INDIA COUNTRY BRIEF 100503

Basic Political Developments

Railway Minister and chief of Trinamool Congress party Mamata Banerjee on Sunday announced candidates for all 141 seats in the Kolkata Municipal Corporation elections, confirming no ties with the Congress.

J & K main opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is slowly spreading its branches in the Jammu region. Its patron Mufti Mohmmad Sayeed calls it the 'party of hope'.

Opposition Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) on Monday demanded that a special session of Jharkhand Assembly be convened and Chief Minister Shibu Soren prove his strength in the house in view of the withdrawal of support by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to the government.

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi on Monday met UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi and demanded the early passage of the Women’s Reservation Bill in the Lok Sabha. The DMK chief was accompanied by his daughter-MP Kanimozhi and grand nephew and Union Textiles Minister Dayanidhi Maran.

The Lok Sabha was on Monday adjourned for the day after repeated disruptions by opposition members over the controversial allocation of 2G telecom spectrum, as well as the alleged involvement of a central minister in arms dealing.

Opposition parties including the Left, BJP, AIADMK, Shiv Sena, SP, JD(U) and AGP today stalled proceedings in the Rajya Sabha pressing the government to come clear on the name of a union minister alleged to have links with a Bangladeshi arms dealer. Raising the matter during Zero Hour, Moinul Hassan (CPI-M) said a central minister reportedly gave Rs 1.2 lakh to an arms dealer from Bangladesh through his partymen.

I S Israni committee appointed by the High Court to look into the reservation demand of Gujjars in Rajasthan has recommended the government to grant quota and special backward class status to the community.

National Economic Trends The government will need to shell out Rs 6,000 crore more in food subsidy to

support poor families under the proposed Food Security Act due to the revised estimate of the number of poor families in the country. Food subsidy will account for about 1.1% of the gross domestic product in the current fiscal year, compared with 0.9% last year, said a study by Deutche Bank. The Union budget has

provided just Rs 55,578.18 crore for food subsidy, compared with Rs 56,002 crore (revised estimates) spent in 2009-10.

India's gross domestic product (GDP) may grow 8.2 percent in the 2010/11 year, a RBI's survey of economists showed, raising their forecastGainers & losers Q4 Earnings from 7.9 percent in the last survey, three months ago. For 2010/11, economists have assigned a 44.2 percent probability to 8.0-8.4 percent range for GDP growth, the Reserve Bank of India said on Monday.

Business, Energy or Environmental regulations or discussions

Glenmark Pharmaceuticals Ltd said on Monday it has signed a licensing agreement with France's Sanofi-Aventis for development and commercialisation of novel agents to treat chronic pain. Under the terms of the agreement, Glenmark will receive an upfront payment of $20 million, and licensing fees could come to $325 million.

The Hiranandani Group, plans to set up a 2,500-mw plant near Pune at an investment of more than Rs 10,000 crore, marking its foray into the power sector.

Era Infra Engineering Ltd said on Monday it has secured orders worth 1.02 billion rupees. The orders were for a 132/33 KV sub-station on turnkey basis worth 403.1 million rupees and a 400 KV transmission line worth 340 million rupees from Haryana Vidhyut Prasaran Nigam Ltd.

Balrampur Chini Mills Ltd said on Monday it has signed a pact with Tata Power Co Ltd to sell power at approximately 6.50 rupees per unit.

Coca-Cola India is running against time to launch its sports drink Powerade in the country before the Commonwealth Games in October. The official beverages partner is keen to have a sports drink in its portfolio before the games takes off in New Delhi even if that means importing the product.

Titan Industries Ltd sources said it plans to enter the South African market in a few months and sees nearly 10 percent of watch export revenues coing from there in 5 years. We will shortly be entering South Africa in the next few months, we have found a distributor there who will be our partner to enter the market there”.

Diversified infrastructure group Jaiprakash Associates Ltd today said it has reported a 57 per cent jump in its cement sales at 12.47 lakh tonnes. The company had sold 7.93 lakh tonnes of cement during April 2009. The cement dispatch figure include sale of clinker.

Activity in the Oil and Gas sector (including regulatory)

Militant Activity/Terrorism (Particularly in Bangalore, Mumbai, Noida, Chennai, Coimbatore)

Maoist rebels killed a member of the 'Salwa Judum', a local militia formed to fight Maoists, in Chhattisgarh's Bijapur District on Sunday.

Maoists shot dead a man in Jhargram in West Bengal's West Midnapore district on Monday. Police suspect Mandi was killed due to differences with Maoists. Maoist posters were found beside the body.

Four Bihar Military Police (BMP) soldiers were killed and one injured, when the Maoists opened fire on a police patrol party in Bihar's Aurangabad District on Monday. Aurangabad Superintendent of Police Sanjay Kumar Singh said "Six Maoists, armed with sophisticated weapons, indiscriminately fired at them. Four BMP jawans were killed on the spot, while another was seriously injured."

Intelligence Bureau officials said Pakistan-based terror outfit Lashkar-e-Tayiba had tried to disrupt the trial of Ajmal Kasab by carrying out a series of attacks in India on at least three occasions in the last one year.

Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi on Monday asked the Citizen's Forum members to make clear whether they personally support or reject the demand for sovereignty the outlawed United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) has advocated.

Pakistani terrorist Ajmal Amir Kasab, the lone surviving 26/11 gunman, was convicted by a special court in Mumbai on Monday for the audacious Mumbai attacks that had left 166 people dead.

Unfazed by the Manipur government's decision to prevent his entry to the state fearing ethnic trouble, NSCN (I-M) general secretary Thuingaleng Muivah has said he will go ahead with his planned visit to the state.

Union Home Minister P Chidambaram today said that the conviction of Ajmal Kasab and acquittal of two local accomplices in Mumbai attack case shows India is governed by rule of law but sends a message to Pakistan that it should not export terror.

Labor/Social Unrest

Full Text

Basic Political Developments

TMC announces nominees, to go alone in Kolkata civic poll http://in.news.yahoo.com/139/20100503/808/tnl-tmc-announces-nominees-to-go-alone-i_1.htmlMay 3 01:35 PMKolkata, May 3 (ANI): India's Railways Minister and chief of Trinamool Congress Mamata Banerjee party, on Sunday announced candidates for all 141 seats in the Kolkata Municipal Corporation elections, confirming no ties. Blaming Congress party for helping West Bengal's ruling Left Front government, Banerjee ruled out any seat adjustment with her central ally.

Roots in Kashmir, PDP spreads branches in Jammu http://in.news.yahoo.com/43/20100503/812/tnl-roots-in-kashmir-pdp-spreads-branche_1.htmlMay 3 11:37 AMJammu, May 3 (IANS) With its roots in the Kashmir Valley, main opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is slowly spreading its branches in the Jammu region. Its patron Mufti Mohmmad Sayeed calls it the 'party of hope'.

At a time when the traditional political forces of Jammu, like the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), have restricted their activities to holding press conferences and issuing releases, the PDP called its supporters to the streets on the issue of price rise and resolution of the Kashmir problem.

The April 26 demonstrations in all the 10 district headquarters of the Jammu region - in which PDP supporters took part in hundreds - surprised the residents of Jammu, as also the party itself. The PDP now has an effective membership of 13,000 active members in Jammu city alone.

Although the PDP had tried to make inroads into the Jammu region when it was in power for three years between 2002 and 2005, the party spoilt its chances when it spoke of 'Muslim Kashmir versus Hindu India' during the Amarnath land row in 2008.

The party's office was attacked several times by protestors and the effigies of party leaders - patron Mufti Sayeed and his daughter and party president Mehbooba Mufti - were burnt on the streets of Jammu by demonstrators, who were seeking restoration of 100 acres of land to the Shri Amarnath Shrine Board. The PDP was against the restoration.

Another irritant for the people of Jammu was the party symbol of pen and inkpot inscribed on a green flag, as it was the symbol of the Muslim United Front (MUF) - the original version of the Hurriyat Conference in pre-militancy days in the 1980s.

'Things have changed, people have understood what we did for the people of all the three regions (Jammu, Ladakh and Kashmir) during our rule and how we project their issues. That's why they are turning to us,' Mehbooba Mufti told IANS.

The PDP, which was formed in July 1999, could not win even a single seat from the region in the 2002 assembly elections, but won two seats in the 2008 assembly polls.

In all, the party has 21 seats in the 87-member assembly, five up from 16 of 2002.

Jammu, which has a 198-km international border with Pakistan and about a 250-km Line of Control (LoC) with Pakistan, has been the worst sufferer in the exchange of gunfire between Indian and Pakistani armies.

Border residents had to flee their homes and more than 100,000 families were uprooted from the border belt in 2002, when the Indian Army moved to the border following a terrorist assault on the Indian parliament in December 2001.

'Our call for peace on the borders and dialogue between India and Pakistan resulted in the November 2003 ceasefire. As a result there was peace from Kathua to Kargil (from Jammu plains to the trans-Himalayan heights),' PDP patron Sayeed, the then chief minister, told IANS.

'For them, we are the party of hope,' he said.

For the more than five million people of the Jammu region - 60 percent Hindus and 35 percent Muslims - the valley is the first love of Kashmir-centric parties.

'But PDP rule had given us a feeling that we too matter,' said Subash Anand, the employee of a private company.

'I did not vote for the PDP, but now when I reflect on what the party had done, I feel the party deserves better treatment,' he added.

What has impressed the residents of Jammu is that Sayeed was the first chief minister who stated that 'Jammu would have to play its role in the resolution of the Kashmir issue'.

RJD asks Soren to show strength in Assemblyhttp://beta.thehindu.com/news/national/article420622.ece

Opposition Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) on Monday demanded that a special session of Jharkhand Assembly be convened and Chief Minister Shibu Soren prove his strength in the house in view of the withdrawal of support by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to the government.

“The governor should immediately convene a special session and ask the Soren government to show his strength in the house and clear the political uncertainty,” RJD State unit president Girinath Singh told a news conference here.

“If the chief minister fails to show his strength the governor could call the second largest alliance to form the government ... We are with secular forces,” he said.

Mr. Singh also demanded to know why the BJP parliamentary board put on hold its decision to withdraw support to the government that had stalled all development works triggering a ‘political vacuum’ in the State.

“JMM leader Hemant Soren and Deputy Chief Minister Sudesh Mahto both had yesterday claimed Shibu Soren continues as the chief minister at the head of the JMM/BJP/AJSU coalition. But there is no word from the state leaders of BJP on the fate of the government,” he added.

Karunanidhi meets Sonia, demands early passage of Women’s Bill http://beta.thehindu.com/news/national/article420354.ece?homepage=trueTamil Nadu Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi on Monday met UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi and demanded the early passage of the Women’s Reservation Bill in the Lok Sabha.

Mr. Karunanidhi, who is here on a three-visit, met the Congress president at her 10, Janpath residence here.

The DMK chief will meet Prime Minister Manmohan Singh later in the evening.

Issues like the early passage of Women’s Reservation Bill in the Lok Sabha came up for discussion during the meeting which lasted about 30 minutes.

The Bill was passed by Rajya Sabha by a two-thirds majority on March 9, 2010 with the support of the BJP and the Left parties.

The DMK chief said, “I told Sonia Gandhi that steps should be taken to pass the Women’s Reservation Bill in Lok Sabha as soon as possible.”

He is also understood to have brought to Gandhi’s notice the need for Parliament to pass with two-thirds majority the Tamil Nadu Assembly resolution to revive the Legislative Council, which was abolished in 1984.

The DMK chief was accompanied by his daughter-MP Kanimozhi and grand nephew and Union Textiles Minister Dayanidhi Maran.

Mr. Karunanidhi had on Sunday backed Telecom Minister A. Raja and virtually ruled out his resignation as demanded by Opposition parties over the 2G spectrum controversy.

Asked whether he discussed any political issue with Ms. Gandhi, the DMK chief said, “There is more time for the Assembly elections in Tamil Nadu to come....”

Asked whether inter-State water disputes came up for discussion, he replied in the negative.

Lok Sabha adjourned for the day over 2G spectrum row http://in.news.yahoo.com/43/20100503/818/tnl-lok-sabha-adjourned-for-the-day-over_1.htmlMay 3 05:38 PMNew Delhi, May 3 (IANS) The Lok Sabha was Monday adjourned for the day after repeated disruptions by opposition members over the controversial allocation of 2G telecom spectrum, as well as the alleged involvement of a central minister in arms dealing.

The lower house was adjourned twice before it re-assembled at 2 p.m. for a short duration discussion on caste-based killings.

But even as some members started speaking, AIADMK members went towards the speaker's podium demanding the resignation of Communications and Information Technology Minister A. Raja for his alleged financial impropriety in the allocation of 2G spectrum.

The members of the Left parties also trooped towards the podium over media reports that a central minister was involved in arms dealing.

Amidst the din, the house passed three bills which included Employees State Insurance (Amendment) Bill, 2009, and Payment of Gratuity (Amendment) Bill, 2010, moved by Labour Minister Malikarjun Kharge.

Health and Family Welfare Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad moved the Clinical Establishments (Registration and Regulation) Bill, 2010, which was also passed by the house.

When the house assembled at 11 a.m., members of the AIADMK, the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and the Samajwadi Party (SP) walked towards the speaker's podium, raising slogans and brandishing copies of a national newspaper that carried reports of alleged financial irregularities on the part of Raja in the 2G spectrum allocation.

Speaker Meira Kumar tried to conduct the proceedings amidst the din but failed and adjourned the house till noon.

When the Lok Sabha re-assembled at noon, members of the AIADMK, the RJD, the SP and the Janata Dal-United (JD-U) again marched towards the speaker's podium on the same issue. AIADMK MPs demanded that Raja, who belongs to the DMK, step down over the allegations.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) and the Telegu Desam Party (TDP) MPs supported the AIADMK's demand but did not join the protests.

The spectrum scam created a furore in parliament after a newspaper report on the tapping of phone conversations between a high-profile lobbyist and public relations firm owner and Raja alleged wrongdoing in the allocation of 2G spectrum.

SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav and RJD leader Lalu Prasad, meanwhile, led their MPs in separate protests to demand a caste-based census.

The Left and JD-U MPs added to the chaos in the house as they opposed the introduction of the Foreign Educational Institutions (Regulation of Entry and Operations) Bill, 2010. Amidst the ruckus, Human Resource Development Minister Kapil Sibal introduced the bill, which proposes to allow foreign education providers set up campuses in India and offer degrees.

As the ruckus continued, the speaker adjourned the house till 2 p.m.

'Union Minister involved in illegal arms deal'http://www.ptinews.com/news/636634_-Union-Minister-involved-in-illegal-arms-deal-New Delhi, May 3 (PTI) A united opposition today stalled proceedings in the Rajya Sabha pressing the government to come clear on the name of a union minister alleged to have links with a Bangladeshi arms dealer.

Opposition parties including the Left, BJP, AIADMK, Shiv Sena, SP, JD(U) and AGP persisted with their demand for a clearcut response from the government, stating it is a serious issue involving national security.

Raising the matter during Zero Hour, Moinul Hassan (CPI-M) said a central minister reportedly gave Rs 1.2 lakh to an arms dealer from Bangladesh through his partymen.

"This way, the minister and his colleagues are trying to destabilise the law and order situation in West Bengal," he alleged quoting a newspaper report, which said a central minister from the state gave money to buy illegal arms.

Committee recommends quota for Gujjarshttp://www.ptinews.com/news/636860_Committee-recommends-quota-for-GujjarsJaipur, May 3 (PTI) A committee appointed by the High Court to look into the reservation demand of Gujjars in Rajasthan has recommended the government to grant quota and special backward class status to the community.

The I S Israni committee report submitted before the High Court has endorsed the recommendations of Justice Chopra Committee, which had recommended five per cent reservation for the community in 2007 in government employment and admission to educational institutions.

The Israni committee report has also asked the government to contest the reservation issue in favour of the community.

The committee was constituted by an interim order of the High Court to defuse law and order situation arising out of Gujjars' agitations in the state.

National Economic TrendsIndia will need to shell out more towards food subsidy3 May 2010, 0240 hrs IST,Prabha Jagannathan,ET Bureauhttp://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/economy/finance/India-will-need-to-shell-out-more-towards-food-subsidy-/articleshow/5884571.cms

NEW DELHI: The government will need to shell out Rs 6,000 crore more in food subsidy to support poor families under the proposed Food Security Act due to the revised estimate of the number of poor families in the country.

Food subsidy will account for about 1.1% of the gross domestic product in the current fiscal year, compared with 0.9% last year, said a study by Deutche Bank. The Union budget has provided just Rs 55,578.18 crore for food subsidy, compared with Rs 56,002 crore (revised estimates) spent in 2009-10.

While the Planning Commission estimates pegged the number of families below the poverty line at 65.2 million, the recently accepted Tendulkar Committee report says there are 74 million such families.

The Tendulkar committee has put the annual subsidy bill at Rs 52,800 crore, Rs 6,200 higher than the plan panel estimate of Rs 46,600 crore.

Under the Food Security Act, the government will have to provide 35 kg of grain monthly to each of the 74 million poor families in the country at Rs 3 per kg. The annual amount to be spent on each of the families is estimated to be Rs 7,140.

These findings come against recent assertions by sectoral analysts that the share of food subsidy to poor families — below poverty line or BPL and consumer families of the Antyodaya Anna Yojana) — has plunged to 80% of the total subsidy under the targeted public distribution system in 2008-09, compared with 82% in 2007-08 and 84% in 2006-07.

“The increase in the BPL family headcount as well as the wider scope for per capita subsidy will clearly raise the food subsidy bill going forward,” the Deutche Bank study said.

The quantity and prices at which foodgrain is being made available to these target groups under the PDS are more generous than what was initially proposed.

“As a result, the overall cost of the initiative will rise on a per capita basis,” the study said. The recent policy initiatives that raised the number of eligible households under the subsidy umbrella and a hike in the per capita subsidy portion (to 35 kg) would raise both total food spend and the fiscal deficit from official projections, the study said.

Food subsidy bill — the difference between the economic cost of holding grain and the issue price to consumers — has already trebled from 2002-03 levels as the former has increased persistently over the last few years while the latter has remained unchanged since 2002.

Moreover, the government’s procurement of grain has increased substantially and at a higher economic cost in the last three years, pushing up grain buys sharply since 2007-08.

The study has made these projections on the premise that the Centre’s food subsidy bill for FY 2009-10 could be actually be as high as Rs 72,200 crore, a good 30% higher than the revised estimates.

India's FY11 GDP seen at 8.2%: RBI survey of analysts3 May 2010, 1738 hrs IST,REUTERS http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/economy/indicators/Indias-FY11-GDP-seen-at-82-RBI-survey-of-analysts/articleshow/5886741.cmsMUMBAI: India's gross domestic product (GDP) may grow 8.2 percent in the 2010/11 year, a RBI's survey of economists showed, raising their forecastGainers & losers Q4 Earnings from 7.9 percent in the last survey, three months ago.

For 2010/11, economists have assigned a 44.2 percent probability to 8.0-8.4 percent range for GDP growth, the Reserve Bank of India said on Monday.

The result does not reflect the views of the central bank. The bank polled 24 economists for the survey which included macro-economic parameters like GDP, inflation, interest rates, money supply and credit growth.

In its annual monetary statement last month, the RBI said it projected a real GDP growth for 2010/11 at 8.0 percent with an upside bias and kept its baseline projection for wholesale price inflation for March 2011 at 5.5 percent.

The median forecast for wholesale price index (WPI) inflation in the first quarter of 2010/11 is at 9.5 percent, higher than 7.4 percent in the previous survey.

The forecasters have assigned highest 29.6 per cent chance that it will fall in 6.0-6.9 per cent in 2010-11.

They raised their forecasts slightly for agriculture growth to 4.0 percent from 3.5 percent, for industry to 9.0 percent from 8.1 percent and for services it was steady at 9.0 percent.

The survey showed the economists expect GDP growth in the April-June quarter to be 8.1 percent up from 7.9 percent in the last survey. For the July-September quarter, GDP growth is placed at 8.3 percent.

The forecasters expect WPI inflation in the April-June quarter at 9.5 percent, revised higher than 7.4 percent in the last survey and assigned a highest 29.6 percent chance it will fall in the 6.0-6.9 percent range in 2010/11.

Business, Energy or Environmental regulations or discussionsGlenmark in licensing pact with Sanofi-Aventishttp://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/news-by-industry/healthcare/biotech/pharmaceuticals/Glenmark-in-licensing-pact-with-Sanofi-Aventis/articleshow/5885279.cms3 May 2010, 1020 hrs IST,REUTERSMUMBAI: Indian drugmaker Glenmark Pharmaceuticals Ltd said on Monday it has signed a licensing agreement with France's Sanofi-Aventis for development and commercialisation of novel agents to treat chronic pain.

Under the terms of the agreement, Glenmark will receive an upfront payment of $20 million, and licensing fees could come to $325 million, it said in a statement.

Shares of Glenmark jumped more than 11 percent during early trades on Monday.

"In addition to licensing fees, we expect to receive double-digit royalties on sales of products commercialised under the license," Glenmark Chief Executive Glen Saldhana told CNBC-TV18 television channel.

The novel agents to be developed under this deal include vanilloid receptor (TRPV3) antagonist molecules, the company said in statement.

The GRC-15300, one of the molecules being developed, is currently in phase-I of clinical development, it added.

"It's a very positive deal. The project is in the first phase... If implemented, it would generate the expected revenue in next five to six years," a pharma analyst told Reuters over the telephone.

Under the agreement, Sanofi-Aventis will have exclusive marketing rights for these novel agents in North America, European Union and Japan subject to Glenmark's right to co-promote the products in the U.S. and five East European countries, the company said.

Sanofi-Aventis will also have co-marketing rights in 10 other countries including Brazil, Russia and China.

Glenmark will retain exclusive rights in India and other countries of the rest of the world, it added.

At 10:07 a.m., shares of Glenmark Pharmaceuticals were trading at 285.7 rupees, up 5.87 percent in a Mumbai market that was down 0.51 percent.

Hiranandani Group lines up Rs 10k cr for power forayhttp://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/news-by-industry/energy/power/Hiranandani-Group-lines-up-Rs-10k-cr-for-power-foray/articleshow/5884739.cms3 May 2010, 0520 hrs IST,PTI NEW DELHI: The Mumbai-based real estate player, the Hiranandani Group, plans to set up a 2,500-mw plant near Pune at an investment of more than Rs 10,000 crore, marking its foray into the power sector.

“This is an area we have been trying to enter into. We have floated a new company ..., ” Hiranandani Constructions’ managing director Niranjan Hiranandani told PTI. Mr Hiranandani said the new unit, Hindustan Electricity Generation Company (HEGC), aims to have 2,500-mw generation capacity which would be built within the next four years.

“The total investment in the plant will be in excess of Rs 10,000 crore,” Mr Hiranandani said, adding that the project will be funded through debt and equity at a 3:1 ratio. HEGC may also look at raising funds through private placement of shares as well, he said. “However, we are yet to come out with a real picture of the fund requirement.

We have given the job to a consultancy firm, which will help us get the clearer picture of the envisaged project. The amount we would be required to raise through private equity and all other nitty-gritty would become clearer when we get their report,” he said.

Around 15% of the power generated from the plant would be reserved for captive use and the remaining would sold to the national grid, Mr Hiranandani said.

ERA Infra gets orders worth Rs1 bnhttp://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/news-by-industry/energy/power/ERA-Infra-gets-orders-worth-Rs1-bn/articleshow/5885302.cms3 May 2010, 1031 hrs IST,REUTERS MUMBAI: Era Infra Engineering Ltd said on Monday it has secured orders worth 1.02 billion rupees.

The orders were for a 132/33 KV sub-station on turnkey basis worth 403.1 million rupees and a 400 KV transmission line worth 340 million rupees from Haryana Vidhyut Prasaran Nigam Ltd, it said in a statement.

The company also a 220-KV transmission line contract in Kerala, valued at 274.8 million rupees, from Utkal Galvanizers Ltd on a turnkey basis.

Balrampur signs pact with Tata Power to sell power

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/news-by-industry/energy/power/Balrampur-signs-pact-with-Tata-Power-to-sell-power/articleshow/5885713.cms3 May 2010, 0027 hrs IST,REUTERSMUMBAI: Balrampur Chini Mills Ltd said on Monday it has signed a pact with Tata Power Co Ltd to sell power at approximately 6.50 rupees per unit.

The power will be sold from the firm's 18 mega-watt Haidergarh unit currently and also from its Manakpur power plant, which will be operational from the second week of June, it said in a statement to the exchange.

Coca-Cola plans sports drink Powerade launch ahead of CWGhttp://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/news-by-industry/cons-products/food/Coca-Cola-plans-sports-drink-Powerade-launch-ahead-of-CWG/articleshow/5884656.cms3 May 2010, 1012 hrs IST, NEW DELHI: Coca-Cola India is running against time to launch its sports drink Powerade in the country before the Commonwealth Games in October.

The official beverages partner is keen to have a sports drink in its portfolio before the games takes off in New Delhi even if that means importing the product, a person close to the company brass said.

The world’s largest drink maker plans to start local manufacturing of Powerade in India, said the person on condition of anonymity.

But it will import the brand in case production is not ready in time for the games, he added. When contacted, a Coca-Cola India spokesman would not confirm or deny the proposed launch of Powerade. “As part of our beverage innovation pipeline, we are always on the look out for new opportunities,” he told ET. “We will get back to you as our plans fructify.”

As official partners, Coca-Cola has exclusive rights to serve drinks in its portfolio to athletes, spectators, team officials and volunteers at the games. But athletes mostly avoid fizzy drinks and prefer sports drinks instead. Hence the rush to launch Powerade.

Its biggest rival and world’s largest sports drinks brand Gatorade from PepsiCo is present in India since 2004. PepsiCo last month extended the brand to the ready-to-mix powder format, making it more accessible.

GlaxoSmithKline is working on commercial launch of its sports drink Lucozade which was test-marketed during the Mumbai Marathon in January this year.

It is not clear which all flavours of Powerade will be launched in India. In global markets, Powerade is available in a variety of flavors including orange, berry, lemon and mango. The brand also has a low-calorie variant — Powerade Option — in some markets.

Titan to enter South African markethttp://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/news-by-industry/cons-products/fashion-/-cosmetics-/-jewellery/Titan-to-enter-South-African-market/articleshow/5885429.cms3 May 2010, 1110 hrs IST,REUTERS MUMBAI: Watch and jewellery maker Titan Industries Ltd plans to enter the South African market in a few months and sees nearly 10 percent of watch export revenues coing from there in 5 years, a top official said on Monday.

"We will shortly be entering South Africa in the next few months, we have found a distributor there who will be our partner to enter the market there," Managing Director Bhaskar Bhat told Reuters.

"In the next 5 years this market will contribute to as high as 10 percent of watch exports," he added.

The firm had earlier said it was exploring possibilities to expand business in Asia and South Africa. See

Bhat forecast revenue to grow 20-25 percent in FY11. Late on Friday the firm reported a 57 percent jump in FY10 profit to 2.5 billion rupees as revenue rose 23 percent to 4.7 billion rupees.

Jaiprakash Associates' cement sales up 57% in Aprilhttp://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/news-by-industry/indl-goods-/-svs/cement/Jaiprakash-Associates-cement-sales-up-57-in-April/articleshow/5886592.cms3 May 2010, 1644 hrs IST,PTI NEW DELHI: Diversified infrastructure group Jaiprakash Associates Ltd today said it has reported a 57 per cent jump in its cement sales at 12.47 lakh tonnes.

The company had sold 7.93 lakh tonnes of cement during April 2009, it said in a statement. The cement dispatch figure include sale of clinker.

Jaiprakash Associates had sold 11.2 million tonnes in the 2009-10 fiscal.

In January, the company had said it will invest Rs 4,500 crore to take its cement production capacity from 20 million tonnes per annum (MTPA) to 33 million tonnes by 2012.

"We currently have a capacity of 15 MTPA...the total capacity will reach from 20 MTPA in March 2010 to 33 MTPA by March 2012 at a cost of Rs 4,500 crore," Jaiprakash Associates Chief Financial Officer Rahul Kumar had said.

The group is a diversified infrastructure conglomerate having presence in engineering and construction along with interests in the power, cement, hospitality, real estate, expressways and education sectors.

Activity in the Oil and Gas sector (including regulatory)

Militant Activity/Terrorism (Particularly in Bangalore, Mumbai, Noida, Chennai, Coimbatore)

Maoists kill Salwa Judum activist in Chhattisgarh http://in.news.yahoo.com/139/20100503/808/tnl-maoists-kill-salwa-judum-activist-in_1.htmlMon, May 3 12:10 PMBijapur (Chhattisgarh), May 3 (ANI): Maoist rebels killed a member of the 'Salwa Judum', a local militia formed to fight Maoists, in Chhattisgarh's Bijapur District on Sunday.

Rajkumar Nayak was killed while on his way home.

"He was the chief of Salwa Judum who had been appealing to the Superintendent of Police to give him more security. The Maoists are killing our leaders one by one. We have demanded security for our leaders but the concerned authorities have neglected our appeals," claimed Ajay Singh, a General Secretary of the Congress District Committee.

"Maoists were watching him closely for many days. They were monitoring him constantly. They capitalized on this opportunity and killed him," said R K Bhoria, the Police Station in-Charge, Mirtur.

The Maoists claim they are crusading for the poor, marginal farmers, and landless labourers.

They have spread into the rural pockets of 20 of India's 28 states. (ANI)

One killed by suspected Maoists http://in.news.yahoo.com/43/20100503/812/tnl-one-killed-by-suspected-maoists_1.htmlMay 3 03:00 PMKolkata, May 3 (IANS) Suspected Maoists shot dead a man in Jhargram in West Bengal's West Midnapore district, police said Monday.

The body of Ram Mandi was recovered from the Jhargram-Binpur road Monday morning, Superintendent of Police Pravin Tripathi said.

Police suspect Mandi was killed due to differences with Maoists. Maoist posters were found beside the body.

Maoists kill four BMP soldiers in Biharhttp://news.webindia123.com/news/articles/India/20100503/1497530.html

Aurangabad (Bihar) | May 03, 2010 12:01:13 AM ISTAround four Bihar Military Police (BMP) soldiers were killed and one injured, when the Maoists opened fire on a police patrol party in Bihar's Aurangabad District on Monday.

The rebels opened fire on the BMP personnel and the District Armed Police Force, who were patrolling near the Tandawa Bazaar area this morning.

"Six Maoists, armed with sophisticated weapons, indiscriminately fired at them. Four BMP jawans were killed on the spot, while another was seriously injured," said Aurangabad Superintendent of Police Sanjay Kumar Singh.

"The ultras also looted five rifles and several rounds of ammunition from them before escaping. The entry and exit points of the district were sealed and a combing operation launched for the Maoists," he added.

The Maoists claim they are crusading for the poor, marginal farmers, and landless labourers.

They have spread into the rural pockets of 20 of India's 28 states. (ANI)

Lashkar made three attempts to kill Kasab: IBhttp://news.rediff.com/report/2010/may/03/lashkar-made-three-attempts-to-kill-kasab-ib.htmMay 03, 2010 12:08 ISTAs the special court in Mumbai's Arthur Road jail gets ready to pronounce the verdict in the 26/11 terror attacks case, Intelligence Bureau officials said Pakistan-based terror outfit Lashkar-e-Tayiba had tried to disrupt the trial by carrying out a series of attacks in India on at least three occasions in the last one year.

IB sources told rediff.com that they had received actionable intelligence to this effect.

Two of the intercepts picked up discussed a plot to kill the lone arrested terrorist Ajmal Kasab, while the other was a plot to set off a blast near the court area where the trial is being conducted.

The first attempt to kill Kasab was made four months after his arrest, when the Lashkar had decided to use the services of fugitive don Dawood Ibrahim's gang, the IB sources said.

The IB said the Lashkar had wanted Kasab killed before he started talking to the interrogators to stop him from revealing information about the organisation.

Dawood's gang had agreed to this and had even hired a hitman in Mumbai to carry out the task, the sources said.

The Mumbai police was unable to apprehend the hitman, but in turn increased the security cover for Kasab, making a strike impossible.

After this operation failed, the Lashkar made another attempt to kill Kasab using one of its own operatives. The outfit planned to carry out a suicide attack on the court premises with a heavy load of RDX to cause maximum damage.

However, Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence had reportedly advised the LeT to withdraw this plan due to the immense international pressure that built up after India started sending dossiers to Pakistan.

Islamabad had then been denying that Kasab was a Pakistani, and the ISI advised the LeT that the operation to kill him might confirm India's claims, said IB sources.

The third attempt was to set off a series of explosions around the court premises.

This plan almost came through, but the Mumbai police had been quick in busting the attempt with the help of intelligence intercepts.

The LeT had contacted the cadres of the Indian Mujahideen [ Im and had also activated a couple of its sleeper cells in Maharashtra to carry out this plan. The terrorists had decided to move RDX from across the border into India for this job. According to the IB, this operation was planned on a very large scale and would have inflicted maximum damage, apart from disrupting the trial.

The IB picked up the third intercept about six months ago and had passed on the information to the Mumbai police.

The police beefed up security in the city and cracked down on six Lashkar modules which had been planning to carry out the operation.

Clear stand on ULFA's demand, Gogoi asks citizen's forumhttp://news.webindia123.com/news/articles/India/20100503/1497548.htmlGuwahati |Monday, 2010 5:35:07 PM IST Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi Monday asked the Citizen's Forum members to make clear whether they personally support or reject the demand for sovereignty the outlawed United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) has advocated.

"Let the intellectuals first decide on whether they accept or disapprove ULFAs sovereignty demand and let their views be made public," the chief minister told journalists here.

He was reacting to a recent resolution passed at a state level convention of the newly floated Citizen's Forum that urged the government to immediately begin peace talks with the ULFA by discussing the outfits core demands.

"What is the point in discussing sovereignty if such a demand is not acceptable? We have always maintained sovereignty cannot be compromised...now let the intellectuals and leading citizens make their views of sovereignty public, whether they accept or reject sovereignty, Gogoi said.

The ULFA is fighting for an independent Assam since 1979 and sovereignty has been its core demand.

The chief minister also made it clear that peace talks with the ULFA could begin soon minus their elusive commander-in-chief Paresh Baruah.

"Why should we wait indefinitely for Paresh Baruah. If the other ULFA leaders are ready, we can begin talks, Gogoi said.

The entire top brass of the ULFA, barring Baruah, is in jail.

The imprisoned leaders include chairman Arabinda Rajkhowa, deputy commander-in-chief Raju Baruah, self-styled foreign secretary Sasha Choudhury, finance secretary Chitrabon Hazarika, cultural secretary Pranati Deka, and political ideologue Bhimkanta Buragohain.

Meanwhile, Gogoi lauded Bangladesh for facilitating the arrest of Ranjan Daimary, the chairman of the outlawed National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB) and the prime accused in the Oct 30, 2008, serial explosions that killed 100 people in Assam.

Daimary was handed over by Bangladesh to Indian authorities Saturday and is now in police remand.

"Daimary is a big catch for us and we are happy with the attitude of Bangladesh," Gogoi said.

26/11: Kasab guilty, Fahim, Sabauddin acquitted for lack of evidencehttp://news.rediff.com/report/2010/may/03/kasab-found-guilty-of-waging-war-against-india.htmMay 03, 2010 15:50 ISTPakistani terrorist Ajmal Amir Kasab, the lone surviving 26/11 gunman, was convicted by a special court in Mumbai on Monday for the audacious Mumbai attacks that had left 166 people dead.

Over 17 months after he and nine other perpetrators unleashed death and devastation on the financial nerve centre of the country, special anti-terror court judge M L Tahaliyani convicted Kasab for the carnage.

Kasab, who hails from Faridkot in Pakistan, now faces the prospect of death penalty.

Two alleged Indian conspirators -- Sabauddin Ahmed and Faheem Ansari -- who were claimed to have prepared the maps of the terror targets and handed those over to Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Tayiba for execution of their plans, were acquitted of all charges as the court said the evidence produced by the prosecution could not be relied upon.

The court also held that 20 of the wanted accused, including Lashkar-e-Tayiba founder Hafiz Saeed, operations chief Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi and Abu Hamza, were involved in 26/11 conspiracy.

The court will hear tomorrow arguments by the defence and prosecution on the quantum of sentence for 22-year-old Kasab, who was captured alive from the Girgaum-Chowpatty police barricade following an encounter after he and his accomplice

Abu Ismael had killed several people at Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus, in and outside Cama Hospital and Metro Junction.

Pronouncing the verdict, judge Tahaliyani told Kasab in Hindi that the charge against him for waging war against India was found to be true.

While holding the terrorist personally accountable for killing innocent people at Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus and Cama Hospital, the court also pronounced Kasab guilty of abetting murder at other scenes of the attacks where his accomplices perpetrated mass killing.

Kasab was held guilty under provisions of Arms Act, Unlawful Activities Prevention Act, Explosives Act, Railway Act and other laws, but smaller charges like forgery were dropped.

All the 10 terrorists were found to be carrying fake identity cards, but the judge said it was not proved beyond reasonable doubt that Kasab had himself forged the document.

Ten terrorists, trained and armed by the outlawed LeT in Pakistan, had descended on Mumbai on a 'Fidayeen' (suicide) mission on November 26, 2008 and wreaked havoc during the 60-hour siege, killing and wounding people at will.

Kasab, along with nine slain terrorists, was charged with killing 166 people, including 25 foreigners, and injuring 304 others at the instance of the LeT.

The trial, perhaps the fastest in a terror case in India, had commenced on May 8 in a special court set up at Arthur Road Jail which recorded 3,192 pages of evidence after examining 658 witnesses on 271 working days.

Thirty witnesses had identified in court Kasab as the man who had opened fire at them.

Stating that 26/11 attack was not a simple act of murde, Tahaliyani said, "It was part of a larger conspiracy to wage war against the nation."

The judge observed that terrorists' handlers from Pakistan were directing them, asking them to "fight until death" and not allow themselves to be caught alive.

The court found that 20 of the 35 absconding accused named in the chargesheet, including Saeed and Lakhvi were involved in the conspiracy. The court had issued non-bailable warrants against 27 of them during the trial which were handed over to the Interpol, but none was arrested.

The acquittal of the two Indians -- Ansari and Ahmed -- came as a jolt for the prosecution.

The prosecution had claimed that Ansari had prepared maps of terror targets and handed it over to Sabauddin Ahmed in Nepal. Ahmed allegedly forwarded those to LeT.

To buttress its point, the prosecution had relied upon the evidence of one Nooruddin, who claimed he was present when Ansari handed over the maps to Sabauddin. One of the maps, according to prosecution, was found from the possession of Abu Ismael, Kasab's accomplice killed at Girgaum-Chowpatty area.

The judge said there was no confirmation about Nooruddin going to Nepal and accepted the defence's contention that if the map tabled by prosecution was indeed found on Ismael, it would have been soiled and stained with blood which it was not.

The prosecution, led by Ujjwal Nikam, submitted 1,015 articles seized during investigations and filed 1,691 documents to support its case. The prosecution also sought to prove that Pakistan's security apparatus was used by the LeT in the attacks.

For the first time in the Indian legal history, the Federal Bureau of Investigation officials deposed to give technical evidence to prove the case of the prosecution that the killers came from Pakistan using the global positioning system and that they made calls from their mobile phones through voice over internet protocol to stay in touch with the conspirators.Image: Ajmal Kasab

NSCN leader to go ahead with planned Manipur visithttp://www.ptinews.com/news/636586_NSCN-leader-to-go-ahead-with-planned-Manipur-visitKohima, May 3 (PTI) Unfazed by the Manipur government's decision to prevent his entry to the state fearing ethnic trouble, NSCN (I-M) general secretary Thuingaleng Muivah has said he will go ahead with his planned visit to the state.

"I would visit my native village Somdal in Ukhrul district and other Naga inhabited areas of Manipur," Muivah told reporters yesterday.

The 75-year-old Naga leader said it is his birth right to visit his hometown and the question of Manipur government banning his entry into the state does not arise.

"I am not a subject to them (Manipur government) and there is nothing unnatural about the proposed visit," the NSCN (I-M) leader said, adding that the Centre had been considerate with regard to his proposed visit to his village.

Kasab verdict a message to Pakistan: Chidambaramhttp://www.ptinews.com/news/636895_Kasab-verdict-a-message-to-Pakistan--ChidambaramNew Delhi, Apr 3 (PTI) Home Minister P Chidambaram today said that the conviction of Ajmal Kasab and acquittal of two local accomplices in Mumbai attack case shows India is governed by rule of law but sends a message to Pakistan that it should not export terror.

"The court has convicted certain accused. It also acquitted two accused. That shows the independence, fearlessness and integrity of the court," he told reporters reacting to the judgement of a Mumbai special court.

He said that it was an open trial in accordance with law and full opportunities were given to the accused to defend themselves.

"I am satisfied that within a year we have been able to bring a verdict of conviction of a large number of accused in perhaps a very complex trial.

Labor/Social Unrest