Srinagar, August 27:

Director General of Police J&K, Shri Ashok Prasad led all ranks of JK police and CRPF to pay hom-age to the martyred CRPF Jawan Raju Ram who gave supreme sacrifice of life in a militant attack in Shopi-an yesterday at wreath lay-ing ceremony held here,

See Ceremony on Pg. 11

Islamabad, August 27:

The formal trial of for-mer Pakistani military ruler Pervez Musharraf in connection with the 2007 assassination of Benazir Bhutto began on Tuesday. "The trial began with the anti-terrorism court in Rawalpindi record-ing evidence of a wit-ness," state prosecutor Chaudhry Azhar said.He said four witnesses were summoned but only one turned up to testify. Azhar said he

was unsure how long the trial would take. Musharraf was not pres-ent in court as he was excused from personal appearances because of security reasons.

Musharraf, who was President at the time of former premier Bhutto's death, has been charged with murder, conspir-acy to commit murder and facilitation of mur-der. If convicted, he can be sentenced to death or life imprisonment.Apart from Musharraf, seven more persons, in-cluding members of the Taliban and two senior police police officials, have been indicted. Musharraf has denied the charges and

See Trial on Pg. 11

Srinagar, August 27:

Taking serious note of vio-lation of norms set by the government under Sarva Shiksha Abhiyaan (SSA), government on Monday attached Chief Education Officers of Srinagar and Baramulla.Sources told KNS that both CEO’s had allegedly trans-ferred several Rehbar-e-Taleem (ReT) teachers from on zone to another contrary to the rules. “The transfers were made in or-der to re-advertise these posts so that new blue-

eyed candidates could be accommodated,” they said.The government took a serious note and ordered attachment of CEO Sri-nagar Nazir Ahmad Khant and CEO Baramulla Abdul Rouf with the Directorate Education Kashmir, till further orders. Director School Education Kash-mir confirmed that the of-ficers have been attached.Meanwhile, Principal DIET Srinagar Munshi Mohammad Javid has been given additional charge of CEO Srinagar while Principal DIET So-

pore Ashok Kumar has been given additional charge of CEO Baramulla.Meanwhile, the distressed educated youth of these two districts have alleged corruption and favourit-ism by the officials of Education Department at Zonal and District levels. “This is sheer injustice with us,” some of the edu-cated youth of Srinagar told KNS.They claimed that it was there right to be appointed as ReTs in their own areas. “Why somebody from

See Transfer Norms on Pg. 11

Defaming NC would not help PDP: Sagar

Srinagar, August 27:

Expressing anger over the silence of govern-ment over blunders committed by Board of Professional Entrance Examination (BOPEE) in Common Entrance Test (CET)-2013, aspi-rants and their parents have demanded imme-diate action against the erring BOPEE officials. They said that current regime should take some lessons from its prede-cessor how they had acted to save careers of thousands of students here.“BOPEE chairman RD Sharma is attempting to

shield the culprits at the cost of careers of thou-sands of students,” a del-egation of parents who visited KNS office onTuesday alleged.They said that their wards have lost the op-portunity at JEE (Mains) as the admission was closed by the time BOP-EE declared results. “De-lay caused by cancella-tion and re-examination of two papers in the CET conducted by BOPEE has cost the state dearly as at least 50 seats that fell vacant at the Nation-al Institute of Technol-ogy will remain unfilled for next four years. Gov-ernment should wake

up and take notice of all damages those occurred due to BOPEE blunder and gross negligence,” said a parent, Tariq Ah-mad.They said that govern-ment should fix the re-sponsibility and make officials accountable. “It should ascertain where are the missing Chemis-try papers and why was color coding of papers avoided,” demanded the delegation. “In what could be termed as a grave blunder on part of the BOPEE, few Biol-ogy papers were found in Chemistry packets in three examination centers of Government

Girls Higher Secondary School Kothibagh.”Scores of aspirants al-leged that BOPEE was playing with their ca-reers. “How BOPEE can assure us that its officials have not provided these papers beforehand to the wards of influential people. Instead of taking stern action against the guilty BOPEE simply postponed the examina-tion and put thousands of students in trouble. It is a serious matter and it should be thoroughly robed,” Shabnum an as-pirant told KNS.Pertinently, the credibil-ity and authenticity

See BoPEE on Pg. 11

Mehbooba terms rehabilitation policy for ex-militants as farce

Srinagar, August 27:

Terming the much touted about Rehabilitation Policy for the former militants as hoax, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) president, Mehbooba Mufti Tuesday said not coming up to the promises made to those who had returned from Pakistan, bracing unimagi-nable hardships and other pressures, ‘has once again exposed the insensitivity of the rulers when it comes to dealing with the affairs of the state.’Speaking at a public gather-ing at Tral, she said back-tracking on the promises made to the ex-militants is

very unfortunate. She also said the acute development deficit faced by Tral needed a special focus and the PDP on the first opportunity would try to develop it as a model of planned development.Mehbooba said the government has turned a blind eye to a serious humani-tarian issue- the education and social rights of their children and spouses. “They had crossed the LoC as young people, but are returning with their large families; risking their lives during their journey from

Pakistan to Kashmir, but have been left high and dry. The former militants face economic insecurity, are jobless and their children and spouses face an identity

crisis, because of the insensitive dispensation,” she said. “In the given situation their children face a dark future, as no school or college here is

ready to lend them admis-sions, and the rulers have forgotten them completely. What was the fun of bring-ing them from fire pan and putting them on fire?” Meh-

booba questioned and add-ed if they are now returning back to Pakistan it should not surprise anybody. The government should take immediate steps for their honorable rehabilita-tion in the state, so that they could live a dignified life along with their families, she demanded.Mehbooba said the half baked policy was rushed through only to score pro-paganda points. “It is time that it is amended and the entry is allowed through local routes which has emerged as the central idea for the peace and resolution process,” she added.

See Mehbooba on Pg. 11

Srinagar, August 27:

At a time when the chair-men of both factions of Hurriyat Conference have opposed the proposed mu-sical concert by German embassy in Srinagar on September 7, Additional General Secretary of rul-ing National Conference Dr Mustafa Kamal Tues-day alleged that they were playing politics to gain points.“Hurriyat Conference is making issue out of noth-ing to instigate public emotions against the event which has been organized just to boost the tourism industry,” Kamal told KNS.

“The fact of the matter is that they actually have no solid basis by which they can support their opposi-tion for the concert. Such types of concerts have al-ways been conducted in

Kashmir before. One of the programs named Sun-in-Lights was famous and had helped the tourism sector to progress,” he claimed.

See Kamal on Pg. 11

Srinagar, August 27:

Lashing out at PDP for defaming National Conference, Rural and Development Minis-ter, Ali Muhammad Sagar Tues-day said that People Demo-cratic Party (PDP) and its president Me-hbooba Mufti is in the habit of attacking National Conference, the Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and his family time and again out of political reasons.While talking to CNS

Sagar said that it is absurd on part of Me-hbooba Mufti to term NC more lethal than Ikhwan. “Mehbooba is scared of our Chief Minister who has be-

come a popular figure in the State of Jammu and Kashmir. She knows it well that the fu-ture of her par-ty is bleak and out of sheer

frustration, Mehbooba Mufti is targeting Na-tional Conference,” he said.“People Democratic Party finds it hard to

See Sagar on Pg. 11

CMYK

CMYK

CMYK

CMYK

WEDNESDAY August 28 | 2013 | 20 Shawal 1434 AH | PAGES 12 | VOL NO: 3 | ISSUE NO: 212 | RS: 2/- (AIR SURCHARGE FOR JAMMU /DELHI/LEH 50 PAISA)Pen For JusticeLargely Circulated, No. 1 Bilingual Daily of J&K

Blunder after blunderthy name is BoPEE

Srinagar, August 27:

General Officer Com-manding (GOC)-in-C, Northern Command Lt Gen Sanjiv Cha-chra alongwith Chinar Corps Commander Lt Gen Gurmit Singh vis-ited Army units and formations in the Val-ley on August 26 and 27 and reviewed the operational prepared-ness along the Line of Control and security situation in the hinter-land. According to a defence statement to KNS primary focus of the visit along the LoC in the forward areas of Gurez, Machhal, Tang-dhar and Gulmarg wherein the General

Officer interacted with the troops and compli-mented them for their dedication, outstand-ing vigilance, high state of preparedness and the grit and deter-mination with which they are braving all the odds of terrain and weather in service to the Nation.“The Army Command-er also visited the Sec-tor Head Quarters of RR located in the hin-terland and praised them for exercising a very High degree of control over the inter-nal security situation, upholding the high-est ethos of Army and respecting the human rights of the Awaam,” it said.

Army Commander was pleased with the Coun-ter Infiltration and Joint Intelligence Grid which resulted in a se-ries of successful coun-ter infiltration and counter terrorist oper-ations during which 28 terrorists were killed. He particularly com-mended the high level of synergy between the Security Forces, the in-telligence agencies and the JK Police.Army Commander as-sured the Awaam of that Army will con-tinue to defend the State from the ulterior designs perpetrated by our neighbor and con-tinue to work for the sustained peace in the state.

Army commander visits LoC

http://www.zabarwantimes.com

Kishtwar, August 27:

Dismissing the revision petition filed by the Home Department against the or-der passed by CJM Kisht-war, which had directed for registration of formal case against former Minister for Home in slap gate case, Principal Sessions Judge, Kishtwar, Pawan Dev Kot-wal while citing the judg-ment of Allahabad High Court in Father Thomas vs State of UP has directed the police to register FIR and conduct the investigation as per CrPC.Pertinently, Minister of

State for Home Sajjad Ahmed Kitchloo had alleg-edly slapped the Chief Ex-ecutive Officer Kishtwar Development Authority, Reyaz Ahmed Chodhri af-ter which the said officer had approached the court against the Minister. The Court had expressed an-guish over the incident of manhandling of one of the senior officers of the service by a Minister of State and had directed the Police to register an FIR against the accused.The Home Department had filed a revision petition

See FIR on Pg. 11

Hurriyat playing politics over Zubin’s Musical concert: Kamal

Slap Gate case

WEATHER

TEMPERATUREMAXIMUM MINIMUMSUNSET ON(WED.)SUNRISE ON (THURSDAY)

07:04 pm06:03 am

18.0 0C31.7 0C

FORECAST FOR NEXT 24 HRS:

FORECAST OF SRINAGAR:

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

Possibility of light Rain/Thundershowers. Maximum & Minimum temperatures will be around 30°C & 18°C respectively.

Greets nation on the eve of Janmashtami

Reviews achievements under centrally

sponsored schemes7 8 10

Kitchloo in trouble, FIR may be lodged

Facts about fad diets

Srinagar, August 27:

Jammu and Kashmir State Human Rights Com-mission (SHRC) that had sought factual report from the State Government and Jammu and Kashmir Po-lice on violence in various townships of Jammu prov-ince has not received any response from the govern-ment so.SHRC official told CNS that so far the government has not submitted any re-sponse about the Kishtwar violence. “Due to unabated curfew for quite some time and volatile situation in Kishtwar, the divisional administration might would have been busy and that is it is getting late on part of the government to submit a factual report over communal violence,”

he said adding that Com-mission has also sought a detailed report over the functioning of Village De-fence Committees in Jam-mu province.Taking suo-moto cogni-zance of media reports, the SHRC’s Division Bench comprising members Ja-vaid Kawoos and Rafiq Fida had sought reports on the matter from Chief Sec-retary of the State, DGP J&K, Divisional Commis-sioner Jammu, Inspector General of Police Jammu and Deputy Commissioner Kishtwar.“The print media has high-lighted the unfortunate incident which took place on the eve of Eid in Kisht-war. Though Government has taken some corrective steps to deescalate the situ-ation and bring the same

under control but still it appears that the unfor-tunate incident and its after effects have violated the basic human rights of many of the innocent per-sons whose life and prop-erty has been damaged,” the bench observed.“The state government and district administra-tion is primarily custodian of the life and property of its subjects and the same must be safeguarded and no lapses in this regard can be excused in order to know the stand of the state Government and District Administration,” it had observed in the report.However, the Commission till date has received no response from the govern-ment. “We are going to re-mind the authorities very

See SHRC on Pg. 11

SHRC yet to receive factual report from the government

Musharraf's formal trial in Bhutto murder case begins

Govt attaches CEO Srinagar, Baramulla for violating transfer norms

Parents demand stern action against the messy board

Communal violence in Jammu province

Srinagar, August 27: A civil society group in Kashmir has shot a protest letter to German Embassy in New Delhi regarding proposed Zubin Mehta concert in Sri-nagar on September 7.“On 22 August 2013, a press release was issued by the German Embassy that Zubin Mehta would be conduct-ing an orchestra on September 7 at Shalimar Bagh, Sri-nagar. The press release quoted you as stating that the concert was for the people of Jammu and Kashmir by

See KCS on Pg. 11

KCS takes up the matter with German Embassy

Wreath laying

ceremony of CRPF

jawan held

3 Die, 45 injured in road mishapsSrinagar, August 27: Three persons died and forty five others were injured in dif-ferent road accidents across the Kashmir Valley. A Sumo bearing registration number JK01D/7447 hit and injured a pedestrian Ghulam Moham-mad Sheikh son of Abdul Ahad resident of Singpora at Gopan Nali, Hanjiwara, Baramulla. The injured was shifted to Sub District Hospital Pattan, where he succumbed his injures.A School Bus of Vision Public School, Kupwara bearing registration number JK09/1351 collided with Tipper bearing registration number JK09/8926

See Mishaps on Pg. 11

Lady dies in AnantnagSrinagar, August 27: A lady Reenu Akhter age about 20 years wife of Adil Ahmad Dar resident of Larkipora, Anant-nag died in suspicious circum-stances at her home. Anantnag Police has taken cognizance and an inquest proceedings un-der section 174 CrPC has been initiated to ascertain the cause of her death.

Boy ends life in AnantnagSrinagar, August 27: 19 years old Basit Ahmed Khan son of Ghulam Nabi resident of Utrasoo, Anantnag, commit-ted suicide by hanging himself with a scarf at his home in the jurisdiction of police station Achabal. Achabal police has registered a case in this regard. The body was handed over to his legal heir for last rites.

Lady injured in Bear attackSrinagar, August 27: A lady Fatima wife of Qasim Ganie resident of Bun Nambal, was attacked and injured by a wild bear at Bun Nambal, Anantnag, in the jurisdiction of police station Mattan. The injured lady was shifted to SMHS Sri-nagar for treatment. Wild life authorities have been called in for neutralizing the wild Bear who is still roaming in the area of Nambal and Nanil.

PDD worker dies in BudgamSrinagar, August 27: A PDD ca-sual laborer died while another was injured at two different places in Budgam while repair-ing the electric lines. A 25 years old PDD casual labourer Lateef Ahmed Bhat son of Abdul Rashid resident of Soibugh, Budgam was electrocuted while repairing a transmission line. He was shifted to SMHS, Srinagar for treatment, where he expired. The body has been handed over his relatives for last rites. Meanwhile, another PDD daily wager Sajad Ahmed Khan son of Ghulam Hassan resident of Khanpora Khag received electric shock while repairing transfer at village Sugan, Budgam, in the jurisdic-tion of police station Khag. He was has been shifted to JVC Bemina Srinagar for treatment.

JAMMU, AUGUST 27

Minister for Planning, De-velopment and Labour & Em-ployment Ajay Sadhotra has directed flood control depart-ment to start the restoration work of the damages protec-tions bunds along River Tawi in Marh block.

Leading a team of I&FC officers, including Chief engineer of the department, the minister visited Sumpuran Kullian, Sardara Chak, Lachh-man Pur, Top Manasa, Mak-wal, Malka Chak, Gandu Chak Sohanjana, Nandpur, Phal-lianmadal, and various other villages and assessed the dam-ages caused to the agriculture land due to breaches of protec-tion walls along Niki and Badi Tawi .

The recent floods

have washed away large tracts of agriculture and pasture land in the area due to the dam-ages caused to the protection bunds along the two tributar-ies of River Tawi.

The Minister visited each site of the damage for on the spot assessment of the damages caused in these areas due to recent rains and floods. He directed the concerned of-ficers to ensure correct and ac-curate assessment of the dam-age so that the affected could be compensated accordingly. He also directed the concerned department to ensure supply of water for irrigation so that the farmers do not face any problem on this account .

He also exhorted upon the people to extend co-operation to the Government agencies in making accurate

assessment of damages to pri-vate and public assets. .

He said that the coali-tion government, led by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, has given first priority to restora-tion of services and repair of public assets, besides reha-bilitation of the flood affected people.

He said that the chief Minister would be himself monitoring the entire exercise to ensure that none of the af-fected areas are left out in the restoration process.

The Minister was in-formed that the paddy crops in these border villages have suffered huge loss due to rise in the water level of Tawi. He asked the officers to assess the losses to the crops in these ar-eas at the earliest for extending timely relief to farmers.

Calls for maintaining communal harmony;

strengthening national integration

LEH, AUGUST 27

N. N. Vohra, Governor Jammu and Kash-mir, has emphasized the crucial importance of maintaining communal harmony and brother-hood and strengthening national integration, describing these as crucial pre-requisites for the country’s future growth and stability.

The Governor was inaugurating a 12-day Special National Integration Camp of NCC at the Rinchen Auditorium at Leh Tuesday in which over 320 NCC Cadets from all over the country, including 150 from Jammu and Kashmir, are participating.

The Governor observed that India is a multi-religious, multi-lingual and multi-cultural country where people from all faiths have lived together since centuries past. He said that doz-ens of languages and nearly two thousand dia-

lects are spoken in India, which is yet another example of our pluralistic traditions which are embedded deep in thousands of years of our so-cio-cultural traditions. He added that communal harmony provides the bedrock for unity and the country - which has nearly 16,000 kms of land boundaries and over 8,500 kms of sea boundary, wide open skies on all sides, several hundred island territories and a very large economic zone – cannot main-tain its territorial integrity unless our billion plus people stand together. He stressed that it is of utmost impor-tance for each one of us to contribute in whatever way we can to preserve the unity and integrity of the country, adding that our youth have to play a very special role in securing this objective. Referring to NCC, the Governor observed that it provides an excellent opportunity to our youth to work together and serve as a disciplined ele-ment of the country, besides strengthening the bonds of national integration and brotherhood. He said that the strength of our country lies in our collectivity, adding that if people from all parts of the country live and work together we can succeed in meeting any challenge to the na-tion.The Governor observed that the strength of NCC has grown over the past years but, consid-

ering the strength of our youth and the size of our country, more and more boys and girls need to be brought under the ambit of this organiza-tion. He expressed happiness that Naval and Air Wings of the NCC are also being established in Jammu and Kashmir, which would provide new openings to the youth of the State.

Referring to the NCC Special National Inte-gration Camp, which he inaugurated Tuesday, the Governor observed that the NCC Cadets are lucky to come to Ladakh and interact with the youth of the State who are as talented in academ-ics, aesthetics, creative arts and all other human endeavours, as their counter parts elsewhere in India. He added that Ladakh is a most enchant-ing region of the State.The Governor lauded the captivating composite cultural programme pre-sented by the NCC Cadets on this occasion and had a special word of praise for a song “Hamein

Hey Nasha NCC Ki Wardi Ka”, which was writ-ten by Brig. N. K. Khajuria, Group Commander, NCC Group Headquarter, Srinagar. The Gov-ernor congratulated Maj. Gen. Neeraj Verma, Additional Director General, NCC, J&K Director-ate and other NCC Officers for organizing this Camp.Maj. Gen. Neeraj Verma, Additional Direc-

tor General, NCC, J&K Directorate, pre-sented a memento to the Governor as memorabilia of inauguration of the Camp.The Governor went around the stalls and the exhibition put up on the occasion and evinced keen interest in these. He signed the Visitors’ Book, had group photograph with the NCC Cadets, interacted with them and had tea with them. He wished the Cadets

a bright future ahead.Earlier, on arrival, the Gov-ernor was presented a Guard of Honour by the NCC Cadets. The Officers and ANO’s were also introduced to him.In his welcome address, Maj. Gen. Neeraj Verma, Additional Director General, NCC, Jammu and Kashmir Directorate, gave a resume of the aims and objectives of the Camp. He said that the focus in J&K has been to expand NCC network to the remotest and border areas of the State. He added that out of the six NCC Special National Integration Camps organized in the country every year one is held in J&K.

Committee asks ADG security to improve Airport

transport system

Sadhotra directs for early restoration of protection

Bunds along Tawi

Reviews achieve-ments under cen-trally sponsored

schemesJAMMU, AUGUST 27-

Minister for Agriculture, Ghulam Has-san Mir Tuesday inaugurated video con-ference facility here at the Directorate of Agriculture, Krishi Bhawan Jammu.

Commissioner Secretary, Ag-riculture, Asgar Hassan Samoon, Director Agriculture Jammu, Ajay Khajuria, Chief Agriculture Officers and other senior offi-cers of the department were also present at the launching of the high-tech facility.

The Minister said that the video conferencing facility will help in better monitoring of the implementa-tion of centrally sponsored schemes and other programmes of the department so that the benefits/assistance could reach the farmers in a more effective manner. Moreover it will also help in strengthen-

ing communication with the field func-tionaries at different levels and help in getting the timely feedback.

Later, the Minister also chaired a meeting to review the physical and financial achievements registered in the current financial year.

Director Agriculture informed the chair that Rs. 6 crore have been re-ceived for implementation of Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Programme and its sub schemes like National Mission on Saffron and vegetable initiative for urban clusters in Jammu.The Minister stressed for time-ly submission of utilization certificates for the funds received under various cen-

trally sponsored schemes to avoid delay in the release of the next instalment.

He directed for maintaining smooth supply of seeds for various crops, besides meeting the targets for seed re-placements. He said that timely availabil-ity of agriculture inputs to the farmers is

imperative for sub-stantial increase in the production.

Mir also stressed on putting in extra efforts to achieve desired results under Na-tional Mission on Saffron and the Ra-jmash project- the schemes aimed at to promote Indig-

enous and traditional crops. He said that beneficiaries should be provided all help for setting up of biogas units adding that these can serve many purposes in rural area.

He directed the officers of the depart-ment to work in close coordination with revenue agencies to assess the loss of crops due recent rains and floods.

SRINAGAR, AUGUST 27: The Privilege Committee of J&K Leg-islative Council met here Tuesday under the Chairmanship of Ju-gal Kishore and had a detailed discussion on the Privilege Notice moved by Legislator Ravinder Kumar Sharma against S.P. Anti hijack, Srinagar for not providing transport facility at the Srinagar Airport.

Legislators, Ali Mohamad Dar, Ghulam NabiMonga besides, Addl DG. Security, V.K.Singh, Sr. Superintendent Police Security, Rafiq-ul-Hassan, S.P, Anti Hijack, Srinagar, Abdul RasheedBhat Ad-ditional Secretary Legislative Council, Mohammad MaqboolBhat were present on the occasion.

A thorough discussion was held on the subject while the Com-mittee asked the concerned authorities to take necessary correc-tive measures for improving the system to avoid recurrence of such incidents in future.

The Committee asked concerned to entrust the job to one of the senior officers who will coordinate with the visiting legisla-tors with regards to arranging transport and other facilities at airport.

The Addl. DG Security assured the Committee to improve the system besides making inter departmental coordination fool proof. He said stern action would be initiated against the person, who fails to discharge his legitimate duties with full care and responsibility. The matter has occurred due to some com-munication gap, Addl. DG said, adding that in future negligence on this part from any personnel would be dealt according to rel-evant provisions of the rules.

Meanwhile, the Committee condemned the attack carried out on MLC, Showkat Hussain Ganai at Shopian yesterday.

Daily ZABARWAN TIMES NEWS Srinagar | wedneSday 28 .8 .2013

Mir inaugurates video conference facility at Krishi Bhawan Jammu

If you get asked to lead a team in your personal or pro-fessional life, jump at the chance. Today you will get all the support you need, Libra. Don’t be afraid that you’re not good enough. Things will come together without your having to do much at all. Besides, you already know that people are on your side!

You couldn’t dream of a better day to deal with all the little problems in your daily life - broken washing machine, money problems, minor health issues. If your doctor has given you a prescription, you can expect it would work like a miracle drug. Scorpio, take care of the little things. It will take less time than you think!

Perhaps you can’t believe it, but it’s time to say goodbye to your rigid attitude. A little pleasure among all that seri-ousness and responsibility won’t do you any harm. This day could help you change your point of view on life. This will feel great!

Life is helping you out at the moment, Capricorn. You might chalk it up to some divine power. Whatever it is, your guardian angel is always by your side. Perhaps you’d like to begin something new in your life, like moving or changing lifestyles. At the moment you can do anything you want to do. It will all work out just fine!

Have you ever thought about writing or working for a company in which you can use your excellent communica-tion skills, Aquarius? The planetary alignment emphasizes writing and communication. It’s time to show the world that you have a gift and that people can count on you to do a great job. Think about the publishing business.

If you’ve been thinking of living somewhere else, Pisces, today will push you to really want to move far away from the place you’re living now. Such a move could have conse-quences for your work situation or family life. It may be time to think seriously about what’s holding you back. Wouldn’t the people closest to you be happy to go along?

This could be the luckiest day of the month, Virgo. But astrology also takes your role into account. In other words, luck is something you have to work for. If you seem to have an incredible streak of luck today, it’s probably because you did something earlier to make it happen!

You have a great day ahead of you, Aries. Everything will work out like clockwork. By the end of the day, you’ll still have the energy to do something fun with your evening. It’s a wonderful day for group activities. If you aren’t involved in any, why not try a sport, hobby, music, or art?

You may have received some bad news concerning your finances, Taurus. This is probably the best day you could ask for out of the whole month to deal with these problems. If you want to come out of this situation a winner, it may be necessary to approach things from a different angle than usual. Rest assured that things will probably work out just fine.

Today is a relatively calm day that’s sure to please you, Gemini. You may even receive gifts from family and friends as marks of their esteem or love for you. This is just the kind of reassurance you need. Though you have a fairly subtle in-fluence in your relationships with others, it’s nevertheless essential to you to be a good friend.

Everyone knows that nothing can stop you when you’re determined to get something done. As long as other people are on your side today, you will be amazed at all the things you can accomplish. But don’t get too excited, Cancer, be-cause it’s time to take care of those thankless tasks that no one wants to deal with. You may need other people’s help to get them done.

You may be considering taking a trip or planning a party with some friends, Leo. You may find out today that it’s up to you to do all the organizing. This won’t bother you too much because you know you’ll do it right. Why don’t you think about really trying to outdo yourself and plan something special that your friends will never forget?

JAMMU, AUGUST 27

Minister for Housing, Horticulture and Culture, Raman Bhalla has asked the government departments to work in co-ordination to ensure completion of the ongoing projects within stipulated time frame, adding that Government is com-mitted to upgrade infrastructure under all sectors.

Addressing a high level meeting of officers convened to review the pace of progress on under execution proj-ects, Bhalla asked the Roads and Build-ings, Prime Minister Gram Sadak Yojna and Rural Development Department authorities to expedite restoration of flood damages and distribution of relief to the affected families, adding that the Government has already sanctioned Rs. 71.50 crore for the purpose from State Disaster Relief Fund.

Divisional Commissioner , Jam-mu , Shantmanu, District Development Commissioner, Jammu Ajeet Kumar Sahu, Deputy Inspector General of Police Shakeel Ahmed Baig, Vice Chairman JDA Satesh Nehru, Director Horticulture Anil Kumar Sharma, Chief Engineer M&RE Mtr. Shahnaz Ganai, Chief Engineer PHE K K Gupta, Director School Education P K Pole, Director RDD Shafiq Ahmed Raina,

Joint Commissioner JMC Kapil Sharma, Deputy Director Information Mrs Jyoti Rani Salathia besides other senior offi-cers of Tourism, School Education, Social Welfare, Horticulture and Traffic de-partments were present in the meet-ing.

The Minister asked the Flood Control department to immediately start the restoration work on the dam-aged Protection Bund along Nikki Tawi near Chandmari village to avoid soil erosion of the adjoining land.

Regarding traffic congestion on Sidhra to Kunjwani road, Bhalla asked the SSP traffic not to allow parking of vehicles along the road as the same was hampering the smooth movement of traffic on the vital road. He asked the traffic department to implement the High Court guidelines in solving the traffic congestion problem in the city of temples.

The Minister asked PHE and PDD to provide regular power and drinking water supply during ensu-ing festival season. He asked the JMC to repair faulty street lights and install new lights in the uncovered areas of the Jammu city. He asked the authorities to desilt all the choked drains in the Jammu city. He asked the Jammu Municipal

Corporation (JMC) to prepare a detailed project report for renovation of lanes and drains in the city and submit the same for funding so that the works could be started for the convenience of general masses.

Bhalla asked the Consumer Affairs and Public Distribution Depart-ment (CA&PDD) authorities to supply Atta, rice and sugar according to the scale fixed by the Government. He di-rected for conducting regular market inspections to keep a check on rates and quality of eatables during festival days. He asked to expedite the process of distribution of ration and ensure strict enforcement of home delivery of LPG.

Regarding construction of Mubarak Mandi to Bahu- Fort cable car project, the Minister informed that Gov-ernment has formulated a plan of Rs. 47 crore for early start of project, adding that the project would be started after getting clearance from Forest Department and disbursement of compensation for the land acquired for the project.

Bhalla asked the DDC to re-move the structures in and around the Bahu Fort temple raised in violation of the norms governing the preservation of heritage sites and monuments.

Governor inaugurates NCC Special National Integration Camp at Leh

BONIYAR (URI), AUGUST 27: Minister for Medical Education, Youth Services & Sports, Taj Mohi ud Din Tuesday exhorted upon youth to become messengers of peace and play their role in integrat-ing people and communities.

Inaugurating a weeklong national integration camp at Jawahar Navodya Vidyala, Shahkoot Tuesday, the Minster asked youth to play their critical role in spreading message of peace and harmony among their respective societies.

Taj asked the participating youth to observe the situation in Kashmir themselves and report it back to their areas accordingly rather than falling prey to some out of context media portrayals in their states. He said youth are the future of a nation and they should rise to shoulder their responsibilities. The camp is being attended by about 150 youth from states of Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and J&K. The camp is organized by Nehru Yuva Kendra in collabo-ration with Baramulla district administration. Eminent scholars and public personalities are expected to deliver lectures to these youth during the camp.On the occasion, a variety cultural programme was presented depicting cultures of several states.Director General, Nehru Yuva Kendra, Salim Ahmad and officers of Baramulla district administration were present on the occasion.

Officers express gratitude to Law Minister

SRINAGAR, AUGUST 27: The J&K Legal Gazetted Service Officers have thanked Minister for Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs, Mir Saifullah for instilling a new life to the Department by effecting regular and timely promotions of the eligible officers, adding that the Minister has taken personal interest in the upliftment of the service for which the officers of the Department express their gratitude to-wards the Minister.

Taj inaugurates National Integration camp, terms youth

messengers of peace

Bhalla stresses on time bound com-pletion of developmental projects

Inaugurates Gousia Public

LibrarySRINAGAR, AUGUST 27:

Minister for Rural Devel-opment and Panchayati Raj, Ali Mohammad Sagar Tuesday asked the youth to imbibe reading culture so that they can equip themselves with knowledge for development of their personality and in-tellect.The Minister was addressing a huge gather-ing after inaugurating Garib Nawaz Gousia Public Library constructed by the Srinagar Municipal Corporation with an estimated cost of Rs.40 lakhs.

Additional District De-velopment Commissioner, Srinagar and other senior officers of different depart-

ments, religious scholars and prominent personalities of old city Srinagar were pres-ent at the function.

Sagar said that the youth of the State and importantly those living in the old city Srinagar should be abreast with latest knowledge re-garding different subjects and fields so that they can effectively compete in com-petitive exams at both Na-tional and International level and bring laurels to their respective areas.Referring to the various developmen-tal initiatives undertaken by the present Government for ensuring sustained develop-ment of the old City Srina-gar, the Minister said that the steps have already been initiated for developing the historic city on heritage pat-tern for tourism attraction. While referring to the ini-tiatives undertaking by the Government for sustainment

of the peace in the State, the Minister said that some vested interests are trying to disturbed the peaceful envi-rons for their own ulterior motives and people should understand their mechani-zations and defeat their ne-farious designs.

Sagar while calling for sustained dialogue between India and Pakistan for set-tling all issues said that the separatists and mainstream parties are keen to see peace prevail in the interest of the sub-continent. He said ever since the present govern-ment took over it has been advocating the settlement of all issues through the me-dium of political discourse between all the parties in-volved.The Minister also an-nounced an amount of Rs. 2 lakh for purchase of books for the library to supplement the already existing litera-ture there.

Sagar asks youth to imbibe reading culture

E ++HHEAAL L HH5 ZABARWAN TIMES

WEDNESDAY | 28 AUG 20138 ZABARWANTIMES

Superfoods every woman must have

Feel younger, stay slim and thwart diseases by including these super-foods in your diet. We brought in experts to tell you what you need to eat, to stay fit and healthy. So, sit back and read on as we give you some important tips that work wonders..

Low fat yoghurtHigh in calcium and protein, low fat yoghurt is ideal for women. Nutritionist Pallavi Srivastava says, "Yoghurt, being an excellent source of calcium, helps fight os-teoporosis. The consumption of yoghurt is also said to decrease the risk of breast cancer, reduce irri-table bowel syndrome, inflamma-tory digestive tract disorders — all of which are common in women." It reduces the risk of stomach ul-cers and vaginal infections.Quantity: 1 bowl every day

Fatty fishFatty fish are rich in Omega-3 fatty acids. Salmon, sardines, tuna and mackerel help reduce the risk

of blood clot formation that might occur due to the use of contracep-tive pills. Bariatric surgeon Dr Abhay Agrawal says, "Fatty fish protects against diseases related to the heart, stroke, hypertension, depression, joint pain, rheuma-toid arthritis and reproductive problems, and in some cases even from Alzheimer's disease."Omega-3 helps in optimal brain and vision development of the baby in the case of pregnant or lactating mothers. It is known to boost the level of serotonin, which is a feel-good brain chemical that aids in fighting postpartum de-pression.Quantity - 2 to 3 servings every week

BeansLow in fat and cholesterol; and a good source of protein and fibre, beans fight against heart disease and breast cancer. They are ideal for women who are either affected or have chances of getting colon

cancer. An excellent source of veg-etable protein, they aid women go-ing through menopause.Quantity: 3 to 4 servings every week

Dark chocolateDark chocolates are said to be rich in protective anti-oxidants that help reduce the risk of stroke and heart disease. It consists of mag-nesium, manganese, phosphorous and copper zinc, which are im-portant nutrients for maintaining strong bones. Certain studies also suggest that dark chocolate lowers blood pressure, sharpens thinking and hydrates the skin. It's the per-fect stressbuster when a woman is PMSing, and it tastes sensual without being high in calories.Quantity: One quarter a day

PapayaAn excellent source of potassium and vitamin C, papaya can offset the potentially harmful effects of sodium on blood pressure. A re-search by the US Department of Health and Human Services sug-gests that women are at a higher risk of gallstones than men. So, load up on papaya because it helps combat gallbladder diseases. But pregnant women should refrain from papaya since it acts as a con-traceptive, which can lead to a miscarriage or an abortion.Quantity: 2 slices per day

TomatoesTomatoes contain a powerful anti-oxidant — lycopene, which helps reduce the chances of being affect-ed with breast cancer. Nutrition-ist Mansi Belani says, "Tomatoes are also known to protect from the harmful UV rays of the sun. It helps a woman stay younger and

slimmer."Quantity: 1 tomato every day

SpinachSpinach is known to be one of the best sources of folate which prevents birth defects, heart dis-ease, colon cancer and dementia. Spinach also helps our skin from getting damaged due to heat, and delays wrinkling, fine lines and roughness of the skin with comes with age.Quantity: About 2 to 3 servings a week

BerriesDr Agrawal suggests, "Like wine, berries protect your body with powerful anti-carcinogenic nutri-ents — anthocyans, which are be-lieved to play a role in cell repair." High in vitamin C and folic acid, it is essential for women in their child bearing years. Its powerful anti-oxidant not only protects the heart but also the skin against age-ing. Cranberries are known to have a positive impact on your vision, and to help reduce the chances of urinary tract infections which are common in women of all age groups.Quantity: 3 to 4 servings every week

Whole grainsThe consumption of whole grain helps combat blood pressure and a slow metabolism. Srivastava says, "Swapping refined grains like white bread and rice with whole wheat bread, rice, brown rice and oats will add more fibre to your diet and give you a feeling of fullness with fewer calories." Studies suggest that whole grains help the body retain potassium, which helps in maintaining blood pressure

Fat burning myths bustedWhen it comes to getting healthy or burning fat, you are fed with misinforma-tion all the time. Instead of being misled or discouraged or being confused on whether to believe it or not, here are a few facts on the most com-mon fat-burning myths along with the right tips Myth 1: No time! If scheduling cardio and weight training seems like too much time and effort, try combining the two. The combination of cardio and weight training not only burns calories but saves time as well. This tech-nique called circuit train-ing focuses on resistance training intervals along with intervals of cardio. You can create workout "stations," each featuring a different weight train-ing exercise for a muscle or muscle group. Do each station with a maximum rest period of 30 seconds in between each exercise to keep calorie-burning at its maximum. Myth 2: Long cardio ses-sions work best Even with the best inten-tions, it's not always pos-sible or feasible to exercise for 60 minutes or longer at one time. And if you're looking to drop pounds, it's also not the most effi-cient way. Instead, try intervals, which involves alternating

bouts of intense exercise with less-intense recovery periods. Short, intense exercise bursts burn more calories than working out at the same intensity for the same length of time. The active recovery peri-ods allow for greater in-tensity during the work intervals and, subse-quently, more calories are burned overall. Try the pre-programmed interval training programmes on cardio equipment, or do it yourself by alternat-ing 30 to 60 seconds of vigorous activity with the same amount of easy exertion. Myth 3: You should stay within the fat-burning zone when doing cardio Treadmills and other cardio equipment dis-play colourful charts in-dicating various zones, one of which indicates a 'fat-burning' zone. These

zones refer to the percent-age of fat burned, not the total calories. You burn the highest percentage of fat while you're sleeping. But you're also burning the least number of calo-ries, which is what counts towards body fat loss. Instead, look for ways to burn a greater number of calories over all and the weight and fat will auto-matically drop off. Myth 4: Only cardio leads to faster weight loss The intensity of the workout determines how many additional calories you'll burn. Car-diovascular fitness helps lower body fat by burn-ing more calories while you're exercising, but weight training helps burn more fat and calo-ries even when you're relaxing. The harder the workout, the longer the after-burn effect.

Diabetes: A reason to worry!Diabetes is a very serious ailment and it can cause numerous health compli-cations. When people have diabetes, their bodies fail to produce insulin or pro-duce very little insulin. It is also related to issues like vision problems, high blood pressure, heart ail-ments and strokes. There-fore it is important to know how you can prevent diabetes.Being overweight or being older may predispose you to diabetes. The common reasons for Diabetes to oc-cur are age, family history, ethnicity weight, activity level, smoking, high blood pressure and weight loss."While Type 1 diabetes is an auto-immune disease where the body's immune system destroys the insu-lin-producing beta cells in the pancreas. Type 2 dia-betes is the most common form of diabetes, affecting 85-90% of all people . It's also known as late-onset diabetes, characterized by insulin resistance and relative insulin deficien-

cy", informs Dr. Shreepad Khedekar, Specialist in Genetic Chronic Diseases, Imperial Clinics.While Type 1 diabetes can be treated with insulin and control through the use of glucose meters. Type 2 diabetes may be treated by dietary changes, exer-cise and/or tablets. Insulin injections may later be re-quired.There is no cure for dia-betes. Treatment involves medicines, diet, and exer-cise to control blood sugar and prevent symptoms and problemsDr. Shreepad Khedekar, Specialist in Genetic Chronic Diseases, Impe-rial Clinics gives quick tips to control diabetes:Get physicalExercise can help you:Lose weightLower your blood sugarBoosts your sensitivity to insulin — which helps keep your blood sugar within a normal rangeResearch shows that both aerobic exercise and re-sistance training can help

control diabetes, but the greatest benefit comes from a fitness program that includes both.Get plenty of fiberIt's rough, it's tough — and it may help you:Reduce your risk of dia-betes by improving your blood sugar controlLower your risk of heart diseasePromote weight loss by helping you feel fullFoods high in fiber in-clude fruits, vegetables, beans, whole grains, nuts and seeds.Go for whole grainsAlthough it's not clear why, whole grains

may reduce your risk of diabetes and help main-tain blood sugar levels. Try to make at least half your grains whole grains. Many foods made from whole grains come ready to eat, including various breads, pasta products and many cereals. Look for the word "whole" on the package and among the first few items in the ingredient list.Lose extra weightIf you're overweight, dia-betes prevention may hinge on weight loss. Ev-ery pound you lose can im-prove your health.

With its origins in ancient religious and spiritual traditions, meditation is a widely used mind-body practice used even today, to complement medical procedures and treat-ments. Although, used mostly for relaxation and stress re-duction, meditation-based therapy is increasingly offered in medical cen-ters and clinics today to manage pain and reduce anxiety prior to surgeries. Surprised? Recent studies have shown that frequent practice of meditation can lead to significant control of pain. Read on to know how meditation alters your pain perception and quells pain even better than some of the most powerful drugs. Meditation and common forms The term meditation re-fers to a set of techniques wherein a person minimiz-es the activity of the mind without altering the level of alertness. Broadly, the

technique has been cat-egorized under five basic categories: Mantra meditation This comprises the Tran-scendental Meditation techniques, Clinically Stan-dardized Meditation and Relaxation Response. In this process, by repeatedly using a sound or phrase, a person focuses to achieve a state of perfect conscious-ness. Mindfulness meditation This form of meditation involves focusing on what you experience while per-forming the technique like the very flow of your breath. Yoga Here, a person attempts to achieve a state of calm-ness by combining bodily postures with controlled breathing. Tai-Chi - A form of Chinese martial arts, the technique is performed using self-paced series of movements in a slow-graceful manner along with deep breathing. Qi gong - This involves a combination of medita-

tion, breathing exercise, relaxation and physical movements. Meditation and pain man-agement: In the past, med-itation has been explored extensively for its effects on stress reduction and other similar clinical functions. However, researchers have now identified another sig-nificant health benefit of the technique that suggests that it is actually possible to overcome debilitating pain with the help of medi-tation. What's more, some of these studies have also suggested that the pain-relieving effects of medita-tion might be even more effective than morphine. Back in April, 2011, a study by the researchers at the Wake Forest Baptist Medi-cal Center indicated that a person can attain at least 40 per ent decrease in pain intensity and 57 per cent in pain unpleasant-ness merely by practicing these techniques regularly. This decrease in pain was found to be much higher

than with morphine or other pain-relieving drugs. With the help of mag-netic resonance imaging, the brain activity of study participants after medita-tion demonstrated how the technique increased the activity of certain areas which are responsible for pain perception. Despite such findings, sci-entists were unable to as-certain the actual mecha-nism of this phenomenon until now. According to a recent research published at the Brain Research Bul-letin, investigators from Harvard, MIT and Massa-chusetts General Hospital have identified a possible answer. They suggested that the explanation prob-ably lies in alpha waves manipulation in the brain. Furthermore, they ex-plained that by practicing the techniques of mindful-ness meditation for a peri-od of eight-weeks or above, you will be able to control the activity of these brain waves.

Scientists may have hit upon an effective way to block asthma attacks by identifying the two most significant biological trig-gers that bring them on. Researchers from the Universities of California-San Francisco (UCSF), Johns Hopkins and Duke universities demonstrate that these two triggers for asthma are tied to a spe-cific calcium-activated chloride channel, called TMEM16A. They regulate airway secre-tions and smooth muscle contraction, the two major factors linked with asthma attacks, according to the journal "Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences". "Maybe if we could inhibit both of these processes by blocking this one channel, we could affect the two symptoms of asthma," said senior study author Jason Rock, assistant professor of anatomy at UCSF. Asthma, a respiratory dis-order that causes short-

ness of breath, coughing and chest discomfort, re-sults from changes in the airways that lead to the lungs. It affects 18.7 million adults and 7.0 million children in the US alone, according to the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention. Normally, humans have few mucus-producing cells. Those suffering from asthma, however, have an elevated number of these cells lining the tubes that lead to the lungs. "The overabundance of mucus plugging the air-

ways combined with hyper-contractility of the smooth muscle - when the tubes get really small - make it difficult to move air in or out," Rock said. "A lot of people equate that feeling with breathing through a straw." Rock and colleagues fo-cused on a calcium-activat-ed chloride channel called TMEM16A. This channel secretes chloride ions, be-sides regulating biological processes such as neuron firing, gastrointestinal ac-tivity and the secretion of sweat and tears.

Facts about fad dietsDieting is an age old way to lose weight but is fad diet the best way to lose those extra pounds?When you want to lose weight fast there is just one question on your mind... What works fast? Many of us are struggling to lose weight fast. Many of us want to shed those extra pounds so that we look and feel good for that spe-cial function or occasion and we want to fit into our old denims or that skimpy dress we saw in the mall. If any of these cases are true then we go on a spree to find that perfect diet plan that works wonders for us. It can be confusing in today's weight loss world to find that perfect prod-uct or that diet plan that works fast.One of the most common diet plans are the fad diets. These kinds of diets are all over the place with things such as detox diet, grapefruit diet and cabbage soup diet which promise instant weight loss. So if you need to lose

weight fast in a short span of time then yes these diet plans work fast. But their long term effect is not very good to lose a lot of weight in a short span of time. Loosing too much weight too quickly can affect your health by putting a lot of stress on your internal or-gans. Then there is also the case where you lose weight rather quickly only to re-alize that you've put it all back on. This happens because when you finish with your fad diet you go back to your old eating habits that

caused the weight gain in the first place. So, it is much better to lose weight in the long term by following a healthy and varied meal plan.Fad diets have a lot of negative drawbacks also. So, if you decide to go on a fad diet on a short term basis in order to shed a few pounds then be ready for some serious medical con-ditions. These diets have been known to cause some nasty side effects such as head-aches, diarrhea and dizzy spells.

Healthy foods to fight blood pressure

Here are a few items that you should stock up to re-duce your blood pressure levelsFighting blood pres-sure and sugar levels while craving for food might be a difficult job.Here a few food items that can help you lower your blood pres-sure levels and keep it at a normal level.Spinach - Spinach is load-ed with magnesium and also contains potassium which are key ingredients for lowering and maintain-ing healthy blood pressure levels. So add more greens

to your daily dish and en-joy a healthy life minus all the pressure.Dark chocolate - Well, this certainly does not mean that you binge upon choc-olate. But it is found that eating about 25-30 calories a day (flavanols are pres-ent in dark chocolates) can lower the blood pressure levels in your body.Skimed milk - It provides calcium, potassium and Vitamin D which together help in reducing blood pressure levels and keep your body healthy.

NATION DAILY ZABARWAN TIMES

7 SRINAGARWednesday, 28 August,2013

Delhi High Court admits CBI appeal against Sajjan Kumar’s acquittal

The Delhi High Court today admitted CBI’s appeal against acquittal of Sajjan Kumar in a 1984 anti-Sikh riots case relating to killing of five Sikhs by a mob here.

1984 anti-Sikh riots: Sajjan Kumar’s acquittal challenged:

A bench of justices G S Sistani and G P Mittal also asked Kumar to appear before the Registrar General of the High Court to furnish bail bonds on September 2 in the case.

1984 Sikh riot victims protest Sajjan Kumar’s acquittal

It asked the families of the victims, who also filed similar appeals against trial court’s May 30 order letting off Kumar in the 29-year-old case, to withdraw their pleas and add their arguments to the CBI plea.

“Grounds raised by victims in their appeals are treated as additional grounds in CBI appeal and vic-tims given right to argue there,” the bench said in its order and fixed October 31 for hearing the case.

1984 anti-Sikh riots: CBI to appeal against Saj-jan Kumar’s acquittal:

The probe agency, in its appeal to the High Court, has said the trial court erred in acquitting Sajjan Ku-mar as it was he who had instigated the mob during

the riots that broke out after the assassination of then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi on October 31, 1984.

A special court had on May 30 let off Kumar say-ing he deserved the “benefit of doubt” as key wit-ness Jagdish Kaur did not name him as an accused in her statement given to the Justice Ranganath Mishra panel in 1985.

“It was a matter of fact that when eye witness and complainant Jagdish Kaur had submitted her affida-vit before Justice Ranganath Mishra Commission in 1985, she had not mentioned the name of Sajjan Kumar in any manner though the other accused had been named,” it had said.

The trial court, however, had held five others guilty in the case and awarded varying jail terms to them for being part of the mob that killed the Sikhs.

Ex-councillor Balwan Khokkar, Girdhari Lal and retired naval officer Captain Bhagmal were given life term, while the remaining two, former MLA Mahender Yadav and Kishan Khokkar, were sentenced to a three-year imprisonment for their lesser roles.

The CBI has also challenged the acquittal of former MLA Mahender Yadav and Kishan Khok-kar from some of the criminal charges, including murder, looting and burning of properties, that

were invoked against them.Kumar, a former Lok Sabha MP from Outer Del-

hi, and others were tried in the case dealing with the killing of five Sikhs - Kehar Singh, Gurpreet Singh, Raghuvender Singh, Narender Pal Singh and Kul-deep Singh, who were members of the same family, by a mob in Delhi Cantonment’s Raj Nagar area.

The case against Kumar and five others was reg-istered in 2005 on a recommendation by Justice G T Nanavati Commission. CBI had filed two charge sheets against him and the other accused in January 2010.

UPA’s ‘non-performance’ helping Narendra Modi: Arun Shourie

NEW DELHI: Former Union minister and BJP leader Arun Shou-rie has called Prime Minister Manmohan Singh as the “main elec-tion agent” of Narendra Modi as “non perfor-mance” of the UPA government has been helping the Gujarat Chief Minister.

Speaking to Karan Thapar on Devil’s Advocate programme on CNN-IBN, he also said move to get the Food Security Bill would ruin the country’s economy as it has terrible conse-quences.

“Manmohan Singh is the main election agent of Narendra Modi today. Since he (the Prime Minister) is not doing anything, people are saying that Modi lao... Modi lao (bring Modi, bring Modi),” he said.

Asked to comment about some people’s

perception that Modi is a divisive figure and he would rupture India’s communal harmony, Shourie said there was communal harmony and “the question is at the moment what the country wants is not divisive but decisive lead-ership and he has certainly demonstrated that”.

On whether Modi would unite the BJP behind him or fracture the top leadership like Sushma Swaraj or L K Advani, Shourie said he would not speak about “stateless” leaders in Delhi as there are state leaders.

Mamata Banerjee tells students to build consensus against UPA

President greets nation on the eve of Janmashtami

President Pranab Mukherjee on Tuesday greeted the na-tion on the eve of Janmashtami festival and said people should recall the teachings of Lord Krishna.

“Let us, on this sacred day, recall the teachings of Lord Krishna which have for centuries been an inspiration to us to follow the path of virtue and righteousness in thought, word and deed,” Mukherjee said in a statement.

“On the auspicious occasion of Janmashtami, I extend heartiest greetings and best wishes to all my fellow citizens,” he said.

President greets nation on the eve of Janmashtami“May Lord Krishna’s noble message of ‘Nishkama Kar-

ma’ or duty without thought of reward, motivate all of us to work in unity and with selfless dedication for peace, prosper-ity and progress in our country,” he added.

Janmashtami, the birthday of Lord Krishna, one of the 24 avatars of Hindu god Vishnu, will be celebrated Wednesday.

Paralysis in decision-making behind economic mess: Yashwant Sinha

Former finance minister Yashwant Sinha on Tuesday called for early elections to bail the country out of the ongoing economic cri-sis.

He said a paralysis in decision-making was the main reason behind the economic mess and charged the government with having lost control over financial matters of the country.

“Paralysis of decision-making is the prob-lem,” he said, attacking the government’s economic measures on a day when the rupee tumbled to 66 against a dollar and the Sensex

tanked nearly 600 points. Paralysis in decision-

making behind economic mess, says Yashwant Sinha

Participating in the de-bate in the Lok Sabha on the Food Bill, Sinha said the large fiscal deficit had affected inflation.

“If you run a large fiscal deficit then it will have an effect on inflation. A large fiscal deficit will spill over to current account deficit,” he said. “It’s a vicious cy-cle.”

Sinha mentioned that raising the import duty on gold alone will not solve the problem. “Gold is not the only com-modity responsible for the situation.”

Sinha mocked at the government’s attempt to keep foreign exchange in the country.

He also slammed the government’s policy to import coal when it could ask Coal India to increase production.

He criticised that the gov-ernment has increased consumption expendi-ture which in turn has impacted inflation in the country.

Govt says, need of Representation of People Bill 2013 necessitated after SC directive

Aug 27 August:Government says the

need of Representation of the People (Amendment and Validation) Bill, 2013 was necessiated after the Supreme Court directive regarding the disqualification of a legislator.

Supreme Court earlier held that a person who is in jail or in police custody can not contest election to legisla-tive bodies. Piloting the bill the Law Minister informed the Rajaya Sabha that govern-ment has also filed a review petition against the Court Or-der. He said any person can-not be disqualified to contest election on any ground other than those prescribed under

the Constitu-tion. Mr Sibal said the right to vote and the right to be an elector are two sepa-rate statu-tory rights and a person cannot be deprived of both these rights on the same ground.

The Minister said the Pat-na High Court’s order, as up-held by the Supreme Court, will impact the country’s political system.The House is now discussing the bill. Rajiv

Pratap Rudy of the BJP while initiating the debate said the Judiciary intervenes if the law makers fail to discharge their duties. Several other mem-bers from various political parties are also participating in the discussion.

Govt denies systemic shortage in supply of

LPG cylinders, regulatorsAug 27:Au-

gust: The gov-ernment has denied any sys-temic shortage in the supply of LPG cylinders and regulators in the country. Giving this in-formation in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha today, Minis-ter of State for Petroleum and Natural Gas Mrs Panabaka Lakshmi said the public sector oil marketing companies fol-low the advance planning for procurement of LPG cylinders

and regulators. She said some State Govern-ments have launched vari-ous schemes to provide free LPG connec-tions to BPL families.The minister said that the cen-

tre has a scheme for providing one time grant to BPL families in the rural areas for release of new domestic LPG con-nections under Rajiv Gandhi Grameen LPG Vitaran Yo-jana.

SC warns courts against showing leniency towards rape convicts

NEW DELHI: The Su-preme Court on Tuesday ruled that compromise be-tween rape survivor and rape convict cannot be a ground to reduce sentence of imprison-ment.

Even offer of marriage by the accused to rape survivor cannot persuade courts to reduce sentence of rape con-victs, the top court said.

The apex court said law permits the court to reduce sentence even in rape cases under exceptional circum-stances but compromise be-tween the assaulted woman and the rapist cannot be a ground for that exception.

The top court said allow-ing compromise between rape survivor and convict for reduction of sentence would allow the accused to exert ev-ery kind of pressure on the rape survivor to settle for a compromise.

Long delay in trial and the fact that rape survi-vor has settled in life were also no grounds to reduce sentence of rapists, the SC ruled.

Religion, caste or status of accused too should not make any difference to the case trial and imposition of sentence when convicted, the court said.

Justifying harsh pun-ishment in rape cases, the court said rape is not only a physical and mental assault of a woman but also a crime against society requiring courts not to show leniency to rape convicts when it came to imposing sentence.

Warning the high courts and trial courts against leni-ency towards rape convicts, SC said orders imposing sentence less than prescribed or releasing accused on the grounds that period of sen-tence has already been un-dergone would reflect insen-sitivity of court towards rape survivor and society.

STF commander, jawan killed in Chhattisgarh Naxal encounter

A Special Task Force (STF) commander and a jawan were today killed in an encounter be-tween the ultras and security forces in Maoist-hit Bastar region of southern Chhattisgarh, police said.

Those killed had been identified as company commander Lav Bhagat and constable Selestian Kujur.

Police also said the patrol party was on a combing operation for the past two days in the

bordering areas of Dantewada, Narayanpur, Kondagaon and Bastar districts of Bastar divi-sion.

Earlier, on Monday afternoon, a face-off had taken place between security personnel and Mao-ists in the forest of Narayanpur area in which two women naxalites were killed, he said.

Meanwhikle, three Naxals were arrestedduring a search operation in Maoist-hit Na-

rayanpur district .

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee Tuesday urged India’s younger generation to use the internet to commu-nicate and unite against the Congress-led “anti-people government” at the centre. “Time has come to prevent the country from getting sold and only students and the younger generation can do that. I would urge all of you to use the internet and communicate to create a united voice of protest across the country,” Banerjee said here.

The Trinamool Congress supremo who has been actively criticising the United Progressive Alliance’s economic policies on a social networking site, asked students to use Facebook, emails and other networking media to build a strong voice of protest against the central government.

Addressing a rally on the occasion of the foundation day of the students’ wing of the ruling Trinamool Congress, Baner-jee asked students to pursue the politics of development and refrain from indulging in violence or destruction. With her gov-ernment deciding to resume the students’ election, Banerjee also cautioned them

against falling prey to provocation.

“We had suspend-ed the students’ union elections because of the panchayat (rural) polls. But they will be resumed now. The rival unions would provoke you, they will attack you, but I would urge you not to fall prey to their prov-ocation. Be cool and do not resort to vio-lence,” said Banerjee.

She also said the students’ union elec-tions, likely to begin from October, would be conducted in a phased manner with one university going to the polls at a time.

Students’ union elections in the state were indefinitely suspended earlier this year following the killing of a policeman

during the nominations filing process out-side a city college. Observing that “all pol-iticians were not bad”, Banerjee urged stu-dents to join politics and serve the country.

RS discussing on abnormal rise in on-ion prices, essential commodities

The Rajya Sabha has taken up a Short Duration discussion on the ab-normal rise in the prices of onion and other essential commodities.

Initiating a discussion, Naresh Agrawal of the Samajwadi Party al-leged that the government is misguid-ing the people on the prices of onion and other essential commodities on the basis of statistics while ignoring facts.

Balbir Punj of the BJP said the rise of prices of essential commodities has adversely affected the purchasing capacity of the people. He said the rupee depreciation and price rise are the symptoms of the same disease.

He said the government has failed to tackle the situation. The discussion is continuing.

Uttarakhand floods: Final lists of missing people received from all states barring UP: Bahuguna

Uttarakhand government on Tues-day said it has received the final lists of people from various states except Uttar Pradesh, who went missing in the mid-June calamity, and will soon sent com-pensation to their families."We have re-ceived the final lists of missing persons from all the states except Uttar Pradesh. I have spoken to UP Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav and Governor B L Joshi asking them to furnish us with the final list of missing persons from their state soon," Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna told reporters in Dehradun.

"The UP Governor has informed that the required list of missing persons from

the state will be made available within 10-15 days," he said. Bahuguna said the amount received from the Centre as com-pensation will soon be paid to the kin of the missing persons, whose names appear in the final lists received from different states.

Uttarakhand floods: Final lists of miss-ing people received from all states barring UP, says BahugunaA 'presumed to be dead' certificate will be issued to each one of those who went missing in the tragedy to help their kin operate their bank accounts, the chief minister said in reply to a ques-tion.

SP MLA's son booked for role in demolition of buildingA Samajwadi Party MLA's

son and his aides have been booked for their alleged in-volvement in the demolition of an under-construction nursing home building here.

Dr Mohammad Nasir, in his complaint, alleged that Vikrant -- the son of SP MLA from Ba-chrawan Ram Lal Akela, and his over two dozen armed as-sociates got the building near

hotel Saras demolished after he refused to pay an extortion of Rs 20 lakh.

Dr Nasir alleged that he had also received death threats from the MLA's son, police said.

An FIR had been filed against Vikrant and 20 others yesterday and investigations are on, Superintendent of Po-lice, Rajesh Pandey, said.

When contacted, Vikrant said he had purchased the plot of land and the sale deed was in his name.

Dr Nasir, however, refuted the claims of Vikrant and said that the land belonged to him and he had all the relevant documents to prove it.

He said that the administra-tion and police had not taken any step against those respon-

sible for the demolition. Meanwhile, a demonstra-

tion against the district admin-istration and the MLA was held at the Motel crossing in Kot-wali area today.

Led by corporator Nazim, the protesters raised slogans and handed over a memoran-dum to the city magistrate, demanding immediate action against the encroachers.