhi warns of pulling out of UPA over Sri Lanka

DMK chief M Karunanidhi on Friday warned his party will pull out of the UPA government if India does not press for an independent international probe against those responsible for the genocide in Sri Lanka in the US-sponsored resolution in the UNHRC against the island nation.

In a statement issued here late night, Karunanidhi, referring to the US sponsored resolution at the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC), said: “India should take steps to amend the American resolution to include thatt those war criminals responsible for the genocide in Sri Lanka be identified, hold a free international enquiry against them and take time bound appropriate action.”

“If this request is not heeded, it will be meaningless for the DMK to continue in the central government,” he added.

DMK, with 18 members in the Lok Sabha, is a key constituent in the central United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government.

IANS

Related articles

• “Take forward resolution against Sri Lanka” (thehindu.com)
• DMK puts UPA on notice on Sri Lanka resolution (thehindu.com)

Six Indian Women Who Dared to Make a Difference

“The strength of a woman is not measured by the impact that all her hardships in life have had on her; but the strength of a woman is measured by the extent of her refusal to allow those hardships to dictate her and who she becomes,” said author C. JoyBell C. This indeed stands true as being a woman is certainly not easy! A woman toils all day long and she is the one who touches the lives of many with her ways. This Women’s Day its time yet again to honor and appreciate the spirit of womanhood. Here are 6 Indian women activists listed by MSN, who have done their little bit to contribute to the society and dared to be different.

Irom Sharmila

Also known as the “Iron Lady of Manipur”, Irom is a civil rights activist, political activist, and poet from Manipur. Irom has been on a hunger strike since 2 November 2000, to demand that the Indian government repeal the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, 1958 (AFSPA), which she blames for violence in Manipur and other parts of northeast India. She has refused food and water for more than 500 weeks, and has been called “the world’s longest hunger striker”.

Recently she was also charged with Section 309 (attempt to commit suicide) of IPC for fasting at Jantar Mantar in Delhi. The courts have used an absurd law in the case and it only makes the matter more baffling. Appearing before the court she said “I am not committing suicide. This is my way of protest. I am protesting by non-violent means,” reported PTI.

Mallika Sarabhai

Mallika is an activist and Indian classical dancer from Ahmedabad. She is the daughter of classical dancer Mrinalini Sarabhai and renowned space scientist Vikram Sarabhai. She is also a talented Kuchipudi and Bharatanatyam dancer. She has received many awards, Padma Bhushan being one of them in 2010.

Mallika says women should change but good men should speak up against the violence and make a change in society. She was quoted by the Hindu, saying, “It is because good men have been silent that these other men have not been shamed. The good men should stand up and publicly tell them that their acts of violence are not a sign of manhood but of cowardice.”

Mallika is also known to have protested against Gujarat Chief Minister, Narendra Modi during Sadbhavna Mission in September, 2011.  She accused Modi of scampering the petition filed in Supreme Court by her on the 2002 Gujarat violence.

Arundhati Roy

This name needs no introduction. Roy is an Indian author and political activist who also won the 1998 Man Booker Prize for Fiction winning novel ‘The God of Small Things’. She is actively involved in environmental and human rights causes. Roy has also been on numerous lists of the most beautiful women in the world.

Roy is a spokesperson of the anti-globalization/alter-globalization movement and a passionate critic of neo-imperialism and of the global policies of the U.S. She also criticizes India’s nuclear weapons policies and the approach to industrialization and swift development as currently being practiced in India, including the Narmada Dam project and the power company Enron’s activities in India.

Roy was once quoted saying “I say I am letting my fame use me. The space for disagreement, not only in this country, but also abroad, is shrinking. Critics say we are urban elites and so can’t comment on rural problems, as if being urban is a crime. What they really want is that only powerless people in the village should protest, because they know such people can easily be crushed underfoot,” as reported by The Christian Science Monitor.

Vandana Shiva

Vandana is an Indian environmental activist and anti-globalization author. She has authored more than 20 books and was also trained as a physicist and received her Ph.D. in philosophy from the University of Western Ontario, Canada, in 1978 with the doctoral dissertation “Hidden variables and locality in quantum theory.”

Vandana is one of the leaders and board members of the International Forum on Globalization and a figure of the global solidarity movement known as the alter-globalization movement. She has argued for the wisdom of many conventional practices, as is evident from her interview in the book Vedic Ecology (by Ranchor Prime) that draws upon India’s Vedic heritage.  She is also a member of the scientific committee of the Fundacion IDEAS and the International Organization for a Participatory Society. Shiva was also awarded the Right Livelihood Award in 1993.

Aruna Roy

Aruna Roy is a political and social activist and founder of the Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangathana. She is best known as an outstanding leader of the Right to Information movement through National Campaign for People’s Right to Information, which led to the enactment of the Right to Information Act in 2005. She has also stayed as a member of the National Advisory Council.

Aruna in 2000 received the Ramon Magsaysay Award for Community Leadership, while in 2010 she received the prestigious Lal Bahadur Shastri National Award for Excellence in Public Administration, Academia and Management.

Roy most recently was in news talking about the MNREGA scheme. She said “The government says they want to end MNREGA (Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act) as it is becoming a source of corruption. It is the officers who do corruption so why should the poor bear the brunt of it. We, therefore, demand that this APL-BPL divide should be dissolved and universal pension scheme be employed,” as reported by OutlookIndia.com.

Medha Patkar

Medha is an Indian social activist. She is well-known for her role in Narmada Bachao Andolan. She has also filed a public interest petition in the Bombay High Court against Lavasa together with other members of National Alliance of People’s Movements (NAPM), including Anna Hazare. She comes from a politically and socially active family as her father had actively fought in the Indian Independence Movement, while her mother was a member of Swadar, an organization setup to help and assist women suffering difficult circumstances arising out of financial, educational problems, etc.

Patkar was often known for her extreme views on growth of country and liberalization. Author Jacques Leslie devoted a third of his book, Deep Water: The Epic Struggle Over Dams, Displaced People, and the Environment, to a portrait of Patkar as she planned to drown herself in rising reservoir waters behind the Sardar Sarovar Dam, against whose construction she fought for two decades.

 

10 Women Friendly Industries of India

The modern day’s empowered women are on a mission to conquer the world and are giving stiff competition of men in every possible field. But unfortunately, not all the industries are female friendly and offer the same perks for greater work-life balance.

Here is a list of female-friendly industries that offers flexible working hours, good maternity policies, help with child care and most of all, healthy working environment, as listed by Ankita Shreeram on ItsMyascent.

#10. Education:

Teaching is a career that screams out for women’s touch. It is a line of work that is easy to get into and in addition offers utmost flexibility in terms of schedules. The demand for quality education and the subsequent rise in the number of schools and colleges across the world is bound to create new opportunities for women who aspire to utilize their time effectively.

#9. Sports:

Sports may seem like a dubious choice for many, but the fact is that, it is a highly lucrative career option that offers stardom and fame. With the emergence of youth icons such as Mary Kom or Saina Nehwal, and increased backing by Government, a large number of women definitely ought to be encouraged to take up this field as a viable career option.  

#8. Human Resource:

This industry has been traditionally dominated by women. The percentage of men working in this profession is very little, with most of them occupying the top notch positions, while the lower level is predominantly under the control of females.

HR is a profession that craves for the ability to understand the underlying issues, face the challenges, and respond to them rationally, that are traits most women are intrinsically born with. The ability to apply their inherent skills to take tough decisions and manage emotions can be an added bonus for women in this profession.

#7. Food & Hospitality:

This field provides an opportunity to unleash women’s touch and creative potential to the highest degree. It is a good career that offers a high degree of flexibility and autonomy, and in addition, does not require much investment.

Women’s inherent flair to establish constructive relationships with the customers and management capabilities can prove its worth in this line of work. 

#6. Health & Fitness:

This field is in fact the best line of work for the women. Opportunities in this field are plenty, especially in health related sectors such as beauty, physiology or fitness. Kindhearted, intuitive and people centric nature of women can be a big plus in this industry. Though the initial years can be quite challenging, the flexible and accommodative nature of this field makes it an ideal and the most desirable career option for women.

#5. Social Work:

Women are generally caring, loving and compassionate by nature, which makes them a perfect-fit for this profession. Here they get do a lot of service to the humanity, especially the underprivileged.

Over the past decade the number of women in this field has risen drastically and the rise is primarily attributed to the higher intensity of social service needs. This trend towards sharp employment growth is expected to continue in the coming years.

#4. Entrepreneurship:

Presently, an increasing number of women are turning to entrepreneurship in a pursuit for greater flexibility. Artistic entrepreneurship is currently the booming line of work for women that are offering autonomy and good income opportunities.

Women have a greater chance of being successful in this field due to the fact that most women have a strong academic background, tend to be neither pushy nor rude and most of all, have a strong drive for initiating activities.

#3. Fashion and Style:

Fashion and style has always been and shall continue to be the most desirable field for women.

This field demands artistic flair and creativity that comes naturally to most females. This is an ideal option for women, since it is something they generally enjoy and understand to minute details. Flexibility and work-life balance are other perks of this field, which most women are craving for.

#2. Public Relations and Marketing:

This is an ideal profession for women because they have a natural flair for keeping others happy. The work-life balance, huge pay packages and most of the autonomy make this the most sought after field by women in the job market.

#1. Media:

Media is a glamorous and promising field, especially for women. This field demands creativity, intelligence, good communication and most of all, the artistic flair, which most women are inherently born with. Huge pay packages and the added perks are some of the factors that are luring women into this field.

 

Sethusamudram project is illegal, arbitrary and unacceptable: Subramanian Swamy

Lashing out at the UPA Government over its decision to go ahead with Sethusamudram Project despite the R. K. Pachauri Committee report suggesting it is unviable, Janata Party president Subramanian Swamy on Monday said the mega project is illegal, arbitrary and unacceptable.

“The important thing is that the project is not acceptable. It is illegal, arbitrary, unreasonable and extremely expensive,” said Swamy, while talking to reporters here.

“They (government) also clamed in their affidavit that Rs.860 crore have already been spent and therefore we want to go ahead with the project. Well if you have spent Rs.860 crore for a project which was illegal, arbitrary and unreasonable, malafide and extraordinarily expensive then according to the Supreme Court judgments, those who cleared the project they are responsible and this amount must be taken out of their wealth,” he added.

Swamy further stated that cutting of the Ram Setu (Adam’s Bridge) for this project would be a violation of section 295 (malicious of the religious sentiments of the citizen irrespective of any class) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

Sethusamudram project was started in 2005 but was suspended following the Supreme Court order and R. K. Pachauri Committee was constituted to look in to the matter.

The committee has submitted its report on Friday last week, suggesting the entire Sethusamudram project unviable on two fronts – economically as ecologically.

However, the government has rejected the Pachauri Committee report and submitted an affidavit in the Supreme Court with and intention to pursue the project cutting through the Adam’s Bridge, popularly known as Ram Setu.

Related articles

• Won’t tolerate any tampering with Ram Setu: BJP (ibnlive.in.com)

Saving the mangroves

India’s eastern coastline and regions east of India have been suffering serious environmental degradation without any sincere efforts at mitigation. The Orissa super-cyclone of 1999 smashed through huge tracts of land, taking countless lives and wrecking incalculable damage to crops, cattle, and property. The thirteen coastal districts along Tamil Nadu’s 255-kilometre long coastline are regularly exposed to cyclonic fury, and the terrifying tsunami of 2004 is still fresh in public memory.

Summer 2008 has been kind to India; Hurricane Nargis which shattered the lives of untold thousands in Myanmar has spared this land; it could so easily have been otherwise. A grim earthquake has devastated China, raising the toll of human tragedy manifold. Delhi’s unseasonal rains have also taken some lives, and the weather has been inexplicable enough for experts to seriously consider it a consequence of global warming and environmental degradation.

Resurrecting the mangroves, now almost extinct in our part of the world, can even now end this continuing legacy of human misery, this horrible haemorrhaging of the earth itself. Mangroves, literally dense forests on the shore, tolerate the salinity of sea water and protect inland water sources and soil from salinity and erosion; above all, they mitigate the impact of cyclonic winds. There is no more ecologically sensitive and cost effective measure of saving the seacoast and continental shelf than mangroves, yet we have seen least action in this direction.

Given the pulsating environmental instability in our region, it is astonishing a debate still persists regarding the desirability of the Rs 2,400-crore white elephant called the Setusamundaram Shipping Canal Project (SSCP). The plan to dredge a 300-metre wide channel through the land-link between India and Sri Lanka, to reduce the distance between the western and eastern coast ports, is opposed by environmentalists, economists and security analysts. Colombo has raised an alarm fearing human intervention on Ram Setu could threaten its very existence in the event of another tsunami, already predicted by Nature magazine (December 2007).

The historical-civilizational significance of Ram Setu is obvious. Sinhala scholar Prof Tissa Kariyawasam, former dean of the University of Jayawardenapura, Sri Lanka, says most probably Emperor Ashoka’s son Mahendra and daughter Sanghamitra came to the island by walking across the Ram Setu. It symbolizes the establishment and protection of dharma; the Skanda Purana prescribes worship of the Rama Setu and the Shivalinga installed in its middle with appropriate mantras. It is a popular place for offerings to pitrs (ancestors).

The proposal to hack a channel was publicly welcomed by the LTTE in Sri Lanka and Tamil politician Vaiko. The Indian Navy and Coast Guard warned of the possibility of facilitating militant groups! Capt. H. Balakrishnan (retd) of Chennai made an in-depth study of the SSCP’s viability, particularly the claim that it would save ships nearly 424 nautical miles (780 kms) and about 30 hours of sailing time, with commensurate savings in fuel, thereby becoming self-sustaining over time. An estimated 3055 vessels were projected to use the canal annually.

But its economic viability alone is questionable from a study of the Information Memorandum of the UTI Bank (now Axis Bank), wherein dredging costs alone are pegged at Rs 200 million in the first year. This will actually be higher as the open sea will constantly bring sand, which may keep the channel effectively closed much of the year. It is pertinent that the Suez Canal was cut through land, though it too has to be annually desilted. Many international shipping companies have already stated that using the canal would involve reducing speed, switching fuels, and incurring extra costs like canal charges and navigation assistance to negotiate it; hence it made better sense to go around Sri Lanka! With news reports suggesting cost escalation up to Rs. 4000 crores, the argument for economic viability of the project is certainly over.

The Kochi-based Centre for Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI) has warned about the adverse effect on marine bio-diversity in the protected Gulf of Mannar Biosphere Reserve, if the SSCP is implemented. Director NGK Pillai has affirmed that the 3,600 species in the biosphere would be endangered if the Gulf of Mannar was linked to the Bay of Bengal, in the manner in which the Kochi shipyard had caused loss of nearly 60 percent biodiversity in the Kochi estuary. Worldwide, the phenomenon of vanishing wildlife is reaching endemic proportions, and unless strict measures are taken, biodiversity loss could touch 60 to 70 percent in the next three decades. In this regard, the practice of trawl fishnets needs an urgent rethink, as they cause immeasurable damage to non-edible biota.

The National Institute of Ocean Technology has affirmed that the Ram Sethu is a man-made structure, dating back to antiquity, a view shared by the National Remote Sensing Agency of the Ministry of Space, which has even been tabled in Parliament. This is why, once it was forced to withdraw the controversial affidavit denying the existence of Sri Ram, the Union Tourism and Culture Ministry insisted only an archaeological investigation could determine if the Ram Setu is man-made, and a legitimate heritage site worthy of protection under the Ancient Monuments Preservation Act, 1904. With monsoons ruling out an early investigation, the project is virtually in a limbo for the present.

But the danger is far from over as the forces behind SSCP are resourceful and powerful, as reflected in the ingenuous argument of protecting the Ram Setu while continuing with the project through a different alignment! It needs to be understood that the Ram Setu is a single, somewhat winding, land track between Sri Lanka and India, wide enough for an army to cross over. Over the centuries, natural erosion in the turbulent waters there has cut natural channels into it, wide enough for shallow boats to cross over to either side.

Any move to preserve the pristine glory of the Setu must envisage filling these passages and restoring the ‘Ram path’ between the two nations. Stopping SSCP vandalism at a spot where dredging is difficult and attacking the structure at a more vulnerable point, in the name of realignment, is desecration in disguise. It is pertinent that the southern sands are rich in thorium, our nuclear future. India does not need unnecessary activity in this area.

 Sandhya Jain -The Pioneer, 27 May 2008

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The Rape Report: Cases From Across the Country

Thane, Maharashtra

A 40-year-old man from powerloom town of Bhiwandi here was sentenced to seven years of imprisonment by a local court today for abducting and raping a 12-year-old girl in 2010.

Thane Additional Sessions Judge U B Shukla awarded the sentence to Arif Ahmed Memon. He was also slapped with a fine of Rs 10,000.

The girl, a fifth grade student, and the accused were residents of the same locality.

Chikmagalur, Karnataka

Five police personnel, including two women attached to Aldur police station in this district, were today placed under suspension following allegations by a woman that three policemen raped her while she was in their custody, police said.

Western Range IGP Pratap Reddy told reporters here that sub-inspector K R Shivakumar, constables Gururaj, K B Mahesh, woman constable Krithika and woman assistant sub-inspector Nandita Shetty have been suspended pending probe on the complaint filed by the victim.

The victim alleged that the three policemen sexually assaulted her on February 18 in Bangalore when they took her into custody in connection with a gold chain theft case.

The two women police personnel were present when the victim was taken into custody.

The woman and the policemen have been subjected to medical examination and the report is awaited, Reddy said.

Faridabad, Haryana

A nine-year-old girl was allegedly raped twice by her neighbour’s son at SGM Nagar area here.

“Rohit, son of Rita Sachdeva, raped twice the girl during the last eight-month period as the victim was staying with Sachdeva’s family with her mother’s consent,” police said today.

Earlier, Sachdeva had requested the victims’ mother to give the girl in her care.

The victim’s mother has a dispute with her husband and a case of divorce is pending in court, police said, adding, her mother had given consent to Sachdeva to take care of the girl.

About eight-month ago, the victim’s mother had gone to her village and returned three days back to meet her daughter when the girl narrated the incident.

The victim was sent for medical test and rape has been confirmed, police said.

Police have arrested Rohit after registering a case of rape.

Jhargram, West Bengal

A tribal girl was allegedly raped by a youth at Jhargram town, police said today.

Superintendent of Police of Jhargram Bharati Ghosh said the girl, a class X student was returning home from private tuition at around 9 pm last night when a youth forcibly took her to a field at Bachur doba area and allegedly raped her.

The girl narrated the incident to her family.

The girl’s mother lodged a rape complaint at the Jhargram police station, the SP said.

A medical test of the girl was conducted, the SP said adding investigations were on.

Vidisha, Madhya Pradesh

A 23-year-old girl who was subjected to eve teasing by a neighbour committed suicide by hanging herself at her home, police said today.

The incident took place at Chopda Mohalla yesterday when the victim was alone at her home, they said.

Her neighbour, one Manoj Kushwaha, allegedly used to tease her and upset with it, she hung herself from the ceiling fan in the room yesterday when she was alone, they said quoting girl’s mother Hemlata Sharma.

Hemlata was living with her only daughter as her husband and son had died earlier, police said.

A case has been registered against Manoj, who is absconding, they said, adding that efforts were on to nab him.

Can’t do business without paying bribe: #Berlusconi

Defending Finmeccanica SpA’s jailed ex-chief executive officer Giuseppe Orsi, Italy’s three-time former prime minister Silvio Berlusconi on Thursday said bribes are a necessary part of doing business globally.

 ”Bribes are a phenomenon that exists and it’s useless to deny the existence of these necessary situations,” Berlusconi said in a televised interview.

 ”These are not crimes. We’re talking about paying a commission to someone in that country. Why, because those are the rules in that country,” the former premier was quoted as saying by Bloomberg.

 In February 2010, India had inked the deal to acquire the 12 three-engine AW-101 helicopters from AgustaWestland for IAF‘s elite Communication Squadron, which ferries the President, PM and other VVIPs.

 The deal came under the scanner of Italian agencies after allegations of kickback given in India surfaced.

The agencies arrested Orsi on Tuesday as part of their probe related to international corruption.

It is alleged that Orsi, who was heading the helicopter unit, when the deal was struck, was involved in the bribery.
Around 50 million euros (Rs 362 crore approximately), about 10 per cent of the deal, were alleged to have been given as bribes to ensure that the company won the contract.

Italian news agency ANSA quoted Berlusconi as saying that probes by Italian prosecutors into contracts Italian firms sign abroad were a form of “economic suicide”.

“Everyone knows that as well as the tenders, agreements between governments are also involved,” Berlusconi said.
He added: “The fact that there is the risk of magistrates intervening I consider to be economic suicide”.

Related articles

• Italian police arrest Finmeccanica CEO in corruption probe (ktrmurali.wordpress.com)

• Rs217cr paid as bribe for Rs3,600cr VVIP #Chopper deal? (ktrmurali.wordpress.com)